23 years later

After 23 years of staying in Bournemouth Kristian's grandad, John, returned to visit London where he was born , grew up , married and had children. I just could not believe he never returned to his beloved London for that many years.
Now that his wife and Kristian's nan has passed he wanted to visit places they had been together and places that he had memories of with her and when he was a child . He went with his daughter and his grandson on Monday ( the hottest day of the year so far) and walked around holborn and Russel square. He took them into pubs he played the accordion in until Joan had to come and get him and bring him home more than a bit pickled. He showed then a boutique where he had proposed to the lady who owned it and was turned down! he showed them the house he was born in. he showed them the shop Joan went into every week. A lifetime of memories relived in one day.

He had a pizza for the first time in 15 years (imagine that 15 YEARS without pizza) and he loved it. he had 3 pints of bitter as well. He marveled to me as to how the trains were so quiet and smooth running. His last train travel there were no carpets and the trip was so bouncy you kept the lid on your coffee until a station and then downed it in one go.

all in all what a wonderful day for him to have and for his daughter and grandson to experience with him.

Lily

this is her blog really . Yes its been an outlet for me and I love posting all manner of things here but initially I set it up to document her life for everyone we were far away from. I recently went right to the beginning of lilyland to read my entry. I had just been plunged into motherhood!!

One of my favorite things to do is go through my pictures of Lily and relive all her little stages. She will be 2 in August so I am going to do a little month by month in photos of our life with the lilster. If you will forgive my self indulgence here is her life so far in my favorite photos.

13 August 2006 at 1:36AM Lily Grace Humble came into the world after I was induced on the 12th. Kristian told me all along that she would be here on the 13th as 3s are his obsession but when I began pushing at 10pm on the 12th I believed him to be wrong. but no ....

lily and her daddy. just hours old.

she came home to our flat in Hervey road and we began to get to know each otherBy the September of 2006 my mum had gone home and I had to learn to cope with just Kristian and I . Life returned to normal and Lily and I created our own little routine. It was not a good time for me but I look back at the photos with such fondness. they are part of our history

Lily has always loved bath time!!

In the October my brother and Lily's uncle Drew came to visit us in England. She was coming up 10 weeks. We had a lovely time with him even tough I seemed to be very sleepy most of the time. Lily had started to smile and was interacting with us a bit. I started to love motherhood. Lily's first laugh was when Andrew was visiting which I think is so apt as anyone who knows my brother knows hes all about the laugh.

November came and then December. Lily was being just divine . sleeping through the night and quite placid. She started to play with her rattle a bit and grasp things. Her first Christmas came and we were smitten. we went to Harrods to see father Christmas . it was the best day!

By February 2007 Lily was 6 months old already. It was a cold February in London and we had snow. I love this photo of her and Kristian. It was still snowing when we went out and her little down hood slipped down so the snow was in her hair a bit and resting on those long eyelashes.In March of 2007 we had our first trip to Cape Town. Just Lily and I. We had the best time and all of our special people got to meet Lily for the first time.

the next 6 months passed in a blur as we had planned another trip to Cape Town for Lily's first birthday. But she started eating proper meals and crawling at 9 months. she began pulling herself up on the table and cruising around a bit as well. Her speech was coming along and her mama and babas were getting clearer and more frequent.Her Nana fi came to visit and her mummy turned 30. Her personality was shining through and we would spend hours talking about her after she went to bed. still do!

Then it was time for another holiday and our little miss turned 1. We all had a wonderful time that holiday . 2 weeks after we came back to England Lily started to walk. All my Capetonians were so upset they had been coaxing her along for weeks and then they missed it.

After returning to England (again) Christmas was on our doorstep and we went to Holland on a little break in December. Winter set in again and Lily was walking beautifully. Now time for her to concentrate on her talking.

By this stage Lily was coming on 18 months and an absolute joy. We went to cape Town again this March and she really interacted with everyone there. She still talks about them every day. Her memory now is amazing and she can recall things you told her weeks before. We go to her nana in Bournemouth every few weeks as well which she loves..

since we returned after our august holiday Lily has started talking . She copies every word you say. Its only been 3 months but the rate she is learning how to talk is quite alarming. her current favorite thing to say is " oh dear" and "naughty di (fly)" (she hates flies) she has started saying 2 or 3 things together now like bye bye daddy. She never stops talking for a minute. Cute as a button as well with all her ringlets tumbling down her back and those big blue eyes. butter would not melt.
here's my current favorite taken on Wednesday in manor park. In 2 months my baby will be 2. What a ride its been. a joyous , wonderful , emotional ride , and its just the beginning. I cant wait for the rest.

outdoor antics

This is what we do in the british summer time

This is what we do when we have just woken up and have the novelty of a garden and some sun. Don a jersey , sunhat , slippers and zebra

this is what you do on an evening in summer when sex and the city is at the cimema. Go to the west end!

lunch at the new table

you know how I love just putting photos up and seeing how people react but the last time i did that i got into trouble as everyone thought Sandi was pregnant when actually I stuffed a pillow under her top so
Kristian went to his cousins bachlors hence the fab facial hair!!

longhurst road

I live here now. Its not been without a few tears though and my lack of blogging is because I just feel so overwhelmed at the moment. I have arrived here and cleaned everything within an inch of its life all the time wondering if we have made a massive mistake moving into an older house. I love quirky but I am not sure if I love old.

Its been a huge adjustment and my taurean nature is not really coping all that well. Lily is not really playing ball either as she perhaps feels my " taurean nature" and has decided now would be a perfect time to be 2. whining , crying , waking up through the night. I cant really blame her though she only a little thing and she just got her own room and big bed for the first time

So we will continue to settle ourselves here. we did some painting over the weekend to neaten up everything and yesterday Lily and I planted some containers for the front sills. We had a ball and got covered with mud. Lily loves water and will play with it for hours. It all ended in a monster tantrum when we had to go inside for a minute and her bike could not come with us. Please tell me this all passes!!

On a decidedly fabulous note I travelled by train into central London on Tuesday night to see Sex and the city movie. What a fabulous film that was. girls all the way. I went with my friend Jenny and we had a little pasta beforehand and a little more wine. Then in the cinema a little more wine as they let you take it in ,Yippeee. I laughed , I cried and I had a lot of fun. Just what a stressed mummy needs.

Its all my attention focused on my Cape Town trip now though and I am making lists all over the place but getting very little done , probably as I am running around trying to placate my whinging daughter who I love dearly. So anyone keen to babysit.? i wont be gone long...promise

I am back....31 and tired

Hello
My broadband connection is restored and i am online, in touch with my world again. I nearly wept with joy when I was connected last night.

So I had a birthday and moved house. Its all too much for a grounded taurus like me and i have cried many a tear in the last 2 weeks. I promise all my news will follow when I have looked through my hunderds of emails.

suffice to say I am alive and well and so looking forward to catching up on everyones news
xx

a tearful goodbye

I am spending my last night in our flat tonight. I am so ready to move and have more space and a garden and my own furniture ,but I have so many memories here. I brought my baby home here and have got her through babyhood and into toddlerhood. All of us in the 1 little bedroom. Madness you may say, but there was no other way and I have enjoyed every moment of hearing her little sleepy breaths while I wait to nod off.
Lily goes into her own new room soon after we have assembled her bed (gulp) and we will get our own room where I can lie in bed and read at night. Its the thing I am looking forward to most.

Today saw a hilarious visit to Ikea to get some of our furniture. We ended up with 5 large flat trolley things packed with flat packed stuff that we had to locate and put on the trolley ourselves. Cue a rolled over toe , irritable Kristian , near hernias and a manic dash to get the one section of Lily's wardrobe that I did not pick up.
All in all I nearly wet myself several times and all my muscles ache and we have not even started moving.
that's tomorrow. We have a van and hundreds and thousands of boxes (not really only about 25)

and goodbye to all of you for a week or so until my broadband connection is restored. Yes , i may sound flippant but actually inside I am traumatised by the thought of over a week without the internet. I have plenty to do though so it will fly and then I will have lots of pictures and news to share with you. Its my birthday on Monday as well so I have to fit some frivolity in there too

So its goodbye from me... I will miss you all so....

a recipe

here's a good recipe for pre toddlers and toddlers
I make it every week in different forms and freeze little portions up.

I call it rice rice its so original !!

take 3 handfuls of basmati rice and set aside
chop 1 red onion finely and fry in a little butter
take 3 veggies of your choice and fry alongside the onion
this week we had butternut ,spinach and peas
add a can of tinned ,chopped tomatoes
add rice
add some boiling water from the kettle just so it can all simmer away
add a pinch of sugar to cut through the tomato
if you have parsley you can put some through
let everything simmer until rice is cooked

top tip: if you are cooking pumpkin or butternut steam it a bit first to help it along its way

when its done you can stir some nice Cheddar through a bowl so it melts and its yummy.
sometimes I add little bits of chicken or fish
and sometimes (not often) I add vienna sausage. its processed you know and we are all trying to be healthy but oh those are yummy!!!
Its a great recipe for any veggies you have and its so healthy

other veggies I use
sweetcorn , red pepper , pumpkin ,

Lily's been having this since 9ish months as I found rice a great way to introduce texture. it sort of all sticks together which is easier than pasta.

lets all share our recipes that are good for toddlers and mummies who like to eat the leftovers
xxx

stuff about babies and toddlers part 1

On the family life blog Caroline has put down all her advice to other mums . Its a bonding experience having a child and its ones natural instinct to share knowledge and support with fellow woman. Its happened everywhere from toddler groups to the bus. I think its nice to have advice and suggestions from friends you trust and then make your own way.
I do think that motherhood is a rite of passage though and no one baby is the same so what works for your baby may not work on another. Its all about getting to know you baby or child and trial and error.
I am at the moment in a bit of a tizz about potty training. I don't really like potties and I want lily to have one of those little toilet seats and go on there. Also when is she ready? do I just take a nappy off one day and say right , tell me when you need a wee?
You see one thing I have learned from becoming a mum is that it will all become clear and Lily will tell me in her own time when she is ready. It still does not help that bit of self doubt that creeps in.
I did not take well to new motherhood and I am not ashamed to say it. I had a traumatic birth and my inability to breastfeed left me feeling low and ashamed. lily had colic and there were many , many days in her first 3 months that I wished I had never had her. Its terrible to admit but its the truth. I was pushed to the limit by it all and just wanted to run away. I felt very lonely and had no one to support me or pop in for tea. I was alone 8 hours a day with a crying baby.
hence my first bit of advice is to not read every book going and worry over your baby's differences to the norm. There is no norm. I learnt this the hard way but the minute I relaxed and was led by Lily , she relaxed and we created a little routine all of our own. Now I only do what feels right to me. I never force things.

Colic: If you are unlucky enough to have a colic baby try and remember that it will pass after 3 to 4 months. this feel s like a lifetime. Colic is not a crying baby as all babies cry. Its a baby that cries for 3 hours or more without stopping except for milk. they tend to go all the colours of the rainbow and headbutt you whilst bringing their knees up all the time. We thought Lily hated us. This is not an indication of your babies personality its a colic thing! Things that help and here's my number one tip... the hairdryer works like a dream. I know one other person that swore by it too. Its the only way I could calm Lily and eventually get her to go to sleep. i had the thing on the cool setting for hours
I also started using a drop in her formula called colief which was magic. I only found it at 10 weeks though but its very good.
I used my pouch sling constantly as did Kristian as it was the only way Lily would sleep. as soon as we put her down the screaming would continue. The movement and the closeness to us was very soothing. also I think her tummy being on mine and the soft swaying eased the colic.
It will pass.
Breast vs bottle...the endless debate
So here's what I think. breastfeeding is very good for your baby. If you are happy to breastfeed and it works for you then go for it. I will certainly try again with a new baby. I only breastfed for 4 days but it was a constant battle. my milk just never came in until day 6 I think and I was a wreck. Lily fought me tooth and nail and by the end I sat sobbing on the bed , breast exposed. This is not good for mum or baby. If its not working don't feel ashamed like I did. all that matters is that you share a bond with your baby and he / she is loved, warm and fed. I always held Lily close to me when feeding. I used SMA gold formula and tommee tippee closer to nature bottles. I am at peace with my decision now and don't feel bad as I have a healthy little girl.
I tell you what I do know though. drink lots of water , persevere with latching and get some help and support (crucial), know that there will be growth spurts so dot think your milk is running out , it just has to re adjust.

sleeping: sleep becomes a major commodity with a baby and toddler I may add. You will do anything to get some. sleeping through the night is such an overused phrase. Lily does not have any night feeds but she still wakes me in the night for her muzzie (blankie) or teething or a snotty nose or a bad dream. she goes through phases. I guess what I am saying is get used to it. your baby will cut out feed as it goes on . I really don't think dreamfeeding works. If you have a good feeding routine going and your baby is getting enough nutrition through the day she should start cutting out feeds and sleep though eventually and then she will start to teethe....

products I love:
fischer price kick and play bouncy chair. great product I could not live without. somewhere for baby to sit anywhere. at friends, in the garden , in the lounge , in the bathroom while you bath. and they can sleep in it. my best buy
bumbo chair: Lily still sits in her bumbo. some babies hate them she loved hers and sits on the kitchen counter in it.
stackable cups, fischer price rolling balls with animals in them, touch and feel books , teaset ,little push along wooden toys, baby pram, crayons and massive drawing pad all these were and are great toys that keep Lily entertained. the crayons are great she just loves drawing
simple baby body and hair wash, only in the UK but a great hypoallergenic fragrance free wash that makes the hair soft and lovely and caused no rashes and things
johnsons body cream in the tube I like this plain cream not lotion. its lovely and thick and keeps the skin looking and smelling lovely
sudocrem its a bum cream/ barrier cream but can be used for rashes and marks. i use it on myself too. it a fantastic product
pampers nappies , sainsburys wipes sorry Uk again for the wipes but I use pampers just because they fit Lily well. Its trial and error with that though I used cotton wool and water for wiping when lily was tiny though. In fact when they are tiny cotton wool and water and nappies and a bit of plain wash for the bath is all you need. some bum cream occasionally and you are good to go
ashton and parsons teething powders get them they work
tiny love symphony in motion mobile Nicola (cheeky monkeys) recommended this and since i see loads of people do. I got it and it was great Lily loved it and the music is classical and soothing. its brightly coloured so keeps their attention. she would lie in her cot for ages looking at it. we used it right up to 6 months
sheepskin for your pram this might not fly with you if you are veggie but its very warm and snugly for baby. I know its colder here but if you have a tiny baby in the cape town winter it may be a good thing. I got the treated one from the chemist and cut it to size. worked brilliantly
baby bjorn sling I loved mine and its currently in Sarah's pile of stuff for her mummy and daddy to use

weaning
quite a tricky time I thought. From 4 to 6 months we must magically know when our babies are ready for solids. cue ..panic
but you do..
I was still feeling very bad about the breastfeeding thing so I decided to go all out with weaning. haha well actually it holds a bit of truth but I really wanted to make all of Lily's food. the thought of jars makes me feel sick. saying that they are fine and very convenient its just my gag factor that comes into play. I wanted Lily to have real flavours . I wanted to know what she was eating and give her a large variety of food. Its quite easy. get yourself a little hand blender and one of those ice cube weaning trays. use your steamer in your pot or an actual steamer if you have one. then choose lots of veggies and fruit that look nice. peel , chop and steam and puree with a little of the cooking water to water it down if too thick. start with plain flavours like carrot , butternut ,sweet potato , pear , apple and when that has been accepted with no reaction you can mix flavours up a bit.
here's my favorites
pear and strawberry
butternut and pear
apple and blueberry
sweet potato and broccoli
carrot and butternut
then as 9ish months comes along start adding proteins like fish or chicken and try out cheese
I think the most important thing is to give finger foods from early on. little bits of soft fruit, toast , grated carrot or apple, peas etc

so that's my baby bit. My older baby and toddler up till 2 will come later. but as you can gather I can carry on adding every week because that's how often I learn something new.
Its a steep learning curve but its the best thing ever. Try and enjoy every minute and not worry if you have enough baby wash. you can always go out and buy. that's advice I should have taken.
all the mums that read this blog have made their own way with a little help from their friends and family and all the future mums will do the same. In the end I can give you all the advice in the world but you will probably just appreciate me making you a cup of tea and laughing and crying along with you.
Here's to the mums.....

this week its ....sunny!

Finally the winter has left us and summer weather is all around. Monday was a holiday here and the most glorious day. Everyone who had been hibernating came out to play and our heath was packed with hundreds of people picnicing or just having drinks.

I shared a jug of pimms and lemonade with a friend of mine who was in London for the day and it left my spirits soaring. Its amazing what a bit of sunshine can do for one.

Yesterday was also sunny and my brothers ex girlfriend and good friend of ours came to visit after arriving in London 3 days earlier. Lily loves Leila and has been talking about her (ie saying her name) since we arrived back from SA. Suffice to say she had a ball with her , refusing to sleep the entire day.

Oh and here's the outside of our house we are moving into next week. note to fellow bloggers who are moving house. post picture.

Its the grey looking one with the blue door in the middle. Victorian I am told.

So now all I need is all the furniture and a vacuum cleaner, ironing board and the likes and we are good to go. As I type this I am supposed to be looking for vacuum cleaners online that will not cost me a fortune , but I wont and then lily will wake from her nap and another day will go by vacuumless.

one last thing. I have this light lilac bag closed by a lovely looking sticker. Inside is an item wrapped in black tissue paper and secured by another lovely sticker. Inside this tissue paper lies a fabulous faux fur wrap for my wedding day... did I mention I was getting married...

Fridays photo bright colours

I sense a theme emerging this week. apologies for the extreme lateness!

lily's toy basket