Eclipse of the Sun

Photograph by Gael Allan this morning in Knowle, BS4

In the last 500 years the Earth has seen 8 Solar Eclipse's. I have been incredibly lucky to witness two of them, one being this morning.

16 years ago, on August 11th 1999 I saw a Total Eclipse of the Sun with my sister and lots of good friends on Pentire Headland, outside of Newquay. It really was a magical experience. Cornwall was the main place in the UK to view the full Eclipse so there were thousands of people out along the coast. 

Pentire Head - Photograph by Gary King

I remember it being quite cloudy as we all huddled together, looking out across the ocean. Then just in time for the eclipse the clouds suddenly parted. All the birds in the area went crazy, squawking and flying about in a bit of a haphazard manner. It became completely dark as the moon went across the sun, and we could see the flashes of thousands of camera's going off up and down the coastline. It was simply incredible and I've never forgotten it.

Unfortunately I haven't walked along Pentire Head for many years. After looking at photos of it this morning I now feel quite homesick for good ol' Cornwall. From the photo above you can see how beautiful it is.

Photograph by Oily Bob Robbo this morning on Whiteladies Road, BS8

This morning in Bristol it began at 08.23am, with the full eclipse at 09.30am. The sun was 90% obscured here so the sky didn't go black. The mist was low over Bristol with the sun set against a fairly clear sky. I stood out on the tiny balcony at my work to look at it (without protective eclipse glasses. Not recommended) and chatted to a builder on the roof of a nearby building. By squinting and looking through our hands we could see the crescent shape across the sun. I'm paying for it now as my eyes are sore. Even though I tried not looking for long, but I'm definitely seeing a few spots in front of my eyes. Oops...

Eve is at nursery today and has been enjoying being outside in their garden a fair bit this week. Apparently there is a little bike which she likes to sit on.

We were given her second term report yesterday. They say that she loves getting involved in all activities; that she is very determined and likes to stick with whatever she is working on.

Daddy said to Eve this morning, 'Where is your nose?' and she pointed to her nose - and then of course proceeded to stick her entire finger up said nose, ha ha!

She touches her head if we sing 'Heads, Shoulders, Knees and Toes'. After two weeks of walking she is absolutely racing about the place now, chatting, singing and shouting. She loves playing with her wooden animals too.

Sleeping Beauty

Walking across a very foggy Bristol this morning I felt quite dazed after an eventful night, up at all hours with Eve. I think I've come to the conclusion that there is no magic formula, no golden recipe for getting a baby to sleep through the night, as much as we'd all like to think. 

I believe it's completely dependent on how they are feeling and whether they are ill, teething, have a sore stomach or are having bad dreams. Some babies/toddlers sleep more easily than others. There are so many variables conducive to sleep.

As mentioned in my previous post Eve had her best nights sleep in 9 months on Saturday night (she only had 1.5 hour nap that day, so nothing out of the ordinary). 

On Sunday she had a mammoth 3 hour nap, slept awfully on Sunday night, another mammoth 3 hour+ nap at nursery yesterday lunch time and slept really badly again last night. People say that if a baby has good naps they should sleep better during the night time. I'm afraid at the moment I don't see this happening for Eve.

Sam says that he is noticing more and more that she is reluctant to go down for her morning nap when he looks after her, though she rubs her eyes and looks tired. I'm thinking of pushing her morning nap later so that she takes it just after lunch about 12.30/1pm. We've been on one nap a day for about a month anyway, so I'm hoping that maybe having her one nap slightly later will help. Who knows? Let's see!

http://www.sockons.co.uk/products/mocc-ons/

Yesterday when I collected her from nursery she was very excited and waved and crawled over to me. She then pulled herself up on me and just stood there, beaming. It was the longest she has stood unaided and she looked very confident. I got very excited and the girls who work in the nursery all clapped, then Eve took a step or two towards me before going down on her bum. It made me very happy. 

The only footwear that Eve currently wears are Mocc Ons - which were kindly given to her as a present from our friends Duncan and Anne (great present, thanks guys!). The Mocc Ons are perfect for the cold weather and are the only things that stay on. She wears them every time she goes to nursery, as the floor is often messy there, plus she can't pull her socks off and get cold feet. 

Babies are supposed to learn to walk without shoes so that their feet can develop and strengthen naturally. 

When she's at home she roams free, but the poor Mocc Ons are getting pretty dirty from lots of wear at nursery so I've decided to take her to 'Jones Bootmaker' to have her feet measured for her first pair of 'real' shoes this weekend. She seems so close to walking and loves to look over the top of the bath on tip toes as I'm preparing it for her each night, so I'm hoping that this is the right time to buy them.

Clarks Genie Pumps

I've already been to 'Jones' to have a look at their shoes. They don't have much of a variety but there are 2 or 3 nice looking, sturdy shoes - such as Clarks Softly Rose Pumps, Start-Rite Mayflower or Genie Pumps and Clarks Little Linzi Pumps. I think it's worthwhile spending out on shoes that are well fitting and supportive (crikey I sound like my mum!)

http://www.jonesbootmaker.com/childrens/girls/start-rite-first-shoes-buckled-shoe-2011400450

Weekend Outings

This was taken in the Star and Dove between Christmas and New Years when we stopped by for a few drinks with friends

Well, it's been a while since I last posted. What with my photo albums in disarray on my laptop and my iphone not syncing properly I'm relying on other people's photos to update this blog for the time being.

We've been busy with nursery, our jobs and the housework as of late, though of course there is always time for music.

Eve enjoys playing in Daddy's studio on Tuesday and Thursday mornings when he looks after her. When I drop her off at nursery, quite often she heads straight for the musical instruments.









A week or so ago we got Eve's first 'report card' from nursery. It said that she is a delight to have in the class, that she's made some good friends and is always the first to get involved with anything messy and arty. Sam and I were both thrilled.

Playing with Daddy's hat

I've always loved the weekends of course, but now it means that I get to spend the entire time with Eve and I just love the moments that we share together. As Sam looks after her for a couple of mornings a week, on the weekend he gets down to his work in the studio whilst Eve and I go off and do something.

On Saturday we got the train together up to Abingdon in Oxfordshire for Jake's first birthday party. Our journey was so smooth in both directions; trains on time, no delays and Eve was either asleep or content and enjoying herself, phew!

Jake Jones' first birthday - photo by Paul Browse Photography

http://www.paulbrowsephotography.com/

My lovely sister-in-law collected us from Didcot train station. Her husband Dave looked after their two kids Scarlett and Huxley at home so that Eve could use Huxley's car seat. I must say that poor Eve looked rather bewildered as we put her into the car seat - a strange car, and in a forward facing car seat for the first time - I think she thought I was sending her off somewhere by herself. By the end of the journey, and a couple of rice cakes later she was smiling and happy.

I had a lovely time seeing old friends at the party - especially meeting their children, most of whom I had seen photos of online but had never met in person. It was great to see Jake's friends and family singing 'Happy Birthday' to him as his mum blew out the candle on the cake. Eve and I missed Daddy terribly throughout the day. She kept asking for him on the train home which was very cute.

Eve just wanted to be close to Dad the following day. She enjoyed having lots of hugs and sitting on his lap watching NBA Basketball for an hour or so. 

She is growing up so fast, last week when I collected her from nursery she took a couple of steps towards me before falling into my arms. She cruises easily round the lounge and kitchen and loves using her walker. She stands unaided next to the kitchen shelves but hasn't quite mustered the courage to walk by herself. 

We've taken down the Mothercare baby 'cage'. It's been so useful for the past 4-5 months but now she can be more free. She's very good and knows some of the dangerous things that she's not allowed to touch, such as the fireplace. She'll go towards things, will then look at us for confirmation that she's still not allowed to touch and will then go on her merry way towards something else. 

I'm very excited as my sister and her family are moving to Bristol at the end of March, so I'm sure we can pass the 'cage' on to them.

Getting to grips with nursery

Before the rains came this week, we had fun on the swings!

Earlier this week, after a really tough day at work I collected Eve from nursery. At first I thought she was asleep in a cot because I couldn't see her, but then she came out from behind a shelf where she had been playing. She crawled towards me with the biggest smile on her face - and no tears. This was the best part of the day.

I picked her up and she didn't cry. So, after 2 and a half weeks at nursery she's finally getting to grips with it. On Thursday morning there were tears when she had to leave Daddy at home because she was having such fun playing with him - one of her favourite games - levitation baby! But then finally we have a break through - yesterday morning when I dropped her off she didn't cry at all. Just smiled at me and watched me go out. I peered through the window and could see her turn around and happily start playing with some toys. Oh the joy!! 3 weeks of emotional mornings and now hopefully this is the shape of things to come.

The common cold virus

Eve was really ill last weekend with her teeth. The previous weekend she had a high temperature that made us worried. As Sam rightly said 'she looks so glum'... and just lay on a make shift bed on the lounge floor staring into space. Mid week she woke up with a very snuffly nose, her dear little face was so crusty - she's not keen on mumma trying to clean it. She's definitely picking up lots of bugs from nursery but the good thing is that she seems to get over each little illness after a few days so it's helping her immune system which is for the best. She now also has conjunctivitis to add to the list. I was worried but then when I collected her from nursery I noticed that the other kids had it too, seems to be doing the rounds and no one is bothered.

I'm really glad that we had bought a digital thermometer prior to having Eve. We hadn't used it before, but it definitely eased our minds whilst she was hot and ill. Don't get sucked in to buying an expensive one. A chap in Boots tried to sell me one for £45, thankfully I opted for the one which cost about £7 and it works fine and does the job.

So far she's come home with some very cute art works - a couple of paintings and some glitter art. She's always covered in glitter when she comes home each day. I love to see her covered in various arty media, it makes me happy to know that she's having a good time at nursery.

The girls at the nursery told me that Eve has made her first friend this week and has been enjoying hanging out with a little boy called Ewan. Awwwww!

After being back at work for almost two weeks I am now being seriously productive looking for a new and exciting challenge; a new job. This year I've been so active, I lost weight without even trying, and have felt so much better in myself. I'm hoping to find some kind of creative job that involves being in the great outdoors.

Whilst we embark on another crazy week of juggling nursery, work and home life - something to keep remembering:

Keep your thoughts positive because your thoughts become your words. Keep your words positive because your words become your behavior. Keep your behavior positive because your behavior becomes your habits. Keep your habits positive because your habits become your values. Keep your values positive because your values become your destiny.

Mahatma Gandhi

Eve's first full week at nursery school

Eve having fun at the park - The first photos given to us by the nursery

I must say that this week seems to have gone quicker than I thought it would. We've had more tears from both me and Eve whilst we try to get over missing each other each day.  Thankfully Daddy has been on half term so he's been making us laugh by dancing around the kitchen and cooking us tasty meals. 

Eve clings to us when we drop her off or collect her from nursery, and seems to be worried that we're going to leave her there forever. I think she's getting the hang of it though, the nursery say that after the initial 10 minutes of tears she then proceeds to have a very enjoyable day.

They've taken her to the park this week on an outing with the other babies, and she's also done some painting and had fun with cotton wool, glitter and hair gel. 

Two big results of her first week at nursery: yesterday at breakfast Eve started feeding herself her Ready brek with a spoon, and can now clap properly as well. We have been teaching her to clap for about a month and she was pushing her hands together but not quite with the right effect.  Obviously being around the other children is paying off already. Proud moments for me and Sam!

Eve seems to be getting into a sleeping routine now too, which is great for me. She only wakes once a night at 12.30 and then wakes up in the morning about 6am. She naps well in the day at nursery, and seems to be really tired at the end of the day's activities. I am so relieved that I can now get enough sleep and function at work. She is such a little wonder.

Eve eating eggy-bread (aka french toast) that 

Daddy made for her