Pretty Nails

Have had my nails done today; my once a month treat to me! 

Sparkles

Bubble Patterns

The last couple of night I have started nursing Xander in his room before he's put to bed; a transition of getting him familiar with the new surroundings before we start putting him to sleep in his own room too, another few weeks or so down the line.  While feeding him I enjoy watching the patterns on his ceiling from the oil wheel projector lamp! At the moment we have a red/yellow oil wheel but soon we will get the blue/yellow wheel to match the colours of his room.

Very therapeutic.

Around and around... 

More Roast

Another Sunday, another roast dinner! 

Men at Work!

Date Night

We've just enjoyed our first "date" post-baby boy!  A few hours in the local, enjoying grub and a drink (or two!), while Mum sat for the baby! Of course he was a very good boy; asleep when we left and still asleep now! Hooray! 

Our favourite tipples: Rose wine and a pint of Peroni!

Begging

Fiz loves the kitchen. It is where she gets treats, so if I'm in the kitchen she thinks it must be treat time and will meow and meow, hang out round my feet and look up at me until she has her favourite nibbles on the floor...  and I'm a soft touch. 

Dreamies are her favourite; that or catnip yoghurt drops! 

Pleeeeeeeeeeeease???

Three to Six

Tonight, Xander has worn one of his 3-6 month sleepsuits for the first time... I'm sure the rest of his clothes won't be far behind! My little boy is growing up!

Getting bigger now! 

St Dwynwen's Day

Jon gave me a bit of a fright earlier. The printer started doing stuff when I hadn't asked anything to print! Jon on the other hand from work, remotely over the internet had asked the printer to send me this...

Cariad 

Four pages of a love note, for the Welsh version of Valentine's day. 

Happy St Dwynwen's Day everyone. The Welsh Patron Saint of Lovers. 

Lava Lava

Mum thought it would be a nice idea to put one of the old lava lamps on today so Xander could watch the moving wax bubbles. 

It took a whole hour of warming up, the baby and me napping and Dad giving it a shake before it did anything! 

Still, got there in the end though... 

Bubbles 

Aqua Tot

We've been swimming for the first time today! Xander was a little star; there was no crying at all! How cute is he in his swim gear? 

Baby Wetsuit

Sunday Roast

Because in my opinion this is the only way to eat dinner on a Sunday! In fact I would gladly eat a yummy roast every day and we often have one mid-week too!  

Roast Beef

My Little Star

Xander's theme has quickly become stars, they seem to be everywhere around him. So it was very fitting when a friend bought him this lovely starsuit for Christmas. Today he wore it for the first time and was very snuggly and warm on our walk; which was just as well because it was very cold and windy. 

My Star Baby

This starsuit (the material has also been named after Xander because he was the first baby to have the material ordered for him) was bought from a company called Robin's Star. Robin's Star is run by Claire and she makes and sells these star suits in memory of her little boy Robin, who was born asleep in August 2009. A pound from each starsuit sale is donated to Sands; a charity also very close to my heart. 

Late

The time my husband got in from work today... 

A long day... 

Winter Spring

January has been very mild so far; less like winter, more like spring. 

So much like spring in fact that I spied these flowers already blooming! 

Spring has Sprung 

Splish Splash

Alexander loves bathtime, it is very definitely his favourite activity. Recently he has started intentionally kicking his legs to splash the water! He thinks it is great fun!

Kick Kick

Costa Coffee

Mum ordered a large latte in Costa today. She didn't expect it to be so large that two handles were required to drink it!   

Cup of soup or coffee?

The Lake

We've been enjoying the winter sun and walking around the local boating lake today with my cousin and Grandma. I reckon Xander will enjoy feeding the ducks, swans and geese here when he is a little bit bigger! 

Quack Quack 

Father and Son

A little example of how Father and Son are alike; first thing on a Sunday morning... 

Daddy and Xander

Tape

I ran out of sellotape at Christmas. I forgot, I also forgot to buy male wrapping paper for my male friends birthday gifts; so he is receiving them like so... Happy birthday Mikey!

Resorting to brown parcel tape! 

Machine Wash

My kitchen only used to look like this once a week. Friday evening into Saturday morning. Three loads of clothes a week, and usually an additional one or two loads of bedding and towels. 

Now my kitchen looks like this every other day at least! Sometimes I have a two day gap if I'm lucky. It all depends on how many times Xander is sick and needs to be changed in a day!  I cannot believe how much extra washing one little person has created! In his 3 month life so far I think I have successfully emptied the washing basket once; for about 2 hours! 

Its one big continuous cycle of sorting into loads, washing, tumbling, folding and putting away! 

House or Laundrette?

Hot Melt

My parents had a mini-disaster last night.

The hob wasn't completely turned off. Ever such a slight heat caused this terrible mess! One melted plastic chopping board everywhere. Dad hasn't quite figured out how he is going to get it all off again....

Melty Melt

Bag and Heels

Since Xander has been here I've given up with a handbag. These days I just shove my purse, phone and keys into the enormous change bag I now carry around with me instead! 

Tonight I've been out for a Harvester tea to celebrate my lovely Sorreya's birthday! Baby boy enjoyed two hours of Daddy bonding time. I enjoyed two hours of fun with friends! 

Me minus baby = handbag and heels out to tea too! 

Not often used these days! 

Psychedelic

Just because I discovered the iPad can take crazy pictures! 

Parent Parking

You've no idea how much I appreciate it when I find parent accessible parking. Believe me it is a rarity. Shopping and town centres never have ample provision, some can't be bothered to provide any at all.  Sometimes knowing I'm going to battle with parking and getting the baby comfortably in and out of the car puts me off going, especially if I'm going solo. 

Car seats are heavy and bulky things to get in and out of the car. Newborns are floppy and difficult to manipulate into their seats. Wide door access is kind of essential. 

Normal car parking spaces just don't cut it; they are all crammed so close together that even if you manage to park with enough space to get the baby out by the time you return some numpty has parked so close to your car you've no hope of getting the baby back in the car unless you reverse out first. Stuff of nightmares going out solo.  I had my first glimmer of this problem while I was heavily pregnant and couldn't open the doors wide enough to get myself through.

So today imagine my joy when I drove straight into a parent and child space. Arriving in town, zero stress.  And then on my return to the car finding the two spaces next to me had also become available! Monday afternoons in January are obviously the time to go to town, if you need wide access spaces for parents.

A rare sight; available parent and child parking! 

Three Dimensional

My best friend had a 3D television for Christmas. I've never been to the cinema to watch a 3D film so hadn't really experienced what 3D viewing is like. Today I had a little watch on her television; its kind of cool!

Modelling 3D Glasses

Snooze Snore

Jon is the worst snorer. Fact.

One night this week he was so bad that is wasn't the baby waking me; it was Jon. At 3.30am I woke, finding the baby fast asleep not making a peep and Jon snoring LOUDLY! 

So I turfed him out of bed to the sofa and that is where he has stayed all week since. 

The problem needs fixing. Today we visited the herb remedy health shop to find something to try. 

Snoreeze'll Fix It

For £13 it better work!!

Whose Pram?

Turn your back for a few seconds, or feed the baby, our little Fiz pops will stealthily sneak for a snooze somewhere where she isn't really supposed to be; usually the baby's room! 

Today, because it was up in the house after our walk, Fiz found the pram. 

Having a crafty snooze! 

Pyjama Days

We love a good pyjama day! I make sure we have one every week; a home day where nobody gets dressed. Well I say nobody, Jon is usually in work, so he is dressed of course! It is Xander and me who enjoy the not getting dressed aspect! 

This week we've had two pyjamas days, (two in a row infact!) complete with our new Christmas dressing gowns! Doesn't he look adorable in his?! 

Having a dress down day! 

Tomorrow though I think we should go out and get some fresh air! Can't get too lazy can we! 

Un-decking the Halls

Finally started the boring task of starting to take down the Christmas tree and decorations today. A job I always get the joy of doing on my own because Jon hates decorations so much he refuses to help me! His argument is; I want them up, I can do it. He wouldn't put the tree up at all if he had his way! 

Putting the trees up took 10 hours this year! 10 whole hours! It was mission; do a bit, see to the baby, do a bit more, see to the baby. So on and so forth. 

Taking them down has taken far less time once I got going, but finding the time has been a task in the first place. I wanted to take them down last Thursday before the New Year, but only this afternoon did I find my hands free for long enough to de-bauble the trees. 

Now all I have left to do is actually take the tree itself down! Maybe now the baby is in bed. Or maybe tomorrow! 

All bagged up to go into the attic ready for next Christmas! 

Red and Yellow

There is always something quite special about seeing a rainbow. It always makes me think of the 'Sing a Rainbow' song! Rainbows always make me think of my son too. Alexander our rainbow baby. So called because of the huge splash of colour he bought into our lives amidst the dark storm of losing his sister before him. Because that is what a rainbow is. Today started off stormy; black, rainy and very very windy. By lunch time the skies had cleared to bright blue and whilst driving to my Mums I had to pull over and take a picture of the bright rainbow the weather had left behind. 

Singing a Rainbow

Red and Yellow and Pink and Green,

Purple and Orange and Blue.

I can sing a rainbow, sing a rainbow

sing a rainbow too. 

Listen with your eyes,

listen with your ears

and sing everything you see.

I can sing a rainbow, sing a rainbow, 

sing along with me. 

Finishing Christmas

Alexander had a huge pile of presents for Christmas. So huge we put him and all the presents on the sofa and played 'spot the baby', and then he was given at least double the amount again! Spoilt is an understatement. So spoilt in fact, that is has taken us until today to open every single one of his presents with him; a whole eight days after Christmas! His last present to be opened was his Bumbo baby seat and today while out and about we bought the play tray to go with it!  He loves sitting up to look around so we reckon it will become one of his favourite things as soon as he is a little bit bigger to use it!

Opening his last Christmas present of 2011! 

New Year Traffic

I'm not new to blogging.  I'm usually found over at After Anabelle. Over there I record the journey of our lives since the death of our daughter, Anabelle, in June 2010.  Blogging to me has always been a diary, a space to organise my thoughts, to figure it all out. 

The last three years have been pretty full on for us as a family; with some euphoric highs and heartbreaking lows. In 2009 Jon and I got married, and then found out we were expecting Anabelle. In 2010 our little girl was born sleeping. In 2011 we were pregnant again with our son, Alexander who was born and came home in October. 

2012 currently has no major life plans. I'm hoping for a much more settled year. I want to capture and take notice of the small stuff. 

So this 'Picturing Twenty Twelve' is my new challenge for the new year. An alternative daily diary; alongside After Anabelle this is going to be the more light-hearted side of me and my family.  For 2012 I want to capture and share our moments; the small things, random things, funny things, important or big things. Everything.

Over here I want to (usually) be less wordy and let the pictures do most of the talking!

Today, January 1st we have travelled back from Eastbourne after spending the New Year celebrations with friends. A normally 4(ish) hour journey took a long 7 and a half hours. We left at something past 2:30pm and arrived at our front door a few minutes past 10.00pm.  Two stops for the baby and a two hour traffic jam on the M4 thrown in for good measure. 

Not quite how we expected the first day of the year to pan out. A bit shattered are us all. 

M4 Traffic Jam 

I wonder what tomorrow will bring? 

This is us, 2012.