Happy Easter

Hope the Bunny brings your kids and families lots of chocolates and treats to feast on. Do make sure you don't over-indulge in all the goodness. Everything in moderation xx

Easter presents

Courtesy of some of T's fondest friends!

Easter egg hunt

Took T out for a fun afternoon with dear friends of ours and he had so much fun hunting for Easter eggs in their garden. At the end of the hunt, T had enough chocolate (as in eggs and bunnies) in his bucket to last him for the next few months. I suppose that's the treats and chocolate shopping sorted then.

Bunny hat

I made T an Easter bunny hat yesterday at our friends' house. I'm not being partial to myself or anything, but I do think the finished product looks great. OK, OK the bunny is missing whiskers and my other half did say it looks like a pig but it's still cute nonetheless.

Peg board

I used to play with one of this when I was a child. As a result when I went to the store and saw it on the shelf, I brought it without hesistation. T seems to like it because as soon as he woke up from his nap and I gave it to him, he went straight to town pegging away!

T reads the Budget details

Everyone is talking about the budget today and it is no surprise to find T getting in on the act also. I wonder what he is thinking looking at the news story in the paper? Details of childcare cost; which is what I am most interested in? Or whether there is a new tax discount or refund scheme on toys?

Where is Spring

Today marks the Northward Equinox and by now the weather should be warming up. T and I just stepped outside and it feels like the middle of January out however. It is so cold out there it is almost as if Mother Nature has forgotten what time of the year it is. Hopefully the cold goes away soon and gives way to bright warm sunny weather. We haven't had a decent summer in Blighty for years and it is about time we did.

Playgroup in the living room

Winter really has overstayed its welcome this year but what can one do when the weather outside is not conducive to taking the little ones out to play or when there isn't much going on in general? I bring the playgroup into the living room and instruct him to participate. It's not exactly on par with Startrek's Holodeck but somehow he is absorbed by it and it keeps him occupied. Thank you technology and how far you have come.

Quick product review

Buying baby products has been a great opener when it comes to buying two different items from the same line and finding one turns out great and the other is the exact opposite? Of all the store brands, I love ASDA's Little Angels nappies but the Little Angels wet wipes are the worst I have tried yet- it is too thin and handled badly. It is exactly the other way around for Sainsburys. I found their Little Ones nappies to be the worst of all the store brands- it leaked every time; but their Little Ones wet wipes on the other hand are amazing. I guess this is why it is always a great idea to shop around.

Teatime...

...With Mickey, Cuddles Bunny and Build-A-Bear Teddy. Unfortunately Elmo's invitation was revoked because he wasn't tall enough to reach the table; sorry Elmo!

Wallet

Toddlers do the funniest things! This morning T requested for his travelcard wallet which I keep securely with  mine. As soon as I gave him to him, he emptied the contents on the sofa and started to go through each card individually as if deciding which one to take out with him or not.

Soon as he was done arranging them in the order he was content with, he popped the wallet in his back pocket like he's seen me do. Aw bless!

Carebears

T has a new fascination. As soon as he laid eyes on the Care Bears, it was love at first sight. As a result he now watches Care Bears: Welcome to Care-a-Lot on Tiny Pop everyday at 3.30pm. There is a bit of a hiccup though, Tiny Pop has one of the weakest signals I have witnessed on SKY. As soon as it starts to drizzle outside, the channel looses signal and goes off air.  Considering it is always raining in London, it means that happens a lot. They need to sort it out I suppose. Anyhow, I hope to start collecting the entire Care Bears collection for T very soon.

Happy St Patrick's Day

Hand puppets

Experimenting with hand puppet play today because I don't think T plays with them enough. Lets see what ideas I can come up with!

Bookworm

T has over twenty books and counting in his collection. On top of that he has his very own library card which I use to borrow books from the public library every few weeks. At night when it is time to go to bed, nothing gets him more excited than the opportunity to look through his book collection and choose one to read while settling down. Based on observations I can say if he ran a book club a la Ms Oprah Winfrey, the books in the picture below will definitely be in his top ten!

Rhyme time

T sings "Wind the bobbin up' and "Twinkle, twinkle Little star"!

Medical update

Took T for his medical check-up today and I have to say my baby is growing into a very fine and impressionable young man. Overall the nurses were very impressed with his general health, milestones, and demeanor; he obeyed all their orders with a smile, stayed calm throughout the whole appointment, sang to them, and when I was being interrogated, backed up some of my answers with some very strong evidences. Physically he is also doing very good too: the nurse measured him to be in the 50th percentile for his weight and 75th percentile for his height. Now that is some great news. Bravo my little Sunshine! I hope you keep it all up -;)

T says I need a Doctor

Hmmm according to T I need to go to the Doctor's. We woke up this morning and he felt my chest. Mistaking the round edge of my collar bone under my neck for a cyst, he rolled his finger all over it like the doctor had done with him days ago and he said to me, Doctor's!

Hair so long

Wow! Looking at it all curled up en mass I didn't realise it was this long.

Spring style

His Papa is stylish, and so must he be. As a result, it is out with the last season and in with the new season. Spring means Ugg boots are out and leather lace up shoes are in. Now walk!

Chicken Run

I have always maintained that perhaps T is going to be a vegetarian and the actions that took place at dinner tonight is another confirmation. We sat down to eat our plate of polenta, chicken and mushrooms. Since I know how he feels about meat or anything that remotely strays away from yogurt  biscuits or carbs, I didn't put any mushrooms or chicken in his plate. So as we are eating, I cut a piece of chicken and offered it to him saying, 'mmm delicious'! His gaze went from my face, to the fork and chicken I was holding and he screeched out like a chicken, 'puuuukoooooo'. With that he turned his face the other way in disgust. Classic!

Antibiotics drama

Just when news channels on TV were going on and on about research showing some bacteria strains are beginning to develop resistance to antibiotics, I noticed a tiny cyst on T's chest and had to take him to the Doctor's. Of course just as I had thought, the doctor put him on a dose of antibiotics.

It seems antibiotics are the cure for everything these days. You have a persistent cough? Antibiotics! You have a skin rash? Antibiotics! Your ears hurt? Antibiotics! Is it any wonder then that antibiotics are loosing their potency; everyone is swallowing them these days like no man's business. Anyhow T is now on his dose of antibiotics (Flucloxacillin to be precise) and I was reading the side-effects; nausea, diarrhea, skin rash, drowsiness, vomit, etc. All these to counter a tiny little cyst? Perhaps I should have skipped the antibiotics and let nature work its magic. Eww... there he goes again; another nappy change!

St Patrick's day card

T made a St Patrick's day card at his play-group today for the celebrations taking place over this coming weekend and he couldn't help but show it to everyone that walked past us today on the way home. Perhaps I might make him some crushed apple cider to celebrate on Sunday... if he carries on being sweet till then that is.

I wish...

... that the makes of The Hive TV show on Disney Junior would just develop a series for these two characters on the show (see below). At the moment they are just plain side kicks featured at the beginning and end of the show. But seriously they make the show. They need their own series right now before I am forced to stalk and write letters to a certain someone.

The GiggleBellies

I actually stumbled upon the GiggleBellies' YouTube channel by accident while trying to indulge T in some nursery rhyme play activity yesterday evening. He was glued from the first video I played. They are such tons of fun I am thinking of getting their compilation DVD and CD right now.

E is for effort!

Bless this sweet child of mine! For the last month each day when I am making the bed, he asks to be carried and put in his crib so he can make his bed. I thought it was a passing fad at first but he is really getting the gist of it now. This morning I watched as he arranged his toys, shook his duvet and tried to lay everything in the right order; blanket then toys, topped up by the duvet. He did not quite manage it but at least he tried.

His 5 a day starts in the morning

You can never go wrong with an assortment of fruits after a hearty bowl of Weetabix in the morning. His choice in a very particular order- clementines, followed by a slice of  apple and then a quarter of a banana. I was shocked that he actually touched the banana because I have been trying to get him to eat bananas now for an eternity. Next step, try everything in a fruit salad cocktail.

He's so helpful

Coming home after an outing can be such a chore. We live on the first floor so I have to carry the stroller, nappy bag, whatever else it is I went out for, and T when we go out up the stairs. I suppose he is aware that when we depart and arrive back home, I have my hands full so he tries his hardest to help out (not necessarily a great idea sometimes because then he's in the way). Here he is helping to tidy up the stroller before I fold it up.

Lunch time

I am seriously beginning to think I am raising a vegetarian. After coming back from the park, I put his beef burrito lunch in front of him but no, he wants the garlic and coriander pitta bread with roast pepper humus  I am having. And boy he scoffed it up good.

Why is he wearing his pants sagging?

What in the world?!!! I suppose we may have been watching too many Gok Wan, Ashley Banjo (from Diversity), and JLS in this house. Pants sagging... Uh uh, not under my watch. Pull it up right now!!!

Scooter time

Finally after a winter that seems to have gone on for too long, T was out practicing on his scooter today.

He wants to go to the thriftshop

He's growing so fast

My baby is growing big so fast he no longer needs the table that slides across his booster seat to eat. Now he can just eat at the big dinning table like his daddy... Awesome!

The weird statue

I thought I was the only one that wondered about this weird statue that looks so out of place in the local park until I witnessed T also staring hard at it during our brief walk through the park yesterday. He must agree with me.