Quick Update on Us!

Hello!  It’s me.  I thought I’d come on and give an actual update, inspired in part by some lovely comments I’ve had recently that prove that someone (not just my mum!) actually reads my blog!  It’s always so good to hear from you all.  Mostly i feel like I am writing for myself and my children, which is fine, but it’s lovely to get to know you all a bit too.  This summer will mark my fourth year of blogging, and it’s been such a good hobby for me – a way of being creative in my own, limited time and of reaching out to people, which does make a difference.. I find that outside of work I am so busy trying to keep up with the children that I don’t really see adults any more.  It is good to have you all.

So I thought I’d just summarise where we are with everything, really.  This is a post for you, if you are interested.  And a bit for me too – to remember this stage in our lives.

Me and Kirsty

We are ticking along.  She’s found herself in embroidery, and fills the house with beautiful and intricate creations which we keep meaning to mount on the walls but which actually sit in little discarded piles in corners of our rooms.  I like her so much.  I mean – I love her too, so much, but we grew up together and I’m always a little grateful and glad that I like adult-Kirsty as much as I liked the teenage version.  We are so lucky.

You can find Kirsty on instagram too, by the way – she’s @thelittlewildes for parenting chat and @thebehaviourofthread for embroidery.

Balthazar and Lysander

The boys have been at nursery three mornings each week since January, which they absolutely love.  Balthazar has a ‘favourite friend’ called Chloë (she is actually one of his teachers) and Lysander is a bit of a teacher’s pet for his obsession with learning his letters and numbers.  Unfortunately he has to be separated from his brother in order to learn as Balthazar gets bored and ‘bundles’ him!

I think that I would quite gladly keep them at 3.5 forever.  They are still so small and cute and funny, with their cheeky toddlerisms and hilarious mispronounciations (‘blueberry muffles’ – heart eyes!) but at the same time, they are toilet-trained and independent, able to keep up on foot on a day out.  They are delightful little humans.

Embla and Olympia 

The girls will be two next month!  I can hardly believe it.  There is still almost half a head’s difference in height between the two of them, with Em sitting comfortably in 9-12 month clothing or 12-18 months at a push.  She was only 5lbs 8oz when she was born and if she follows that curve to adulthood she will be a diminutive, albeit healthy, little person.  Olympia is of an average size but strangely physically dexterous for somebody who came from my body – she can climb and jump as well as her brothers and usually declines the pram in favour of holding my hand.

I want to write a full catch-up post for their second birthday, but it’s hard not to gush about the delightful creatures they have become.  It is wonderful to watch their bond develop with their brothers; they play beautifully in a group and rarely require parental intervention.

The Pregnancy

At almost twenty-one weeks this pregnancy is about halfway through!  Our little boy or girl has found its feet and is kicking up a storm, particularly when it hears its mama’s voice.  One of my favourite parts of my pregnancy with the girls was watching – and feeling – them bond with Kirsty before they were even born, and this one is definitely doing the same.  Little else has changed since my eighteen-week update, so I’ll just leave you with a snap of how huuuuge I’m getting.  My scan is in a week and a half – we’re not going to find out the sex of this tiny human, but I am very much looking forward to seeing its little face again.

Josephine-Dog

My ‘firstborn’ is seeming a little bit older and a bit more tired this year – which makes sense, as she was getting on a bit when I rescued her and that was five years ago.  She has a sarcoma on her thigh, which is a type of skin cancer, and we’ve elected not to treat it invasively due to her age but we do expect it to spread at some point.  Nonetheless, she’s loving her walks, with us and with our wonderful dog-walkers who come a couple of times each week, scoffing sliced watermelon on our decking and demanding Dentastix at every nap time.  She is a good girl, and we love her so much.

The Blog

You may have noticed that we have had a bit of a makeover!  Kaye from Hello Archie masterminded and implemented the whole thing whilst I faffed about uselessly and said things like “I want it to look professional but have personality, and be either colourful or black-and-white.”  It’s a wonder that she didn’t fire me as a client.  I would recommend her highly; her prices are very reasonable (we paid for everything – it wasn’t ‘sponsored’ or ‘collaborative’ or ‘gifted’) and working with her was a dream.  Do you like it?!  I’m kind of in love with our new look..!

So that is where we are!  How are all of you..?