Bid for freedom....

Darling Baby Kay, rain does not put you off, nor does having no shoes on, nor a jumper! If you get the slightest chance you are still making a break for the french doors and pointing up at the key to anyone in the room you think might let you out!

You have had a wonderful few days showing off your new confidence in walking and shuffling around the room with Nanny, Granda, Uncle R and Auntie C - and of course the adorable 8 month old Baby M. It was lovely to get you both together finally after all this time. Nanny and Granda were in their element having you both their to hug and cuddle and spoil!! You are getting much more creative with your speech too - now we get 'Go! Go! Go!' which doesn't actually mean go - it means Dog - when you see little Ben at the farm. And we now get 'Am-ha' which you say when we ask you what your name is! You understand vast amounts of what we are saying ('Where are your shoes? Lift your feet up, please? What do the birdies do?) and I reckon once the real words start we should be in for some real fun!

Daddy is in Poland this week my darling, so we will be looking after each other til he gets back, and when he comes on here to see how you are doing he will be pleased to see your gorgeous little smiling face looking right back at him! All my love darling baby girl x x

Hello Daddy!

Darling Baby Kay, today I am posting a lovely photo I took of you and Daddy in the back garden of the house at the weekend. Daddy is in Poland at the minute, so this is for him to log on and get a nice surpise this evening when he reads your blog.

He already knows that you had a great day at Jo Jingles, and have been in wonderfully cheerful and happy form - we have had a really relaxed together and the sun is still shining outside here at 19.45pm in the evening. Daddy, we love and miss you and can't wait to have you home x x

Multi-tasking.....

Dearest Baby Kay - tonight Daddy is in Barcelona and it is just us girls. You have gone down tonight in top form after a lovely bath and a busy day visiting Grandma. She is always so pleased to see you, and is very excited about baby-sitting this coming Saturday night.

When we got home and I was sorting out the washing you were tearing about the kitchen in your walker with your sippy cup. I am trying to move you away from your baby-bottles for milk so that we can eventually drop them altogether, but at the minute since you are still doing a lot of spilling and dribbling we are sticking to practising with water! I have warned you about drinking and driving, but to no avail - you just pull up, throw your head back and glug your water! It is very funny to watch and you get all excitable when it comes out too fast and splashes up your nose! At times like these I am glad for tiled floors and a quick mop!!

Goodnight my darling, sweet dreams of Daddy to you until he gets home x

11 months!

Darling Baby Kay, today you are 11 months old!! I write that because so many of the lovely ladies who comment on your blog have mentioned over the last few days how you seem to have grown up overnight, and suddenly look older. Perhaps because I see you every day I don't notice these things so much - but looking back over the photos I have posted here for you I can see that you are really blossoming into a beautiful, blonde, blue-eyed darling girl - and every day my little baby girl is less and less of a baby.

It will seem strange to you, but every new thing you learn, every new thing you do fills me with excitement at your development, and makes me so happy that you are growing into such a inquisitive, good-natured and sociable little person. But it is also tinged with sadness - because it is the passing of something I have loved and treasured so much - being a Mummy to an amazing little baby. I am trying not to dwell on it, but it was like the last time I nursed you, or when you move up a nappy size, or when I realise that some little item of clothing that I love so very much on you is really too small to keep squeezing you into. I realised you had moved on and had a little cry to myself about it, before realising that this is the way of the world, and that one day (DV...) you will be doing what I am doing. In the meantime I am determined to cherish every moment we have together and enjoy them until they are replaced with new, different challenges and joys!

Tonight while we are warm and cosy here, Daddy is freezing away in Poland. Well, he is probably out for dinner in a nice, warm restaurant but it will be cold when he comes out! He was warned to bring his hat, gloves and boots as they have had a lot of snow, and more is forecast - but hopefully he won't see too much of it. He doesn't share the fascination with snow that we do, little one!!

Tomorrow will be a busy day - we are taking Nanny and Granda to the airport. They are off to Bristol to see your little cousin for a few days! That will be great fun for them all! And then tomorrow evening J is coming down after work for dinner - I actually should have planned that a bit better since we will be late back from the airport, but J is a trooper - and is happy with pizza, potato salad and garlic bread so we'll probably be just fine!!

Sweet dreams Baby Girl - thank you for 11 incredible months, my love x

How happy am I!!!

How happy am I that my Daddy is home!! We had a great day! We went into town together so Daddy could go to the opticians to pick a new pair of glasses - and after that the 3 of us went to the Yellow Door cafe for lunch! I was ok in the high chair for a little while, but preferred to stand up on Daddy's knee to look around!!Then we came home so Daddy could watch the football - but not before he pulled me around the floor in the box that Mummy's Amazon order arrived in.......And not before we pretended to hide in the Amazon box. He doesn't realise that he's too big for the box - only I fit in the box!!

And then we had a close up shot for Mummy's camera before we went to the park to play on the swings!!

Having my Daddy home is just the best!!! Mummy thinks so too!!

Dear Daddy,

Dear Daddy, hello from a cold and grey County Armagh this afternoon!! I wanted to drop you a line and let you know how me and Mummy are getting on while you are in Barcelona. We had a great night sleep (both of us) and have been into town this morning for some bits and bobs. I ate all my lunch and fruit, and have had a great time posting paper into a cardboard box. When Mummy wasn't looking I also chewed the corners off some of the paper, but I am pretty sure she didn't notice. I haven't needed any Calpol today and am taking my naps and feeling in wonderful mood!

I have even had a go in my walker again today after J left it in yesterday. Mummy is drawing up a list of things she needs to do now that I am on the move for real - lovely Heidi warned her about this, and so did her friend Lisa - but secretly Mummy thought they were exaggerating and that it would take me a while to work out how to get to places I'm not supposed to. How did these ladies know I was smarter than Mummy thought I was??

Did you know, Daddy -

1. The lovely plant that sits on the floor by the French Doors needs to go onto a table or a work-top;

2. It only took me 5 minutes to head straight for the cooker and open the grill drawer - Mummy needs to find somewhere that stocks a lock for that;

3. Crashing into ankles is so much fun I wish I had known it earlier;

4. It is easy to cruise and read at the same time - I am a great multi-tasker at 11 months!

5. All the drawers and cupboards need locks - I can reverse and go sideways too so even the ones in the corner are easy to get to now.

6. Drying the tea towels on the radiator is a thing of the past - unless you would like me to wipe the tiles with them for you instead?

7. I am a MUCH happier bunny now that I can see everything Mummy is up to, and Mummy doesn't even have to sing all the time now! Lucky for everyone that!!

Only one more sleep Daddy - I can't wait to see you to show you all the new things I can do - and Mummy can't wait either! We love you x x

Sport Saturday!

Evening little sweetie pie!! Today has been sport, sport and more sport!! FA cup football (Swansea v Fulham), 6 nations rugby (Scotland v France, and also England v Wales.) You are in bed but Daddy is watching still more sport while I update your blog and catch up on some emails.

We had some time out this morning - to Sprucefield for some shopping (and to buy a new iron as the old one has finally given up the ghost.) It was a good time to be out as the shops weren't too busy and we were able to get everything with minimum hassle! This afternoon was nice and relaxed - I got lots of quilting fabric unpicked and ironed ready for cutting, and am just taking my time and enjoying the process. I think that knowing I have no deadline, means I don't feel under any pressure to rush it, and I can really concentrate on putting love into every stitch for you.

Today is Valentine's Day too. And you sent your first Valentine card, although you are too wee to sign it - but I did it for you! It was to the first man in your life, the first man who loved you, who held you in his hands before even your Mummy did, and the man who I hope you grow up to marry someone just like. Your Daddy. I think he liked it :)

Family Day

Darling Baby Kay - today we have had the most lovely, quiet family day together! We actually started with a lie-in bed, you weren't awake until 7.30 this morning for some reason so we didn't get our usual 6.00am wake up call - or song! I like to think you are singing to us to summon us to come and get you when really you are just chatting away to yourself and Moo!

It had snowed again through the night, and we took you out in your pram all wrapped up. We went out for a walk around town, to the children's play-park, up and over the hill, and it snowed gently the whole time we were out. You just sat happily in your pram looking around, occasionally shouting (and taking your gloves off!) When we got back we were all red faced, bright eyed and the house seemed wonderfully warm even though the heat wasn't on! You had some hot milk and some stew to warm you up, and then we played together and read your books while Daddy was off at church. It snowed lightly the rest of the afternoon, but as evening started so too did the rain, and now we have no snow left to speak of! I am very glad I got this lovely picture of you and Daddy when we were out together while we had the chance!

You are a little bit unsettled this evening. You went down to sleep but wakened up after about an hour; quite upset and disorientated and cross about something. This is so very unlike you darling. You usually go straight over happy and settled, and that is you unless you waken in the middle of the night and need help finding your dummy. I hope you haven't had a bad dream. I am not sure what that would be for a baby, but it would break my heart to think you were afraid or upset about something. I am hoping it was just a noise that has startled you and you get a good night's sleep my love. Sweet dreams, my precious Baby x

Show & Tell Friday

This week for Show and Tell Friday I am posting something that actually belongs to Baby Kay again! It is her wall planner - that hangs over her changing mat in her nursery. It is a lovely quilted, embroidered chart, which is very colourful and bright as you can see - and which can keep a very wriggling 10 month old captivated for the 90 seconds it takes to change her nappy - unless she has decided to pull it off the wall now that she can reach the bottom of it to grab!!
It has little felt boxes that are attached with velcro at the back so that you can change the day and date every morning for her. There is a little pointer to turn to the right season, one for the weather and a little table to show whether it is hot, warm, mild or cold outside! Baby Kay loves hearing what the position is every morning, and watches intently while we explain what day it is and what the weather is doing! Little wonder she is a weather forecast addict!!

It is just a very sweet way of starting her daily routine - and we look forward to the day when she is a little bigger that she will be able to tell us what the day is, or decide what she wants the weather pointer to point at!

The planner is also special for another reason - we had this planner a long time before we had our darling daughter, or were finally decorating a nursery for her. My husband took me to Stratford-upon-Avon a few years ago, and we saw it in a shop. He had taken me over for the weekend to see the RSC production of Coriolanus, and before we flew back to Belfast we had been browsing in the gift shops. When I saw this I loved it, but I felt that it wasn't right to buy it when our baby plans hadn't materialised as we had hoped. My darling husband didn't agree. He bought it for me and said at the time that we would put it away, and when the time was right we would have our baby, and then we wouldn't regret not having got the little planner we liked. His faith that it would happen, and his love for me and his baby - who we didn't have yet, and wouldn't have for some time to come - has been something that has sustained our family through many tough times.

One of the happiest days of my life was getting it out of it's packing this time last year and pressing it to hang - with my big pregnant bump getting in the way of the ironing board, and not quite believing it had really happened! Just exactly the same way I feel when I look at our daughter asleep each night before I go to bed and can't quite believe she's ours.

Hope everyone has a great Friday and a lovely weekend!

Saturday Swimming!

Darling Baby Kay - it is hard to believe it is Sunday again already! Where is the time going to!

Yesterday I didn't get a chance to post on your blog - but we had a very busy day from the get-go. We were swimming up at Campbell in the morning - you haven't been in the water since before Christmas, and yesterday wasn't the best day to be starting back. It was bitterly cold, but you weren't there last week because of your cold and we want you to keep in the way of it so it isn't all foreign to you when we go back. You are even in a new swimsuit as your baby-togs are too small for you now - you are getting so long and lean! You were a bit cross at the start, but Daddy thinks it was because the air around the pool was cold rather than the water. Once you were in the water you had a great time.

I always feel a bit apprehensive when they do the parts where the babies go under the water for a wee swim, but you never even bat an eyelid. That's why Daddy is better in the water with you than Mummy is!! You just come popping up all smiles looking for your ball, or wee duck that you were playing with! Your absolute favorite part is at the end of the half hour - when the little boats and tugs come out! The babies all go into a wee float (you were in a little New York yellow taxi cab!) and their Mummy or Daddy pulls them about the pool! You get so excited and spent the whole time shrieking and laughing your head off!!

We had a tasty lunch at M&S on the way home together and then you slept the whole way up the road in the car. Such a great day together even if it was cold and wet!

Today has been a lazy lovely sort of Sunday - I have made butternut squash and apple soup, Daddy is reading the Sunday papers and watching the football on the TV, and you are tootling around on the floor with your toys and having fun. I am looking for nice cupcake recipes that are fairly easy for a baking novice to do so I can start and practice before your birthday in March! Something tells me Daddy will be eating his way through quite a few trial cakes between now and then!!

Daddy is home all week which is wonderful, and we have a few things planned that we will be out and about for - weather permitting! The forecast says that there is snow on the way!! Winter is truly here!

Party Girl!!

Darling Baby Kay - today you were at a birthday party - your first official social engagement!! You were invited by J to N's first birthday; she was your wee friend from Jo Jingles who moved up to the toddlers group because she started walking! She had a wee party over at Funky Monkeys with music, wee songs and cake - but you were actually only interested in the melon and your Tippee Cup - which is your current favourite toy!!

You are so steady standing up, but still no signs of cruising or walking. Funky Monkeys was great because it is a totally padded soft area for babies - so you were able to wriggle about and lean on things without me having to hover around in case you fell over. You had a great time leaning over the cushions and the sides and pulling yourself up by the handles! You had a look on your face like 'How on earth am I doing this!! This is great!!!' At one point you pulled your leg up as if you were trying to climb over, but you thought better of it when you realised you were going to have to go for it or let go altogether!!

And the best part of the day?? Daddy is home!! And was able to give you your bath and your bottle before bed. We are all together again under the same roof little darling! Welcome home Daddy - we both missed you x x

Learning to read!

Darling Baby Kay, today we were up in Carrickfergus at Nanny's house. You slept all the way there and back in the car, which was great, but it meant you didn't get any good quality naps today so you've had to have your bath a bit early and were fast asleep by 6.45 - totally exhausted!

You had great fun with Nanny. That's the great thing about going up there, Nanny has made sure she has nothing to do all day so that she can spend the whole time playing with you. When I was very small, about your age, Nanny tells me that I also was not a very cuddly, kissy baby - but the one thing I would do is sit on someones knee if they had a book to read. Your Nanny started a lifetime passion of reading very early in me, and looks very like she is going to do the same with you! You were very happy with reading the same one over and over again, and pointing at the little pictures with her. I think it made both your day!

Daddy is still away this evening - he slept very badly last night he tells me. The hotel room overlooks the street and he is a very light sleeper - so he is tired and has had a busy day in the office. If he is reading this, I hope he knows we are sending him all our love tonight as always - and that when he gets home on Friday we will have a great weekend together - back under the same roof. Goodnight Darling Baby Kay, Goodnight my darling Husband - we love and miss you x

Hello Daddy!!

Darling Baby Kay, since Daddy is in Barcelona this week I am going to use your blog to upload a picture of you each day with a little synopsis of what you were doing, so that he can log in from Spain and see what you have been up to!

You are well over your snuffles and back to your wee self again. We had Jo Jingles today and there are some new Mummies and Babies so we are back up to a class of 8 again. Your favourite part is still doing the Fancy Dance, and the quiet time before the end with the bubbles. Once you get crawling or toddling, sweetie, a whole new world will open up to you, for you are just raring to go when the music starts - if you could just work out how!

After lunch today you had some strawberries. They aren't in season so I was a bit worried they would be too tart, but you had great fun with the wee pieces - that's another different fruit you have tried. You are such a delight to feed - I hope it continues when you are feeding yourself and you'll still be prepared to give new things a go! You had your bath and bottle and have gone down to sleep happy and rosy-cheeked in one of your new sleepsuits. I have unpacked some of the next size up ones we got when you were born, so you have a bit more room to wriggle!

I have settled down for an hour to catch up on some emails now with my cup of tea - and will be joining you very soon upstairs in bed for an early night. We have a busy day tomorrow - we are heading up to Carrickfergus to see Nanny for lunch which will be great fun for you (providing you doze in the car - fingers crossed!) I have posted a link for Carrickfergus for Lisa - because she astonished me in an email yesterday by telling me that her Dad's neighbour is a retired Presbyterian Minister from Carrickfergus - where I grew up and lived for many years, and where Nanny and Granda still live! Such a small world!

I hope that Daddy is getting on fine in Barcelona - and that if he is reading this he knows how much we love and miss him. I hope he isn't working too hard, and that he gets on well in his meetings tomorrow. He is never far from my thoughts, and I know you will be so excited to see him when he gets home, precious Darling. Only 3 more sleeps x x x

Poor little Darling Baby, tonight you have gone to bed snuffling and cross! You are just struggling to get your head cleared little one. You are off your food and unsettled, but trying hard to not let it bother you when you are playing on the floor, or 'reading' your books, 'or trying to get the remote control for the TV! It is when is comes to lying down it is harder - your little nose is blocked and you can't suck your dummy and breathe at the same time.

Daddy is not home this evening - but you had a great time this morning when we were out shopping. He carried you instead of putting you in your pram, so you could see what was going on and he could keep you close and safe, and make sure you weren't uncomfortable. You are his little princess and he is so clearly your hero!

I have read a quote on another blog - the lovely Becky - and it has made me think about this deeply this evening. My Faith is not all is should be little darling - I have felt at a cross-roads for a few months, that I cannot explain, nor reconcile. But the gorgeous quote and sentiment on Becky's blog has reminded me of the man who's Faith is strong, and who looks after the both of us. He is both our hero - and I think that is a good place to try and start re-focusing myself, and remember all he does for us. Sweet dreams, little darling x

Your Daddy!

Darling Baby Kay - I have decided today to put down a few little things that you might like to read about your Daddy when you are older. You are still so very small, but growing faster and bigger every day and there is so much I am afraid will get forgotten on this journey with you as you get older, so this will help for some of those things to stick.

• Every night from I stopped nursing you, and when he is not away with work, Daddy gives you your last feed at night upstairs in the rocking chair in your nursery. When he puts you down to sleep he always tells you he'll be back in a wee bit to make sure you are ok, and he always does. Sometimes you are already asleep, but some nights it is as if you were waiting on him so as not to disappoint him - and you give him a wonderful tired, happy smile and then snuggle your face into Moo and go to sleep.


• Your Daddy takes you swimming every Saturday morning and you love it! You pootle about in the pool with the other Mummy's, Daddy's and babies and you are not remotely phased when you do swimming under water or get splashed. You are a real little waterbaby already!


• Daddy reads to you every night before you go for your bath - your favourite book is 'That's not my penguin' and you know to turn the pages and look for the little bit of fabric on the page to feel. You are so clever, my darling.


• I have never seen a little face light up the way your face does when Daddy gets home from work - you are so full of love and happiness, and it is the highlight of both your days when you see each other.

He is always so kind and patient and loving with you; he walked the floor with you when you were born and we were still learning how to settle you; he takes you up to see the chickens and the calves at Granda's farm; he explains to you the results on the football on Match of the Day. You are his princess and he is already your hero.