Logan Michael & Millie Ann James

Millie Suffers Like Her Brother

2012-02-06T12:11:00.000-08:00

A long night last night when Millie awoke around 4 a.m. and then struggled to get back to sleep and she showed her frustrations in the only way she knows how - crying! It was a scenario I suppose I had been expecting as we suffered a few similar nights with Logan and, on looking back on this Blog, realised that it was at an almost exact same time in his life as we reached with Millie - seven months and three weeks. With Logan we were inexperienced to say the least and the fact that he had got into a routine prior to that point only served to make us think we were doing something wrong and we probably tried a bit too hard to get him back to sleep. With further hindsight it was probably teeth, which we blamed nearly all the unsettled nights on, and it is fairly safe to say Millie's present phase can be said to be teeth related especially with the associated runny nose and cold-like symptoms. This morning, as Becky and Logan struggled through the icy conditions on the way to pre-school and reported that the pavements were worse than the roads, I looked after a still suffering Millie who just would not settle when laid down to sleep. Eventually she sat up on her play-mat until Mummy got home when she was so tired that 'meltdown' was about to be experienced. Becky did manage to soothe her enough to allow her to nap but the intended swimming lesson of the morning had to be missed. It is now Monday night and both children are currently enjoying peaceful sleep and the latest routine of going for bath and then bed at 6.30 certainly aids Logan without the daily nap. Whether the peace will continue is debatable if the recorded events of the Blog of just over two years ago are to be repeated as back then Logan had a few nights in a row when he was suffering and his parents suffered with him.We also joke that Millie has a bit of a look of a 'Nan' about her [see photo below for one of her best 'Nan' looks!] and at many times our little girl has a look of my own Mum, her Granny. "It's like she is watching us", Becky commented and, on occasions, it certainly is. I know my Mum would have been very proud of her grandchildren.

Playground Fun

2012-02-06T11:38:00.000-08:00

Frosty Makes A Comeback

2012-02-05T17:26:00.000-08:00

Just when we began to think Spring was just around the corner the great British weather decided it hadn't finished with Winter just yet and dumped six inches of snow on Rayleigh and the rest of the South-East over the course of Saturday night. By the morning the garden resembled the scene we had endured a great deal of December 2010 with a full covering of white across as far as the eye could see. The last time Becky went into the garden with Logan and made 'Frosty the Snowman' our little boy was nearly two and not quite able to recognise what all the fuss was about and Millie was still hiding inside her Mummy. This time round Logan was far more into the snow and an ability to throw 'snowballs' although his actual throwing technique still needs a little work. We spent quite a bit of the morning out in the garden although the making of 'Frosty' coincided with Millie's first nap so she wasn't out in the cold for too long or sat in her Bumbo in the conservatory just so we could keep an eye on her. With about six inches of fresh snow to cope with the first job was to retrieve Logan and Becky's wellies from the shed - a strange place to keep them in the circumstances although Becky's explanation that under normal gardening conditions the boots were just too muddy to be left anywhere else was understandable. After Frosty had been reincarnated Becky and Logan took turns at making 'snow angels' i.e. just lying in the snow and wafting your arms about through the snow. It was just a fun time which took my mind off all the other things rushing through it at this particular time which I won't discuss here on my children's blog as that really isn't what this is all about. I will simply say HMRC and brother Neil and that will remind me when I look back about what it was. Shortly after coming back into the house Millie was awake and we put her in her Bumbo by Frosty and she had her photo taken sat in front of it as well a few other places. Looking out of our upstairs window I saw Barry and Lisa next door building snowmen in their front garden with their two sons, Tom and Freddie. We joined them for a while during which time Freddie decided to just throw as many snow balls as possible at Logan who hardly batted an eyelid at it all such was his excitement at all the snow lying around. It was pretty cold outside but, with Millie is her aptly named 'snowsuit', Becky stayed outside for a lot longer than Logan and I did. Once Millie had been put back in her latest favourite position, which is sat on her play mat surrounded by toys rather than laying on it, Becky went out to clear the snow off her car and make a path for little people to access the car in the morning. The rest of the day was quite relaxing looking out across the snow covered with Frosty staring back at us although his 'stone' eyes did fall out a couple of times. Logan was the bundle of energy that we would prefer him to be, providing we can channel his exhuberance in the right way, whilst we laugh at Millie's non-plussed facial expressions and, indeed, it appears only Logan can really make her face come alive. When our daughter is old enough to join in with her brother I have a feeling Mummy and Daddy will be worn out in an instant.

A Fine Line on the Sleeping Front

2012-02-02T13:08:00.000-08:00

"You see, Millie, I know when I need a nap!"

Yesterday at swimming Logan only lasted the first twenty minutes of his half hour lesson before he told his Mummy that he wanted to "go home" stating that he wanted "some food". This was most unlike Logan and it is not something we can remember him doing before. He did seem tired and so we guessed that the swimming may well have taken him 'over the edge' after not having had a daytime nap over the past five days. After settling his hunger, Becky allowed, if that is the right word, Logan to go up for a sleep at 11 and he was asleep soon after. He stayed that way for two hours before Mummy eventually decided that was enough. "As he has been doing so well at night I don't want him wide awake tonight", Becky explained as Logan was none too happy at being awoken from his slumbers. However it would appear there is a very fine line between having enough and not having enough sleep because when he went back to bed in the evening he was wide awake. When Becky took Millie back to bed after her last bottle, instead being confronted by a sleeping boy as she had been on the previous four nights, she was greeted with a wave from Logan and a wide-eyed grin. When he is awake he just drinks juice from his beaker like its another form of dummy and that means more trips to the toilet and consequently more disturbed sleep both for him and, on occasions, his parents. It was a bad night in relative terms as Millie was also a bit fractious with what appeared to be teeth-related snotty nose and the kind of crying that says something is occurring in her mouth and waking her up. "Logan's not having a nap in the day again", Becky stated with her grumpy head on and so today, after having been to playgroup this morning, he has gone without one. There was an air of triumph in her voice as Becky commented that Logan was "fast asleep" when she took Millie back to her cot this evening. It seems his sleep patterns are better without him napping during the day although Millie is still doing her best to exercise her lungs as this evening has progressed. Let's hope the fine line between peaceful and disturbed comes down on the side of the former tonight or Mummy is going to be a very unhappy lady by the morning!

"I don't know why Mummy is grumpy either, Millie"

Sitting Up For A Nap Dropped

2012-01-30T15:07:00.000-08:00

Over the past three days Logan has gone without his daily nap and, so far, he has coped surprisingly well without the extra sleep. I get the impression Becky had been thinking of such a move for quite a while and the fact that Logan was staying awake until about 8.30 most nights, drinking juice and generally playing with his cars in his bed, was the final deciding factor. "He doesn't go to sleep straightaway", Becky explained, "and then because he drinks so much juice he is constantly going to the toilet during the night". Even though Logan has shown himself to be quite capable of doing the 'wee-wee' trips on his own lately, I am sure Becky was constantly keeping half an eye/ear out for his journeys to the loo just in case he got into difficulty at all. On Saturday, with the nap missed out, we half expected Logan to go into meltdown after tea as he had done a couple of times previously without the daytime sleep. However this never really materialised but, on getting into bed, he was obviously far more tired than before and was asleep before Mummy brought Millie back into their bedroom after her final milk bottle of the day. I don't think either of us can be sure Logan didn't go to the toilet at all in the night but there was little disturbance in the house overnight until I was woken by a little boy's face thrust in my face at 7 a.m. for his own morning milk and conservatory car collection. As a result Becky slept far better as well and it was a trial, in her words, "well worth persevering with". Even today after a morning at school, which you would assume would wear him out a bit more than just playing at home, didn't affect him too much in the evening although he was closer to falling apart than on the two weekend nights. I doubt our son will be getting a daily nap put back on his agenda now and maybe as he is now 3 that is how it should be as, when he goes to 'big' school, he will need to be able to cope with a longer day. Becky has also been on a bit of a mission to help Millie to sit without assistance, or without too much fear of falling over, and during the weekend it was clear that things were improving on this front too. There was a session on both days when Becky sat with our little girl and kept her upright for as long as she could before Millie toppled to one side or another or even backwards. On the Sunday though Logan and Millie played for quite a long time with the 'play food' and Millie managed to sit quite happily during this activity before getting a bit tired and being taken up for her own afternoon nap. Whilst she was doing that I took our other bundle of energy down to the park to try and wear him out a little as he had been particularly boisterous during the afternoon. I don't think Logan stopped moving from the moment we left the house to the moment we got back, doing his little running step nearly the whole time. We both enjoyed running round the park, playing basketball and football, as well as a brief spell in the children's playground and we returned after about an hour, tired and muddy, but with a bit of the energy exhausted. Stages of development are attained almost every week and sometimes nearly every day and it is difficult to keep up with them at times.

Let's Sit Down For 500

2012-01-26T15:44:00.000-08:00

This is the 500th post of my children's Blog. What started as a way of sharing my delight at becoming a father a month after my 50th birthday, has expanded into an online diary and a source of constant memories of the development of Logan, now 3, and Millie who has completed our family since her birth seven and a bit months ago. I am not sure where it will all end but for the moment it is lovely to look back at certain moments or dates over the past three years and see what happened at any particular time or to compare developmental milestones between Logan and Millie. On such a 'look back', Becky saw that at seven months our little boy was capable of sitting up unaided so, although it is a fact that all children develop at different speeds and achieve things at different stages, Mummy has been doing all she can to assist Millie to sit on her own. Today Millie is definitely making progress and as you will see from the photos here an ability to watch the world go by from a comfortable sitting position is not far away. Logan has now reached a stage where, in order to "make his Mummy happy", he goes to the toilet during the night on his own. The process of switching on the bathroom light and then doing his stuff before turning the light off again is something that makes you proud but is another reminder of the speed our son is growing at.

Logan is Three Years Old

2012-01-26T13:36:00.000-08:00

Not quite sure where the last ten days have gone since the last post but I have been very busy workwise hence the gap in the Blog. It is time to report Logan is now three having celebrated that particular milestone on Monday although I was unable to be with him and the rest of the family as I was opening A BEDFULL OF FOREIGNERS in Chesterfield. With my absence on his actual birthday in mind Becky and I decided to let him open his cards and presents on the Sunday and then take him and Millie to Rayleigh Megaplay finishing off at McDonalds, his food of choice if he had his birthday every day. Logan, who we had been keeping informed of the closeness of his birthday had his first present on the Saturday afternoon when Debbie and Daisy dropped off something for him on their way to Southend for a children's party. Logan was impatient to open his present and after a few tears we allowed him to open it in front of the givers before they left the house. It was a motorised Tonka truck which went up a track and then demolished a couple of dustbins. It was an immediate hit and he played with it almost constantly until bedtime. On the Sunday morning he was very excited once we brought the presents from Grandma and Grandie out of the study and then let him open all his cards. Their presents were well received and the addition of a 'Tidmouth Sheds' set to his Thomas the Tank Engine track was played with most of the day and even ended up going up to bed with him. There were also extra engines and a pots and pans, which actually ended up not being opened and has now already been sold on. This was because Becky and I had bought our little boy a play kitchen which we retrieved from the garage later that morning. Becky had thought there wouldn't be any accessories or 'pots and pans' with it hence her Mum's extra present. However inside the kitchen box was a great number of cooking items so the extra pots and pans really weren't required. Soon after the card and present opening session it was time to all get into the car and head to Megaplay which is situated very close to where my own Mum and Dad used to work for many years on the Brook Road Industrial Estate. The building housing Megaplay has long since ceased to be a factory of any kind and it was already busy by the time we got there. Logan knew exactly where he was going and once we had positioned the buggy containing little Millie in a corner and removed his shoes then he was off into the maze of soft-play areas and slides etc to have as much fun as he could. Becky told me he would be quite happy off on his own playing but I think my attendance was a bit of a novelty for him because he was soon back to tell us all to follow him into the area specifically for the Under 5's. Becky took Millie too and she sat, with a bit of difficulty at times, in amongst a number of soft objects before joining her Mummy and her brother in the ball pool. Alongside her often boisterous brother she nearly disappeared in the balls at one point and it wasn't long before Becky was taking Millie back to our position in the chairs and tables area for food and ultimately sleep in the buggy. At this point Logan got very upset that I was heading back too so I stayed with him and shared a good 45 minutes in amongst the other parent and grandparents trying to keep up with their energetic children and/or grandchildren. Logan hardly stayed in the same place for more than five seconds and it was fitness work-out in many ways for me which left me feeling a few after-effects in Chesterfield the next day. However I wouldn't have missed the experience for the world and to see my son really enjoying himself and also being so comparatively grown-up was enough to make any other problems of the day disappear. We stayed in the soft-play area for just under two hours before, as the facility became far busier, we gathered all our bits and pieces and went back to the car. The short trip to McDonalds followed and we shared our lunch inside the restaurant which finished with an ice cream cone and accompanying chocolate flake which Logan devoured in seconds. It was a lovely family occasion and I know 'sentimental' Mummy enjoyed it almost as much as Logan obviously did. Family life just gets better as our children get older and more aware of things. Millie is a long way behind Logan in that respect but it won't be many more months before they are both heavily involved in all the family outings at such times. Back home both children ended up napping at the same time, an unusual occurrence in itself. The afternoon was spent playing with new toys and relaxing before a tea that concluded with a special 'birthday' cake complete with three lit candles. For purposes of photos and a video record, Logan got to blow the candles out twice which he was more than happy to do. The simple cake went down a treat too and even Millie enjoyed her small piece making as much mess as she could. Logan's actual birthday on the Monday did involve another morning at pre-school where 'Happy Birthday' was sung to him and a special card presented. After collecting him from Caley Pre-School Becky took the birthday boy 'shopping for cars' with his birthday money. This was an expedition that Logan apparently thoroughly enjoyed and Becky commented that he spent a great deal of time over all his choices before, eventually, a pack of cars and a Hot Wheels transporter and associated car were purchased. On my return from Chesterfield Logan seems to get more talkative and opinionated every day although Becky did report his overall behaviour does appear to be improving as his discipline parameters are becoming more ingrained. I am not sure I can believe it is three years since that fateful day when we first said 'Hello' to our little boy but both Becky and I shared some of the strongest memories of January 23rd 2009. There will no doubt be many more memories on birthdays to be shared in the years ahead.

Seven Sensitive Millie Months

2012-01-16T15:42:00.000-08:00

Millie reached seven months today and it is safe to say that our beautiful daughter is far more sensitive to noise and cold than her brother. Last night and today were further proof of this as it was a very cold night when, with the heating turned off, the temperature egg in the children's bedroom turned blue and the coldness woke Millie up and her screaming began. Fortunately Logan didn't wake up, as is his norm, but Mummy and Daddy definitely did. An extra blanket given, and the heating started up again, saw Millie eventually drift off back to sleep but her pattern was unsettled from then on so it was a disturbed night all round; well except for Logan who didn't stir until his normal time of 6.45 a.m. "Just imagine if we had two children who were like that every night", Becky mused in the morning once the family were preparing for a new week. It doesn't really bear thinking about as Becky would be a nightmare, as she struggles if her sleep is interrupted for even one night. Millie provided further evidence of her sensitivity when she went to her second swimming lesson this morning. Becky reported that on her initial placing in the cold water she exercised her lungs for a good five minutes before her swimsuit eventually warms her up and she settles down. Of course we wouldn't change any aspect of her character and personality, but she is far more inclined to cry, scream and make us aware of her requirements than Logan ever was. Maybe we have become more aware of the tears etc as Logan is growing up and away from such bouts of crying, but we certainly haven't become immune to it and believe me Millie can create some decibels of sound, of that there is no question. Logan was back at pre-school again this morning and I suggested to Becky that she check with his key-worker, Julie, whether his behaviour was less than we , or they, would want it to be whilst at school, or if he was being easily led or 'copying' other children. Julie assured Becky that he was full of energy as most boys of his age are inclined to be, but he is not a 'naughty' child and they had seen no sign of the minor back chat and attitude he sometimes tries on at home. I guess it is all about setting parameters and boundaries and, as he gets more aware of his surroundings and what he can get away with, he just goes as far as he can pushing these to the limit. I wonder how parents expect teachers to instill such boundaries and discipline when they only see their children for a few hours in a day. If parents don't teach their own offspring the 'rules' of polite and proper behaviour then no wonder there are so many rebellious kids around. Although it is a constant test of patience, lessons and time every day, I know Mummy and Daddy are doing their best to give them the right way ahead.

Mummy's Birthday 2012

2012-01-15T14:23:00.000-08:00

Today was Becky's 31st birthday. I don't think Becky likes being the "wrong side of 30" but I guess it comes to us all eventually, although, to be honest, it is so long ago to me I can't quite remember ever being that age. Today started pretty much as most days do at the moment with Logan coming into our bedroom around 6.30 to 6.45 a.m. in search of Daddy to take him downstairs for his morning milk. He was obviously feeling better as he was far more energetic this morning and, by the time I collected all the cards and presents for Mummy, his and Millie's bedroom floor was littered with cars and books. Millie, Logan and I shared the card and present opening moment of Mummy's birthday before we all went downstairs for breakfast and to prepare for Grandma and Grandie. They were due to arrive around 11 to take us all out for a meal at Rayleigh Weir. Logan, who is now getting much better on his Xmas scooter, was outside with it just before they arrived but as time was marching on and it was much colder than it had been lately, we took him back indoors, telling him we would show his grandparents his 'scooter skills' later on. Becky's Mum and Dad did arrive as anticipated and, after catching up on various things, including Logan's Nativity and Xmas Party video, we headed off for the meal. Logan didn't want to nap before we went, which was a bit dodgy in our eyes and he was sworn to good behaviour without having the sleep. Apart from an initial floor slump when we were first shown our table, he was very good and certainly seemed to enjoy his food. Millie was the same and just kept eating everything that was put in front of her; she definitely has no problem with food so far in her short life. A mixture of bread, a chip and some ice cream followed her own 'fruit bowl' and she was quite content. After the meal Mummy, Grandma and Millie went off to get an anniversary card for Auntie Vicki and Uncle Matt, who were married two years ago tomorrow, whilst Logan, Grandie and I went back home. As I had expected Grandma bought a few things for her grandchildren including a new Hot Wheels car for Logan and some clothes for all three of the newest arrivals in the James/Croucher/Leak families. It wasn't long after the return from Sainsburys in Rayleigh that Grandma and Grandie were saying their goodbyes and Logan was finally showing off what he can now do on the scooter. Logan, who isn't that great at goodbyes on occasions, did have his mind taken off the fact his grandparents were leaving so soon, by the use of the scooter and the large bag of fruit pastilles that his Grandma presented him with as she got into the car. Finally, once all the excitement of the day had subsided a little, Logan and Millie were upstairs having a nap and Becky took a bit of time out to do the same on the settee. It wasn't too much of a rest though as Millie was soon after more milk. Eventually we had to wake Logan up, which reminded me of an old line about being a child; "when I am wide awake, you make me go to bed and then, when I am sound asleep, you make me get up!". I don't think Logan fully appreciated his parents 'cruel to be kind' attitude to get him up again to keep him from falling apart in the early evening. The rest of the day was a relaxed affair although Logan did teeter on the brink of 'meltdown' before he finally decided good behaviour was far easier to deal with and he just went to bath and bed with no more troubles. Once the children were ultimately in the sleep mode, Becky was keen to get to bed soon too although her thoughts were once more turned to Sky News to see the sad fate of the cruise ship Costa Concordia, which ran aground on Friday evening just off Italy. The tragic accident has claimed at least 5 lives and stories of British dancers having to escape the capsizing ship was a bit too close to home in Becky's eyes, having worked for Costa for about two years back at the beginning of her dancing career. It was a news item that may not affect many other people in Rayleigh but, to Becky it reminded her of an exciting time in her life when Costa Cruises had shown their emphasis on safety was nowhere near as good as other companies she worked for. Back in Rayleigh it would appear the end of the birthday has seen both children getting over their most recent colds and Mummy at the beginning of her 32nd year seeing a nagging headache finally start to ease off after a couple of days.

Screaming in a Unhealthy House?

2012-01-12T14:26:00.000-08:00

What with head lice, coughs and colds seemingly all over the children and their Mummy, this week it can hardly be said we have the healthiest house in the area at the moment. The nits, 'bogies', streaming noses. snorts and coughs have been part and parcel of the atmosphere throughout the last few days and that hasn't helped the sleeping patterns of the rest of the family. Millie just cannot bear not being able to sleep and quite literally screams the place down until she either manages to self-soothe back to some kind of settled state or her parents eventually have to try and do it for her. The 'Winnie the Pooh' device we have that stays on her cot and reacts to any noise does help to calm her but when Logan was coughing almost every five minutes last night the fact that it is sound sensitive meant it was going off constantly. After a change of batteries this evening it does seem to be helping Millie back to sleep although we have had about half a dozen 'meltdowns' so far tonight. Almost amazingly considering how loud Millie's screaming cries are, Logan sleeps through them with hardly a murmur. The same cannot be said for Mummy whose maternal instinct doesn't allow her to settle at all until both the children are in the deepest sleep. Consequently Becky has been slightly grumpier than her normal laid back personality over recent days. It is a difficult juggling act trying to keep the rest of the family going although, to be fair to all of them, they haven't missed any activity so far. It is to be assumed that Logan will be going to pre-school and Millie and Mummy to the under-1s group in the morning. Logan has been much better this evening so maybe only Millie is now struggling to shake off the effects of her cold and teeth or just her cold, or just her teeth. Logan, who continues to be slightly more confrontational than we would be like and is disciplined accordingly, is doing really well at his 'solo' swimming and Becky continues to be amazed at how well he is managing to keep up with the older members of his class. He had more 'lice' treatment today as some more 'residents' appeared in his hair. Becky was, once again, spurred into action and washed Logan's hair in the anti-lice solution before a shower and some conditioner; "the 'bugs' don't like conditioner", Becky informed me. It is now midnight and Millie is still really struggling in the bedroom upstairs, which, of course, is not allowing Becky much sleep either. It sounds like it is going to be a long night but we can live in hope that the healthy aspect of the house will return sooner rather than later. This is definitely not a post for photos as none of the family look their best just at the moment. I looked around the table at tea-time and it was a bit like a hospital ward with red rings under the eyes for Millie, sore red cheeks from Logan wiping his runny nose across his face, black rings under the eyes from lack of sleep for Mummy and the relative pallor of ill-health very much in evidence. It makes you realise how good the healthy days are.

Millie's First Swim; Logan's Latest Cold

2012-01-09T12:57:00.000-08:00

The start of another week and although Logan was struggling a bit with his latest cold it was deemed not bad enough to keep him off school. He spent a great deal of the day holding his nose in a strange fashion as he tried, in vain most of the time, to staunch the flow from his nostrils. After Logan, complete with his new haircut, a bit of gel, and his dungarees was deposited at the pre-school, Mummy and Millie headed to Asda to get some shopping before stopping off at home for a bottle feed and then on to Hullbridge and Swimming Tales. Becky reported Millie's first ever swimming lesson went very well, although the heat of the water was colder than she was used to be at her bathtimes which led to a few initial tears. However once used to it all she coped with the rest of the lesson with few problems at all, even going under water without any reaction. At the very end of it all a very loud 'Hokey Cokey' in the pool was the cause of a few more moments of crying before getting out and getting dressed again chilled her out again. By that point it was nearly collection time for Logan and he seemed to be Ok, if a little tired after a bit of a disturbed night. The rest of the day was spent mopping up Logan's nose and attending to Millie's food and sleep requirements, before it was an early bath and bed with plenty of dosing for little boys together with a few rubs of Vick and a few drops of Karvol to help him breathe and get through the night.

Haircut Detection

2012-01-08T12:58:00.000-08:00

After the episode with the head lice Becky was soon on the search in Logan's hair to see if it was clear after the treatment applied last night. The answer to that was "there's nothing moving [well that was reassuring I thought], but there are still some eggs that I am pulling out". After that inspection it was decided a haircut might at least make it easier to see what was going on. Therefore, although I suggested a really short cut, Becky said she couldn't do that to Logan, so the pair of them set off to Lakeside to see if they could be seen at the hairdressers there. I think it took a bit longer than Becky had anticipated as it was busier than a Sunday might have been expected to be. However on their return Mummy reported a few little boy tears at the beginning when Logan first went in the chair but once he realised it was going to be that bad he calmed down and all was well. The hairdresser who admitted to having seen it all in terms of head lice did say that a 'skinhead' type cut was no guarantee that the insects wouldn't be able to attach themselves as they can get into eyebrows and eyelashes as well as hair. When they returned Logan did look very grown up with his 'trendy' hair - another tip the hairdresser gave was to use hair gel or hairspray as the 'bugs' don't like such products as they cannot cling to the hair so well. All I know is that the mere mention of head lice makes your head itch whether you have them or not. Another noteworthy part of the day would appear to be that Millie's use of the Moses basket is about to end as she is getting too big for it and also napping in her cot is far better for her now. The sentimental side of Mummy will no doubt want to keep the Basket for a while yet as selling it, or even giving it away would just be a step too far just at the moment. As a Sunday busier than anticipated in many ways Logan appears to be suffering from yet another cold and is suffering a bit tonight; a further reminder of how unhealthy being involved with other children is for little people. Let's hope it's not too bad a night as it is pre-school again for Logan and Millie, seen here modelling her new swimming costume has her first ever lesson at Swimming Tales in the morning.

The Discipline of Head Lice

2012-01-07T13:40:00.007-08:00

One thing that has become increasingly obvious since we have had children is the amount of bugs and associated illnesses etc that they have to cope with and subsequently bring back into the house. In the near three years since Logan was born I think I have had more colds, runny noses and other sicknesses than I ever did when it was just me, and then just Becky and I. This evening, on Logan and my return from a fairly ill-disciplined trip to football, our little boy started to itch his scalp and complained that his head 'hurt'. Further interrogation of his symptoms, and then closer inspection of what was going on in his hair, led to us finding he was suffering from 'head lice' or 'nits'. These he must have picked up from pre-school or even playgroup in the last couple of days although, once Becky had been out to get a treatment for the removal of the lice, it appeared that the insects had been feeding on his scalp for a while, and maybe not just a couple of days. Who knows? One thing was certain Mummy was immediately on a mission to get rid of the 'dirty' bugs. Of course both Becky and I had to be done too and, fortunately, only one was found in my hair and none in Becky's. It would appear the lice can only be transmitted by close hair to hair contact as they cannot fly, jump or swim. You don't need to wash clothes or fumigate bedclothes as they cannot be spread in any way other than head-to-head contact when the insects climb into the hair of another person. Logan didn't enjoy having the 'treatment' but as he was a bit in the proverbial 'dog-house' after his behaviour at the football he was probably more obedient than he might have been. There has to be another check in five to seven days to make sure they have all gone but, as there is no real prevention, and the most prevalent age to get them is between four and eleven this may not be the only time we will have to endure such hair washes and solutions. Millie is too young to be treated but, fortunately, she hasn't got that much hair at this moment so you can see if she has any insects or eggs or both. Back to the behaviour issues and Logan can be a stubborn two year-old at the moment and has got into a habit of shouting at his parents when he doesn't get his way and throwing minor tantrums that are, at best, frustrating and, at worst, annoying and embarrassing, especially in close contact with the public as we are in the football ground. Football still doesn't hold Logan's attention as much as cars or some DVD's do, so he gets 'bored' and then wants to go to the toilet or just get his own way on anything at all. If he doesn't get it then he will shout loudly and then, in the worst cases, throw himself to the floor. I expect all parents go through this stage with their children but, as Logan is such a lovely little boy at all other times, it is disappointing he has to act like he does on these few occasions. Becky is convinced it has a lot to do with other boys at pre-school as some of his behaviour is not copied from us. Shouting "It's not fair" very loudly and folding his arms across his chest in a gesture of defiance is not something Becky or I are ever seen to be doing so he must have picked this up from somewhere else. Logan is always quick to say "Sorry" after a realisation that he has overstepped the mark but, after discussions with Becky this evening, I think it may be time for a zero tolerance policy with regards to the shouting and tantrums. From now on the 'naughty step' will be more widely used and just the one warning administered. Logan is by no means a problem child but discipline and obedience are part of a steep learning curve so we feel we have to reset a few parameters so it doesn't get out of control.

Weighed Into The Activities

2012-01-06T14:48:00.000-08:00

Two more days back into the activities for Logan and Millie and already the Christmas and New Year celebrations seem a long time ago. On Thursday it was back to playgroup around the corner, although the weather was so bad - more strong wind and rain to deal with - that Becky took the car to avoid the children, and her, getting soaked. A mark of how quickly Millie is growing up in that Becky had to pay for our daughter for the first time albeit only 50p as a sibling to Logan, who is an old hand at the playgroup these days. After the group, enjoyed by both apparently, or as much as Millie can do at her age, it was off to the Grange Community Centre to get Millie weighed. The first 'weigh-in' of the year was busy, as I suppose could have been expected, and our little lady was 15 lbs 7 1/2 ozs, which is still following a similar path to her brother just below the overall average line in the little red 'growth' record book. Today [Friday] it was a first day back at pre-school for Logan and a return to the 'Under-1s' group for Millie. Logan was quite excited to go back to his schooling and, on his collection, Becky picked up the DVD recording of the Nativity before Christmas. The DVD has already been played a few times and Logan seems to like watching himself on the television as the footage obviously brought back memories of the performance and the associated party that is also included on the disc. Logan does look very happy at both events and is joining in quite well with all the activities. "It's good to see how he is without us around", Becky remarked and it certainly is interesting to see how his social skills have developed and improved especially since he started at the pre-school. Millie's development is also coming along nicely although her most noteworthy trait is a tendency to 'meltdown' when she is tired; "I wonder where she gets that from?", her Mummy muses with a guilty look upon her face. However for the vast majority of the time she is quite content and always seems to have a smile on her face for anyone who gives her more than a moment of their attention.

Back In The Swim

2012-01-04T14:08:00.000-08:00

When I returned from Chesterfield last night after the final performance of the latest pantomime season, all of the indications of Christmas had disappeared and the lounge and dining room looked decidedly bare. Becky had obviously been working incredibly hard on the day to take down all the decorations and return the Xmas tree to the back garden again in readiness for another usage next year. It was quite difficult to get back to the way the rooms had looked before the colour and glitter of Christmas had transformed it a month previously. Of course, now, some 24 hours later, we have got used to it and it is as if the festive season hadn't happened at all. However the large number of new toy arrivals in the conservatory was testament to the fact that something had happened. With Logan back to swimming this morning, Becky was keen to have some semblance of normality to accompany his return to his activities and this evening she confessed to being secretly pleased to have been up earlier than for the last few weeks to get things organised. With Logan fast approaching his third birthday in three weeks time he was into a 'big boys' class today at swimming. That meant being 'in on his own' without any assistance from Mummy. Becky was understandably concerned that our little boy might rebel against such independence and, indeed, the staff at Swimming Tales did confirm that they either take to it without a fuss or just simply cannot cope with it at all. Well Logan was definitely in the former of those two possibilities as he took to it like the proverbial "duck to water". Mummy told me she was more than impressed as Logan, with others as old as five to contend with, more than held his own and just joined in with the group without a murmur of fuss or tears. "All the hours taking him to his swimming have really paid off", Becky commented with pride on their return and Logan himself was full of his exploits as he recounted them to Daddy. It is certainly good for his self-confidence and independence which increases almost hourly it seems. Millie is due to start her own swimming lessons next Monday so we will wait to see how she takes to it all although she enjoys the water at her bathtimes. Tonight Logan and Millie treated us to a 'dancing' show with both of them making each other laugh which was just lovely to see and be a part of. Logan even showed us some 'breakdancing' moves in the bathroom. "He's seen that on GOT TO DANCE", Becky explained, although I guessed no-one on that programme quite had the moves Logan was exhibiting as it lacked a certain amount of co-ordination and timing. He does enjoy it all though and it does make you smile. The other noteworthy moment of the day was rather sadder, in that I attended the burial of my Mum's ashes at the Garden of Remembrance at Southend Crematorium this morning. I had intentionally tried not to make too much of the occasion in my own head so that it just became matter of fact. If your ultimate end is an urn of ashes poured into a small foot square hole, that is then covered with earth then surely that is all the incentive you need to try and live as full, happy and contented life as you can. My silent prayer to my Mum over the 'hole' containing the ashes was to rest in peace alongside my Dad in the Garden and to be proud of her grandchildren as they strive to get as much out of life as possible. The 'ceremony' did feel like some sort of closure but the missing doesn't stop, and the massive part of my life that has disappeared with the passing of my parents will never truly be filled. However, now it is time to concentrate on getting the year in some sort of order, making sure my beautiful family are provided for and getting back in the swim.

So That Was 2011

2012-01-01T14:54:00.001-08:00

The start of a new year and maybe it is time for a brief refection on 2011. On the positive side we have been given two beautiful children, and the addition of little Millie in June has given Becky and I the most perfect family unit. Our little girl seems to grow more cute every day and, although she is a 'widdy' lady, she sleeps well, eats well, most of the time, and has a very laid back constitution which, I suspect, she gets from her Mother. Logan has progressed from the little boy we took to Disneyland Paris back in January when he hardly spoke a word, to a boy you cannot keep quiet the majority of the time. He has really developed into a lovely son, one who, although he has his moments as all two year olds inevitably do, never fails to put a smile on your face. As you will see from the photos below Mummy is trying to help Millie to 'strengthen her legs' and I would hasten to add our daughter is nowhere near being able to stand unaided - it just looks like she is. She has 'wild' legs that always want to straighten - "possibly a ballerina?" Grandma suggested. Logan has dancing genes, of that there is no doubt, and on the hearing of any music he will do a version of 'getting jiggy with it', which also makes you forget any outside pressures of work I might have. Millie loves her brother and laughs at his antics in her six month old baby way. Equally Logan loves his sister and already seems to be looking out for her, consistently asking if she is to be involved in any activity inside and outside of the house. From the point of view of our children we could not have been more blessed by the pair we have been brought into the world. The word 'pride' does not come anywhere close to how I feel about them. Becky and I seem to question our fortune in the production of Logan and Millie almost weekly, if not even more often. They are certainly the light to shine in an otherwise more difficult year, especially in the latter stages of it, when I lost my Mum and brother-in-law Pete within seven weeks of one another. Without Becky, Logan and Millie these events would have been even tougher, and sadder, to get through. It has also been a tough year work wise but I am determined 2012 will be a more positive year and we will be able to look back in twelve months time on some wonderful moments in the 'Olympic' year.

A Day at the Races

2012-01-01T14:06:00.000-08:00

Boxing Day saw a trip to Wincanton Races with Logan and Millie. It wasn't the greatest day weatherwise but at least it wasn't snowing. There was a very large crowd, about 11,000 people apparently which made moving the buggy around in the Grandstand itself was practically impossible, so, after the first race, we decided to stay out on the less populated areas of the course and watch the races on the big screen. Auntie Vicki and Uncle Matt, who were also there with Matt's Mum, Gay, had brought their son Kobe in a front facing sling so their moving around the areas with more people wasn't so difficult. Staying away from the densest crowds allowed Logan and Millie to nap in the buggy as you can see from the picture right, and Becky and I to put some small bets on the Tote and watch the horses in the paddock. We were also in the prime position for the toilets, the baby change and the various food outlets as required. It was a good day although Millie doesn't look like she has enjoyed it from the "moody" photo below. She really wasn't as 'annoyed' as that picture seems to show. Logan also had his moments of minor rebellion but enjoyed watching the horses in the races alongside his Grandma on a couple of occasions. We left before the very last race as there was such a large crowd and I was due to go to the Octagon Theatre in Yeovil to see their production of CINDERELLA before heading off to Scotland early the following morning. As it turned out it still took a bit of time to get out of the car park but finally Becky, Logan and Millie headed off to her Mum and Dad's and went off in the other direction towards Yeovil.

Christmas Day in the James House

2011-12-25T12:27:00.000-08:00

With Logan fast approaching three years old, Christmas 2011 was always going to be his first one when he understood more about what was going on. However his level of excitement wasn't at its height when he woke up at his normal time of 7 a.m., seemingly unaware of any 'visits' by Father Christmas. Mummy had already placed the two stockings [featuring Mickey & Minnie Mouse] at the end of the two children's beds when they went to upstairs the previous night, telling them that 'hopefully' they would be filled with presents by the morning. The significance of this was pretty much lost on Logan at the time but when I pointed out to him this morning that the empty stocking of Christmas Eve was now full to the brim with presents on turning the bedroom light on, his attitude changed almost instantly. The trip to get his morning milk was also filled with excitement as he saw just how many presents had arrived underneath the Christmas tree courtesy of 'Father Christmas' since he went to bed. The milk was pretty much forgotten as the stocking was taken into our bedroom amidst a chorus of "Mummy, Mummy, presents!". The first two presents he opened both involved cars - one a 'Hot Wheels Pack' and one a 'Hot Wheels Colour Changer/Shifter'. I think Logan would probably have settled for those two above anything else at that point and it appeared that anything that came after that, that wasn't wheel based, was a bit of a let-down. That wasn't to say he was ungrateful at all; it was just that his excitement at the first two opened presents apparently couldn't be beaten. Then it was Millie's turn although, of course, our daughter has little concept of anything just yet apart from milk, porridge, sleep and dirty nappies. Logan helped her open a few of her presents and seemed to be constantly encouraging her to get excited as the unwrapping progressed. With all stocking presents opened, it was time to go downstairs and make a start on the ones assembled under the tree. The main present for Logan was a Hot Wheels Colour Changer/Shifter set that he had been telling everybody, including the Father Christmas we encountered at Watford Gap Services on route to Chesterfield last weekend, he wanted to receive. After that nothing really mattered although he did get a lot of other stuff including a V-Tech first camera and first games console. It was the Hot Wheels set that really inspired him and once everything was opened that was the toy that just had to be assembled first. Parents all over the country will no doubt be empathising with the feeling that assembly instructions do look like gibberish at times and forget flat-pack furniture when it comes to getting the frustration levels climbing. Anyway it was all put together eventually and about half an hour later we had to be thankful that we have laminate flooring and not carpet as the instructions comment that 'Water toys can be messy' proved all too prophetic. We had a bit of a flood in the lounge particularly when, naively, we allowed Logan full and unsupervised control of the water jug. He might just as well have just tipped it over his head the mess it got him, and the floor, into but hey he's only nearly three!? After that there was a vast amount of mopping up and any number of "Whack it hard" comments from Logan as he got me involved in propelling the cars around the set to get wet and, ultimately, change colour to expressions of sheer delight from the little boy. Millie had a lot of what I would call developmental toys including a 'buggy-walker' and the play nest pictured right. She seemed to enjoy playing with these although their true worth will only be realised over the coming months. The day seemed to fly by as both Millie and Logan were entertained before they both fell asleep around midday and Becky started on the dinner. Although a Christmas dinner would not be high on Logan's list of favourite food options and Millie's liquidised parsnip wasn't a major hit, Becky is of the opinion that they have to be given these things to ensure a varied diet that they may just try and enjoy. Logan wasn't impressed with his dinner at all and his tea was a major concession by his Mummy to more little boy type food with chicken fingers, breadsticks, crisps and mayonnaise 'dip-dip'. He ate the lot in only a few minutes, proving, if any proof were needed, that his preferences for various things are developing every day. Soon it was back to the Colour Changers although, thankfully from his parents perspective, without water this time. The television showed MONSTERS vs ALIENS and RATATOUILLE during the afternoon, both of which Logan shared his attention with the toys strewn across the lounge and conservatory floor. Millie smiled happily all day at her new 'Sophie the Giraffe' and various stimulation toys and Becky and I both commented that next year and, most certainly, the following year, when Logan will be nearly 5 and Millie 2 & 1/2, Christmas will be even more chaotic and inspiring. I confess to a morning of lumps in throat at the excitement shown by my little boy at all his presents, partly because it made me realise how much you take such a day for granted as you get older, and partly because it brought back lots of memories of my own sadly departed Mum and Dad when they shared such Christmases with my brother and I. The day ended as far as the children were concerned with Logan trying out his games console with a simple driving game based on CARS 2. His attention span was low and he shows a high level of frustration at not being able to do things immediately that I think is fairly common in children of his age, He will get very defensive; shouting loudly and turning his back on the activity as soon as it becomes in the least bit difficult. Sometimes growing up can be so frustrating and annoying. It can be testing for parents too as you try so hard to help them to overcome such difficulties. I believe it is how you deal with these situations that will ultimately shape how your child will develop their social and interactive skills. It can be all too easy to increase such frustrations by reacting badly to how they refuse your help and assistance at such times by doing exactly the same thing in return. I found myself saying "He's only two" on many occasions during that 45 minutes of 'driving' attempts. A bath full of colour changing cars preceded the bedtime on Christmas Day and now the house is quiet save for Mummy packing for going to Grandma & Grandie's tomorrow morning. It has been a lovely day, made more special by our beautiful children and all the efforts of their Mummy to keep everyone happy.

Some Recent Photos

2011-12-24T17:17:00.000-08:00

L to R.: Uncle Geraint, Auntie Beverley, Mummy and Millie, Great Grandma Gum, Grandma

Millie enjoying some carrot and with a Wet Wipe on her head!?

Logan and Mummy leaving Reindeer food outside on Christmas Eve

Saying Goodbye to Uncle Pete

2011-12-24T16:08:00.000-08:00

Yesterday saw the funeral of Uncle Pete, the partner of my sister Eve, who lost his long and painful battle with leukaemia on Saturday December 10th. He was a brave man with a wicked sense of humour who I had met for the first time whilst staying with Eve way back in 1976 in a Newhaven cafe. He fought so hard against his disease and, having been giving minimal time over ten years ago, to have survived so long is testament to his courage and to the treatment he received throughout his latter years. Logan and Millie never met him as his last years were always fraught with problems but attending his funeral service was the very least we could do as a family. I had a few issues with the hire car from Hertz but eventually I managed to get hold of the VW Passat - larger boot but still not as comfortable as the Mondeo, Insignia or Kuga provided previously. However it was large enough for us for a day out on Norfolk where the church and crematorium services were taking place. Once again CARS 2 on the in-car DVD kept things quiet in the back seats although Millie showed her family genes are definitely full of sleeping ability as she didn't wake up on the entire two and a half hour journey. We managed to find a parking space at the back of the church in the centre of Stalham and at the moment I decided to take Logan for a bit of a walk, my brother Malcolm and his wife Jenny and their daughter Elizabeth parked just in front of us. Therefore we all went to the church together to await the start of the first church service. There were quite a lot of people there although I really only recognised cousin Barry and his wife Jean amongst the rest of the congregation. It was as nice a service as these occasions can be and once more Logan showed a high level of good behaviour that made him a credit to us, whilst Millie was kept from making any fuss by her Mummy providing her with a bottle before any crying occurred. The initial service over, we headed back to the car and another half hour drive to St. Faiths Crematorium for the final part of the necessary proceedings. Less people here and it was now that the grief finally overtook Eve and Pete's son, Paul, and his family as was only to be expected. Back in the car once more and another 30 minutes drive back towards Stalham and the Wayford Bridge Inn where the reception and light refreshments were taking place. More of a hotel than a pub or anything else and, because most of the church congregation were already in situ, finding a seat for the family was a bit difficult to start off with. However we stayed to give our support to Eve, and Logan and Millie proved a good talking point and a centre of attention. After about an hour we decided to make a move as we didn't want to be too late back for the kids bedtimes. By that time it was raining heavily so there was a lot of surface water to contend with on the flat Norfolk countryside. Becky, who hadn't eaten much all day, was "so hungry, I could eat a dog" so we stopped at a Little Chef at the junction of the A140/A14 and addressed that situation although, thankfully for the local dog population, Becky settled for a Burger and Chips meal. Fed and watered, or milked in Millie's case, it was back in the car for the last time and an uneventful journey the rest of the way. It had been a day I hadn't been looking forward to again but, as with my own Mum's funeral only eight weeks ago, the children had provided a shining light of hope on a potentially dark day.

A Panto Weekend

2011-12-20T05:29:00.000-08:00

The weekend that would, if he had survived another 20 months, have been the occasion of my Dad's 90th birthday on the Sunday, was spent mostly on the motorways of Britain. Leaving Essex on Saturday morning in a particularly family unfriendly Audi A4 - very little boot space for two small children and their associated paraphernalia - we headed north towards Chesterfield which was our first port of call. The idea was to visit both of my pantomimes this festive season and, in doing so, allow Becky and Logan an opportunity of seeing both of the shows. Obviously Millie was also involved but the chances of our six month old managing to sit through either performance were far more limited. The weather was cold but there was no sign of any snow and we arrived in Chesterfield after only one stop, with food from McDonalds, at Northampton Services. There was about an hour until curtain up and so we parked the car and made our way to the theatre. The cast were assembling for their vocal, and physical, warm-up so Millie was a centre of attention whilst Logan decided to run around the auditorium as much as he could. Before long it was time to clear to the foyer and get set for the show itself. We found our seats and Logan, complete with two booster cushions, was able to see very well as there was no-one sat in front of him. Millie lasted about two thirds of the way through Act One before she got very agitated and I had to take her out before she reached any form of meltdown. I managed to retrieve the buggy from the office and put the little lady in it so she could sleep, which is primarily what her whingeing was all about. By the interval she was already out like a light and so, when Becky and Logan came out, it was already decided that I would stay out of Act Two and look after Millie's needs. By the end of the show Logan had really enjoyed it all, probably more the simple slapstick humour of the bedroom scene in the second act, plus having a bit of a dance at the end. As I was coming back to the theatre for the evening show, we left fairly quickly in order to get the family checked into the Chesterfield Premier Inn and to make sure they all had some food. The latter of those tasks proved more difficult as the restaurant of the adjoining pub was pretty busy and doing food with two small children takes far longer than if its just Becky and I. However with a bit of luck, a following wind, some patience and keeping our cool, we managed to do everything and get me back to the Pomegranate before the beginning of the evening performance. The Premier Inn room was particularly family friendly and, by the time I returned from the theatre, Millie was in her travel cot; Logan was very comfortable in the single bed and Becky was just about awake enough to get up to let me in. After an easier mealtime at breakfast due to there being far less people to contend with, we packed the car again and headed north towards Scotland. It was a cold morning but thankfully the only white stuff we encountered was when we went high up on the M62 and M6/M74 motorways where we saw lots of settled snow on the hills and beside the road. One of the service areas we stopped at, namely Abington, was surrounded by snow and Logan really enjoyed his time running and walking around in it for a while although Millie found it all a bit cold. It took us seven hours to get from Derbyshire to Angus but our children were just great, not causing us any problems at all, although whether Logan would have been quite so content without the DVD player and CARS 2 and then ANGELINA BALLERINA is open to question. Even Millie was given her own screen to keep her entertained and apart from the moments when she was forecast to cry for food she was as good as gold. Once in Arbroath we managed to install ourselves in Harbour Nights which, although not being quite so family friendly as on the previous night, was still comfortable enough. We had brought our own travel cot so Millie was OK and, although there wasn't actually a bed for Logan, the double bed was so huge that his sleeping in between his Mum and Dad was never going to be a problem. There was little time to settle in before we needed to get to the theatre for panto number two of the weekend at the nearby Webster Theatre. Here Millie lasted much less time as her teething and the cold caused her more distress than the previous performance. I had to take her out after about ten minutes and, with the teething gel back at the B & B, I put her into her snow-suit and set off back with her in the buggy. However once in the suit and with the movement of the buggy she went to sleep in seconds so I decided to go back to the theatre and see Becky and Logan in the interval to see how Millie would get on. As it turned out she woke up again just as the second act was beginning, so I left the foyer once more and, amidst an increasingly loud session of crying from Millie, managed to get our little girl into her sleep-suit and into the cot with a soothing amount of teething gel applied. She was asleep again before Logan and Becky, who had both enjoyed the panto again, were back. The last task of the day was to get something to eat so, with a fish and chip shop almost next door, it was a Haddock Supper and two, thrown in, Potato Fritters, that provided our tea/supper. Logan seemingly couldn't believe his luck that he was going to be sleeping in the same bed as his Mummy and Daddy and that he was going to do that after eating chippies. It was a peaceful night although I did wake up once with our son sleeping horizontally between us. Such was the size of the bed though, even this manoeuvre didn't cause me or Mummy any problems. The breakfast was very good as usual, with Becky enjoying her first taste of 'tatty scones', and Logan was befriended by the landlords seven year old son Cameron who also gave him a toy car for the way home. A diesel stop at Dundee Tescos was also a chance to get a couple more DVDs to keep our children occupied on an estimated eleven hour drive back to Essex. It wasn't a journey I was looking forward to because of the possibility of the children falling to pieces but I needn't have worried as both of them never moaned at all. We did, of course, probably stop more times than we might have done had we been free of children but, even so the rests were a chance to do family things and made the journey more relaxed. Having left our Scottish place around 9 a.m., it was around 8 p.m. when the ignition on the Audi was finally turned off back in our Essex drive. It was a long weekend but the children deserve every credit for their excellent behaviour and Becky showed her prowess as a Mummy once more by keeping them in their routines as much as possible.

Any Resemblance?

2011-12-16T15:33:00.000-08:00

Logan [left- taken on July 23rd 2009 at six months]; Millie [right - taken December 16 2011 at six months] - the eyes are a different colour but.....

Mummy & Logan [Left - taken July 3 2009 when he was 161 days old] and Mummy & Millie [Right - taken December 14 2011 when she was 181 days old]

Six Months Birthday Party

2011-12-16T14:37:00.000-08:00

Millie reached six months old today. As it always appears to be with children we are scratching our heads wondering where the time has gone that has taken our little girl from birth to half a year old. At this moment Millie is still suffering with what seems to be a cold but is more likely to be something to do with her teeth. Our daughter is far more senstive than her brother ever was and Becky remarked this afternoon that she really does cry when she wants to, something her brother very rarely did at a similar age; except perhaps when he was teething as well. I got a first hand taste of Millie's present temperament when Becky took Logan to his first 'proper' birthday party for a boy called Christopher - three today - who attends pre-school as well. Millie was agitated most of the time her Mummy and brother were out and in spite of a change of nappy, teething gel, a proferred bottle and even settling for a while to sleep, when she woke up again her frustration at not being able to get back to her slumbers was vocal in the extreme. That said, she is a very cute little lady and we wouldn't swap her for anything in the world. Becky, who has far more experience of her daughter's moods and requirements, was able to settle Millie down on her return with party-goer Logan who, by all accounts, had a lovely time at 'Monkey Business' another soft play area in Rayleigh. He returned with a balloon, party bag, a birthday sticker on the back and very happy about having had such a good time.

Another First School Party

2011-12-15T15:42:00.000-08:00

Obviously at the age of two there are 'firsts' to be experienced almost every day and today Logan attended his first school party which was also the first time he had been to a party unaccompanied so to speak. Becky dropped him off at 9.15 and left him at Caley Pre-school until 11.30 when she returned to collect him. It sounded as if he had a great time with activities including dancing, playing in a soft play area, a bubble machine which Logan loves at any time, lots of other games. The children were also able to take a present from under the Christmas tree. Logan's present was a colouring book with felt pens and another Santa book. There was also a bag that contained all Logan's Christmas cards plus other things that he had made throughout the last term including a clay star that Mummy proudly hung on our tree; a Xmas card shaped like a Xmas pudding and a laminated bookmark with a snowman on it. It was all very impressive and the sentimental side of Mummy was well to the fore after all the items had been brought out. Logan, whose speech and understanding of things seems to improve every day now, has become quite demanding but, as I always expected when we had children, some of the things he comes out with are priceless. It would appear Millie is teething, far earlier than Logan ever did, but the cat like tongue movements, the runny nose, the red cheeks and the unusual and prolonged crying patterns are sure signs that sensations are being experienced in her little mouth. She certainly wasn't very happy last night and was struggling to breathe through her nose around 5.30 a.m. when Mummy was doing all she could to alleviate her problems. She is still a very sensitive little girl and really hates being woken up and not being able to get back to sleep again. Tonight appears to be another fairly unsettled night for both children but hopefully peace will soon be restored to the upstairs rooms, especially as Logan has another party to go to tomorrow afternoon - this time a birthday party of one of the other pre-school children called Christopher - yet another first.

A First Nativity For Logan

2011-12-14T15:02:00.000-08:00

After a couple of weeks when putting on the two pantomimes in Arbroath and Chesterfield took me away from the family for all but the middle Sunday, Logan had his first 'Nativity' today. It was put on at Caley Pre-School and involved all of the children who attend the classes there during the week which, of course, included Logan complete with shepherd outfit made by Becky. Mummy was a little apprehensive that all the other Mummies would have bought costumes and Logan would stick out as the only child whose parents hadn't been able to afford a paid-for shepherd or angel outfit. I reminded her that it was more about doing it rather than what he was wearing and to be honest sporting a home-made 'tea towel' based outfit was how I always envisage school type Nativity plays should be all about. As ever Mummy was a bit on edge as to whether Logan would even allow the staff at the school to change him into the 'shepherd' but with the rest of the James family in position in the church adjoining the school we needn't have worried. Possibly the only poor piece of organisation of the day didn't help little Logan to achieve his first 'performance' in that the staff brought the children, including Logan in costume but without the head-dress, through the seats of the assembled audience. This brought our son right past us and, on seeing his 'security', he burst into tears and didn't want to go any further. I could tell by Becky's face that she felt her worst fears were in danger of being realised and Logan was going to take no part. However after being asked who he wanted to take him up to the seats on the 'stage' he just said "Daddy" and so I led him to his position where a lady 'teacher' took over and, eventually, he was quite calm. I returned to my seat and shortly after the 'performance' began. The children had all learnt a number of songs and Logan joined in with them all, seemingly knowing the majority of the words and the actions and showing that the art of applause was not dead by clapping ferociously at the end of each song. As he had ended up sitting on one of the teacher's laps we were able to see him more clearly than some of the other children just sat on their own. The show lasted about twenty minutes, quite long enough for children of Logan's age - and I have to remind myself at times he is still just two. We do expect a lot of him considering he is not three till January and that is probably unfair to him and we really have to lower your expectations to a more sensible level. Millie was suitably quiet throughout even though she was awake; Mummy had been equally concerned that our daughter was going to give her own version of the 'screaming ab-dabs' during the 'show' and she would have to take her out. All things considered it was a very successful morning that an ordered DVD will give us a memory of for posterity alongside the few photos here. It would be remiss of me not to log that Millie was very ill last week and was put on antibiotics after Becky had to go the Drop-in centre in Southend after our own surgery refused to see her as they had no appointments available - a decision that didn't go down too well at the time. During that second week Millie, Logan and Becky all suffered illness in varying degrees and it is safe to say that it wasn't a very healthy house whilst I was away. I am pleased to report Logan is back to his 'full of beans' best; Becky has recovered to full fitness and Millie, although still struggling with a bit of a chest 'growl' at times is definitely much better than she was. Millie has also slept through the last two nights from 7.30 p.m. to 7 a.m. after Sunday night when she was extremely distressed about being woken up for a 'dream-feed' bottle. It is definitely a family trait to hate being roused from a deep sleep and so I suggested just leaving her to sleep. To Mummy's surprise and ultimately her delight the last two nights have been free of midnight feeds or crying or even a murmur of any great note. Maybe we shouldn't speak too soon but twelve hour nights are very good for a family of 'hedgehogs'!

More Christening Day Photos

2011-12-14T14:40:00.000-08:00

A Big Christening

2011-12-14T12:21:00.000-08:00

The last weekend in November 2011 was the occasion of the big christening when Logan and Millie were both baptised back in Becky's old village of Milborne Port in Dorset. It felt a little like we had 'gatecrashed' Becky's sister Vicki's and her husband Matt's little boy Kobe's christening day as they had planned to have the ceremony for their son on that particular Sunday. When the question of baptism had come up we had made enquiries about what needed to be done to perform such a ceremony in Rayleigh. The answer was to go to church on a Sunday for at least four to six months and then submit an application to the parish. Although if there had been no other option this might have been a route we would have gone down, at the particular time when it was being discussed Sunday mornings were the only days when I could visit my old Mum so it was never something that we considered seriously then. Becky's links with her old church and the village where Grandma and Granddad Leak still reside meant that a triple christening was easy to arrange. Although it wasn't the best day in terms of my work schedule as I had to be in Chesterfield first thing on the Monday morning it was a sacrifice to the planning for the pantomime that I was more than happy to make. It was a lovely family day and one that we will be able to look back on with great satisfaction in years to come. Having done it I wouldn't necessarily suggest that two years and nine months is an ideal age to get your little boy baptised as he was unsure about it all and we spent most of the service hoping that he wouldn't go into meltdown at any point. We had to keep him interested and as calm as we could with a bit of toy car bribery. The promise of a Hot Wheels Colour Changer if he was a good boy and didn't kick up a fuss was enough to keep him from losing his patience and from any wholesale crying and wanting to run away from the whole thing. I did lose count of the number of times I had whisper in his ear "Be a good boy or you won't get the Colour Changer". Obviously Millie and cousin Kobe were almost oblivious to all that was going on and neither made much of a stir at any time. Once out of the church with the head wetting and the crosses made on foreheads, giving of candles and godparents [Vicki & Matt] vows etc, Logan was much happier once the promised toy was presented to him. The look on his face when the car finally did change colour from orange to yellow in a small glass of cold water was worth the trip in itself. He positively beamed at the sight and just wanted to perform the 'miracle' as many times as he could. He was also changed out of his smart outfit with tie and waistcoat into something more Logan like and our little boy thoroughly enjoyed the rest of the day. Millie also seemed quite content but is far too young to show any more than a smile when pressed for her thoughts on her day. Becky admitted to a sense of comfort that our children are now being looked after by a higher force which, for someone whose belief in such things when I first met her was minimal to say the least, was quite a statement. She did explain that attending the funerals of both my Mum and Dad in the previous eighteen months had added to this feeling of comfort now seemingly bestowed on Logan and Millie. As I am sure Becky will be when the time comes to assist her own children Debbie and Mick were ever helpful and complicit in ensuring the whole day was a success from the hiring of the hall, to the sorting out of the food, to the cakes for all three children, to the clearing up at the end. There wasn't a great deal of time after we got back to the house to reflect on the events of the day as I had to be up early the following morning so we were off back towards Essex very soon after our return. The last celebratory event of the 'Christening Weekend' was a McDonalds tea at Fleet Services which went down well with all the family. All in all it was a very happy family day and one that I was very pleased we had decided to go ahead with.

A Week in Pictures Keeping Daddy Up to Date

2011-12-04T12:55:00.000-08:00

A week when I was away, firstly in Chesterfield and then up in Arbroath, that meant my contact with my ever growing up family was restricted to Video calls on Skype; phone calls whenever possible and phone photos from Mummy when she was able to. Here, below, are a few of those photos that signalled various events such as putting the Christmas Tree and decorations up for this year; Logan's first school photo; Millie's first experience of baby porridge and one to keep Daddy going. Millie also rolled from her back to her tummy a few times this week but, on my one day in Essex today before going back off to get both pantomimes up and running this week, Millie didn't manage to show me her new found skill. Although it was a brief visit and it was also truncated by the fact I had to visit all three of my stores during the afternoon, when I was at home Logan was very pleased to see his Daddy and we shared some very treasured moments that made his Daddy very proud and happy. Millie also showed me her best smiles and giggles and I shall remember all of my family's smiling faces during, what will no doubt be, a very hectic week. I will look forward to getting home again next Sunday for a bit more of a relaxing time.

Logan Reports Millie's Roll

2011-11-25T13:36:00.000-08:00

Two firsts on a cold November day with Logan getting a first Report from Caley Pre-School and Millie doing her first ever roll from her back to her front on her playmat. Logan's report understandably didn't say much but it was all positive about such things as toilet training, asking for the toilet, interacting and sharing things with other children, playing with cars and other toys, learning numbers and generally being a good 'student'. Logan, thankfully, seems a lot better now, health-wise, than he was last week and is almost back to his cheekiest best. There is still some work to do on the discipline front but you would hardly call him a 'difficult' child as he does understand when he has stepped out of line, so to speak. Becky is also convinced a lot of his belligerence is from 'copying' other boys and, possibly, girls at the pre-school. He does do a lot of 'I want it' demands these days but afterwards there are always a lot of 'Sorrys' and cuddles. You would still find it hard to refuse many of his 'demands' when he flashes his smile though but sometimes you just have to, in the belief that it will, ultimately, be for his own good. Millie, on the other hand, has nearly all of those developmental emotional steps ahead of her but, after a growth spurt in the past month that has seen her rise to 14lbs 9 ozs in weight this week, she is now only just below average for her age now which is comforting to both her parents. Becky reported her first roll this afternoon, a feat she has yet to repeat in my presence, but it was becoming increasingly obvious that it wasn't going to be long till she made it from one side to the other. We will have to be far more careful placing her on anything above the floor from now on or we could find she has disappeared from view very quickly! There is the big 'Christening Weekend' ahead starting tomorrow so that will, no doubt, be another milestone in our children's development although I think Mummy may be slightly apprehensive about how Logan will react to it all. My guess is there will be a lot "Nos"; "I want to go back homes" and indiscriminate running around the church! We shall see.

A Few More November Photos

2011-11-23T16:47:00.000-08:00

A Weekend of Lights, Darks and Nests

2011-11-23T16:00:00.000-08:00

Last weekend saw a whole spectrum of emotions with two trips out as a family. On the Saturday we headed towards Norwich to see brother-in-law Pete in his Hospice as he continues to fight the leukeamia that has so ruled his life over the past ten years. It would appear this dreadful disease is slowly winning the war and it was very humbling setting foot inside his current resting place to sit alongside so many others who are fighting a battle to the last. Obviously it was not a place for children, so Becky stayed with Millie and Logan in the "Mondeon", as Logan called it, hire car. Sister Eve and I shared some time with Pete before we left him in peace for the middle of the day and travelled about half an hour out of Norwich to their cottage in Smallburgh. Logan wasn't quite sure of the new place at first but, once he had gained his confidence, he was moving towards the kitchen windows to see Eve's two cockerels and seven hens that share their back garden and, in the case of Blackie, their oldest, actually inside the house. We stayed for about an hour before it became obvious Eve wanted to get some bits and pieces for her evening and, not liking to drive in the dark, that meant leaving very soon. We headed back south to Essex and stopped off at a Little Chef on the A12 where Becky couldn't resist a steak which she "could eat it all over again". We got home just at the right time for baths and bed for the children and a preparation for another day away frrom the house the following day. The Sunday meant an even longer trip up to Chesterfield to organise things for the Christmas Lights Switch-on which was due to involve three of the cast of this year's pantomime ROBIN HOOD & THE BABES IN THE WOOD, namely Paul [Dame], Kim [Forest Fairy] and George [Sheriff]. I had a lot of empathy with George on this occasion as he had lost his own mother a week before and she had been the same age as my own Mum, with the funeral scheduled for Newcastle the following day. Logan and Millie were very good again on the long car journeys and Logan asked for "wee-wees" in good time so we could make Service Station toilets and not cause a problem. The fair and its stalls associated with the switching on of the lights in Chesterfield Town Centre included a 'Hook-A-Duck' stall where Mummy managed to win Logan a red Mini that spent the rest of the day clutched closely to his chest or being run along any flat surface he could find. With the lights switched on for the festive season, it was time to say goodbye to everyone and then get some food, for which we chose Frankie & Benny's on the outskirts of the town. The restaurant showed a lack of child friendliness in many ways as the Children's fun packs, given out on our arrival, are aimed at children far older than our two; a portion of baked beans missed off Logan's order came in a "cold bowl" but were so hot, fresh out of a microwave, that Logan nearly burnt his mouth on them and the final ice cream was served in a tall Sundae glass that little boys couldn't even see into and the provision of a "long spoon" did little to help him enjoy his dessert. With both children clad in their pyjamas for the trip home, when we got back it was easy enough to place them both in bed without too much fuss. It would appear that the weekends' exertions did take their toll on Logan a bit more than we had thought as over the last couple of days he has been very tired and not really himself. Hopefully a couple of long sleeps will get him back to full fitness before the scheduled 'Christening Weekend' this coming Saturday and Sunday. Becky bought Millie a blow-up Play Nest that assists her is sitting up and, if she does happen to fall forwards or backwards, she won't hurt herself. Millie seems to like it as does Logan although he is far more boisterous with it all. A trip to the dentist for Mummy and Logan ended in a screaming Logan being carried out of the surgery by Becky as he did his best to live up to a 'terrible twos' tag, only to apologise to his Mummy once back in the car. Then this afternoon on a further trip to Rayleigh to post Millie's passport application he redeemed himself in his Mummy's eyes by walking everywhere without the buggy and without any playing up at all. A more opinionated, self-confident and self-aware little boy of ours is two years and ten months old today. He can still look like butter wouldn't melt in his mouth and he can still give his best version of the screaming ab-dabs especially when he hasn't had a proper nap but I wouldn't change him for anything. Little Millie just seems to get cuter every day and, as she continues to grow and get closer to rolling over on her mat, she does look more like Becky with big brown eyes.

Millie is Five Months

2011-11-16T13:07:00.001-08:00

Little Millie reached five months old today and continues to put on just the right amount of weight to keep her looking as healthy as possible. Her new routine still appears to be working well and as a consequence Mummy seems more relaxed although today it was her turn to suffer a few cold symptoms which, initially, slowed her down. However with two children to keep occupied it is very much a case of getting on with things and that usually makes you feel better. Well until the children have gone back to bed at any rate. Today as I was rehearsing yet again, this time at the Palace Becky took Millie with her to Logan's swimming lesson and then to Megaplay where they met up with one of his old swimming 'friends' who now goes to pre-school on Wednesdays. I only saw the rest of the family briefly in the afternoon when they dropped off a CD of sound effects I needed for the show. It appeared they had all had a good day especially the ever energetic Logan who thrives on all the activity that such places give him. Logan is very much into cuddling Millie these days and he enjoys having his Mummy lay her on his stomach so he can hold her. I am but certain Millie is quite so keen but she very rarely cries unless her boisterous little brother pokes her in the eye by accident or is a bit less than gentle. Out little girl still shows major signs of being far more sensitive than Logan especially to the cold. She will fall asleep far more readily once she is tucked up in her snuggly sleep suit than if she is left to feel any sort of draught. She is a lovely little girl and although I feel sometimes she is overshadowed by her brother because of the stage of development he is attaining she still manages to make me (and her Mummy) smile every day. We have been very lucky with our two children.

Emotional Monsters

2011-11-13T15:57:00.000-08:00

A better night on the coughing front led to both Logan and Millie sleeping longer. Indeed Logan woke up around 7.30 and Millie 7.45, both events pleasing Mummy and Daddy. A day when Granny's absence was felt more keenly as Sundays were normally the days when we would visit her Care Home, was also one that saw me with yet more rehearsals which, by the time I had got myself together, saw little time to do much more than prepare for them. During the afternoon Becky had persuaded, if that is the right word, Logan to desert his film favourite, TANGLED, and watch another Disney movie in MONSTERS INC. It was obvious that our little boy is more emotionally aware of things these days as, when 'Boo', the little girl in the film [pictured right], goes back home, apparently never to see the 'monster' Sully again, Logan got very upset with tears streaming down his face. Mummy did explain that they would be reunited at the end but our son took a lot of convincing this was the case. I would hesitate to say that Logan is 100% healthy at the moment so this display of emotion may have something to do with that. Whatever the ultimate reasons why, it was another part of parenthood to realise that your children are becoming so aware of their own feelings and emotions. Millie is a long way from that sort of thing yet but she has cornered the market in terms of cuteness and winning smiles and if she can keep up her present sleeping routines then Mummy will be more than happy with no need for any other emotions.

Routinely Unhealthy

2011-11-12T16:13:00.001-08:00

Becky's attempts to get Millie into a more Mummy-friendly routine has been, for the most part, successful with the alarm set for 11 p.m. to give the little lady a dream-feed bottle. This has had the effect of allowing our near five month old daughter to sleep through to 7 a.m. without waking up for more food. Such a result would be perfect for Becky's own sleep requirements albeit that Logan has been poorly for the past four nights. This has meant lots of crying, whining and moaning, a lot of the time in his sleep and then getting even more seriously upset when being awoken by his coughing and then being unable to get back to sleep. Last night Becky did an impression of a number of Snow White's Dwarfs although the main one was definitely 'Grumpy' as around midnight Logan was crying and meeting my wife in the children's bedroom her only words were "I thought you were dealing with him". At 4.30 a.m., a confused and still struggling Logan woke me up and asked for his morning milk. Not looking at the clock I was about to head towards the kitchen when a voice from the bedroom pointed out "It's only half past four, put him back to bed!". Logan was less than keen on that idea and cried even more with the result that Millie also woke up and the crying volume doubled. A less than amused, and half asleep, Mummy was soon on the march to try and sort it all out but I sent her back to bed so I could deal with the unhealthy little boy and the unsettled baby Millie without disturbing her any more. To her credit Becky looks after our children superbly all the time except when she doesn't get enough sleep and then 'meltdown' will not be far away. However isn't that true for everybody especially when you have young children. It is certainly true of Logan who can be a little 'devil' when his sleep is erratic and he doesn't get enough. Although Logan did get to go to school on Friday and Playgroup on Thursday he did miss the swimming lesson on Wednesday, spending that day snuggled on the sofa under his blanket watching Disney's TANGLED - very much the favourite film choice of the moment. My son is definitely a 'creature of habit'; "He gets that from you", is his Mummy's observation. Tonight [Saturday] he is still a little unsettled, but better than last night and his troublesome cough seems to have been helped by the purchase and subsequent use of Calcough. We can look forward to the routine that Millie seems to have moved in to being matched by Logan's sleeping patterns and then Mummy will be a happy bunny.

Fireworks Night(s)

2011-11-06T12:04:00.000-08:00

With 'Bonfire Night' falling on a Saturday this year it was more likely that it would turn out to be more of a weekend of fireworks and their accompanying bangs and noises. On the Friday night there were a few to be seen from the conservatory and Logan and Mummy spent some time watching the black night for any signs of fireworks lighting up the skyline. Becky reported there were a few to be seen and Logan, far from being scared by the bangs or the sudden bright lights in the sky was mesmerised by them all and when it went quiet for a while turned to his Mummy and asked for "more fireworks". Obviously Mummy didn't have any sort of special button to access more for our little boy but it was a happy Logan who went to the bed that night and dreamt of bright lights in the sky and lots of bangs and crashes. On the Saturday Becky had already been shopping to get some sparklers for Logan to have in the garden later that day, and after the 'boys' had been to football [a ninth win out of ten; 2-1 against Oxford to cement Southend's lead at the top of League Two], tea of sausages in rolls was followed by more watching of neighbourhood fireworks and then the sparklers. To be honest Logan was more into the loud bangs and the spectacle of as many lights in the sky than the attempts of his Mummy to get him to hold the sparklers but he did have a go and seemed to enjoy the idea of it all. Once the sparklers box was exhausted the whole family, Millie included, was sat in the conservatory, eyes looking to the sky above the rooftops for more evidence of fireworks. In the end because of Logan's overwhelming fascination for the bangs and lights we asked him if he would like to go and see a lot more at a display which was due to take place in the centre of Rayleigh at 7.30. Although I am certain he had no idea what it was we were asking him to attend he said 'Yes' anyway and so we set off towards King George V Playing Fields having wrapped everybody up as warmly as possible against the night air. Having parked on London Hill we loaded up the buggy with Millie in her 'snuggle' ,coat and hat and Logan sat on the front, his eyes focused firmly on the sky above him looking for more lights in the sky. The atmosphere walking to the Fields was one of families intent on enjoying the evening even though, by then, there was a fair amount of drizzle in the air. There were also lots of fireworks going off all over the place and from a point high up on the hill part of Rayleigh you could see far more than we would have managed from our conservatory viewpoint. Once in the Fields itself there was about half an hour to wait and Logan, having been 'released' from his buggy position, was content to just run around in circles in the darkness close to his Mummy and Daddy whilst Millie, seemingly very happy in her position fell asleep. However when the fireworks eventually started the noise of them definitely woke Millie up and she was less than impressed by the loudness of it all and made that known to her parents before settling for a look of 'stunned rabbit' every time Mummy checked on her. Logan, on the other hand, was totally in his element and the louder the bang or the higher the fireworks soared into the blackness the more his little face lit up in wreaths of smiles or a cry of excitement. For anyone who considers fireworks a waste of money in many respects then they would probably have been well and truly converted if they had witnessed the enjoyment and happiness they gave our son on Saturday night. The display lasted for about twenty minutes and, for a small town, was quite impressive. Even if the drizzly rain did its best to dampen the spirits it was never hard enough to make things uncomfortable and, I doubt Logan would have noticed if the heavens had opened, such was his focus on the sights above him. Satisfied and content that the family had all had a good time we wandered back through the still thronging streets of Rayleigh to the car. Logan still pointed out bangs and bursts of lights whenever they could be heard or appeared in the night sky as we drove home but after a late night by his standards both he and Millie were sound asleep soon after they were put to bed. It is now Sunday night and there was only sporadic evidence of fireworks around our estate but every stray bang in the distance made Logan think it was all going to start again which, to his immense disappointment, it didn't.

Hallowe'en Goodies

2011-11-06T11:39:00.000-08:00

Logan, who hadn't been remotely impressed with his spider costume when Mummy tried it on him a few weeks ago, was more into the idea once it was explained to him that by wearing it and then knocking on people's doors he would be 'rewarded' with any number of sweets. Apparently, having been to the few houses that Becky had picked out in the cul-de-sac that would be friendly to the James family Hallowe'en team, Logan was into "some more doors" and therefore, hopefully, getting more sweets. As you will see from the photos below Millie wasn't exactly impressed with her Mummy's choice of the cat costume and on her 18th birthday or maybe even before they will be a certain amount of embarrassment if these photos are flagged up and brought out again. However at four months she does look very cute and she and her brother will no doubt have many more years of "trick or treating" before the novelty wears off or Mummy runs out of costume ideas!

It's a Wonderful Life But Where Can You Get a Decent Alarm Clock?

2011-10-29T13:09:00.000-07:00

Saturday saw us all going to Lowestoft on the Suffolk coast to do auditions for the one child's part in IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE, the Musical I start rehearsing tomorrow afternoon and will be arriving at the Marina Theatre towards the end of November. Both Becky and I, individually, decided not to set our alarm clocks as Logan and Millie are always awake by about 6.30 a.m. voicing requirements for milk in their own ways. With this is mind there was a definite element of surprise when Becky shook me awake to tell me abruptly "It's half past seven". Both Logan and Millie had 'let us down' on the alarm clock front and, but for the fact Millie had started to murmur her need for another bottle, we might not have woken up in time for our proposed departure at 8 a.m.. With both of his parents rushing around trying to feed Millie and get washed and dressed as quickly as possible, Logan was finally awake and the whole family was on a bit of a mission. Allowing for all that had to be done, we didn't do too bad to be on the road by 8.10 although I had to smile when Becky's attempts at a packed lunch for the day consisted of a whole 'bag' of leftover sandwiches still on the plate and covered in clingfilm straight from the fridge. "I didn't have time to do anything fancy", Becky explained, also producing packets of crisps and pringles that had been in easy reach in the kitchen. Logan was wide awake the whole journey pointing out all sorts of car makes, police cars, ambulances and trains whenever he could. Millie also seemed to be awake far more than expected but just gazed at her brother as if to say 'I don't know what you're doing but you look like you're having fun'. We eventually arrived in Lowestoft with about ten minutes to spare and I set about doing the auditions and Logan kept reminding his Mummy she had promised to take him "to the beach" at some point during the day. The auditions, which were a very good standard, took just over an hour to complete during which Logan was kept amused by Peppa Pig stickers and finger puppets provided by Jacqui, the Deputy Theatre Manager and an ice cream provided by Martin, the actual Theatre Manager. Once we were all done in the theatre we put both children back in the buggy and, as Logan repeated once again, it was off "to the beach". At the bottom end of the town there is quite a sandy seafront, but the tide was in, so there was only really room for some throwing of stones in the sea and Logan to run around a bit whilst his sister slept. Before and after a trip to the Entertainment Arcade and a go on the 2p machines that Becky remembered with fondness she had enjoyed with me many years ago on Southend's seafront, Logan enjoyed 'running the gauntlet' of the pavement fountains just outside the South Pier. This was all good fun until the last occasion when Daddy got soaked and Logan followed suit. He wasn't quite so keen after that but having had his drenched coat removed he was soon on the move again. Then it was lunchtime and, given the choice of Pizza or Chippies, Logan, probably rather unsurprisingly, said "Chippies at McDonalds" - his Mummy has showed him the road to culinary delights!? The fast food restaurant was very busy but we managed to find enough seats to use and the family had lunch in a sun-filled window. Fed and watered it was back to the car where both Millie and Logan were sound asleep very soon after pulling out of Lowestoft. Millie awoke for a bottle just as we neared Ipswich so we stopped at the Tescos on the A12/A14 junction so she could be fed, and I took Logan into the superstore for toilet, which he didn't want, and to "look at toys". Our "look at toys" ended up taking longer than anticipated as Logan had a desire to look at every single car on show before making his choice of which ones to have. Treating him to two, as he had been a very good boy yesterday at Granny's funeral, we returned to the car with the little boy's eyes wide with excitement to show his Mummy his new toys. The rest of the day showed a few signs that maybe he didn't have enough of a nap in the car but it is hard to be too annoyed with him, firstly because of his age and also because he isn't really a difficult child even at these times. Now the rest of the family are back in the land of sleep and tomorrow, with the clocks due to go back tonight, I have every faith that our 'alarm clocks' will be going off far earlier than we would like them to!

Granny Laid to Rest in a Bunch of Raspberries

2011-10-29T11:45:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was the sad occasion of Granny's [my Mum's] funeral at Southend Crematorium. I had been to say Goodbye to my Mum in the Chapel of Rest at Stibbards in Leigh-on-Sea on Thursday night and she had looked beautiful. As with the funeral itself it wasn't something I had been looking forward to but it was definitely something I am glad I did and the opportunity to spend a last few minutes with the lady who had brought me into the world, looked after me in my formative years, and made me the person I am today, was very precious. It was half an hour that I shall treasure and made me realise that life goes on and the memories of my parents will never be forgotten. At the funeral itself I was as 'controlled' as I had imagined I would be, although I did manage to hold it together during my tribute to my Mum, well, just about. Logan and Millie who, of course, had no idea what was going on and why we were "following the black car (the hearse) in front" were as good as gold on the day. After the tears, and attempts to do controlled breathing, that accompanied my attempts at the eulogy, the rest of the service was a bit of a blur in many respects, except for a realisation that my four month old daughter was just blowing raspberries whilst sat on her own Mummy's lap. These continued throughout the reading and the prayers and, as the minister - the Reverend Bruce Schooling - paused the service "for your own thoughts and prayers of dearly departed Nellie", Logan said in a loud service "Can we go back home now". Granny would have laughed at that and at her grand-daughter's raspberry ovation and it was an innocence that provided hope for the future and Granny's ultimate legacy. With the service over, there was time to look at the one floral tribute from Granny's sister, my Auntie Margaret, who hadn't been able to make the trip to the funeral from East Sussex as she had been taken to hospital herself earlier in the week. Being 88 herself, the effects of her sister's passing had evidently been too much for her. Fortunately she was back out on the day, which allowed her own children Colin and Barry to attend with their son Nathan and wife Jean respectively. With brother-in-law Pete now back in hospital, a state of affairs that also kept sister Eve away from her Mum's last service, I had decided on donations to 'Leukaemia Care' instead of any other flowers. The rest of the funeral congregation came back to our house for refreshments and a good catch up, for, if ever there was a family that only meets at weddings and funerals, it is mine although we don't do that well on the 'weddings' front either. It was a pleasant afternoon and I am sure Mum/Granny would have approved of the send-off she had and that so many people were thinking of her at her passing. Logan and Millie were very much centre of attention, being the only young children there, but they coped with all of it very well and didn't give us a moment of bother or concern even with so many people 'invading' their space. By about 6 p.m. everyone was on their way back to various parts of the UK including central Wales, Peacehaven in Sussex, Horley near Gatwick Airport, Hayes, Torquay and Finchley. Becky and, most definitely, I breathed a sigh of relief as a sense of normality descended on the house once more. Granny had been given the sort of day she deserved and her grandchildren had provided the right kind of entertainment to ensure I could look to the future whilst cherishing the past.

A funeral 'party': Left to Right: Colin Parks [Daddy's cousin & Great Auntie Margaret's youngest son]; Barry Parks [another of Daddy's cousins & Great Auntie Margaret's oldest son]; Jean Parks [Barry's wife]; Godfrey King [Granny's nephew]; Nathan Parks [Colin's son]; Christine King [Godfrey's wife]; Malcolm James [Daddy's brother]; Elizabeth James [Malcolm & Jenny's daughter]; Mummy holding Millie, with Daddy [pointing for some reason] holding Logan behind; Wendy James [Graham's wife]; June James [Granddad James's cousin]; Jenny James [Malcolm's wife] and Graham James [Granddad James's eldest son].

Model Baby George at Asda

2011-10-29T11:37:00.000-07:00

A couple of pictures below from the George at Asda Website showing our little Millie as the face of 'Newborn' Baby Clothing:

Bogies, A Pumpkin & A Change of Nappy

2011-10-26T11:29:00.000-07:00

It has been a busy few days in the James household not least because I had auditions in London yesterday which Becky did all the spadework for on the Monday by phoning round all the agents and setting them up. In order to do this, with the least interruption, Becky shut herself in the bedroom whilst I worked downstairs and kept my eye on Millie and Logan. This 'system' worked well and it enabled Becky to break the back of what I had asked her to do by lunchtime. That meant I could do other things in the afternoon including returning all the stuff from my Mum's Care Home room to the store in Eastwood. That night Logan started to complain of a runny nose or rather "bogies coming out of my nose". He became very upset and it looked like we were going to be in for a long night. He was a bit unsettled but did manage to get some sleep alongside his little sister who had had her nappies changed since her three nights of waking at 5 a.m. However the change of nappy was Huggies to Pampers as Becky surmised that her 'waking up' early was as much to do with Millie being sensitive to being 'wet' as anything else. Tuesday was even busier for all the family as I set off to London and Dance Attic for the auditions and Becky waited for Grandma, Auntie Vicki, Uncle Matt and Kobe to arrive for a day of Xmas shopping at Lakeside. They had a great day, by all accounts, Millie even sampling the delights of very runny ice cream, and returned to the house just before 6 p.m. I was also on my home by then after a largely successful day at the auditions. By the time I got home apart 7.30, Logan had gone back into 'bogies coming out' mode and was very upset about his 'runny nose' and his cold. Once again a long night seemed on the cards but, thankfully, apart from a couple of moments, it was a relatively peaceful night. For Millie too, the change of nappy brand appears to have done the trick as instead of waking up for milk at 1 a.m. and 5 a.m., it was 2.30 a.m. and 6.30 a.m. which is far more to Mummy's liking and certainly doesn't disrupt the whole household as it had been doing last week. Today [Wednesday] was food shopping day during which Becky bought a pumpkin for use in respect of Hallowe'en next Monday. Logan and his Mummy spent a good hour this afternoon scooping out all the insides of the pumpkin which our little boy thought was very funny especially when he could flick the large pips all over the place. Once the pumpkin was all empty, Becky cut a face in it and then they placed it on the kitchen window-sill. The only 'problem' was the lack of matches in the house so the pumpkin head couldn't be seen to full effect just yet. I think a box of matches will be on a shorter shopping list for tomorrow. This afternoon the minister who will be presiding over Mum's funeral came to call and discuss arrangements for the service. It is the same Reverend Bruce Schooling who was in control of my Dad's cremation last year. He is a very nice man and we shared a good hour talking about Mum and her life. Millie was wide awake and provided "hope for the future" as the minister put it. Logan woke from his nap just as the door was opening to say goodbye to Rev. Schooling but a just awakened little boy is not at his most friendly so he just ran away and hid till he was sure all the 'strangers' had left the house. This evening his cold seems a lot better and the upset of the past two nights seems a thing of the past already.

Logan is Two and Three Quarters

2011-10-23T08:21:00.000-07:00

Not the most notable anniversary in the development of our little boy but Logan is now two and three quarters. He is just a little 'sponge' and, as Becky remarked this morning, this would be a good time to teach him French, or anything else for that matter. We are doing our best to teach him his numbers and letters and Becky is as creative with his play as possible. His speech construction continues to improve and you can have a pretty good conversation with him now. The last two nights of Millie's introduction to the cot don't seem to have affected Logan's sleeping pattern although his Mummy does everything she possibly can to ensure he stays asleep whenever Millie stirs to any degree. The degree of this is probably too marked really as I am sure Logan wouldn't necessarily wake up unless Millie was really exercising her lungs to full effect. Logan and I shared another trip to football yesterday afternoon which served to take my mind off the sadness of the week and allowed my son and I a few hours of quality time together. This morning I went over to my Mum's former Care Home to collect all her belongings and 'effects'; another less than enjoyable experience but something that had to be done. I feel better now it has been sorted and it was good to come back to the house to find Millie and Logan sound asleep and completely oblivious of any of the sadness and upheaval Granny's passing has caused. The only thing that caused Logan any distress on the day was when Mummy tried him in a Spider costume in preparation for Hallowe'en on Monday week. As you will see from the photos below the 'shame' and 'embarrassment' of being put in such a costume upset him greatly and in Logan's words "I want to take it off". Not even the promise of sweets on the night if he wore it seemed to appease him.

Making Things Easier & Millie Into Cot

2011-10-21T14:27:00.000-07:00

Through a week when I have found tears welling up in my eyes for almost no apparent reason and I have experienced lows and highs of emotion seemingly only separated by fleeting moments, my family has kept me 'sane' and made things a whole lot easier. Logan is just a lovely little boy who never fails to make you smile and laugh out loud on many occasions. Even allowing for parents bias we really couldn't have wished for a more beautiful son. This afternoon, whilst Mummy was off doing some Logan related Xmas shopping [there is nothing disorganised about my wife], Logan and I spent some home time together. I was deep into sending out the funeral notices to family and friends of Granny, but Logan just wanted as much of my time as he could grab whilst his Mummy was out. Although there was lots to do I didn't mind his seeking of my attention as it served to take my mind off the sadness of such a task. I am as pleased as any father would be that my little boy wants to spend time with me and in view of the current events I am certainly in no mood to reject any of his wants or needs of my time. Tonight Logan is sharing his bedroom with his sister Millie for the first time as Becky decided, at my gentle urging, it was time for our equally beautiful daughter to use her cot for the night. There was a short time when Logan treated the whole house to a loud rendition of the first line of 'Happy Birthday', learnt today at pre-school. However it was a first line 'sung' over and over again, during which Millie showed her desire for sleep with some loud cries. However, once soothed and deep in the grip of her slumbers, the bedroom has now gone quiet, hopefully until Millie gets hungry around 1 a.m. That will be a test of Logan's own powers of staying asleep but whatever the ultimate result of putting Millie in her cot for a first time, in my opinion, is something that has to be done at some point so why not now. Once an increasingly inquisitive Millie learns the power of rolling on to her side then the Moses Basket will be no good for her sleeping needs. We have already had one instance of Logan upsetting the Basket and Millie finding herself laying in a stunned silence on the floor. There was no crying from Millie from that incident, only from a regretful Logan who knew instantly he had done something wrong and had bashed his head on the airing cupboard door during the accident. Millie is seemingly just itching to get 'moving' as her little eyes will follow her brother and his every move and she looks like she is desperate to join in his play. That is obviously when the 'fun' will really start and we will have to have eyes in the backs of our heads. The only other noteworthy event I would report on this Blog post was on Wednesday, the day after Granny's passing, was when, after a normal morning swimming lesson, Logan didn't want to have his usual nap despite several attempts to get him to do so. By teatime he was a 'horrible' child who served a couple of 'sittings' on the Naughty Step and was in the worst stages of 'meltdown'. It would appear that the lack of a nap is just the prequel to poor behaviour as with the sleep he is far more relaxed and obedient. I suppose that can be said of most people but is most definitely true of Logan. "Is that why lots of children show bad behaviour?", Becky mused and I had to agree that maybe a lack of sleep was a major reason why some children become unruly and impossible to control. The 'blip' in Logan's behaviour was totally 'lack of sleep' related and throughout the rest of this week Logan, Millie and Becky have been my haven in a sea of sadness and have made things so much easier to bear.

Granny Loses Her Greatest Fight

2011-10-19T01:18:00.000-07:00

Tuesday October 18th 2011 will now be forever remembered as the day my Mum [Logan and Millie's Granny] sadly passed away. The day before, on another trip to see her in Southend Hospital, she was very miserable and told me several times she "had had enough and just wanted to die". To be honest Mum had said this on many occasions before but I sensed that her words were more real than they had been previously. She had had enough of feeling 'useless' and being a 'burden' to everyone even though I had constantly assured her that she wasn't either of those things. I had tried to tell her, when she said "I just want to go for a long walk, but I can't", that when she was better again we would take her out in her wheelchair for that long walk down to the seafront or to the park where we had gone on a previous Sunday to watch the ducks. Sadly we won't get to do that now but the wonderful memories I have of my Mum will never fade or be forgotten. Another sadness will be that she will never be able to see little Millie and little Logan grow up but I will make sure they will know what a brave and courageous lady their Granny was. On the last time they saw their Granny, about two weeks ago, she had probably been in the best health and mood she had been in for a long time. Both Logan and Millie were very special to their Granny on that day and she kept saying how "beautiful they are". Although this is a Blog about my two children I think this is a good place to share some memories and thoughts about my Mum and their Granny. Mum had been afflicted with Polio, a disease that thankfully has been all but eradicated in the civilised world, when she was 2 and that left her with a paralysed right leg that never grew to its full length or ability. She was told, when she was old enough to understand the measure of her disability, that she would never be able to walk properly or without the aid of calipers and, ultimately, a built up boot that fixed up the whole of the rest of her leg. Bullied mercilessly at school by girls of her own age, Mum hated school and spent most of her time on her own or playing football with the boys - a boot gave her the opportunity to have a very hard kick. As she got older the disability caused her no end of problems but she always fought to get to do what she wanted to do. When she was 17 the Second World War broke out, when my Mum lived with my Grandma and Granddad in Peacehaven on the South Coast. At a local dance hall, Mum was asked to dance by a soldier called Trevor. Mum told him she couldn't dance because of her leg; his reply was "you can walk, can't you? [Yes] so you can dance" and dance they did. Mum relates the fact that she was thrilled she was asked to dance and that she could do it. Sadly Trevor went to war the next week and was shot dead ten days later and Mum never saw him again but she never forgot his attitude to her disability. Soon after, when visiting the flat of her best friend, Eileen, in Brighton, a German bomb destroyed the house and Mum was only saved by sheltering under a table. The rest of the house had disappeared when Mum came out from her hiding place. As a result her parents had their daughter evacuated to Dorset and Mum stayed there for the rest of the war. She had met my Dad when she was 14 and they were friends all the time from then on but when they eventually met up again after her evacuation to the West Country, Dad had met and married someone else. My Mum then got mysteriously pregnant with my sister Eve, the circumstances of this pregnancy have always been a subject that is never mentioned. With a father who was a lay preacher and a mother who hated any form of scandal, having a child out of wedlock in the 50s was just not the 'done thing'. Mum related a story of when she was pushing Eve in her pram one day and a lady stopped to say "what a beautiful baby". However when Mum was asked who the father was and was he happy about his child, Mum told her they weren't married and the father wasn't around. The lady looked at my Mum with disgust and walked off without another word. Whenever she saw my Mum out with the pram again after that the lady in question would avoid them, even crossing the road so as not to talk to them. Mum and Eve ended up living with Dad and his family up until 1957 when Mum and Dad decided to run off together. In 2011 such things are not even mentioned at all as it is something that is done all the time. In 1957 it was something you just didn't do and they were frowned upon by everybody that learnt of their situation, but Mum loved my Dad and she would have done anything for, and gone anywhere with, him. My brother Malcolm was born in 1958 and me in 1959 living back in East Sussex where Mum and Dad both worked for a company making TV Cabinets for Ferguson. When I was 6 Dad was transferred with his company to Rayleigh and that is how we ended up in Essex. By that time Mum had confounded all the doctors who had told her she would never walk in just flat shoes by doing just that. They told her she would never be able to dance; she did. They told her she would never be able to swim; she did. They told her she would never be able to drive a car, after all you only have one good leg. Determined to show them they were wrong again, Mum started having driving lessons in an automatic using her one good leg for the brake and accelerator. However the good leg being the left leg, reversing around a corner was supremely difficult as she couldn't always turn her head far enough to see what was behind her. After failing her driving test four times because of an inability to do this manoeuvre, and that of reversing into a parking space, I decided I was going to do everything I could to help her. Dad just got frustrated with Mum and they would end up rowing and Mum would come home in tears and saying she was never going to be able to do it. After that Mum and I would spend hours on end, on evenings and Sundays, reversing around corners and into parking spaces in empty car parks. There were times when she wanted to give up but I never let her and told her that she could only abandon the exercise if she failed her fifth test. I was more nervous for my Mum on the day of that test than I had ever been on my own driving test some years earlier. When she came home and told me she had actually passed there were more tears than I can ever remember and you would have thought we had won the lottery such was the happiness of that glorious day. Mum probably only ever drove about four times after the successful test by actually that wasn't the point - she had proved all her doubters wrong yet again. It is those happy and inspiring days shared with my Mum that I will cherish for the rest of my life. My Mum was just one brave, courageous lady who always said "there are people far worse off than me". Up until the latter years of her life she never moaned about her 'lot' and accepted her years of being 'house-bound' alongside my Dad with not a hint of self-pity or wanting to change her circumstances. My Mum was a fighter and yesterday she lost the most inevitable fight she had faced; the fight for life. Now she is at peace and will never be forgotten. If my children grow up to have half the courage and bravery of my Mum then they will conquer any obstacle that is put before them. I will ensure Logan and Millie remember their Granny in the best possible ways.

R.I.P. Nellie Sarah Gladys James [1921 - 2011] - my wonderful Mum

Millie at Four Months Meets Independence

2011-10-17T11:33:00.000-07:00

Millie was four months old yesterday as I spent the day in Scotland doing auditions for PUSS IN BOOTS which is playing Arbroath this Christmas. After putting on so much weight recently she certainly looks more like a baby now, rather than something you might snap if you move her legs and arms too quickly. She can hold her head up much better now and looks around far more inquisitively than she did before which is good. Millie also seems to have settled back into a good, or, at least, better, sleeping routine which means Mummy is more settled too as her favourite word 'routine' kicks in. Millie's brother shows all the signs that his favourite word might well be 'independence'. He is now able to take himself to the "toilet" - we seem to have moved on from plain "wee wee" and "poo poo" already - and, although there are a few troublesome parts of this 'ability', he can get there and wash his hands at the end too. I would hesitate to say he could be left to his own devices every time but it is certainly a step in the right direction and, when you think even using the potty was completely alien to him less than three months ago, his transition to 'independence' of any form is quite amazing. The plesasure gained from both of them is tempered by the suffering of Granny, still ill in Southend Hospital and very miserable on my visit this afternoon, and Uncle Pete, whose leukaemia appears to be fighting back and has caused him to go back to Norfolk & Norwich Hospital and the cancer ward. It feels like a power greater than us is making sure we don't get carried away with all the happiness of seeing our children growing up but, at the same time, ensuring we savour every moment of their development process.

By George, It Asda Be A Lump In The Throat

2011-10-14T12:40:00.000-07:00

Millie, who Becky had always wanted to have the same opportunties that Logan had at a similar age, had her first Modelling Agency job today at the tender age of just under four months. It was a well-known employer too in George at Asda so everyone in the house was up early today as Becky prepared our little girl for her photographic shoot debut. Logan, awake at his fairly normal time of around 6 a.m. was never going to go back to sleep or just play or watch telly in his room once there was so much commotion going on and lots of bright lights everywhere around. Utilising the lighter old buggy adorned with a pink fleece to keep her warm, Millie, who has put on 14lbs in the last two weeks to move away slightly from 'widdy' look, was taken by Becky to the station so they could travel into London and reach their Camden Road destination without the possibility of being held up by traffic. Of course, with my recent experiences of National Express East Anglia and its reliability, there was every chance that the trains could also be delayed but the risk was less than that of getting caught in a traffic jam heading into London so it was a gamble worth taking. As it turned out the early morning train, on which Becky did confess she and baby looked a little odd amongst the usual commuters, was on time and travelling via Stratford and then London Overground to Camden Road was no problem at all. A text from Becky around 8.45 a.m. announced their safe arrival at the photographic venue and shared as much relief at being early as is normal for my wife. By that time Logan and I had taken Becky's car towards Caley Pre-School in central Rayleigh and were parked up ready to take the little boy in for his Friday morning session. Becky had briefed me on what I needed to do, in particular not getting Logan into the hallway too early as "he tends to get a bit excited with the other children". With that in mind we didn't enter the building until minutes before the doors of the pre-school were opened. As the token man, and an older looking one at that, amongst a group of young mothers there were a few almost disdainful looks as we waited. Logan, as had been suggested by his own Mummy, was soon full of laughter and seemed almost desperate to be 'let off the leash' and run around with all the similar aged children waiting outside. However when told to "stay with Daddy", he was very obedient and just stood his ground and watched and did a lot of laughing happily at the other children. Then the doors opened and all the mothers and children, and me, wandered in to find name badges, faces on clothes pegs and to hang up bags and towels. "Just sit him down by an activity and leave him", were Mummy's orders and these were followed to the letter. By the time I said "Goodbye" to our little man he was already heavily engrossed in the 'car jigsaw' he had sat in front of and didn't seem vaguely bothered that he was being left on his own. I admit to a little lump in the throat as I saw my little boy looking so 'grown up' in a 'school' environment. This experience was repeated on my return some three hours later when I collected Logan as, after being challenged by one of teachers/keyworkers as to why I was there, I passed 'security' and found the little boy sitting quietly at the same desk I had left him at. His little face lit up into a big smile as he saw me and he spent the next few minutes and the journey home telling me exactly what he had done at 'school' and that he wanted "chippies and fingers" for his lunch. Becky and Millie returned from their London expedition about half an hour after we had got home and Mummy was also full of praise for Millie and her attitude to what she had been through. Apparently she had 'modelled' about eight different outfits for the photographer and apart from a brief 'hungry' whinge in the middle she had not made a fuss about the number of times she was changed and all the accompanying attention. "She did really well", a proud Mummy commented, "but she's been asleep almost since the moment we left". I wasn't surprised by that at all, although maybe it was more surprising that Mummy hadn't crashed out too after the early morning start. By teatime, having been over to Southend Hospital to see Granny again as she endures another stint in Stambridge Ward with more sickness, Millie was wide awake again and Logan, having had his afternoon nap, was full of energy as usual. As we had our savoury pasta tea we sat Millie on the table in the Bumbo just to get her used to watching us all eat. We did a similar thing with Logan at the same age although I think at the time it was so we could also keep an eye on him and the 'novelty', if that is the right word, of having a new addition to our family was still very fresh and daunting. Millie is fascinated by Logan and her little eyes will follow his every move. He just thinks its all very funny and really seems to enjoy being around his little sister. I can only imagine that there are going to be many more 'lumps' found in 'throats' in the days, weeks, months and years ahead.

Millie Photo Gallery October 2011

2011-10-08T15:24:00.001-07:00

Logan Photo Gallery October 2011

2011-10-08T15:12:00.000-07:00

The Garden Gets a Haircut

2011-10-08T09:23:00.000-07:00

After Lisa and Barry next door had 'pruned' their trees recently, Becky just happened to mention that she really wished she could do something with our three rather large back garden trees. Lisa, whose birthday it was on Thursday, had looked after Millie on Wednesday morning whilst Logan and Becky were at our little boy's swimming lesson. Becky and Logan gave her some flowers and a card which led to the subsequent conversation about trees. The upshot of all the talk was a long day on Friday when Lisa and Becky first set about lopping and chopping our overgrowing garden trees. I had to go over to Chatham for the second night at the Central Theatre there of NOT NOW DARLING so left them to it with Becky telling me that Barry was going to come round once he finished work and set about cutting back the largest of the trees in the far corner. When I got home the three trees had, indeed, been given a good pruning and the garden was littered with tree fragments, logs, branches and piles of leaves, although I couldn;t see the results of their labours as it was too dark. There was a distinct smell of smoke inside the house as a lot of the lopped off branches etc had been burnt in a rubbish bin incinerator in our back garden. Becky related to me this morning that they had all worked very hard on the job of tidying the trees and, if we weren't sure before, we now know we have lovely neighbours who will help us with anything if required. Logan had spent a lot of the late afternoon once Barry had arrived home playing with Freddie and Tom from next door. "They were covered in mud and into everything", Becky reported and I suggested it will only get worse for 'boys will be boys'. Logan much prefers having someone to play with and run around after and Freddie fits that bill very well even though he is currently twice Logan's age. However, even with Freddie and Tom still in the house, when Becky told Logan it was time for bed, his sense of routine kicked in and he just picked up all his usual bedtime things and headed up the stairs for bath and bed with Becky following on with Millie in her arms. When morning came, the 'savage haircut' received by the trees became evident but "they definitely needed doing", Becky said as if I was going to make some sort of fuss about the work they had done.

Logan Update at Two Years, Eight Months & Two Weeks!

2011-10-08T08:40:00.000-07:00

Logan's development is quite scary really as if you didn't see him for just a week these days you would be overwhelmed by his progress. His speech is so much better and sentences are more recognisable almost every day. He really enjoys pre-school and has made cakes, amongst lots of other things, and learnt so much from his two brief sessions a week. A new version of Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star [Twinkle, Twinkle, Chocolate Bar] has become a bit of a favourite and he will sing this quite loudly when he feels like it. The teachers [or keyworkers to give them their proper title] at Caley Pre-School have remarked to Becky that Logan appears to be quite bright as he is good with number recognition and his social skills. He loves his car magazines and can tell you a "(Volks)Wagen Golf" and a "Ford Fi-esta" as well as knowing his 'Mercedes' from his 'Audis' and his 'Toyotas' from his "(B)MWs". When we went to the Toyota Garage at Rayleigh Weir last weekend Logan was well and truly in his element and on entering the showroom could only say "Wow" and "Amazing". The following day he asked if we could go there again and if he could "stay there the whole day!". Like most children I am sure Logan is not keen on not doing anything and does get bored on occasions. He appears to love playing with other children, particularly Freddie [now 5] from next door - a good sign that he will enjoy having a little sister to share his formative years with. Although I admit to a fair amount of bias towards my own child, I am proud to say Logan is growing into a very bright, active, polite, caring and, above all other things, happy little boy who never fails to make you smile after the most difficult of days.

Millie Update at Sixteen Weeks

2011-10-08T08:18:00.000-07:00

Millie continues to fill out although she is still best described as 'widdy'. At last week's weigh-in she was 11 lbs 12 ozs, still moving in the right direction, but nearly 5 lbs lighter than cousin Kobe, Uncle Matt and Auntie Vicki's son, who was born just nine days before little Millie. She is still a messy eater and Becky would admit that she is far more difficult to feed with her bottle on occasions than Logan ever was. Her sleeping habits are pretty good although we did go through a couple of nights when she was picking at her food and waking up twice as a result. In view of this it was decided that if she was a little bit grizzy between midnight and 1 a.m. we, well Becky to be fair, should try and get our little girl to go back to sleep rather than just feed her at the smallest whinge. This tactic seems to have worked as last night she went from 7 p.m. until 3 a.m. before really complaining about being hungry. After that she went through to the morning and that makes Mummy far happier when both of the children don't stir until 7 a.m. allowing her a bit more sleep. Becky has really got into selling clothes etc through Facebook, and Ebay when the objects don't sell, and has made some money towards 'the Xmas Presents Fund'. Through this method she also managed to get a 'play mat' for Millie for just £8 [RRP £40 apparently] which Milie really likes along with the old mat that Logan had at a similar age. Millie has taken to roling on her side so the new mat allows her to practise this new 'skill' without things in the way. I get the impression Becky really enjoys dressing our little girl up in 'pretty things' and has found some cheap 'designer' stuff to put her in as well. As reported before she is far more sensitive to cold, hunger and being 'dirty' in the nappy department; you certainly know about it when she is unable to sleep too. She looks far more like Becky than Logan ever did, which is just as well as the thought of a daughter who looked like me in a wig would be scary!

Sister & Brother

2011-09-27T16:13:00.000-07:00

Hand and Feet Painting with 'Sentimental' Mummy

2011-09-27T14:43:00.000-07:00

One thing Becky will admit to since we have had children is an overwhelming feeling of sentimentality towards them and trying to log and report on their progress through life. Of course, in this day and age, it is far easier to get a history of your children's lives as is witnessed by this Blog and the thousands of photos that we have both taken over the past 32 months since Logan was born. "It is a time they, and we, will never get back", Becky said in some sort of justification of trying to keep so many things noteworthy of their development as they arrive at them. Of course she doesn't have to justify anything to me as I am only too aware of them getting older so quickly and trying to keep track of it all. I suppose that is why I am still doing this Blog whenever I can over the past two years and eight months. My 'concern', if that is the right word, is more about treating Millie in the same way as we did Logan at a similar stage in his life. It is more difficult in my eyes, not only because Logan is still developing, in some ways faster than you would ever think possible, and that still needs reporting, but also because we have experienced before all the developmental stages that Millie is reaching and passing. Therefore they don't seem so new and exciting and sometimes I feel bad that I think like that and have to remind myself that, for Millie, it is new and exciting and, as such, should be logged and reported just as eagerly as we did for Logan. It was, with all the above in mind that on Sunday, Becky did a painting with both children of their hands and feet to record them for posterity and to satisfy the 'sentimentality' of a proud Mummy [and Daddy]. "It tickles", Logan said as his hands and feet were painted red and then placed on the paper on the conservatory floor. He was more than happy to be involved as he does like painting of any kind and Millie, who had little idea of why her Mummy was putting yellow paint on her feet, didn't seem to mind the process either. Her little hands were more difficult to prise open and get any paint on, although Becky did persevere and got a reasonably good imprint of her tiny hand. The finished picture will be a lovely memento in years to come of our children's development at this stage although at current rate of progress we will need another house soon to keep it all in. At a point on Sunday, Becky and I did reflect on where Logan had been at a similar 14 week stage of his life. From the photos and posts in this Blog we would estimate Millie is still about three to four weeks behind where Logan was at that stage, as he was able to sit quite happily in his Bumbo and sit forward facing in his Buggy. It was interesting to compare the two children and I am sure we will do a similar exercise at various points in her progress although, wherever she is at any give point it is, of course, not a competition between the two of them, but more a way of charting her way ahead alongside that of her older brother.

A Fluffy Afternoon

2011-09-23T16:16:00.000-07:00

Another Agency competition meant little Millie being wrapped in one of the Mummy's scarf and given a cotton wool treatment. I am not sure if Millie enjoyed the shoot or not but I think Mummy did!

Jabs, Growing Up & Missing Out

2011-09-23T14:42:00.000-07:00

Another week has almost come and gone and I have to admit to some disappointment that I fear I am missing out somewhat on my childrens' development as they grow up so fast. Millie who is now 14 weeks old and is becoming more inquisitive every day. I would say she is far more grizzy than Logan was and is far more susceptible to things that affect her, such as dirty nappies, being unable to sleep, being hungry and being cold or hot. She doesn't cope with these things as well as Logan did at a similar age. Becky is trying to get her into a better sleeping routine, although it hasn't been that bad so far, by putting her to 'bed' in her basket at the same time as Logan after their baths. It has only been a couple of days since this new regime but I keep feeling it might be as much to do with Mummy's OCD as it is about getting the children to accept a routine. Not that I would say a word against what the 'routine' achieves as, on a night when he is not suffering from illness or 'teething', Logan will be asleep without any murmurs for a good eleven or twelve hours. Fortunately, after the disturbances of last week, Logan has been much better this week and that has led to a much better sleeping pattern. Millie, on the other hand, had her second lot of jabs this week from the ever cuddling Nurse at William Harvey Surgery. As expected Millie was less than impressed with the needles in her legs and showed the power of her lungs. The Nurse suggested Millie might go through a phase when she would be sleeping peacefully and then wake up and literally scream the place down. Her words proved to be extremely prophetic and Millie spent a good 24 hours doing just that and causing Mummy, who was much closer to it all, as I had another very busy working week, many moments of anxiety and concern as our daughter struggled with the effects of her jabs. Once again a small dose of Calpol seemed to arrest the symptoms a bit which made both Mother and daughter feel a little better. Logan reached two years and eight months today too and after another day at Pre-School when he made a glove puppet out of one of my old white socks I did remark to Becky how fast his speech and understanding of words are improving, once again, almost daily. His ability to make sentences is very noticeable now and I do my best to have a conversation with him whenever I can to try and encourage him to talk and express himself as much as possible. With Millie's smiles and Logan's chatter, the house is an oasis in a large desert of work that seems never-ending at times.

A Poorly Week

2011-09-17T00:23:00.000-07:00

Whilst I have been away in Lowestoft getting BUGLE BOY up and running the rest of the family have had a week of sickness and bugs. Logan continued his 'teething' symptoms but then it became more of a full-blown cold which kept him awake a lot at night and consequently caused Mummy and Millie a few problems too. There was no way Logan could go to pre-school on the Monday morning and, as things didn't improve over the next couple of days, then the swimming on Wednesday morning also got missed. By that point poor little Millie was looking a bit worse for wear with runny eyes and a lot of snorting. "You should have seen what I got out of her nose with the snot-sucker", Becky reported, but I assured her I was quite happy not knowing or being able to see the results! Things did improve by Thursday to the extent that Becky took Logan and Millie to Playgroup and also to the park on the way back as they hadn't been out much prior to that day all week. Millie also got weighed again and is now 11 lbs, so still moving in the right direction. Unfortunately by Thursday evening, almost inevitably, Becky was starting to feel poorly and, although the children were seemingly on the mend, Mummy was starting to struggle. By Friday, although Logan did make pre-school, albeit with a few tears before and after, Becky wasn't feeling like doing much else. The idea of catching up on a bit of sleep with just Millie to tend to also went out of the window after Logans distress at being left at pre-school so that only served to make matters worse. As things were not improving during the afternoon and early evening Mummy and the children were all in bed by 7. I will be home early on Saturday morning when it will be time to go back to PhotoVisual to see the results of Millies photo shoot last Saturday. Although Logan hadn't been too impressed by the sight of another camera we are hopeful we might have got something of him and Millie plus a shot of the four of us. We live in hope although, in some ways, because of the potential cost it might be better if the pictures were all rubbish. I can't imagine that will be the case somehow.

A Time For Magic Gel

2011-09-11T11:56:00.001-07:00

Logan's illness, which had seemed to be a bad cold and sore throat appears to be his last back teeth coming through as, after a more than usually disturbed night he wasn't that great this morning. The symptoms at that point were a runny nose, a bit of a temperature and not wanting to eat much. However the "mouth hurt" of yesterday evening which had coincided with the hoarseness of his speech was probably more to do with his teeth than any sore throat. During the day Logan has wanted to sleep far more than usual and has also run away from several bits of food as that has obviously been affecting the pain and sensations going on in his mouth. As the day has gone on it became more and more apparent that the problems he was having were more teeth related than anything else. That meant the 'Magic Gel' came out and immediately soothed the pain of teething that, when he was a lot younger he couldn't tell us about but now he has more power of speech he certainly can. Consequently he has been in his pyjamas all day and has switched between being seemingly almost as cheeky as normal to being seriously distressed and full of tears. The accompanying runny nose has caused a few problems too but, after another application of Teething Gel his room is now quiet and hopefully he will be able to get a good night's sleep. In between the crying moments we have had many episodes with cars from watching them crash on my laptop and on the television to playing with them wherever hae can to pointing them out in his magazines. Becky told me he recognises anything that is a Toyota as Mummy's car and always points out [Volks]Wagen Golfs whenever he sees them. Jaguars, Mercedes, Porsches and Audis are also very recognisable to him which cannot be normal for someone so young but he just loves it. Our daughter on the other hand is more smiley each day and has far more control of holding her head up as she approaches three months old next Friday. Becky has been trying to get some more photos for Millie's Agency page over the past couple of days and below are some of the results of her labours.

Logan Sings 'Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star' [Don't Miss The End!]

2011-09-10T17:30:00.000-07:00

Back To School & Everything Else

2011-09-10T16:11:00.000-07:00

Another very busy week for me on the work front means I am forced, in some way, to try and catch up on the last seven days of my children's development. My busy schedule has been, to all intents and purposes, replicated by Becky, Logan and Millie, as all the activities mentioned in the last post started up again. First thing on Monday morning was Logan's return to Caley Pre-School which he thoroughly enjoyed and, although he had one 'accident' on the wee-wee front he did manage to get the second attempt right. Becky had taught him to say "Teacher, Wee-Wee" when he felt the 'urge' but after the initial 'mistake', Mummy decided that having his potty within easy reach in the lounge was giving our little boy a 'false sense of security'. Therefore since then he is now using the toilet upstairs with his box to stand on and being told to "make a splash" to ensure a correct aim. That exercise seems to have had the desired effect as he is far more careful and 'early' with his trips to the toilet, which can only be an advantage at school. So it proved on Friday morning when, on the second pre-school visit of the week there were no 'accidents' and Logan had an even more rewarding time. Becky took Millie to a meeting of her 'Ante-Natal Mums' where our daughter was very relaxed and slept through most of the gathering as you will see from the pictures here [Millie is in the pink top and jeans]. Becky admitted to feeling very proud of them both that day, and, I am sure, every other day for that matter. Logan was also much improved at swimming on Wednesday morning, where Becky had to take Millie along after being let down at the last minute for babysitting. Millie slept all through that as well, whilst being looked after by the receptionist in the entrance hall. Logan really enjoys his swimming as he does Playgroup where the rest of the family went on Thursday morning. Millie was very much a 'sleeping beauty' here as well and you sort of wonder if she is ever awake. I am pleased to report she is and she is also quite 'smiley' these days too which is very cute. Our daughter was also weighed again on Thursday, but at a different, more convenient venue of the Grange Community Centre just around the corner. She was now 10 lbs 11 ozs, which is lightweight compared to cousin Kobe, born nine days before her, who is a couple of ounces under 14 lbs now. Thursday also saw the return of my leased Black Avensis Estate, which had served me royally over the last three years. It only arrived back from its paint shop scratch repair at 8 a.m. that morning, so it was only just in time for its collection. I was sorry to see the car go, especially at a time where finances may dictate I don't have a car for some considerable time. There was more pre-School for Logan on Friday whilst Becky took Millie to an 'Under 1's Club' as yet another part of their busy week. Finally we arrive at Saturday where we had arranged to go back to Photo Visual in Westcliff, who had done some of the lovely photos of Logan we have on our lounge walls, in order to get some similar shots of Millie. We may not be able to afford them at this precise moment but Millie is not going to be this young ever again so they cannot be postponed at all. We made several attempts, whilst we were there, to get good shots of all of us as a family and then just Logan and Millie together, but Logan still doesn't really trust cameras or white backgrounds so, if we did get any, it might have been more by luck than judgement. We shall see the results next Saturday as that is when I get back from Lowestoft, where I am heading for next week. After spending a nice day with the family, which included a trip to see Granny too, it ended in a bit of a 'meltdown' as Logan, who had 'decided' he didn't want to nap on our return home, paid the price for that as his normal bedtime approached. His voice also became a bit hoarse too and he complained of a hurt mouth [although more likely a 'sore throat'] as tea arrived. He is obviously not feeling that well but, even allowing for that, I don't think he will be allowed to miss his 'nap' again any time soon as it really doesn't do him any good at all. Tonight Becky went to see my tour of NOT NOW DARLING at the Palace Theatre so I was on babysitting duty, which entailed dosing a restless Logan with Calpol and feeding Millie a bottle, during which I discovered she is still as messy an eater as she ever was. Fortunately by the time Becky got home from her theatre trip both children were sleeping soundly again, a state of affairs I hope will continue until their normal waking up times tomorrow morning.

Activities Ahead

2011-09-04T12:59:00.001-07:00

After a month of August that seemed to fly by and a continued heavy workload for me, we are on the eve of Logan going back to pre-school, swimming and playgroup after the summer break. Becky has been preparing Logan for his return to Caley Pre-School tomorrow morning by reminding him of it and all that it entails and fortunately he seems to be quite looking forward to it, in as much as a boy of his age can do. A visit to Granny, now back in her Home room after two weeks in Southend University Hospital, prompted a question from her; "Is he dry now?". It was at that point the success we have had had in his potty training came to the fore because he has done remarkably well with that part of his development in a comparatively short space of time. He has even taken to using a toilet 'properly' whilst standing on a box, something that makes him appear even more grown-up. He certainly is a little character and, although we are surely biased in such thoughts, he is just a lovely little boy who gives so much pleasure to his Mummy and Daddy, sometimes without even realising he is doing anything. He is definitely a benchmark for his little sister Millie to aspire to. Millie is, of course, very different to her brother in many ways such as looking more like her Mummy, hating to be cold, hating to be woken up from her sleep and then getting immensely frustrated that she can't get back to her slumbers, and, most certainly, won't stand dirty nappies for more than a brief moment before screaming the place down. She is certainly filling out too, up to 10 lbs 6 ozs at Tuesday's last weigh-in, and resembling more of a baby than a 'rat'. She is also getting more inquisitive about things around her and will look at Logan's antics with a look of bemusement for quite a while. She is also smiling quite a lot now as well as enjoying her play-mat for much longer intervals than previously. We have been blessed with beautiful children. Logan and I did have some 'boys' time on Saturday afternoon when I took him to football at Roots Hall again. His interest in the actual game is minimal but the fact that it is just him and Daddy is probably more important and it is something I will treasure when I go off working for the rest of this week. He is not difficult to take out, even though the afternoon was extremely hot for the first weekend in September. Although the 2-2 result against Northampton meant little to Logan he still told his Mummy that he had enjoyed his trip out with Daddy but the football was "rubbish".

August Picture Gallery Two - Poole Park

2011-08-29T13:51:00.001-07:00

August Picture Gallery One - Having A Ball

2011-08-29T13:32:00.000-07:00

It's All Too Busy as the Children Grow Up

2011-08-29T12:56:00.000-07:00

Keeping up with the Blog of my children is supremely difficult at the moment because of a ridiculously heavy workload. Last week Logan and Millie spent another week with Grandma & Grandy in Dorset as I spent a lot of time in Weston-Super-Mare getting my latest touring production, NOT NOW DARLING, and a Junior Summer School up and running as well as JUNGLE BOOK in Worthing. Added to that there was a twelve hour round trip to Rhyl in North Wales to collect some band parts on the Friday. Therefore it is not easy to see why I didn't see much of the family except for early mornings during the week. During the week Logan had a lot of fun at Poole Park going out on a pedalo with Mummy and Uncle Matt; a trip to Street to see Cousin Kobe and Auntie Vicki where Millie was also weighed again and it was discovered she had put on another 11 ozs to be 9 lbs 15 ozs. All in all it was a week that just flew by and we have reached the August Bank Holiday Monday with a lot of picture memories, mostly take by Mummy to record the week. That had started with a trip to football for just Logan and I, where my little boy spent a lot of the time reading a magazine containing lots of cars pictures which he really loves. He wasn't that impressed with the football and wanted to "Go back home" at half-time. However he did stick it out sat on my lap for the majority of the second half and did tell his Mummy he enjoyed it when he got home. Millie on the other hand continues to look less like a 'rat' although she is still "widdy". She does look more like her Mummy now, which Becky likes of course.

Into Rehearsals

2011-08-19T15:35:00.000-07:00

As I have been rehearsing the farce NOT NOW DARLING this week in Southend, and today in Rayleigh at Becky's old dance college, the rest of the family have attended for a couple of hours on two occasions. The first time was on Wednesday when Becky brought Logan and Millie into Southend on the train from Rayleigh Station. Logan absolutely loved that journey especially as it also allowed him a view of a few aeroplanes at Southend Airport when the train stopped at the newly completed station [pictured right] there. Once at rehearsals Logan had his lunch alongside Millie and her bottle after Chris, the Company Manager had found him a number of wheeled vehicles from the toys in the church next door. As a result our little boy couldn't have been happier. He also found the restart of rehearsals that he saw in the afternoon very funny and he was soon laughing away in the double buggy. Another very well received train trip returned the family to Rayleigh again followed by the walk home. I expect Becky wouldn't have made another visit to rehearsals this week except for the fact we were in Rayleigh today and not too far away. Once again Logan shared his lunch with his little sister although there were added distractions in the large studio particularly when Chris bought some chocolate doughnuts - "cakes" - and the rest of the cast returned from their own food break. Logan had a lot of fun laughing along with them all and was soon encouraging them to chase him around and share his playtime. Eventually it was time to start rehearsing again and, after the expected few tears, he was happy enough to go off with his Mummy and Millie, pausing at the door for a wave and a "Bye". Becky has also bought a few items for his [and Millie's in a few months] bedroom this week, principally from IKEA, including a new duvet cover with Police Cars, Fire Engines, Trucks, Diggers etc that Logan really likes, a red throw for the much stained sofa bed and a couple of little rugs; one a blue car and one pink.

The Long and the Short of It

2011-08-16T14:23:00.000-07:00

A day when Millie became two months old and pair of our children had a meeting with the Health Visitor this afternoon. Millie is now 9lbs 4ozs and although she is just under average in weight she is above average in terms of her length. She is still very little but the Health Visitor wasn't concerned about that as they take into consideration the fact that she was born three weeks early. She has also started doing a few small smiles which are very cute; and she does look more like her Mummy each day which has been noted by quite a few people recently. Logan also had to perform some assessment tasks after an initial bit of a 'drama' for some reason. His reactions to the 'tests' were all very good and Mummy was quite surprised at his positive responses to some of them, particularly standing on one leg which she had never seen him do before. Apparently by the end of the session he was quite into it all and the Health Visitor remarked that he was doing very well and was developing very normally. He is still small too for his age [28lbs 10 ozs and 90 cms tall] but was still in a line of development that was in keeping with where he had been previously.

Jabs For Millie as Logan is Just Pants

2011-08-15T16:55:00.000-07:00

The day before Millie reached a two months old milestone she had her first set of injections at the Doctors this morning. Apparently the nurse was very taken with the 'little one' and gave our daughter lots of cuddles before deciding that Millie's small legs were just about big enough to take the normal sized needle. Given instructions to keep an eye on our little girl throughout the next 24 hours Becky has noted Millie has slept a bit more than usual and had one session this afternoon when she woke up screaming her head off before Mummy finally settled her down. So far since going to bed upstairs, or should that be 'having her basket transferred' Millie seems to be fairly peaceful and it has been quiet in our bedroom whilst I am writing this post downstairs. Logan, who still shows absolutely no signs of jealousy towards his "little sister", seems to get more aware of his surroundings and his feelings towards people and things around him every day. Today he moved on in his 'potty training' to pulling his pants down and back up again on his own. This was a feat he showed me a couple of times on my return from seeing a 'sick' Granny this evening, although both times it was just to show me he could do it rather than for any end result. I think Mummy will be pleased when his activities start again in a few weeks as Logan needs a lot of mental and physical stimulation each day and that can be tiring when you are looking after a baby as well. "How people deal with more than two I don't know", Becky has commented several times recently. I am not sure either but I suppose you just do and I recall we weren't quite sure if we could cope with an additional child before Millie arrived. All I can say is I am very glad we did.

A Week in the West Country in Pictures

2011-08-14T15:25:00.000-07:00

The photos here show it was a fun-packed week in Dorset with Grandma & Grandy for Mummy, Logan and Millie last week. Amongst the places visited above are the Haynes Motor Museum in Sparkford described in the post below; a day trip to Weymouth complete with chippies, a ride on the 'Snails' and throwing stones, with Grandy, into the sea; a trip to Paulton's Park near Southampton and, in particular, Peppa Pig World, where Logan had great fun on lots of rides with both Mummy and Grandma, and a lunchtime visit to an old schoolfriend of Becky's - Corinne - whose own two children were very much Logan's 'friends', sharing a food table together and playing on the trampoline. Here, also, the 'heated' swimming pool proved far too cold for Logan. Through all these 'adventures' Millie continued her progress and now at eight and a half weeks she is developing well and already has a very cute smile. Becky has also put her on Babyshak's books alongside her brother thus ensuring she has an equal chance of earning some 'modelling' money.

Days of Cars

2011-08-06T15:45:00.000-07:00

Another week has gone by and with Yeovil Octagon Junior Summer School taking up a lot of my time, on Thursday, Becky took Logan to Haynes Motor Museum in Sparkford, only about ten miles from Milborne Port, whilst Grandma looked after Millie. They went early, arriving about 9.30, so they got a good chance to look at everything before Logan was due for his nap. By all accounts Logan had a great time running around the rows of cars of all shapes and sizes, and, with no crowds about, our little boy could see all that he wanted to see without anyone in the way. "This way, Mummy" was a well used call as Logan was mesmerised by all the cars, especially a red Lamborghini that took his eye although, when questioned later about his favourite car, the word 'Lamborghini' was a little difficult for him to say properly, but he did have a go. Becky though it was important for Logan to have his nap at the right time as we had decided to take him to see CARS 2, the movie sequel to one of his favourite films, at Cineworld in Yeovil after I finished Summer School for the day. By the time I met the pair of them at the film complex, Becky had already purchased the tickets and Logan was obviously very excited, especially with all the Cars advertising all over the walls and in various other parts of the foyer. We had to queue before we eventually went into the screens section and, although Logan kept pointing "this way", he was very good and didn't run off at all; just standing with his Mummy and Daddy as patient as little boys can be. Eventually the screen was tidied up and we were allowed in to take up our seats, choosing one with no viewing problems. Becky got Logan a booster seat and once we were settled in terms of position they went off for 'wee-wee' duty, in the hope he could get through the next two hours without a problem. Once back Logan devoured almost a whole tub of sweets as well as quite a few Pringles whilst the adverts were on. From the moment the "big telly" sprang into life, Logan was transfixed by the pictures and sounds and, once the actual movie started, his eyes remained very wide and focussed on the large screen in front of him. He hardly moved a muscle throughout the whole thing, which was really good considering it was a good 90 minutes long. Some of the movie had Logan laughing out loud which was satisfying as a parent as it was obvious he was getting a lot out of it. Although lots of other children and adults traipsed passed us en route to the toilets, Logan didn't have to go again and, all in all, the whole experience was a completely happy one. On the way out back to the car, his Mummy asked if he had liked the film and his reply was "Yes - funny". It had certainly been a day of cars and, clutching his new 'Police Car', Logan went to bed very content with his day whilst Millie, who had given his grandparents very little trouble during the day, was soon crying for more bottles oblivious of her big brother's trips out. I get the impression, once she is more aware, cars will play a big part in her life too whether she likes them or not.

Recent Gallery

2011-08-03T16:09:00.000-07:00

A Catch-Up Update

2011-08-03T15:37:00.000-07:00

A busy working week means it is now August and we are now in the third day of a stay at "Grandma & Grandy" Leaks in Dorset. We are here because I am now involved with the Junior Summer School at Yeovil's Octagon Theatre. Over the past ten days since the last post Millie has been weighed twice; once in the normal place in Rayleigh and this week alongside Auntie Vicki and cousin Kobe in Street. Last week Milie was 8lbs 6ozs and this week she is up to 8lbs 13ozs so she is still progressing on the right lines. Kobe, who is over 10lbs now, has certainly filled out far more than our daughter and his extra nine days of life shows a lot when they are placed next to each other. Logan has managed to get the hang of his 'potty' to an extent that we never thought he would in so short of time. He has the occasional accident as is to be expected but he has become very good at asking to go to the potty when required and you cannot help but be very proud of him.

Millie still seems to find feeding a bit of a struggle and it is always a messy time. The application of Infacol and a couple of squirts up the nose with Saline spray does seem to help her apparent congestion which makes taking a bottle slightly easier but still not Millie's favourite part of each day. She is still gaining weight so she still must be taking enough each time.

Two and a Half

2011-07-23T14:21:00.000-07:00

A well used cliche on this Blog it may be but "where has the time gone?" is definitely apt when we realise that today we have reached the two and a half year 'anniversary' of our son, Logan. It is amazing to look back at this Blog and see all the things we have reported and celebrated in the past thirty months. Today it makes me very proud to look at Logan and note that he is growing up into a very happy and, seemingly, very contented little boy who consistently makes his parents smile every day. I am sure all parents feel the same about their offspring, especially at such a tender age, but having never been a parent to a child of this age before, I can honestly say the feelings of pride are far more overwhelming than I ever expected them to be. As Becky remarked just this afternoon, Logan has really surprised her in the past five weeks. Maybe it is coincidental to the arrival of his little sister Millie but, since her birth, his development seems to have taken a big spurt. It maybe the fact that he has been going to pre-school regularly over that time, which has definitely improved his social skills and given him an air of self-confidence that has improved his ability to do a lot of things for himself. Becky's persistence with the potty training has reaped many benefits and he has come a very long way with that aspect of his maturing in just a few days. We have only had one 'accident' today and the 'big boy' pants have been a much bigger success than previously. Whatever the reasons behind Logan's advancement, it has been inspiring to see him gaining so much confidence and improving so many parts of his personality in the last few weeks. Long may it continue but, as so many people have told me would happen, he is growing up very fast now. We have to constantly remind ourselves not to under-estimate our son as he develops so quickly. Millie, on the other hand, is still a baby with many new-born elements. I find myself looking at her in every conceivable way trying to imagine what she will eventually look like, but this proves impossible as every time I look at her, then her face seems to change. She has been particularly unsettled during the day today, although her Mummy [and Daddy for that matter] would much prefer it that way than her be unsettled during the night. It is difficult to pinpoint why she has been so unsettled but, unlike Logan, she is a baby who needs a lot of cuddles and body contact and is not a great fan of cold, being unclothed for any reason, or being disturbed when sleeping. After an post-tea session playing in the garden this evening, I look forward, although it is with some trepidation, to the time when Millie is Logan's age now and Logan will be nearly five; then Mummy and Daddy will have their fitness supremely tested.

A Bit Pants in Our Pants

2011-07-22T16:35:00.000-07:00

The potty training of our little boy has moved into a 'bite the bullet' mode, or a time when, to quote a phrase from Mastermind, "I've started so I'll finish". Becky is reticent that she is going to get Logan to do what he has to during the day and it is not time to go back to square one. Without a nappy Logan is actually becoming really good and the imposition of a 'chart' on the kitchen wall, which rewards good potty use with a sticker, has proved very popular and very helpful. The pants bought at the weekend have been less successful so far as it appears these feel like a nappy to Logan and accidents galore have been experienced when the pants have been on. One memorable time yesterday, when the potty was nowhere in sight when 'duty' called, prompted Logan to just laugh loudly as he shouted "Sticker" at his Mummy. His Mummy's reply that he didn't get a sticker for missing the potty completely, made Logan just laugh all the more and he even headed upstairs, to where I was working in the study, to share the 'joke' with me too. Today [Friday] Logan has had another good day at school and will miss the discipline and education he has undoubtedly enjoyed since he started at the Pre-School, as it was the last session before the Summer Holidays. He has really come on, particularly with his speech, over the past few weeks and seems to really enjoy all that he does. This afternoon Becky built him a 'den' in the conservatory out of chairs, sheets and his play-table. Logan absolutely loved it and dragged me downstairs to 'check it out'. Millie is still in a sort of new-born stage and Becky remarked that a lady in Sainsbury's today was noticeably shocked to discover our daughter was five weeks old when she still looks so small. She is feeding and sleeping well though and with Daddy doing the midnight bottle over the past couple of nights, Mummy has been able to get a 'chunk' of sleep that keeps things on a stable footing for the following day. Millie's eyes seem to be changing colour too, although we can't quite work out if they are going Daddy blue or Mummy brown. Becky seems to be resigned to the fact that her daughter will bear a closer resemblance to me than her but I am really not sure. Yet.

Bye Bye Wee Wee, Hello Constipation

2011-07-19T13:17:00.000-07:00

Logan's potty training seems to be gathering pace and he is doing really well now. It has all become a bit of a routine but maybe Mummy asking "Do you need a wee-wee, Logan?" was even beginning to get on my nerves after a while, so heaven only knows what Logan was thinking. However Becky's constant urgings seemed to be justified to some extent after a couple of accidents when Logan became engrossed in what he was doing and we had to be thankful for the laminate flooring. On Sunday afternoon Becky had taken Logan to Asda in Rayleigh to buy him some proper pants. These he chose himself and to no real surprise they were themed with CARS 2. When they got home he wasn't that impressed about putting them on and consistently threw them on the floor with a "Don't like". Becky did eventually 'trick' him into wearing them by replacing his nappy with a pair of proper pants. This time he didn't reject them but still hasn't quite got the hang of taking them down to use the potty just yet. That is for another day I am sure. The 'wee-wee' routine now consists of a run to the potty, making sure he is pointing the right way and then looking very pleased with himself. Then it is upstairs to tip the wee-wee in the toilet; Mummy allows Logan to press the flush button whilst standing on his plastic step and then he waves with a "Bye-bye wee wee". Millie on the other hand weighed in at 7lbs 15ozs this morning so another 10 ozs gained, although check out her size in relationship to the TV remotes left!? Last night was a tough night as it appeared colic had kicked in and no amount of soothing would quieten her cries for too long. In the end Becky admitted defeat with an "I'm struggling", whereupon I took over baby duty. Two hours later Millie was still very unsettled and switched quickly between snooze type sleep and loud cries. One more bottle, shortly after midnight, finally seemed to do the trick and Millie drifted off to a deeper sleep around 1 a.m. I must have dropped off myself as next thing I knew I was waking up on the settee and the clock said 3.40. I anticipated that Millie would be awake very soon for another feed, so I kept her downstairs so that Becky would get even more sleep herself. There were several 'false alarms' when Millie looked like she was stirring and a bottle was imminent, only for me to put the bottle on to warm and come back to find my daughter had drifted off again. It had to happen soon I thought but by 6 a.m. Millie was still happily dreaming. I took her upstairs and finally got into bed a few minutes before Millie finally sounded the 'I want feeding' alarm and Becky was back into Mummy mode. After that our baby was fairly unsettled for most of the day and Becky was beginning to despair of Millie ever resting motionless again. However during her early evening phone chat with her own Mum, it crossed Becky's mind that she might be constipated - Millie, not her Mum - and once the call was finished she set about helping Millie to ease her discomfort. Cycling her legs; rubbing her back; patting her stomach etc were employed and very soon the strain was showing in Millie's face and movement was taking place. The relief of both parties - Mummy and Millie - became slightly more frantic when Millie decided that once she had started she wasn't about to finish too quickly. "I need some wipes urgently!" was Becky's next expression in a tone matched only by Millie's cries over the previous night. Soon after, Millie was at her most settled within the last 36 hours and, as I write this post, is still sleeping peacefully. Logan going to school, still making me laugh out loud every day and loving his time after tea watching cars crashing, Gummy Bear, Kung Fu Panda and his staring competition, the Happy Feet 2 Trailer and photos of 'nee-naws', especially police cars for some reason, on my Laptop, are all noteworthy on the day. Essex Water digging up the cul-de-sac, turning off the water for a while, making a right mess, which they did clean up afterwards, was also a source of great interest for little Logan, especially when the big lorry turned up as seen below.

Logan Goes Potty

2011-07-16T14:00:00.000-07:00

Yesterday [Friday] was a momentous day in the life of Logan, or so it seems, as it was the first day he successfully used his potty for his "wee-wee". Something that we obviously take very much for granted when you get older, was an occasion to be 'celebrated' after much encouragement from his Mummy during the afternoon. Logan was suitably 'chuffed' with himself for actually getting something in his potty and the 'deposit' was left for Daddy to see so I could join in the congratulations to our little boy when I got home. Becky was pretty proud too as she has been trying to get some 'movement' towards potty use for some time now. She was spurred on by the fact the majority of the girls of a similar age to Logan, born to Becky's ante-natal Mother friends, have been doing potty stuff for quite a while now. Boys are notoriously slower than girls by all accounts but that statistic means very little when it is your own child. Today Logan was once again parading around downstairs minus a nappy and with many "Do you need a wee, Logan?" questions ringing in his ears he did make use of the potty again in the afternoon. This time however it was slightly more than a wee-wee and by the look on Logan's face that was as much of a shock to him as it was to Becky and I. It seemed he thought he had done something seriously wrong at first but when Mummy and Daddy started praising him for his achievement, he kept pointing at his 'poo-poo' and saying "Look, Daddy!". "I know", I said, "that's very clever" and it was difficult not to share his excitement at his very first proper use of the potty. Having said that, we were grateful for our lounge laminate flooring later in the afternoon when just playing took his mind off toileting matters, and he did also 'kill' some grass on a brief trip out to the garden once the rain of the day had stopped for a while. It will take some time before he really gets the idea of it all but Becky's determination to assist him as much as possible is certainly showing signs of success. Her teaching is most definitely paying off and Logan, as shown by the photo at the top of this post still shows an aptitude for 'acting' out the role of his pre-school teacher by standing in front of the fireplace saying things like "Sit!" and "Story - Sshh" and giving out things to Mummy, Daddy and Millie before returning to his position to say "OK".

A Month With Attitude

2011-07-16T13:23:00.000-07:00

Millie 'celebrated' her month anniversary today and I am really not sure where all that time has gone. Like all babies, in my opinion, her face seems to change almost every time I look at it. From the photo above you will see she has a certain amount of 'attitude'. She eats very well although it is still a bit erratic in terms of consumption and timings and Becky and I are still very uncertain who she resembles the most, if at all. Becky is getting more convinced that she looks more like Logan at a similar age but I am yet to see that completely myself. However the 'brother' and 'sister' photos below [Logan left & Millie Right] do seem to show that both are/were very dark-haired and 'enjoyed' being winded rather a lot. The major difference in their lives so far would be that Logan, by virtue of having arrived six days after his due date was 9 lbs 6 ozs by the time he was a month old, whereas Millie only weighs about 7 lbs 7ozs at best having been three weeks early.

Haircut and Bubbles Over Half a Pound

2011-07-12T13:02:00.000-07:00

Monday & Tuesday were busy for me but also for Becky and the children. Logan had a haircut on Monday after Mummy decided she couldn't cut it any more in her untrained way and it was in desperate need of a proper bit of barbering. He certainly looks smarter, if that is the right word when you are of such tender years, and Becky reported that he didn't have to sit on her lap this time round. On this occasion he sat on the chair himself without the gown that he didn't want to use and kept quiet and calm by his Mummy plying him with 'chewies' to take his mind off the hair being cut. Millie was weighed again on Tuesday morning and had put in nine ounces [over half a pound] and now sits at 7lbs 5ozs. Although that is still under average she is progressing nicely. Becky remarked that had she been born on her due date of July 5th then she would be at a similar point to Logan who was born at 7lbs 2ozs. All in all Millie is getting bigger and takes more of her milk each day. On Tuesday night, which coincided with an early morning start for me to drive to Middlesbrough, at about 4.30 a.m., Millie was a little more awake in the early hours than Mummy would have liked but hopefully this won't be a common occurrence. Logan continues to be very good with his little sister and even helped Mummy with bathing Millie on Tuesday morning before he went off to his latest pre-school session. That session was his best yet in terms of lack of tears, especially on his collection, and seemingly being very excited about having been, turning as he left to say "Bye, school. School good!". Becky also noted that one of the other slightly older boys shouted out a loud "Goodbye Logan" after our little boy so it would appear Logan is making 'friends' or at least getting noticed. On Monday evening Logan, Mummy and I spent a good time playing in the garden with lots of running, jumping, falling, laughing and, eventually, blowing lots of bubbles from a can that Becky produced from the kitchen. Logan thought that was great fun and was also keen to let his Mummy and Daddy have a go. Running after the bubbles and trying to catch them was a real highlight of his evening - the innocence of youth.

The Many Faces of Millie

2011-07-10T15:26:00.000-07:00

A Visit to the Nee-Naws

2011-07-10T14:31:00.000-07:00

After Becky took Logan and Millie, in the buggy, to the School Fete at the local Primary School yesterday afternoon, I noticed in the event's programme that the Fire Station at Rayleigh Weir was holding an Open day today. "Logan will love that", I said, knowing his excitement whenever he hears emergency services sirens or "Nee-Naws" as he calls them and also his interest in 'Fireman Sam' on Cartoonito on many evenings before he goes to bed. Nothing was really planned and we had a morning when Millie had some milk around 6.30, a similar time to Logan, who doesn't come into our bedroom first thing any more, preferring to just call out "Mummy" from his bed before whispering "Milk" when she comes to see what he wants. After that Logan spent some time watching 'Wacky Races' on his DVD/TV whilst emptying the contents of his washbasket into his bed. That allowed Mummy and Daddy, and baby Millie, a bit more sleep. When I finally woke up around 8.30, I was surprised to find the rest of the family in bed as well, especially Logan who hadn't made any sort of fuss by that point. Soon everyone was awake and it was decided we would all go to see Granny in her Care Home and then try and attend the Fire Station Open Day on our way back. Granny had requested a Chocolate Eclair, something she used to love but hadn't had for a long time, so we stopped off at Asda Shoebury to buy some. That shopping detour, along with the fact Granny was sat in her chair and quite conversational this morning, meant we didn't leave Shoebury until nearly 11.30. Logan looked sleepy, having nodded off on the way in, so I said to Becky that we would see if he drifted off again before making the final decision about the Fire Station. As we approached Rayleigh Weir, Logan was still just about awake so we drove up past the Fire Station to gauge his reaction. As the Fire Engines came into view his little face beamed a big smile and he almost squealed "Look" followed by his interpretation of the words "Fire Engines". When asked if he would like to look at the engines he just said "Yes please". We parked in a cul-de-sac just up the road, set up the buggy and placed the excited Logan and the sleeping Millie in it, before walking back to the Fire Station. At the station there were quite a lot of people, mostly families, milling around the engines out the front and some bouncey castles and stalls at the back. Logan was very interested in looking at the engines but a bit dubious about actually sitting in them despite lots of encouragement from his parents. After exploring the grassed area and its stalls etc, and buying Logan a toy fire engine, or "Nee-Naw", we went back to the engines and this time, with Becky leading the way he found the courage to sit in a couple of the vehicles. There were lots of sirens going off very loudly and blue flashing lights which Logan acknowledged, but didn't seem to be that concerned by. With Millie still sleeping and Logan clutching his latest toy, we headed back to the car as normal nap time for little boys had been well passed. I found myself looking round at all the other little boys being cajoled and encouraged to sit in the fire engines etc and had to remind myself that Logan is still not two and a half years old, and so we cannot expect him to be undaunted by big red machines no matter how interested or excited he appears to be by them. Logan spent the rest of the day happily playing with the various fire engine toys he now has, even telling Grandma on the phone that he had "been to see the Nee-Naws".

Holding On The Mat

2011-07-08T12:37:00.001-07:00

"I remember playing on here and, if I am not mistaken, I had a photo taken with my hand in exactly the same position." - Logan

Millie and Logan continue to get to know each other every day and they shared some time on the Baby play mat in the afternoon before Logan was keen to have a 'hold' of his younger sister after teatime. Logan is also very helpful whenever Millie is screaming loudly for food as he will say "Millie crying" to whoever will listen.

Three and Six

2011-07-07T17:15:00.000-07:00

Millie was three weeks old today. She is still having three hourly feeds and was visited yesterday by a party of three [Grandma & Granddad Leak and Great Grandma 'Gum'] who came up from Dorset, arriving around midday, staying three hours and leaving at 3 p.m. On the morning of Wednesday, Logan passed his Starfish Six Swimming Badge, which was really well done of him, and was the last of that particular series of Badges. Mummy and Daddy were very proud and his swimming towel will soon be emblazoned with its sixth badge. The next one he will take will be when he is three years old when he is able to go in the pool on his own. Becky already has things sorted out in her mind so that, after a brief period in the autumn, she will be able to take Millie swimming when Logan is at pre-school and start her off as well. Whilst we are on the subject of threes, Logan also likes the CBeebies song 'Three' sung by Sid and Andy and which he will make a small attempt to do when the mood takes him. Today, Thursday, it was party time at the Playgroup around the corner, which Logan enjoyed and Millie would have done too if she had 'enjoyment' on her mind at present. Mummy also enjoyed it, if only for the fact she won another 'toy hamper' in the accompanying Playgroup party raffle after winning a similar one last time round. It was noticeable this evening that Becky is finding the disturbed sleep pattern a bit hard to cope with at times and with this in mind I have brought Millie back downstairs to allow Becky an opportunity to get a bit more quality sleep. If there is one thing I have learnt in our thirteen years together it is that my wife is better when she has had a good night's sleep. If she doesn't then things can get a bit messy and that doesn't help anybody, including baby Millie who just wants cuddles when she is awake after the obligatory food intake and, at this precise moment of 1.30 a.m., is fast asleep in her Moses Basket.

A Second Anniversary for the Very Tired

2011-07-03T12:21:00.000-07:00

Depending on whether you opt for legality or familiarity it was our second wedding anniversary today or, it will be, tomorrow. Legally we were married on the 3rd July at Southampton Registry Office with a congregation of three; Grandma & Granddad Leak and a nearly six-month old Logan. However Becky doesn't count that particular occasion as the 'wedding', preferring to remember the second 'service' on board the Independence of the Seas the following day when lots of friends and family joined us on the ship for a few select hours. Whichever of the two days we choose to 'celebrate', as long as I remember one or the other, I expect I will be in the good books. I did actually remember the dates this year, although I was given a sort of reminder by Becky fairly consistently pointing out she would like a 'pink' charm for her Pandora bracelet to match the blue one bought as a memento for Logan. Although I am not entirely sure the two events were tied together, it did serve to make me realise there was a significant date in the offing. I managed to get the said charm from a Pandora outlet in Darlington where I found myself yesterday for the last day of the I MET A MAN WHO WASN'T THERE tour. However the intended surprise had to go out of the window, as the girls serving in the shop couldn't establish exactly what I was after, so I had to call Becky for assistance. A photo on my Mobile later ensured we did get the right one and I was able to give that gift and a card this morning, especially as tomorrow looks like being a very busy day. Today has been a day of rest in more ways than one as Millie had been stirring almost every hour during the night, taking an ounce of her bottle and then dropping back off to sleep. On my long drive back from Darlington, which took six hours as it included two 'nap' stops at Blyth and Peterborough Services, I received two fairly exasperated phone calls from Becky bemoaning the lack of a routine for Millie's feeding and the fact that Logan had a high temperature and had hardly eaten anything during the day. A Mother's concern at her son's well-being wasn't helping her possibilities of sleep in between Millie's waking and feeding moments and so the tone of Mummy's voice became more desperate as tiredness took hold. By the time I eventually did get home around 4.15 a.m. there was a distinct air of emotional reaction setting in, which needed a bit of sorting coupled with some TLC. Logan was asleep by that point dosed up on Calpol and Millie was mid-feed with Mummy looking like she had had quite enough of holding bottles to her daughter's lips for the night. Fortunately things became far more stable once I got into bed and a plan of action and teamwork was touted to get things back on track. Millie needs to get into a routine of three or preferably four hourly feeds as soon as possible, which will ensure Becky does get the sleep she requires. Feeding on demand is obviously not working as it is just getting into a habit of 'I cry, get an ounce of milk, drop off to sleep and then do it all again an hour later'. From today we have attempted to feed her every three to four hours regardless of the crying accompanying the hunger thus ensuring, when she is eventually fed, she is hungry enough to drain the bottle and then go another three to four hours. So far so good as far as that is concerned throughout the day but we will see what tonight brings. Logan seemed much better this morning and in order to give Becky more sleep time I took him downstairs at 7.15 a.m. and kept him occupied. His higher than normal temperature did return briefly this afternoon after his nap but another dose of Calpol soon remedied that. He was joined at his nap time by both Mummy and Millie and that seemed to make all three happier and now, at 8.30 p.m., I expect all three to be visiting the 'Land of Nod' sooner rather than later. I think I will be close behind too after a less than restful weekend so far. Whilst Millie does little except eat, sleep and poo and allow her parents many hours of "Who does she look like?" type conversations, I doubt she will be that impressed with the photos here of a hairstyle of the wet and combed forward variety that amused her Mummy at least. As you will notice from a couple of the photos our 17 day old daughter is quite fond on 'clutching pearls'!? On the other hand Logan continues to make us laugh even today when apparently he is less than 100%. He is still exceptionally good with his little sister and even tries to involve her in playing with his cars by running them along her changing mat on the occasions she is on it and not in her basket. The 'dancing cars', that is his expression for a compilation of car crashes we recorded on Sky Plus, is far more popular than many CBeebies and Disney Junior programmes at the moment and is asked for on an almost hourly basis. That now has competition from something he calls 'Bashes & Beeps' as it is a YouTube compilation of car crashes that a lot of added 'canned car horns' on them - hence the beeps he associates with it. "Hopefully it is teaching him road safety and that accidents do happen", I replied when Becky asked if we should be subjecting our son to such videos. After taking him 'Banger Racing' at Arena-Essex earlier this year the sight of cars, "bashing" into each other is a firm favourite. Hopefully he will be sound asleep for the whole of tonight and Millie will begin to get the idea that food only comes every three to four hours. Whatever happens it is to be hoped that the night separating the legal and the preferred anniversary dates will be a settled and peaceful one.

Millie's First Playgroup & the 'Curious Rat'

2011-06-30T11:30:00.000-07:00

After Mummy and Logan had returned to swimming on Wednesday morning in preference to the Sports day being organised by Logan's Pre-school, it was a return to the local Playgroup this morning. It was Millie's first time at the Hall and, apparently, she received lots of attention and cuddles from all the other Mothers present whilst Logan was "off on his own". I think it did Becky good to get back to some of the activities but she did confess to being a bit more tired today; an effect, no doubt, of the three hourly feeds during the night and trying to keep up with Logan. Our baby daughter is still putting a bit of weight on every day, which is good, although she hasn't quite got back to her birth weight yet. At her current rate of progress I expect it will be about another week before we get back there. No-one seems to be worried about her small physique as we have already been signed off by both the Midwife and the Health Visitor. To be honest apart from a 'gunky' eye, now and again, when she wakes up, there seems to be little wrong so far although I remember with Logan we got a load of sniffles, snuffles and runny noses as time went by. Logan has been a bit under the weather over the past 24 hours but that good old standby for such occasions i.e 'the teeth' does seem to be a major cause this time round. Logan has also enjoyed his fourth pre-school session [on Tuesday] and had his best time so far, coming back with a painting done using spaghetti and singing "Twinkle, twinkle...star", which may be a bit of a lyric re-write but shows he has been listening. He also seems to do a bit of a mimic of his teachers and has learnt a few things that we certainly didn't teach him before. At two weeks old Millie is settling into our routine, although Mummy will be happier, and less tired, when she can stretch her to four hourly feeds. For those of you reading this Blog who are familiar with the concept of the 'Curious Rat', Millie must be the youngest ever to attempt a version, as seen above!

Registering a Mini-Heatwave

2011-06-27T12:13:00.000-07:00

On Saturday morning Becky, Logan and I took Millie to be regsitered as a legitimate person at Southend Civic Centre. Originally surprised that the Registry Office was open for such things on a weekend morning, it did fit in well with the other things we needed to do. As I had expected, it wasn't busy so we were ushered into the small room very soon after our arrival which was also good as it didn't give Logan time to get bored and Millie time to get hungry. As it turned out the lady acting as 'Deputy Registrar' told us she hadn't done any Birth Certificates for over three years but had been brought back in to do them owing to cuts in the Council budget. This was a fact that led to me being back at the venue on Monday morning as, unfortunately, she had made an error on the short unpaid-for certificate that had to be re-done. After correcting the hospital's assumption that 'Millie Ann' was to be known as 'Millie-ann', we were back in the car and heading for Granny's Care Home. As I was due to drive to Weston-Super-Mare that afternoon it seemed pointless driving back to Rayleigh to then come all the way back to Shoebury. Also I thought my Mum would appreciate another viewing of our nine day old daughter. However Granny wasn't in the best of moods showing a fair degree of depression, something she repeated even more acutely on my Sunday visit. Therefore we didn't stay as long as on our previous occasion at the Home with Millie and Logan and then it was back to Rayleigh for naps, feeds and my preparation for driving across the country. Becky seems to have settled into a bit of a routine with Millie now and after yesterday's positive news regarding the baby's weight gain she was obviously spurred on to keep it up. On Sunday I had children's auditions for a production of THE JUNGLE BOOK at the Ashcroft Theatre in Croydon so missed a lot of a day when not only did Grandma & Granddad Leak come up from Dorset but Uncle Alan also arrived from his home in Cambridgeshire. It sounds like they all had a nice day with both grandparents doing various jobs around the house and garden and Logan and Millie receiving even more presents from all the visitors. Logan enjoys the company and Becky said he made everyone run around the newly mowed garden after positioning them for "Ready, Set, Go". His energy knows no limits. The weather suddenly went incredibly hot with temperatures approaching 90F which did little to keep Millie cool, but also did little to disrupt Logan's desire for running. In the end Mummy did, apparently, make him sit down with a drink and rest out of the sun. By the time I got home from Croydon and trying to break my Mum out of her depression, the house was back to only its usual numbers. The night was less routine than some previous ones since birth-day as Millie decided to feed at two hourly intervals and Logan was in a fractious mood. This appears to be teeth related as over his breakfast this morning he told me his "teeth hurt". "That would account for a lot", Becky said, "as he had a bit of a runny nose yesterday and didn't eat much even though it was McDonalds". Fortunately I was able to settle him eventually and the house went quiet until the next feed. Today has been even hotter than Sunday which has led to practically every window and door being opened and fans on around the house to keep baby, toddler, and Mummy and Daddy for that matter, as cool as possible. The forecast is storms for tonight so that hopefully bring some much needed relief from the sweltering and uncomfortable heat.

Logan Chats to Millie - Cheeeese!

2011-06-24T12:46:00.000-07:00

Check out a brief video [taken on Mummy's phone] showing Logan talking to Millie in her Moses Basket and watch out for the jazz hands and the "Cheese" near the end.

Positive Pre-School Vibes

2011-06-24T11:53:00.000-07:00

Whilst Millie had, what had been made into, an all-important visit from the midwife this morning, Logan was having his fourth session at Pre-School. Becky's hesitation at maintaining Logan's attendance at the Pre-School had faded in comparison with her fears that little Millie hadn't put on enough weight in the three days since the last midwife visit and would have to be hospitalised again. Logan went off to his session quite happily with his Mummy whilst I carried on feeding Millie her bottle. It wasn't long after Becky had returned from dropping Logan off and reporting that the little boy seemed quite keen to go in, when Sue, the midwife, arrived to do her checks. By that time Millie had drifted back off to sleep so wasn't best pleased when she had all her clothes taken off so she could be weighed again. She was 6 lbs 1 oz this morning so has put on a healthier 3 ozs in the last three days and that pleased her Mummy a lot, with a weight of her own lifted off her mind. After the midwife left Becky was a bit more relaxed, although tiredness was beginning to show after a week of disturbed nights. As Logan had to be collected at 12.15 I stayed at home in order to look after Millie. Therefore I was in the house when Logan arrived back and Becky had glowing reports of his day with even a "School good" being heard on the way home. It had obviously been the best day of his quartet of school trips so far as he returned with a small yogurt pot with cress seeds and cotton wool that they had 'planted' and a laminated card with Logan's hand print on it. The card had been intended for Father's Day but because of Millie's birth Logan had been absent on the Friday when they had been finished off and given out. He had also done some drawing as well as listened to a story ["sshh"]. Becky also reported that the teachers had used pictures to show Logan what they were going to do next so he could understand what was happening rather than just make it look like he was being stopped from doing something comfortable like playing with cars. His confidence, which seems to gain almost daily, came to the fore when, after planting his own cress seeds he showed someone else how to do it. It was satisfying from a parental point of view and good to see Logan actually enjoying his pre-school visits. Hopefully the positivity of today will continue. Millie, on the other hand, did a great deal of sleeping and feeding with a few poos in between. She is still the littlest thing especially when unceremoniously disrobed by her Mummy and you see her little legs - not so much chicken as sparrow I think you would call them.

Casting Doubt On Some Weight Gain

2011-06-23T14:03:00.000-07:00

A busy day in some ways after I returned from the taking of Damian to Weston-Super-Mare and the continuation of his one-man play tour at around 1 a.m. After what felt like about five minutes sleep, Becky was announcing her departure from the house with Logan and giving me plenty of instructions on how I should look after little Millie for the next four or five hours whilst they were away. Logan was going for a casting for 'Sainsburys Nappy Packaging' in Clapham this morning even though Becky had informed the Agency that this particular period wouldn't be great for such things. They seemed to have ignored that and, not wanting Logan to miss out anything because of the arrival of his sister, Becky was happy to take him this morning, albeit with some trepidation about how he would react once they got there. Probably a bit naively I assumed my new daughter would take a bottle feed at around 8.30 a.m. and then go to sleep for a while allowing me to get on my work. For a start the delicate, but beautiful, little baby doesn't take milk quickly as she has a small mouth and stomach, has to rest a bit between swallows and needs a bit of winding at various points to ensure there is not too much air in her system. Therefore one bottle of just 3 ozs took over half an hour and then she was not able to settle for various reasons which I struggled to get on top of in the next three hours. However it was the most awake I have seen my daughter, so it was well worth the time we shared together. It was frustrating from a parental point of view trying to work out her needs with no communication between us except baby cries from whatever position Millie found herself in. At 10.20 Becky phoned with that soleful tone to her first "It's me", that basically expresses her disappointment in things without really having to say too many words. As, I have to say, I expected, and Mummy did too by the fact she did a bit of photo practice yesterday afternoon, Logan was not happy in his casting. Apparently as soon as he saw the white background, lights and camera he made it quite clear he wanted to go home and "don't like". They only wanted a photo of him in his nappy but once Becky had undressed him he just wanted "Trousers on" and Mummy knew the writing was on the wall. "I wasn't going to force him", Becky said and that is probably the correct course of action as we certainly don't want to put him off such things for life. "Maybe we should just put a stop to it for six months", Becky continued but I suggested we just play it by ear as we can always treat each potential audition and casting on its merits and assess how Logan feels at the time. I am sure it is just a phase that our two years and five months son, as of today, is going through, as he is far more aware of himself, his surroundings and his parents as well as his feelings towards people, places and situations these days. He is also very cheeky and seems to revel in being in the midst of whatever is going on, although there are other occasions when he will quite happily play on his own surrounded by any number of toy cars or trains. It was also a notable day in the short life of Millie as she passed exactly one week since her first appearance last Thursday. Becky has spent most of the last two days fretting about Millie's weight loss noted by the midwife on Tuesday. "I don't want her to go into hospital again", Becky said this afternoon. I assured her that, in my opinion, Millie was heavier than she was and when the midwife returns at some point tomorrow to check her progress everything will be on the right road. It certainly isn't for want of trying as Becky has shown tremendous maternal instinct in the fact that she sets alarms overnight to ensure Millie gets her feeds every three hours. Even today her absence from the house and her daughter for a comparatively short time led to an "I really missed her" admission on Becky's return. The other most noteworthy happening on the day from a family point of view was the first proper use of the new double buggy. With tyres pumped courtesy of Lisa next door's bicycle pump, Becky wheeled our two children; Logan on the front and Millie safe in her cocoon below, in the buggy around to the garage on the main road. It was a big success for all concerned and I get the impression going out in it will prove a big source of fitness walking in the next few months.