The toddle that wasn't

Today's post was going to be about the big toddle. This is a sponsored walk done by pre-schoolers in order to raise money for barnardos (obviously not a very long or fast walk!), but as it is raining cats and dogs out there it is not going ahead today. I was all ready with my camera and all!!
So instead we went to Woodies - I have to say it was definitely the first time I had a list going to Woodies!!! Mostly recon stuff but my brain is still a bit cabbagy from when I was pregnant (combined with lack of sleep) so a list was necessary! I need to work out the finishing touches for the patio to make it look pretty. Speaking of, got a lot more done and if the rain goes away should have it finished tomorrow!
Eoin has really started to smile and gurgle in the last few days which is great! It's lovely to get a reaction back from him and it cheers me up no end when I am really tired! Nearly cheers me up as much as when Conor hugs me out of the blue and tells me he loves me. (I'm sure he is leading somewhere and will be looking for something but it is still lovely to hear) I love my boys! :)

Patio progress

The patio is starting to take shape but not as much done as I had hoped at this point. the weather yesterday was pretty horrible so couldn't get out to do anything but it has picked up today and hopefully Eoin will be a bit more co-operative!

New phrases...

I think it is just amazing how kids pick up not just words but phrases from us. Conor regularly comes out with phrases that sound so alien coming from a three year old. Playing in the sand with Nici the other day said "That should do the trick" when filling up a bucket of sand. Then this morning when I was trying to get him out to playschool said "Just two more minutes" when I told him we were leaving. I am constantly awed by his grasp on the english language and his ability to use such phrases in the right context. He is not just mimicing what we are saying he is able to use it properly. I'm sure all kids are the same but you only really notice these things with your own.

The flip side to this is trying to watch everything we say because he picks up ALL phrases. One classic is when stuck in traffic he starts shouting "move stupid woman!" from the back. He also knows all the "bold" words and constantly reassures me that he didn't say (insert expletive here). His poor father gets the blame for most of these words apart from the one classic "Holy Moses!" that his granny cusker was good enough to supply him with.

Progress report...

By the end of day one (below) we had managed to clear the area and start the hard process of trying to level the area. From our previous days experience I knew the ground was hard and full of crap so thought it might be difficult and I wasn't wrong!! Some of the stones we found were massive!

Unfortunately, day two didn't go so well. Eoin was not co-operating and hardly slept all day so we didn't get as much done as I had hoped. I also had the lady from the baptismal team calling in the afternoon which meant I had to tidy up a bit and get changed - mud encrusted pants not a good look this season! Of course Eoin decided that would be a good time to pooh and while changing him he wee'd and got his clothes all wet so he had to be changed . Thankfully she arrived late and it was calm and peacful when she got here (thanks Martha and Nici). Five minutes earlier and she would have thought she was entering a mad house!!!

We did manage to get the first few slabs laid though and I realised just how uneven the footpath is!! My plan was to have the patio level with the footpath which was grand for the first slab but when we leveled the second slab against the first, the path was no longer in line and it just got worse with each one we did!

Conor was a great help throughout making sandcastles and pictures in the sand and jumping up and down trying to dig up the clay. He is thoroughly enjoying the experience, especially when Nici came to help and spent most of the time just playing with Conor so he was delighted!

Hoping to get a bit more done today (children permitting!) so will post updated photos as we go.

The patio

Well yesterday morning I got up and decided it would be nice to have a patio down before the christening because we are hoping to be able to keep most people outside. Now when I say I decided I mean I went ordered the slabs and sand and have enlisted the help of Martha who is home for a week - boy is she gonna be sorry! Lee gets to buy a wheelbarrow on his way home to move the sand and help me get the slabs into the back garden and we are going to take it from there (hopefully). Sometimes when I get an idea I really run with it!!!

Here is the before picture of where the patio is going...


I will post progress photos as we go.

Bear in mind at this point that neither of us have any experience in this kind of thing so it could all go pear shaped but we are quietly confident (possibly dillusional) that we can make a fair stab at it. We also reckon we have a better chance of getting it right than we would leaving it up to the men in the family. Who knows we could end up going into landscaping at the end of it - highly unlikely judging by how tired I was last night after helping Mam plant 2 trees in our garden. Speaking of, it took 3 hours to dig 3 holes in the garden the soil was so hard - and full of builder crap like cement blocks!, so we are going to have some fun with this patio!

That dreaded question!!!

No sooner have I mentioned it when someone -who I have never met before, goes and asks me the dreaded question!!! The conversation went something like this...

Her: "So how old is he now?"

Me: "Six weeks"

Her: "And is he sleeping through the night for you yet?"

Me: "No, not yet"

She then continued on to admit her daughter wasn't sleeping through the night at six weeks either but like all mothers had to check that the other baby wasn't better than theirs before divulging any of their baby's faults!!!

Six weeks today!

At 2.15 this morning when feeding Eoin I realised he had reached his first milestone in his short little life and that he was now (exactly) six weeks old. Time for his six week check (and mine!) when his development will be assessed and hopefully all will be fine so we can continue on our merry little way.

I also realised it is the time when the infamous question starts being asked - "So, is he sleeping through the night for you yet?" . I dread that question so much!!! Conor unfortunately was not a good sleeper and we eventually got a full nights sleep when he was about 15 months old. I had been asked the dreaded question so many times with Conor that eventually I started to lie and say "'Yes, he is doing great!!". It stopped the looks from the smug mothers whose babies slept through the night from 6 weeks and took their bottle on schedule etc etc. Honestly I think they all lie and it is all just trying to get one up on another mother so that you don't feel so bad about the problems you are having! The pressure to have your baby perform can be overwhelming at times as it all seems to be a big competition these days. I know I can see that from an objective point of view but still not sure if I can take the pressure when thrown in the middle of it!
Hopefully I will not have to lie too much this time round!

I can't believe he is six weeks old already though, in one way it seems like just the other day when I was in the hospital for a scan and they tell me they are going to induce me, yet it kinda feels like he has always been here. It is hard to remember things without him - mind you I was a lot less tired I know that much!! The time has gone so quickly - possibly due to the sleep deprivation induced hase we have been in for most of it, and they are only this small for such a short space of time that I already feel I am missing out on him being a baby. He has great head control and really strong legs and arms that he is already difficult to hold the way you want because he has other ideas. I think we have a stubborn one on our hands but I can't wait to get to know him better as time goes on even if it means I am losing my baby.
To all of you who don't have kids I'm sure this sounds a bit melodramatic but if you ever do have a baby you will realise just how quickly they lose the babyness and start to become their own person and you will also lament its passing.

Entertaining...

Isn't it amazing how many dishes you use and how much mess can be made by 10 people for dinner! We barbecued yesterday for Mam, Dad etc. and the kitchen looked like a bomb site by the end of the evening!!
It will be paper plates and plastic knives and forks for the Christening!! We will definitely be getting someone to cater for it too, I am not going to put that on myself. I'm sure I will be stressed enough trying to get Conor, Eoin and myself dressed and organised I dread to think what I would be like if I tried to do all the food too. Don't worry I will of course make Garlic chilli butter and Salsa for all you fans! (and maybe key lime pie?) At least that can be done the day before!
Now, back to that kitchen!

Granny and Grandad are back!

Went to collect Mam and Dad on Friday from Cork airport returning from their trip to Sydney. I decided to bring Conor with me cos he missed them so much while they were away and I thought the company would be nice for me too. Some company, he fell asleep 10 mins into the journey and didn't wake up till I shook him awake and told him we were in the airport!!!
He was however delighted to see his granny and grandad back and tried to get 3 weeks worth of conversation out on the journey home. He was hilarious trying to one-up their stories the whole time. Grandad telling him about visiting the reptile park and seeing crocodiles Conor pipes up "I saw crocodiles, and aligators too!"
Then on Saturday I think he was afraid they were gone again and I had to keep reassuring him they were still here and we would see them later. There was also the issue of the presents they had promised him! It was what kept him going when they were away, and they did not disappoint either!! It was nearly as good as christmas!
Back to normal now though and when I was getting him ready for play school this morning the usual complaints started...... "I dont want to go to Ona's House (aka playshcool). I like my Granny". So he has re-adjusted to Granny being back and wanted to go there instead of school, but as usual was more than happy to go to school when we got there and barely looked at me as I left!! If I didn't know better I would call him minipulitive!!!

Oh so tired

Some days are better than others, but then some nights are better than others too! Unfortunately last night was not one of the better ones. While the new bottles are going great it also means baby is more comfortable and slept a lot of yesterday, it was also very hot so that contributed to his sleepiness too. As a result he decided he would like to be awake last night when his mammy really really wanted to be asleep!!! up between 12.00 an 01.00 and then again fom 3.00 to 5.00. all the while his Daddy lay in bed in a beer induced coma blissfully unaware that anything was wrong. He thought Eoin had a good night and was only up for a short while. On the plus side, he wasn't crying, just happy to see me so while I might complain about being tired and give out to Lee for sleeping through it I am the lucky one who got his sole attention for those hours! And how can you not appreciate that!?

So the plan today is to try keep him awake for a good while after his feeds so that he might like to sleep more tonight! We can only hope! I might enjoy his company but at the moment would prefer a better nights sleep.

Colic problems

God bless Dr Brown. Eoin has been having some colic problems since his bottle feeds were outnumbering nursing. Of course that doesn't help make me feel any less guilty for trying to stop nursing in order to get him into a better routine. However I do think it is important to try get him into a routine as soon as possible. We made that mistake with Conor and were still paying for it nearly a year and a half later!!
I digress...these bottles from Dr Brown seem to be doing the trick. We have already tried two different types of colic relief suspensions (one came in orange flavour - like a baby is going to know what orange flavour is!! Milk flavour I could understand maybe but orange?) with neither having much effect. I'm hoping these bottles will make our little man a lot happier now! So far so good anyway. If only you could install a burp button on new babies!!

First posting...

First posting to my new blog! Well this is something I have been thinking about doing for a long time but I have been quite busy lately! I hope to be able to put regular posts up of my hectic but fun life of a mum of two. Mind you most of the hectic times is to do with my two boys Conor and Eoin!
I hope this will be of interest to those of you I know and love and maybe to some others too.