Lily is Ten

Lily has reached double figures! I say it every birthday, but where has the time gone? Lily continues to delight us all with her bubbly personality. She is a funny, clever and creative girl and spends most of her free time drawing and listening to music. She loves to bake and can often be found whipping up a tasty treat in the kitchen. She is doing brilliantly at school and is making her Daddy and me very proud.  She is a reliable, sensible girl (most of the time!) and is very helpful with her younger siblings. In short, she is a delightful girl whom I am very proud to call my daughter. 

Happy 10th Birthday Lily,

We love you!

Alexander is 2

My littlest baby turned two years old and I am in denial! It doesn't seem possible that two years have passed since this sweet boy entered our lives. It seems incredible that even when you are determined to savour every moment, time still slips by so fast. Alex is such a happy, smiley little boy and makes us laugh every day. He is at his happiest outdoors and will walk for miles. We no longer bother with the baby carrier when we go on our walks, he just walks right along with us. I've never had a toddler actually wear out a pair of shoes before, but my little outdoor boy has managed it! He loves cars (and all things that go) and will play quite happily on his own for long periods of time with his toys. Anyone with a toddler will know what a boon that is! His speech has suddenly taken off and he is learning new words by the day, even making up a few of his own. The whole family now calls Lego 'dugadee' thanks to Alex. We have no idea how he came by that name, but it seems to have stuck! He is much indulged by his older siblings and adored by us all. 

Happy 2nd Birthday Alexander

We love you Boodle Boy!

Alexander's First Bubble Bath

Alex had his first bubble bath tonight! This probably doesn't sound like a big thing, in fact most people would probably wonder why we waited until he was 22 months old before we gave the poor boy some bubbles in his bath. For me, though, this is a big thing. Alexander was born with the smoothest, clearest skin I have ever seen on a newborn baby. It was beautiful! Within a couple of weeks however he started to get a few spots on his face and body and by four weeks old my sweet baby boy was covered in eczema. I remember wanting to weep at his beautiful little face all covered with angry red patches of eczema. I slathered the little thing in Epaderm and thankfully by a few months old the eczema had cleared from everywhere except his legs. We were able to keep the worst of it at bay by not bathing him everyday, using special emollients in his bath when we did and with a regular moisturising regime. Any perfumes, soaps and bubble baths were an absolute no-no. I did occasionally have to use steroids during a flare up, but the eczema never went above his knees again after those first few months. Until we took him swimming...

Last year on holiday his skin was looking clear enough that we thought we'd chance taking him swimming for the first time. After being initially timid at all the noise in the pool, he soon found that he loved it and had a wonderful time. We took him again the next day and again he loved it. He's a real water baby! Later that day, however, I noticed spots appearing on his torso and within a couple of days his entire torso, front and back, was covered in eczema. It took months to clear it up completely, just from two trips to the swimming pool. My poor baby boy!

Over the past six months, I have seen a huge improvement in his skin. He hasn't had any eczema now for months and although I still am afraid to bathe him daily I am cautiously optimistic that he may have outgrown his eczema, as most sufferers of infantile eczema usually do. Tom also suffered from it as a baby, but had largely outgrown it by the age of two. When I was in Boots the other day I bought a very mild bubble bath (Mega Mild Bubbly Bath by Cussons Mum & Me if you are interested.) and thought we'd give it a go. He absolutely loved it, saying "Bubbles! Bubbles!" excitedly from the second he walked in the bathroom.  The photos show far more than words can how much he enjoyed his first bubble bath.

Alex will still have very sensitive skin, so I will still be very careful. I will watch his skin like a hawk for the next few days for any signs of dryness or redness, but fingers crossed my baby boy can finally enjoy the occasional bubble bath like most little children. Here's hoping we have left the eczema behind us.

Tom is 11

Tiny baby Tom

Tom turned eleven today. Eleven!!! I have an eleven year old son! I can't believe that eleven years have passed since I sat next to that incubator wanting to get out that tiny little boy inside and give him a cuddle. Now we are busy looking at secondary schools for him and I am left wondering where all that time went. Oh, but I am so proud of the young man he is becoming! It has been a pleasure watching him growing and maturing and becoming more independent. Tom lives life in his own unique way and we are lucky to be his parents. He is such a lovely boy and we love him very much. 

Happy 11th Birthday Tom!

My very handsome 11 year old

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Emma is Six

Tiny baby Emma

My little bundle of sunshine turned six years old today! Not that she looks it! She is still very petite and is one of the smallest in her year. In fact, there are quite a number of children in the year below her who are already taller than my little pocket Podling. Alex will be overtaking her in a few years!

Emma has always been such a happy little girl and has so much character in her little frame. She has an infectious laugh and spreads joy wherever she goes. Even her teacher has commented on her sunshiny personality. She spends a lot of her life in her own little world and it is not always easy to bring her back to the real world, something that is not always of benefit to her in the classroom! Emma is not over keen on school and would much prefer to be home with me. I would much prefer her to be home with me too, so at least we are in agreement! She has been at school for two years and I still miss her being home.

Emma and Lily have a special bond and Emma will do anything for her big sister, often sacrificing her own desires to please her. She is a very giving little girl and shares readily. 

Emma loves to be read to and spends a lot of time drawing pictures and stories. She loves small world play and will play on her own quite contentedly for long periods of time. She is very affectionate and frequently tells me she loves me. The feeling is entirely reciprocated. I absolutely adore this little girl!

Happy 6th Birthday Emma

We love you so much!

Still quite tiny!

Lily's First Sewing Lesson

My Mum and Dad gave Lily a real sewing machine for her birthday and Lily was over the moon with it. My Mum is a talented seamstress who taught herself to sew when I was a baby. The first thing she ever made was a little baby coat for me and when she finished it she thought it would look better with a lining. So she made a lining, just like that, with no previous sewing experience! This lady is a natural with a sewing machine! She made many clothes for my sister and me when we were little and has made many special outfits for us over the years, including the beautiful bridesmaid's dress that Lily wore at my sister's wedding. She taught me how to sew and it was wonderful to watch her giving Lily her first lesson on her first sewing machine. Lily took to it very well and already has very good control. She was soon well away making little pillows for her toys. It was very moving watching my mother teaching my daughter something that, I hope, will be a lifelong hobby for all of us.

Lily is Nine

Dearest Elizabeth, how can you be nine! Surely it can't have been nine years ago that you arrived in the world to brighten our lives with your smile. You are doing so well at school and it has been wonderful to watch you growing in confidence with your work. You are a wonderful big sister to Emma and Alex and you are such a big help to Mummy at home. We are so very proud of the young lady you are becoming.

Happy 9th Birthday Lily!

We love you very much.

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Alexander is One!

A couple of hours old

It hardly seems possible that my beautiful baby boy has reached his first birthday. I can't believe how quickly this year has flown! I have been determined to savour every precious moment with my littlest Podling and it has been a wonderful, wonderful year! He can be in no doubt of how much I love him! Alexander is such a happy, easy going baby and it is an absolute privilege to be his mother. He is adored by his older siblings and brings so much joy to the family. We love you so much little man!

Happy 1st Birthday my darling boy!

Alexander at one year old

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Big Boy Car Seat

On the Saturday of the Bank Holiday weekend we spontaneously decided to drive down to Sussex. I really wanted to see the Ladybird by Design exhibition at the De La War pavilion in Bexhill before it closed and this was the only time we would be able to go. We set off on the Sunday morning and because it was going to be a long (4 1/2 hour) journey, we thought Alex would be more comfortable if we moved him into his big, forward facing car seat. You can see from his face how much he liked it!

'Well, this is new!'

'I love it!'

Emma loses a tooth

Emma with her (very tiny) tooth

Emma lost her first tooth on Easter Monday. We got back home very late from our weekend away, so we waited until Tuesday to put the tooth under her pillow. Her excitement at her impending first visit from the tooth fairy was tempered with sadness at the loss her her tooth. She really wanted to keep it and have a visit from the tooth fairy! She was thrilled with the gold coin she found under her pillow in the morning and the masses of gold fairy dust sprinkled over the bed. I love the magic of these years!

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Alexander's First Easter

My gorgeous little man with his special Easter bunny. Love this baby so much!

I've given all the Podlings a special teddy for their first Easter. This one is extra special with his personalised jumper. I think it's adorable!

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Tom becomes a Cub

Tom has been going to Cubs for a few weeks now and was invested on Monday. It's fair to say he wasn't keen on the actual ceremony, but was quite happy to be a fully-fledged Cub after it was all over. It is so nice to see Tom taking an interest in something like this. I love the Scout and Guide movement and the many opportunities and experiences it offers and it is lovely to see Tom wanting to be a part of something like that. Highlights of his experiences so far have included star gazing and a visiting speaker from Jodrell Bank observatory, which Tom particularly enjoyed.

After we got home, we celebrated our new Cub Scout with a special (and very delicious!) cake I made earlier in the day and a few extra treats. Love my big boy!

I used the recipe I use to make Tom's favourite double chocolate chip muffins to make two cakes which I sandwiched with jam and buttercream, topped with melted chocolate and decorated with mini Smarties and dark chocolate sprinkles. It was delicious!

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A Solar Eclipse

The magic of two pieces of card and a pin hole!

There was much excitement in the house the morning of the solar eclipse. A solar eclipse on the first day of Spring, no less! The Podlings were all walking to school with their friends, many of whom had pin hole projectors and colanders with them. As we walked, we heard the oft repeated phrase 'Don't look directly at the sun' that we parents had been drumming into them amongst their excited babble. It was wonderful to see so many children taking so much interest in an astronomical event. The maximum coverage of the sun in Staffordshire (around 90 %) happened just after half past nine, so Tom, Lily and Emma were at school when it happened. I was thrilled to learn that the entire school were out on the field for the eclipse and were watching through various safe methods arranged by their teachers.

I was at home with Alex, who probably wondered why Mummy kept popping into the garden! He was much more interested in his breakfast! I had my little pin hole projector and had a brief go with a colander, which I thought was more of a gimmick than anything else. I stuck with the two pieces of card to watch the eclipse, running into the garden for a quick look, then running back to Alex! He must have thought I was nuts! At maximum coverage the light levels were not dissimilar to an early evening sunset. Not dark by any means, but certainly darker than you would expect at half past nine in the morning. It was certainly dark enough to confuse the Dickens out of the birds, who were returning to the trees and twittering loudly in confusion. I found it all rather thrilling! Not quite as awe-inspiring as experiencing totality in the 1999 eclipse in Devon, but certainly exciting.

The Podlings were rather harder to impress! They came home from school complaining that "It didn't even get dark!". I think they were expecting to be plunged into total darkness in the middle of the day and felt rather let down!

I made 'eclipse burgers' for tea (a beef burger 'eclipsing' a chicken burger!), after which we settled down with some popcorn to watch the BBC Eclipse Live programme I had recorded in the morning. A lot of it was filmed at the Jodrell Bank observatory, which isn't very far from where we live. The programme also showed the total eclipse as experienced in the Faroe islands, which I think they all found really interesting.

The eclipse was rather a thrilling event for all of us in the end. Tom is talking of travelling the world to watch eclipses and they were all cheerfully telling Mark and me that we would be dead next time there is a total eclipse in the UK! Charming bunch! I hope that if they are watching that eclipse in their dotage in 2090, they may remember their first eclipse back in 2015 and the evening we spent talking about it together.

Another use for a kitchen colander!

The view through my pin hole!

Alex wondering why Mummy has gone mad!

Eclipse burgers!

From my photo album: Watching the eclipse with my sister and parents on Dartmoor in 1999

The irony of these pictures was that there was so much cloud coverage there was no way we needed the eclipse viewers! We couldn't see the sun at all! Experiencing totality was completely awe-inspiring though and I wouldn't have traded that for a glimpse of the sun!

Sun? What sun?

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Mothering Sunday

Meeting Freddie and Taylor. Two babies to cuddle...bliss! Love them to bits!

I had a lovely Mothering Sunday this year. We had an early start as we were going to the service at the church that Emma and Alex were Christened at, which is over an hour's drive away. It was a lovely service and Tom, Lily and Emma enjoyed helping to give out the flowers and prayers to all the mothers in the church. Emma and Alex were also presented with their baptism certificates during the service. After church Mark's Mum and Dad took us out for a lovely carvery and we all enjoyed a lovely meal. Lily was particularly enamoured of the 'bottomless ice cream' dessert.

After our meal we went back to Mark's parents' house where we were later joined by Greg and Kelly and their new baby twins and by Ryan, Carrie and baby Grace. Not only did I enjoy the immense privilege of meeting my new niece and nephew, we also got to enjoy a special first. All seven of the cousins (on Mark's side) together for the first time! What a very special Mothering Sunday!

We were so honoured that Greg and Kelly made the effort to come and see us all. They are obviously somewhat sleep-deprived with two newborns to look after and Kelly is still recovering from major surgery, so we know it was no small thing for them. It meant a lot that we could all be together on Kelly and Carrie's first Mother's Day and it certainly made it a special day for Mark's Mum, who had all of her grandchildren together for the first time. It was also something of a thrill for me to get to cuddle two newborn babies at the same time! Taylor and Freddie are too precious for words!

There's been a bit of a baby boom on Mark's side of the family! Here are all seven of the cousins together for the first time. Emma was feeling camera shy, so you can only see the top of her head. Poor Freddie was not a happy bunny at this point, so we didn't want to hang around trying to get a better shot. 

Baby Taylor. She is so tiny! Precious girl!

Lily loves babies. Here she is reading to Baby Grace. 

The lovely cards the Podlings made me at school. I'm a very lucky Mummy to have four beautiful, healthy, happy children. I feel very blessed.

My flowers and prayer from church

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6 Months Old

Alexander celebrated his half birthday yesterday. How can he be six months old already? He now weighs 16 lbs 12 oz and has started wearing 6-9 month clothing. He has recently been introduced to the joys of weaning and it's fair to say that he loves his food. I have seen an improvement in his nighttime sleep since introducing some food, though he still doesn't sleep through. He goes to bed at seven, has a bottle around 1 am and then wakes up at 5 am for a cuddle. He will then stay asleep with me until around seven when I have to wake him up! I expect he will drop the nighttime bottle once he is on three meals a day. I can't say that I mind too much, knowing that he is my last baby. I'm not in a hurry for him to grow up and whilst sleep is nice I am well aware that they don't stay little for long. I shall enjoy my nighttime cuddles while they last.

Alexander is a delightfully happy baby. He smiles all the time and has the most delightful giggle. Lily can get the most fantastic laughs out of him. He is very laid back and whilst he loves to be held, is quite capable of entertaining himself if I put him down with a teddy or a rattle. He adores his siblings and has a special smile for his Daddy. He is an absolute delight and we love him very much.

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Tom's 10th birthday

Ever since he went bowling for a friend's birthday party earlier this year Tom has talked about going bowling for his birthday. Tom doesn't often ask for anything and since it was a special birthday we agreed that we would take him and a couple of friends bowling for his party. We have always done family parties at home before, so having a party in an outside venue was a whole new thing for us. I have to admit it made the whole day surprisingly stress free. I made the cake and cupcakes the day before, so there really wasn't much to do on the day except enjoy it.

Tom woke up early and took his time opening his presents. He is such a delight to buy for as he really appreciates whatever he is given. His wants, as ever, were simple and few and the main things he wanted for his birthday were the remaining books in the  'Diary of a Wimpy Kid' series and a replacement Moshi Dribbles to replace the one he lost. He has also recently started showing an interest in geology, so we started off his rock and fossil collection with a few specimens and some books.

Tom's friends turned up just after lunch and we took them all to the bowling alley for the party at one. Tom and his four friends played on one alley and Mark, Tom's grandad and the girls took another. They had two games each and we all had a fabulous time. Tom got at least one strike and several spares and was over the moon about them! It was wonderful to see Tom having such a nice time with his friends. He was just so relaxed and happy and thoroughly enjoyed every minute of his party. We dropped Tom's friends home and then went back to our house and just had a lovely afternoon with Mark's parents, finishing up with fish and chips for tea.

Tom had a really wonderful day and thanked us again and again for giving him such a special birthday. It was just so wonderful to see him so completely happy and he was just so sweet in his gratitude. It was a special day for my special boy. I simply can't believe he is ten!

Tom wanted me to make him a birthday cake decorated with Oreo cookies. The only photo I managed to get of it was snapped on the iPad before the chocolate had set. It turned out really well though and tasted delicious!

I made some Oreo cupcakes to go with the Oreo birthday cake. They were chocolate cakes, topped with vanilla buttercream and decorated with an Oreo cookie and chocolate sprinkles. Can you tell that Tom is into Oreo cookies in a big way?

Tom had a wonderful time at his party. Love him to bits!

It was the girls' first time bowling and they both loved it