WITH the waiting game for the new arrival continuing, we didn't want to venture too far from home. But with the glorious weather we enjoyed last weekend, sitting in the house wasn't an option.
So it was the ideal time to get stuck into the garden. To be honest, for every weed I dug up, Harry removed at least three plants but when you're gardening with a three-year-old, that seems to be par for the course.
What I found more difficult to deal with was Harry constantly being under my feet; wherever I started to dig, I'd hear a little voice behind me: “Beep, beep, excuse me, Harry coming through.”
My main worry was Harry creeping up on me while I was wielding a spade (I'm not very safe at the best of times). Fortunately there was no damage done, but we didn't make quite as much progress as I'd hoped.
Nevertheless, we had plenty of fun and the weather was the icing on the cake – it felt like late April or early May rather than the beginning of March.
The other notable event was that Harry discovered the joys of playing on a swing. Up to this point, Harry hasn't been a fan of swings. Even when he was little, he just didn't seem to like the sensation.
We were therefore very surprised at his reaction after Melissa's dad had put up a swing in the garden.
To start with, Harry was a bit cautious; 15 minutes later, he was trying to swing while standing up.
Even when he got a bit over-adventurous and slipped off the seat, landing in a heap on the ground, he wasn't put off, dusting himself off and jumping straight back on.
And now Harry's discovered the swing, I might just be able to finish that gardening.
Monday, 19 March 2012
Friday, 9 March 2012
On standby
Well, another week has passed and – at the time of writing – there's still no sign of our new arrival.
This is all very frustrating for Melissa, who has now well and truly had enough of being pregnant. The first pregnancy was an adventure into the unknown. This time Melissa, knows exactly what's in store and, understandably, just wants to get on with it.
There's also another distinction. When Harry was born, neither of us thought very much about what would happen after the birth; we were both completely focussed on the delivery itself.
I'm sure this birth will be just as exciting, but it is tempered by the fact that we have Harry to think about – and also by the fact that we can't wait to get back to some kind of normality.
The wait is also proving frustrating for Harry, who wants his mum back to normal. Melissa can't pick Harry up as much as he's used to, or get down on the floor to play with him. He's not happy about it, either. A couple of days ago he told me: “Waiting for this baby is boring daddy. I'm getting fed up.”
As for me, well I have to admit that I'm very excited about the new arrival. In fact, it's probably fair to say that I've been driving Melissa mad over the last couple of days. Every time she so much as groans, I've been asking if she's gone into labour or whether her waters have broken. Apparently, this is annoying.
As to whether I'll still be as excited about things after two weeks of no sleep, I'm not so sure but at least I know what to expect second time around.
This is all very frustrating for Melissa, who has now well and truly had enough of being pregnant. The first pregnancy was an adventure into the unknown. This time Melissa, knows exactly what's in store and, understandably, just wants to get on with it.
There's also another distinction. When Harry was born, neither of us thought very much about what would happen after the birth; we were both completely focussed on the delivery itself.
I'm sure this birth will be just as exciting, but it is tempered by the fact that we have Harry to think about – and also by the fact that we can't wait to get back to some kind of normality.
The wait is also proving frustrating for Harry, who wants his mum back to normal. Melissa can't pick Harry up as much as he's used to, or get down on the floor to play with him. He's not happy about it, either. A couple of days ago he told me: “Waiting for this baby is boring daddy. I'm getting fed up.”
As for me, well I have to admit that I'm very excited about the new arrival. In fact, it's probably fair to say that I've been driving Melissa mad over the last couple of days. Every time she so much as groans, I've been asking if she's gone into labour or whether her waters have broken. Apparently, this is annoying.
As to whether I'll still be as excited about things after two weeks of no sleep, I'm not so sure but at least I know what to expect second time around.
Thursday, 8 March 2012
Food, glorious food
ONE of the many headaches of parenthood is food, specifically getting your children to eat healthily.
It's not always easy. Children seem to have an inbuilt aversion to things that are good for them, while at the same time being drawn to food that you would, in an ideal world, prefer them to steer clear of.
Harry isn't too bad on the eating front, although he will no longer drink any milk (unless it's on cereal), and he has recently developed a dislike for most things green (peas and grapes being the notable exceptions).
He will, though, eat carrots, most meat and fish, as well as apples, bananas and pears, not to mention mountains of mashed potato. Then there are yoghurts and cheese – Harry would quite happily eat these all day, every day given half a chance.
When he's poorly, though, food can become a real battleground. In fact, when he was ill a couple of weeks ago, we were trying everything to get him eating – and the only successes were yoghurts and cheese.
The there's chocolate. Now Harry may take after me when it comes to his fondness for cheese, but he's definitely his mum's son when it comes to chocolate. Honestly, his appetite for it is incredible – even when he's not well. As well as being unhealthy, it's also particularly messy; trying to keep Harry presentable when he's given a chocolate bar is a real mission impossible.
Strangely enough, though, he hasn't inherited his mum's love of sweets generally. In fact, he will spit out any type of sweet that's not got chocolate on it. I suppose we should be thankful for small mercies.
It's not always easy. Children seem to have an inbuilt aversion to things that are good for them, while at the same time being drawn to food that you would, in an ideal world, prefer them to steer clear of.
Harry isn't too bad on the eating front, although he will no longer drink any milk (unless it's on cereal), and he has recently developed a dislike for most things green (peas and grapes being the notable exceptions).
He will, though, eat carrots, most meat and fish, as well as apples, bananas and pears, not to mention mountains of mashed potato. Then there are yoghurts and cheese – Harry would quite happily eat these all day, every day given half a chance.
When he's poorly, though, food can become a real battleground. In fact, when he was ill a couple of weeks ago, we were trying everything to get him eating – and the only successes were yoghurts and cheese.
The there's chocolate. Now Harry may take after me when it comes to his fondness for cheese, but he's definitely his mum's son when it comes to chocolate. Honestly, his appetite for it is incredible – even when he's not well. As well as being unhealthy, it's also particularly messy; trying to keep Harry presentable when he's given a chocolate bar is a real mission impossible.
Strangely enough, though, he hasn't inherited his mum's love of sweets generally. In fact, he will spit out any type of sweet that's not got chocolate on it. I suppose we should be thankful for small mercies.
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