CharlieBeth's "My Life As Mumma Walker"

We (Me, mark, Dad & Fay) took the boys to Happy Mount Park - again - today. But today was different.... today we took Jack's swimming gear and went to the Splash Park area. Somewhere Jack has only ever SEEN once, from his pram, and never ever been able to run about before. I'm not going to harp on and on about how much fun he had, how wet we all got, or how stunning the weather was (despite the thunderstorm at 4am). Instead I am going to post a video clip (which really should have Benny Hill music behind it) and a few snap shots so you can see for your self.

I am really enjoying this summer so far! I love all this sunshine and warm weather. It's still driving Mark and Jack to distraction, and poor Tom's not a fan of the heat either, but I am liking trying to keep everyone cool with trips to the park and so on. My Dad and Fay are over in the UK at the moment. We've spent the last couple of days together and they are coming to see us again tomorrow. Yesterday we all went to Happy Mount Park (seems to be park of the month for us, hee hee) even Mark came along! It was blazing hot too. Jack had a great time on the climbing frame and slide thingy, with Mark, my Dad and Fay all playing with him and making him feel really special as the centre of attention, something I think he's needing more off with Tom still being so new and taking up so much of my time with endless feeds. If the weather holds out I will take some swimming stuff for Jack next time we go so he can go on the splash park there. I think he'll love it! Natura

Mark actually went out last night! He got invited out to watch the England match in the afternoon, and I made the most of it. I really enjoy having the kids to myself. Even when it's hard work - and yesterday was hard work! Tom went on a marathon feed wanting to be on the boob constantly from 2.30pm till 10pm!!! Not ideal when I have a dinner to cook for me and Jack, not to mention Jack wanting playing with and reading too, and putting to bed. Still, I coped. Tom had to spend a little time just crying (heart breaking, but had to be done) while I tended to the food just long enough for it not to burn, and while I got Jack washed and ready for bed. And the rest of the time I just did things that could be done one handed and sat down... Luckily Jack wanted to be helpful so he soothed Tom when he was crying if I wasn't right there, didn't fuss too much when I couldn't get on the floor to play and opted to either play on his own or have books read to him instead. That I

Happy Mount Park Slide Originally uploaded by chiggster So we went out, my boys and me. We went to Happy Mount Park again (coz it's nice and big) and had a lovely time. Jack played himself into the ground again running up and down and going on the slide (without a doubt the BEST thing any park could have has far as Jack is concerned). He played football with one of the other kiddies and shared his snacks with a little girl (Karma. He usually manages to scrounge off other kids!) Tom slept happily in the shade of his pram for the most part, waking up only to have a small feed. Once Jack had worn him self out we went to Morrisons to have lunch in the cafe. Mum and John took him there a couple of weeks ago and said the burger & chips kids meal was a good deal - like a McDonalds Happy Meal - and that he'd liked it, so I thought we'd give it a go. I wont be bothering again! For a start we wound up waiting half an hour for his burner and chips. I was actually on

It's kicking in here. And affecting some of us more than others.... Tom's still up 3 - 4 times (on avaerage) for feeds between 9pm and 7am, but I'm dealing with that well enough. The difficulty is with poor Jack, who I think is still suffering with the muggy, humid heat. After most of Tom's night feeds I'm getting up to sort Jack out too. If Mark wakes up while I'm feeding Tom he goes (it's not that often, although he'd tell you it is. I'm sure it feels like it to him...) or if Jack's really screaming is head off while I'm still feeding Tom I'll nudge Mark and ask him to sort him out. Mark is the one getting up with Jack in the morning though while I give Tom his long breakfast feed. And that can be anywhere between 5am and 6.30am. Long and short of it is that I have one grumpy hubby, and one very over tired eldest son. And they are bickering with each other. Personally I think the best way to resolve this is to take the kids out an

I've had a pretty good week. Jen's been over with Conner to meet Tom and have a play-date with Jack (These Thomas Trains are proving very popular! I know what I'll be getting Conner for his next birthday!). Kathy's been over with Katie too (although both kiddies where tired and stroppy and didn't get on as well as normal). And my mum's been over with John and took me and the boys to Happy Mount Park for an afternoon of sunshine and fun. Our health Visitor has been back in too and we seem to be doing ok . I've been a bit naughty on the diet front though - partly because it's been pay day this week and partly because it's been too warm and stuffy to cook. We've had a Chinese take-away, and delivery pizza this week. Oh, and a McDonald's when mum came over *shame* Mark also bought me some sweets from Julian Graves which only just lasted the week.... That said I have still managed to lose a little weight, just a pound and a half. I'm putti

Jack holding Tom Originally uploaded by chiggster I don't have time at the moment to write a long entry... but I just wanted to share this picture with everyone! Jack has been desperate to pick Tom up for days. This evening we helped Jack to have a hold and a cuddle just long enough to take a couple of snaps. I'm a very proud mummy!

Ohhh... how your ideas of a good nights sleep can change :oD So far, most nights, Tom has been wanting a feed every hour or hour and a half, and hasn't wanted to settle into his own bed. Couple that with Jack having a few rough nights too (doesn't do well with the heat, and night before last his nappy ripped open and split crystals all over his bed!) and you get a very tired mummy & daddy! Well last night was different! Last night we didn't have a peep out of Jack until 6.30am - which is fine - and Tom only woke to be fed at our bed time, 1am and 5am! Effectively he only disturbed my sleep once as by the time he'd had hid 5am feed & nappy change Jack was up. We had a lovely half hour lounging in bed, Mark & I, with both our kiddies. Jack laughing, gigglimg and scrambling all over us, Tom chilling out and taking it all in. I like this whole family thing! Now I am enjoying the peace and quiet brought by Mark taking Jack to Dad's club. I'm sat s

I'm half heartedly starting my diet... lets call it healthy eating and portion control rather than a diet. Diet sounds awful when I'm breast feeding. I weighed myself last week and came in at 14 stone 8oz, which was only 3lb heavier than when I got my positive pregnancy test. Well... today, just 7 days later, I am 13 stone 8oz ! A whole stone loss from last week, and 11lb lighter than positive test day! I'm not kidding myself that I have shed a stone in fat in just one week, clearly I haven't - and it would not have been healthy or safe if I had. I can only assume that most of this is milk (last weekend my milk came in and my boobs were as big as my head! Now they are more normal) and the water retention I still had in my legs and feet. Regardless of what that lost stone was though, it's gone! And I am lighter now than before I was pregnant. A lot lighter! I have a nice round 50lb to shift now to get to my ultimate goal (super skinny me with a BMI of 24). And

Jack gives his baby bro a kiss Originally uploaded by chiggster I really must remember to open the curtains before trying to video the kids... or stick to doing this in broad day light. The camera just isn't picking up the livingroom light at all. Which makes this little video clip really dark. And I'm gutted because this would be a LOVELY little clip if you could actually SEE what's going on... That said, if you squint, and look really really carefully, you can see Jack give Tom a little kiss. Such a loving big brother!

I really do think I must be one of the luckiest mums on the planet! My kids and husband are great! I know Tom isn't even a week old yet, but he is already turning out to be a good natured, quiet child. Very relaxed. He hardly ever cries, and when he does it's because I'm changing his nappy (which he hates) or because I haven't picked him up and fed him as quickly as he'd like. And that doesn't happen often. He is completely unphased by any of Jack's games or toys, or his shouting and giggling and laughing. And Jack himself... he's being great! He's having trouble sleeping on and off at the moment, but I'm putting that down to the weather. He's like his dad and doesn't cope well with heat and humidity. He's being very good with Tom. This morning I had Tom in his bouncer while he was awake, and Jack came at sat by him, chattered to him, and rocked his bouncer very gently. He's perfectly happy to play by himself, or come and sit besi

We've had some family round this weekend! On Saturday Kate and Dave came over to see us and meet Tom, and on Sunday Jenny & Ash called in. I didn't manage to get many photos this time round (think I'm still in a bit of a daze, it didn't register to get the camera out) but Mark did manage to snap a couple. Jack was a bit overwhelmed with the guests. It took him ages to come out of his shell and play when Kate & Dave were over, very much out of character for Jack! Mind you, a belly full of food and a new wheel barrow complete with gardening tool set warmed him up! He wasn't much better on Sunday, but I think he was starting to get used to having so many people round and (again with the help of some food) he did relax after a bit. Tom, on the other hand, has taken it all in his stride opting to sleep and feed and look cute :oD Today's been pretty busy too. The midwife came over this morning to do Tom's 5 day checks and his heel pricks. Poor wee Tom, sc

This is my first time with just me and my boys. Mark is working, and his mum is coming over this afternoon to meet the latest edition to the family, but for a few hours this morning I have them both all to myself! And it's been lovely! Jack's having a nap at the moment, I thought it would be a good idea to put him down now so that he's fresh and awake for when Grandma gets here rather than try to put him to bed when she's here or risk him being over tired and stroppy. Tom's having a snooze in his moses basket too so I have a little time to pop on here. Jack is taking so well to being a big brother. We're not getting any of the tantrums and strops I feared we might, he had a bit of a paddy yesterday but that was only because he was tired and hungry. He strops when he's like that anyway so I'm not counting it as a jealous thing. He likes Tom I think, he gives him toys and kisses, comes to tell me if Tom starts to cry and shuffle about and so on. Doesn'

So my last post was the 1st of June. I spent the day hefting heavy loads about, cleaning and tidying, shopping and cooking a roast dinner. Not because I had started "nesting" but because I knew that doing similar had set me off with Jack and the way I figured it was "anything to help this induction speed up". It clearly worked.... Around 2am-ish I woke up for my usual middle-of-the-night-and-need-to-pee-100s-of-times-coz-i'm-pregnant wee. Shortly after that I was up again to tend to Jack who'd cried out in his sleep a couple of times (it was a really warm night, and he was back in his cot instead of his big-by bed since my mum was staying in his room while she was over). By then I was wide awake... I nodded off about an hour after that but was awake again after just half an hour with back ache. And then every 20-25 mins after that with the same. By 5am I had given up and came down stairs to find some pain killers. At 6am they hadn't even taken the ed

Right. Well. So. There's about 10 hours to go now before I'm due at the hospital. I have been very good at keeping busy all day, the only thing I didn't manage to do was scrub the bathroom. But I'm sure mum wont mind too much. I'll give it a once over with a sponge and spray after I wash in the morning, it'll only tale 5 mins in my tiny tiny bathroom. I'm sat here in my nightie and robe, with my penultimate raspberry leaf tea. I'm saving the last one to have with breakfast. The kitchen is gleaming, Jack is tucked into his cot (reluctantly, but I explained that Nana needed to borrow his bed just for a few nights and he accepted it, bless him). We've all had a lovely roast pork loin dinner. The cupboards are full of shopping and everyone has clean bedding. Bags are all packed and ready to go. All I  need to do now is dry my hair and try to get a good night's sleep. We've opted to get a taxi to the hosp in the morning rather than have mum ta

Yup! Tomorrow is the Big Induction Day! I can't believe it's so close now! As you can guess Squiggle has not put in at appearence in the last few days, although my body has been doing some odd things. Last night, for example, for around 2 - 3 hours I was getting huge tightenings across my belly, lower back and undercarriage every 15 - 20 mins or so that lasted for about a minute each. They weren't at all painful and didn't stop me doing anything (not that I was doing much, reading, watching a movie, lounging) and I got to sleep easily enough. This morning.... nothing! *sigh* So I don't think I'll be "beating the induction" unless something drastic happens today. We're still waiting on a call for Mark to see if/when he's working. He should be starting today, I've got my mum over today instead of tonight to keep me company (i.e. sane).  I've got a full list of things to do today myself to keep me occupied. Starting with stripping al