Apologies for my absence

I don't seem to have had any time for blogging this week, and I've really missed it. It's as addictive as writing a diary, and I find myself composing incidents into blog-posts in my head. I think that's a potential worry - when the blog becomes more important than life, or when you start doing things just so they can become posts. At least I am aware of that potential pitfall now, so can do my best to avoid it ;)

I've just posted some of my list items from this week, but I'm a bit blogged out now so I'll have to finish tomorrow. I've been working in the garden as we've actually had some days of sunshine, and seem to have got loads done. It has left me simultaneously longing for summer - imagining days of picnicking outside with J-cub, and him toddling around while I garden - and dreading it - imagining days of falls on the stone paving slabs, slips on the decking, J-cub designing his own menu of slugs, snails, stones and mud ... I suppose it's just something I'm going to have to get used to.

A few notable moments from this week:

- J-cub going down for both naps and bedtime on Tuesday without a peep. He drank his bottle, I put him in the cot, and didn't hear another sound. No frantically trying to stay awake when he was shattered, no being practically asleep when I put him in the cot but wide awake and giggling 2 minutes later, no kicking and punching me, just blissful silence. Lovely.

- Having a lovely BLW-style lunch with a friend who's just started up her own blog. She's been having some troubles with weaning her lovely daughter Poppy, who is about a month younger than J-cub. Not wishing to offend, I made some gentle suggestions about trying a more BLW-style approach to solids, and it's been working really well for her. J-cub and Poppy enjoyed pitta bread/rice cake with houmous, chopped cherry tomatoes, nectarine and plum for lunch.

- Being brave enough to try baby group again, and having a lovely time. There were only 5 of us there, which made it not so intimidating. We talked birth stories (again), baby-wrangling on long journeys, setting up a book group, getting some padded flooring for the hall, and general baby nonsense. J-cub was a bit grumpy when we got there, but crawled around for a while until his requests for cuddles got more and more frequent, at which point I strapped him in the buggy and pushed him in circles (followed by the sole toddler there, who stayed so close to my heels that I nearly fell over him countless times) until he fell asleep (yay!). He slept for 35 minutes, then bounced back to life, playing happily until it was time to go. He happily transferred his requests for cuddles to the other babies, slightly baffling (or scaring) the little ones and cementing a new friendship with the toddler M by cuddling and kissing him whenever J-cub could catch him.

J-cub (left) and M (18 or so months old I think)

- Having an older (first-language Welsh) toddler come up to J-cub in the changing rooms at swimming saying "Babi, babi!" (baby, baby), J-cub turning to him and throwing his arms round him for a cuddle, with the toddler saying "Cwtch! Cwtch!" (cuddle, cuddle). So cute - and we had to prise them apart when it was time to get in the pool. We spent the whole lesson with shrieks of "Babi babi!" every time he came near us.

- J-cub eating a whole pear for his snack, leaving nothing but a tiny section of core and pips.

- Realising that J-cub now understands the meaning of the words: where, ball, catch, Tilly, Maeby, cat, duck, Jemaine (his giraffe), go, up, hello, bye-bye.

- J-cub very clearly saying "Duck!" when confronted with a duck. All other animals are "Ca!" (cat).

- J-cub climbing the stairs, bottom to top, entirely unaided. Over and over again ;)

Yay!

- Receiving a lovely postcard and hand-drawn picture from Tammy at The Heartful Blogger, which she kindly sent me even though I didn't win one during her giveaway week. Her son, Jake, had an operation yesterday, and I'm so happy that it went smoothly and his recovery is going well.

All in all - a very good week.