Silent Walks on a Snowy Mountain.

There is so much to enjoy on a ski holiday and the winter sport is obviously top of the list but I love to take an afternoon to explore the hiking trails through the mountains when we go away.  It is uphill at the start, steep and exhausting.  I have to cross the ski slopes with confidence, trusting everyone will go around me if I keep at the same pace, and then I am above the nursery slopes where new learners are practising.  I cross the park, walk through the trees, cross another slope and then things change.

The further I walk, the more the silence strikes me.  There is the swish of my legs as the salopettes move, the crunch of my boots in the snow and nothing else.  As I walk I hear but when I stand still there is nothing, no humans, no animals, no wind, just silence.  Everything is white, the mountains appear in front and around me, cliff edges, forests of trees and the odd marker to tell me I am on the right track.  The path in front of me has been marked out and I can see the odd footprint from someone who has walked the same track this week.  I love the silence, I sit and enjoy it, I breathe in the calm.  I don't find this at home, my walks always take me along the seafront where the waves crash, the seagulls call and the wind blows through my hair.  The air seems so still in this sheltered path through the mountain though.  I can't bring myself to put my headphones in, the silence is too appealing, too novel.

I know when I get back the excitement will commence, the children will bubble around me desperate to ski/swim/sledge/snack and the chaos will continue as it always done so I make sure every year to walk the silent tracks, to climb higher into the mountains, to let my mind wander and to really be alone, just for a short time.

I bought a glass photo ball a long time ago which I have never used but I wanted to take some photos with it last week of the ski resort and I think with some of them you can see the silence and simplicity of being half way up a snowy mountain.  

Read more ⇨

15 Months

My favourite development of the last month has been Archie's increasing love of cuddles.  He grabs you tightly round the neck and rests his little blond head on your shoulders, saying "ahhhh",  and usually making you forget the fact that he has just put an empty washing machine on for an extra long spin or smashed the last remaining easter egg by throwing it off the table.  He is affectionate with most people and he cuddles friends and family whenever he sees a chance.

Read more ⇨

First Steps

Archie took those first wobbly steps on his own at only 10 months old and we watched on in shock as this tiny little boy giggled and tottered.  He had cruised before he crawled and where Archie was, trouble was not far behind.  

After Dylan's lazy approach to movement, this child who was so desperate to explore was a shock to the system and his mischievous personality meant we were kept on our toes.  It seems that those wobbles were enough for my little man though, as he soon changed his mind and went back to crawling.

He turned 11 months, 12 months and 13 months still able to take about 5 steps before falling to his knees and crawling off at speed, but as Archie turned 14 months last week, he decided to up the game and push his little legs to the limit.  He took a few more chances, let go more often and by the second day he was walking across the room on his own.  His smiles show how proud he is of his new skill and I know this summer is going to be eventful and energetic with two little boys who will most likely be running in opposite directions!

Read more ⇨

Learning to Walk (Again)

Being a boy isn't all about climbing trees and mud under your fingernails, but that is definitely part of the fun.  Dylan has been busy discovering his new found mobility; climbing, exploring and generally getting grubby.

Not being able to walk unaided means

Read more ⇨

The One Year Check-up

This week we had Dylan's one year review.  I had to take him along to the children's centre to have his progress measured and to make sure he was developing as he should be.  Although I knew it was only a formality I was a little worried as at 11.5 months he is still not interested in crawling and not quite able to pull himself up either.

Luckily the health visitor conducting the review completely put my mind at rest.  After doing his height and weight measurements and plotting them on the 99.6th centile lines in his little red book she told me that his rate of growth may be affecting his mobility.  His muscles need to be much stronger than your 'average' baby and as he is constantly putting on weight they are struggling to catch up.  She watched him stretch and shuffle across the floor to get to a toy though and was not worried at all.

Dylan will be one in a week and cannot

Read more ⇨

Still not crawling?

This is a question I am being asked at least once a day.  So is he crawling yet?  And the answer is still no.  Whats more, I don't expect this to change any time soon.

There is nothing physically wrong with Dylan, he was sitting up and rolling at 5 months and is a perfectly happy and healthy 9 month old boy.   He just hasn't found anything worth moving for!  I have tried a little light encouragement- putting toys and/or dangerous objects just out of reach to see if he is tempted but after a little stretch and a little whinge he settles with playing with the closest toys.  And if there are no toys in reach? he says what the hell, and plays with his feet. 

I think his cloth nappies are partly to blame, not in that they limit his movement but they must make sitting on your bum that bit more comfy!  A lovely padded soft cushion that just follows you around, why would you want to move on your barely covered knees?  He is not a small baby and there is quite a lot of him to carry around, (trust me my poor arms know) so maybe he has decided it is a lot less stressful to just sit.

Read more ⇨