The Great Switcheroo

The current room arrangement

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I have big plans in store for our house, involving swapping over the music room and playroom. This is no small undertaking. The playroom is, without a doubt, the most 'stuff heavy' room in the house and we have some very large and very heavy furniture in both rooms. It is something I have been thinking about for a while now and I have come to the definite conclusion that it is the best way to proceed. The music room is much bigger than the current playroom and can easily be shut off at the end of the day if I don't want to look at a room full of toys. It will also make it much easier to keep Emma away from all the tiny (read 'chokeable') toys that Tom and Lily love without having to restrict their play. Plus, the carpet in the music room is the original one we inherited when we moved in. It is at least a decade old, faded and threadbare in places and I really hate it. In short, it is certainly not something I'm going to be too worried about the Podlings messing up!
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The current arrangement was the best one when we moved in as Tom was only two and Lily only a year old at the time. However, now that they are older it will be much nicer to have a proper lounge in the main part of the home, rather than the playroom. Lily is quite excited about the change and is currently asking daily if we can change the rooms over. She gets that from me! Having decided to make the change I now want it all done yesterday! I am not exactly known for my patience in these matters and it is quite possible that I am currently driving my husband nuts. Due to the aforementioned heavy furniture, we can't make the change until we can rope in some help, so I have to try to be patient. Not something I'm good at! I can see how much easier my life will be with the rooms in the alternate arrangement, so I'm chomping at the bit. Hopefully we can get it done soon and my long-suffering husband can get some peace again!
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6 months old

Emma is six months old today. Six months. That's half a year! Would someone mind telling me what happened? Wasn't it only yesterday she was a tiny, helpless newborn? I cannot believe how fast the time has gone. At six months old, Emma has only just started wearing 3-6 month clothes, so she is quite dainty. She is on the verge of sitting alone, but will suddenly slump sideways or throw herself backwards, so she can't be trusted yet. She can roll from her front to her back, but hasn't quite made it the other way yet. I am in no hurry to encourage her mobility I can assure you. I have enough on my plate without worrying whether every last marble and Lego brick is picked up and accounted for. It's certainly going to be interesting round here when she is crawling! In the last week, she has started doing what I can only describe as a dance. When you are holding her, she will suddenly start jigging her little torso back and forth whilst bobbing her head up and down in a rather adorable fashion. It's hard to describe, but it makes me laugh every single time she does it!

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I started weaning Emma a couple of weeks ago and she has taken to solids like a duck to water. She LOVES her food, especially her banana cereal. She didn't go much on the sweet potato I gave her, but so far all the cereals and fruits we have tried seem to be a success. Unfortunately, it hasn't had the hoped for (by me) effect of making her drop her 3am feed. Boo! She still only has two meals a day, so maybe the introduction of breakfast may have the desired effect! I could do with a good night's sleep!

Emma is a very alert baby and now that she is a little older, she needs a lot more stimulation during her waking hours. She has a lovely selection of toys, books and rattles and has definite favourites. Perhaps I will do a post about them at some point. Her favourite toy, however, is me! She is very much a Mummy's girl and loves to be held. She also adores Lily, who gets all the best laughs from her.
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So there we are. My littlest Podling is halfway through her first year and I am left wondering where the time has gone. I am absolutely, completely smitten with this little girl and I am excited to see how she will develop over the next six months.

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(I left it too late in the day to do her proper six month photo shoot, so these were just taken in her swing. I like to do her portraits in the conservatory so I can use the natural light, but the sun was already setting before I got round to taking her pictures today. Hopefully I will get around to her 'official' pictures in the next couple of days.)

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What's cooking?

Lily likes to sit on the side and watch me when I'm cooking. Today, she was handing me potatoes as I chopped vegetables. I thought she looked sweet, so I took a picture.

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I can't believe I haven't updated the blog in over a week! Things have been quiet around here lately. I've been doing housework, cooking, looking after the Podlings...the usual, everyday stuff. I somehow don't seem to have anything to blog about! Unusually for me I haven't been taking many pictures either. Emma hasn't been sleeping too well lately, so I'm just tired and trying to keep life simple at the moment. I'm currently suffering from a cold, but hopefully things will pick up and I can get back to regular blogging again soon. In the meantime, here is a random picture of our tea simmering in the slow cooker...
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Beef stew, served with homemade cheese muffins and followed by rice pudding...comfort food for a tired Mummy!

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Bathroom break

We were tucking into our dinner on New Year's Day, when Lily suddenly announced she needed to go to the toilet. Hoping to be able to finish my food before taking her, I asked Lily "How much do you need a wee wee?".

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"About 4 ounces." came the reply.

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Snow day

I realised after it was taken that this is the first time I have been in a photo with all three Podlings. One to treasure.

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We have had a lot of snow here over the last few days and Mark has had to work from home since we got back from our break. School and playgroup have both been cancelled for the last couple of days, so we've been able to spend a bit of time together enjoying the snow. What's a girl to do when she has her whole family at home, unusual amounts of snow and a new camera? Why, take lots of photos of course...
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Lily making snow angels in the garden at 8.30am in the morning, shortly after learning that playgroup was cancelled.

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Mark took a break from his work to spend some time outside with us.
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We actually managed to persuade Tom to brave the cold and join us in the snow.
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I love this picture of Lily and her daddy. Mark, Lily and I made a fantastic snowman on the front drive. Lily got cold and wanted to go back inside before it was finished, but she insisted Mark and I finish it for her. We carried her outside quickly in her socks to see the completed snowman, and then whisked her back into the warm again.

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Snow Baby

Emma's first snow experience. Look at her little red nose!

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"You might think this is fun, Mummy; I couldn't possibly comment."

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Emma actually enjoyed the snow more than these photos seem to imply. She was fascinated by the brightness and smiled when I first showed it to her through the window. We had already been outside a little while when these photos were taken and I think she was starting to get cold.

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Wean, Baby, Wean!

Prepare to be weaned Baby Emma!

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In the last week or so it has become very apparent that Emma's bottles are no longer satisfying her. Since she is now 5 1/2 months old, I thought it was time to start the weaning process and try her with some baby rice. I only made up a tiny amount at first because Tom and Lily both hated baby rice when I gave it to them as babies. Emma surprised me by devouring the lot and looking for for more! She ate like a real pro and knew exactly what to do with the food in her mouth (i.e., swallow rather than spit it straight out, for anyone who has never weaned a baby!). There was hardly any mess. I made up a larger portion for her next feed and again she cleared the lot.

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In a startling and very welcome development, Emma then proceeded to drop her night feed last night after just two meals of baby rice (chorus of Hallelujah!) Hopefully, it wasn't a fluke. She tucked in to two meals of baby rice again today, so here's hoping!
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"Okay, this is new. What am I supposed to do exactly?"
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"Hmmm. A curious sensation. Perhaps I will try a little more..."
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"Hey, this is pretty good mush. Keep it coming!"
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"Actually, Mummy...
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...why don't you just give me the spoon and I'll do it myself."
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