nov, 28th - conversations with a two year old....

day 1018 / 117:

me: Limi, please use your inside voice (i.e. stop shouting), dada is on a work call

Limi: it wasn't me shouting mama, it was Whimsidaisical. i keep telling Whimsidaisical to stop shouting over and over again but he just keeps on doing it.

me: so, it was Whimsidaisical shouting, not you.

Limi: yes mama.

uh oh, we have an unruly brown bunny in the house.

p.s. my mum knitted one of these scarf bibs for each of the girls. i love them.

jan, 31st - two girls turning two....

[all pics by Kelly]

day 699:

this is the best toy that i've made for less than five pounds {see day 583} although it's not really standing up to the abuse from these two....anyone have a spare washing machine box?

nov, 1st - broadway market second time....

day 609:

i think that my heart is in the East....the Far East definitely....East London.....probably. practicalities  have dictated that we live West...and West is certainly lovely....but East......lots of our friends are East, Broadway Market is East, beautiful buildings are East, fantastic restaurants like this are East....the sun rises etc.

we met up with some friends at Broadway Market on Saturday to gather supplies for lunch and let these two have some time together.....

Limi has been desperate since this weekend in Girona. Broadway Market just gets better and better....well to be honest, i've only been once before (because i'm not a local......sob) so really it's just better than the last time i was there....{see day 390}

i really didn't get much of a chance to shoot the food this time around....but believe me....the food is amazing....i've vowed that next time i visit it will be a savouring wander. we also found these vintage crates there in a completely different branch of the market that i never knew existed.

a good London morning. you should try it.

sep, 29th - these two....

day 576:

these two used to be at completely different stages - here Limi is 56 days old and Oats is due in two weeks and then about two weeks later, Oats as a newborn and Limi all 'grown-up' at 10 weeks old. 

now, you can hardly tell them apart.

once Limi had adjusted to Oats' impressive scream at the end of 'row, row, row your boat' (our mild scream needs some work) they were firm (if sometimes reluctant-to-share) friends and explored every inch of this house over the weekend.

communal baths were especially a highlight.

and the window cleaner is going to find multiple mini hand-prints at waist level on every single pane of glass. 

nov, 26th - yoga babies all grown up....

day 286:

i've mentioned before, how lucky i am to have signed up to pregnancy yoga (see day 32). not only did we have the best teacher in Colwyn but i also met an incredible bunch of girls who have helped me with all the tough decisions (like bottle brands, lack of sleep remedies, schedule ideas and other unmentionable topics)

with some of the girls back at work, baby social schedules to consider and snow on the ground, it's been hard for us all to get together lately. today was a rare day........

we met up for coffee and the predictable exclamations of: 'my word, he's/she's grown!!!' (see day 19 and day 159 for a comparison)

[bonnie and mabel made it on 2 hours sleep due to teething]

it was strangely fortuitous that when we started yoga we were mostly all around the same stage of pregnancy and the babies were born within weeks of each other.

[colwyn, gabriel, bonnie, claire, aedan and lots of coffee....lots and lots of coffee.....]

hot topics today were careers, 1st birthdays and christenings.

[bonnie (the one on the least amount of sleep) wrangling the babies - mabel, aedan and limi]

[lizzie, emily, fiona and thomas...did i mention how lucky i am]

we tried to get a pic of all the babies.....which proved to involve a lot of wrangling....

a LOT of wrangling.....

seriously....never work with kids.....

[love aedan and thomas in this pic]

but we got there in the end.....

and even got a pic of all of us too.

[left to right: emily, lizzie, limi, dee, bonnie, mabel, fiona, thomas, claire, aedan, colwyn and gabriel]

nov, 4th - what do we do with our days....

day 265:

playdates, swimming lessons, little gym and music classes......so much organised activity that i never knew existed. problem is......limi loves it all and i can't resist her huge grins and flapping arms when we enter the pool/gym/hall....

luckily we're not planning 5 kids...can you imagine doing music classes from start to finish 5 times! there's only so many times that i can sing: IT'S MONKEY MUSIC TIME!

oct, 22nd - playgroup or cagefight....

[trying to steer her away from the face/head tapping]

day 253:

i'm all for teaching kids to fight their own battles....i mean, hey, i'm the youngest of three...if i hadn't learnt to fight my own battles then i would still be the one sitting in the middle of the back-seat on all long car trips; would have learnt that when i give back tickles the 5 minutes is more like 10 (and my siblings' 5 minute return tickles are more like 2 minutes....hey, i was small, i couldn't tell the time yet) and that it's not my duty to take up every activity that they do (to keep them company)....i mean doing karate, horse-riding, ballet and swimming is a busy schedule when you're under six.

but my lost battles aside.....i would like Limi to learn to sort out her own issues without running to me/ A.....the problem at the moment is how to protect the other kids.....those violent forms of affection that she keeps demonstrating to us, are transferring to her playmates.....you know: affectionate hair pulling; loving face pats; friendly eye pokes....and it's tough to resist the strong desire to strap her arms to her body whilst saying gently, gently, GENTLY LIMI.....as she yanks on Aedan's ear!

but as long as she can take what she hands out (you know...within reason and without bullying...i definitely don't do bullying) and it seems that she's pretty comfortable with being poked in the eye, patted on the head, shoved out the way...

then i'll try to step back and let them try and figure it out for themselves....

jul, 21st - buddies....

day 159:

A wise friend, told me that I would really value the relationships that I forge with other new mums who go through the parenting steep learning curve at the same time.....For me, it's been the girls that I met through pregnancy yoga (which followed through to mums and babies' yoga - see day 32)


Post yoga, over coffee, we have negotiated the formerly, little understood topics of: sleep (or surviving without it), feeding, weaning, travelling, nannies, hair/lack of hair, allergies, nurseries, teething, jabs, sickness, toys, sharing of chores, baby lessons, clothes, mishaps, returning to careers......in fact many topics that are just not suitable for general public consumption. They have given me endless brilliant advice and made me feel normal even when i've arrived on 3 hours sleep, feeling haggard and wearing my top inside out.


so, girls....thank you! the next round of coffees is on me.


--------------------------


With a summer break in our yoga schedule, we met in the park today instead. It was time for the babies to literally get to grips with each other.....

[Mabel: "Seriously Limi, what look are you channelling here? Washer woman?]

[Limi: "This is how I like to roll."]

[Limi: "I think I've got it, make two bunny ears......"]