A Certain Little Someone

I am at home, pottering around. Imagine that! I have FREE TIME!? What? Excuse me? I can hardly remember what that feels like.

Tai is at Jenny's, the childminder, today. He has been going for about a couple of months now, twice a week, every Wednesdays and Thursdays.

But after Jenny's recent 3 week-long summer break, I have to say it is a bit of a relief to have a day to myself again, to just collect my thoughts.

Yesterday while Tai was there, I cleaned, scrubbed, polished and dusted the entire house, did 3 loads of laundry, went to an exercise class, cycled into town and did some shopping, cooked and ate a hot, healthy lunch, and read non-stop for about an hour and a half.

I have become super-productive suddenly. When did this happen? And yet I felt like I was on holiday!

Today was more of the same.

Ready to help Mummy with the shopping at Tesco.

After dropping Tai off at Jenny's again, I went shopping at Tesco. It may not sound like an exciting adventure, but I was able to cruise down the aisles without thinking that I had a limited time before a certain

little someone would need changing/feeding/ entertaining/put to sleep.

Looking around the store, I couldn't help but notice that I was amongst a sea of white and greying heads.

It was barely 9am but it seems mums of babies and seniors have a common denominator: we've all been up for a few hours already and a leisurely morning shop and coffee break at 9am is just 'normal' now!

Eating grapes is my absolute favourite thing to do.

I was able to actually BROWSE the shelves and read the packets and containers for nutritional value without a certain little someone wanting to 'converse' with me.

I was able to take a split second to do a few quick calculations in my head to see which brand was most economical. What a pleasure! Oh my, doing mental arithmetic is enjoyable!

I had a leisurely HOT lunch while reading a magazine and listening to MY music.

I wasn't interrupted by a certain little someone tugging at my legs with his sticky grape-stained hands and bashing at my feet with his toy crocodile, "Yankee Doodle" music and the sort playing in the background.

I am able to go to the loo WHEN I NEED TO, and not have to wait until a certain little someone was somewhere safe and contained, surrounded by a mountain of toys.

It's 2:20pm and I've just baked 3 cakes, did another load of laundry, packed for our upcoming roadtrip to Cornwall this weekend and caught up on all my emails.

I'm turning round and round, thinking i should be DOING something else but not feeling like there's any real pressure to do anything at all. And yet, things are getting done.

It is a strange, strange feeling.

And yet, I find myself glancing at the clock often today - and then quickly deducing how many more hours, minutes, until I see a certain little someone again.

And then he's all mine for the next few days, she says greedily... until I need a little respite again next week.

It's a perfect situation.

Whoever said a "Happy Mummy is the Best Mummy" was absolutely, positively spot on.

Three hours and ten minutes..... and (not) counting ....

legoland

Today we went to visit LEGOLAND near Windsor.

Fun and loud and vibrant and very cool!!

Tai loved it,

but i think we loved it more!

We didn't go on any rides excpet for the little

train but now we know what there is for when he's a bit older.

It was a HOT day and we spent a long time playing in the water play park which he absolutely loved.

We then organized a last minute pub meal with Sara, Gary and their two little girls, Daisy (18 months) and little Pippa (about 5 weeks old but a real bruiser!)

They live closeby in Ascot so it was very convenient for everyone.

It was interesting to see how different Tai and Daisy were. Daisy is your fireball of intense energy, running and jumping and dancing and climbing. She hardly stops and seems to only have one setting.

Tai is a bit more cautious, a lot less active (even if he's a few months younger, you could definitely tell he just wasn't as hyper), much more quieter and observant.

It will be interesting to see how the two personalities develop over the years.

After getting home at 8pm, it was a quick bath and a short story for Tai, and a bit of a tv-evening for us.

Now it's time to climb under the duvet and dream in lego blocks.

summer

In Paul and Penny's garden at Bridport, with dog Mungo in the background.

Playing with my puppy. Thank you Aunty Jan and Betty!

This is what I find every morning in my kitchen.

Eating our garden's delights!

It is here on nights like this where I have the freedom to write and think and ponder and muse and scribble.

I love moments like these.

Tomorrow begins another round of visitors, back to back and hectic schedules of pickups, touring, feeding, being.

It is good for the soul to have friends visit and to share in life's ongoings.

Day three-hundred and sixty-five

Happy Birthday to my darling Tai!

What an amazing year it has been for us all.

You have changed so much since we first met one year ago.

And you have changed all of us at the same time.

Wishing you another year of health, happiness, adventure, discovery and absolute joy.

1 around the corner....

Whoever said children grow up way too fast was exactly spot on.

Tai will be ONE in exactly 22 days, just a little over 3 weeks!

I am in disbelief.

How can that little wrinkly bean now be a squirmy, crawling, giggling boy who has personality and seems to be able to sniff out a cable a mile and a half away?!

the start of another day

Today I woke up to a sense of real happiness and eagerness, something I haven't felt in a long long time.

My mobile said it was 6:59am - another good night's sleep had by all!!!

I could hear Tai was awake in his cot, making the occasional cooing sound and sucking on his rabbit.

I went in before he started to cry and there he was, lying on his back with both chubby hands on his rabbit, sucking away on his ears, blissfully staring up at his mobile.

I crept into his room and just watched for a few moments. Then I stepped closer, intentionally making some noise so he wouldn't get startled.

And when I peered over into his cot, the biggest 2-toothed grin came over his face and his legs started to kick frantically.

He let go of his rabbit, raised both his arms straight up towards me, pick me up Mummy!

How can such a little person evoke such joy? They just do, without knowing they do. Perhaps that's why it's extra special.

And so began another day.

* Tai trying his absolute best to help Daddy get some customers for Sunsmart Energy; modelling his summer gear in great anticipation for our upcoming Lanzarote holiday; showing off his standing skills!

Light at the end of the tunnel

Having something, anything, to look forward to keeps me sane.

Now we are on our way to Lanzarote in the Canary Islands for a week of sun, sand and surf. Mom and Dad will be joining us which makes me really really happy. This will be good for Tai to bond with his grandparents and vice versa.

I know they are desperate to see him again. It's only been 4 months since they last kissed Tai (on our trip to Canada in October) but they grow faster than you can imagine. No wonder he eats like a horse!

We have found a house in Winchester as well and that makes me feel like the momentum of eventually relocating there is becoming a reality.

When there are no friends or family around, being a new mum can be very lonely. I didn't realize just how isolated I felt until I got a mild cold and couldn't bear the fact of taking care of a baby.

It's funny how even your breasts don't produce as much milk when you are feeling ill... which then leads to a hungrier baby and that is never good news.

lovely lovely Cornwall

This weekend we went back to Cornwall to stay with friends, Ben and Helen (and their 6 month old son, Clem) in St. Agnes.

Matt was going to be doing his first installation for them in order to get his company accredited.

After that, he will be able to install for 'real' customers, so a very big step!

As the (big) boys got busy on the roof, Helen and I took the (little) boys down to the sea.

I forgot how lovely it is to live right by the water and Cornwall-living gives you that little slice of heaven.

Thank you Suttons for a fantastic weekend!

growing up

Here we are, one month already in Shaftesbury!

I am blown away how quickly time just seems to whiz by nowadays.

I want to blog more, to document Tai's first few months so that he will have a record of what they were like. And i want to be able to remember these months in many years to come, so I can say to myself "Yes, I survived it."

He is no longer the little helpless newborn baby that occupied our lives day in and day out.

Tai is now the budding little boy with personality and character, and a cheeky smile to match!

His temperament is still pretty chilled and he is a nosy little bugger, never quite able to feed in public places because there is just too much going on.

Never one to give away his smiles for free, you have to work for your smiles - even me! But once he casts a sideways grin at you, it is an honour. And I cherish those deeply.

* pics of Tai demonstrating his sitting skills with friend Winnie the Pooh; in his new big-boy highchair, celebrating the Year of The Rabbit; and modelling his new Indian outfit from Aunty Rena.

Farewell to Penzance

We have left Penzance, Tai's first home.

It is bitter-sweet, seeing the house all empty again but we're giddy at the exciting few months ahead of us.

We are heading to Jersey for the next 6 weeks, to spend Christmas and New Year's there, as well as a lot of family time. In a roundabout way, Matt will get an extended paternity leave now which is fantastic.

We'll return back to England in mid-January, where we'll set up our new home somewhere in the Wiltshire area. We'll first house-sit for Matt's aunt and uncle in Shaftesbury. They have just recently bought a new home there and won't be moving in until spring, so

by occupying the place for a while, it would help them out. Perfect for us too!

After the unfortunate - yet foreseeable - ending of Matt's work with Plug Into the Sun, he is now forging ahead with a few former colleagues, who will be acting as investors and mentors, to build a new solar company in the UK.

It didn't take us long to weigh up the pros and cons of embarking on this new chapter. Although there will be a lot of work and energy needed in the next few years, we hope this will be a fruitful and satisfying venture.

Thank you for a fabulous 9 months, St. Michael's Mews. We will not forget you. We will bring Tai back one day to show him his first home... where it all began in the wee hours of the morning on June 30th with a big of cramping and moaning...

In the Big Smoke

Tai's first trip to London! We met up with the other Thorningtons which was lovely.

It seems like suddenly there are babies everywhere!

It will be so nice for all the second cousins to grow up together.

The New Generation.

jumperoo, we love you!

To add to our growing collection of baby paraphernalia, we now own a Fisher Price Rainforest Jumperoo.

Tai absolutely loves it. He jigs and dances around in it, spins the wheels and laughs to himself.

Hours of fun (not to mention great stimulation and development) for him = a bit of spare time for Mummy!!

It's a win-win situation and those are the best.

across the pond

In two days we will be taking Tai on his first plan journey across the Atlantic to meet his Wong family. I am so excited, and am surprised by how excited/giddy/anxious I am.

There have been many months of preparation on the Canadian side, from arranging a substitute car seat and buggy to organizing Thanksgiving get-togethers with as many relatives as possible.

The one thing that I have worries about is the time difference.

At the exact time where we will be gathering for dinners, Tai would normally be fast asleep.

We will just have to make sure he adjusts to the time difference as soon as we land. Oh well, que sera sera.

Matt will be returning back to the UK after one week to go back to work. Tai and I will stay on for an extra week.

Seeing how much he is changing and developing every single day, already I know we will miss our little unit of three.

Still, this trip is mainly to introduce Tai to his great-grandparents. It is considered the absolute highest achievement and honour when one lives to hold his/her own great-grandchild in the world. Tai will not remember this trip but there will be plenty of photographic evidence, that I'm positive.

joy

I am getting to know Tai more each day.

I am able to read his body language, his cues and can anticipate what he may want next - possibly even before he realizes it himself.

We marvel at each other, lock eyes and both of us crack open the widest grin imaginable. I feel my heart literally jump up and down. Is it physically possible to have an internal organ detach itself like that for a split second? It certainly seems to be possible in my case.

With new discoveries everyday, I feel more vulnerable and protective over this little human being, who is showing me his many shades and colours and temperaments.

In all honesty, I have to say Tai is a pretty laid-back baby. He rarely cries, and when he does, it's for a good reason.

I have discovered that he absolutely hates loud noises. Today I let loose one of my massive sneezes and he just started to scream bloody murder. Up until then, he had been happily sitting in his bouncy chair for close to an hour, sucking his fists like there was no tomorrow.

I catch myself gazing at him, memorizing every single square millimetre of his beautiful face.

I can remember life before him, but what's different is now I cannot imagine life without him.

a new sense of time

Time is more precious than ever before. I now only get snatched minutes of time to accomplish something that normally I would do in mere seconds.

Depending on what is top of the priority list, those things could be taking a shower, making a phone call, washing a load of laundry, eating breakfast/lunch or more often than not, brunch, or simply closing my eyes for a 5 minute nap.

Life is full and often the days are made up of a similar routine.

It's amazing how quickly the time goes when all you do is ensure a little baby has enough sleep, food, and clean nappies.

Tai is beginning to be more alert during the days and he's started to smile and chuckle. It's awesome.

He'll hear you coming and start thrashing his legs and arms around wildly.

When you peer over his face, he'll break out into this humongous open-mouthed-gummy-grin.

You can't help but grin and laugh back. It's just one of those natural reflexes that you just do when a baby smiles at you.

This must be that giddy endorphin-charged feeling that so many parents talk about.

I think I get it now.

* pics from Aunty Claire, Great-Aunt Jan, Granny and Grandpa's visit.

My Son

I remember it took a while to get used to using the word 'husband' in my everyday vocabulary when I got married.

However, calling Tai my 'son' just seems to roll off the tongue, like I've been doing it my whole life.