Kitted out for the wedding

The boys had a mini fashion show to try out their outfits. I'm so pleased with how they look, and C-bear's suit really matches with Daddy's even though they're from completely different shops!

Reben the cat joined in too!

And here's a close up of the Daddy and Baby bear love.

Travel Highchair - in the sale!

We got this little beauty on offer at Asda for just £15! I've been on the look out for a travel highchair for a while, our standard highchair is massive, it takes up loads of space and can't be pulled up to the table because it has a big, clunky fixed tray. I'm not complaining too much as it was a free hand-me-down and it's served us well for over a year! However now C-bear is getting bigger, I like the idea of getting him used to sitting at the table and this little chair seems like the next natural step. He can still be strapped in and safe, but it attaches to a dining chair so he feels like he's part of the family at the table.

It also packs down into a smallish carry bag so can be taken out with us when we visit family and friends and (more importantly) the wedding venue only has 6 highchairs and we've got 8 toddlers attending, so the first time we use it properly will be between Mama and Daddy bear at the top table!

Smart dressed 21 month old at the wedding

Charlie will be almost 22 months old when we get married, it's taken a while but we've almost got his outfit sorted! We've found the cutest suit for him from Monsoon:

Daddy Bear's suit is also grey, so they should match, plus it's not got a collar and the trousers have a stretchy waist so should be super comfy for him.

We've also got a smart black overcoat for him to wear outside, T found it in the M&S sale:

T also got a little navy shirt with pale blue bow tie in the sale, so that's on stand-by in case of spillages on the day :)

I've searched everywhere for a long sleeved toddler bib with a suit or tux design, but can't find one, so we've gone for this Tux bib from Rockabye-Baby on Notonthehighstreet.com (my favourite store for nice, original presents if a little expensive):

We'll get a plain longsleeved bib to go under it, so he doesn't get the Wedding Breakfast down his new suit!

As our page boy, C will also get a mini buttonhole to match his Dad and the rest of the Groomsmen!

Still not sure about shoes, his current ones our brown, but they may have to do, it seems a little OTT to buy smart black ones just for one day!

My 20 month old

At 20 months you're so grown up! You're stringing short sentences together, you're understanding loads and will follow out quite complex instructions. You're learning and remembering lots of family names, aunties, uncles and cousins all feature in our conversations and you remember tiny little details from when you last saw them (cousin Max playing with the ABC abacus etc).

Toys and the boy

Speaking - you string short sentences together, repeating everything we say and also putting them together yourself - Daddy cough, Caitlin's hat, out now, nice sausage etc.

Teeth - You still only have 8, 4 at the top and 4 at the bottom, in the centre of your mouth. You don't have molars so can't chew properly yet.

Food - ooh you're a little monkey, you turn your nose up at a lot of meals (today spicy pork meatballs, you had a few spoonfuls and spit it all out). If anything is lumpy or needs to be chewed a lot you immediately spit it out. You love pasta - lasagne, bolognese, etc, also fish pie, chicken & rice, chicken noodles, sausages, grapes, apples, yoghurts, peas, toast, shreddies, cheerios. You hate porridge and can't be persuaded to try it.

Early in the morning with Mama

Sleep - something you're pretty good at. Bedtime is 7pm sharp and you sleep through until about 6.30pm. Occasionally you wake extra early and won't go to sleep, but that only happens once every couple of months.

Clothes - you're in a mix of 12-18 and 18-24 month old things. Quite a lot of hand-me-downs from Felix and Otto (red fleece, tons of jeans, brown & orange stripy jumper) and new Xmas clothes - stripy blue, red, green tank top, blue and white hand knitted scarf from Aunty Em and robot pyjamas.

Monster gown

Toys - you love your cuddly toy cat, bunny, monkey and elephant. Duplo lego bricks, building towers and playing with the clear blue ice cube blocks. Wooden jigsaws including the retro 50s zoo and transport ones, choo choo trains - wooden with magnets.

Books - So many, we read at least 3-4 a day, favourites include Slinky Malinki Opens the Door (Malinky), The Gruffalo (Gr'lo), Thomas the Tank Engine (Thomas), Big Book of Animals (anmals), Hairy McClary (doggies) and Waybuloo (JoJo).

Nursery - Joyce is still your favourite, but you also like Louise and Jordana and last week you learnt to say Helen (manager who works in the downstair's room). You've made friends with Caitlin, a little girl a month younger then you (today we met up with her and her Mama in the park, you two got on so well, playing together, giggling and running around), and you also have a friend called George.

In the park

Other stuff - you've just started to learn colours, you can identify blue and red, you know most others, but can't yet be prompted to identify them. You love being outside, walking around, playing at the play park, chasing little friends, peepo around trees, visiting the statue and acorn pile in the park.

The Art of Fielding

I've not yet finished this book but already have to blog about it, it's great.

By debut American author Chad Harbach, it follows the highs and lows of a small college baseball team. It falls into the category of books I love because they teach me about a topic I know nothing. You're drawn into the world of baseball through the eyes of Henry Skrimshader. He's a brilliant stortstop (I'm assuming this is the equivalent of the good old rounders backstop) and is destined for the major league, whilst the rest of his team are terrible. If it was just about baseball it wouldn't captivate me so much, but there's also a lovely literary strand around Herman Melville (the team are called the Harpooners) and also a homosexual love affair between the college president and one of the team. If you've not seen this book yet, go and check it out!

Wedding Rings

Our wedding rings have come back from the jewellers. They're 18 carat white gold and we've got them engraved with our initials and date of the wedding. Only 5 weeks to go, the countdown continues.

Wedding Favours

Five sugared almonds for each guest to eat

To remind us that life is both bitter and sweet.

Five wishes for the new husband and wife --

Health, wealth, happiness, children, and a long life!

Family Day

When my Granny died my Grandad married again and my Dad has a half brother and sister 10 or so years younger then him. With Christmas being so busy and full of people we didn't get see this side of the family in the holiday, so this weekend we all met up in Crawley for a late festive family get together.

First of all we stayed over at T's parents and in the morning collected our new car. Daddy, Nana and Grandad went to get it whilst C-bear and I went to the park. It was v cold (very very very cold, brrrrr) and everything was covered in frost. C-bear wasn't so sure about getting frost on his mittens!

Peepo Mama!

It was so nice driving in the Zafira, so much space and so much more power then our little Corsa, we could actually overtake cars whilst going uphill on the motorway! 16 of us got together for our family day. C was most excited by his half-cousins once removed (!) Felix (4) and Otto (3), they are happy, fun, boisterous boys and C was in awe. We had tea, chatted and put together a new corner sofa! The three boys then sat on the sofa with a duvet... for about 5 seconds, before continuing a constant whirl of activity, jumping on the new sofa and sliding on the wooden floor. We did have some quiet time with books:

Had a brilliant lunch, cooked in the aga and including cottage pie, roast chicken, beef stew, jacket potatoes and veggies, and then went for a nice walk around Ifield Green. We ended up at the local play park:

Our little family on the roundabout

On the swing "kicking" Daddy caused many giggles

My beautiful Daddy Bear

The day was a little more eventful by a quick hospital visit on the way home. C caught conjunctivitis (it came on really suddenly) and the chemist couldn't give us the medicine over the counter for an under 2-year old, so they told us to go to the 24hr health centre which was actually the Urgent Treatment Unit of the hospital. They were really good there, we were seen quickly and given drops for C's eye. So a rather lengthy end to a really nice day!

Lego and on having a 20 month old!

This is a post I've been meaning to write since Christmas. Our little man got a lot of Duplo sets and is now addicted to building towers and knocking them down again. He got:

- LEGO Duplo zoo from Mama and Daddy
- LEGO Duplo starter set, also from Mama and Daddy along with
- A random box of LEGO Duplo blocks that came free with the above
- LEGO Duplo farm nursery from Nana and Grandad
- LEGO Duplo large brick box from Nana and Grandad
- LEGO Duplo Big Tractor from Uncle Simon and Aunty Nicki

He loves the stuff, calls it 'tower', 'blocks' or 'lego' and particularly likes it when Daddy builds a big tower and then plays around with him before finally letting him knock it down. Here's some Lego snaps from the last month:

Some other thoughts on having a 20 month old (OMG he's 20 months!!!)
- He's chatty, chatty, chatty, learning and repeating words all the time, over Christmas he started stringing two or three words together. Mostly possessive like 'Grandad's chair', 'Willow's tail', Mama's drink' but also 'hot tea hot', 'more cheese' and 'stop's sore' (when I put Sudocrem on his behind).
- He's running around, but also quite clumsy, the last 3 days he's run into door frames and walls at least 4 times, he now knows to go to the fridge and get 'Mr Bump' our cool pack to put on his head :( I am using Arnica Gel and it's like a magic potion to help the bumps fade away.
- He's quite a fussy eater, he knows what he likes - sausages, cheese, toast, fish pie, lasagna, pasta bake, grapes, apples - but also knows what he doesn't like and completely refuses to try it once he's had it once and not liked it, I constantly give him tomatoes, but he never tries them now, he used to love them but not at the moment.
- Favourite toys - Duplo, choo choo train (wooden train set), garage and cars, Percy (green Thomas the Tank engine train), jigsaws, monkey, elephant, cat, Henry doll (made by Granny), T-rex.
- Favourite books - Slinky Malinki's Christmas Crackers (I'm so sad Christmas is over and we've put the book away for another year), Thomas's Busy Day, Hairy Maclary, The Gruffalo, The Tiger Who Came to Tea (he loves pointing at the Daddy), 100 Animals, Wheels on the Bus and many many more!
- Clothes - now properly fitting the 18-24 month stuff - wears a lot of jeans and rugby tops, long sleeve tops from Gap - green with robots, blue with a dinosaur, black with a polar bear - robot pjs, navy cords and little cardigan.
- He loves going for walks in the park. Running around and deciding where he wants to go. We always have to visit the statue in CPP and the pile of acorns (not sure what he'll do when they disappear, but they've been there since October), he loves play parks and will happily go down the slide, he's ok on easy steps but needs help getting up the wooden ladder ones, loves swings again (went through a stage of not liking swinging at all), quite likes the roundabout and will happily sit on the blue plastic dino and watch the other kids running around.
- Independence - he's got a small stubborn streak and is getting particularly naughty at lying on his back to have his nappy changed. When we put him on the change mat (still have it in the cot to stop him from escaping) he now flips over and curls up in a ball. He can be coaxed out of it after a few minutes but changing him is becoming a long process.
- Mummy's boy, he still absolutely loves me over anyone else, it's lovely and I love all the attention but sometimes he can be v v clingy, and gets so upset if I leave the room.

Wedding Dress Shopping - a day to remember

Yesterday I went wedding dress shopping with my Mum, Mother-in-law to be, Aunty and two cousins. It was brilliant the six of us had a fabulous day out and even as it was happening I thought to myself that this is really special, something to remember forever. Here are some of my favourite parts:
- Trying on the dress I saw online and knowing it was the one
- Trying on other dresses just to make sure, but coming back to my original favourite
- My lovely ladies getting the shop to steam iron the neckline of the dress before we bought it as it wasn't hanging perfectly and it was the last in stock
- Mum saying she'll get my Granny's pearls re-strung so I can wear them for my 'something old'
- My soon to be Mother-in-law lending me two of her silver bracelets to wear as my 'something borrowed'
- Vicky, my bridesmaid finding her dress, and more importantly both of us loving it
- Finding beautiful bridal shoes
- Having a fun lunch at Pizza Express and getting a cheeky cupcake and coffee for 20p
- M-I-L-T-B trying out fascinators and buying two!

I won't put any of my dress up until after the wedding, but here's some of the bridesmaid and our lunch:

The bridesmaid dress

Trying on other colours

and styles!

But we went back to this beauty and got the bolero to match!

And then time for some lunch

Memories, Dreams, and Reflections

Memories, Dreams, and Reflections. A look back on my favourite photos from the past year.

I saw this on The Paper Mama and thought it was great, so here's my photo year! If you like the idea  please do post your own and put a link in my comments box.

Me! - picture of yourself (you don't have to show your face). What are you most proud of accomplishing in 2011? Successfully juggling going back to work and raising my boy.

I Love You - picture of your husband, boyfriend, children, pets, etc. 

Still Laughing... - a moment you're still laughing about now...tell us a story.: he was being so naughty, but that little cheeky face just makes me want to laugh and laugh. C-bear now knows he's not allowed to jump on the sofa, but that evening in October was the first time he found out just how fun (and dangerous) it can be!

Winter Wonderland - a picture that reflects Winter.: taken at this time last year, we had tons of snow, so dressed the boy up warm in his little bear suit and went out to enjoy.

Birthday - share a birthday picture (your own or someone you love). C's 1st birthday, last May. We had a picnic in Crystal Palace Park with lots of his baby friends but I only remembered the hats at the end, so these 3 lucky boys got to play with them. Seconds after this photo was taken both C and Theo were in tears, only Toby really liked wearing the hat.

Friends - a picture with friends (this could be your friends or your children with their friends).: We met up with Daisy and her parents for a day out at Hever Castle in November. They actually get on really well, there was some snack jealousy involved in this photo and they're both eyeing the other up over who has the better snack!

I Was Inspired... - could be a picture of your inspiration (person or thing), or inspired by...: Les Mis (both the book and the musical) I love it and we've selected a passage from it for one of our readings at our wedding this Feb (I won't put it here as I'm sure I'll post about it in the next couple of months!)

Spring Fever - a picture that reflects Spring. Taken in CPP last April, I love this little tree, the blossom is beautiful and stands out against the blue blue sky.

Travel or Vacation - a picture taken on vacation or on a recent travel experience...even if it was only a few miles away.: We had our summer holiday in Selsey on the South Coast, our house was just 2 mins from the seafront and this was the view C-bear and I saw on our early morning walks.

Summer Days - a picture that reflects summer: An Indian summer, this was actually taken on 1st October, we had one amazingly hot hot day, so we dressed in T-shirts and had a final fling with the summer before autumn well and truly set in.

A Day In My Life - a picture of a typical day in your life: Up early, messy hair, just Mama and the boy (Daddy having a lie in).

All Smiles - a picture that makes you smile or of smiling faces.

Autumn Harvest - a picture that reflects Autumn/Fall.

Family or Home - a picture of your family or a picture that represents family/home for you.

Celebrate! - a picture that reflects a celebration: this one may need some explanation! I'm here playing Ticket to Ride with my soon to be sister-in-law on Christmas eve eve. We are both quite addicted to the game and this was a new version I'd given her the day before as a late bday pressie, we don't get a lot of time to play it (tons of small pieces so the boy needs to be in bed), and that night celebrated the fact that we could with 5 games in a row!

Let's Do It Again... - a picture of something you'd like to do again soon. : Day out with friends to Hever Castle

I Miss You - a picture of someone or something you really miss.: My Cuztwin, she lives up in Dundee and we only see her a handful of times a year.

Beautiful - a picture of someone or something you find beautiful.: My beautiful boy - it couldn't be anything else!

Dress Up - this might be a picture from Halloween or not...but someone who is all dressed up!

Macro - share your favourite macro or close-up image: baby hands playing with seaweed

Holidays - a picture from the Holiday of your choice.: Christmas!

My Favourite - share your favourite picture or memory from 2011.: so many to choose from, but I love this pic, it shows him at the v start of his independence, walking properly and deciding where he wants to go, rather then being in the buggy or carried by me.

Don't Ever Change - something you love about yourself, someone, or something that you never want to change.: C's excitement over new books. I love reading, books are important to me, I work in the book industry, read a novel a week and love finding a really good story. Over the last few months C-bear has also got really into books, it's an important part of our days, cuddling together over a picture book, listening to the story, pointing at the pictures and repeating what he sees, I hope as he grows C continues to love books as much as I do.

Just Because...So There! - share any picture(s) that you really want to share, but doesn't fit in any other category: Completely random, this is the beetroot tarte tatinFearnley Whittingstall at River Cottage with my work earlier in the year!

Hopes and Dreams - share what you hope to come or dream for 2012. Feel free to share an image of your choice: This is part of the venue we're getting married in on Sat 25th Feb 2012!