Potty!

Hello once again, another busy week to report, so get comfy….
Rich and Kaz (from Rich and Kaz do the world link over there on the right) came to see me on Wednesday afternoon. Apparently they have been back a little while now but they have been somewhat nocturnal by all accounts, what ever that means. It was good to see them again and I was glad to see they had kept up to date by reading my blog. I had a great time doing my Postman Pat stickers with Kaz.
Potty training is going full bore now. Mum went mad and got me some proper pants to wear without the safety of a nappy! I’ve even been going to nursery in them. Dad did get to clear up one particularly messy effort but on the whole I’ve been really good at it. I like to do ‘little and often’ with regards my time on the potty itself, it keeps them on their toes.
Friday was Grandparents day at nursery. Grandad, Anne and Nanny turned up to play with me! It was brilliant fun, Grandad played trains with me while I let the other kids share Anne and Nanny with me. It was nice to show them around a bit so they could see what I get up to. Dad picked me up in the afternoon and we went to watch the golf on telly with the lads (and Carol and Abi). I even ‘helped’ Carol give Abi her bottle of milk, I loved that! Later on after we’d picked mum up we had an Indian takeaway for tea. I had a Keema Naan bread, I loved the bread until I realised there was some nice spicy meat inside, I dragged all the meat out to eat on it’s own. I think I also need to apologise for a small puddle I left on Nick and Carol’s carpet during a potty incident.
Mum worked Saturday so we went to see her at lunch time. Guess where we went for dinner? Yes, that’s right the PASTY SHOP! Later on we went to Amber’s 6th birthday party. I’d never been to such a big party before and when dad opened the door into the hall I was terrified. There must have been 50 other kids screaming, shouting and running round like maniacs. I’d never seen anything quite like it before. Sarah (Amber’s mum) was really nice to me and I soon came round and joined in. I pinned a tail on a donkey (and I didn’t have to wear a blindfold like the others because I’m little) and won a game of pass the parcel on my first ever attempt. I especially enjoyed the party food and sat in the middle of all the girls…..
Sunday morning I went up the park with mum and dad on my bike. Mum was cursing dad for suggesting it to me as she had to push me most of the way bent over double.

Here I am in my pretend kitchen area, serving dad up some food, the menu is simple home cooked fayre, mainly cakes! I rode home really well as it was mostly down hill, but Mum did get me pedalling really well! We went shopping in the afternoon in Reading as Mum wanted some new jeans…..she didn’t buy any, wasted trip! I did however manage to get out of the buggy and ‘walk nicely’ most of the afternoon so that was nice. I even went through a spell of walking backwards up the high street at one point which made the passers by laugh.
Monday mum was off work, so we gave dad a nice phone call at work in the morning. He loves my in depth conversation. Once he was home it was off to the Coral Reef swimming again. Mum and dad are becoming increasingly redundant on these swimming trips nowadays as I’m quite happy playing with the other kids. They can drive and pay for us to get in though.
Tuesday afternoon Grandad and Anne came round which was a nice surprise, they gave us some runner beans form Grandads garden. They’re about the only green thing I might consider eating. After they had gone Dad and I went to a new park we hadn’t been to before by a lake in Thatcham, it was ace. I eventually went down the really big slide after repeatedly saying ‘I wouldn’t’ when dad asked me if I was going to go down it. I had another three goes to make sure I really liked it.
I now need to welcome another new baby on the scene, Leo! Max has got a little brother…how cool must that be? Hope to see you soon Leo.

Vive Le France!

Did you miss me?
Mum and Dad seemed quite organised this time before holiday so we didn’t have the usual rushing around before we went. They even went out for a curry on Saturday night leaving me at home with Aunty Trish, Aunty Chris, Laura and James. We had a great time as always. Better than a curry I’ll bet!
On Sunday we went over to see Grandad and Anne. We went out for a walk in the lovely sunshine before we arrived at the pub for lunch. In the pub garden Grandad and I fed the goats some grass and some apples we picked from a nearby tree. I was even brave enough to feed the beasts with my own hands!
Holiday time!

Everything was packed and we were off. I had my very own Thomas bag on wheels packed with toys and books that I dragged around the airport tirelessly. I drew loads of admiring glances with my luggage that’s for sure, everyone loved it. The time at the airport passed really quickly and it wasn’t long before I took my window seat on the plane (unlucky Dad). I can’t remember much about my last time on a plane so it was new all over again and really exciting what with the speed and the noise. Some of the other kids were crying but not me, I loved it (after I made sure Mum and Dad were okay with it). We didn’t fly for long before we were landing again. This was almost as exciting as taking off.
Once we had gone through the airport and collected our bags we went and got a car from the carpark, this is where things all started getting a little weird. Mum got in the driving seat but didn’t have a steering wheel, Dad had it on the passenger side? After a few wrong turns we were soon at the campsite in Argeles Sur Mer (South of France), I wasted no time getting into the holiday spirit by heading out for some dinner:

Well a nice big ice-cream anyway. After that there was a game of pinball, after which we were all pretty much ready for bed so turned in for the night.
Tuesday morning we went to the Supermarket, a bit like Tesco, but with strange things in it. Not all that strange though, some of the cake looked lovely! I managed to get the lid off a salt pot and pretty much the entire contents of the said pot into Dad’s shoe….he loved that. After the shopping it was down to the pool! It was a great pool, a bit like the Coral Reef but outside. There were loads of slides that I let my two flunkies go down for my amusement (Dad almost broke his nose in an ill advised head first manoeuvre) before the rain came and the lifeguard chucked us out. The rain did lift for a bit in the afternoon and we went down the beach for a walk:

It was great, there were loads of older ladies for me to dazzle with a cheeky smile. We took refuge when the rain started again, Dad felt brave during a lull and decided to start up the barbecue. As soon as he went outside with his burgers and sausages the heavens opened again, the trouble was it didn’t really stop again!
The following day we did manage to sneak out to a little seaside village for an hour or so:


But it soon started raining again and we had to run for cover. As well as the rain, there was thunder, loud thunder. On the way home we went to a smart Café for tea. They had been teaching me ‘Bonjour’ and ‘Merci’ but I was a bit shy about using it. One of the lady cooks took a shine to me and was trying to coax a little French out of me. I played hard to get for long enough for her to try and win me over by giving me a proper Chef’s hat. I wouldn’t wear it but mum did. I expect Dad to have the thing glued to his head next time he has a barbecue or has anyone round for lunch.
Thursday we had a day out to a castle in Carcassone:

We kind of parked in the wrong place so had a bit of walk to get to it, but it wasn’t too bad. It was really impressive and looked like something out of one my books or on the telly.

It wasn’t long before it started raining though, and the walk back to the car gave us ample opportunity to get soaked again! On the way back we dropped in at the local bowling alley….it was broken, so no bowling. It was about this time I really got the hang of constantly asking ‘What doing’ or ‘What’s that’ They answered me at first but they got bored of it much quicker than I did.
On Friday we swapped the hire car over because Dad was worried the wheel was going to fall off. By the time that was sorted out most of the day had gone so we went to a prehistoric museum. It was rubbish. There were a few scary looking cavemen and a stuffed goat….not the dinosaur extravaganza I’d been hoping for! It rained as well. It did ease off long enough for us to venture out to the ice-cream parlour in the evening though.
Saturday we had a bit of a lie in before going to some shops in the rain. They didn’t have any clothes or shoes small enough for me which was obviously a bit rubbish. We went to the Café again for lunch and I ate almost an entire ‘Poulet Rosti’ before having a massive banana split that even I couldn’t finish. We tried another bowling alley in the afternoon but the miserable man wouldn’t let me play as he said I was too small! I got the proper hump about that. Mum thrashed Dad at bowling as is usual. We played Air Hockey afterwards (I was good at that) and then we had a drive on a racing game (I kept crashing into the barrier, think it had a dodgy wheel or something). The rain did actually stop long enough for us to have a barbecue and sit outside in the evening:

Then it was Sunday, our last day. Guess what? The sun came out! We quickly got down the swimming pool:

At least we got another go at it all. The only slide I decided was worthy of my attention was the really high scary looking one, it was great.
We then had to dash back and pack before we headed back to the airport for the trip home. There was an older boy called Josh sat in front of me on the plane. He was proper cool and even had his own DVD player to watch (He had Charlie and Lola on it too). He was pointing out things of interest for me as we came down for landing and we screamed and hollered for all we were worth as we touched down. It was even better fun than the way out.
So that was it, holiday all over and done with. Mum was really great all week and made sure I had lots to keep me entertained, seeing as she had Dad’s whingeing to contend with as well. I’m sure it doesn’t rain like this in Cornwall?
Mum was off work on Monday, so I didn’t go to nursery. We went to the park in the morning. I span Mum round so fast on the roundabout she was nearly sick!
Once Dad was home from work we went off to the pub for dinner (I had a sword fight with a big wooden spoon with the barman) and then it was onto the Beale Park:

They had a train! I was allowed to have a look around the engine shed and even ring the trains bell when we arrived back at the station. I had a deep and meaningful conversation with a snowy owl and saw some piggies, cows, goats and lemurs.

Best of all though was the playground:

Loads of little houses, slides, cars. trikes and a massive sandpit! I took some prizing away from there I can tell you!
So that brings us right up to date today when it was back to nursery. Amy was pleased to see me I think, but when she come up to say hello I did a swift sidestep, got on the trike she was on and took off across the yard…..treat ‘em mean, keep ‘em keen!

The Theatre!

All action again this week!
Dad picked me up from Nursery on Thursday and we met up with mum and went to the library. Books, books and more books! It could only be better if it was an all you can eat cake shop. We ploughed through thousands before I made my choices and we were left. My favourite pick was Noddy saves Christmas.
Instead of going straight home we went round the corner to a brand new park! I never knew it was even there! It’s a great park, especially for us slightly smaller ones. There’s a slide/climbing frame, some swings, a three prong seesaw, a spinning pole thing and a funny wobbly bench. Dad was muttering that parks weren’t like this in his day….don’t know what he’s on about but I know I like this one. Just after we got stuck in my friend Alistair from nursery turned up with his friend Sophie. They also had a couple of babies with them, one of them was eating dirt and the other one had no hair which I found very disturbing. It was a really nice surprise and we had a great time. It was much better going on the three pronged seesaw with Alistair and Sophie than it was with dad on his own, he just made it sink to one side.
As if all that wasn’t enough for one day, we picked mum up from work and went to Pizza Hut with Nanny. I love Pizza Hut and Nanny.
Aunty Chris and uncle Ian came round Friday afternoon to see me, but I got all shy and clingy. It was time to go and get mum as well so they didn’t stay long and I wouldn’t let dad go on his own. I don’t know what came over me really, I think I’m allowed to be a little bit difficult from time to time. As I keep telling mum and dad, ‘I am little’.
For once we didn’t have anything planned for Saturday and we were able to have a bit of a lie in. We were all in bed having a lovely wrestle under the covers until I accidently bit mum on the nose….oh dear. It bled a bit and looked really sore. Sorry mum, didn’t mean it!
Another milestone, I no longer sleep in a cot!

Dad changed it into a bed, as soon as it was ready I hopped in with a book, just like mum!
In the afternoon Owen, Andy, Chris, Katie, Nick, Carol and Abi came around to watch some football or another. Great, I get to make fuss of Abi. Dad fired up the barbecue even though the weather was horrible and my bacon butty flew away in the wind!
Sunday was an early start. They had been going on about seeing the Fimbles for some time and I just humoured them as I didn’t know what on earth they were going on about…..

We went to a place called the Hexagon in Reading. There were loads of other little ones around and it all seemed very exciting but I still didn’t really know why.

We went into a big room with lots of seats and sat down:

Then the lights went down and a lady came out on the stage singing and dancing, she scared the life out of me and I soon leapt from my booster seat on my own seat onto mums lap. After this rather abrupt start I soon warmed to the whole thing and by the time Roly Mo and Rockit appeared I was loving it. Then the Fimbles themselves appeared, they were really big (even bigger than Dad) and they sang and danced and played games. I even joined in with the dancing myself at the end, in the aisle between the seats. So now I’ve been to the theatre too!
Monday afternoon dad and I had ‘Noisy mower’ races in the garden. I beat him easily as his mower needed emptying of grass quite often, whereas mine didn’t. My mower talks as well, Dad’s just makes a load of noise. He even let me help him cook the dinner...Lasagne! I got to pour all the sloppy ingredients into the pan and stir it up with a big wooden spoon. I think he thought i'd eat it if I helped to make it but that was never going to work, it was still pasta after all!
I was full of beans this morning, mum asked me if I had ants in my pants while she was trying to get me dressed but I told her I had snakes in my pants! She though that was really funny.
We went to the local park again this afternoon, and although Alastair wasn’t there this time I had another lad to play with. I think I was a little older than him so I got to show him the ropes a bit which I liked. We even got a wave from the digger driver man from the building site, a real life Bob the Builder!
Mum says my talking is coming on really nicely at the moment, so I made the most of it after tea by asking ‘Can I have another piece of cake please’ and pulling my best begging face…it worked a treat and I got another (albeit very slender) piece of coffee cake!
Tonight was also parent’s evening at Nursery. Mum and Dad had to go and see Josie, my latest in a long line of favourite nursery ladies. She told them I was a joy to have around and that I’d settled in really nicely to my new room. I think they liked that.
Just to keep you up to date on the bed situation, I’ve slept well every night and haven’t fallen out yet. Although mum did have to swing my legs back onto the mattress after she found me slowly sliding on to the floor late at night.
Okay, that’s about it for this week, there’ll be no update next week as we’re off on our holidays (well it’s been a while). By all accounts we’re going on an aeroplane and everything, so that should be good!