Our Family Connection

Hello world - Rich here. This is my first post of 2011, so it was my intention/new year's resolution to write at least one post a week - so I'm already three behind! Alas I will commit to 52 posts this year of varying lengths and topics (I think Raf & Al will figure a lot). It may not be every week but by the end of the year I should have 52 in the bag...

I do plan on a longer post detailing the many little things that make up Rafi's current life and how his world expands almost daily and his willingness to try new adventures - like hanging over the side of the bath, which without prompt intervention would lead to a fully clothed soaking.

However, I will for today mention 'family business' with one new arrival in the family, and remembrance of another family member whose birthday it was today. When considering the idea of family I'm frequently thinking how Raf will relate to his UK based cousins, extended family of aunts and uncles etc with him living abroad and not having the same cultural and social connections for the most part or close physical connection. Or how will he develop a family role for himself in our respective families, and perhaps later create his own family. Anyway that's for a longer post in the future...

The arrival - my sister had her third child on Wednesday - a boy named Billy Oliver Bartlett, coming in at a whopping 9.6 pounds. Another boy in the family! A football team could be achieved with only a few new additions - though a co-ed team would be just as much fun too...

Also today would have been my Granddad's 90th birthday, so we took a few moments over dinner to remember him - Frederick Ronald Sawyer (1921-2000), who served in the Royal Navy during the Second World War and then a policeman for 25 years. I spent a lot of time with him and my grandmother growing up - watching cricket matches with him every summer, and going to their caravan in Weston-Super-Mare. Here's a photograph of Granddad in his navy days, some people said he had a bit of the John Wayne about him...

Night Time Parenting

The topic of 'sleeping' is often a hot button subject for parents... including us, I'd say. We have pretty firm ideas about sleeping - and, specifically, night-time parenting. If there are, broadly speaking, two sleeping camps - 'crying it out', and 'not crying it out', we are firmly rooted in the latter. We co-sleep, and while we attempt to put Raf in his crib for the first part of the night (much safer in there until I get to bed), we happily sleep with the little cherub tucked in the middle. If he's upstairs on his own I literally run up the stairs if I hear him begin to even snivel... and if I am more than a minute it's usual to find Raf standing in his cot, arms out stretched with a pained look on his face wondering where we are.

it's honestly a bit heartbreaking.I don't know how I could possibly leave him up there on his own.

And we truly love co-sleeping. Raf is a snuggly little boy who likes to have his arms wrapped around your neck, or he likes to lie on top of you (especially when he's teething and it's less pressure on his poor little gums), and it's simply a gift to wake up to a little boy who, already awake, is waving his hands around in the air, watching them in the pre-dawn light as he amazes himself with the shapes he makes. And I think that, for a little boy like Raf, he benefits so much from the security and the closeness especially when I'm at work all day.

But, you know, it's also pretty exhausting. Raf is 18 and a half months and in that time I have yet to sleep through the night because Raf is up a lot in the night. He doesn't always wake up fully but if I didn't help in some way he certainly would wake up and it wouldn't be a pretty situation. Sometimes I am up - or awake - 10 days a night. I am very fortunate in that I don't need a ton of sleep but it's a side of parenting that people often don't see, especially beyond the early months when there is somewhat of an expectation that you WILL be up. But when little ones are Raf's age it's almost taboo to admit that they are far from sleeping through the night, that you still help them with sleep, and so forth. To my mind sleeping through the night is not something that is really learned, rather, it's more a milestone.

Yet it can be challenging, especially when one parent is responsible for the majority of the night-time parenting. it IS exhausting especially when Raf is teething or is ill and needs even more comforting and help. It's not an unusual night to see every hour on my alarm clock, and it can be difficult when work looms and you're feeling ragged from night one trillion with virtually no more than 2 hours consecutive sleep.

But it's worth it; it really is. I truly think that Raf is a happier little boy for it. Well, that is what I am telling myself :)

Return to the Pool

It's very quiet around these parts without mum and dad. As we drove home from somewhere on Friday afternoon both Rich and I lamented about how quiet it would be on our return. No one waiting for us, no one to share in all Raf's little delights.. Indeed the very nice thing about having family around -especially doting grandparents - is that you're given license to go on endlessly about how great your child is. "look, Dad, did you see that? Isn't that precious?"; "Granny, isn't he the sweetest little poppet? How clever is he eating his peas like that?"... and so forth.

But it's back to us three plus the pups and the kitty. Yesterday was very low-key, and I confess I spent a lot of time on the couch exhausted from weeks of barely any sleep because Raf's been cutting a molar, and also I've upped by triathlon training as base training season kicks in. This morning Rich and Raf stayed home while I ran (it was a bit chilly for Rich!!), but this afternoon, after preparing some chili in the slow-cooker with the ingredients contained in the winter farm-share box we picked up this morning, we all went swimming.

Over the summer Raf had enjoyed himself tremendously swimming in the local lakes and ponds and we'd also taken him to the local pool for some parent/infant swim lessons. Since then we've not been at all as a family, but this afternoon, in the freezing cold, we took the plunge. Well, Rich and I did.. Raf gripped me in absolute terror as we sat on the pool-side. Rich and I took it in turns swimming a few lengths here and there, and then, all of a sudden, he seemed to relax. Rich and Raf had been playing with Daddy's goggles... they'd throw them in the pool and then I'd dive in and get them if they couldn't retrieve them before they sank to the bottom. Before we knew it Raf was ready to go in.. well, 40 minutes later! He really loved it! We didn't spend too long in the pool as it was pretty cool and we'd been there for a long while, but Raf really got in the groove.

I was glad we didn't push the issue too hard, that we let him get used to the pool again. He is a fairly cautious little chap and he likes to familiarize himself with things before diving in (pun not intended). He's such a great little boy.

Chin Chin

My mum and dad fly back to Spain tomorrow. We're all very sad about it and hoping that their flight is delayed because of the snow so that they can stay a bit longer. Most likely they'll be on their way, though, and we're going to miss them. it's been a very fun time.

Tonight we had our good-bye meal and Raf learned to 'cheers' with his beaker! He especially liked it when we taught him to 'chin chin'. It's his absolute favourite thing to do, it seems!

But before that, as I was playing with Raf saying (as I am apt to do repeatedly) "I love you" - he responded 'I ya', and then said, over and over again in response to my 'I love yous'... " I la. I la". I am sure this is his first attempt at saying "i love you". How my heart melted...

18 months - a busy week!

Yesterday Raf turned 18 months! I was out all day yesterday so celebrated his 1.5 half birthday this evening with cake, a balloon, and a couple of presents. I think this may be his final fraction birthday!

It was a very busy week, though. We had a trip to the Peekaboo center on Monday, where Raf had a wonderful time. We spent some lovely time with Granny and Grandpa, and our we got to see our dear sweet friend Louisa a couple of times. Raf had so much fun! Here are a few photos of our week!

Before we headed to the Peekaboo Center we gave Raf one of his Christmas presents he had still left to open. It is a Peppa Pig Wendy House (of course) and it was a big hit!



Fun at the Peekaboo Center!








2 hours of fun with Lou in Borders!





One and a half year birthday cake :)





Happy Birthday Boy!

2010 with our sweet boy.

It was a very Peppa Pig Christmas!

We had a really lovely Christmas with my mum and dad visiting. Raf is still a bit young to have a sense of what Christmas is, and my fears about him pulling down the tree, ripping presents open, and more were totally unfounded. He ignored the tree, for the most part, only showing interest in the red balls that he like to take off and put back on... He really had a nice day, though, and whilst he mostly was not that interested in his gifts, he did really love some of them, especially his Peppa Pig pressies! Funny boy.

Here's our day in pictures.

Christmas!




Father Christmas has been!


A pre-breakfast present from Granny and Grandpa!




There was a lot of happy shrieking during breakfast.




Raf was mostly non-plussed about his gifts except his Peppa Pig DVDs, his Peppa Pig books, his trains, his trucks, and this lovely wooden toy given to him by Jen.


Raf was totally underwhelmed by his rocking moo! He's since kissed 'Daisy' and had a bit of a rock but he's still apprehensive.


Raf loved his Peppa Pig books. Here he sat for a long time - reading and eating his Christmas stocking grapes.


Christmas pajamas!