Sushi boy

Sunday Ry and I were in London for the day so we took T to Yo Sushi for lunch. We started out on stools as there were no booths available and T was fine but containment was an issue so we moved to a booth where he was contained but we just had to stop him from randomly taking things off and putting empty things on the conveyor. He was fascinated though and behaved mostly very well. He slept in the buggy after which was good as Ry bought an iMac which took about half an hour, and Ry and I then had the chance to chill and enjoy some coffee while they built in the extra memory. Bought T some Charlie and Lola DVDs for the car journeys and then he woke up just in time to run amok in the Apple store as we collected the Mac. Heres the pics ….

No migraine and I have lost half a stone in the last month

What a great day.

Migraines and hormones

From the post title you could be forgiven for thinking that I have had a lousy weekend, au contraire, we have had a wonderful weekend, swimming and shopping and lunches out. Lots of family time again and Ry is a very happy man with his new iMac. Ted has been sleeping through 530 on Saturday without going back to sleep and 530 this morning and he went back until 830 (which was of course 930) so thats all been great.

Only downside is as stated I appear to get migraines in a regular monthly cycle – if you know what I mean. (Men who get freaked out by ‘womens stuff’ stop here!) Since having Ted and since the chiropractor managed to make the vertigo and associated migraines stop it has becaome very noticable that I now only get migraines once a month, round about day 3 or 4 of my cycle which last for about 48 hours. Painkillers and caffeinated coffee (which I rarely drink) reduce them to a dull ache as oppose to a throbbing constricting band of pain, but its like clockwork. I am going to have to do some research and see if there is anything that can improve the situation. Maybe if I have another baby the hormones will change again and they will stop – but that does seem like a rather drastic approach to try!!

Anyway – as I said this has not prevented us from having a lovely weekend, just struck me as something my female readers might be able to pass comment on. I haven’t had issues with hormone / PMT issues before – although this is more During MT – DMT.

Also – another thing for female reader – primarily – what happened to the cost of make up, either I haven’t bought any for ages, or its all been duty free, or I have been buying the cheap stuff, I went to replace a Bobbi Brown compact which I used up last week (I bought on the flight to Dubai for the wedding so it lasted well!!) its a lovely shimmery bronzer which is not too orange and makes your skin look all glowing even when you have had shag all sleep. It was £30 – £30 for a bronzer, and since I needed a new mascara I got one at the same time – £16. Thats nearly £50 for a bronzer and a mascara. I have just ordered a book about being thrifty from Amazon and clearly I am going to need it if the price of my favourite slap is £50 for barely the basics – you need to add the £12 for Max Factor Pan Stick as a reasonably regular purchase. I am running low on perfume too so lord help me with that as I like to have a couple on the go at any one time. I will look in France for some alternative options.

I also need to start an in France shopping list because even with the euro where it is Olive Oil, Dijon mustard and Washing Powder are still cheaper and better quality.

I am reading ‘The Age of Innocence’ at the mo. Ry got up with T this morning – albeit at 930 – so I stayed in bed for a read and drank my wonderful latte which Ry ground and frothed. It was very leisurely and nice to get stuck in as I had been reading a page at a time before dozing off, but I am a chapter and a half in now so the early plot is established and I am sure I will be able to read the rest now as I am a sucker for a period piece – on paper or on the screen. Ryan is not a fan – its The Economist and National Geographic for him. Ted is more into Tiddler, The Gruffollo and most recently The Snail and The Whale although he likes to go straight to the page with the picture of a monkey, a turtle and an erupting volcano. Interesting as I am sure some of my earliest memories of enjoyment are of specific pictures in specific books which drew me too them. There was a book we had with nuns with no faces which involved gorillas and a red london bus – really, its true – and in one picture the nuns were swinging on vines like tarzan, I loved that picture, and of the nuns on the bus. I also love the picture of the little boy with the sore finger with a plaster round it, and the pages from a very hungry caterpillar with all the different food items on them – which I am now able to revisit with T.

Anyway – me and my now mild migraine (I have had pain killers and full caff coffee) are off to bed to read one more page before dozing off. Roll on next weekend where once again we have nothing planned. On saturday night Ry is out so maybe I will finally get to watch Sex and the City – The Movie, anyone else up for a girls night in – just let me know.

Our day in pictures

great day, great to see bex, T had wonderful time with the kids and playing in the park, looking forward to the weekend

Sleeping through at last … although only until 0430

Says it all really – the last 3 nights T has slept through from bedtime until 430, at which point he wants up. He would probably come into the other room with a bottle, hunker down with us and go back to sleep, but we have been there before… 430 became 415 became 4 became 330 and so on until he was getting up an hour after going to bed and wanting in with us before we had even gone to bed. I have been giving him a bottle and crashing in the chair where I doze with a cricked neck and half hum lullabys while he drifts in about out of sleep until 6, but its not alot of fun. I am still trying to decide whether it is better to have the 6 uninterupted hours from 1030 til 430 or the 7 interupted ones, I am erring towards the former. Still France beckons and reviewing Janthinajourneys daily is building the anticipation that we will have a wonderful few days, and when we get back its big boy bed time.

Ted and I are home today, we are waiting for the cleaner to arrive so we can give her the new key, and then it will be off to see Bex and Macky for some play and gossip. I am going to stop by the office en route as bonus and salary increase letters are out today and my team will be wanting theirs (and I want mine!). It is feeling good to have Friday at home again and we have had a lovely couple of hours with breakfast, T has done some drawing and now is playing with all the pens while I type at the kitchen table. Ted is getting more independent with eating and was only wanting to spoon for himself this morning – I have been waiting for this stage as a number of his friends have been at this stage for a while (all girls!!). We did have a minute in the naughty corner for not closing the cupboard door on all the food processor blades when asked. He gets a warning, a 3 count and then the corner. He stayed there this time with no returns although was clearly outraged – but a kiss and a cuddle and explanation and he seemed to get it. Start as you mean to go on I say – he may not be 2 yet but he needs to learn!

We have a weekend of opportunity pending, swimming of course but then nothing planned so we may go for a bike ride if it warms up, or out for a day trip somewhere. I have got the laundry on already and with the cleaner coming the house will be in good shape and there is no need for a big grocery shop as we are ok on supplies so apart from changing the beds which I will do later there won’t be any chores either. Even the accounts and paperwrk are fairly up to date. We do need to take the garden rubbish to the tip and all the hedges front and back need strimming back so there is outside garden work we can get on with weather permitting.

Good news is despite a leaving lunch yesterday at the pub for a colleague where I thought I was being good with vegetable lasagne, but realised a giant portion of chips came with it too late – willpower to leave them deserted me) – I didn’t gain another pound so am level and still in the yellow. This means I have had a 5 day week in the ideal weight category for the first time. Downward trend continue. I did my measurements this morning and in 2 weeks have lost an inch from my waist, half an inch from my hips and half from my bust so clearly there is toning going on.

Right then, the day beckons and Ted wants to do blocks so its time for some construction. Ciao

Two pounds forward, one pound back

Thats weight pounds not money pounds in case you were wondering!! Have been 50 minutes on the treadmill tonight as I had 4 cubes of 70% choc today instead of 2, and ate my paltry soya and linseed bread ham and mustard sandwich with Ted (before weigh in) rather than after – otherwise my day was all the same – meusli for breakfast, salad for lunch, apples as snacks – no crisps, biscuits, cakes, butter, sugar, mayo etc etc and yet my BMI goes from 24.78 to 24.88 and I gain a bloody pound. Looking at the graph the trend is going in the right direction but every week it is the same – a battle to shed 1 or 2 pounds. In fact to complete my demoralisation I checked back and I was the same weight and BMI 11 days ago. Now admittedly that was a low peak and I went straight back up again but still – 11 days worth of diet and excercise to acheive nowt, nada, zero, zilch, why bother. Might just get myself a sausage roll and a full fat latte with cream and chocolate tomorrow!! Except of course I won’t. But I feel like I might as well right now.

AND another thing. Ry has been stadily losing weight, done half as much excercise, was out on the lash last night and came home and ate a pizza tonight and I bet he is still losing weight faster than me. AND he doesn’t actually need to lose any weight at all, as although my BMI is at least now skimming along just under the bright red ‘overweight’ stripe on the wii chart, he is way down in themiddle of the ideal BMI / weight chart. Grrrrrrrr.

Teds doing great, loving nursery, and that he can watch beebees in the car (he thinks all TV and DVD is beebees), and that he has his own set of keys which he bathes and sleeps with. New words I have noticed are doffin (dolphin) buffly (butterfly) pooon (spoon) kacka (cracker) bappull (apple, also applies to kiwi and clemantine) and he can actually say socks properly!! He is full of smiles most of the time and is a very funny little chap. He has had his first naughty corner and although it took a couple of times to make him stay there he got it after a few returns and has not run out of the front door and up to the road since!

He is going down to sleep by himself – he protests a little and we stand outside and shush a few times while he makes a few grizzles but essentially settles himself, and although he is still waking in the night its rarely more than twice, and sometimes not at all, and is now only inconsistently asking for a bottle. I am also managing to leave the room as soon as he is settled and loiter with my spare blanket on the landing shushing for 10 mins while dozing in the corner before creeping back to bed. After France at Easter we are definitely going to buy him a bed, as he climbs into the other bed and scoots down under the duvet and looks all proud of himself so I think he is ready. Ry is now putting him down a couple of nights a week – Sunday and tonight so far this week which is great as it means less dependency on me and good bonding time for them while Ry reads stories and gives him bedtime cuddles. Ted sleeps through the night more often on nights where Ry puts him down so we are seeing if thats consistent – it worked Sunday and the Sunday before so we are seeing if the same happens on a week night! He defintely makes less fuss with Ry.

Am taking Friday off again to take him over to Bex to play with Mac and so she and I can have a good old chinwag and catch up on all news. Will be good to do the Friday off again and have a Wellness Healthcheck in Guildford the following Friday so will put him in nursery and then have the healthcheck and do some shopping perhaps – what a luxury – shopping, alone, no buggy, no baby, both hands free, I might even get myself a few new clothes by then I hope to have upped my 4 pound weight loss to date to 7 and thus should celebrate dropping half a stone. My clothes are feeling a littel looser so maybe its that there is muscle going on which we all know is heavier than fat. I can live in hope.

Right its 2159 so its bed with a magazine for me once I am finished messaging GW on facebook!! Nighty all.

What an impact a little sunshine can have

We have had a lovely weekend, lots of family time and lots of time outside in the spring sunshine. Saturday we woke not too early after not too bad a night and Ted and I crashed downstairs for some early play and breakfast. We mosied around until 9 then went to get ready for swimming and wake Daddy who gets a lie in on Saturdays. Shoved all our stuff in a bag and then got underway. Ted is doing brilliantly in the pool, the new suit with floats in gives him alot more confidence and he can now spend brief spells unaided where he bobs around like a cork! He was a little distracted today and spent most of the time trying to swim towards the big basket of watering cans which was placed enticingly close to the edge in one corner. He has also become obsessed by keys and so it was all I could do to extract my house keys from his little fist before he entered the pool. He nearly dived in head first, although largely because he tripped. Still he is a good jumper and rarely waits until Humpty Dumpty has a great fall like all the other kiddies.

Post swim we had breakfast as usual and although generally try to find the best in people I have to say that the girl behind the counter in the cafe – as well as being particularly surly, is also rubbish at taking orders, using the till and making coffee – all somewhat pre requisites to the job of working a cafe counter I would have thought. All I wanted was 2 brown toast, one with scrambled egg, one with beans, a sausage on the side, one coffee and one juice. I ended up with 4 toast – 2 with egg, 2 with beans, no sausage, and tea. This is now the third week now that I have not got what I ordered, and I haven’t made too much of a fuss so far as the queue is always long because she is sooooo sloooooooooow and so next week I am going to just keep it really simple and ask for a full english – then it all comes together – and costs less!!

Back home and Ted had fallen asleep in the car. Ry was preparing the Laguna for collection by our friend Phil the plumber who we have traded the car with in exchange for some work at the house so I grabbed the shirts for ironing and took them to the dry cleaner and collected the ones which were there while Ted had a good long nap. Picked up Phil on the way back and he came and double checked he had the details right for the job we have asked him to do. Chatted over coffee and found out that Yvvie – who is Teds age is also playing up royally at the moment so we all felt better about that! Once Phil had left we jumped in the car and sped over to Twickenham to pick up the headrests we had replaced with DVD ones from the Lexus garage – since the rugby was in session the roads were wonderfully quiet. We stopped at the store on the way back to get in the groceries and then came home where I cooked us a tasty spicy mince dinner – Teds was not so ‘picy’ as ours but he dug in and loved it all the same.

Ted went down well without much fuss and Ry and I crashed in the lazyboys in front of the TV to watch Tropic Thunder which is a comedy take on all the Vietnam war films. It was the equivalent of easy listening and just nice to watch a film – I realised its been weeks since I turned on the stack in the long lounge and watched anything on the big screen as I am always in the play room with Ted and don’t watch TV in the evenings much anymore. After the film I went to bed to read – I am reaquainting myself with the tough love book on getting your kid to sleep, post France we are going to have to knock the 2am bottle on the head, since the holiday will disrupt him I am not fighting that battle now and we have reached a balance I can live and work with!

Sunday, Mothers Day dawned with Ted and I curling up in the spare room at 530 – he got up and played for an hour with all my old hair bungees while I dozed before crawling back into bed with me and going back to sleep until 9!! Ry took him downstairs and came back with a latte for me and I read and made some notes in my book about what I plan to do with the rest of my life. I have not had time to think about that for months and the reality is I won’t be doing much different for a while but its good to plan. Downstairs at 1030 and we all walked down to the river to feed the wack wacks. They are clearly doing well in the sunny weather as there was little interest in the bread but Ted enjoys seeing the wacks and boots and like to scare us by rushing towards the edge. We are immensely vigilent. Cherry blossoms are out which always takes me back to the park in Shinjuku in Tokyo where Ry and I spent days lying in the sun reading and chilling, life was a good deal simpler then. Although T was happy to ride down on his bike he spurned it on the way back in favour of a carry until we got to the park where there was running aroudn to be done. Some running, spinning, falling over and lying on the grass later we emerged and walked / were carried back to the house.

Ry took me off to thegarden centre to get some plants for the garden – we decided a good mothers day gift would be some plants which we can enjoy for years to come and some seeds which I could plant with T. We bought some Periwinkles (blue and purple) and some other small pots of bedding plants with white and pink flowers, and some seeds – Lobelia, something else and Sweet Pea to grow up the frame GW planted last year. Please avoid any comparisons relating to the detail around my gardening notes with those of GW at Janthinajourneys, I am very much the amateur to her seasoned professional in the gardening stakes!! Back home and Ted and I planted some seeds out front while Ry mowed the lawn – T is still a little wary of the lawnmower with its loud noises and grass flying out he back. Then we did some potting up and pruning and collecting up dead leaves and fronds from the palms and the garden is looking good – well – better. T went down for a nap and Ry lit the brai and we sat in the conservatory reading the paper and drinking champers and thinking that lifes pretty good actually all things considered. It was the last bottle of Gosselin champers from St Vaast which we had bought for Teds Christening – it is wonderful so we shall pick up another case when we go over at Easter. Two glasses though and I was back on the water as it renders me in capacitated very quickly!!

T woke up late (it was a late nap anyway) and came and had his lunch – Ry and I had already enjoyed jerk chicken, thai marinated bream and bangers. T ate well and the boys enjoyed banana custard which I boycotted on account of my health kick and my desire not to regain all the hard fought pounds I dropped last week. More play in the garden and it was time to come indoors and start winding down for bedtime. Ry tooke T off for bath and to put him down while I snuck off to the gym to treadmill for half an hour. This is part of our new strategy to make T less dependent on me – especially at bedtime and it worked fine T went down without much fuss – and without a bottle – thats 2 nights now with no bottle at bedtime – although still there is one at 2am and another at 530. The 530 bottle has been since birth and is his morning milk so its the 2am one we need to put the kybosh on. Anyway now I find myself here blogging with some pictures to post before I go and do my Wii test to see if I have managed to at least maintain a position over the weekend. With leftovers I should be able to cobble together tomorrows breakfast and lunch with ease then its off to bed.

The sunny weather and taking Friday off thus having a longer weekend definately benefits my overall state of mind and sense of wellbeing and motivates me to work harder on the four days I am in the office from now on, so that has to be a good thing. Lovely weekend with my boys. Love those boys.

Lovely day…

After my bout of ‘me time’ this morning I went to collect Ted who was thrilled to find mummy arriving before nap time and gaev me a card for mothers day he had made – bless him. Loaded into the car and he was asleep in minutes. Used the new GPS to get to Richmond Park – its genius – it detects and asks if you want to divert to avoid queueing traffic – thats a no brainer!!

Arrived and found Gen with Scout – the cutest ever working cocker spaniel puppy in the history of dogs playing ball. Managed to park right by the cafe so left T to sleep in the car and had a good hour of coffee and jacket potato and catch up with no interuptions from his small majestyness. It has been ages so there was lots to catch up on but so nice to see Gen who has an enviably chilled out life and looks great for it. Once T was awake we crossed to the park and sat in the sunshine while Scout played ball and sniffed out mouses, and Ted came round and pottered and explored. We wandered across to the river so scout could cool off and Ted seemed keen at times to charge straight off the bank to splash in the water but had to be reined in!

After a while it was time for Gen to head into London to meet friends at a dog friendly cafe – not something I had ever considered but now a key part of her life! and since we were so close to Putney I gaev Antia a call since she is recently back from her 6 week trip to South Africa to see if she and Nathan were around. Luckily they were so 15 mins in the car and we arrived in Putney for tea and chat and play. Initially Nathan was a little full on for Ted, and there was a moment where he decided to bonk Ted on the head with his beaker where Ted felt a little abused – but he recovered with some cuddles and was soon playing cars, and reading books and using the telephone and fiddling with the TV and XBox with Nathan which was lovely. Antia and Nathan are both looking well and I would be posting pics of both Scout and Nathan if I had remembered to take the camera battery out of the charger and put it into the phone before I left this morning – I know – what a dolt.

Ted and I ended up staying for some snacks and some garden play and left late at 6 – which meant we missed most of the traffic but were a little late home. Once home it was spaghetti in tomato sauce, yoghurt and 4 kiwi fruit (yes you heard me right) for tea, then a nice bath, story and bed. Very little fuss tonight – I had retrieved my sleep bible from Antia and done a refresh on some of the techniques during his bath, like be firm, don’t show any sign of weakness, remember who is in charge, etc, so it may be that he percieved I was meaning business – but it might just be that we had plenty of time together today and he was tired out and more relaxed than usual. In an added bonus I didn’t offer a ‘bockle’ before we went upstairs or during his story or at bed time and he didn’t ask for one. He did go to sleep holding my house keys though so I may have to try and retrieve them in case he rols on them and hurts himself.

I spent some time doing the Wii fit and when I got to the test found I am at the lowest weight and BMI since I started – BMI is in the normal section and I have lost 5 pounds in 3 weeks so far. Had to ring Ry who was out for a few drinks and god love him he was wonderfully pleased for me (I know these things are generally of little interest to menfok and certainly being called in the pub by your wife to tell you her BMI is improving is probably one of those roll eyes and raise eyebrow moments – but if so there was little evidence of it in his words and tone.)

Its gone 10 so I am off to bed to read a little more about sleeping and do a sudoku. Am feeling great though and reckon I need to schedule activities that ensure I take my Fridays off – its lovely for me to have the morning and for me and Ted to share the afternoon.

Simple pleasures

I have the house to myself – granted it is only for 3 and a half hours, and I am having to do various chores, but its so much easier without my little follower ‘helping’ me with everything, and the quiet – I haven’t even put any music on, just for the quiet. I should really take the opportunity to take this time every Friday. I was planning to have a nap, especially since I was expecting a bad night after the bedtime battle but it was OK. Ted did wake up demanding a bottle at 2 and it took him 40 mins to go back to sleep during which he required me to be close enough that he could hold my hand – but then he slept until 545 and we sloped into the back bedroon with another bottle and he went back to sleep until 730 so I am feeling reasonably human today.

So far in my lone time I have made a start on the weekly laundry mountain – which gives me a head start on what is normally a weekend activity – an allows me to get the shirts done and ready to drop off when I collect last weeks ironing tomorrow – saves an extra trip in the week. I have had 2 hot cups of coffee, scrambled egg with smoked mackeral, the housekeeping and my accounts are up to date, credit card paid, papers upstairs for filing and all the dishes washed and put away.

The four over ripe kiwi fruit which were taking safe haven in the fridge are now peeled and chopped and ready for a certain someone to demolish when he gets home, the playroom is tidy and I have called the bank to check the transfer they texted me about which I had forgotten about was legitimate. I have also called the plumber who is coming to collect the car and size the job he is doing for us in exchange to organise tomorrow so thats all in hand. I also logged into GWs blog to check some spam comment – it was spam and I have deleted it – and to add some tags and categories which we talked about this morning.

This afternoon it is off to nursery to collect Ted in the small gap between lunch and nap so he can sleep in the car while we head over to Richmond Park to meet Gen and her new puppy for lunch and some running around. Looking forward to a good catch up as it has been a really long time. It should be lovely especially for Ted to have time outside with the puppy in the sunshine as spring appears to have well and truly sprung and it is a beautiful day if a little brisk.

Hopefully it will stay like this for the weekend and we can have a brai and spend some time out in the garden on Sunday.

Not even going to mention the diet / excercise programme except to say that attending conferences with 3 course dinners or offsite meetings where lunch options are sandwiches and crisps are not helpful when one is endeavouring to lose weight – I have identified bread as a major culprit in adding pounds – it seems I only have to look at a sandwich and it lands on my hips, on and up.

Nightly news from last night

Went down without a fight, woke up at 1230 demanding ‘bockle of miwk’, I held out for an hour trying to cajole him to go back without before caving and leaving him with one. Back to bed 130, he stirred at 2 and needed a resettle then slet til 5 when he and I took another bottle to the waterbed and he went back to sleep until 715.

So not a disaster but I should have just given him the milk at 1230 and saved us all some grief. Lesson learned. Better that he is able to go back to sleep quickly with a bottle but without me. We can worry about weaning off the bottle later.

Tonight he went down ok – just heard coughing but no crying is 2145 and I am off to bed – ry is out at a black tie dinner so will be late back. I am out for a work function tomorrow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! so Ry will be doing pickup and bedtime while I eat too much and regain the hard fought pounds I have spent the alst fortnight losing…