Weaning the wean....

wean n. a child, especially a young one

It's hard to believe that it's nearly 6 months since the supreme being entered our life. Where did that time go? People always say your life speeds up when you have children and it certainly feels like that for me. It seems barely yesterday that I was racing to the hospital with a labouring T in the back, my life about to change forever....

Emily's half birthday is fast approaching and with it comes the start of some very important developmental milestones. For those of us that take sitting up as an everyday activity, I can assure you it's no mean feat, particularly when you have a little tummy that gets in the way. And having watched our daughter struggle with it in recent weeks, I began to question her supreme status. However, after many days of teetering and tottering, wibbling and wobbling, her mother and baby advanced yoga classes paid off and she has magically started to sit. And with sitting comes a whole new world of exciting activities - it opens doors to new experiences which we are now starting to explore, not least of which is graduating to chairs...

First time in the big chair

The joy of 'lunching'

And taking after the priorities of her mother, once Emily learnt to sit, first and foremost came food. We've currently chosen to try a 'baby-led' approach to weaning. For those that don't know, this means in theory (stress placed on theory), you just hand them the food in a suitably-sized piece and if they like it they eat it and if they don’t they won’t. The theory doesn't tell you about the terror of choking, the desire to mush the food into the table or the ability to get it everywhere but the mouth. Once again I started to question her supreme status....

Sitting's great but where's the scran?

Video clip: Emily's very first experience of food

 

 Video clip: Supreme status restored - mastering drinking within days (must be Daddy's genes)

Tramping in the Trossachs...

Following our delightful Easter visiting family, we have had the last two wonderful weekends entertaining my tribe. Firstly my niece Ruth came to visit, and then my brother arrived with his brood, aka the Southern Rookes.

As we had finally started to move out of the ice age, and some semblance of spring was in the air, I decided it was the perfect time to discover the Trossachs in more depth. Having spent the last 5 or 6 years doing some serious trudging up munros, the Trossachs have been somewhat overlooked by me due to their lack of vertical challenge. This is somewhat unfair and the area, about 45 mins north of Glasgow, is characterised by lush forests, stunning lochs, plentiful wildlife and numerous hills. William Wallace and Rob Roy once hid here and the region has miles of trails to be explored - just the place to further the supreme beings growing interest in the great outdoors (despite not ticking any munros for me).

Even for seasoned explorers every day is a school day, and one lesson learned in our adventures is that it's important to agree on the final destination before setting off. An unfortunate incident involving someone turning right out the car park and someone turning left, both heading to where they were certain they were supposed to be for lunch, led to a somewhat disjointed dining experience for two halves of the Rooke clan. Loch Katrine is 8 miles long as the crow flies (and 20 miles end to end by car), which when the family is split at either end lunch conversation becomes somewhat difficult. At least there was a cafe at either end of the Loch so no-one went hungry...

Despite such minor detours, both weekends were a great success and Emily loved seeing her cousins, Ruth, Chloe and Will once more, as well as Jenny and Dave. She may be the youngest in the riot of Rookes but she certainly gives her generation a run for their money - I think they all left shattered! And as I put her to bed tonight though I think she was missing all their cuddles as she seemed to not want to settle...so let's hope they come back soon.

A rare sighting of Daddy Rooke caught on camera with his mate and young

 A fledgling Rooke out the nest and enjoying the sun for the first time

Two Rookes with a particularly brightly crested Lockett bird

The Southern Rookes migrated north

Four female Rookes

Loch Ard with Ben Lomond in the background

A white Easter...

As if we didn't have enough snow adventures earlier in the year, we decided to head to up north to Banchory for Easter, and spend a few days with Nana and Baba. For those of you that don't know where it is, Banchory is a lovely little town in Deeside - in between Braemar and Aberdeen. And yes, that's the same Braemar of "coldest Easter on record" fame, with a glorious minus 12.5 degrees celsius recorded this year. And yes, it was pretty chilly...

Tanya struggled to find Banchory in the snow

As previously posted - we love grandparents, and it was great to be pampered for a few days by Nana and Baba. Emily really enjoyed herself too, and seemed to have a developmental leap meeting all the Banchorians, as she was shown off to all Nana and Baba's friends. We got to go on some stunning snowy walks, as well as eat lots of lovely food and even managed our first night out without Emily. All in all it was a grand old Easter - just hope we get invited back...

Emily featured as trip leader

Quality dad-daughter time

Family meeting in the snow

 Breastfeeding Eskimo style

Emily loved spending time with her grandparents

Video clip: The giggling girl had a great time

Learning to laugh...

Apparently babies are not born with a sense of humour, they learn it from mimicking those around them. Am not sure if that means we are raising a comic genius, or that T and me are easily amused by the inane activities of Emily, but either way the supreme being has started to giggle. It really is the most delightful sound.

Humour is infectious. It's good for the physical and spirtiual part of you, and is proven to improve immunity and boost your energy. Just what we all need. So if you're feeling a bit blue the next couple of clips are bound to cheer you up. Am not sure that the cause of the humour is that highbrow mind you, but the effects of it are definitely uplifting...

Video clip: Toy rabbits are hilarious apparently...

Video clip: As is the sound of velcro...

We love grandparents....

Emily loves her grandparents. She is lucky enough to have all four and to get to see them fairly regularly, despite them not living in Glasgow. In recent weeks she has seen all of them for full weekends each so she is now topped up with her grandparent-loveliness once again. She even gets to say good night to their pictures on our wall so she can remember them when they are not visiting her.

First off was a weekend with Nana and Baba Gedik, and the other Gediks (minus the Gurneys due to an unfortunate 'slapcheek' incident). She had a great time out in the fresh air, being amused by all the family, and even went swimming which she loved too. Nana and Baba did her proud by playing and looking after her so Mummy and Daddy could catch up on some sleep. They did their job so well in fact, that we didn't even have to take her out before she nodded off to dreamland...

Not even time to zip up the suit before she crashed out

 

Baba indulging in a spot of banter with the wee one

Next up was a weekend visit from the grand old Rookes, and Emily again tried to be her normal delightful self, despite the snow and Glasgow's best blustery conditions. Grandad and Grandma helped out in great style by baby-sitting whilst we finished off the sale of our flat in Exeter Drive. More invaluable grandparently help...

Grandad uses his ancient method of baby hypnotism

 

Emily tries to return the force - but you can't teach an old dog new tricks!

So all in all weekends with the grandparents are a big hit. Clearly Emily would like to thank all four of you for the love you show her - I know this because she told me, and obviously her parents would also like to thank you for the help and support you give to them too. So I guess that's why we love grandparents...

Thank you Grandad and Grandma/Nana and Baba xxx

 

Baby in a box...

Babies love to feel secure. They also like to feel part of what's going on.

Couple these facts with the old adage that necessity is the mother of invention and somehow we discovered that Emily likes to be in a box. Not in any sort of cruel way I should add. In fact, I would go as far as to say that she loves being in her box. It's been the delight of her week.

Her box fits her perfectly and means she can be up at our level all the time. Sharing in our activities rather than looking up at us. Easy to transport her too as the box has handles. And no more aching arms and backs for us from holding her awkwardly for hours. Plus it cost next to nothing - always a bonus. Poor girl though...hand me down clothes, second hand everything and now a box to sit in? Not sure she will forgive us but I promise you she is a very happy wee one...smile-tastic in fact :-)

However, given her current rate of growth the box won't last long. But for this week at least, being in a box is her favourite thing. It's her i-box....you can judge for yourselves...

 Trying the box out for the first time

 Helping Mummy with the washing up

Up for a grown up dinner

Being transported to bed...Night night all x

The tao of fish...

As a supreme being it is important that you master your own secret path to happiness, in order that others may start to follow you. Emily has been working on her's for the past three and a bit months, and is now ready to publish her own easy 3-step path to baby-enlightenment.

Step 1 - get your own Dad-wallah to set up, stock and maintain a tropical fish tank. One is good but if you can assert your influence to get others, then even better.

Jedi mind-power is useful to influence Dad

Step 2 - get your own Mummy-wallah to hold you in front of the fish tank for hours on end. Don't worry if she develops sore arms and a bad back in the process of holding you in such an uncomfortable position - her unceasing desire to help you achieve enlightenment will outweigh any pain.

Staring out fish aids inner peace

Step 3 - achieve enlightenment. Warning: Watching brightly coloured fish moving in random directions for a lengthy period of time has a mildly soporific effect. Do not operate heavy machinery following a fish-watching session.

Blissed out in fish heaven

Thanks to the fish our supreme being really is the most delightful wee soul. Provided she gets her daily fishy-tation, everywhere we go she manages to recruit disciples to the cause by her winning smile and placid nature. Mummy is pleased as this often means she gets given extra large cake portions in the coffee shops by the baristas coming under Emily's charms. Daddy is just pleased by the fact Mummy is pleased. This is the tao of fish...

Supreme being with disciples 

(Picture courtesy of tripod donated by Grandad after some 'persuasion' from Grandma - thanks Grandad!)