Greetings!...

I hope you're all enjoying the holiday season, and had a luverly crimble.

We went to Snowdonia with Dave's parents, which was reet gradely, stayed in a beautiful 18th century cottage, with open fire. Just what the doctor ordered. Except Dave was still on Oz time, and barely slept, and the beds that we were in where the tiniest, lumpiest things ever... but, c'est la vie.

We spotted Kendal's first tooth on Xmas eve - I was un-necessarily excited by it (I know, not like me at all), and the little blighter said 'Dada' on Boxing Day, while we were on the Ffestiniog Railway. Grr... I go through all kinds of trauma for him, have him to myself for a month while 'im indoors is in Oz, and how does he repay me? By saying 'Dada' before he says 'Mama'. :o)

While Dave was away, I bought Kendal a (cold water) fish tank - I haven't stocked it yet, but have put the gravel and plants in, set the filter up, and conditioned the water - will probably go out today or tomorrow to get him some gold fish. I've positioned it near his high-chair, where he spends a fair amount of time, while I'm pottering about the kitchen, and he loves it already - there's a 'sunken galleon' in it that has all kinds of crazy fibre optic lights to keep the little 'un amused (he LOVES lights).

And that was about the most exciting thing to have happened over the last couple of weeks.

Apart from the fact that on Xmas Night, I stood up from the sofa to go and get a drink (while completely sobre), and got tangled in my PJ bottoms, went sprawling across the floor, and simultaneously landed on my knee, wrist and ankle. No bruises, but lots of aches and pains. Thankfully, the family were very supportive, and didn't laugh until I did (after I'd cried and wailed for a bit).

Frugal, Shmoogal...

I have always had a fascination for numbers. Counting, memorising, sequencing - and money.

I have a HUGE fear of money, or rather of not having any.

Even in Uni I was never in debt. I worked through Uni, have never had a loan, have NEVER had a credit card, have rarely been overdrawn, have bought very few items on credit, if I want something, I save for it.

So - tell me, how come, since having Kendal, I CANNOT STOP SPENDING MONEY!!!

The child has more clothes than Dave and I put together, he has a library full of books - and CDs, and DVDs.

Dave's mum is almost as bad, almost every time she goes shopping she buys him something. In fact, come to think of it, everyone in the family spends, spends, spends on the little fella.

He LITERALLY has a room full of Christmas presents - though I hasten to add, not one of them has been bought by m'self.

Even my hardened, 6 foot 2, Irish navi of an uncle has bought him three presents. Mini Mint's room looks like a Fisher Price outlet shop!

Of course, the ironic thing is, at five and a half months, mummy is still his favourite toy, and he's not really interested in 'toys'.

Having said that, I challenge anyone not to want to spoil this little cutey!:-





(photos taken with m'phone)

Got m'hair done today ...

... and I like it! Which makes a very nice change, I can't remember the last time I haven't come home from the hairdressers and had to re-do what ever they've done to it.

There's lots of red, but kind of semi-hidden underneath the top layer of hair. Here's a photo to show what the colour is like:-



Dave's mum looked after the Little Fella while I was in the salon, it felt very strange not to have him sitting on my knee.

And, (I can't believe I'm doing this) here are some before and during photos of moi - re. my intended weight loss.

The first photo was taken this time last year, when I was a couple of months pregnant (can you say "Jabba the Hutt?"):-



This was taken last month, while messing about with m'camera, please excuse the puffy eyes, twas first thing in t'morning:-


And I've JUST taken this one with m'phone, to send to Dave in Australia, so that he can see m'new hair (puffy eyes this time due to a hyper-active six month old baby, who had mummy up out of bed five times last night):-


If and when I have any further weight loss, I will post up more piccies, you lucky, lucky people.

Kendal's Party ...

You may remember that I intended holding a 'welcome to the world' party for Kendal, a couple of weeks after he was born. Well, given that he was back in hospital three times, and I was pretty ill m'self, it never happened.

I rectified that today. It wasn't quite the party I originally intended, with all of our friends and family there - more of a 'Ladies who Brunch' kind of affair, with a lot of ladies from the in-law's church.

I thought about doing a 'Kitsch 70's style' party, with prawn cocktail, fondue, trifle and black forest gateaue, but thought that the irony might have been lost, so I just went for 'Kitsch' in a general way.



Lovely chocolate cake from Asda, I have some left and am going to eat it later for my supper.



The food - before the guests descended on it, and before Jasper jumped up and pulled the remainder of the sandwiches onto the floor.



Cute/Kitsh cocktail sticks with the ubiquitous suasages, pickled onions and cheese.

It was nice. And I don't mean that in a bland way - I enjoyed it.

Kendal has come on so much - he's getting stronger and stronger every day, and has already said two words.

Not 'mummy' or 'daddy' but 'book' and 'music'. Strange child.

He has doubled his food intake during the last week - while 'im indoors has been in Australia. He has a huge bowl of Baby Rice and banana for his breakfast - then pureed veg followed by pureed fruit for lunch and dinner, and a couple of rice cakes throughout the day as 'snacks'. He's also been very generous and dropped his night feed - the night before 'im indoors went off on his travels. Little cracker.

Couple of photos for your perusal (taken with m'phone, as 'im indoors has m'camera).



Kendal at 11 days old, when in hospital with a kidney infection - the lovely cup on his head is to protect the canular that had been inserted, to drip feed him antibiotics. The doctor said that all we needed was a little red velvet waist-coat, and we could make a fortune on the pier, with tourists getting their photos taken. Nice.



Kendal today - about to tuck into his second rice cake of the day.