23 Months

I had the idea that on Sunday morning we would get up and go swimming as early as possible, hoping the pool wouldn't be too busy.

We arrived just after 10:15am and we were told that we would have to have waiting tickets to come back at 10:45am. There were loads of families all doing the same thing.

I waited in the cafe while Rob and Ellis went out to the little park.




Leo paying tribute to the late Michael Jackson.

We finally got in the pool and Leo loved it! He was bobbing about with a smile on his face, it was so cute! Rob and I dunked both the boys, although Rob had more trouble than me as he forgot it was the shallow end, so when he went to dunk Ellis the water only came up to his shoulders, he had to tip him backwards instead and all the water went up his nose.

I got out early with Leo and he went purple rather quickly. It was a mad rush to get dressed so that I could feed him to warm him up. I wont be able to go swimming on my own for a bit yet.

Rob and Ellis got out shortly after and we then went straight home for some lunch.

Ellis had a nice nap and Rob and I just relaxed for a bit.

For Iestyn's birthday party, Ellis wanted to wear his new lion t-shirt even though it was too big. He loved it. I would have preferred for him to have worn a party shirt. Toddlers with their independence!



We arrived just after 3pm for the party and I fed Leo straight away, hoping he could be passed around for lots of cuddles and I could spend my time eating and watching Ellis. It didn't turn out that way and I had to sit and feed him a couple of times. I even missed the cake and song, hence not very many pictures or videos of the party. These photos I took from my seat in the living room as people were passing through.











Rob and Leo watched the tennis together, although Leo obviously got bored.



We were home for Ellis' bath time and last night there was a new addition to the bath routine, Leo. I did do a video but I wont be posting it.



I put Leo in his bed for a bit while I made the other beds and he actually paid attention to his mobile for the first time.





Rob again gave Leo a bottle while I had a shower.



The boys were both finally in bed and Leo was settled by 9:30pm which was better than the night before.

This morning we were all up a little bit earlier than normal. Leo was still feeding when Ellis started shouting for me but it didn't take long to get downstairs for breakfast.

We went to the penultimate Sing and Sign class first thing and we actually arrived early for a change. We took our seat and Ellis played while I chatted to Jayne the teacher.

The class was really good and Ellis was amazing. He sat still and sang along doing the signs too. I was very proud.

As soon as we arrived home, I put Ellis up for his nap, with a new addition, a pillow. I don't know why but I just decided to give him one. He liked the novelty but it wore off quite quickly and he was soon down the other end of the bed. It is hard to see the pillow in the picture, but it is there.



Ellis had a long nap and Leo and I just chilled. I had a quick chat to my Mum too which was nice.









Lunch was quite a relaxed affair too. Leo was quite happy and I managed to eat my food while it was still hot. Ellis was really good too and I was feeling rather calm.



After lunch I was just trying to work out what to do with my time, when my Mum arrived with an impromptu visit. How very nice!



She spent her time reading Thomas stories to Ellis and having cuddles with Leo. It was really nice to have some adult company and someone to entertain Ellis for a bit, even though he hadn't put a foot wrong all day.







Mum left at 4pm and I did a spot of cooking, with Ellis' help of course before we sat down and had our dinner. Again Ellis was really good, ate well and drank out of his big boy cup for the first time. It's basically a normal cup, plastic, with a handle, covered in pictures of trucks etc. I was half expecting him to throw all the water on his plate but he didn't.

Ellis was 23 months old yesterday so I tried very hard to get some good pictures of him. It was really difficult for some reason and I wasn't pleased with the results. I gave up in the end.















We or should I say I, tidied up the living room and then went upstairs for bath time. Leo was sound asleep when I first started the bath but later woke up so I dipped him in and out too.

We did story time and I fed Leo, before putting Ellis into bed. I then continued to feed Leo for a bit until no more milk would fit! I put him in his crib while I showered then sat with him while he eventually went to sleep. It took less time again tonight, so I'm hoping I'm on a roll. I might soon have an evening to myself, but I wont hold my breathe.

There have been quite a few "firsts" recently and I just wanted to make note of them:

Swimming as family of 4
Pillow for Ellis
Ellis using normal cup
Leo in the big bath
Leo having a bottle
Ellis 23 months
Leo looking at his mobile
Leo fell asleep on changing mat

Silly ones I know but I like it.

Right, I'm off to bed, on my own as Rob is working away.

Park Party

As always the morning was spent just having breakfast, clearing up and then playing. I sat reading to Ellis while Leo played in his chair. He was really kicking and hitting out at his toys but by the time I grabbed the camera, he stopped.

I put Ellis down for an early nap as we were due to go to Jaimie and Ria's house for her 2nd birthday party. Iestyn also turned 2 but we have his party tomorrow.

At the party Leo had loads of cuddles from everyone and I sat chatting and eating biscuits. Ellis was quite well behaved too and enjoyed playing with Ria's kitchen. He will make a good husband one day as he loves babies, buggies and kitchens.







The kids also played out in the garden with loads of toys and Kamron seemed to enjoy himself.



There were 2 pregnant women at the party and I must admit I was slightly jealous. Becky is expecting twin girls next Friday and I felt them moving which was great. I really miss that feeling.



We had to leave early as Ellis had to go to Little Stars. We had to go the back route too as the main road was very busy.

We arrived on time and Daddy had been waiting quite a while for us. Ellis unfortunately was limping but it only slowed him down for a few minutes.

Lots of fun was had by everyone and it was over all too quickly.

We went straight home for dinner and bath and bed routine. I then spent the best part of 2 1/2 hours trying to get Leo into bed. Basically I'm trying to get him to go up to bed by about 8:30pm. I'm not feeding him to sleep or rocking him, just getting him sleepy and putting him down so that he can get himself to sleep on his own. It worked with Ellis so fingers crossed I can do it with Leo too.

I was so tired after trying to get him to sleep that I went to bed.

We had agreed that on Saturday Rob was going to have the day to himself to get his paperwork in order so I had to take the boys out.

Mum and Dad had my nephew, Kamron, for the day so we agreed to meet up at a park which is actually a working dairy farm.

It took me ages to get there but it was quite good as Ellis had a nice nap and I just sat in quiet enjoying the motorway drive.

We met up in the car park, loaded up the buggy, put on our sun cream and went into the park.

Tickets were 1/2 price as it was the birthday party of the parks mascot, Clara Cow.

Our first stop was the soft play area inside. We let the boys have some fun.





Then we set them up at the table with a few bites to eat.









It was really hot inside and it was quite hectic getting everyone sorted out with food and drink, but we managed it.

We then went outside to explore. The kids were off! They were quite hard work to keep up with.
There was a little park, with slides and swings and Ellis' favourite thing, a blue wooden tractor.







Leo was chilling out in the buggy after his first feed at the park.



Next stop on the lap around the park was a petting barn. It was filled with rabbits, guinea pigs, ducks and chickens. The chickens had just had chicks the day before so they were the main point of interest. Mum and I left Dad to chase after 2 toddlers, going in different directions!





We caught up with Dad who had managed to coax both the boys in the right direction, but doing different things.

Ellis told Nanny about the Alpacas in the paddock, which Nanny was rather impressed with. She said he was so smart until she saw how he was trying to get onto the toy digger.







Kamron was playing in the sand pit but as we passed he came out to join us. It was short lived and he soon ran off to the climbing wall, to climb up a ladder.

Ellis, meanwhile, was chatting to some sheep. Then Leo started screaming so I had to hurry along to find a bench.

I sat and fed Leo again and Mum, Dad, Ellis and Kamron went to have a look at the birds of prey.
They joined me at the bench for a bit and then I realised that Ellis had wandered off. I found him the stables just staring at a couple of huge horses. Ellis was looking slightly worried. He had placed his drink down between his feet and was just looking up at them with his arms folded across him. It was really cute.



Leo was again chilling out after his second feed.



The park has long paths that take you to all the different attractions. Sometimes it was quite hard to keep up with the little legs of 2 toddlers, both of which wanted to go in opposite directions. I was glad that we had extra hands/feet to fetch them.





The boys at one point had a race. Ellis would stand by Kamron and say, ready, and then they would run. Kamron was the winner, and just kept going!



The milking shed was closed so we found a little area that had loads of bats and balls to play with. The kids loved it, even the bigger kids ;o)







Leo was just content to sleep in his cocoon.



It started to go a bit chilly and the rain clouds looked like they were coming over so we rushed back to the restaurant to have a snack and a drink.





Outside the restaurant is the picnic area. There was an Elton John impersonator who was quite good from a distance but when we got closer the sound just changed for some reason.



Kamron had a balloon, taken from the restaurant, that he kept dropping outside and then running after it like a nutter. It was so funny to watch.



We decided to just walk around for a bit and let the boys decide what they wanted to do. Ellis decided to join a random lady sitting on a wall. Very cute and made me laugh.



We eventually made it back to the area with the bats and balls where more fun was had.





All the excitement was getting to one member of the party and so they decided to have a rest.



We then decided that we had all had enough and that we should start to make our way home. It took forever to do that though as I had to go to the loo and change 2 nappies.

We had a wander through the farm shop and Nanny and Grandad bought the boys a toy tractor each and a little book. They both loved them.

We arrived back at the cars all hot, sticky and tired.

It was just gone 4pm so still a bit early to go back to disturb Rob so I decided to go home with Mum and Dad.

At their house the boys ate some dinner and I fed Leo a couple of times. I let him have some floor time too which was nice for him. He of course had cuddles.





More playtime was followed by more nappy changes and then we got back into the car and went home.

We arrived home late as usual and Ellis was taken straight upstairs by Daddy for a bath.

Ellis' head hit his mattress and he was asleep. His eyes were pink where he was so tired.

I fed Leo while Rob had a shower and then he took him downstairs so that I could shower.

We then videoed Leo having a bath at home before Rob gave him his first bottle.



He took the bottle well and it only took me about an hour to get him to bed tonight. It is hard work but I think it will pay off in the long run. Just need to stick with it. He was asleep by 9:30pm and it is now 11:57pm and he is quiet. I'm off to bed but sure I wont get much shut eye before Leo wakes for some grub.

Sweating

What another hot day! It was 29 degrees in Ellis' bedroom!

The day started off with Ellis calling 999. I hadn't realised as he was saying hello Nanny and I thought he was just playing with his own toy phone. I soon realised he was on the house phone so I hung it and walked away. 2 seconds later 999 calls me back to tell me off. Fair enough.

While we were having breakfast, I tried to get Leo to smile on camera. It is actually hard to do as he needs to see your face to smile and gets distracted by having the camera there. He does one around 12 seconds.



We had a landlord inspection at 9am which was fine. They are going to re-decorate the en suite which is filled with mould. I'm a bit worried about all the fumes from painting and treating the mould though. Not sure what to do about Leo and our sleeping arrangments. Rob said it will be fine.

Just after 10am, Caroline arrived with Angus. A couple of other Mummies were supposed to join us but they weren't feeling up to it.

Ellis was craving attention so I put him up for his nap while the boys had a play on the mat. It was so strange to see the 2 babies in my house. It really took me back to when Ellis was on the floor with all of his friends.





They stayed for just over an hour then went home as Angus wasn't feeling too happy about something.

Ellis woke up early from his nap so I didn't have long to myself but I checked my e-mails and had cuddles with my new baby.





Ellis and I had lunch which seemed to take forever and then we just messed around playing with his cars, a football and his books before we got our stuff ready, and went up to Nanny and Grandad Rennolds' house.



It's nice going there because Ellis has fun playing with new toys and his cousins, I get looked after with drinks and food and just sit playing with my boys and most importantly, they have air conditioning.







Nanny spent loads of time playing with Ellis and giving him his dinner while I sat feeding Leo and watching a film with my Dad. A lovely afternoon.





We rushed home, as we are always running late, for a quick shower and then bed. Ellis didn't go to sleep for ages though.



I had a shower too then did some tidying before doing the blog. I hope it gets cooler soon.

Hot and Cranky

Today was the hottest day so far and it wasn't very nice. I opened all the windows and the back door and the fan was on, but it didn't make much difference.

We were supposed to go to the library in the morning to meet up with some Mummies for a buggy walk. I was so not in the mood for it and really wanted to get a nap at the same time as Ellis so I sent a text to Caroline apologising for my absence.

Ellis woke up quite late and I tried to encourage him to eat some salmon rolls that I had prepared but he wasn't interested. I ended up eating all of it. He did manage to scoff some olives, crisps and some cheese though.

Shortly after it was time to go to Music with Mummy. My Mummy wasn't coming with us today so I had planned to get ready early so that I had spare time just in case anything cropped up.

To start with I topped Leo up with a feed, winded him and changed his nappy. Then I got Ellis dressed and cleared up from lunch. I sorted out the changing bag, got the buggy in from the car and set it up again as it wasn't in the right formation. I then had to change Leo's nappy again as he had done a huge poo, and then I thought we were ready. I put Ellis' shoes on and went to put him in the buggy when he said "poo, Mummy". I got him out again, changed his nappy, by which time Leo was crying to the point where his tongue was warbling.

I then loaded them both into the buggy, ran around the house shutting windows, locking the back door and turning the fan off. I grabbed the bags and left. To say I was hot and bothered was an understatement.

We arrived just on time and I took the buggy into the room with me as I thought it would be easier. Usually we leave it in the buggy room and walk in. It was better though as a fan was on and I turned Leo toward the moving air as he was very hot.

Ellis was an Angel and I had no need to worry, luckily. I expect it was the heat and he couldn't be bothered to run around. Leo did wake up though so I held him and Debs did the hurray swing at the end.

At the end Ellis was really good being put into his buggy as usually he likes to walk or run off out of the hall. We walked to Sainsbury's, bumping into Caroline on the way. She didn't realise that it was the 1st today so didn't go to the buggy walk either.

Sainsbury's was lovely. It was so cool, I wanted to stay in there all day. The cafe was quite quiet so we grabbed our drinks and had a nice chill out session.

We did a little bit of shopping before Leo woke up so I thought it was best to get home quickly.

Once home I got the shopping out, ran around opening all the windows, back door and putting the fan on before getting the kids in the house and folding up the buggy and putting it back in the car.

I was in need of a rest but it didn't happen. Ellis and Leo were both demanding some attention so I had to oblige, seeing as I am trying to be a loving, caring and wonderful mother!

Then between 5pm and 6pm it was havoc! I had cooking on the go, feeding and changing Leo, feeding and changing Ellis, trying to eat my dinner, and Ellis pooed and it went everywhere and then to top it off the ASDA man arrived early with the shopping.

That short paragraph does not do it justice as an explanation of what I went through.

Unfortunately I took it out on Rob as the ASDA man had said he had spoken to my husband about delivering the food early. It wasn't due until 8pm.





Poor Leo had cried himself hoarse so I was feeling very guilty and sorry for him and I didn't know what to do to get everything sorted out. It wasn't a good time and I was at breaking point. I managed though, even finding time to do the short video and picture for the blog.

It was pretty much bath time by the time I had got things half sorted out, i.e, cleaned up Ellis and all the bolognese sauce (which covered his legs, nappy, arms, face, hair, hands, his chair, the table, floor and chair next to him), put freezer and fridge food away and changed Leo again.

I left Ellis in a cool bath for ages while I fed Leo. I know it sounds like I feed Leo all the time but unfortunately I pretty much do. His feeds are often disturbed so he goes on, comes off then wants to go back on quite quickly after. It isn't his fault it's just the situation he is in. I don't blame him for crying all the time. At one point this morning I carried him around in the sling as he wouldn't stop crying and I had to get Ellis' lunch sorted out.

Rob arrived home and held Leo while I finished bath time. Ellis read with Daddy while I had a shower and then I bathed and fed Leo again. I put him down in his bed for the first time after so that we can start to get him into some sort of routine. I don't know how well that is going to go, but so far it is OK. I put him down at 7:30pm and it is now 10:40pm. He usually wakes for a feed anywhere between now and 11:30pm then again at 1am or 2am and then 5am. We are then up by 7am.

Rob helped me to finish off the putting away of food and clearing up the rest of the mess. I put 2 loads of washing on over the course of the evening, expressed 2fl oz and did this blog while checking on the boys.

Rob said I was a good Mum and wife but later asked why I was so cranky, was it the heat or something! My temperature went up a little higher but I tried to let it go as I didn't want to have an argument about it. I sometimes think I should moan more when I have a bad day, but I know he has it hard too and I don't want us both whinging at each other.

I'm still just trying to get on with everything and to not think about it all too much. It is working so far but of course I have my off days.

Tomorrow morning we have a landlord inspection, then antenatal Mums are coming over for tea and biscuits. I was hoping Mum would take Ellis swimming but she hasn't replied to my text message yet. We shall see.

Tomorrow isn't going to be so hot, so hopefully things will be a little bit easier.