2014 Goals

In am no different this year, I still love goals! This year I have less of them, I want to crack the lot :)

- Get into shape physically

- Get into shape spiritually

- Make a Christmas quilt

- Potty train Oliver!

- Enjoy 1-to-1 time with Zach (will have lots of that with Oliver starting Playgroup next week!!)

I also plan to blog my progress more, but I don't want to make that a goal. Hopefully if I don't it's because I am doing something better?!

May 2014 be wonderful for everyone! :)

Pants

On Sunday afternoon I began potty training Oliver. He doesn't quite get it yet,  and has ZERO desire to sit in the potty or to give any notice at all... or even tell me when he's done something in his pants. I suppose I have got to laugh. The only reason I decided the time was right was because he keeps fishing around in his nappy and poking it out, or to the side, etc,  so we were having lots of accidents even with the nappy on!! What a game.  I just hung the washing out.  There were eight pairs of pants on the line- the work of two afternoons! The tally stands at 11 accidents, 1 (flukey!) success, plus 1 time where I caught him happily in action and we managed to get the tail end on the potty.

The only way is up!

Mellow Zach

I feel like I have been scraping by for the past couple of months- we have been trying to tackle Zach's cheeky night feedings for three months and his need for daytime milk from me was getting more and more obsessive (11 months old,  8+ times a day and he would scratch my face and neck from start to finish and was also getting a bit to keen to try out new acrobatic positions). On top of that he developed a new trait two months ago... extreme separation anxiety. He really would get very upset when he was held by anyone else, I was NOT allowed to leave the room and whenever we went out to anything in the village he clung to me. He was also at the height of his blood-curdling scream phase! Wo betide Oliver ever needing my attention,  poor good boy!

On one particular witching hour (4/5 o'clock-ish) in my despair I rang my Mum (on hands-freee, I was holding Zach is one arm and cooking the dinner with the other) quizzing her on whether she ever put any of us in childcare a morning a week!!! Her answer was... "It will pass"! And how right she was (as usual...)

Now I can type this because my dear second boy with the cute face has mellowed beyond belief. I decided that milk was a bit part of the problem, so over the past three weeks I have weaned him entirely off my milk. Life is truly blissful. He naps for two long stretches every day, Ben is able to put him to bed, HE HAS STOPPED SCREAMING! He has let other people hold him a couple of times for a couple of minutes each and there was even a smile once! Over the last three or so days he has been able to play a couple of metres away from me which is such a huge step for him! And, *drumroll* the past three nights he has SLEPT THROUGH THE NIGHT. He is back to being a joy to be around, and no longer drains everything I've got! I have ENERGY to do be a better wife, Mum, look after myself and am focusing on looking after other people. One friend was even concerned at quite how energetic I was- she called me manic!! Brilliant :) To top it all off it is SUNNY, I have a wonderful family, fabulous friends and going to church and living what I know to be true makes me so happy. Ahh, cloud nine!

Two Beautiful Boys

Here is a general update on the boys since we haven't had internet for a month and they have grown a LOT in that time!

I am really enjoying teaching and loving them both at the moment. Zach is such a happy little boy- he laughs and smiles all the day long. He particularly likes it when Oliver and I poke our noses and say "beep beep". He is growing very fast and is a really big boy- but very proportional- he genuinely looks OLD rather than fat!! (Of course I would say that, I'm his Mother!) All of a sudden he is waking 4+ times a night and during the day he wants to be fed every hour-and-a-half and sometimes every hour! Cracking out the baby rice and purées soon I think...

Oliver is a total sponge. He attempts to say every word going, with the most wonderful almost foreign-sounding accent!! He loves to chat about cushions, tractors, diggers, snack, Zach (his absolute favourite topic), wheels, Peppa (Pig), books, trousers and everything else in between. I am totally bowled over now by his speech and understanding since he had a pretty slow start!! Motherhood has taken on a whole new, deeply satisfying level, knowing that 95% of his vocabulary or understanding is what I have helped teach him. Brilliant!

Oliver is ALWAYS kissing and hugging his brother

They came with me to the dentist! My favourite photo

First time in the swing went well!

After a bath :)

Abby the Amateur Mother and Oliver the Adventurous

*Blogger's note: please forgive my sensational writing, I do enjoy trying to capture the moment!*

Today I made the amateur mistake of getting Oliver out of the car before Zach. This may not seem terrible to you, but believe me, I need everyone and everything else brought in from the car and safely indoors by the time Oliver is unstrapped or I can't keep tabs on him!

Thus began an impromptu trip to the park: Oliver took off while I was getting a crying Zachy out of his car seat and out of the corner of my eye I see Oliver toddle off down the road at quite a pace and can see he is headed for the park. I call 'no', count to three, raise my voice good and proper... no luck so I grab Zach and his sling and run after Boy Number One - lucky we live in a crescent so it isn't too busy...

It is a bit like a horror film, as I am struggling to strap the baby in the sling and the sling to me, I see Oliver running towards a car and the car moving towards him with a little old couple at the wheel. I hope their eyesight and reflexes are okay but decide I can't chance it and put out my hand and run into the middle of the road... hooray, I catch up to Oliver and Zach is in the sling and everyone survives it. Now I have caught up we chat and sing songs on the way and he continues to toddle along at quite a pace.

Ooh, he sees a dog and speeds up, and so does the dog. Unfortunately it has been let off the lead and its owner jogs along to keep up with it, looking a bit worried - oh dear, this is a big, scary looking dog with studs on its collar and it might not appreciate Oliver woofing and trying to pat it - phew, crisis turns into a lovely encounter where the dog allows Oliver to woof at it and no-one is harmed and everyone breathes a sigh of relief.

In the end we arrive at the park. He is becoming more and more adventurous and clambers up the steps of the big slide (agh!) and heads down it... head first of course. We used to call him 'safety boy'. I think that nickname may now be obsolete...

Moral of the story: get Zach and all the stuff out of the car first and safely into the house before I unleash the cheeky beast that is Oliver :)

Two weeks old and we are STILL alive and well!

Hello again!

The past two weeks have flown by and I am in the throes of my first day with the two boys BY MYSELF. I was despairing a little bit yesterday evening as I was about to drop my Mum back at the airport after she came to stay for a few days (Oliver was holding onto her leg whining and Zachy was screaming the place down while we were trying to throw dinner together in five minutes...) but other than that teeny tiny episode the boys have been good to me and let me in gently. At the moment they are both napping at the same time, everyone is fed, watered, we have read books, played with cars, watched some Elmo, I am showered and dressed and we have been for a walk and to Tescos. Fab!

In Zachy Baby news, he contines to sleep pretty well (I rarely get less than 8 hours sleep at night?! WOW) and Oliver is showing more interest in him... he likes to give his head a pat but it's starting to get a bit hard... will carry on watching that one! The biggest thing to happen to Zach this week was our trip back to hospital to have his tongue-tie sorted out. (The bit of membrane at the bottom of his tongue was attached very near the front of his mouth, so he couldn't stick his tongue out and was a bit rubbishy at latching on when feeding) I was there when he was dosed up on sugar (?!) and then the surgeon just snipped it in his office. There was no blood to speak of and he cried when he was being held down- not when the scissors came out- but I was still squirming...! Glad it's all over and it won't affect his speech or anything in later life. He is wiggling his tongue around all the time now.

It was really lovely to have Mum here. She was helpful and an extra pair of hands to handle the boys but even more, just super company :)

Here are some recent photos-

Poor boy- he got sunburnt in his buggy last week!! We felt terrible :(

Haha, looking angelic in his bath!

Baths can be tiring!

Brothers- the friendly looking pat is turning into a bit of a wallop...

Zach and Nanna

He's here!!

We are pleased to announce the arrival of Zachariah Peter Twigger, who was born at Aberdeen Maternity Hospital on Thursday 17th May 2012, weighing a healthy 8lb 11oz. Mummy pushed him out into a water pool in 20 minutes after 3 hours of contractions (not bad!) He has had lots of milky, sleep and cuddles and Oliver happily met him this morning and now says "Zack, Zack, Zack..."

Here are a few photos to prove he is real!

About to go out on our first outing this morning

Mummy + two boys!!

Just a few signs that I am losing it

It's official... I am losing the plot! Here are a couple of recent examples:

1. I couldn't find my phone anywhere... I searched high and low until I found it in the top of the bin

2. A couple of weeks ago I took Oliver swimming. As I put on my swimsuit I tried to adjust a weird lumpy bit around the bottom area... turns out it was one of Oliver's socks that had got stuck there when I washed it!! Had to laugh and explain as my fishing around probably looked quite odd to all the other ladies in the changing room...

3. I ordered some nappies for Baby Two and wondered why they hadn't arrived- on checking my order I realised that I'd sent them to our old Cambridge address (we haven't lived there for nearly a year)

Killing time and waiting for baby... urgh!

Hello!

I am still knocking around with a pretty huge bump and lots of hopeful twinges... nothing that has turned into a baby though!! I am now past the point at which Oliver was born, but still 5 days before my date (15th) and I have yet again reached the bottom of my 'extreme clean before the baby comes' list and the house is looking ok. Hooray!

Unfortunately I have swollen ankles and legs so I'm suppossssed to be putting my feet up a lot- actually above my heart which is easier said than done, especially with Oliver around. But I usually manage it during nap time and the evenings, when Ben and I have been watching 'Larkrise to Candleford' which we've never seen before. Really enjoying it so far, and all the better for being 10 hours long!!! Ahhhh :)

Now Oliver and I are starting to turn a bit loopy in the house (it's been raining pretty constantly for weeks now...) but today was fab- Oliver and I read lots of books, played pictionary on his magic writer eraser thingy, and made a den with Mummy and Daddy's kingsize duvet, watched 'Charlotte's Web' (one of his first full-length films) and during naptime I made him a duvet cover with my very favourite material ever with co-ordinating navy underside, which will match his bunting and owl themed bedroom.

Isn't this material just wonderful??? I can't get enough of it, and am wondering what to make next out of it! Possibly a tie for Oliver for church?! Something else for his room? Suggestions welcome.

Also today I made chocolate chip Tollhouse cookies, mmm, the best ever American recipe. I found it is on google images too, so you HAVE to make them: (I just chopped up a lot of chocolate for the chocolate chips).

So after a fairly lousy week today was fab, and now I am close than ever to getting this baby out, and have got Ben at home for a three-day weekend now. Hoorayyyy! Just what I need :)

Baby Two photos

Last week we had Baby Two's second and final scan. I was 21 weeks along but he/she measured about 22 weeks. The scan made Baby Two seem much more real, and I couldn't get over how cute he/she looked, genuinely!! Just look how snuggly it is in there:

Ben likes the picture above because you can see its lenses behind its eyelids. I think it's a bit strange!

Messy Play: Fun with Flour

Yesterday we did our first bit to fulfil one of my New Year's Resolutions, which was to do more hands-on, messy things with Oliver. I will document them on here so a) I can prove I am fulfilling my goals, b) people with babies can get ideas and c) you can offer ideas of what to do next!

So our first adventure was with flour. We got our new 'Messy Mat' out, along with lots of pots, a sieve and some utensils (masher, fork, ladle, medicine spoon, cookie cutters) and it kept him happily entertained for a good 30 minutes! His favourite was raking the flour with a fork, and tipping it out of the pots onto his legs.

I suppose perhaps flour isn't the bravest thing to try- we'll get messier next time I promise!

Major Breakthrough!

... Oliver has just gone off to bed WITHOUT his last milky feed. I have been feeding him for a couple of days shy of 13 months now and despite a very painful first few weeks have absolutely loved it!! He has been weaning himself off gradually quite happily but today was the first time I've pulled one- milky before bed. So far we have both lived to tell the tale!! He whimpered for ten minutes or so and now he is fast asleep. Ahhh, a bit of time off being a Mummy milk cow... until May :)

My Beloved Dyson

Here is my dyson. Ben and I bought it at an amazing boot sale near Jaz and Tom's house a couple of years ago for £35. It was in perfect condition and still sucks things up amazingly. Ahhh, I never dreamed I would own a dyson so young. I feel like I've "arrived"!

Unfortunately, Oliver HATES the hoover. He always has done, and despite thinking he'd conquered his fears a couple of weeks ago, it is now back with a vengeance. Today was the worst ever- he always starts crying as he sees me get it out, and he wiggles from side to side nervously. And today, he didn't just cry real, sad boy tears, but he was properly SCREAMING and crying all the way through and didn't stop the entire time I was whizzing around upstairs. I really hope the neighbour wasn't in or he probably thought something VERY terrible was happening to him! I can only ever hoover half the house at once, but my hair falls out so much that I have to hoover at least twice a week, at least downstairs. Aghhh!!! I plan to continue to hoovering, I'm afraid... but for the sake of my ears and sanity I hope he gets over it SOON!

This time last year...

Oliver was small and cute and entered the world at 11.04pm on 7th December after a speedy water birth, weighing 7lb 4oz. Here he is today last year...

Now he is ONE and still small and cute. I have really enjoyed getting to know him this year, it has been great to see his personality emerging and see him learn new things. Here he is on his 1st birthday:

What a year. I don't think I was completely clueless when he was born, but I have definitely got better at balancing life and (most importantly) feeling happier about putting his needs and wants before mine- as well as realising what my limitations are so I know when to give less or ask for help. I am so thankful to have the bigger picture that I didn't have this time last year. Poor me last year- or any new Mummy- all the pain and no sleeping and tricky bits seem to go on forever at the time, but looking back tricky times have been few and far between and interspersed with a LOT of lovely blessings. I am enjoying life as a Mummy and being a friend to this wonderful, happy boy!

Latest goings-on with us...

Hello, just to let it known that we are all still alive and well despite my blogging absence! In recent happenings...

- Ben got a new bike! It was absolutely necessary since he cycles to work and he had really flogged his last one, which had been stuck in the two highest gears for months now, and has really EMBARRASSINGLY squeaky brakes and was really on his way out. His new one is much cleaner, doesn't squeak and presumerably gives him a much smoother (and safer?!) ride. Although it's getting pretty icy up here now so he may have to start driving in at some point, or his limbs might start dropping off!

- Oliver continues to amaze us, and believe it or not, is into EVERYTHING even more than before. I admit, sometimes I am absolutely exhausted in the yucky 6-7pm hour of Ben coming home, dinner making and a waily, sleepy baby who goes off to bed straight after dinner (usually at 7pm). Having said that, he now officially sleeps through the night!! I can pretty much sign him off, since he sleeps through more than he wakes now: amazing. It's been fairly guaranteed for the past two weeks now, so next time I will know that it took us ELEVEN AND A HALF MONTHS to get to this point!!! I think I'm glad I didn't know that upfront when he was born, I might have cried! Now he is so old and mature he is taking on a lot of responsibility around the house. Here he is doing his assigned 'chore' of emptying the tumble drier when the washing is done:

What a good boy!! :)

- Oliver went to the cinema for the first time!! It was a BP event- they hired out the cinema screen to see 'Arthur Christmas'- a very lovely new animated film, and we thought since it was free we'd try Oliver at it. Each person also got £5 to spend on pick and mix or popcorn etc, so we had £15 between us which was quite outrageous!! Oliver surpassed all our expectations and only got wiggly and restless during the last 15 minutes (when I did the only thing left and gave him milky! He usually only has it once a day now- just before bed) But the rest of the whole film he spent sitting on Ben's lap and the two of them munched through the best part of a big bag of popcorn!! It was very funny to watch Oliver eating popcorn continuously without taking his eyes of the screen. Also a bit scary how naturally it came to him!

- A couple of weeks ago we went to an Enchanted Castle- it was an evening National Trust event with the castle open to the public and all lit up, enchanted trails in the gardens, storytelling, a hog roast and fire eaters! We wrapped up warm and had a lovely time wearing our glow sticks and woolly hats.

- This past weekend we had Ben's parents come to stay with us. It was lovely to see them and they particularly enjoyed spending time with Oliver- he was always very silly and giggly with Mum which was nice. They took lots of photos, but I did get this one: (It's 'We're going on a bear hunt'- arguably the best book ever written)

While they were here we enjoyed lots of walks in the chilly but sunny weather and one day we went to Stonehaven- a nearby pretty village by the sea- and Dunnoter Castle- an amazing ruined medieval castle right on top of the sea. We also put our Christmas tree up on Sunday afternoon and now that I've finished all the present buying I am really starting to get in the mood... :)

- In sadder news, our car has been kangarooring the last couple of weeks. We took it in to be looked at back then but they weren't sure what it was and it has been getting worse ever since... we kept worrying it would just conk out at the weekend, but luckily we got Mum and Dad to and from the airport fine. It's in its second garage today... although I have a third booked up later this week just in case!! I hope they can work out what it is and sort it without it costing an arm and a leg. Poor car- it does treat us so well usually!

Baby Two's Photoshoot :)

Typical baby shot- it is definitely in there!

Stretching out the legs

Front on- you can see a couple of eyes

It has an arm!

Exciting, wonderful, happy, lovely news!

Ben is back, hooray!!! He got back yesterday afternoon and all is well :)

In other news, I can confirm that... I am housing an 88 mm small Twiglet in my tummy. Hooray!!!!

I got to see it on the ultrasound yesterday morning, and despite it doing "advanced gymnastics" with its ankles crossed we could see a heartbeat, and few limbs and a couple of eyes too, so hooray it is really in there! Baby Two is due mid-May, although I have to go back for another scan tomorrow morning (hooray, Ben will be there!) so they can measure stuff properly and give me a more accurate due date. I saw two different specialists yesterday because they couldn't get it to budge out of a very tight corner (VERY close to my bladder!)- but to no avail. I am 15 weeks along and after feeling pretty rubbish for the first few weeks I am now feeling wonderful... just starting to put on the podge and really look as though I might be pregnant! Happy, happy news.

Pictures to follow- hopefully he/she will be feeling more photogenic tomorrow!

Teaching little children!

Hello!

It would seem that I have ended up in the "family business" after all- teaching. Last month I was asked to be a Primary teacher at church. Primary is the name we give to children's 'Sunday School'. I usually have a group of five children aged 6-8 and I teach them for about 35 minutes each Sunday morning. They come out with the funniest comments. I was trying to explain the word "sober" (as another word for serious, not to do with drinking!) and a clever little girl, Julia, put her hand up and asked, "Err, do you mean sofa??" Another funny moment was when the children were aked what they thought "poor in heart" could mean (to be pure and humble, not literally lacking in money) and there were ideas from "Ooh, I think that means they're dying!" to "That's what you get when you eat too much"! It's a laugh a minute.

Oliver has a sad but new trait... he gets very angry when sees that we have food that is different from his. He squeals and screams until I realise that he just wants a bit of my toast (instead of his cereal), and once I give him a bit he is blissfully happy and gobbles it down.This morning I came up with the cunning plan to make a barrier with the milk carton and a box of cereal so he couldn't see the toast I was eating (he had banana). It worked! :)

Oliver also gets frustrated if we don't feed him quickly enough. If there is as much as a second gap between Ben feeding him a spoonful of yoghurt, him swallowing it and the next spoonful he grunts and flails his arms wildly!! Agh, I can't believe our 10-month old has a temper already!!

Apart from that, he continues to delight and amaze us, although I'm convinced he will NEVER say anything apart from "Dada". We repeat "Mama", "Duck" and "Dog" to him alllll the time, but he just smiles in acknowledgement, and launches back into how much he just lurrrrves Dada! But it is lovely hearing him croon himself to sleep telling the world about his Dada, and then wakes doing just the same thing! What a silly sausage.

The greatest night of my life for nearly six months!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wahoooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!

You can probably guess what has happened: after two months of tearing my hair out with Oliver waking up 5 or 6 times a night, and reading lots of books and working out all the methods and extra food I am planning to give him as soon as he gets to six months, yesterday a Mum at a group I go to suggested that I put him in his own room (This was earlier than I was planning- I thought I shouldn't do it til 6 months, and since he wakes up so frequently anyway I was dreading it!) So last night he slept in his cot in the second bedroom, went down at 8pm, woke for a feed at 12 and then not again until 6.45am!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Woahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, my best sleep EVER! (Although I actually was awake for a while at 4.30 and 5.30 when he woke up, chatted to himself and went back to sleep. Cos he wasn't too sad I just left him and he didn't wake up Ben since he was quieter on the monitor). 


Wahoooooooooooo! I will be doing the same thing every night from now on, and not start the poor boy on three meals a day today after all :) Life is ESPECIALLY good today.

Oliver's latest achievements!

Oliver learnt how to roll over on Wednesday (Uncle Eddy's 18th birthday!) and he has been rolling, both ways round ever since! It is quite amusing to watch his tilting dangerously just before he flips over. So, at 5 months and a little bit old he is finally on the move a bit more! I also saved him the other day, when he had magically managed to get out of his bouncy chair! He was hanging out of it, held on by only his head... Ben and I have now worked out that we've got to strap him in (it wasn't an issue before since he couldn't move even if he wanted to).

We also started going to 'Sing and Sign' classes on Friday afternoons, where we learnt a bit of baby sign language. It looks like it's going to be fun.

As always, the downside is always night times... Oliver still wakes up to feed five or six times a night, every night, and has done for more than two months now....!!!! But isn't he cute?? I still adore him.