Eating Mud

Not sure how much mud he ingested this afternoon but he still seems happy! 

The red suit has now been through the three children, although it's ready for the bin now, all the seams are falling apart - should just last him out! 

Happy as a pig in...

Dinosaur Cake

After a few less successful birthday cakes, a few of my friends cruelly wait with baited breath to see what I'll "create" for the next birthday.

My little boy loves Dinosaurs or anything that goes "raaa!!" 

So I made a dinosaur cake for him. 

I'm certainly not going to give up my day job (if I had one) but he and the girls loved it and it has a certain homemade charm to it. He did try and rip his eyes off when he got near to it though!

I've got to make another cake for my eldest who turns five at the weekend - any ideas? She keeps changing her mind on what she wants (last request was a cake shaped like a strawberry)!

One Today!

It's hard to believe how fast a year has gone!

I can't believe this little box troll is one year old! It doesn't seem like five minutes since he arrived! 

 He's just started taking the occasional step between things so I think he'll be walking in the next week or so. 

He's such a character with a wicked sense of humour, he loves to be involved in everything and always has a smile on his face, you never need to do much to make him laugh, but he's also pretty laid back and will entertain himself quiet happily. Perfect baby really, now if he could just wake up an hour later that would be great...

A great little man to spend lots of time with! I'm a very lucky daddy! 

They Drove Off!

Last night it was my daughters first parents evening. We all went as a family with our rag tag bunch of kids in tow.

I was really looking forward to it but there was a slight damper on the evening. Not my daughters reports (apparently she's a pleasure to teach, but I already knew that!) but what happened shortly before hand.

I pulled up on the road outside of school and started to get us all out the car. It was getting dark but I deliberately parked under a street light so we could all see. My wife got the girls out the passenger side onto the grass verge as I got my little boy out of the car from the passenger door on the drivers side.

I'd opened his door and reached inside to grab his coat, just as I unclipped him the there was a large bang and the car door rocked and there was a shower of plastic over the road.

It took me a few seconds to process what had happened. A car had passed our car and hit the door with their passenger side wing mirror and a bit of their car looking at the dents. I looked up and I could see their break lights come on. The boy then started crying from the shock so I bent back down to deal with him, looked back up and I could see they were driving off!

I looked at our car and could see they'd dented our door and only missed me by inches. I shut the door twice (as I think they've bent it as well) and handed the baby to my wife and got in to chase after them. Unfortunately another car got between us so I couldn't see where they went and lost them. Probably a good job in hind sight, I was fuming and although I have a good handle on my temper I was shaking at the time.

Luckily we weren't injured and it's only a few hundred pounds worth of damage, but the fact they didn't stop to apologise and check they hadn't hurt anyone really disgusted and angered me. I've reported it to the police, although I know there's nothing they can do, and tonight I'm going to park up at the same spot at the same time and see if they come by again. I want them to foot the bill and I want them to gain a few points on their licence.

Busy Week

It's been a another busy week.

Bricks I loaded out during my youngest nap time - the trick is to hit the ground running if you want to get anything done! 

The build is still heading skywards, hopefully Dill, my bricklayer, is going to get the wall plate on today (Friday) so that tomorrow I can start to get the timber for the roof on. Unfortunately it's a complicated little roof and I think it might take a bit more time than usual, luckily my friend and mentor Andy (who trained me to be a carpenter) is coming to lend a hand on Saturday. I'm hoping to make a good start on it then and I've then got half term to try and get all the timber work done and get it felted and waterproof. The tiles are going to take a bit longer though! 

A few hours with the boy, while he happily chews on a apple I've got jobs to do! 

I've also been trying to get some other jobs done around here as well. I've managed to get my first vegetable bed prepared and planted for next year. This is a whole bed of hardneck garlic so I should have two harvests, the bulbs and the scrapes. I've also planted this through plastic to give myself a bit less work next year as garlic really hates weed competition. 

I've still got a bed of soft neck garlic to go in but I need to find space first. I might be going over the top with how much I'm putting in but we eat a lot of garlic and I can always sell the surplus! 

I hope he realises he's got to start pulling his weight soon! 

I've also been collecting up some apples from the cordons as well as harvesting some veg for tea, this week we've had a great mizuna salad to go with jacket potato, as well as leeks cooked in butter to have a long side salmon, my leeks this year are looking brilliant, big thick stems with long white "socks" just perfect really.  

I'm hoping once the extension is waterproof I can take my foot off the gas a bit but I doubt it'll work like that! 

Who else is having a busy time at the moment?

Stand Up

As well as crawling, the boy has decided to start standing up and he "cruises" around the furniture now! 

Very little is safe! He's getting pretty quick as well! 

Weaning And Changing Tastes

Our baby is properly into his food now. At nearly seven months old he's getting pretty good with his hands, well good enough to pick everything up and put it in his mouth anyway. He's not coming off milk anytime soon though, although when I take back over in September with childcare he obviously won't be having so much breast milk and more formula, I just don't have the right equipment! 

A happy baby with hummus on his face

He already loves certain types of food and my wife is doing a great job of getting him to eat different things. Last night he had some of our runner beans to hold and chew and he loves broad beans without the skins, slices of potatoes, carrots or parsnips or a real favourite of his is a mini sandwich with hummus on it.  Fruit is high on the list as well, strawberries, banana, pear anything sweet really. 

It does make us think though, I was in my twenties before I even tried hummus and our children now grow up with it as a real staple in our house, we eat some at least once a week.  

What food did you come to late in life but is now on your shopping list every week? Did the diet your children ate differ from your own as a child much?

Little 'Un

The boy will be six weeks old on Tuesday and he's growing fast. He's healthy and happy, smiling already and gaining weight fast, so much bigger than the girls were at his age. 

A few of you have asked for some pictures of the little one so I hope this keeps you happy! 
Sorry if I've been bad at replying to comments or reading everyone else's blogs - the days are just blurring into one and I've been very busy with my work as well!

A Big Thank You!

Just a quick note to say a big thank you for all your lovely messages. 

My wife and I were both overwhelmed with how many messages we received on the Blog, it was lovely reading them all whilst holding him in my arms. Although I've only met a few of you in real life, I do feel like I have some good friends out there in blog land and I was excited to tell you all. 

The girls dote on him already and keep showering him with kisses. The eldest is trying to help all the time, really showing her mothering instinct, fetching nappies and baby wipes. Last night she even dragged the Moses Basket from the landing all the way to where the baby is going to sleep, even though it was far too heavy for her.

Normal posts again soon, maybe with a bit of sleep deprivation thrown into the mix to keep things interesting! 

Thanks again! 

IT'S A BOY!!!

Alistair was born at 5 minutes to 2 this afternoon at home weighing 8lb 2oz. 

The birth was more dramatic than the last one but just as fast.

It all happened fairly quickly, my wife rung me to tell me she was feeling rubbish just before 1, so I came home from work (I was going to price a job on the way back but she said best not to). A friend from the village then came and picked the girls up, whilst I moved cars about to give the ambulance and midwife somewhere to park. 

By this time my wife was in the bathroom not feeling great and having some pretty big contractions, I rushed about putting down plastic, warming up towels and getting the birthing kit they supply you with ready. 

The next twenty minutes went by like a blur. The midwife was on her way but coming from Hereford (a good half hour away) so the hospital also sent an ambulance as they were slightly nearer. I think I knew straight away that we were going to do this on our own as I could tell she was too far gone. The midwife then stayed on the phone with us the whole time and talked us through it and to be fair she was great and gave some great reassurances.  

To say it was an intense experience is an understatement but what a way to bring our son in to the world! 

Just the two of us, in our home.  

My wife was amazing through the whole thing, hardly making a fuss and it was an incredible experience to share and tie us together forever. I was glad that neither of us panicked and although it was stressful, it did feel like the most natural thing in the world. 

Would I recommend a homebirth to anyone else though? No chance! Far too stressful! 

The girls were so excited to meet him when I picked them up a couple of hours later, so gentle and they kept kissing him over and over! I think he's got some good big sisters to look after him.

My son will now continue the family name! 

Outnumbered

Or soon to be! 

Soon to be two big sisters! 

A couple of you already guessed what my exciting news was going to be but I'll tell you all anyway - Baby number three is due on the 8th of January! 

We're both really excited and my wife is saying that this definitely will be the last baby (but we'll see if I can persuade her on that one further down the line!). We had the 12 week scan yesterday and everything looked good so now it's just a waiting game. 

The downside is I'll have to go back to work full time for 8 months but its a small price to pay in the long run.

Better get started on that extension I think!

Stay-At-Home-Dad Taster Day!

Last week I had a taster of whats to come, I had a day at home with my girls while my wife went off to work.

We managed to get a lot done, got them washed, fed and dressed, tidied up the kitchen, spent some time gardening and baked a cake - all before lunch.

I think the one thing it showed me was the fact that I'm going to have to plan my days. I think having something to do or aim for each day will be quite important otherwise we'll end up doing loads one day then nothing the next, sending us all mad. We'll also need a mix of indoor and outdoor things to do and they all need to be fairly low budget.

I'm planning on going to a couple of local play groups a week as time with other children is important to the girls as well as time for me to meet more local people and socialise with adults.

I'm also planning for us to do quite a bit of gardening and outside time (no surprises there) as the girls love being out in the sunshine. I can be in the veg garden while they play in the sand pit, I'm planing on building them a Wendy house if I ever find the time so they'll be able to play in that as well.

And baking either cakes or bread a few times a week as a great way to feel useful together and make my wife's lunch box a bit more tasty!

As well as this lots of time playing, building forts, eating pretend food my daughter has prepared and playing with dollies will all feature quite highly (and the housework).

What other things do you think will be essential to weeks looking after children and being the homemaker?

Waxed Hat

It was my birthday a couple of weeks ago and as usual I was spoilt rotten. My wife was struggling with what to get me, so I asked for a waterproof hat.

I always end up working in the rain, either at work, on the smallholding, or in the garden and when your hair gets wet it makes you feel much colder that you actually are.

 So she brought me this waxed hat - I decided that my girls model it much better than I do!

I'm hoping it will last a life time, it got put through it's paces on the first day I had it when we were roofing in a downpour, I did take a bit of flack from some of the lads but my head was dry and theirs wasn't!

A waxed jacket might be in order next winter. I don't mind spending out on expensive items if they last a long time, work how they're suposed to and wear in well.

Anyone else got any items of clothing that they expect to last them out?

Our Oak Floor "Investment"

When we fitted our oak floor last year I'm sure to some people thought that it was a little extravagant to people that preach about frugality, but to us it was an investment.

And looking back on it six months later I can safely say that it was a good investment.

If we had fitted a new carpet instead then we would be replacing it again about now. We have a very lovely baby that is sick a lot (for the first four months she'd be sick at least 4 times a day) and a very messy two year old, between them they could wreck a carpet in a little under a day.

There are some disadvantages to having wooden floors. They're harder if you slip, fall or drop something (our two year finds this out quite often (the slipping and falling - not being dropped!)). And although a wooden floor is easier to clean it need to be done more often and it never feels as cosy under your toes as a carpet (we all wear slippers all the time so don't notice this one).

For me, having an oak floor was an easier decision to make. Being a carpenter I can fit it for nothing, this reduced the price to the point where it was only going to be an extra £500 pounds for oak compared to having a good quality carpet and underlay fitted, this also meant that it was within our budget for the room. Another advantage was that as I fitted a solid oak floor, rather than a laminate, if the finish is ever looking a little tired, scratched or worn I can just sand it all back and completely refinish it saving even more costs in the future.

I think in our situation we made the right choice with the floor and although it was expensive at the time it will be here for a lot longer than a carpet or a laminate substitute, meaning that over time it will save us a lot more than it cost us.

Anyone else made an investment that someone else thought was a bit of an extravagance?

A Big Change Coming

I can grow a beard,

Drive a tractor,

Hunt,

Skin a rabbit,

Gut a fish,

Herd sheep,

Build a roof,

Hang a door,

Make a flight of stairs,

Start a fire without matches,

Read a map,

Sharpen an axe,

Change a tyre,

So with these many manly things under my belt, why is there a sense of trepidation when I tell you all that in the spring I will be a full time stay at home dad.

I know its down to the way we're programmed to think, and this decision has been met with raised eyebrows by some of the lads I work with. But this decision is one we've put a lot of thought into.

Put simply my wife works less hours than I do and earns more. When the child care for two is taken into account, after fuel, tax and other running costs I'll pretty much just be working to pay for someone else to bring up our children. That's not how we want to live.

There will be a shortfall in our money and I'll have to work some weekends and evening to make it up, but if we've done the maths right then we should be able to live how we want - Simply, with lots of time together as a family.

It should be another adventure and one I hope you will all stick around for. 

Maternal Instinct

This little girl loves her little sister so much!

I know little boys play with guns and little girls play with dolls but we've not knowingly pushed her in that direction (she has a train set!). She just wants to do little girl things.

But I never realised that a little person under the age of two could be so caring. If Melissa starts crying she tells her mum, when we change her nappy she brings us a new one and puts the dirty one in the bin, she tries to share food with her, protects her from other toddlers, constantly checks on her, kisses her, hugs her.

It melts your heart really. We were so worried about her being jealous. What a good big sister!

A Big Thank You

Just a quick post to say a big heartfelt thankyou for all our lovely messages for the birth of our second daughter. My wife and I have loved reading them and it shows what a great little blogging comunity that we have!

Everyone is settling in nicely and although we haven't had huge amounts of sleep we're all happy and content!

Normal posts again later!

IT'S A GIRL!!!

Melissa was born just before 10 on Wednesday night, weighing 6lb 15oz

Just an hour old in this photo

 Well Considering she kept us guessing as when her birthday was going to be, when she decided it certainly happened quite fast!
just before nine o'clock my wife said her waters had broken and to phone my mum to look after our daughter. Mum would take an hour to get here so I also phoned a friend in the village who came up straight away. We left just after nine.
The hospital is around 35 minutes away (with no traffic) and although my wife told me not to rush, when she stated to swear (she never, ever swears) I knew things were getting near.
We got to the hosptial at 9.35 and although she managed to get out of the car alright by the time we'd got to reception she could barely stand. Some people rushed up to help and brought a wheelchair so I could take her to triage.
There was no time for an inspection - it was straight to the delivery room and 20 minutes later this little bundle of joy was born!
My wife was amazing and just over an hour later was walking about packing her bags ready to go down to the ward!

Ev loves her new little sister and is so gentle with her

 

The four of us together



Lots of love to give as a big sister!

I think we were both in shock afterwards as it all happened so fast, it almsot seems like a dream now.
Getting home it was great to have the two sisters meet for the first time, knowing that it's the start of one of the strongest friendships they're ever going to have in their life.
What a lovely little family I've got now (even if I am outnumbered!).

D-Day

Well today is the due day and so far no sign of the new baby.

As for my wife, I think she's about ready to have it now!
She not taking it as easy as some might in her condition, mind you with our little girl it's hard to take it easy while she's around!
Yesterday I got sent the picture above along with the lines "Don't buy any potatoes on your way home, just dug up 20kg."
Nine months pregnant and still digging potatoes - think I married the right girl!
Maybe I'll make here some raspberry leaf tea or a hot curry!

Increasing Our Flock

I don't think I've put this on the blog yet - but we're increasing our flock by one.

Yesterday we went for the twenty week scan and everything looks good and healthy so we're all happy - my little girl was even waving to her brother or sister on the screen!

A carboot bargain or two should help cut the cost of the next one! (this was £30)

This will mean more changes, less sleep, less free time but lots more fun and happiness - I can't wait! Due on October the 9th, I might even open a book on the date it arrives!