Cardboard Tunnel Fun

Posted by Caroline Elliott

Last weekend, we did something very grown up. We *gasp* bought some garden furniture! The set we had previously hubby had inherited from a friend and it was very weather beaten and wobbly. It didn’t really match our lovely new garden. We have had in mind we wanted some for a while but they have all been so expensive. On a trip to our local garden centre however we found a lovely set, heavily reduced in the sale and, well, we snapped it up!

It took a couple of trips to get it home in the car, and hubby had to tie the table in on the last leg as it didn’t quite fit, but we managed and it is now set up and looking lovely in the back garden. I’m not sure why, I mean we have a house, a toddler and a baby on the way, but for some weird reason, buying garden furniture feels like a very grown up thing to do. And I really don’t feel like a grown up!

Anyway, immaturity was soon restored!

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Family fun at my Mum’s

Posted by Caroline Elliott

It’s my Mum’s birthday this week so on Saturday we popped round for a little gathering at my Mum and Step-Dad’s house. The weather was lovely and we were having lots of fun in the garden.

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Fun at the seaside – who’s the biggest kid?

Posted by Caroline Elliott

On our holiday last week we spent a lot of time at the seaside. At Gorleston beach to be precise. Just south of Great Yarmouth there is free parking right next to one of the loveliest beaches I have been to in a long time.

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Random Playtime – 24 mths old

Posted by Caroline Elliott

Our little Monkey is growing up and now has a lot more imaginative play, and a lot more independant play. This leads to him having a lot fun with mummy largely acting as a bystander.

Some of the things he chooses to play with are particularly amusing. I’ve blogged before about how random household objects can be fascinating for babies/toddlers but I am going to show you two recent play times which demonstrate this perfectly!

Gym Ball

Because of my SPD we have my gym ball down in the lounge a lot of the time at the moment, because it is good to sit on and do pelvic tilts etc. It is also a LOT of fun for Monkey to play on, and hilarious for me to watch.

He can’t get on it himself but he loves carrying it around the room (though it is about as big as he is)..

And then launching himself onto the ball

and laughing his head off when he then flies off it again!

Very funny afternoon spent watching that!

Playing with my scarf

I got a lovely new scarf for my birthday and I had been a naughty mummy and left it in the lounge after I had taken it off. Therefore it was obviously fair game at play time. Monkey loves playing with blankets and hiding under them so it wasn’t a huge surprise when he decided to have a play with the scarf, but it was pretty funny!

He very much enjoyed hiding underneath it..

And then there was lots of giggles looking at himself in my phone while he wrapped it around his head.

He did look very pretty in it bless him!

You’ve gotta love the random things that amuse toddlers and the simple fun they can have with very little in the way of toys or parental involvement!

Do your kids ever turn random objects into fun playthings?

Play time with Uncle Marky

Posted by Caroline Elliott

Every other Friday afternoon after work, my little bro pops round for a play with his nephew. He’s quite lucky in that he finishes fairly early and only lives round the corner from us so he often pops over from about 4pm. His name is Mark and as a kid, and as he is 4 years younger than me, and 6 years younger than our big bro, he was always known as Little Marky. As he grew up he lost the y off the end of his name, but somehow, since becoming an uncle, the y has reappeared and he is Marky once again – but this time he is Uncle Marky.

Monkey loves his Uncle Marky and loves it when he comes to play. He loves all his family but having Uncle Marky come round so regularly is so lovely for them both. I have to say I love it too as I am usually flagging in the afternoon and love having someone else to play with the little Monkey. He quite often naps till nearly 5 most days so every other Friday I try and put him down a little early, or I get him up early to maximise his playtime!

Here is a few snaps of them at play on his recent visit. Such cuties together!

A selfie of the pair of them on Uncle Marky’s phone!

“I Don’t Know” – 23 months

Posted by Caroline Elliott

“I Don’t Know” is Monkey’s latest favourite phrase, and to all of his family, it is the most wonderful sound in the world. He is a fairly late talker, although at not yet 2 it’s not like he is massively delayed, but compared to some of friends’ children who have been speaking since before they were even 1, it has felt like a big delay.

We’ve also worried that it was our fault in some way. We have read books to him since he was tiny, spoken to him about everything, sung songs every day, taken him to groups, done everything we could, and yet we never even had so much as a ‘mama’ or ‘dada.’ When I heard about health visitors praising the parents when a toddler has an excellent vocabulary, I panicked a little inside that in contrast then there must be something we weren’t doing right, fro him not to be saying any actual words.

I was consoled by the fact that he clearly understood so much of what we were saying, and many people said that it may be because he was such an early walker. His speech did gradually change and improve and I stopped worrying so much as I could tell that we were nearly there, though still didn’t know how long that would take.

Then a couple of months ago we were rewarded with his first word “go” and loved it. Since then he has added more words to his list, though not tonnes, but all random really. He still doesn’t really say mummy or daddy in any way shape or form, but he says go, sings row row row (for row, row the boat), says shoo to birds and sheep (learnt that one of the TV I think!) and says a few other words too occasionally, though not as frequently.

Not too long ago he started saying “oh dear” which we thought was lovely and he has now mastered the word “no” whereas he previously just shook his head. We are getting there with yes but it is a bit on and off. Then one day last week I was explaining to Monkey that we were going to collect his friend and that she was going to come in the car with us, as I didn’t want him to get upset by the unusual occurrence. He was looking at me very confused so I asked him “do you understand?” I don’t know why I asked, I wasn’t expecting a response but I always try and talk to him as if he is going to respond. Anyway, he just said three lovely words ” I don’t know.” Just once, but so clear, and my heart melted. He said it loads that day and melted Daddy’s heart too when he come home.

He just says it in the right context every time, you ask him a question and it is met with “I don’t know” in a variety of different tones! What do you want for lunch? “I don’t know.” What do you want to do? “I don’t know.” What does it feel like? “I don’t know.” It really has made us wonder if it something we say a lot to each other, and I guess it must be!

I think it is so special because we have been waiting so long for him to talk, and I guess that because it is more than one word, it really feels like you’re having a conversation, which obviously has never happened until this point! I don’t know whether it feels more magical to us because we’ve waited so long for it, or if we would have been just as soppy about it had he spoken earlier!

Over this weekend we have seen numerous members of our family who have all been treated to the same heart melting sound. There have been tears from a couple of his grandparents, and obvious pride from all his other family members to hear it.

His grandpops got a bit teary when Monkey said “I’don’t know” at the restaurant

I’ve tried to catch it on video a couple of times, and he does say it here, but well, it doesn’t sound quite as good as when he says it more normally. I suppose he isn’t a performing seal though after all! I actually love his tone the last time daddy asks him in this clip, it’s like “I’ve already told you I don’t know, stop asking daddy!”

The Magic Moment of that First Scan

Posted by Caroline Elliott

The first trimester of pregnancy can be pretty rough. I know it’s not the same for every woman, some have an easier time than others, and some have it far far worse than me, but in general it can be a difficult time.

You find out you are pregnant and feel really excited, but you’re not supposed to tell anyone yet, in case something goes wrong. Then the symptoms kick in. Morning (or all day) sickness, exhaustion, aches, pains, heartburn, constipation, flatulence. All sorts of joyful fun to experience, let alone physical changes such as bigger boobs, and potentially a rounding of the tummy. All the while you are supposed to be keeping it secret.

Even while you are feeling all of these physical effects, I find that for me, the pregnancy still doesn’t feel real at this stage. I guess after the initial excitement of the positive test wears off, I hold myself back from being too happy, just in case. Plus when you feel rough every day it is hard to feel positive about it. There is no doubt that being lucky enough to fall pregnant and bear a child is a blessing, but that doesn’t make it fun. And I don’t think you should have to pretend that it is, if that is not how you feel.

Anyway, digressing, the weeks tick by and, whether you’ve kept it completely secret, or told a few people, to most people in the world, nothing is happening, and even with feeling a bit rough, there are times when you wonder if anything is happening too. I guess what I am saying is that sometimes it is hard to equate the changes to your body, with the life growing inside of you.

Then comes the day of your scan – which I think they call the 11-14 week dating scan now, but it is usually around the 12 week mark. You are excited to see your little one, but nervous as for most mummies this is the first time you see what is going on in there. There’s obviously the nerves associated with wondering if all is ok and developing as it should be.

You go into the ultrasound room and within a few minutes you suddenly see this little baby on the screen. Not a cluster of cells, or a tadpole like creature (that you will probably have seen if you read any of the early ‘your baby this week’ articles on the web) but a teeny tiny human, with arms and legs and a little heart fluttering away it’s own rhythm. It is a truly incredible moment to see that small baby, that you have grown inside you.

It suddenly feels real, and, if all is well, relief washes over you. It doesn’t mean all is safe from here on in of course, but for now, you can see your new little one. That little person created by you and your partner, who is growing and developing safely in your tummy.

We saw baby number 2 on Friday and he/she was such a little wriggle bum, flipping about all over the place. Kicking their little legs about, touching their face with their hands, rolling all over the show while the ultrasound technician was trying to get the measurements.

The first trimester is done (or nearly) and the risks of miscarriage greatly reduce. You can take a sigh of relief and tell the world if you want to. Show them that first picture of your little one. Look forward to the second trimester, where the symptoms *should* reduce and you could hopefully start to feel better and less exhausted.

Hello little one, and hello second trimester!

I’ve been invited to meet Buddy Valastro!

Posted by Caroline Elliott

If you are wondering “Who is Buddy Valastro?” He is an oh so cool New Jersey Baker who is the star of a very popular show, “Cake Boss” on TLC. He is famous for making some seriously incredible cakes. Cakes that are the size of cars. Cakes that are so intricate and detailed that they look like works of art. He is basically incredible, and very funny. He also has two other shows – “Next Great Baker” a competition show to find the next great baker,which is a lot of fun, and “Bakery Boss” which I have to admit I haven’t seen yet but looks to be a little like Ramsey’s Kitchen Nightmares…. but in Bakeries, which sounds like it would be very good fun!

And I have been invited to meet him! Moi? Little old me? I have blogged about his amazing Red Velvet Cake recipe before (which is incredible) and somehow, that blog post has led to an invite to a press event! Me and approx. 14 journalists are attending an exclusive cake decorating Masterclass in London. I can’t believe my luck! My initial response to the invite was a LOT of nervous giggling and it took me a few hours to get my head around it! Heck I’m not sure I do have my head around it! But I am definitely excited!!

My version of Buddy’s Red Velvet Cake

Hubby was very excited for me and is happy to look after Monkey while I trot off to London for the evening where I will be attending L’atelier des Chefs for said Masterclass and ‘chat’ with Buddy Valastro! They are even going to pay for my train ticket to London! I’m dead excited (have I mentioned that?) but also really nervous! I love baking and I love his cakes, but he and his staff are INCREDIBLE and create some serious masterpieces. Have a look here for some of their recent cakes.

After a bit of trial and error I have managed to succeed in baking his Red Velvet Cake but this is a cake decorating masterclass, and, well, look at Monkey’s 1st Birthday Cake! Decorator Extraodinaire I most certainly am not! So the masterclass will be great and hopefully I will pick up some tips, but I also hope I don’t completely embarrass myself either!

Decorator Extraordinaire? Ummm …. No

Not to mention the fact that the other attendees are journalists, I am just a mummy blogger who likes baking, I have a feeling I will feel ever so slightly like a fish out of water! I will have to put a lot of effort into faking some confidence I think! I just can’t believe that I have been picked to attend a press event with a celebrity. Little old blogging me! Crazy, but awesome 🙂

I am hopefully going to get a chance to chat with Buddy (eek!) so I need to come up with some questions for him. Are any of you fans of Buddy or Cake Boss? Any burning questions you’d love to ask him? I can’t promise I’ll be able to get answers to any of them but I will give it a good try!

To see Buddy for yourself you catch him on TLC as follows

The current series of Bakery Boss is on every Friday at 9pm

Cake Boss is on Fridays at 9pm from June

Next Great Baker is on Fridays at 9pm from September

SuperBusyMum

The Night Monkey Couldn’t Breathe..

Posted by Caroline Elliott

Last night was terrifying.

Monkey and Daddy have had colds all week, though Daddy has had it the worst. Monkey has been a bit snotty, the occasional cough but mainly alright. He had calpol at bedtime Wednesday and Thursday but Friday he had seemed fine so he didn’t have any. At one point in the evening I heard him cough, and I thought it sounded a bit funny, and the thought ‘croup’ did cross my mind… but he only coughed once, had a brief whimper then went back to sleep.

Daddy and I went to bed not long after 10, had a bit of a read then lay down to sleep. Within minutes of turning our lights off we heard some odd noises from Monkey’s room. A sort of cough but we could tell he was distressed. Monkey is usually great at self soothing after a few minutes unless he is really poorly, but last night, there was something different about the noises he was making. We headed in but still didn’t think too much of it at first, Daddy gave him a cuddle while I started to get some calpol ready for when he had calmed down.

It was at this point we realised that something really wasn’t right. That his breathing wasn’t right. He was coughing like a bark but didn’t seem able to take a breath in. He was sort of swallowing air instead and then doing these horrible burps and retches in between coughs, but it was all really irregular. Hubby later likened it to drowning, as he couldn’t get air in, or cough the fluid out. It was terrifying. He couldn’t even cry and he looked really scared. Eventually he coughed up a huge bit of phlegm and managed to get a breath in, although his breathing was still very irregular and laboured and his lips were turning blue. By now the panic was creeping in and we didn’t know what to do for our precious boy. We were so scared for him.

I suggested calling the ambulance and hubby agreed. Neither of us have ever called 999 before in our lives, and we can count on one hand the number of times Monkey has needed to see a Dr so we were very much in unchartered territory.We’ve called the NHS helplines before, when I had a hideous ear infection, and when I was delirious with a fever the first time I had mastitis. We also called once when monkey was doing horrible grey poos. But this just shows how worried we were, breathing is one thing that you just don’t mess around with and we knew that 999 was our only option. The operator was very helpful and tried her best to keep me calm and together we monitored his breathing while we waited for the emergency response vehicle. Thankfully by this point his colour was returning and though still laboured and irregular his breathing had improved and he was calming down a lot.

A very friendly paramedic arrived and she was so lovely. Our little shy boy got a bit scared by this new presence in his bedroom and he got very upset when she stuck a sensor on his toe to monitor his pulse and heart rate. His pulse ox was low (not enough oxygen was in his blood, how they can measure that by sticking something on your toe I have no idea!) so she started him on a salbutamol nebuliser. Thankfully the mask didn’t have to be over his face, just aimed in his general direction, but he still was not keen on it. We sang and read to him and cuddled him lots to keep him calm but he was obviously really tired and scared by everything that was happening and so very upset! Because of his pulse ox and the croup-like cough the paramedic called for an ambulance to take him to the hospital.

The nebuliser helped and his breathing became less laboured. The ambulance men arrived and we headed off to the hospital. They took his temperature with a fancy laser shone on his forehead, incredible! The paramedic in the ambulance was amazing. Steve, if you are out there, we love you. At the start of the journey Monkey was lying on mummy basically whimpering but by the time we got to the hospital he was sat up and babbling away. Steve turned a bedpan into a a funny hat, found some crayons and a little ambulance man bookmark. He was so good with Monkey and seeing our little man return to himself again was such a relief.

Shortly after arriving at A&E

We were taken to the minor injuries unit at A&E (phew) and again the nurses and doctors were fantastic and really good at putting Monkey at ease. There was a really funny moment when the Dr was trying to get a glimpse at Monkey’s throat. The three of us adults had our mouths open and tongues out while encouraging monkey to say aah. He was looking at us like we had gone nuts and occasionally did it, but never for long enough, or facing the right direction for the Dr to get a glimpse. He was so lovely and patient though and eventually he got a split second glimpse, which was enough.

They confirmed he has croup, a viral infection of the throat and said the risk was that his throat could swell shut. They gave him a dose of steroids to prevent this happening and we had to stay there for half an hour for observation. Monkey took his medicine like an angel and the nurse was impressed by how well he swallowed it, and the yum yum he announced afterwards!

By now, Monkey was back to being our little boy, he was playing with his crayons and then brumming some cars around the room. He charmed everyone he came into contact with and was just such a brave little man.

Over an hour went by and hubby and I were astounded by his energy as it was now gone 1 in the morning! The Dr eventually came back and said we were ok to go home, and told us that the steroids would make him a bit hyper for a while (that explained it) and that he may not want to go to sleep straight away. We headed out to call for a taxi and had a little game of peekaboo while we were waiting!

We headed home in the taxi and as as the taxi driver asked if we were ready to go, Monkey said very happily ‘go!’ and made the taxi driver laugh. It was a rough night for hubby and I. We were awake at about 4.30 after a cough to check he was breathing, and a couple more times after that. We’ve both been shattered today but life goes on and our families have been great and very helpful and supportive.

It has been an exhausting and emotional 24 hours, but my Magic Moment was when Monkey became our little boy again. When he came back to himself and was playing and having fun like nothing had ever happened. Running around barefoot in his mismatched pjs with a huge smile on his face. He took so much of it in his stride and proved to be far more resilient than mummy and daddy! It was a wonderful experience of the NHS too as every single person we came into contact with was incredibly helpful, friendly and caring towards us and I wouldn’t fault the care in any way.

Running down hills

Posted by Caroline Elliott

A couple of days ago, Monkey and I were enjoying a nice little walk home from his grandparents’ house. The sky was blue, the sun was out, we walked past some lovely spring flowers and it was just lovely.

Near to our house there is a big bridge – the blue bridge – and we spend a lot of time on the bridge looking at cars and buses. There is a little grassy area next to the bridge which Monkey loves – mainly because in the autumn we spent a LOT of time there playing around kicking up leaves. He likes it there, we play peepo around the trees, and he knocks on the tree trunk (not sure why but he enjoys it).

What I hadn’t ever really noticed before that day was the fact that this grassy area provides a great sloping hill down from the bridge. (It leads down to a road but it is only a Bus lane so not dangerous). I’d obviously seen it but not thought about it. Monkey though for some reason (after the obligatory knocking on tree trunks) made a beeline for the top of the hill, pulling me along with. Then, to his delight, we ran all the way down the hill together. He likes running down the smallest of slopes but this is the tallest and steepest ‘hill’ that I think he has ever run down, and well, he loved it!