FREEBIE

I just wanted to share these pictures of Teeny enjoying a new toy kindly donated to him by his BFF. 

 

He had so much fun playing in this today and it brought me so much joy to watch him.

 

That smile never fails to melt my heart.

JUST BECAUSE...

...I love this photograph. 

 

(Even if he does have a face covered in food!!)

My baby boy - 6.5 months

ONE (OF MANY) REASONS I DON'T DO FACEBOOK

Check out this blog post from The Feminist Breeder. 

 

In short Gina posted an amusing breastfeeding photograph (with no nipple exposure) that was liked by 1,500+ people, but one highly intelligent woman (do you sense the sarcasm in my voice?) reported it because apparently children who breastfeed grow up to be sex offenders and she didn't want her son to see it.  (Yes I am serious she really did say that.)

 

So Facebook in their infinite wisdom (more sarcasm in the voice there) removed the photo and suspended Gina's account. That is what I call spineless!!

 

Seriously what is wrong with people?

 

I can't write anymore on this subject at this moment in time without using a long line of expletives so I will leave you with a lovely breastfeeding photo of my own.

 

Teeny @ 4 months old
Photograph by the lovely Karen Pooler

Any thoughts people??

SIX MONTHS OLD

So my beautiful baby boy turned six months last Monday.  SIX MONTHS...seriously where did that go?  I had wanted to blog a series of posts about him, including this one, last week, but he (along with his brother and sister) was poorly with a nasty cough and cold which typically left me without any time for blogging!

 

LIKES:

 

Most things really; you are a very smiley and content baby, but you particularly love booby, finger food, being worn in your Moby, your big brother and sister, new faces, old faces, in fact any faces really especially the ones that smile or talk to you.  What else?  Secret night time snuggles with either Mommy or Daddy you're not fussed which  (sshh like I said it is a secret) and  Mommy's terrible singing; you don't mind what I sing, but you do love Row, Row, Row Your Boat and Dingle Dangle Scarecrow.

DISLIKES:

 

This is quite a difficult one because you are very easily pleased at this age.  The only things that spring to mind are being strapped in your carseat, being in your pushchair, being ignored, being cold and having your nappy put back on because you would much rather have a nakey bum.

 

I love you to the moon and back my little cheeky (ba)nana xxx

A SPECIAL PLACE

My poor little lovelies have all been full of coughs and colds this weekend, but despite them all feeling quite poorly they have been lovely and I have had very few complaints from any of them.  It is most unlike A to have a daytime nap, but she seems to have been hit the worst and so this afternoon she took one in the same place that I like to be when I am poorly - cuddled up with her Daddy - and as much as he hates it when his babies are poorly I think he was secretly quite pleased.

"I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."  MAYA ANGELOU

MMM CUCUMBER

EID MUBARAK

A & D are lucky to attend a nursery where the class is very culturally diverse and before they broke up from nursery for half term they made Eid cards.  When  I picked them up that day and they told me what they had been doing I asked them what they had learned about Eid.  A told me that it is a celebration and that they have to take their shoes off and wash their toes!  (Oh the things that children remember!)  She also asked me if we would be celebrating Eid.  I explained that we would not because Eid is celebrated by Muslims and we are not muslim, but that we could go and take the cards to our next door neighbours as they would be celebrating Eid and that if they had any questions about Eid they could ask their little friend next door or her mommy who I am sure would be more than happy to answer them.

 

So this afternoon they very proudly trotted off next door with Daddy to take their cards and I was very proud of them for being so happy and excited to celebrate people's differences. 

So following my children's lead can I wish all of those celebrating today Eid Mubarak.

 

"While we try to teach our children all about life, our children teach us what life is all about." ANGELA SCHWINDT

FOOD GLORIOUS FOOD



So here is Teeny during his first family meal and there's not a spoon or pureed vegetable in sight.  BLW rocks and I already have two children that are proof of that!!

To be continued.........

A LITTLE TREASURE

I'm always the one behind the camera in our little family so there aren't a huge number photos of me with my little ones; I am getting better at rectifying this, but it is a slow process so I was so happy to see this photograph of Teeny and I that my mom took last Friday at my nephew's 18th birthday celebrations.

 

I don't know if you can see, but I am rubbing my chin on Teeny's head. I love to inhale him and feel his fluffy hair and soft skin on my face. I made the mistake with my older two of stressing so much when they were tiny that I remember very little about them being babies and I am determined not to make that mistake again because it is one of my biggest regrets and it breaks my heart.

YOUNG LOVE

 

 

Dear Teeny and Grace.

 

I hope you two always love each other as much as you do here; that you always look out for each other and have each other to turn to in difficult times.  You are truly blessed to be in each other's lives.

 

Love always

 

Mommy/ Auntie Rach xx

WEARING IN WOOLACOMBE

I just wanted to squeeze in another babywearing post before International Babywearing Week is out.

 

We recently went to Woolacombe for five days without a pushchair .  (Oh how I wish I could live there.)  I should admit here that beforehand I was more than a little apprehensive about the prospect of not having a pushchair.  I am not sure why I was so nervous about it given that we rarely use it and that Teeny is less than impressed with said pushchair anyway.

 

Here are the results......



  

Needless to say it was a complete success and the pushchair won't be coming next year, but my beloved Moby might be replaced by a pretty woven wrap if I can manage to narrow down what I should be buying by then!

 

Anybody have any thoughts on what my new purchase should be?

WOMAN OF THE WEEK

My wonderful friend Jade has blogged about me here and I want to say a huge thank you.   I feel so honoured to be labelled Woman of The Week by such a fantastic woman. 

 

I have never thought of myself as special or out of the ordinary; like millions of other people I just get on with things.  I do what I do and that is it.  I try so hard not to be materialistic, but I quite often end up feeling like I haven't succeeded because I have a tiny and very unfinished house; I don't have lots of qualifications or a high flying job and more often than not find myself counting the pennies. 

 

However when I read her post I couldn't believe that she was writing about me.  It focuses on my passions; my fantastic friends and family, wonderful husband and precious children as well as my volunteer work as a Peer Supporter and my desire to empower women during their pregnancies and beyond . 

 

This beautifully written post, a skill I never knew Jade had despite knowing her for more than ten years, was a real reality check for me; it has helped me to put lots of things into perspective and I will always be eternally grateful to Jade for facilitating that.

ABSENCE

You may have noticed a long absence on my part and I feel the need to explain.

 

Firstly we were away in lovely Woolacombe and I don't like to be very contactable when we are away.  I take my phone, but only for emergencies.  Then, on our return home, with lots of jobs to catch up on and blog posts to write, I found that we were without internet and this lasted for a whole three weeks.  I tell you I felt like I had lost a limb!

 

Anyway we are now back in the land of the living and I have so many things to update on, but I am making no promises I am afraid.  You'll just have to keep your eyes peeled.

MINI BABYWEARER

After seeing this post on My Name is Beth I was reminded that it is International Babywearing Week this week so it provided me with the perfect opportunity to post this picture of A wearing her baby, Bella.

 

The photograph was taken about a month ago during a walk to my sister in law's.  I was wearing Teeny so A promptly asked if she could wear her baby.  Cue me running around the house trying to find something to use as a wrap for her and in the end I plumped for one of my husband's scarves.  Needless to say she loves it and he won't be getting that scarf back in a hurry!

MY EQUAL

 

 "He is my most beloved friend and my bitterest rival, my confidant and my betrayer, my sustainer and my dependent, and scariest of all, my equal." GREGG LEVOY

UPDATING WITH GRATITUDE

So here is a little update on "Three Things to be Thankful For".  Enjoy these little snippets of our life.

 

Tuesday 21 August 2012

1.  I found out today that my shoulder MRI was absolutely clear which obviously doesn't narrow down the cause of the arm pain, but I was a little bit frightened that it would turn up something nasty so it is a huge relief.  It also means the doctor can refer me for physio now which will hopefully get me back that final bit of movement I am missing and improve the bedtime ache.

2.  When I was pregnant with Teeny I occasionally used to get A&D to curl up on the sofa with me for an hour and sometimes we would nod off.  We obviously don't have the opportunity much for that now, but today A asked me if we could lie down on the sofa for a cuddle.  It made me so happy that even though I couldn't run around with them when I was heavily pregnant she still enjoyed that special time we spent together enough to ask to do it today.

3.  I had a visit from my lovely friend Jade this evening and it was just really lovely to have a good old natter with her.  I am so blessed that she is my friend and am especially looking forward to the Sunday lunch she is cooking for us this weekend!!

Wednesday 22 August 2012

1.  I am struggling with A&D's behaviour a little at the moment as they have become quite challenging again over the last week.  I am pretty sure it is because they are missing preschool, but that doesn't make it any easier.  Anyway today they have had their moments, but were much better behaved than they have been and you have no idea how grateful I am for that.  It makes me feel so awful when they are not the polite, lovely children I know they can be.

2.  I am so thankful for the lovely friends that A&D made at pre-school.  We had a play date with one of them today and my two had a lovely few hours at their house.  Whenever we go there we are always made to feel so welcome and it is lovely for me too to have some lovely adult company in the form of their friend's mommy, Kate.  Even though the children are going to different nurseries I really hope we manage stay in touch and that our children stay friends as they grow older.  I really can picture the girls together in ten years time as teenagers.  What a frightening prospect.

3.  I don't seem to have seen my lovely nephew for a little while, but today, after a hard day at work, my sweetheart of a sister in law helped me dye my hair (I couldn't do it myself because of not having a full range of movement in my arm) and on arrival at her house, without any prompting from me, I was greeted with a great big hug from my nephew.  I felt very blessed, although D will be gutted that he missed out.

Thursday 23 August 2012

1.  Teeny has started having the occasional sneaky night time/early morning feed again.  I think it is because he has started going to bed a little earlier so is doing a longer stretch now.  The funny thing is though he will go back to sleep once I put him in his cot, but while I am holding him he tries his hardest to play with me and gives me such cheeky and beautiful smiles that I almost don't want to put him back to bed!

2.  Teeny had to have his 16 week injections today and A&D came with us too.  Last time he had them the nurse was very softly spoken and gentle and they didn't upset him too much so A&D were ok with him having them.  This time we saw a different nurse; she was a bit more abrupt and Teeny really cried at his first jab which made A so cross that she started shaking my chair and saying "No Mommy" as the nurse tried to give him his next one.  It broke my heart that he was so upset and that she was so upset for him.  Needless to say Teeny was smothered with kisses and cuddles by A&D once the ordeal was over.

3.  I have the best of both worlds when I am not on maternity leave in that I work evenings and so get to spend lots of time with my children during the day (although I do miss my lovely husband).  However I do really miss reading bedtime stories and having bedtime cuddles with A&D so being on maternity leave is extra special in that I am able to spend lots of time bonding with Teeny, but I also get to do the bedtime things that I really miss when I am at work.  I also love going in to give them a sneaky kiss and cuddle once they have nodded off.

Friday 24 August 2012

1.  I have talked before about the lovely friends that A&D made at pre-school.  Today we had another play date with one of them.  I struggle on Friday's because my other half goes to work early so I was so thankful that we had been invited out.  The weather stayed dry and they have a beautiful garden so of course the children spent 90% of  their time in the garden and had a ball especially as there is a secret garden too which can't be seen from the house.  How exciting for three (almost) four year olds!!  I had a good old natter with Olivia's mommy which always makes me feel better and the morning ran away from us.  Before we knew it it was time for us to go home, much to the children's disgust!

2.  My husband finishes work early on Friday's and it is always lovely to go home and already have him there waiting to give me a great big cuddle. 

 

3.  Following on from the above.  Despite Friday mornings being difficult for me I am so grateful for the extra time we get to spend together as a family on these afternoons as a result of the early mornings.  Where possible, provided that life doesn't take over, we try to do something fun and make this time extra special especially as the children get older because I am noticing that A&D are starting to miss Daddy more and more when he is at work.

Saturday 25 August 2012

1.  I am thankful for my husband everyday, but today is our 6th wedding anniversary so I am even more thankful for him today.  He is a wonderful husband and father to our children.  Of course we have our moments like every couple, but I love him more every single day.  I know this doesn't sound very romantic, but we are like a well oiled machine.  We are a team and we work well together.  The children and I are his world and he and the children are mine.  I daren't even think what I would do without him.

2.  This might be slightly materialistic, but I am so thankful for the lovely anniversary flowers I found when I got up this morning.  I know my husband loves me, but he is not the most romantic of men so surprise flowers are extra special.  I would be happy with a little bunch from the supermarket, but these were actually a beautiful bouquet from the florist loaded with lilies and roses which are two of my favourite flowers.  How lucky am I?

3.  We did lots of nice things as a family today; out for breakfast in the morning and then to a birthday party in the afternoon.  It is not really about what we did though  I am just thankful for being able to spend that time with my family; you know just hanging out with them and not thinking about housework or DIY or what to cook for tea.

 

Sunday 26 August 2012

1.  I was so grateful today to be able to spend some lovely intimate time with Allan and Teeny having some beautiful photographs taken by Allan's sister.  She also photographed my bump for me as well as Teeny's home birth and we are going to slide show them all together for Teeny's Naming Ceremony.  Allan and I are conscious of wanting to involve A&D as much as we can with Teeny and we love to do that because they idolise him and he they, but it was just so very special to have this short special time together as a couple with him today to record and treasure his babyhood (if that is even a real word).  Probably more so because we feel like we missed out on that a little with A&D because of the mayhem that is having multiples especially as your first and if this were not a post about being thankful and happy I would say that this makes me a little sad.

 

2.  A wonderful friend; one of the most talented, committed and generous individuals I know and to top it off a great cook.  Jade's Sunday roast.  Nom nom nom.  Need I say more?  A&D can take or leave Sunday Lunch (which surprises me given my love for them), but the fact that they virtually cleared their plates is testament to how delicious it was.  I was so happy not to have to cook  today and to still get to eat a delicious home cooked meal with the most wonderful people!

 

3.  Finally I have to talk about how well behaved my children were at their Auntie Jade's house today.  I have mentioned earlier on that they have become quite challenging over the summer break and I have been at the end of my tether at times, but I was extremely proud of them today.  They were so well mannered and polite and respectful that you would have thought that butter couldn't melt and it made for a very pleasant afternoon.  So thank you so much guys for making me smile so much that it was impossible to hide.  Love you.

 

Monday 27 August 2012

1.  I caught up with some of my oldest work friends this morning.  I am the only one out of that circle with children and I sometimes find it hard to fit into their plans and worry that they just think I am being awkward, but I make the effort to join them when I can and they too make the effort to accommodate my children where it is possible and/or appropriate.  We had a good old catch up today and I am always thankful to be able to spend quality time with these people as they have been part of my life for a very long time and will be for a very long time to come I hope.

 

2.  Another play date and another lovely afternoon.  Today's play date was with a little girl who started pre-school on the same day as A&D and her mommy, Jo was the first person I spoke to at pre-school.  The weather held out and so the children got to play both inside and out and I am so happy that they got to have lots of fun with yet another lovely friend.  What made this play date extra special was that, as it was a Bank Holiday, Daddy got to join in the fun too and I think it was good for his soul to get involved with the children's social lives and it made me happy to have him there.

 

3.  We finished this lovely day by having a Chinese takeaway with my sister in law, but what made me happiest while we were there was the beaming smiles on A&D's faces and the excitement in their voices when their big cousin arrived home.  I have written before about how much they love Will and this love just seems to grow and grow; it is so beautiful to watch.

 

Tuesday 28 August

1. A was ever so upset today when D didn't want to play outside with her. It made me so thankful that I have twins because, as difficult as it can be for me sometimes, they are so lucky to have each other.  It must be much less scary doing new things if you always have a partner in crime;

2. There are lots of mommies who I know online, but never get to meet in person. However today I was blessed to meet one of those mommies along with her her brand new baby girl.  I really should try harder to meet my online friends.

3. Today is one year since I posted my first post on my blog. Yay I have been blogging (somewhat sporadically) for a whole year.

Wednesday 29 August

1. Wednesday is Booby Club. I feel so privileged to be able to help and support other women through their breastfeeding journey.  I hope I make as much of a difference to them as they do to me.

2. I had a lovely evening out with my sister in law and my friend; we went to see the wonderfully talented Kimbra, but that's a whole other post!

3. A&D were quite put out that they weren't coming to see Kimbra with me tonight, but I did manage to acquire a poster advertising the gig for them to put in their room.  You should have seen their faces!

 

Oh dear!  Writing this has just made me realise that I really haven't been taking enough photographs lately so I really must take steps to rectify that situation and get my mojo back as it seems to have wandered away from me slightly.

I HAVEN'T FORGOTTEN

Hi guys, I haven't forgotten about "Three Things to be Thankful For".  I have notes from each day of my three and will publish soon, but have been falling asleep of an evening before I can even manage to turn the laptop on.  Must be left over fatigue from the glandular fever and poorly arm which I am happy to report feels a million times better!  Yay!

 

Be back soon.  Probably not tonight though as, much to my daughter's disgust because she is not allowed to join me, I am going to see Kimbra.  (Thanks to Georgia of Documenting Delight for the introduction!)

 

Lots of love.

 

xx

FRIENDS OLD AND NEW

Today when the rain that wasn't forecast finally stopped we headed for a postponed play date in the park.  There are five months between my twins and my friend Marie's oldest daughter so they have been friends virtually since the day she was born.  The girls are both very girly; they share a love of all things pretty and were clearly pleased to see each other today.  However what I also noticed today was how protective D was of his friend; when she fell over he came to tell us; when he went off to play he took her with him and when she wasn't near him playing he wanted to know where she was.  He is like this with A (when they are not bickering), but I am used to that as she is his sister after all and,  aside from a few days just after their first birthday when A was in hospital with pneumonia, he has never spent a night away from her.  Nevertheless to see him like it with his little friend was so heartwarming.  He is such a sweet and sensitive soul and so very caring and I am so thankful for his kindhearted nature.

Speaking of friendships, not only did I watch old friendships develop today, but I also watched new ones forming.  What is it about children that allows them to form friendships so quickly and easily?  They have no preconceived notion or judgements about what the other child is like and I wish so much that I could wrap up that innocence so that they could take it on life's journey with them.  When we first got to the park I saw a little girl, slightly older than A I would imagine, keeping a close eye on her and they always seemed to be in close proximity to each other.  Well, within twenty minutes of our arrival they were running around together holding hands and having full blown conversations.  Oh how I wish I could hear what they were talking about at such a tender age.  I am so in awe of my daughter's ability to form new friendships with such ease.   I love that, whilst at this age children do notice differences between themselves and their peers, it seems to have little or no impact on their opinion of that person or their desire to get to know them.  Sometimes we can learn such big lessons from ones so little and I am so grateful for the lesson my daughter taught me today.

Finally, I must just add that was very thankful today to meet baby Noah and catch up with his mommy too.  Noah is Marie's new nephew and, at five weeks old, is just delicious.  I felt so privileged to get to meet him so soon.  Mr & Mrs L, you make such beautiful babies.  Enjoy every scrumptious minute of him!

HAPPINESS IN PICTURES

D, Teeny, A
Nom Nom Nom

Finally...a picture of our family of five

Fresh Air + Exercise = Happy Children + Happy Mommy

GRANDAD AND TEENY'S FIRST CUDDLES

My father in law loves my children a lot and I have absolutely no doubts about that, but he just does not "do" babies.  They are too small and floppy so in their early days he will talk to them and ask about them and comment on their changes, but it is common knowledge in the family that he won't  hold them so don't even bother asking.  I was a little concerned about this when A&D were little, but I needn't have been as it has had no adverse affect on his relationship with them and they adore him!

Anyway, today I decided to test the water with Teeny; to my surprise and without any degree of persuasion on my part my father in law took him from me.  I cannot tell you how gutted I was that I didn't have the camera with me though as Teeny stayed in those arms for a good while and was staring at his grandad so intently that it made my heart melt.  What made it all the more special was that my husband had popped into his parents' on his lunch to see us all so he got to see it for himself too!

So without a doubt special cuddles are one of the things that I was most thankful for today. 

Whilst at Nanny and Grandad's today I was amazed at my children's imagination.  The conversation went something like this:-

A: Mommy, Nanny; a buzzy bee.

D: A buzzy bee, a buzzy bee.

Mommy and Nanny head outside to see the buzzy bee.

NANNY:  Do you know what he is doing?  He is  taking all of the pollen out of the flower to take back to the hive to make honey.

ME:  As long as you leave him alone he will leave you alone baby.

Mommy and Nanny head back inside the house.

D:  There is bee hive Mommy!

ME:  Is there?  (knowing all too well that there isn't)

D:  Yes Mommy look.

So off I headed back outside where D was pointing to some pretty tree bark that my in laws have flowers planted in which sounds random, but looks lovely.  Anyway, although it doesn't obviously look like a bee hive you could see from the texture and the colour and size where he had got the idea from.

It always makes me happy to see and hear where my children's imaginations take them.

Talking of playing in the garden; it is something that my kids just cannot get enough of so this evening A, D and I were having races in the garden whilst Daddy and Teeny did the medal ceremonies using the medals A&D got from pre-school.  I even sang God Save the Queen for them.  Ha ha! 

We all laughed so hard it hurt (and D cried a bit because he didn't win every race). 

Oh what fun and a great thing to have as one of my three things that I am thankful for today! xxx