The plan so far is lunch out today and thentomorrow if we can persuade William to play nicely is to give the house a good old spring clean. Whether this will happen quite as I want is questionable as William has hit the “don’t leave me” stage. He needs someone to sit by him or hold him constantly. We used to be able to flit in and out of the room he was playing in – he doesn’t move yet so he was safe to leave unattended for a few minutes with his toys – doing jobs and keeping an eye on him but now he must be attached to someone at all times. Makes housework kinda tricky!

GAH! I’ve had enough. William stayed Saturday night with his grandparents Saturday night as usual and for the…god knows what number time…they got up to him in the night and let him have milk feeds. No 9 month old needs a middle of the night milk feed, he can go through from 9pm – 8am without anything at all perfectly well. So when he get the boy home last night – what do we get? Screaming and fussing at 4am, then 5am, then 7am. He is so tired. He had a major melt down at 8:30am. I put him back to bed. He wouldn’t eat breakfast. Wouldn’t take milk. Wouldn’t allow me to comfort him. He screamed and screamed and then collapsed in a heap and went to sleep. My poor little man. I’m not having that. Being slightly grumpy I can forgive but reducing my poor little boy to hysterical sobbing. No way. enough. I rang matt, told him what happened and told him I want William with us at night. That his parents can have William either Saturday or Sunday but they can’t have him at night, not for the foreseeable future. He will still go to my parents overnight, the in laws can’t moan about that either, my parents live 180 mile round trip and I’m not asking them to do that everytime they want to see William. They will have him over night because my mum doesn’t feed him in the night. My mum asks for his routine and sticks to it. My mum feeds him what I say he likes. That’s the other thing I’ve been saying over and over again – sandwiches for lunch, cooked meal for tea. They fed him a puree for his lunch yesterday. PUREE? He hasn’t had puree since he was 6 months old. I’m trying to encourage his chewing, he has finger foods, his cooked meals are mashed with lots of lumps left in. Who gives a 9 month old puree? I have a sneaking suspicion that when I sent some food like this over the other day they must have put it through the blender before they fed him. I’m not an idiot, I know how my son likes his food! Grrrr.

Right, rant over. Our week looks like this:

Monday: Meet Cheryl and Evie and go with Cheryl for her blood test at hospital. Meet up with Charli and Frankie and hopefully Lucy and Oscar at softplay

Tuesday: Daddy at home. Weeks shopping

Wednesday: Possibly softplay with Louise and Owen

Thursday: Take William to his Nana and Grandad

Friday: Mummy day

Saturday: Mummy and Daddy day

Sunday: William being brought him by Nana and Grandad

William is a champion sitter now and seems to perfer it to lying on rolling. The only trouble is he can’t get anywhere from sitting, he’s still really unsure about how to move to his knees etc. so mummy has to help him. Hopefully he’ll be brave and get the hang of it soon so I don’t have to keep rescuing him.

He’s a really big fan of finger foods as well. He loves cheese, clemetines and cake(shhhh don’t tell!) – maybe he just likes food beginning with C lol. He has a finger food lunch and then mashed up foods for tea. I’ve been slowly making the mashed foods lumpier and he is doing really well with them. I can’t wait until he can just eat a meal that’s been chopped up for him. Mashing or blending is time consuming – and messy!

The week ahead:
Monday: Cheryl and Evie are coming to play – unless mummy manages to get a Dr appointment about her gallstones – stupid gallstones!

Tuesday; Should be going to Nana and Grandads, depends on the snow – stupid snow

Wednesday: At Nanas

Thursday: Coming home

Friday: Meeting Louise and Owen

Monday: Soft play area from 10 – 11:30 then meet Cheryl and Evie at 11:30

Tuesday: We are meeting up with a new mummy and baby friend – Keeley and Chaise. Chaise is close to William in age, in fact he was born on Williams due date

Wednesday: I have to go in to school for an hour so William will stay with Daddy.

Thursday: Nothing yet but I’m sure there will be something or other – maybe swimming!

Friday: Daddy is home so we will probably to something with him

Anyway what’s going on with the William? This weekend is his weekend down in Worcestershire with his Nana and Grandad Geoff. Grandad Ian drove me and William down there so I could drop William off with his Nana, then I went on with Grandad Ian to Worcester City and finally got back our house deposit from our previous property! We left in July, can you belive it’s taken this long to get it back? I spoke to my mum last night and she said he had been a good boy, apart from a temper tantrum in Tesco because he didn’t want to go in his pushchair. Nothing new there. Apparently he likes playing with mums kitten and even attempted to feed it some bagel. I don’t think the kitten likes bagels as much as William does. Mums next door neighbours came around and played with William too so I think he was very busy yesterday.

Matt and I enjoyed the peace and quiet by having an evening out together, something we haven’t done in ages. We had a nice meal at Nandos (does great flamegrilled chicken!) had a coffee and Starbucks while we waited for our film to start and then saw Sherlock Holmes. If anyone has a chance to see the film – DO IT! It was freaking amazing.

William and I have a busy week this week. Tomorrow we are off to a baby group down the road. It was packed last week so I’m hoping it’s a little quieter as the room got very noisy and hot. Tuesday we are seeing Louise and Owen who we haven’t seen in two weeks. If the weather is good we are going to take the boys to the park. Wednesday I have to go in to school and do some research for my dissertation. Thursday we are taking the train to Nottingham to see Sally and take a walk around the Aboreteum and Friday is our free day but I really want to go to the bank and open Williams saving accounts. When he was born the governemnt issued us with a £250 saving bond for him to open one but it went AWOL in the moves. Luckily it turned up yesterday and I want it banked before it goes missing again.

So that is how our week is looking for now.

Life has otherwise being going along – same old, same old really. William was quite poorly last Thursday, he was sick Wednesday evening and then 1am that night. When he got up Thursday morning he ate some fruit and then went back to bed. He woke crying at 10am so I got him out of bed and my poor little man just flopped against me and went back to sleep. He only woke for about 30 – 45 minutes all day and that consisted of drinking a bottle and throwing it back up again. I was just about to ring the doctors when he suddenly seemed to perk up. Ate a bit of food, drank an entire bottle which he kept down and then went to bed. He was still a little off his food for the next couple of days but he seems totally back to his normal self now.

The biggest news is we finally have a sitter – YEY! The boy can sit unaided. I think he’s a sneaky little wotsit who could probably sit unaided a while ago but hey? Why bother if he doesn’t have to. The last few days I have been sitting with him propped up against my legs or on cushions. That was fine but the all he would do was sit up to grab a toy and then leisurely relax back against me or the cushion. So today we plonked him in the middle of the floor and left him there! That did the trick. He sat for a good 10 -15 minutes with only two little tumbles. Now all my friends can stop going on about how he “should be sitting.” I keep telling them but they won’t listen that he’ll do what he likes, when he likes and no sooner!

I am slowly convincing him that he likes home cooked food better than the very expensive jars. So far mashed potato is a big hit, so is bagel and clementines. He loved clementines!

Anyway it’s late (for me!) so I am off to bed. I’ll update again soon!

2 t-shirts and a fleece  for 2.25

2 toy cars for £1

A clicky clacky toy for 99p

I was very pleased with how cheap things were in the charity shops, in Worcester they were so expensive I might as well have bought brand new items but in Derby I actually make a good saving. The clothes are really cute too which makes a change. Shops usually have tons of girls items and only one small rack for the boys – so annoying. Don’t they realise us mummys want to dress our boys in cute clothes too.

William is working on his sitting. He still won’t sit unaided for long but if you let him lean back againtst you and put a toy he wants in front of him he will pull himself forwards and sit to grab it, of course he then hurls himself back ASAP to minimise the amount of heart wrenchingly awful time he must spend sitting *rolls eyes* that boy sure knows his own mind.

Tomorrow I need to get up early, clean the house, go to town and get the weeks shopping and then Cheryl and Evie are coming over for lunch. Busy.

We have a few plans for this week but not many so this is how it looks so far:

Monday: Dada is at university, mama and Will are meeting Evie and her mummy Cheryl

Tuesday: Dada home. Mama needs to work on her dissertation

Wednesday: Same as Tuesday

Thursday: Dada at university, Mama and Will are meeting Owen and his mummy Louise

Friday: As Tuesday and Wednesday

I haven’t quite decided what to do with William this coming weekend since I start placement in the middle of the next week and won’t see him much from then on I might keep him home and not let him go to Grandma and Grandads. The weekend after he will definitely be away as he is going to Nana and Grandads – he’s going there every third weekend of the month from now on and I’m not changing it even while on placement. So he might go to Grandma and Grandads and he might not! Depends on how I feel and how much work I have to do.

Oh and before I forget – William sat himself up. The boy who refuses to sit even for a second because well – that’s just a big effort. He was lay on the bed leaning against his Daddy when he grabbed Daddy’s leg pulled himself up then let go and just say there. He hasn’t repeated it since but it is William. It might take him another month before he does it again lol. I’m not pushing him, he’ll do these things when he wants to and not before.

On the William front next week is my last full week with my little guy before I head back to finish of my degree. It’s only 8 weeks but it’s going to be a long 8 weeks. usually on teaching practice I keep hours than look like this:

Up at 5:30 – 6

Out the house by 7am

TEACH!

Leave School between 4:30 – 5:30, unless it’s staff meeting which could make it a LOT later

Home by 6 – 6:30 (Will goes to bed at 6)

Evening meal 7

Work until 10 – 10:30

Bed and repeat!

It isn’t going to leave me any quality William time in the week but fingers crossed this schedule (which was always fine in the past!!) will free me up totally on the weekends. To me working crazy week hours will be fine as long as I can spend my weekends with him.

A couple of weekends in there I won’t see my little man because he is going to his Nana and Grandads but hey – they live so far away they see him a lot less than I do I’ll cope. One thing for sure though Grandma and Grandad don’t get a look in on weekends until this is over. Grandma is going to look after him a couple days in the week while Dada goes in to university himself so that should be more than enough for her!

As soon as placement is over I have my operation to have my gallbladder removed. Fingers crossed it will be keyhole and I can be in Friday morning and out Saturday. If it ends up being open surgery then its 5-10 days in hospital. I have arranged for William to be with my parents for the weekend of the operation just so I have time get over the general anaesthetic and everything. THEN I need to write my dissertation which will be in early May.

FINALLY lol once May comes around I can go back to being Stay at Home Mummy. A job which drives me crazy and makes me insanely happy all at the same time. It’s going to be 5 months of hard work and squeezing as much time in with William as possible but the one thing I can tell myself is that at least William isn’t going to remember than mummy was more than a little absent for those couple of months. it’ll all be done and dusted quick enough and I’m sure I’ll miss him a lot more than he misses me!

Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I never make new years resolutions, I never keep them!
Did anyone close to you give birth?
My good friend Caroline

Did anyone close to you die?
No, thank goodness

What countries did you spend time in this year?
England and Wales

What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009?
A teaching degree

What dates from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
May 9th 2009 – the day my son entered the world, albeit after 4 epic days so maybe 5th – 9th May

What was your biggest achievement(s) of the year?
Hmmmm, making it through the first 6 months of motherhood, I have another one but I better not mention that here, its not very friendly

What was your biggest failure?
No failing this year people, I don’t like failing

Did you suffer any serious injury or illness?
ick, gallstones and infection of the gallbladder which landed me in hospital for a week

What was the best thing you bought?
Ooooh, my ipod nano

Whose behavior merited celebration?
Matts, he’s been an amazing Daddy and husband

Whose behaviour made you appalled and/or depressed?
Ugghh if you know me well you know the one person who really ticked me off this year!

Where did most of your money go?
Baby and moving house

Compared to this time last year, are you,
a) happier or sadder? just as happy but in different ways
b) thinner or fatter? About the same actually
c) richer or poorer? These days strangely enough – richer!

What did you get really, really excited about?
William and my new house

What do you wish you’d done more of?
Cleaning lol my house has been awfully messy

Did you fall in love in 2009?
Yes, with my son

How many one-night stands?
LOL even if I wanted too I was heavily pregnant for half the year and seriously sleep deprived the rest

Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
Oh yes! i don’t go in for hate often but yes I do!

What was the best book you read?
Hmmm Mutiny on the Bounty was great

What did you want and not get?
I got everything I wanted this year

What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I was 23 and I did nothing, complained that I hate gestaional diabetes and couldn’t eat cake I think!

What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Getting my own house after living with in laws for 8 weeks

Who did you miss?
Tamra – always! One day I’ll move to California but then I’ll miss my mum

Who was the best new person you met?
Louise, a great friend and wonderfully mummy too

Tell us a valuable life lesson(s) you learned in 2009.
That you can’t do everything right everytime, you just have to try your best

What sums up this year? (a word, a quote… ?)
NIBSY!