Screw tops

It might not seem a big thing, but the little one has learned to open screw tops. At first, I thought it was a fluke, but he's done it about four times now - not that I've seen him do it, I've just seen the after effects.

I've been pretty sure he's teething again (10th one on its way - his gums look like snowy covered jelly mountains - white lumps of teeth beneath all over the place), and his achievement today confirmed this. While making his dinner (tiny mushy pasta stars with cheese sauce) and arranging an array of teething-friendly items on a tray (plain yoghurt, fruity fromage frais, cold grapes, cold cucumber, cold tomatoes), I let him play with a pot of frozen sweet potato mash cubes and parsnip mash cubes (which I was planning to heat up and feed to him, as another teething-friendly mushy item). Anyway, next time I looked down at the floor, he'd opened the (screw lid) pot and was happily munching on a frozen sweet potato cube. He appears to have eaten the entire thing (which was quite large), other than the bits all over his face and hands (which ended up on my white jim-jam trousers). I was most impressed with the opening achievement as well as the eating of the item - and it's given me an idea of what to give him next time he's in terrible teething pain.

Anyway, it seemed to help him massively and he's managed to sleep again by a rather earlier time of 6.30pm (he did the same yesterday and slept until 6am - with around 5-6 wake ups in between that required 'mama' (boob) and a snuggly place under my armpit.

Gran Canaria

Deliciously muggy and humid. Sea and mountain air, one in front of me, the other behind me. Boats in the harbour. Rows of modern apartment blocks. Twinkly pinpoints of electric lights and, if I look carefully above the brightness of the manmade night, I see the silver dots of starlight. Sounds of traffic below. The occasional voice. Faint sounds of life in other homes.

My heart delights. My soul feels as if I'm back in Hong Kong. So much feels the same, in touch, scent and sound, although sight tells me that nothing is the same. It is a curious feeling.

Baby steps

I think we've had one or two unaided steps (him walking from one piece of furniture to another or to me), but I can't be sure because I wasn't properly paying attention!

He's definitely more interested in walking now, often choosing to walk holding onto the wall rather than crawling, and quite often an unaided stand occurs while he's trying to use both hands for his investigations of one toy or another.

Won't be long!

Second molar

Second molar! No wonder he's been cranky, poor little poppet. A happier baby now it's through. So we now have six on the top and still only two at the bottom. Surely we'll get more at the bottom soon...

Man and boy time

Man and boy time: park, playground, walk in the woods. Packed off with water and snacks, sling, nappy bag. Maybe buying the boy a helmet.

Me time: garlic toast with avocado and two fried eggs. And (hot) tea. And chocolate with hazelnuts. While reading. Bliss! And what a treat! :-)

First

First birthday. First child. First time mother.

My heart is full of pride and amazement at this child who didn't exist even as a bundle of cells just two years ago. He is so full of wonderment and delight with his world, curious to investigate and explore how everything works, whether natural or man made. He is full of excitement towards everyone he meets, wanting to feel their noses or poke at their eyeballs, testing out his theories and exploring new textures...or simple to hug or kiss those he loves or another child in distress. He loves company, happiest in a social environment, but we are, after all, social creatures. He loves bashing and hitting things to make music, to dance, to be lively and boisterous, but he can also be gentle, stroking cats with the lightest touch, a delicate nature reserved only for animals so far!

My heart is bursting with love for this little person who has already made such a strong and determined mark on his world and on those he meets. My independent little adventurer.

Happy first birthday, my beautiful son.

Delighting in the falling rain

Curious about grass blowing softly in the breeze

My new life

Almost exactly one year ago, to the hour, my labour commenced, and so my new life began to make himself known.

I am so much more relaxed - and so much more physically comfortable, it must be acknowledged - than I was this time last year.

I was almost a mother, then, now I have just become a mother, odd as it may sound, but it has taken me almost a year to fully become a mother, to feel as a mother, to be fully and totally in love with my child.

What a wonderful gift we were about to receive this time last year. Odd to think I had never met him, then, and had no idea what his face would look like. What is now so familiar, was then so unknown.

Beauty

Came across a fascinating link - a journalist sends her photo around the world and asks them to 'make her beautiful' using photoshop. These are the results: http://www.estherhonig.com/#!before--after-/cvkn 

I found most interesting how little some countries changed her face...and how much others changed her (e.g. USA), but also how some changed her to look more like those in their own country - beauty for some is clearly defined by "looking like us" while for others it is "looking different". Beauty - a subject that gives me endless fascination, especially since becoming a mother and seeing beauty of babies through the eyes of their mothers.

Investigations

Kind of self explanatory.

Today's adventures

Most of the day has been sleeping and eating, but we have a minor adventure/mishap.

Picture the scene: me standing outside in bare feet, no keys, no mobile phone, my child in his nappies and t-shirt in my arms, both of us waving "bye bye", the front door slams shut behind us and my friend has just pulled away from the kerb in her car...

...thankfully she spotted my horrified face and realised that my waving arms were no longer saying "bye bye" and she returned. Also thankfully, it turns out she is able to effortlessly scale back fences and was able to come in through the back door (also thankfully left open) and open the front door for us. So many small pieces of luck.

And she made us some delicious dark chocolate and ginger cookies. If luck were cookies, these would be luck too. :-)

What a lovely friend!