Let It Snow!

Today we woke up to snow (in Wales) - the first time that George has really seen it, as he was too young the last time it happened. He thought it was bubbles, and wasn't at all deterred by the coldness. We had to lock the door to stop him escaping to the garden all the time.

Christmas in Sussex

Sounds posh, doesn't it - but sadly it's not a country estate with horses and servants, just the humble abode of George's maternal grandparents. There was eating and drinking and lots of presents (at one point we nearly lost George inside his enormous bag of gifts) and the obligatory cute costume for the man himself. Check it out below - where you can also see him modelling Mr Christmas Potato Head's hat, and playing with his newly-expanded train set (he got new track to replace some of the bits which are inside our dining room wall - plus some very exciting bridge pieces, which have led to lots of "Wheeeee" play).

Missing, Presumed Lost

Although our house isn't that big, we still manage to "lose" quite a few things, mostly courtesy of George. Sometimes things do turn up again, months later, but there are also some which never re-appear (and this is especially the case now that George has discovered the hole in the wall by the handle of the kitchen door - at least two pieces of train track have disappeared inside there). The current list of missing items is:
Wooden Train;
Wooden Carriage;
Train track
one Mitten;
the letter "R" from the little train which spells out his name;
most of George's CDs;
a little magnetic frog from a music box;
half of the pieces from a farm jigsaw;
and the case for the Bagpuss DVD.
I have moved all the furniture and still can't find them, so it is a mystery.

Tidy Up

One of George's few words is "Be-up" which is his version of "Tidy Up" and also means "Washing Up". It is great that he is prepared to do some tidying up - he certainly does enough untidying. And it was quite sweet when he first decided he wanted to help with the washing up, bu that has worn a little thin now. As soon as anyone goes near the sink, George is pulling up a chair and throwing things into the bowl. And if he can get hold of a cloth or sponge, he is really happy - and the floor is really wet!

My Son the Artist

Normally the "art" that George brings home from nursery consists of a few scribbled lines, but this week he has excelled himself with a couple of relatively impressive paint creations.

Winter Wonderland

Today we took a trip to the "Winter Wonderland" in Hyde Park - basically a glorified funfair with a few food stalls (lots of german sausages and mulled alcohol) and wooden huts selling decorations!
George went on the mini rollercoaster and we took a trip on the Santa Express - he really didn't want to get off and cried - he was putting a brave face on it when I took a photo but you can still see the tears in his eyes.

Father Christmas at Harrods

A day out in town today - to the Science Museum (much water play and throwing of beanbags) and then on to see Santa at Harrods.

Despite being fully booked, it didn't seem to be very busy and we didn't have to wait too long. Father Christmas spent a good long time chatting to us, although didn't manage to convince George that he is a good guy - check out the grumpy look in the photo!

Communication - Talking

Although George doesn't say much, he has a mixed collection of words - sometimes used in conjunction with signs but also some used alone:


Names: Mama/Mummy, Daddy, Sarah (Rarer), Ruby (Bubby), Nanny, Dada, Bella (Ella), Man, Noo Noo, La La


Food: Cheese (eesh), Potato (tarto), Banana (nana)

Animals: Spider (dada), Bear (air), Animal (mammal)

Miscellaneous: More, Paper (pabber), Umbrella (ella), Car, (Ah), Home (ohm), Uh-Oh

Communication - Signs

Before we all forget, I wanted to make a list of all the signs that George knows - it's now quite a few, and they are an eclectic mix!

Dog, Cat, Rabbit, Fish, Frog, Bird, Spider, Crocodile, Monkey, Dolphin, Butterfly, Elephant, Giraffe, Pig, Horse, Caterpillar, Train, Car, Bus, Eat/Hungry/Food, Drink, Milk, Cheese, Cake, Ice Cream, Egg, More, Enough, Sleep, Home, Bye, Cold, Hot, Wait, Tree, Flower, Teletubbies, Something Special, Hat, Bin, Book, Paper, Pen/Drawing, Swimming

We can pretty much cope with most situations using this vocabulary!

Holiday!

A lovely week in sunny Spain.

We had fun at the waterpark (although the water was a little chilly) and George loved the dolphins - he was obsessed with the advertising board in the hotel lobby and kept running off with it, even though it was bigger than him!

Since he was ill for Mummy and Daddy's wedding last year, George obviously thought it appropriate to do the same again for their anniversary. He picked up a cold and cough which also made him a bit sick, but he still had a good time.

Practising for Holiday

Today we packed for holiday, and George got into the mood, modelling his sunglasses and a sarong!

Hello, My Name is George

Today we went to the Zoo - to be honest, George wasn't that interested in the animals, and much keener to climb everything in sight.



But there were a couple of good moments:



In the lift up from the tube station platform there was a young boy, about seven years old, and George walked over to him, pointed to himself and said "Daor" (which is the closest he can so far manage to "George"). I don't know who taught him to introduce himself, but it was very cute!



And then at the Zoo he managed to tell us that Lions go "ROAR" - his very first animal sound effect.

Daddy's Birthday

Today we went into town and met up with some friends of Daddy's at a Food Festival on the South Bank. We had a look at some (very busy) stalls, and wandered all the way along the river to London Bridge, stopping to have an ice cream on the way - and leaving Daddy at Vinopolis.

First Haircut

Well, we put it off for as long as possible. George's curly hair is such a feature and attracts so many comments that I was a bit scared to cut it in case we lost all the curls. But it was actually hanging down in front of his eyes, so we had to take the plunge.

The deed was done by a hairdresser friend, and we kept him quiet and relatively still by putting the "Something Special" DVD on.

Big Boy's Bed

Today George and I "wombled" a child's bed. Someone had left it outside a house a few doors down from us, and George stopped to look at it because it had a dog and cat shape on the headboard. The next door neighbour saw us looking and said he thought it would be fine for us to take it.

So George and I carried it home piece by piece and I put a note through the door saying "Thank You". Then in the evening, the person who had thrown it out came round with the screws to put it together, and said we could have the mattress too!

Although I can't imagine him sleeping in a bed any time soon - he ends up in such weird positions in his cot that I am sure he would be falling out all the time. So long as he still fits inside a baby sleeping bag he can't climb out of the cot and hurt himself, so it could be a while yet.

First (Official) Word

Today George said what I am counting as his first word - everything he has said before has been someone's name.

He went to the cupboard, found the tub of toys for the garden, and came over to me holding out the bubble solution and said very clearly "bubble". I am so proud!

Where's Your Mama Gone?

This weekend I was away - for the longest I have ever been apart from George, three whole days and nights on my own!

But he was fine, with Daddy and Nanny and Grandad - and Grandma's 90th Birthday celebrations.

One of the activities they found to keep him amused was a Butterfly Farm - although the only photos I have seen are of birds, with not a butterfly in sight!

Just a Small One

Sherry seems to be a staple food here in North Wales, compulsory before each meal - even for George! (it's blackcurrant squash of course!)

A Day Out with Thomas

We are up with the grandparents in Wales, and today we had planned a trip to Llangollen to see the steam trains - then we discovered that Thomas the Tank Engine was going to be there, so it was even more exciting!

We met the fat controller, took a trip up the line on a steam train and went on the rides while waiting for the return journey, and when we got back, Thomas himself was there. All great fun.

Today George also attempted a couple of words - his version of camera, which sounds like rowra, and then a "dee, dee, dee" while dipping his fishfingers into beans at lunchtime (that's "dip, dip, dip" to anyone who doesn't speak George.

Innocent Village Fete

The next in our summer outing schedule - this one in Regent's Park, which involved a train and a tube so was doubly exciting!

Sunshine and showers - at one point all three of us were huddled under one umbrella - lots of freebies and room for George to run around. What more could you want?

First Football Lesson

This morning daddy and I took George to have his first football lesson - a free trial session at our local adventure play place.

There were only two little boys there, so George got to have lots of turns - he wasn't very keen on waiting for the whistle before running off to get the ball or the cone, but he did okay on the whole. At least he did until he tripped over the ball and fell flat on his face, which knocked his confidence rather!

I think we might wait until the New Year before we pay for lessons.

It Really is "Something Special"

Since I stumbled across an episode of the children's signing programme "Something Special", George has become addicted. He will literally turn the television off if it isn't showing Justin and Mr Tumble.

I shouldn't really complain, as we are all learning something from it - but as I only managed to record about half a dozen episodes before the series finished, it is getting rather tedious!

"Goodbye, Goodbye, it's time to run,
Goodbye, Goodbye, I hope you had good fun,
I say Goodbye, I'm happy that you came,
I say Goodbye, please come back,
please come back, please come back again"

My Son the Cross-Dresser

I wasn't a witness to this personally, but here is photographic evidence of George helping himself to my clothes from the ironing pile!

Ben & Jerry's Sundae on the Common

Much excitement today as George got to actually travel on a bus! We were headed for the ice cream festival on Clapham Common - and he behaved himself quite well, then fell asleep just as we arrived.

We had fun there but didn't stay as long as last year because it was ridiculously hot with no shade at all. We spent some time sitting under an umbrella, but it wasn't much fun for George, and the kids' area marquee was like some form of tropical torture - you can see from the photo that George was a little overheated even in a vest and shorts.

Camp Bestival

After last year's extreme mud, we decided to give Glastonbury a miss this year and try out a new, much smaller festival designed with families in mind - Camp Bestival, at Lulworth Castle.

It did pretty much what it said on the tin - there was lots of stuff for kids to do, even at George's age. (Although I was disappointed with his lack of commitment to the many craft activities on offer, meaning that we only came away with a very poor tea cup hat and a really quite impressive plaster cupcake.)

But he had a great time running around the kids' field, between the toddler area and the bouncy castle and the steel drum and the tightrope (which he liked to grab hold of and swing from when other, older children, were halfway across). His biggest regrets were not being able to go on the swingboats, and not being allowed to stay in the Shisha tent.

Should I Suck or Should I Blow?

In other developments this week, George has finally got the hang of using a straw - and downed a bottle of J2O in a matter of minutes. He does still sometimes try to tip up the container, but I think that is more absent-mindedness than anything.

He hasn't yet worked out how to blow, though, which is frustrating his desire to make bubbles by himself instead of having to force mummy and daddy to do it endlessly. He knows it's something to do with your mouth, so he purses his lips in the general direction of the wand, but can't then understand why no bubbles are forthcoming.

And I must also mention here his swimming - I bought a floatation jacket for him to use in the pool on holiday and he has really got on well with it. He still has to work out the finer details of balance but it has done what I thought it might, and given him the idea that kicking his legs isn't just something you should do to please your mother, but it actually takes you to places you want to be.

Honey I Shrunk the Kid

Wimborne was the scene for today's entertainment, although it was a little disappointing. The model town didn't live up to my expectations, even with a model train exhibition thrown in. So we ended up just having lunch at a pub there and then heading back - which gave us time to explore the local beach.

Solo Theme Park Rides

Today we went to Paulton's Park, where there were loads of rides not just suitable for George, but where he could go on unaccompanied. I confess there was a little tear in my eye as I strapped him into the digger for his first solo theme park ride - our baby is growing up so fast!

He had loads of fun, and once again made good use of the sign for "more". He went on the digger, the water ride, a flying saucer, a ladybird, bouncy castle, full-sized rollercoaster, rabbit cars, viking boats and teacups.

George's First Curry

Day Two of our New Forest break, and today we went to Lyndhurst, where George enjoyed his first Indian Meal. He scoffed his way through plenty of shish kebab, tandoori chicken, bombay potatoes, and of course, popadoms.

Our Little Monkey

Today was the first day of our holiday in the New Forest, and after a brief exploration of the delights of Ringwood we found ourselves in Moors Valley Park. It's the home of a "Go Ape" but also has a children's play trail dotted throughout the forest. Some of the constructions were too big even for adventurous George, but there was still plenty of fun to be had.

Build It Up

Today we went to Legoland - mostly in the rain, but with odd patches of very hot sun.

George was just too small for many of the rides, which was particularly annoying because he has been on much faster/scarier ones in the past. But we did go on a Ferris Wheel, a train, a little boat and the Carousel, as well as playing with some Duplo and doing some sliding.

A World of Adventures

On the spur of the moment this morning we decided to go to Chessington World of Adventures (last time I went was on a Junior School Outing when it was still called Chessington Zoo!).





There were loads of rides that George could go on, and he seemed to enjoy them all - the trucks, Toad's cars, the flying elephants and (my personal favourite) panning for gold - making good use of the sign for "more". And he was completely unphased by the driving through a dark place shooting at things ride - although he did object slightly to having to queue for it and kept trying to sneak in front of people.