2nd October - Playing and Laughing

I spend so much of my days simply laughing. I have Zachary to thank for that or perhaps it is me he laughs at! Most mornings after breakfast we now retire to my bedroom where Zachary sits on the playmat at the foot of my bed and plays. He loves diving through the boxes to see what he can find and normally what he finds makes him laugh. sometimes he just laughs at the joy of having a good old rumage. This month we are planning on moving rooms so that Zachary has the middle smaller room all to himself and I have the bigger end room. I love being with Mum & Dad but sometimes you need your own space. It will also be nice to be able to unpack some boxes and do things like find my babylis hairdryer instead of using Mum's travel one.

10th October - Laughing at funny mummy again !

He does have an adorable smile and laugh. Apparently I was a very happy carefree child who was a bit of a book worm but loved to play outdoors and always laughing. Even at only a few months old I can see Zachary's personality and world expanding every day. He seems to love music and has taken to doing a little bottom and shoulder shuffle if muisc plays which I think is his way of dancing. He thinks my dancing is pretty hysterical so between the shoulder shuffle and my clubhouse raving we make a right spectacle. Today we were caught unawares by the Tesco delivery man who could clearly be heard laughing all the way down the drive.

Later on we went for a walk to the shop and I took the opportunity to take a photo of Zachary in his blue knitted thick winter cardigan and hat. The hat is adorable it has a peak like a little urchin cap. I have just realised how many photographs I have on my PC of Zachary. All I will say is that it is a good job I have an 80Gb hard drive for my files. I guess most parents take a zillion photographs of their children especially the first born. Well most lucky babies like Zachary anyway. When I reach the end of the day and climb into bed most days I thank my lucky stars that we are so blessed and have such a wonderful life. Having had Zachary has certainly made me think about the state of the world and the lives people have a lot more. I think about all the children in the world without parents to love them and laugh with them every day and it makes me realise just how fortunate we are. I send a little wish to the heavens every night that maybe just one more child will find the laughter we have. I know we are blessed. I sleep really well knowing that for sure we have an angel looking over us.

17th October - Selling stuff on ebay

Today Zachary and I decided to do some sorting out and have a clear out. Dad is going to buy the furniture so that we can move rooms this weekend coming so we need to get organised and have a clearout. I decided I would try and sell some things on ebay and try to make a few pennies too. Fingers crossed and we might make enough to make Christmas shopping a wee bit easier. Zachary was ever so good and sat on the floor in the office while I sorted out piles of things, took photographs and tried to get organised to list them on ebay. At the moment he still can't crawl and although he can roll has not yet realised that rolling will enable him to move about so at least you know when you put him down with some toys he is going to stay in the same place. Lord knows what he will get into once he can move about. I guess then the fun and games really begin.

19th October - Reading in Bed

Look at that concentration. You can tell this is something I do a lot with him. Read books! We sit in bed most mornings and read a few books. Sometimes they are baby board books sometimes books that I have to hold to stop him trying to snatch at the pages. He only wants to see the pictures but he would tear them so I have to hold them above him. The baby board books are so lovely especially the ones with lovely touchy feely bits or buttons that make sounds. He has a pig book that oinks that he just adores and of course the Bear Snores On has always been a favourite. Some of the books have really lovely stories so I quite like reading them anyway. I just adore this photograph. I think it is one of my favourites. I have printed a copy out to stick into his baby book. I have bought one of those baby record books and am doing my best to write bits in it so that I can keep it to look back in when he is older. The only thing that I have found is that a lot of these types of things are not marketed at single parents and I wonder why? Is it a comment on society that we do not want to recognise that there are single parents out there that might want to also buy their babies these types of things? Or is it just simply that the marketing people who sell baby books etc don't believe there is a market for things written and aimed at lone parents. I personally believe there are more single parents out there than are perhaps acknowledged or is that the issue. Is it a dark secret to be kept hidden away? Would society rather not recognise that there are actually a lot of single parents in our world. Maybe I am actually one of a minority but don't realise it? Perhaps it just needs someone to write the book for them to sell! I don't often dwell on my role as a single parent I guess because I am lucky enough to be so close to my immediate family that I am fortunate enough not to be completely alone. It is just occasionally that things pop up like this that make me ponder. Not for long mind you there is a laughing little bookworm who has just failed the sniff test sitting on my bed. More pressing matters occupy my mind very quickly! I guess that's motherhood for you no matter where or what your circumstances are.

P. s I had to take this picture of him showing off his two great big bottom teeth.

20th October - Off to Play Group - Welland Teddy Bear Group

Auntie Liz takes Hope to lots of different activities and has invited us to go to a local kids play group with them. I adore zachary in this outfit. Apart from being lovely quality they somehow remind me of 'Andy Pandy'. We have to get up and ready slightly more punctual than usual on a play group morning as the group starts at 9:30. I have never been a morning person (much more of a natural night owl) and it seems that Zachary may well follow suit. Just like his Mum. He takes a while to rouse in the morning and is often a wee bit grumpy and groggy at least until the toast is on. He knows the routine really well and watches the toaster as soon as we walk into the kitchen to see if it is going to deliver the goods. He makes this 'tst tst tst' noise which I take is a hint. A sort of 'feed me!' signal. I also get the M.I.L.K sign. Don't dare say it out loud or we get moans until it is ready. I have been teaching him baby signing and the milk sign is one that he knows quite well and can do quite well too. To be fair I am not sure what he makes of the play group. He is a bit too young to actually take part in any of the art and craft stuff and the older kids basically run about and play which eh can't do either. He ends up sitting in a walker watching. I think he finds watching the kids interesting but can't help suspect that he would be just as happy at home playing with his own toys able to roll about on the carpet. He is very sociable and quite happy meeting people so there are no worries there and surprisingly he doesn't mind the noise one bit. He hates some noises at home (mostly the hoover and hairdryers) so I was not sure what he would make of the general noise. Pretty unfazed by the whole affair really.

26th October - Helping Mummy with the washing is really funny

For some bizarre reason Zachary thinks the wash basket full of laundry is a great game. Pull out all the washing all over the floor and all over him then put it back again. Meantime laugh hysterically and manically and make Mummy laugh so much she has to go pee before she wets herself. I had to take his picture just to try and capture his sheer joy at this terrific new game. All those books and toys and the most exciting thing in days is a basket of laundry! I absolutely adore this laughing smiling funny little boy. He brings so much laughter into my life that sometimes I wonder what I did before. Mum says its because I am always laughing with him. I am told that I was a happy child who was always laughing and having funny. I was never an argumentative or gloomy child and to be honest I have never really been a dark depressive sort of adult. I have always normally been a pretty positive and cheerful person who likes to try and look on the bright side of life. We all have our knocks in life but i have always believed in trying to smile, laugh and get back up and get on with life. I hope that I pass that on to him because I believe that a positive attitude is a good half of the battle in life. Zachary definitely seems a very happy baby who even while he has battled his tummy problems has been capable of smiling and laughing. We certainly have a lot of laughs at the moment and I hope we always do. His smile is simply gorgeous.

31st October - Halloween

Ok so he will hate me when he is grown up but I just had to indulge in this cute little cat dress up kit. He is wearing one of my black t-shirts and a pair of black socks. He was not too sure about the whole hat thing but did make an adorable pussy cat. He has started on his new milk now and it seems to have made a real difference. A lot less sick especially at night which means better sleep for baby and mummy. Gosh I love being a new mum but I would love a really long lie in! I watch that advert on TV for fabric conditioner. 'Have a duvet day' the advertiser says and I can't help but feel like that would be absolute bliss. Mum has also helped with the night time sleep situation by coming up with an ingenious plan which will probably break every rule in the baby book. She bought a kids duvet and we have tucked it into his bed over his mattress under the sheet. His bed has become a super deluxe softy comfy place to cuddle up and he loves it. I swear since it arrived and we tried it he has slept right through every single night. After months and months of midnight parties it is really something. In fact when morning came and he was still asleep I actually had to go and nudge him to make sure he was ok. I am sure I am not the first Mum to do that and won't be the last. He did not move so I creeped out. The mad thing is I stood outside the door for a few moments thinking I did see him breathing didn't I. I actually went back in and did it again just to make sure. This time he groaned and reluctantly opened his eyes. He looked at me with complete baby attitude. I swear if he could talk or this was a scene from 'Look Who's Talking 3' he would have said 'what on earth do you think you are up to waking a bloke up by prodding him like that?' I was having a really cool dream!' As it was I got a wail and a yawn. Which roughly translates to 'Ok so I am knackered but awake and its your fault so since you are here you can get me up and feed me'. The joys of being mummy.