Our first performance...tra la laaa!

On Wednesday evenings I have been going along to our Military Wives' Choir rehearsals.  We've only been going for about 7 or 8 weeks and we are definitely still in our infancy, with a core group of about 9 who come every week and then up to 5 or 6 more girls who come as and when they can.  

We salute you Gareth....come and visit soon!
Picture from www.mobbly.com 

Our choir master / conductor / musical director (I think Musical Director is the official term) is very good at promoting us and signed us up to perform at a church service last week.  It was a pre-deployment service, so it was rather an emotional time for the 80 or 90-odd troops and their families attending.  We all thought is was a really great idea and were very honoured to be able to do it....that is until the time got nearer and nearer.  Eeeek!

Dressed in black (cue the dusty, scruffy old ballet pumps dragged out from the back of my wardrobe...the only black shoes I own which aren't high heels) a grand total of 9 of us turned up at the church. After some last minute guidance from our MD, Colleen, we shuffle nervously into the choir stalls and giggle to each other like naughty school girls.  Bottles of water and Coke are lined up by our feet and we are very thankful that we have a couple of hymns to warm us up before our performance. 

Colleen, for some reason has a bee in her bonnet about standing up on stage or by the choir stalls to conduct for us.  So she instead chose to stand in the congregation squeezed up next to a pillar and conduct from her hip, so as to remain incognito.  I did jest at one rehearsal that perhaps she was rather more nervous about our first outing than she was letting on, and that if she hid she could then deny any association with us if we mucked up.  She insisted this was not the case, but I'm not so sure!  Surely you can't have an MD with stage fright?!  She's a bit of a legend so we need to cure her of that one.

Regardless, it went very well and I think we were all very glad it was over but also very proud of our achievement.  Our next rehearsal is tomorrow night so I am hoping that our little sing-song may have enticed some more military wives/relations out of the woodwork. 

Old School kipping

So the beautiful old family pram has finally got a new occupant!  It has gone down a storm and seems to be a very good place to nap.  We certainly took advantage of the early balmy weather and shoved lovingly wheeled Pippy outside to take some fresh air!

Mummy isn't quite brave enough to perambulate down the street with the pram just yet.  Bring on some more sunshine and then we'll see!

Photoshoot with Daddy

As you hopefully have read, I recently wrote a guest article for online magazine MamaUK on what it's like to be an Army wife.  The lovely Alice asked me to provide some pictures of Pippy with Husband to go with the piece.  Here is the photo shoot which followed.  All the while trying to keep Husband anonymous.....quite hard to do!

 

My guest post on MAMA Uk

I have recently been in touch with the wonderwoman that is Alice Harold from More Than Toast and MAMA Uk fame, she seems to effortlessly juggle an extremely successful blog, bring up her two gorgeous children and now has started up an online magazine for cool mama's - MAMA Uk. 

It's a really great site and has some fascinating articles, I am sure it's going to take off big-style, move over Mumsnet and Netmums!

Well, I contacted Alice as I was really keen to get involved and I have done just that!  I have written a piece on my life as an Army wife.  You can take a look here.

The Liebster Award

A lovely friend of mine, Lulu from Berry Diaries has nominated me for the Liebster Award. 

I am soooooo blooming excited! How cool is that?! Thank you fellow Lulu!

It's basically an award given to new and up and coming blogs by other bloggers.  A way of getting to know other bloggers out there, who also have less than 200 followers. 

Here's how it works:

• Each person must post 11 things about themselves. 
• Answer the questions that the nominator set for you plus create 11 questions for the people you’ve nominated to answer.
• Choose 11 lovely blogs and link them in your post.
• Go to their page and let them know!

So....

11 things about me

1. I have a big family. My mother was one of 6 and my Dad one of 5. I have a lot of cousins! Amazing family Christmas'!

2. I am half Australian... I have possibly the most laid-back (practically horizontal) father around.

3. I love 'me' time: I am perfectly happy spending a day on my own. At the moment I have taken to wandering around town, sitting in a coffee shop and nursing a latte for far too long, reading a book. However I'm not quite on my own.  Pippa is with me! Obviously. She's not the best conversationalist yet but her raspberry blowing skills are astounding.

4.Orange squash makes me wheeze. I can't explain it but it just does! I go all tight-chested. Other flavours seem to have no effect at all. Odd.

5. I used to have a half-sister. She very sadly died when she was 20.

6. I am about to move to my 3rd house in 2 years.

7. I really can't be bothered with big nights out anymore.  I love long boozy, evenings in with friends, or a drawn out afternoon at a restaurant or in the pub though.

8. I absolutely love house building or renovation programmes on telly. I would love to do that one day.

9. A pet hate: I can't stand it when shop assistants natter to each other when they're supposed to be serving you….it's just rude!!

10. I'd like to retire in Devon.

11. I love stationary.  Buying new stationary at the beginning of the year or being given a new exercise book was one of the few things I loved about school. That and school choir! Ha random!

It's surprising what random ideas or facts come to mind when you have to brain dump quickly! 

Questions for me from Lulu:

1. Why do you Blog?

Mainly as a form of diary for myself and family & friends to be able to look back on in years to come.  Although I'd like to start including stuff to actually interest others: issues about motherhood, life and the sort of posts I love to read on other people's blogs. 

2. Favourite post that you have ever written?

Probably my "Breast is best" post.  I wrote about my experiences with breastfeeding.  These are the sorts of posts I'd like to write more of.

3. Top 3 Favourite books that you have ever read?

I love to read and I know I have missed some whoppers, but I have a mind blank....!

Coming Home by Rosamund Pilcher

The Far Pavillions by M. M. Kaye

A bit of a cheat here...anything by Dan Brown or J.K.Rowling!

4. Favourite city?

Salzburg or Sienna

5. When I grow up I want to write a blog as cool as......

Alice Harold's More Than Toast

6. Dream job if money were no object?

Hmmmmm....I don't know!  I could've given you lots of different answers a year ago but now, as cheesy as it sounds, being a Mummy is satisfying pretty much all my yearnings.  The only thing I'd change is to be able to study something, or at least feel like I'm using my brain.  Right now I feel as if any intellectualism I had is slowly evaporating!  If money were no object I'd love to just work 2 days a week,  but do something really challenging and satisfying on those days.  If anyone has any ideas what job that could be then let me know!

7. Shoes or Handbags?

Handbags.  Can't have enough.  Ever!  Plus, I am crap at walking in heels.

8. My perfect chilled out Sunday would include...

A lazy morning with a lie-in (as in 8.30am),  eggs benedict/royale for breafast, a long walk with Rufus, Husband and Pip, then meet friends for lunch in a pub where we while away the rest of the afternoon playing silly boardgames.  Then home for a filthy takeaway of some description.  Oh and a good film, PJ's and a big, squishy sofa.  Soooo wild!

9. The one 'healthy' habit I wish I could stick to is....

Doing some form of exercise every day.

10. What do you usually have for Breakfast? 

If I'm feeling lazy then either a bowl of cereal (bran flakes or Shreddies) or toast with peanut butter.  If I am feeling virtuous (which I tend to do for a couple of weeks and then slide back to laziness) I'll have a smoothie or porridge with lots of fruit and yoghurt.  Need to get the virtuous days to outnumber the lazy ones!

11. Current Obsession?

Highchairs.  Researching every one that has ever been made.  I have concluded that the one I want does not yet exist.  Oh and pureeing for Britain.....actually surprisingly satisfying!

Right, now for my 11 questions....(I'm going to cheat here and steal one of Lulu's as I am always up for book recommendations!)

My questions for you girls!

1. What are your three favourite books you've ever read?

2. What is your biggest pet hate?

3. What would be your biggest ambition for 2013?

4. Recount a happy memory from childhood.

5. If you could hold a dinner party for 6 people of your choice (dead or alive), who would you choose?

6. If you could only eat one thing for the rest of your life, what would it be?

7. Your life is going to become a script for a movie. Who would you want to play you?

8.  Not counting family…what do you feel your greatest accomplishment is so far in life?

9.  You get to become a villain for a day from a Disney movie. Which villain are you?

10.  What is your current vice?

And finally.....11. What would be your top 5 entries on your bucket list?

Blogs I've nominated

And the 11 lovely bloggers I'd like to nominate for the Liebster Award: (I confess that I am not entirely sure how to work out how many followers someone has so if any of you have more than 200, which I'm sure you do, then I apologise!  Apparently I have 2 followers on Google+, but I'd like to think a few more read all this waffle than that! Anyone? Helloooo?)

1. Rachel at The Little Pip

2. The lovely lady at Mama London (she likes to remain anonymous)

3. Steffi at Bumps, Babies and Stethoscopes

4. Another lovely lady at Little E and Bean

5. Elspeth at Yellow Fields

6. Julia at Tea, Cake and My Boy

7. Josie at Oh! You Pretty Things

8. Wendy at Red Boots

9. Alice at More Than Toast (She has way over 200 followers but I'd love to hear her answers!)

10. Emma at Adventures of an Unfit Mother

11. Charlotte at The Crumbly Mummy

There! All done, looking forward to seeing all your answers ladies!! 

Pureeing marathon!

I recently posted here about how I thought Pippa was potentially ready to start on solids.  I know the current DoH advice is to wait until 6 months before starting ("unless other wise advised by your doctor") and that was indeed my aim.  They say that baby's digestive systems aren't developed enough before 6 months to process many food types and this can make them susceptible to various allergies, sensitivities and digestion issues. However, on the flip side, by 6 months many of a baby's nutrients and especially iron stores have reduced significantly.  Formula milk is often fortified with iron and other vitamins etc. so these babies do get to replenish their stores earlier, however breast milk contains no iron, so anaemia is a big factor to watch out for when planning the step to weaning for a breast fed baby.  

  

A lot of people want to start weaning to hopefully help their babies to sleep better.  We are lucky that Pip has always slept really well so getting her onto solids for this reason was not an issue.  Whilst I have been really excited for her first tastes and to be able to see her trying new things, a part of me has also been dreading the day when I had to start....  

While Pippa is still exclusively breast feeding she is still my little baby and she is still wholly dependent on me. I know it's selfish but I can't help but feel like my little baby is making a massive leap forwards in independence once she is on solid foods. Thankfully she still needs to have significant amounts of milk each day until she's 1 so I can keep going for a while yet!  (But don't worry, I am not going to become one of those long-term breast feeders.  That's just odd.  There'll be no "Bitty" in our house.  Ugh! Each to their own though I suppose, don't want to offend anyone!)   

So.........Pippa has now had 3 days of eating baby rice mixed with milk at 11am!! Wahoo!!!

It is now time to introduce fruit and veg in so I am having a pureeing marathon day. 

Gone are the days of being able to take nothing with me for mealtimes except a muslin and myself!

Baking day!

Today I made some ginger biscuits.......they worked well.  No complaints from Husband at least, they're vanishing fast.

However.........my "mocha toffee cupcakes" don't quite look like the picture.  Renamed "Poo Cakes" for obvious reasons! 

Roll, baby, roll!!

Today Philippa rolled on her own for the first time! 

She's learnt to roll from her front to her back so my days of administering enforced tummy time are over.  There've been a couple of weeks of Husband and I giving her the odd nudge to help her over but she's always got stuck trying to get over her bottom-most elbow.  Well, she was happily playing on her tummy, on her playmat, whilst we were having a cuppa and suddenly we realised she was no longer on her tummy but on her back, smiling away, so I'm sorry Pippy, we in fact missed your very first solo effort!  

She thinks rolling over is the best trick ever now, as every time she managed it before (with help) we cheered and clapped, so now she grins whenever she rolls over, expecting lots of smiles and applause.

What a clever girlie....another milestone reached!  What next....sitting up?!  That might be a challenge when you have Rufus wanting to cuddle up at every opportunity!

Now to try and persuade her to love her Bumbo.....she's happy for 5 minutes or so and then tries to fling herself backwards.  Oh well, let's make the most of our relatively immobile baby....before we know it she'll be crawling and then life will get considerably more hectic!

And so it begins...nom, nom, nom!

I have realised that Philippa has been showing quite a lot of interest in my coffee cups and food recently.  I remember hearing friends saying that their babies starting grabbing for their mugs or following every mouthful of food from plate to mouth with their eyes, but Pippa didn't seem that interested (and was also nearly always asleep when I was eating - my mealtimes mostly coincide with her nap-times).  However, one day in a coffee shop she really tried to grab my coffee cup and pulled it straight to her mouth.  Now, this could well be just another example of absolutely everything going into her mouth (I think she may be on the fringes of teething, but shall write more about that soon), but it did really look like she knew full well what should be done with that mug!!

The next morning I was having a banana for breakfast and she was staring at it with her arms stretched out.  So I decided to give her a taste........

Well she grabbed it and started chewing away instantly......there were a couple of funny faces at first but she loved it and protested quite a lot when I took it off her. 

I think this may be a sign that she's ready for solids?!

I've got that "day-after-the-night-before" feeling....

Well we had a lovely Valentine's Day yesterday.  I guess, technically it was just Valentines evening as Husband was obviously at work until 6pm.  But I had a nice day with Rufus and Pippa beforehand....there was a very muddy walk in the park, a large amount of biscuits with several cups of tea and then catching up with some lovely neighbours in the afternoon.  Frightfully civilised and leisurely!

Anyway, back to Valentine's day.  We had both agreed in advance not to bother with presents or flowers as,  a) There's nothing that Husband wants which isn't in the 3-figures bracket, £-wise,  b) As I have very little of my own money I'd technically be buying him a present from his own wages and c) We were both just feeling lazy!  

With our darling Philippa upstairs and snoozing by 7pm our options to go out for supper at a restaurant were limited, but we did push the boat out and splashed out on an M&S Valentines Dine in for Two for £20. Wahooo, oh the high life!!

These offers are normally Dine in for £10, so I was a little sceptical that they had just doubled the price purely because it was Valentine's Day, but you got a starter, main course, side dish, pudding, bottle of wine and a box of chocolates....a pretty good deal I think.  And very nice it was too! 

Well....the wine was very nice and so were the three....yes, THREE glasses of Amarula I had afterwards on the sofa.  We had Amarula (a kind of Bailey's-type liqueur) on our honeymoon every evening as a 'sundowner' on the safari drives, so it seemed the perfect way to finish off Valentine's day.  I was by no means drunk but certainly more tipsy than I have been since getting pregnant. Which is now well over a year ago....crazy thought!  

My poor body had forgotten what alcohol is and I am paying for it today.  Ugh. Oh well, we have swimming to look forward to this afternoon, yey!  I just pray that Pippa doesn't choose the half an hour we're in the pool to relieve herself of 8 day's worth of poo.  I think I shall vomit, cry and have hysterics all at once if that happens.  Ohhhhh it doesn't even bear thinking about. 

Into the deep blue....

I have been going to 'swimming' classes with Pippa for the last few weeks.  As you might well imagine there isn't a whole lot of swimming going on, more like a bobbing and spluttering class! 

The class is really just a social thing and a way to get the babies used to water and to become confident in it.  There are other classes which actually focus on teaching the babies to swim or learning survival techniques (yes, apparently, even for Pippa's age!), but these are really expensive and I wanted something a bit more relaxed for now.  The class consists of rhymes and songs and lots of swooshing about in the water. Then there's 15 minutes of play-time where there are lots of toys and floats.  For the first few weeks Pippa seemed a little bemused by the whole affair - she was content but pretty quiet.  However this last week she started to seem to really enjoy it, there was lots of kicking and squealing! 

The big finale at the end of swimming term is having an underwater photograph taken.  Each week we practice submerging the little ones and then passing them to each other, over a distance of about a foot, underwater.  Apparently the idea is that they'll be able to swim towards you underwater for about a meter or so! Exciting stuff!