Potty training!!

Today has been a real breakthrough day for Lyra in terms of toilet training. After weeks of resisting the idea of even having no nappy on she agreed to have knickers on (sparkly bright pink winnie the pook ones to be precise). First wee was on the floor outside BUT second wee was in the potty with NO prompting at the time & she pulled her knigckers down herself. Another (tiny!) wee folloowed later and then the piece de resistence - a poo in the potty just before daddy arrived home (again with no prompting - I walked int he lounge to find her sat on her potty doing a poo). She's been so proud of herself & it's been wonderful to have a chance to really really praise her for this without too much stress. Zero to potty trainedin one day! ok it's just day 1 but we shall see how it goes for the rest of the week. I also managed to get her into pull up nappies (aka "special night time pants") for bedtime, which is something she has always refused so I'm hoping nappies will now be out of the picture. Not looking forward to having to carry a potty with me at all times but hey that stage will pass soon enough & I'm so incredibly proud of her.
In other news, I had my progesterone coil fitted yesterday afternoon & was very nervous but it didn't hurt a bit & I've only had a tiny bit of spotting. Could something in the downstairs department really be straightforward for me?! who'd have thought it? Logan is being gorgeous & lovely as ever, thought he heatwave we're suffering at the moment is making him a bit restless & he's not slept much today. Fingers crossed for a good night's sleep then! Our new washer dryer arrived this afternoon -after 10 days with no washing machine I can't wait to have clean clothes & some order to the house again! it's so quiet night time laundry is an option too so may even make some headway tonight.
What a good day it's been!

With playgroups & general mumminess t's been a pretty busy week so I've not had much of a chance to update on here... The washing machine finally packed in terminally last sunday, an hour or so after we had ordered a new one to be ordered this coming Tuesday so the dirty laundry is currently reaching critical mass. Fortunately there are only 2 days before our new washer-dryer (wit 5-year guarantee!) arrives & this week is meant to be a nice one weather wise so we should be able to get through the laundry on Wednesday & Thursday.
Logan is becoming more and more strong, he can now roll back-to-front and loves kicking & batting toys on his play arch, row-row-row your boat & of course his favourite kissing game! he's such a good little boy, though 6pm is now becoming his sleepy time & he has a problem making it through to bath time. Usually he has one big morning nap, a big-ish afternoon nap & a few cat naps in between. Not been in cloth nappies this week due to washing machine situation!! Really can't wait to get his nice nappies out again.
Lyra has really been in the wars. After her head injury a week last friday she now has a black eye from knocing her cheek on the guard of the bed the other day & a bruise on her forehead from falling over with Rebecca & bashing her head against a radiator... Oh & on Tuesday she had washing powder on her hands & rubbed it into her eyes. poor little thing, it makes me want to cry to look at her. People will think we beat her! On a more positive note she went swimming with David this morning in her new wetsuit & it kept her warm enough to stay int he pool for over an hour - she had a brilliant time and even swam by herself (with float jacket & armbands) without getting too worried & really loved it. Then she had a great time playing with Rebecca and Toby this afternoon (while Logan dozed on Uncle Peter).
It's my mum's 60th Birthday on Wednesday. I already gave her her present of a wii fit & wii console but am so glad I spent a bit extra as she, dad and Daniella have used it loads - mum & dad have each used it more in about 4 weeks than I've used mine in over 2 months. They are all very competitive about it and dad is getting more gentle exercise than he's been able to in years. the balance board is out on the floor most of the time!

Logan's 3 months old!!

Well I can hardly believe it but my little boy is 3 whole months old today, how quickly did that go?! He's getting so big - I had him weighed for the first time since he was 6 weeks old & he was a whopping 14lb 12oz, gaining an average of 1/2 lb a week that means he will have doubled his birth weight of 7lb 7oz now, little porker! He's tall too though, 63cm long (OK not as big as Kate's Thomas but pretty respectable all the same!!). He's starting to find some 3-6 month clothes a little tight, which I'm sure can't be right & must be the cut of the clothes. Or possibly the cloth bottom he has during the day....I'm still doing lots of baby wearing, which is essential really with such a demanding big sister around... get the feeling I'm a bit of a hippy really as I've been making my own jam, elderflower cordial etc etc & even wore a skirt I made myself today - Logan brings out the hippy self-sufficient mama side of me!!
He's such a lovely smiley & good natured baby who loves kisses and cuddles. His favourite games are people pulling faces at him, which he tries to copy (sticking his tongue out etc, so sweet) & one we've developed together where I kiss his face & he tries to bite my chin!!! He coos, smiles and laughs away & it all makes me so happy:o) Sleepwise he's pretty good, he settles himself to sleep a lot of the time at night & last night slept 7.30 to 3 & 3.30 to 7.30, which made mummy very very happy I can tell you! Usually he's a bit more difficult to settle in the middle of the night but maybe he's decided 3-month-olds sleep well - who knows?! He's quite a mummy's boy & has a particular call he makes when he wants me, then as soon as he sees me he smiles beautifully, "talks" to me and waves his arms and legs about excitedly. No one else gets that reaction & it's not just when he's hungry! He usually enjoys his baby massage (unless he's too tired), always loves his bath and loves it when people talk to him. Pretty soon I'll be getting our prince lionheart version of a bumbo down fromthe attic so he can sit & interact a it more with us.
Lyra is being a lovely big sister most of the time, though does seem to make SO much work for me! yesterday we had a bit of a fright with her when she had a cycling accident (was knocked over backwards off trike with trike & friend on top of her!) & had a nasty bump to the back of her head, with a little cut int he middle that bled profusely. Thank God, she was ok & it was just a tiny cut but now the situation is dealt with just thinking about it makes me cry, the adrenaline got me through until we were nearly home & I started shaking & nearly crying. Poor Lyra keeps saying her head hurts but is a lot better today... Obviously I feel really guilty now that I'd been having to tell her off earlier in the week for being a nightmare child, mums can't win on that one!!

not such a good night last night, though Logan wasn't too bad Lyra had me up at 6.30 & I went to bed a bit too late for that type of early morning!
Thinking of trying baby & toddler massage on them both... will give it a go & see if it helps..... Lyra hated baby massage when she was little so wonder if she'll like it now.

What a day!
Nothing in particular, but Lyra has been a bit trying - constantly making a mess faster than I can tidy, spilling everything & being a bit demanding.. well she is 2!!!
She poured cold water on Logan in the bath, poor baby boy was so shocked & upset by it he screamed! However she did apologise to him later & meant it for the first time ever so that's good at least.
Had Logan weighed and measured this morning, at 12 weeks 4 days old it's been over 6 weeks... He was 14lb 12oz & 63 1/2cm long, surprised he wasn't 15lb but not far to go! Lyra refused to be weighed & went all opink at the suggestion, bless her.
Parenting can be hard some days & guilt is a constant - I feel guilty that I feel frustrated with lyra for being 2, I feel guilty that Logan can't have all of the attention i would like to give to him, I feel guilty tha the house is a tip... on the whole I'm incredibly happy but that doesn't mean it's easy. & OMG I love my children so much, I wish I didn't have to go back to work eventually as I'd love to just focus on my children. David said to me earlier on when I said how happy Logan makes me "god, children are meant to make you happy" ... who knew? I loved Lyra immensely as a baby but I wasmn't happy, the love was the best thing but the experience was not positive. It wasn't her fault, more my own as I got myself into a very dark & lonely place. I'm so happy now I wish I'd been like that 2 years ago, it's my main regret....

Logan and mummy time

Lyra went over to spend the day with my mum, dad & sisters today (I had my smear test booked & she would have been upset by that) so for the first time since his birthI have had several hours with just me & my son.... & Oh my goodness he is so good! I gathered some more elderflowers to make more cordial (was out for 1 1/2 hours including doctors), made the cordial, made a small quantity of strawberry jam (just 1 jar!!), cleaned the bathroom, did some laundry,tidied up (a bit, lets not be silly about things like that) & still managed to spend ample time cuddling & kissing him until Lyra arrived home at 2pm. It really goes to show just how much of my time she demands as this would all have been really difficult. I did kind of miss her but I was pretty busy & loved spending time with Logan unmolested!
He's such a smiley happy boy and loves kisses so very much he's a joy to have... He's even been sleeping really well lately, from about 8pm to 3am each night for the past 4 nights - he sleeps for a shorter stretch after that but I'm tempted to try giving him a dream feed at 11pm tonight so he might *possibly* be able to make it through to 6am... with a lot of luck!

On Friday Lyra, Logan & I met with some mummy friends & their children for a walk around Hestercombe gardens, it was so lovely having a chance to catch up with the other mums & Lyra had a fantastic time playing, running around, exploring and eating wild strawberries (which I threaded onto a stalk like a necklace for her. bless, she loved that!). We were first to arrive and last to leave! They have 3 fantastic little wooden play houses in their play area & I think Lyra would Love David to make one... & Logan of course when he's bigger. I carried Logan all the way & even though Lyra walked loads she was pretty tired by the end and I ended up carrying her on my shoulders too, double-decker mummy.....

We had a lovely weekend, it was really hot and sunny both days. on saturday we went for a walk around a local nature reserve & Lyra & david paddled in the streams after Lyra had finished in the park. Yesterday we went for a walk in Piddle Wood near Corfe & had a picnic by the stream. It was quite an undertaking to get down to the stream as it was pretty steep! There were masses & masses of tiny froglets all over the path up the hill from the stream & Lyra loved them, she was also fascinated by the piles of snail shells left near certain stones by industrious thrushes. Logan would have been interested in it all if he'd been awake!! We're hoping to be motivated enough to go for walks most weekends while the weather is nice as we all love it... it's fathers day next Sunday so david's choice... incidentally I still haven't had my mothers day this year as David was not at all organised & then Logan arrived 2 days before. It's actually a pretty sore point with me & I'm going to make sure I get a mothers day or an extra specially grovelling one next year.

Yesterday we had no water all day because there was a leak from the faucet leading into the cold water tank & the overflow was leaking constantly, over the past few weeks the washing machine has been playing up & there have been a few small leaks from the pipes & now it looks like the hot water tank may be on the blink as there was no hot water this evening & we had to turn on the immersion heater for Lyra's bath. (we're on night-storage)
Being grown-up has it's rewards but sometimes it's a real hassle!!!!

My sister Genni came to spend a bit of the day with us today, which we spent at the park & productively picking elderflowers to make into elderflower cordial (currently steeping in the kitchen but already tasting lush - I licked the spoon!) Genni fell through a window at our Godmother's house the other day & seriously cut her arm - a 30cm piece of glass was sticking through it & she had to have 21 stitches. Lyra went a bit funny after seeing the injury & didn't want to talk to Genni for a little while but that passed (& meant Genni could cuddle Logan in peace). She did recover from this very quickly & on the way back from picking the flowers was laughing hysterically at Genni as she pretended to eat some of the flowers we had collected.
Logan has been very chatty,in fact he has been all week - gurgling away cheerfully while being pretty clingy at the same time, weird combination. He's very contented but really likes to be cuddled lots but will be put down, which Lyra never would be.... He does complain but is happy for a while, I'm happy doing a bit of baby wearing most of the time but sometimes Lyra really needs my attention without him but he's pretty good. & so gorgeous, sweet & scrumptious I don't really mind that he wants so many cuddles!!. He does lovely baby kisses at the moment, which basically consist of him turning towards me when I'm kissing his cheek and opening his mouth over my mouth. occasionally trying to gum me & smiling beautifically & cooing sweetly. Such an adorable thing for him to do! He also loves splashing in the bath & really concentrates on splashing with his arms & legs, looking really intense but happy.

Lyra : "I want to eat a slug"
Me: "No you don't, that would be disgusting"
Lyra: "I want to taste a slug aswell, it will taste like milkshake"
Hmmm... better keep an eye on her in the garden so she doesn't eat any milkshake-flavoured slugs!!!
Apparently "Boobie is so nice, I love boobie. it tastes like milkshake" So everything tastes like milkshake, I do hope my breastmilktastes nicer than slugs though!!!

After a gorgeous couple of weeks weather wise the clouds opened yesterday & today, we had hailstones, thunder - the works!! Needless to say we weren't too keen to venture out into the storm (well.. I went to Tesco for some shopping, but don't think that really counts). After a *really* bad night last night (the night before had been so hopeful, 8pm-2.30 then 3.30 settling himself & sleeping to 7.30) we were not really up to braving it at all. I have done some much needed tidying up this afternoon though & made a cake with Lyra. She also "helped" make her dinner & I was amazed by how much less stressful the whole thing was. That's one of my resolutions- to let Lyra help me cook rather than ending up shouting at her when i try to do it without her. For lunch we had a very naughty oven cooked "fry-up" including black pudding so still don't feel at all hungry. I really need to do some exercise on the wii fit but am worried it will tell me off!!
We've been a bit lazy this weekend & Logan has been in disposable nappies the whole time, which is strangely something I feel prety bad about since I use disposables on Lyra without a 2nd thought. Well as she has flatly refused cloth nappies & will be potty training soon it's not something I really need to go with.....( she did a poo in the potty today (after much trying!) & was so proud of herself, I really hope she's going to become more interested in the idea of no nappies) I'm keen to have Logan in cloth most of the time though for various reasons - environmental, financial & healthwise for him... We gave a bottle of expressed milk a go again last night with a different bottle & he objected thoroughly... he really only wants the real thing, this boy of mine. I'm really having doubts about the whole expressing & offering a bottle thing because I'm worried it may lead to formula, which is not where I want to go. I still occasionally let Lyra have some milk from me (she really doesn't want to let go!) so the idea of not feeding him is difficult for me.I'll hopefully get Logan weighed on Tuesday, I wonder how big he is now - surely over a stone.
I have a funny feeling I'm becoming a bit of a hippy & more & more wishing I didn't have to return to work... February will come around far too quickly for my liking, that's for sure. I'm loving spending time as a mummy as I'm in a much better place than I was during my maternity leave last time. I want to make elderflower cordial with Lyra, grow vegetables, go for walks, make bath bombs with her... just DO things with my babies! They grow so quickly. Unfortunately finances mean me working will make a HUGE impact on our quality of life & David's stress levels!!!!!

Aren't children funny..

Lyra is really becoming a proper little madam, but she really makes me laugh. For example,
yesterday i put a basket of laundry on her trampoline to make it easier for me to reach when hanging it up. She suddenly went "I want to go on my trampoline, no mummy don't put the laundry on my trampoline." so ok, i took it off & she got on the trampoline & said "naughty mummy, it's Lyra's trampoline not mummy's trampoline" & she PUSHED me (in an "oi" type of way if you know what i mean!) She's really into imaginary play now & will give me imaginary things all the time, if I'm looking for something I often hear a little "I found it mummy!", turn to her hopefully & 9 times out of 10 it is literally nothing - an imaginary item that she passes to me. This age is so sweet, but so demanding!
Logan had his first imunisations yesterday, poor little lamb (he DOES make funny bleating noises, I swear it's from David's welsh ancestry) - he was inconsolable after the 2nd one & screamed loads more than Lyra did at hers. Even after I managed to calm him down, when he eventually accepted my nipple to nurse, his little face kept crumpling & his eyes filled with tears. Luckily he didn't have any ill effects other than grumpiness (another trait from daddy! lol!) & has been his usual cheerful self today., he's such a happy little boy I find it harder if he's sad!

Another gorgeous day spent in & out of the garden... David was back at work today & apart from food shopping first thing in the morning we have spent the day at home, Lyra playing, Logan lying around gazing at the world (naked a lot of the time!) & me tidying (in between feeding & changing both baby & toddler!)....
I'm currently on a bit of a mission to tidy the house because we live in such a small house it clutters up really really easily, it's then near impossible to find homes for the clutter. the majority of this clutter is Lyra's toys but sewing & knitting stuff takes up a reasonable amount of space, I have a lot of bits of fabric at the moment & am waiting for some thread I have ordered before I can really do anything with it - I'm intending to make a special patchwork quilt. special in that it will be made largely from Lyra's old clothes so will have memories attached to the different patches. I really hope I'll get a chance to do it, I'm waiting for some thread (the thread i have is too fine for my sewing machine to cope with & it gets stuck to my great annoyance) and some wonder web (for cheating with decorating certain patches)
You never really understand how hard being a mum & looking after a home with children in it is until you've done it. Before Lyra was born our home was *incredibly* tidy compared to how it is now, we would have thought our current conception of *tidy* was really messy & cluttered. Toys everywhere now, & Lyra can mess up in 5 seconds & the same toys take me 20 minutes to tidy up. It's really just the huge amounts of toys that make it untidy, storage is certainly an issue & we're thinking of getting a new bed with storage under the entire bed & a hydraulic mechanism to lift the top part of the bed up just to maximise the storage space available to us. Just think - I could fit all my crafty bits in there & then some!