Music time

Our catalogue of musical instruments for Eve grows by the day. The newest addition, which has been a great hit is the Lights and Sounds Drum by the Early Learning Centre. We picked it up for £1.50 in the baby charity shop. Such a great find. 

It has different settings on the sides which can be tapped to trigger music and sounds. The top of it can be hit to make sounds, it also lights up at the same time in a variety of colours. It can be rolled along the ground on it's side too, which starts the music playing and the lights flashing.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Early-Learning-Centre-Lights-Sounds/dp/B007QAVR0E

Sam and I are both passionate about music and feel that play-time with instruments is very important. Eve is a lucky girl and also has a rainbow xylophone, and a ukelele from the charity shop Sue Ryder. The ukelele was really good value for money, plus the money goes to help care for people in Sue Ryder's hospices and neurological care centres.

http://shop.sueryder.org/musical-instruments/ukuleles/rainbow-stripe-ukulele.html

There are a number of children's xylophones out there, so you can choose the type that you prefer for your child: plastic, wooden or metal. We love our wooden one, it's been perfectly made even though it's for kids. Each note is different and accurate.

One small instrument she is not keen on is the kazoo. After listening to Bill Bailey talk about an experience getting stopped at customs with a kazoo I remembered that we have one on our memory shelves in the hallway. 

I started tooting away on it at Eve, she looked rather worried. Sam told me to stop but I thought she might end up liking the sound - but no, she burst into tears!

Saturday marked the start of Eve's first vocal recording in Daddy's studio. Sam is very inspired at the moment and is working on a brilliant concept album. Eve and I went in this morning to see what he was doing, she liked grabbing hold of the studio mic so Dad quickly recorded her. Needless to say the tiny sounds (shrieks!) that she made with a bit of reverb sound amazing on the track.

I can't post a link to it yet as it's still a big work in progress. But you can see the screenshot below of her vocal in the recording. Eve's sounds are the bits in turquoise at the bottom.

Dancing about the flat with Eve is something that both Sam and I love to do. Whether it's to music on the radio whilst I'm washing up, a music channel on tv (we're so old now that we like to have the Vintage music channel on), or dancing to Daddy's music, Eve always seems to enjoy it as she waves her arms around wildly.

We also find that if Eve is upset with teething pain or similar, taking her into the studio to listen to relaxing music is very soothing for her and definitely calms her down. She shares her bedroom with Dad's studio so it's a good thing she likes it.

Eve playing the pads on Maschine in Daddy's studio

Sunny family picnic season

 The Higginson's rather lovely picnic hamper

The weather has been incredible lately, continuing to make our summer a very wonderful one. Eve and I have been to the park most days, either on the way back from the allotment or just heading there for fun.

Relaxing under the shade of a tree in St Andrews Park. We love the pram blanket from John Lewis that was given to us as a present, it goes with us everywhere!


















Pram blanket:
http://www.johnlewis.com/john-lewis-striped-pram-blanket-rainbow/p231605084?kpid=231605084&s_kenid=472258fe-84b5-4bc8-905d-76b562ccb6fe&s_kwcid=106x3185&tmad=c&tmcampid=73

Baby buddies - Isla, Eve and Arthur chilling out in the park

Arthur having lots of fun

Isla with her own special baby picnic hamper

Our friends Helen, Jake and Isla who came to visit us from Plymouth. We spent a relaxing afternoon with them in the park. Eve enjoyed meeting Isla.

Daddy, Eve and me with Dan, Ocky and Arthur on the right hand side - such a lovely day

Eve enjoying herself in Royal Fort Gardens, Clifton. 

The gardens are owned by The University of Bristol. As the name suggests the site was previously the civil war fortifications for the Parliamentarians. The defences were originally medieval but had to be strengthened  for modern warfare in 1642. Royal Fort House which overlooks the gardens was built for wealthy Bristol merchant, Thomas Tyndall in 1758.

Eve and I spent a lovely afternoon here last week whilst we waited for Daddy to finish work. When she woke up after a nap I pushed her in the pram around the gardens, past the pond and then settled in another shady spot to resume play-time.

My brother-in-law and his partner gave us fantastic presents at Christmas - the colourful woollen picnic blanket (John Lewis) that Eve is sitting on in the photos and her pram blanket too. We've been having such a nice time enjoying these lovely gifts.

 Chilling by Jeppe Hein's sculpture 'Follow me', created in 2009

http://www.bristol.ac.uk/centenary/look/art/sculpture.html

Sam's cousin Daisy with Eve at the kids paddling pool in St Andrews Park

Along with picnic time, Eve has been enjoying bed-time stories. However, she tends to like crumpling up and sucking the pages the most!

Our first family trip to London

After an early 5am wake up with Eve on Saturday we prepped ourselves and set off for London. We walked through a beautifully sunny Bristol at 8am, taking in all the lovely architecture as we meandered our way across the town towards the train station.

Unfortunately there were some delays on the train, but we finally reached Paddington Station just before midday. My sister Claire, who is 6 months pregnant and her boyfriend Jody met us. We walked down the canal from Paddington to a restaurant in Little Venice.

Little Venice

We started off with drinks in the garden but showery weather moved us inside where we ate lunch. Sam's brother Ben and his fiance Tom met us for drinks and a chat. We had a walk together around the canal and back to Paddington. I enjoyed looking at the floating bookshop - a great idea for a shop on a barge.

Tom, Ben, Claire, Jody and Sam

My very talented brother-in-law Ben will have his first book published this month - to read an interview with Ben about 'The Spring of Kasper Meier' have a look at the link:

http://www.litro.co.uk/2014/06/qa-ben-fergusson-on-the-spring-of-kasper-meier/

See his website for more information:

http://benfergusson.com/home/the-spring-of-kasper-meier/

I am so looking forward to reading his book, such an interesting subject!

Claire and Eve

I really enjoyed catching up with my sister and seeing her and Jody so happy, waiting for the arrival of their baby boy.

It was a real quick day-trip to London, but it was nice to take Eve there for the first time. The train on the way up was a bit stressful as it was jam-packed with people plus the delays. She was happy until the train stopped in the middle of nowhere, then became very restless and bored - just like everyone else on the train!

I felt thankful to have Daddy with me as I had previously planned to do the trip with Eve by myself. We used the baby changing facilities in the train bathroom on the way to London, but on the way back it was out of order and all the other toilets were the old school type. Thankfully we got home without having to change her. The stroller that we had borrowed fit easily onto the train shelf, and on an emptier train on the way home we kept Eve inside it as we found a great seat at the front of the carriage with lots of space.

Eve giving her first Father's Day card to Daddy on Sunday morning

Water, Water Everywhere!

First swim in an outdoor pool at The Lido

We've had another lovely family week, filled with love, sunshine and fun. 

Saturday started out a bit gloomy weather wise, but the sun suddenly came out for our walk down to The Deco lounge on Cotham Hill. We had lunch with Jilly, Amy, Torgo and her baby Jake. It was a good hour or two spent chatting, playing with the babies and eating American food. So nice to catch up with good, old friends.

After lunch I took Eve off for a test drive in the stroller that we've borrowed from my friend Laura. (Thought it would be a good idea to use a stroller when we're in Greece in a few weeks time.) It was such a revelation! So light-weight and easy to drive around. We moseyed up Gloucester Road, browsed in a few shops (which we can now fit in with the stroller) and then wandered home. 

I strapped Eve on with the baby sling when she woke up as she loves looking around. It was pretty hot by mid-afternoon, so I was glad when we finally arrived home. It made me realise what it must be like to be rather fat, carrying an extra stone in weight. Eve is now quite heavy - so I think I'll leave the carrying to Dad from now on.

The Fizz Silver Cross Stroller Review £130

http://www.silvercrosspram.co.uk/silver-cross-stroller.html

As mentioned on the review, the handles are not adjustable - Sam finds it difficult to push around as it's too short for him. Also, personally I wouldn't put a newborn in it as there is no support for a tiny baby. Eve absolutely loves facing the world in it and kicks her legs madly - how she loves the sense of semi-freedom.

I'm keeping an eye out in the baby charity shop down the road for a second hand stroller - they seem to have them in there quite often for about £10-£15.

On Sunday morning, the sun was again shining brightly so we strapped Eve into our baby rucksack, put it on Sam's back and set off down the road to our friends new garden flat for breakfast. My sister's friend was very kind and gave the rucksack to us when her daughter had grown out of it - a Big Thank you, Anna!

Mike and Anastasia, who live down the road from us have a daughter called Grace. She is 15 months old. It's really nice to chat with them about parenthood. We had some good laughs and ate croissants in the sun whilst Eve slept in the baby hammock and Grace had a nap in her bedroom.

Breakfast in the sunshine with good friends - what more could you want?! I rocked Eve gently in the hammock, she smiled as her eyes closed and she fell asleep - such a beautiful thing on a Sunday morning.

Eve and Grace having fun with violins in the garden

On Sunday afternoon we took Eve down to The Lido. We keep attempting to take her there for her first outdoor swim, but the weather keeps being very changeable. I got her and myself changed - not an easy feat in a baby changing room, quite tricky but we got there in the end.

We came out and it had suddenly started pouring with rain. We wrapped Eve up in a towel and hoped for the rain to pass; thankfully it did, so we jumped straight in. Eve really seemed to enjoy it - however as the temperature had dropped we only stayed in for about 5 minutes. I can't wait to swim in the pool at the apartment that we've hired in Glyfada, Athens at the beginning of July. It will be so much easier in a warmer climate.













After attempting to give Eve water to drink after each meal for the last 3 weeks she finally decided that she liked it yesterday and guzzled it down after lunch and tea. Oh, the small things that make my day!  She also just started putting her feet in her mouth a couple of days ago, the little genius, ha ha.

Eve impersonating Winston Churchill :-)
Having fun weaning.

St Andrews children's paddling pool

I've also taken Eve to St Andrews Park quite a lot lately as it's on the way home from my allotment. The first time I put her feet in the big outdoor children's paddling pool she was wild with delight. I stood her on my lap so she could look at all the children playing in the water, she was so excited, it was most amusing. We stop there with Daddy after work too when it's warm enough. Oh lovely summer fun!

Watching the commotion surrounding the children's paddling pool in St Andrews Park

70 Years Since D Day

Today marks the 70th anniversary of Operation Overlord, D-Day, where hundreds of thousands of young men (British, American, Australian, New Zealand and Canadian) invaded German occupied Western Europe.

Weather conditions were not favourable on June 5th 1944, so the invasion was postponed until June 6th. Shortly after mid-night gliders and paratroopers landed near target codename Pegasus bridge on the coast of Normandy. Out in the Channel a giant armada of battle ships had arrived, as dawn broke the naval bombardment started. More than 5,000 ships and 11,000 aircraft were deployed.

To the western end of the invasion area, codename Utah beach, 23,000 US troops landed at 0630 in the morning.  Codename Omaha beach, 34,000 US troops landed, this beach saw the highest number of casualties. Most of the first wave of men to land on Omaha did not make it off the beach.

25,000 British troops landed on codename Gold beach, and 21,000 men landed on codename Juno beach. Juno had the second highest number of casualties after Omaha. Just north of Pegasus bridge 28,000 British troops landed on codename Sword beach. More than 132,000 men landed on these beaches, a further 23,000 men came in via glider or parachute. For every 6 men that landed on the shore, only 1 would make it to the top of the beach.

The scale and ambition of the largest seaborne invasion in history is might to behold. The planning of the operation was 2 years in the making. A small team of men swam from half a mile out to sea to take core samples of each beach on New Years Eve 1943. This was vital information, the wrong type of sand, mud or clay meant a world of difference to heavy landing craft, tanks, jeeps and mine sweepers.

Robert Capa's famous photo of D-Day

Higher up the channel, off the South East coast a squadron of planes, including the infamous Dambusters, dropped 'window' - small piece of aluminium foil across the land and sea. This was to confuse German radar and make them think that the invasion was taking place further up the coast of France.

This 70th year marks the last year that the D-Day Veterans Association will visit the beaches and cemeteries. Many of the remaining veterans are now well into their 90's. However I'm sure that many veterans will continue to visit each year, even as their numbers diminish.

The 'Ode of Remembrance' was taken from Laurence Binyon's poem 'For The Fallen'. It was published in The Times in September 1914 at the start of World War I:

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning,
We will remember them.

I cannot imagine how terrible it must have been for these men to be involved in this campaign, some who were as young as 17. We should all pay tribute to those who made the ultimate sacrifice so that we could live in a free society.  It is important that we teach history such as this to our children so that they can learn from it, and never forget the sacrifices that so many people throughout history have made for us. Eve may only be six months old, but she has sat here and watched commemorative documentaries on tv throughout the week with me. Whilst she plays she can hear the hymns of remembrance.

We honour the memory of all those who died during Operation Overlord. German losses during D-Day were approximately 1,000 men. Today we show our respect and remember all those who fought for our freedom and civil liberties, whatever their nationality.

Trees and Hugging

Eve enjoying a hug with Daddy - Sunny Sunday, Lover's Walk, Bristol

Though the majority of half term has been rainy and grey, we managed to have a lovely time. Daddy was here to have lunch with Eve and I each day, which was a real treat. 

She seems to be enjoying eating more and more, and I'm loving cooking up different purees.

We haven't quite moved on to any baby-led feeding yet - a piece of bread is as far as we've got. But I'm aiming to focus more on that in the next week or so now that she's liking her food.

I'm sure like most baby's, Eve does not like the clean up process after eating. She gets a bit grumpy when I wipe her face and bib.

Arthur came over for lunch with his mummy Ocky this week too. He's very cute and enjoys getting messy!

We were also very lucky that our lovely friend Laura came over with baby Agnes to look after Eve whilst Sam and I went to The Lido. It was the first time we'd been away from the baby together. Our 'date' was so good. I had a hot tub, sauna n steam with Sam for the first time in over a year. Such a delight, and really relaxing. Was great to have some alone time with my boy.

Leigh Woods

On Saturday the weather was supposed to improve so we planned to take Eve swimming at The Lido for the first time. However when it came to it, it really wasn't warm enough outside. So instead we drove out of Bristol to Leigh Woods - it's only just past the Clifton Suspension Bridge, a ten minute drive from our place.

Eve has been 'coming in' for hugs since last week (23 weeks), but this week we can see how much she enjoys hugging us, and 'holds' the hug for a long time. It's such a wonderful thing to behold, and to know some of what she is feeling.

Lovely carved bench at Stoke Leigh Camp, Iron Age Hill Fort

To read about Stoke Leigh Camp:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stokeleigh_Camp

Walking through Leigh Woods

The canopy of trees in the wood was so incredible. The rainy week had left everything so luscious, green and vibrant. Breathing in the fresh, damp air made us feel relaxed and at one with the earth.

 Another cool, carved bench

Today (Sunday) we finished the half term week on a glorious, sunny note. Dan, Gemma and their boys Hudson and Dexter came down to visit us. We wandered over to St Andrews Park, where we chilled out for a few hours; eating, drinking and chatting, such bliss!

Daddy and Eve in St Andrews Park

The park was jam packed with families enjoying the sun. Lots of  dad's had bbq's on the go, whilst kids splashed about in the paddling pool, ran around playing football or climbed all over the playground apparatus.

Eve in buggy, Sam, Gemma and Dexter, Dan and Hudson

Fergusson Family Feet!