Year of pleasures #12: Swimming

I've been lax of late, partly lost the inspiration and partly distracted by my professional blog. Think of it as an extended holiday!

Ella and I started baby swimming lessons last week, and she's really enjoying herself! It's nice to spend half an hour in the water with her, and with all the other parents and babies. She's not quite confident enough to go underwater yet, but she's having a lot of fun, and so am I!

Mama's little baby loves shortnin', shortnin'...

Ella was six months old last week. How did she get here so quickly?! With Logan the early days really seemed to drag but this time round I can't believe she's so grown up already. She's already starting to lose her baby ways, sitting up, desperate to crawl.

And we've started weaning, which is such a milestone. So far so good! Ella has inherited the Stoddard appetite and hasn't turned her nose up at anything so far (although it's spinach tomorrow so we'll see!).

There's so much conflicting information out there about weaning. As with so much else around baby-rearing, numerous experts feel the need to weigh in with advice on how our children should be raised, creating yet another stick with which to beat new mothers (and fathers) over the head.

If you wean too early (before the magical six-month mark) or too late (after the magical six-month mark) you're risking dangerous food allergies or depriving your little one of essential nutrients which, if you believe some commentators, is tantamount to child abuse.

The thing is, every baby is different. They develop at different speeds, and what is right for one won't be right for another. The six-month marker is just a guideline; what's more important is knowing your child and recognising the cues she gives you that she is ready for food. Trust in your instincts and in yourself, because only you really know what your baby needs, and when.

Year of pleasures #1

My old college friend (and now baby and blog friend) Aimee pinched this idea from her friend, who pinched it from Elizabeth Berg, and now I'm pinching it from her. The idea is to blog once a week or so on something that makes you happy, or that you're grateful for, as a way of looking on the bright side. It may be a little bit 'self-help book' for your tastes but I like the idea so tough cookies.

So I'll start with an obvious one - my two babies - who are happy (most of the time) and healthy (if a little snotty at the moment) and generally adorable (puke, right?). Logan told me last week, "I love Ella so much, I want to cuddle her all day and kiss her all day." I melt.

Homemade Christmas

My mission to make more Christmas presents this year, instead of going mad in the shops, isn't going too well; I'm missing a bit of the knitting pattern so I'm having to guess it, and I haven't even found material for my sewing bits yet. I'll probably end up staying up the night before again, frantically trying to finish it.

I'm home in Durham for the week because we're at the in-laws for the holidays, and while Mum was rooting around in Gran's loft for the Christmas tree today she came across a bag of things that her gran had knitted her when she was a girl.

There was a family of rabbits, a cuddly elephant with an embroidered rug, a couple of beautiful dresses and some tiny hand-knitted undergarments for mum's Sindy dolls.



Best of all though was a patterned beret-style hat that is just right for Ella. No matter how much I practice I'll never be able to knit such delicate things.


Ella modelling the hat

I thought I'd bake some Christmassy goodies too, which I'll have to leave until next week, but we're in charge of Christmas eve supper this year (onion tart with salad and Mark's tasty crumble), so I'm not sure there'll be room in the kitchen. The good news is that now Logan is officially allowed to eat wheat he can help me with some of the baking! The bad news is that I'll have to let him lick the spoon :(

Now I am 2 (months)

Happy 2-month birthday Ella Betsy! My beautiful, cheeky little pixie x