Sunday 12 August 2012

8 months

Junior is two-thirds of the way through his first year already - how time flies!


This time last month we were about to leave Norway.

Tiny Viking
Photo by Dad


When we returned to London, the weather improved (of course), so we spent a lot of time enjoying being outdoors. We took S to Longcross Test Grounds to drive fast cars (his birthday present from last year). He got to drive a Ferrari, Porsche, and Lamborghini. I wasn't jealous, though... I got to drive a VW Polo Zipcar to and from the test grounds. Ahem.


Pick a Ferrari...



Driving fast cars with Dad


We have been hanging out in local parks...


Swinging


Wombling Free


Picnic play rock style


Ping Pong in the Park


Exploring in the park


 ...and going to softplay to allow Junior a chance to stretch his arms and legs without fear of hurting himself (or the flat) too much. He is crawling, pulling up, and beginning to climb, so keeping him safely occupied at home is a daily challenge.


 Soft play


We tried a music and movement class, but Mr Wiggly had a hard time sitting still. He crawled around the room sucking all the musical instruments and distracting the other mums and babies... We might try again, but for now I prefer to give him unstructured playtime.


Jiggle & Jam


He has been enjoying his baths now that he can sit up. He sucks on his rubber duckies and splashes the water (and me).


Bath time


Nap time is evolving, as well. We moved him into his own room and proper cotbed, and he has made the transition quite well.

Nap time
Robot and circuit board bumper, and sleep sack made by Grandmamasita


The rest of the month, we have had Olympic fever. We watched the torch relay as it went up Haydons Road in Wimbledon.


Cheering on the Olympic Torch Relay



Torch relay, Haydons Road, Wimbledon


We had a visit from a friend who has been volunteering at the beach volleyball venue.


Official London2012 GamesMaker


We have been watching the competitions.


Cheering on the swimmers, London2012


And we went to the live screen site near the foot of Tower Bridge for a picnic.


Tower Bridge with Olympic Rings


Despite initial skepticism and annoyance at not getting tickets for the swimming events, I finally felt excited about London2012 during the Opening Ceremony. With a squirmy eight-month old, I'm now glad that I didn't have to sit in the Aquatic Centre to feel like part of the action. The Games have been a great success and it has been fun reading tweets and following the BBC coverage. I hope it continues for the Paralympics next month.

Tuesday 7 August 2012

My Guest Post: Going on Holiday When Pregnant

I was invited to write a guest post about going on holiday when pregnant. Regular readers of my blog will know that S and I love to travel; Junior had been to three countries before he was even born!

Hop over to wrigglyrascals.com and take the survey to help other mums-to-be plan some time away while their babies are still inside!


About Wriggly Rascals
Wriggly Rascals was set up by Shona Motherwell, a frustrated mum of twins Mhairi and Archie to get mums together to share pregnancy, baby and toddler advice via quick surveys to get the facts about what other mums do. Our mums pass on loads of great tips to mums who have asked for help. If you would like some advice, get in touch at www.wrigglyrascals.com