Wednesday 16 December 2009

15 Months, 2 Week, 1 Day

Hoorah! Callum is healthy! (frantically touches wood) Well, apart from a sore bum but that has only come on today and he must have had a whole week without a sore bum!!!

We bought Callum some cruisers the other day - his first shoes. So cute. He still isn't walking but as he is starting nursery in the new year (with his settling in sessions next week) we need to get him some outdoor shoes. It makes me feel happier that his feet are warmer too when we go out rather than just wearing socks.

He is getting stronger with his walking. He can walk just holding on to one hand now (though usually prefers both hands) and he can stand for longer and longer. We do it as part of a game, though, he doesn't generally just stand on on his own (unless he thinks no one is looking). He was holding on to the sofa yesterday and I was calling him to me while sitting just out of reach and he was really considering how he would walk to me but then just crawled. I know he'll get there, he is still less than 16 months. He pushes his walker, and basically anything else that moves, all around the house. He loves it. He makes me walk around the house in circles while holding his hands all the time, including going upstairs. I should be the size of a stick by now if it wasn't for all the bad food I ate and alcohol I drank!!

His talking is pretty much the same as last time I posted. He regularly points to things and says "brrrr" if he wants something. Particularly if it is a drink but he does it for other things too. I wonder if this is a recognised speech development exercise for them as my friend's toddler did it too. I've heard Callum practise saying "don't" on his own. No actual new words yet though.

Another thing that I'm not sure whether it is related to speech development or just him pulling faces and finding it funny but when we were in the car the other day, I was watching him in my rear view mirror. There is a mirror that is attached onto the back seat headrest so I can see him in the reflection (and he can also see himself). I saw him pulling faces. He was opening his mouth up really wide then closing it and sticking out his tongue. It was so cute and funny. He has since started doing this with me but for me to copy him like a game - he finds it really funny.

I'm really starting to look forward to Christmas now. I've finally done all my Christmas shopping - woohoo! I've bought Callum far too much, especially for his stocking. I keep seeing things that he needs and getting them and putting them in his stocking, along with loads of stuff that was in the sale about a month ago. I am still not entirely sure what I am cooking for Christmas dinner. I know that I am cooking duck but have no idea how or what with. Because I didn't want to be stuck in the kitchen cooking all of Christmas, I agreed we would have dinner at home as long as we shared the cooking so I am doing the scrambled egg & smoked salmon breakfast and the main dinner and Stuart is doing the starter and dessert - personally, I still think he has it easy as the dessert is bought rather than made and you just bung it in the microwave. But he does have to make the starter, so fair dos! He is making red onion & goat's cheese tarts - hmmm, the pastry for this is in the freezer but there is more there than he needs. Can I chop off what he needs while frozen or do I have to defrost the whole thing then throw what's leftover away? Anyway, something to be looked up (I bet he hasn't even thought about it yet, but these are the things that play on my mind despite the fact I'm not even making it!!! Note to Stuart while reading this - find out what the situation is with the pastry ;o)).

Callum has been so good with the Christmas tree. He has occasionally pulled a bauble off, especially when I was finishing putting up the tree and he was trying to 'help' by pulling them off then trying to put them back on again. He did grab a chocolate once, looked at it, then looked at me but gave it to me when I said no and he hasn't touched another one. We've not put any presents under it yet, I think we will save that for the actual day. However, we'll have a trial run with my parents-in-law who are coming to stay for Christmas dinner this weekend. We'll be swapping presents and I need to move some of the present out of the spare room for them to get in there so it makes sense. Hopefully, he'll ignore them :-s.

Some big news for me (and it affects Callum too) - I've been given a provisional offer on a job. Unfortunately, it is full time rather than part time like I was after, and it is a lot less money than I was hoping for but a job is a job and with the market like it is I need to take it. I am also desperate to get back to work. This is the first interview I've had in the 6 months I've been looking. No one wants a part time trainer at the moment (if ever). Its going to be hard going back full time but hopefully, it will be ok. I'm not really worried about Callum and how he will be as I am sure he will love it. I'm expecting there to be some tears on occasion when I drop him off
and there will be some tough times but I am sure he will love it too. I'm just gutted for me. For the past 15.5 months I've been used to spending nearly all day every day with him. I'm going to miss him. To go from all this to just 2 days a week is going to be so hard. I'm going to miss so much. That said, there was a time before having him where I thought I would always go back to work full time.

The other difficult time will probably be from week 2 to about week 6 of the new job as this is, what I think, is usually the hardest time as you are settling in and feel really insecure about your position and knowledge. I am sure I will question a number of times whether I've done the right thing. Hopefully the job will be great and any fears I have will be forgotten pretty quick. I'm sure you'll be hearing all about it when I start. This is all assuming I'll get through the vetting process and occupational health! The reason why it is a provisional offer is because I need to get vetted first. But, unless my family or Stuart's are living double lives and we don't know about it, I'm not expecting there to be any problems with that. If all goes well, I imagine I will start at the beginning of February. My future line manager has told me about a course she would like me to attend on 25/26 January whether I have started or not but I suspect I will start after this. Especially with settling Callum into nursery.

That said, Callum is actually starting nursery anyway in January but just one day a week. On a Thursday. He has he's settling in sessions next week on Tuesday and Thursday (Christmas Eve). He will go there to 'sleep' in the afternoon on the Tuesday and then he will go there to play for an hour or two on Thursday morning. We have also been invited to their Christmas party on the Monday - yay! Another Christmas party (I have to live my life through Callum now going to his Christmas parties). But I guess not for long!

Speaking of Christmas parties, 'we' (read Callum) have two on Friday. One at Gym Jams (a great soft play place we go to) with Father Christmas and everything and then 'we' have one with the NCT babies with secret santa. Going to really start feeling like Christmas by Friday! We had a party today at Toddler Group this morning but that just felt like a party and not particularly Christmassy. Just an excuse to eat bad food!

To help with the Christmassy mood today, we had snow! It actually settled a bit too. I took Callum to Wisley Gardens to meet a couple of friends and it was really pretty to walk around in the snow. At one point there was even enough snow for me to make a snow ball. It didn't last though and has all gone now - turned to rain! However, it is meant to snow again over the next couple of days. I actually wish Callum was walking so he could experience it on his own. I guess it is highly likely to snow again though when he is walking so I'm sure he will get to walk in it soon enough!

Think that's us up to date - quite a long post in the end. Will try to give an update before Christmas and then one just after.

In case not - Merry Christmas <:o)>

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