Emma and Cousins

We start with Thursday morning when Emma was trying to give Tigger a really lovely big cuddle in bed.

Then on to Sunday after we'd got to Emma's Granny and Grandad in Tisbury. Here's Helen reading some terrible rhymes to Ria and Emma. Ria was very excited about going to Turkey in a few days time.

Ria was very helpful feeding Emma. She's only 4 but she was being very sensible and patient with Emma. Even when Emma showed she'd rather shovel the food in with her fingers.

Ria and I went down to the ford where this lady was cooling her horse's hot ankles. The mare was making big splashes.

Here are some pictures of Emma with her cousins. She lights up with other children.

On Sunday afternoon we visited Jane, Jasper, Billy and Rosie. Billy has got a big Warhammer set so Caroline and I helped him with some painting. Very relaxing!

Jane keeps some Guinea Fowl.

Emma was REALLY enjoying the slide. I've never heard her laugh so much!

Emma had a last bath and Ria helped brush her hair. We set off for home at 8pm.

Meeting Maddie in Bath

A busy week to report on, with a trip to Bath on Wednesday and a visit to my parents at Wallmead at the weekend.

The pictures after different this time as I'm trying out a new technique. Click on the pictures to see them larger. Feedback appreciated!

It all started with laundry basket games on Wednesday. Emma wasn't imprisoned for long!

She helped me with some wine making. I'd got 15 pounds of strawberries at Nailsea market!

We had tea with Adrian and Zach at the Salthouse after a go on the swings. Adrian is another father who looks after little one whilst mummy's at work. He does significantly more than me - every day until 2pm rather than just Wednesdays. Zach is a very sweet little boy. I forgot my camera unfortunately...


Emma and I went to Bath to meet John, Roan and Maddie. We last saw them in November and we were both amazed at how our babies have changed. Maddie is so cute! Emma and I were jealously eyeing her teeth which were embellishing her smile. The children played nicely, both of them lighting up when the children's mp3 player came out and played some music. Here's a video of Emma eating the player.
Shame it was only a short meeting, it's got me looking forward to September when we're off to Centre Parks.

Family Feast

Today we entertained some (fortunately hungry) guests including a post-stag-do hungover Rob who managed very well considering! Nanna was first to arrive and was very helpful with the arrangements, especially feeding Emma her lunch.

We rediscovered the delights of an oven rather than using the barbeque. It was a lot less fuss! Here's Becky playing peek-a-boo in the paddling pool.

Nanna had found a very precious thing to give Emma. It was something that had caught Emma's eye in Nanna garden. A bird with propellor wings to go in the garden. It absorbed Emma so totally that she stood unaided for quite a few minutes examining it and making the propellors spin.

Rob and Bex stayed to watch the last two laps of Lewis Hamilton coming third in his first British GP, and then the first leg of the Tour de France. The London to Canterbury route was the same that Rob had cycled the previous weekend. All 120 miles of it! It had taken Rob from 6am to 2pm, but these superhumans managed it in around 4 hours!

Emma woke just as we finished tidying up. I had some good Daddy time with her and, by using some chocolate bribery, got three unaided steps out of her. She had a fascination for my glasses afterwards.

She can put them on herself now. Albeit normally after a few humorous failed attempts!

Working Mum

Hello Blog readers, from an exhausted Daddy Bear!

Helen's back at work for 6 weeks as a locum. She's working on Tuesdays and Wednesdays back in Weston where she worked before her maternity leave started.

Gramma Leila is taking Emma on Tuesdays. Last Tuesday Rob was also on hand to help out and it sounds like the day went very well. There is a wonderful gallery of Rob's pictures here.

My Wednesday was fun. Emma wasn't very hungry and only had half her normal bowlful of weetabix in the morning. She still had fun pushing her little cart though.

After a sleep I changed her into her "little orphan Annie" hand-me-down dress that's still a bit too big for her . We went to see Shrek the Third at the Curzon where it was Cinema and Baby morning. I was very impressed with the film - well worth a visit. Emma surprised me by being SO good! There was some flapjack bribery going on - which probably ruined her appetite for lunch, but she sat quietly on my lap for most of it, sometimes watching the film, but most of the time looking at other mums and babies.

We picked some runner beans from the garden when we got home and I made a rather unsuccessful lunch with mashed potatoes and ham with the beans. Emma tried on a new wardrobe of purple to visit Connie.

Here she charming her Great Grandma.

On Tuesday Helen took Emma to Weston to visit the the Seaquarium. Emma looks enchanted by these fishes.

In this next picture it looks like she'd like to get in and play! Probably hoping to pat them on the head like she does with Tigger and other babies....

And afterwards, the gratuitous food shot at the cafeteria.

After putting Emma to bed on Wednesday, I was ready for bed myself. I felt absolutely shattered. On the Thursday I came home from work midmorning feeling tired, sick and dizzy headed. It's either a bug or exhaustion or both. Bloomin' babies! After sleeping seemingly nonstop for 20 hours, I managed OK at work on Friday. I was sorry to miss Rob A's stag do in Bath today which I didn't think would be a good idea after the last few days.

Instead today I met Helen and Leila in The Salthouse pub on the seafront for a sandwich lunch. We took a walk along the seafront encountering some friends along the way. Granny Jenny's birthday gift of playing balls were very popular when we got home. She loved them! I took some pictures of her playing with Tigger in the garden by the lily.

Emma was fascinated as ever by the water that the honeysuckle sits in. I took a video of her being told not to splash. Click here. Don't you just love the way she shakes her head and then goes to do it anyway?!

I'm not sure if Tigger can be described as doing any more than tolerating Emma's attention!

I'm home alone babysitting now as Helen's gone out with Becky, Liz and Kate on an "anti-stag night".