Chilly Moors Valley

Mummy & Daddy took me for a walk around the lake and through the forest at Moors Valley today as I was a bit unsettled at home with my nasty cold.

It was freezing cold with parts of the lake iced over and patches of snow staying all day on the cold ground.

I was very good and went to sleep most of the time.

Daddy took his camera as always and took some shots using very wide apertures often around f2, to try and make selected objects stand out in his pictures and make them "pop" (D300 and 35mm F1.8 only).

The birds were skating on the ice

This is me in my buggy...I love the marching ducks behind!

In my polar bear suit and footmuff I stay nice and warm!

Daddy liked the subtle colours here as we went onto the playtrail

The contrast between the odd tree out and the others was cool and we like the way they fade into the distance

I always relax in my buggy...the bumpier the ride, the better!

A couple of days in and near Swindon

Mummy had to do some interpreting in Swindon Court for a couple of days so I had a lot of time with Daddy.

The first day Daddy walked me around the town but we got a bit bored of shopping.  After meeting Mummy we went to the lovely Cotswold Water Park Four-Pillars Hotel.  I was very happy, smiley and laughing when I had a nice bath with Mummy and then Daddy dressed me.

We went to dinner in the nice restaurant and I was very good despite not going to sleep.  Mummy had to  pop her finger in my mouth as I like some comfort in the evenings!  The hotel staff really liked me and wanted to talk to me a lot.  They gave me a nice cot but I wasn't used to that and didn't like sleeping in it very much so I went to bed with Mummy & Daddy where I quickly went to sleep.

The next day Daddy took me to the Steam Museum of The Great Western Railway.  I loved all the loud noises and colours so much that I fell asleep and was so good.  It was very cold outside but I still always pop one hand out of the footmuff on my pushchair.  After meeting Mummy for lunch we went for a walk in the cold and then visited Paul and Laura for a nice evening on the way home.

I have had a bit of a cold for a few days and my breathing is uncomfortable at night, but I'm still good and sleep through until at least 5am.

This is my lovely spaceship suit that Jonathan & Dee sent me

This is me being smiley after my bath at the hotel

A photo with Daddy in it!

Daddy tells me that once upon a time we used to make things in England

A few recent going's on

Daddy has been a bit slow posting blogs so some of these pictures are a few weeks old.

I have done some exciting things in the last couple of weeks:

I went to my first music concert at "The Hub" in Verwood when I was 8 weeks old and sat right at the front in my car seat.  I was very good and didn't cry or stop Mummy and Daddy enjoying the show.  The performer was Ralph Mc Tell who said hello afterward and signed a CD for me, so I have a souvenir when I grow up!

On 22nd November I went for my first swim in the big pool at Ferndown.  It was a special parent and baby session where we did things to songs and special exercises that prepare us for learning to swim and getting used to the water.  It was like a giant bath so I did rather love it, but was a bit unsure when I first went in as it was a little cold.  I stayed in nearly 40 minutes and didn't cry at all.  Daddy then had a lovely warm shower with me afterward and I was so tired I went to sleep for a long time.  We then went food shopping and Mummy had a call to do some interpreting at Southampton Police Station, so off we went and Daddy took me around West Quay for nearly 3 hours.  I was very good and slept all the time!

I can't talk yet but I do try!

I love being in my chair while M&D are working in the kitchen

This is me pumping some iron on my baby gym...thanks Claire & Dave for giving it to me!

I can grab toys in both hands and rattle them

This is my polar bear suit

I have a great social life...this is Mummy just about to take me to Verwood for my Tuesday meeting

I'm 8 weeks old!

Last Sunday I was 8 weeks old...a whole 2 months!  Nana & Granddad came round for tea after being away on their cruise and brought me a lovely little sailor man on a spring.  I love it when Mum and Dad bounce it up and down for me.

As always I had a nice bath on Sunday

I don't cry anymore when I come out of the bath but I still wriggle a lot!

I have a whole set of vests with nice things like cars, buses and helicopters on them

This morning it was really quite cold and Mummy insisted on putting a hat on me.  I got really grumpy as it kept covering my eyes when I moved about.  Mummy says I frown at her just like Daddy does when he isn't pleased!  We all think my Penguin suit is one of the cutest ones I have though.

One of my disapproving frowns

I soon got a bit happier when Mum and Dad gave me some attention and showed me my sailor man on a spring

That's even better!  No hat

After breakfast I had a very short sleep in Mummy & Daddy's bed but I woke up eating my hands, which means only one thing!

Daddy says I put my whole fist in my mouth sometimes

More nice clothes and Stourhead

Today Mum decided I was big enough to wear the lovely clothes that Jamie and Jan brought me all the way from France.

I'm really a very lucky boy...Mum took me to baby massage today and I had to get strapped in my seat as always.

Then we went to Stourhead to see the Autumn colours.  It was so relaxing I fell asleep in my pushchair as we went all round the lake.

Halloween Time

Its my first halloween and Nana and Granddad bought me a really cool little suit with a spider on it!  I've worn it for 3 days already although it did have to be washed.

Here I'm all wrapped up in my little chair at breakfast time and in smiley mode as usual

That's better, you can see the whole suit now

I have a bit of s double chin now!

Mummy bought me a growbag to sleep and lay about it.  Its great because I have space to wriggle all the time but stay warm too.  It seems to be working because I'm getting a bit tubby!

Laughing, smiling and very vocal

Theo is approaching 7 weeks old now and went for a baby check up at the doctors today.  Despite being stripped off and poked and prodded a bit he was very very good and didn't protest or cry at all.

For a while now we have had little smiles from time to time but now, in the mornings especially, he is incredibly smiley and very vocal.  He really doesn't sleep much in the daytime now, except in the car or his pushchair, and just loves to look wide-eyed at the world around him.

We had a lovely meal and evening around Mum and Dad's last sunday, with a real fire!  It was especially nice because little man was very communicative and smiley to his grandparents.

All shots taken on the Nikon D80 with 35mm F1.8 lens and some bounce flash from a little SB400.

I love being held and given lots of attention

I can't talk but I make lots of little noises

I hope my big cousin James teaches me about Lego when I get a bit bigger

When Theo came downstairs with us for breakfast this morning he was super-smiley and vocal for ages, which was a lot of fun.  He seems really happy after a good sleep and feed and loves to have a lot of attention from us.

Little man has been on baby-gaviscon for about a week to stop him being a bit sicky.  It seems to be working well and he is incredibly good at taking it off a spoon.  Its actually about  6-8 spoons he has to take at a time and he does so without complaint, which is lucky for us.

It doesn't taste too great but I'm very good!