Our Second Home

We haven't invested in a holiday home or anything like that! The title refers to our frequent visits to the doctors office. Beth has had a fever of between 99 and 103 for the last few days and is a total pleasure to be around (I hope you can hear the sarcasm). Steve is at the doctors with her at the moment but I doubt there will be a lot they can do - we're kind of hoping that they prescribe a magic potion that sorts her out! Toby is still under the weather but has just finished some antibiotics for an infection and is still on medication for thrush. I think the doctors surgery have put aside a weekly appointment for us as we seem to be in there so often!

It's now May 1st and nap time so I'm trying to finish the post before Toby wakes up. Beth is doing a bit better today probably due to the antibiotics she was prescribed - for some sort of throat infection, so hopefully she's now on the mend. Toby had his six-week check up yesterday and now is a hefty 11lbs 2oz and 22 inches long. I (thankfully) have got the ok at last to drive - most of the cars over here are stick-shift so they tend to want you to wait longer than with an automatic before driving after an operation. It's good news as I loose my chauffeur since Steve starts his new job today. Having said that, I wouldn't be surprised if he got the sack as I'm sure if he sits down for longer than two minutes and doesn't hear crying, he'll fall asleep!!

In the absence of other adult help (Beth is being helpful when she's in the mood but tends to forget what she's helping with if something more interesting comes along), I decided to be slightly adventurous this morning and we headed off to the playgroup in the village. Amazingly we got there, had a good time and got back with minimal amounts of crying. Lunch was a bit more of a challenge but everyone got settled down for their naps eventually. I suspect that today is lulling me into a false sense of security, making me think I can actually cope with two children on my own. I'll probably find Beth in a very needy mood tomorrow and Toby anxious for attention and I'll end up a soggy heap of parent by the end of the day!

The photos are all rather random - Beth wearing one of her birthday presents (an apron and oven gloves), Beth and Toby together - Beth very unconcerned and Toby looking rather worried (probably with cause since just after I took this, she pushed him off her lap very unceremoniously!), and Toby having his first ever bottle.

(Some) Sleep At Last!

Last night we gave in to the lure of the swing and decided to see if Toby slept any better in that. Amazingly he snoozed for almost five hours straight - he can do it, all those stories he told me about being half starved every two hours were fibs! Have to say that when he woke up from this marathon sleep, he thought it was time to get up and play so we actually got less sleep than normal. This afternoon I put the toy bar up on his seat to see if it kept him entertained. At first he was very wide-eyed but he soon started batting the ball and book about and thoroughly enjoying himself.

Beth is doing fine though her skin is still a bit sore from the lotion. It's gradually clearing up but since she has pretty sensitive skin anyway, it's taking longer than it should. I thought I'd include this pic of Beth as she looks so grown-up.

More Birthday and Bath

Beth's birthday tea party went really well with lots of family coming to celebrate and play in her house (and of course eat). For a while we thought we may have to cancel as Beth was up lots during the night with a really, really bad rash. It looked like a severe sunburn all over her body (except her face). We worked out that it was from a new lotion we used after bath time. Obviously her skin was too sensitive for it and also the lotion was a few years old and probably a bit past its best. Anyway, she eventually settled down after getting some medicine from the 24 hour chemist (poor sleep-deprived Steve had to go to get it at 4:15am). The rash is gradually going away but her skin is still a bit of a mess even now.

Anyway, Beth thankfully was distracted from the itching by the fab presents she received including a beautiful dolls house with all the furniture - she has hardly stopped playing with it since Steve put it together on Sunday. She also got a very posh pushchair with a bit to swap it into a pram. It's an exact replica of a proper Quinny brand pushchair and Beth loves parading around the house with it. Her birthday seems to have extended to fill the week as today her playgroup did the whole cake and candles thing for her. She'll be expecting cake everyday at this rate and will be very disappointed when she gets a plain biscuit!

In Toby news, he was fussed over at the party and didn't miss out on getting a few presents himself. This evening he had his first bath in the big tub on his own. He really seemed to enjoy it and hopefully it will calm him down and relax him since he's been really stuffed up with his cold and a little sicky. I'm also hoping it relaxes him so he sleeps better. He has been sleeping for once stretch of three hours followed by two hour blocks. He's gradually improving but I can't help but compare him to Beth who by this point (five weeks old) was sleeping from 10pm until 4am on a regular basis. I know every baby is different but come on Toby, sort yourself out!!

Happy 2nd Birthday Beth

I can't believe Beth's two already, the time has flown by! For her birthday we thought hard about what to buy her - we wanted to get something that will really occupy her so she doesn't get into mischief while I'm sorting Beth out. We decided on a Little Tikes playhouse as she loves 'make believe' at the moment and we also have room for it inside while the weather is a bit yucky. Initially we were rather disappointed with her reaction as she was far more interested in the balloon but once she cleared those aside it was all about the house.

We managed to tear her away from that and went to the local leisure centre as they have a soft play area. It's really good and pretty huge. It's built over three or four levels and has loads of slides, swingy things and stuff to climb up. Beth's favourite bit was the little ball pool and she spent ages jumping in and out of it and swimming in it! I don't think she really wanted to leave there until she was reminded that there was a house waiting for her at home.

After nap, some family came round to wish her happy birthday, drop off more presents and eat some cake. This year Beth had an 'In The Night Garden' cake, this is one of her current favourite tv programs - rather like the Teletubbies but slightly more watchable! With all the excitement, I think she only opened three presents - about 6% of her total haul so I can see her birthday stretching for days to come, especially as we're having a tea party for her tomorrow and that will probably net her quite a bit more booty!! Perhaps we can stretch it out until Christmas. ;)

I've included this last pic to prove that Toby did feature somewhere in the day! Beth has been very good with him and is gradually accepting that he isn't going away. Here she has been playing round and round the garden with him on his hand - she got bored rather quickly as he didn't react but now she's two she's a big grown up girl and will of course be the perfect big sister.

Bridleway Walk and Other Stuff

I keep mentioning the bridleway/path near the house where we spend a lot of our time walking, poking poo, looking at the horses and hens, and playing with the gates and in the tunnel but I haven't posted any pictures yet. So, here are a few including one showing the rabbits sunning themselves in the field.

Beth is settling down a bit though is still a handful when it comes to naptime. She's taken to emptying all her draws then after playing for about an hour, she tends to fall asleep wherever she 'falls' which is normally behind the door so she gets hit on the head when we go to get her up. Here's a pic of where she fell yesterday!

Toby is also fine though still not sleeping well at night. He was weighed again by the health visitor yesterday and is up to 10lbs 4oz - we're having to return all the size 1 nappies as he's outgrown them. We have already nearly filled a big storage box with clothes he no longer fits.

Gribdale Gate & Toby Update

This morning we went for a walk at Gribdale Gate, a wooded walk that takes you up to a monument for Captain Cook. The whole area is Captain Cook mad as he grew up around here (about 25 minutes from our house). We didn't actually make it to the monument today (though Steve and Beth did get to it the other day) as Toby needed feeding as soon as we arrived and Beth was pretty tired. Steve and Beth filled the time walking up some steps from the car park to the top of a ridge - if you look at the photo, you'll see them right at the top (they look like a little blob).

Once we did get out of the car, we had fun jumping over the hills, playing with pine cones and climbing stiles. The weather was pretty good, not windy at all and the sun even made an appearance. Surprising since the forecast is for torrential rain. I think we'll definitely have to plan on visiting again in the summer and take a picnic though it's not guaranteed to be great weather then!

Toby is doing fine though his sleeping is not getting any better. He's still up every hour and a half to two hours to be feed during the night but manages two to three hours during the day - awkward boy!! The health visitor came on Wednesday to weigh him and he's now up to 9lbs 8oz so he's obviously getting enough food. He'll be weighed again this Wednesday so it will be interesting to see how much he's piling on each week. Toby seems to be very interested in everything and seems to notice things going on around him. He noticed the cat and watches the mobile on his swing - Beth didn't notice the cat for months. For the most part he's a fairly calm little boy but definitely makes it known when he's hungry or gassy.

Castle Eden Walkway

Yesterday we visited Castle Eden Walkway, the site of an old railway line. There's not much to see there, but plenty of puddles, mud and dirt. We met up with Beth's grandparents and her cousin, Adam.

Beth somehow managed to take a dive in a muddy patch and of course visited every puddle on the walk. Adam wasn't quite as bad but did also manage to take a dive. He timed his a little better than Beth and managed to avoid the dirt and puddles but did end up with a bruiser on his forehead.

It was good fun but pretty cold and windy. Toby came with us but he was tucked up in the Bjorn and hidden in my coat so didn't really get to experience the weather or the walk. He's settling into life pretty well. He also had his first tub bath yesterday with me and seemed to really love it. He just lay floating, looking around, letting the water lap up around his neck. He still seems to have a cold and I've got a sinus infection so I'm really hoping that his cold doesn't develop into that.