I have not forgotten the blog and I will try very hard to write all about Anna's adventures in Finland very soon. However, after such an experience travelling to a very different country with a very intrigued and energetic 2 year old (who never ever sleeps when there is a party to be had or she thinks there might be one she is missing!!), Coupled with the fact that it was Anna's first day at pre-school today (which was a disaster!!), I am exhausted! I did begin to write about Anna's very first time on an aeroplane but I was struggling to even think about 3 word sentences so I have had to give up! I will be back soon.
(As Lou wobbles off to go and continue to eat mountains of Finnish Chocolate which is the best chocolate ever, as she puts on several thousand stones!)
Wednesday, 30 September 2009
Sunday, 20 September 2009
Come Fly with Me
On Wednesday morning at 10.30am, we take to the skies. You will probably hear the screams, regardless of where you live in the country!
On the one hand, I am very excited. The flight will take us to Finland where we get to witness Anna's Uncle Matthew and Auntie Ulriikka marry, which will be a wonderfully happy event. It will also be lovely to attend a wedding where myself, James and/or Anna are not playing a key role. Don't get me wrong, it was a privilege to do but a wedding where we are just mere guests sounds lovely, just for a change! I just wish they didn't live so far away which requires air travel! What is the matter with rainy, grey Manchester???
I have no dislike for Finland as a country. I just have a major dislike to flying. I resent having to be trapped in a confined space with less air than normal, defying the laws of gravity and full of strangers. It gets even worse with a 2 year old who I find difficult to keep still at the best of times. 10.30am is not a great time to travel either. Anna will be fully awake with no desire to sleep whatsoever! In fact, I am having worse nightmares about this than I ever did whilst contemplating Anna as Bridesmaid (and that is saying something!)
One of Anna's favourite pastimes this summer has been to lie on the grass with her Daddy lying next to her, gazing up at the sky and spotting the aeroplanes flying overhead (Anna spots them a much greater speed and accuracy than her Daddy could ever dream of!!). Therefore, we began to use this opportunity to explain that she would be going in one of these flying machines soon. Anna looks less than convinced. 'Oh dear, Mummy and Daddy have not had much sleep again!'
I am armed with numerous colouring books, sticker books and story books. In fact, for the past couple of months, every shop that I pass has seen me going in, just to see if there is yet another colouring book I could find which might hold Anna's attention for more than a nano-second. She refuses to sit in the car seat unless Abba is playing before she gets in. To combat this, we have also downloaded every Abba, Lady Gaga and all other cheesy current pop songs onto the Ipod but I am still not holding out much hope.
To make matters worse, after a flight of 3 hours to get to Helsinki, we then have 45 mins to get a connecting flight to Tampere, which includes getting off the plane with a 2 year old, going through passport control and getting to to the other side of the airport apparently. That is not even the part I am most worried about because I am more petrified about the fact that I then have to convince Anna to get on another plane after she has just been made to sit still for 3 hours on one. Why would she want to get on another one. I will desperately try to explain that this one will only be for 25 mins but, being 2 years old, the concept of time is not great.
James is feeling much more positive. He thinks Anna will be fooled into thinking it is a funfair ride. I think it may work for all of 10 minutes before she starts to realise that it is actually a bit boring and asking to get off to go on something more exciting.
There will be one consolation to Anna though,which may just work, and that is the promise that Auntie Ulriikka and Auntie Charlotte are going to be at the final destination. We have already told Anna that she will be seeing them both this week and Anna has talked of nothing else. In Anna's eyes, I am very small in significance compared to Ulriikka and Charlotte. In fact, all other female relatives in either of our families are called either Charlotte or Ulriikka by Anna as they are so heroic! I may have to pin a photo of each of them on each ear muff, in order to drown out the major tantrum from Anna for the entire duration of the flight from hell.
Failing that, I will be leaving the aircraft with a nervous breakdown along with 150 fellow passengers!
Bon Voyage!
On the one hand, I am very excited. The flight will take us to Finland where we get to witness Anna's Uncle Matthew and Auntie Ulriikka marry, which will be a wonderfully happy event. It will also be lovely to attend a wedding where myself, James and/or Anna are not playing a key role. Don't get me wrong, it was a privilege to do but a wedding where we are just mere guests sounds lovely, just for a change! I just wish they didn't live so far away which requires air travel! What is the matter with rainy, grey Manchester???
I have no dislike for Finland as a country. I just have a major dislike to flying. I resent having to be trapped in a confined space with less air than normal, defying the laws of gravity and full of strangers. It gets even worse with a 2 year old who I find difficult to keep still at the best of times. 10.30am is not a great time to travel either. Anna will be fully awake with no desire to sleep whatsoever! In fact, I am having worse nightmares about this than I ever did whilst contemplating Anna as Bridesmaid (and that is saying something!)
One of Anna's favourite pastimes this summer has been to lie on the grass with her Daddy lying next to her, gazing up at the sky and spotting the aeroplanes flying overhead (Anna spots them a much greater speed and accuracy than her Daddy could ever dream of!!). Therefore, we began to use this opportunity to explain that she would be going in one of these flying machines soon. Anna looks less than convinced. 'Oh dear, Mummy and Daddy have not had much sleep again!'
I am armed with numerous colouring books, sticker books and story books. In fact, for the past couple of months, every shop that I pass has seen me going in, just to see if there is yet another colouring book I could find which might hold Anna's attention for more than a nano-second. She refuses to sit in the car seat unless Abba is playing before she gets in. To combat this, we have also downloaded every Abba, Lady Gaga and all other cheesy current pop songs onto the Ipod but I am still not holding out much hope.
To make matters worse, after a flight of 3 hours to get to Helsinki, we then have 45 mins to get a connecting flight to Tampere, which includes getting off the plane with a 2 year old, going through passport control and getting to to the other side of the airport apparently. That is not even the part I am most worried about because I am more petrified about the fact that I then have to convince Anna to get on another plane after she has just been made to sit still for 3 hours on one. Why would she want to get on another one. I will desperately try to explain that this one will only be for 25 mins but, being 2 years old, the concept of time is not great.
James is feeling much more positive. He thinks Anna will be fooled into thinking it is a funfair ride. I think it may work for all of 10 minutes before she starts to realise that it is actually a bit boring and asking to get off to go on something more exciting.
There will be one consolation to Anna though,which may just work, and that is the promise that Auntie Ulriikka and Auntie Charlotte are going to be at the final destination. We have already told Anna that she will be seeing them both this week and Anna has talked of nothing else. In Anna's eyes, I am very small in significance compared to Ulriikka and Charlotte. In fact, all other female relatives in either of our families are called either Charlotte or Ulriikka by Anna as they are so heroic! I may have to pin a photo of each of them on each ear muff, in order to drown out the major tantrum from Anna for the entire duration of the flight from hell.
Failing that, I will be leaving the aircraft with a nervous breakdown along with 150 fellow passengers!
Bon Voyage!
Sunday, 13 September 2009
Thomas Land
Earlier this year, Anna visited Thomas the Tank Engine at Llangollen and adored ever second. I even wrote a blog as it was such an excellent day.
Anna is a big fan of Thomas the Tank Engine books and, indeed, her train track, complete with Percy, James and Thomas as they whizz around the track as she pretends to be station Master, setting the points and stopping them at the station before pressing the 'go' button again. (The worrying side of Anna also finds it hilarious when she makes them go crashing into each other too!). She is not the hugest fan of the TV series unless the show features a lot of Thomas in the episode (Anna is never interested unless it features the big time stars. Always the diva!!!).
Well, after such big success at Lllangollen and with James wanting to use up some of his holiday allocation, we decided to visit 'Thomas Land.' For those of you not familiar with the world of Thomas, it is situated at Drayton Manor Theme park, close to Birmingham.
This was Anna's first time at a Theme park so we were not sure how she was going to react to all the screaming and mayhem (and that was just her parents!) but it was going to be an adventure.
Due to our inability to get out of the house before midday most days (I have to get Anna to playgroup at 9am in the morning, which she starts in 2 weeks time. It is going to be a miracle if I ever do it!!!), we stayed the night in a hotel close to the theme park on the night before. This was a good idea except Anna thought it was far too exciting when she found herself in a sofa bed which is bigger than a normal sized double bed and her Mummy and Daddy sleeping in the same room!!! Eventually she did fall asleep but then proceeded to fall out of bed at least twice (the bed was very low to the ground so no injuries), which staggers belief when she was in a bed which was 3 times her normal bed!!!
Therefore, a bleary eyed Anna arrived at Thomas Land feeling rather tired! However, thankfully, excitement soon overtook any weariness that she may have felt. As soon as she saw Thomas going 'Peep Peep' on the track, Anna ran as fast as her little legs could carry her, through the gates of Thomas Land and into her own paradise!
We had arrived early so there were not many people around. However, despite the information stating that rides did not begin until 10.30am, we were lucky enough that the attendants actually started letting us ride from 10am. Anna quickly made her way to 'Harold the Flying Helicopter' and just yelped with sheer joy when her very own little helicopter transported her very high into the air and round and round and round. Anna had never ever been on any amusement ride before so we were unsure how she would react but, of course, Anna loved every second. As soon as she got off, she ran out, shouting 'What's next Mummy and Daddy'.
Of course, we had to take a train ride with Thomas so, after Anna choosing that we must sit in the Annie carriage (Clarabel just isn't up to it!), we went for a train journey through the theme park before returning on Percy, whilst Anna chatted away to both engines for the entire journey both there and on the way back!
We then proceeded to go on Diesel, the manic train who just shunted you back and forth until I felt very sick indeed. Anna wanted More!
We then went on Bertie the Bus which is basically a mini bus (made to look like Bertie) which then goes around like a huge big wheel but much faster, going both forward and back and getting stuck in mid air for quite a while! This actually proved to be the biggest hit of the day and we were made to go on it 8 times throughout the duration of the day! After the 6th ride, James couldn't handle anymore and said that he would need at least 4 days to recover from Bertie. Anna shouted 'More please Mummy'.
The 3 of us then decided to ride on Anna's very first rollercoaster - the Troublesome Trucks. Now, considering that this was a young child's ride, I thought the Rollercoaster was actually really scary (I am the woman who thought Nemesis at Alton Towers was a bit too tame!!!). It went really fast and tilted really dramatically at times. Of course, Anna just giggled throughout it!
It wasn't long however, before Anna realised that there were even bigger rides to explore. So, with Anna literally dragging her Daddy, they went on the old-fashioned carousel with the galloping horses! Anna was convinced that she had won the race when the ride eventually stopped.
On reflection though, I think since becoming a Mum, I feel incredibly more vulnerable! After discovering the delights of the bigger rides. Anna asked to go on the Big Wheel next. Heights don't bother me so the big wheel has never been a daunting prospect. However, while sat in a basket at the top of that big wheel, looking out over the whole theme park and swinging from side to side like we were about to drop, I suddenly felt a little scared. Not for me but because my brain was questioning whether Anna was entirely safe. Of course, she was entirely safe and it was just my mummy instincts kicking in and being over-protective for a brief second but it is strange how Motherhood, without even realising it, makes you see EVERYTHING with entirely new eyes.
By lunchtime, Anna was definitely slowing and we even thought that she may have fallen asleep in the afternoon. However, Anna wasn't going to miss one second of the excitement and, after a quick fuel stop (she even turned down her yogurt in favour of getting back out to the fun stuff), we were back out in the thick of it.
It wasn't long before Anna was yearning for Thomas Land though and, so, we spent the afternoon amongst Bertie, Harold, Thomas and friends.
However, as the day was drawing to a close and the light was beginning to fade, James and I couldn't resist a ride for ourselves. So, being the entirely responsible parents that we are, we dressed Anna in the biggest raincoat we could find and headed for the Canyon Rapids. Anna's eye were beginning to get heavy and, for the first time all day, she asked to be carried whilst in the queue. However, as soon as we sat down in our 'boat thing,' Anna found the last bit of energy and then giggled herself silly as she saw her Mummy get soaking wet as a huge fountain of water decided to empty itself all over me! Strangle though, it felt like it was a perfect end to the day.
It is now that I am the gushing Mummy for a minute and I make no apologies for it on this occasion because I am MASSIVELY proud of my little girl!!! Without realising it, James and I decided to go to Thomas Land on the day after a Bank Holiday. Of course, it probably wasn't as busy as if we had gone on the actual Bank holiday but it was still a little crowded. Now, thankfully, Thomas Land has quite a few attractions and therefore queues were not too bad but, by mid-afternoon, one or two queues were half an hour or so. (We had been very lucky in the morning and for the vast majority of the rides). Even though there were children who were much older than Anna who were having tantrums and misbehaving, Anna was truly AMAZING!!! She waited patiently for every ride and listened when we explained that it wouldn't be long but she would have to wait her turn. Her excitement never wavered despite having to wait at times and I honestly could have cried with how much pride I felt for my little girl throughout the whole day. I made sure that I told her numerous times how proud I was of her and that is probably the reason why I left with half the contents of the Thomas The Tank Engine Gift shop!!!!!
So, as we wearily walked back to the car (we were one of the last cars in the car park), we all had huge smiles on our face. Anna was asleep within 2 minutes of sitting in her car seat and she didn't even get to hear the whole of Dancing Queen which is Track 1 of her Abba album. Now that just goes to show what a great day she had!
Anna is a big fan of Thomas the Tank Engine books and, indeed, her train track, complete with Percy, James and Thomas as they whizz around the track as she pretends to be station Master, setting the points and stopping them at the station before pressing the 'go' button again. (The worrying side of Anna also finds it hilarious when she makes them go crashing into each other too!). She is not the hugest fan of the TV series unless the show features a lot of Thomas in the episode (Anna is never interested unless it features the big time stars. Always the diva!!!).
Well, after such big success at Lllangollen and with James wanting to use up some of his holiday allocation, we decided to visit 'Thomas Land.' For those of you not familiar with the world of Thomas, it is situated at Drayton Manor Theme park, close to Birmingham.
This was Anna's first time at a Theme park so we were not sure how she was going to react to all the screaming and mayhem (and that was just her parents!) but it was going to be an adventure.
Due to our inability to get out of the house before midday most days (I have to get Anna to playgroup at 9am in the morning, which she starts in 2 weeks time. It is going to be a miracle if I ever do it!!!), we stayed the night in a hotel close to the theme park on the night before. This was a good idea except Anna thought it was far too exciting when she found herself in a sofa bed which is bigger than a normal sized double bed and her Mummy and Daddy sleeping in the same room!!! Eventually she did fall asleep but then proceeded to fall out of bed at least twice (the bed was very low to the ground so no injuries), which staggers belief when she was in a bed which was 3 times her normal bed!!!
Therefore, a bleary eyed Anna arrived at Thomas Land feeling rather tired! However, thankfully, excitement soon overtook any weariness that she may have felt. As soon as she saw Thomas going 'Peep Peep' on the track, Anna ran as fast as her little legs could carry her, through the gates of Thomas Land and into her own paradise!
We had arrived early so there were not many people around. However, despite the information stating that rides did not begin until 10.30am, we were lucky enough that the attendants actually started letting us ride from 10am. Anna quickly made her way to 'Harold the Flying Helicopter' and just yelped with sheer joy when her very own little helicopter transported her very high into the air and round and round and round. Anna had never ever been on any amusement ride before so we were unsure how she would react but, of course, Anna loved every second. As soon as she got off, she ran out, shouting 'What's next Mummy and Daddy'.
Of course, we had to take a train ride with Thomas so, after Anna choosing that we must sit in the Annie carriage (Clarabel just isn't up to it!), we went for a train journey through the theme park before returning on Percy, whilst Anna chatted away to both engines for the entire journey both there and on the way back!
We then proceeded to go on Diesel, the manic train who just shunted you back and forth until I felt very sick indeed. Anna wanted More!
We then went on Bertie the Bus which is basically a mini bus (made to look like Bertie) which then goes around like a huge big wheel but much faster, going both forward and back and getting stuck in mid air for quite a while! This actually proved to be the biggest hit of the day and we were made to go on it 8 times throughout the duration of the day! After the 6th ride, James couldn't handle anymore and said that he would need at least 4 days to recover from Bertie. Anna shouted 'More please Mummy'.
The 3 of us then decided to ride on Anna's very first rollercoaster - the Troublesome Trucks. Now, considering that this was a young child's ride, I thought the Rollercoaster was actually really scary (I am the woman who thought Nemesis at Alton Towers was a bit too tame!!!). It went really fast and tilted really dramatically at times. Of course, Anna just giggled throughout it!
It wasn't long however, before Anna realised that there were even bigger rides to explore. So, with Anna literally dragging her Daddy, they went on the old-fashioned carousel with the galloping horses! Anna was convinced that she had won the race when the ride eventually stopped.
On reflection though, I think since becoming a Mum, I feel incredibly more vulnerable! After discovering the delights of the bigger rides. Anna asked to go on the Big Wheel next. Heights don't bother me so the big wheel has never been a daunting prospect. However, while sat in a basket at the top of that big wheel, looking out over the whole theme park and swinging from side to side like we were about to drop, I suddenly felt a little scared. Not for me but because my brain was questioning whether Anna was entirely safe. Of course, she was entirely safe and it was just my mummy instincts kicking in and being over-protective for a brief second but it is strange how Motherhood, without even realising it, makes you see EVERYTHING with entirely new eyes.
By lunchtime, Anna was definitely slowing and we even thought that she may have fallen asleep in the afternoon. However, Anna wasn't going to miss one second of the excitement and, after a quick fuel stop (she even turned down her yogurt in favour of getting back out to the fun stuff), we were back out in the thick of it.
It wasn't long before Anna was yearning for Thomas Land though and, so, we spent the afternoon amongst Bertie, Harold, Thomas and friends.
However, as the day was drawing to a close and the light was beginning to fade, James and I couldn't resist a ride for ourselves. So, being the entirely responsible parents that we are, we dressed Anna in the biggest raincoat we could find and headed for the Canyon Rapids. Anna's eye were beginning to get heavy and, for the first time all day, she asked to be carried whilst in the queue. However, as soon as we sat down in our 'boat thing,' Anna found the last bit of energy and then giggled herself silly as she saw her Mummy get soaking wet as a huge fountain of water decided to empty itself all over me! Strangle though, it felt like it was a perfect end to the day.
It is now that I am the gushing Mummy for a minute and I make no apologies for it on this occasion because I am MASSIVELY proud of my little girl!!! Without realising it, James and I decided to go to Thomas Land on the day after a Bank Holiday. Of course, it probably wasn't as busy as if we had gone on the actual Bank holiday but it was still a little crowded. Now, thankfully, Thomas Land has quite a few attractions and therefore queues were not too bad but, by mid-afternoon, one or two queues were half an hour or so. (We had been very lucky in the morning and for the vast majority of the rides). Even though there were children who were much older than Anna who were having tantrums and misbehaving, Anna was truly AMAZING!!! She waited patiently for every ride and listened when we explained that it wouldn't be long but she would have to wait her turn. Her excitement never wavered despite having to wait at times and I honestly could have cried with how much pride I felt for my little girl throughout the whole day. I made sure that I told her numerous times how proud I was of her and that is probably the reason why I left with half the contents of the Thomas The Tank Engine Gift shop!!!!!
So, as we wearily walked back to the car (we were one of the last cars in the car park), we all had huge smiles on our face. Anna was asleep within 2 minutes of sitting in her car seat and she didn't even get to hear the whole of Dancing Queen which is Track 1 of her Abba album. Now that just goes to show what a great day she had!
Monday, 7 September 2009
My Little Cousin, Isla
Last week, Anna met her very first cousin for the very first time.
I actually made the mistake of telling her that we were going to meet Isla later that day, before she had sat down for breakfast and so any chance of her eating her Weetabix (or Rice Krispies, Crumpets, Toast and Scotch Pancakes and numerous other things I tried to tempt her with) was not going to happen.
When we arrived at Ben and Sally's flat, Auntie Sally came out onto their balcony to say Hello and I actually thought Anna would jump high enough to land on the second floor where Sally was stood because she was so excited. I have never seen her fly up the stairs faster than she did as we made our way to the flat.
As Ben opened the front door cradling Isla in his arms, I set eyes on my niece (I am privileged enough to be called Auntie Louise!!!) and, despite being incredibly tiny (Anna honestly has a baby doll that is bigger than Isla), I could also see that she was beautiful! As for Anna... she was suddenly confronted with a real tiny baby and she wasn't so sure. Ben got on his knees so Anna could see Isla up and close and personal and Anna did the polite thing and stood there for a few seconds looking unconvinced before then backing up against the wall and side steping her way to the living room, where Auntie Sally had kindly placed a massive cuddly toy dog (Anna loves the toy dog after meeting him last Christmas. It was a gift from Ben to Sally!!!).
For the next 2 and a half hours, Anna was brave enough to approach Isla once or twice but was sure to keep enough distance in case Isla burst out crying. I did explain on numerous occasions that this was Anna's little cousin and the one that she had been so excited about meeting. I'm not sure what she thought Isla was before metting her but she looked unconvinced when I kept trying to explain this was the Isla we had been talking about!
It must be strange for Anna when someone else is muscling in on your superstar status!! (Don't get me wrong, Anna needs to experience it from time to time!!) I suppose, if I admit it to myself from deep within, I was also imagining what this would have been like if Isla was Anna's baby sister instead of cousin. I suppose I was using it as a measure of how Anna might react if a baby sister or brother did happen to come along (Note to Grandparents: This is not going to be happening anytime soon, if at all. It was only a brief thought!!!!!!!) I couldn't help but feel a little anxious about how Anna might feel. Of course, I was trying to involve Anna as much as possible when James and I held Isla but Anna didn't seem very jealous, just very uninterested (which I found just as much of a worry if a brother or sister did ever appear).
However, everything changed when Mike and Roz came to visit! Now, Mike and Roz are Ben's mum and dad and a huge hit in Anna's eyes. She has met them on 2 or 3 occasions now and Anna has been mesmerised each and every time. I have to say that Ben's parents are fantastic with her. Once they had kissed and said Hello to their granddaughter (who was fast asleep at that time), they instantly came and sat on the rug with Anna and started talking to her about Thomas and Harold and all the other toys that Anna had brought along. Anna was in paradise. (I had been encouraging Anna to show Isla all her toys only minutes earlier and Anna couldn't care less about her toys then!!!). Anna hung on Roz's every word and made sure everyone had heard her by then going to tell every individual person what Roz had just said, before then running back to Roz to hear more wonderful words.
After a while, Isla woke up and was carried from her Moses basket to the living room and, after her Grandad Mike had held her, Roz obviously needed a cuddle. Suddenly, Anna was VERY interested in Isla. Roz carefully explained that Isla was her little cousin and how Isla was very lucky to have such a beautiful cousin like Anna and how Isla would learn lots of things from Anna. All of this had been said by me earlier, which Anna had taken no notice of whatsoever. Suddenly, Anna is now going around the whole room telling everyone that Isla was her little cousin and she was the big cousin and Isla was very lucky etc etc. Everything that Roz had just said!! Even when Anna was busy entertaining Mike with her colouring skills and explaining that she was drawing a lion eating custard (very random!!!), Anna still noticed when Isla started crying and ran over to Roz and Isla and said 'Roz, Roz, my little cousin is crying. I'm her big cousin Roz. I like Isla a lot'.
Anna is now very very proud to have a little cousin called Isla (as long as Roz is there too!!!!)
A photograph of gorgeous baby Isla, with the little cuddly toy, called 'Patch', that her Uncle James took to hospital for her. Patch actually isn't very big at all but just shows how tiny Isla is. Small but Perfect!
I actually made the mistake of telling her that we were going to meet Isla later that day, before she had sat down for breakfast and so any chance of her eating her Weetabix (or Rice Krispies, Crumpets, Toast and Scotch Pancakes and numerous other things I tried to tempt her with) was not going to happen.
When we arrived at Ben and Sally's flat, Auntie Sally came out onto their balcony to say Hello and I actually thought Anna would jump high enough to land on the second floor where Sally was stood because she was so excited. I have never seen her fly up the stairs faster than she did as we made our way to the flat.
As Ben opened the front door cradling Isla in his arms, I set eyes on my niece (I am privileged enough to be called Auntie Louise!!!) and, despite being incredibly tiny (Anna honestly has a baby doll that is bigger than Isla), I could also see that she was beautiful! As for Anna... she was suddenly confronted with a real tiny baby and she wasn't so sure. Ben got on his knees so Anna could see Isla up and close and personal and Anna did the polite thing and stood there for a few seconds looking unconvinced before then backing up against the wall and side steping her way to the living room, where Auntie Sally had kindly placed a massive cuddly toy dog (Anna loves the toy dog after meeting him last Christmas. It was a gift from Ben to Sally!!!).
For the next 2 and a half hours, Anna was brave enough to approach Isla once or twice but was sure to keep enough distance in case Isla burst out crying. I did explain on numerous occasions that this was Anna's little cousin and the one that she had been so excited about meeting. I'm not sure what she thought Isla was before metting her but she looked unconvinced when I kept trying to explain this was the Isla we had been talking about!
It must be strange for Anna when someone else is muscling in on your superstar status!! (Don't get me wrong, Anna needs to experience it from time to time!!) I suppose, if I admit it to myself from deep within, I was also imagining what this would have been like if Isla was Anna's baby sister instead of cousin. I suppose I was using it as a measure of how Anna might react if a baby sister or brother did happen to come along (Note to Grandparents: This is not going to be happening anytime soon, if at all. It was only a brief thought!!!!!!!) I couldn't help but feel a little anxious about how Anna might feel. Of course, I was trying to involve Anna as much as possible when James and I held Isla but Anna didn't seem very jealous, just very uninterested (which I found just as much of a worry if a brother or sister did ever appear).
However, everything changed when Mike and Roz came to visit! Now, Mike and Roz are Ben's mum and dad and a huge hit in Anna's eyes. She has met them on 2 or 3 occasions now and Anna has been mesmerised each and every time. I have to say that Ben's parents are fantastic with her. Once they had kissed and said Hello to their granddaughter (who was fast asleep at that time), they instantly came and sat on the rug with Anna and started talking to her about Thomas and Harold and all the other toys that Anna had brought along. Anna was in paradise. (I had been encouraging Anna to show Isla all her toys only minutes earlier and Anna couldn't care less about her toys then!!!). Anna hung on Roz's every word and made sure everyone had heard her by then going to tell every individual person what Roz had just said, before then running back to Roz to hear more wonderful words.
After a while, Isla woke up and was carried from her Moses basket to the living room and, after her Grandad Mike had held her, Roz obviously needed a cuddle. Suddenly, Anna was VERY interested in Isla. Roz carefully explained that Isla was her little cousin and how Isla was very lucky to have such a beautiful cousin like Anna and how Isla would learn lots of things from Anna. All of this had been said by me earlier, which Anna had taken no notice of whatsoever. Suddenly, Anna is now going around the whole room telling everyone that Isla was her little cousin and she was the big cousin and Isla was very lucky etc etc. Everything that Roz had just said!! Even when Anna was busy entertaining Mike with her colouring skills and explaining that she was drawing a lion eating custard (very random!!!), Anna still noticed when Isla started crying and ran over to Roz and Isla and said 'Roz, Roz, my little cousin is crying. I'm her big cousin Roz. I like Isla a lot'.
Anna is now very very proud to have a little cousin called Isla (as long as Roz is there too!!!!)
A photograph of gorgeous baby Isla, with the little cuddly toy, called 'Patch', that her Uncle James took to hospital for her. Patch actually isn't very big at all but just shows how tiny Isla is. Small but Perfect!
Sunday, 23 August 2009
Anna Has a Cousin!!
On Wednesday 19th August at 10.20pm, James' sister, Sally gave birth to a beautiful baby girl and Anna became a cousin for the very first time.
Anna's cousin, as well as being beautiful also has a beautiful name, Isla Terrie Sutton. ('Terrie' is in memory of Anna and Isla's late Grandma, James and Sally's mum.)
On Wednesday morning, I had told Anna that she may have a cousin by the end of the day (Sally was induced) but Anna seemed less than excited at the prospect. By bedtime, Anna was still cousin-less. However, Thursday morning saw a sleepy eyed Anna woken by her mad Mummy excitedly saying 'Guess what Anna, you have a cousin called Isla". Anna just looked at me and said ''Isla???? OK, brush my teeth please Mummy' and walked past me towards the bathroom. Now, I am pretty sure that I had not mentioned Sally's name when making my big announcement on that Thursday morning so imagine my surprise when, totally out of the blue while eating her breakfast, Anna said 'It is OK Mummy, Auntie Sally has baby Isla now'. I simply smiled and said 'That's right Anna. Baby Isla is here'.
At the moment, Anna has unfortunately not met her very first cousin yet as Auntie Sally and Isla are still in hospital (Isla is very small at only 4lb 8oz and having a little trouble feeding so they are keen that she gains weight before going home). I didn't think Anna minded too much but, when James was leaving on Friday night to go and visit his new niece in hospital, Anna burst into tears and said 'I want to see Isla'. I promised her that we would very soon.
MASSIVE congratulations to Ben and Sally on the birth of their adorable little girl (and a special Thank you from Anna for giving her a cousin!!!!)
Anna's cousin, as well as being beautiful also has a beautiful name, Isla Terrie Sutton. ('Terrie' is in memory of Anna and Isla's late Grandma, James and Sally's mum.)
On Wednesday morning, I had told Anna that she may have a cousin by the end of the day (Sally was induced) but Anna seemed less than excited at the prospect. By bedtime, Anna was still cousin-less. However, Thursday morning saw a sleepy eyed Anna woken by her mad Mummy excitedly saying 'Guess what Anna, you have a cousin called Isla". Anna just looked at me and said ''Isla???? OK, brush my teeth please Mummy' and walked past me towards the bathroom. Now, I am pretty sure that I had not mentioned Sally's name when making my big announcement on that Thursday morning so imagine my surprise when, totally out of the blue while eating her breakfast, Anna said 'It is OK Mummy, Auntie Sally has baby Isla now'. I simply smiled and said 'That's right Anna. Baby Isla is here'.
At the moment, Anna has unfortunately not met her very first cousin yet as Auntie Sally and Isla are still in hospital (Isla is very small at only 4lb 8oz and having a little trouble feeding so they are keen that she gains weight before going home). I didn't think Anna minded too much but, when James was leaving on Friday night to go and visit his new niece in hospital, Anna burst into tears and said 'I want to see Isla'. I promised her that we would very soon.
MASSIVE congratulations to Ben and Sally on the birth of their adorable little girl (and a special Thank you from Anna for giving her a cousin!!!!)
Friday, 31 July 2009
Hat's Off to Anna
Last week seemed to last several years rather than the speed at which it normally goes. The reason for this was the eagerly awaited arrival of my brother's wedding. With me being me, I feared that we would all be struck down with Swine Flu or, that I would get so incredibly stressed, that my body would malfunction and I would only have myself to blame when I passed out. In fact, last week I was the biggest hypochondriac as each day saw me imagining that I had a new ailment ranging from Swine Flu on the Monday to Swine Flu, a Urinary Infection and temporary blindness on Friday which would all result in me missing my one and only brother's wedding. Not only would I let my special brother down but I would also be the one to blame for making my daughter miss her very special moment. She would never forgive me for allowing her to miss her solo performance as Bridesmaid. Apart from my own wedding, this was the second biggest day that I had ever been excited about in my life (Of course, giving birth to Anna was also extremely exciting but slightly terrifying too so, although it resulted in the best day of my life, excitement wasn't the highest emotion in the build-up to the day). Of course, none of these imaginary symptoms turned out to be the real thing and all 3 of us made it to the big day (although my sanity had been diminished dramatically and James patience had also seen a big decline!!)
(I am wearing really large heels in this photo. Unfortunately, the grass was so soft that my heels sunk and I then had to be yanked out of the ground by somebody every time that I stood still for longer than 1 second. Nobody else seemed to have the same trouble as me!!)
Huge congratulations to Steve and Carolyne. James, Lou and Anna (Chief Bridesmaid) love you very much!
We arrived in Hereford on Wednesday night, ready for the rehearsal that was to take place on Thursday. We thought it would be a good idea for Anna to attend the rehearsal as it would mean that she became familiar with the environment and possibly even the order of events. I think, in hindsight, Anna attending the rehearsal just added to stress and meant that I completely lost the plot!
Up until that point, both Carolyne (the bride and my future sister-in-law) and her parents (the hosts!) were extremely brilliant in ensuring me that, whatever Anna did and wherever she went during the ceremony, it would all be fine and great. After all, 'what is the worst that she could do?' (their words!). By the end of the rehearsal, they had a pretty good idea! For a start, Anna wouldn't stand still and ran up and down the aisle as though she was on a never-ending treadmill. Despite several attempts at getting her to stand next to Carolyne while waiting to enter the church, Anna decided that it would be best if she challenged her Auntie Carolyne to a race 'Run Carolyne, run. Chase me, chase me' as Anna hurtled towards the alter. She then decided that getting up into the pulpit would be an excellent idea. This may not have been that bad except the pulpit was a very convenient way of then climbing into the huge stone window ledge (it was an extremely old church) and using the stained glass window as her back drop as she sang 'Dancing Queen' at the top of her voice. Being slightly smaller than Anna, I was finding it quite difficult to climb onto the window frame to get her. Meanwhile, the Church warden was looking at us as though she had just swallowed a wasp. Then, it was time to practise the vows. Up until this point, Anna had shown no interest in the vicar and what she had to say. Now, all of a sudden, Anna decided that she should be listening to the thoughtful words so barged past the Father of the Groom, pushing both him and Carolyne out of the way so that she could stand next to the Vicar and congratulate her. 'Well done' said Anna while tapping the vicar's hip rather too enthusiastically! After explaining that Father of the Groom's were rather important at wedding ceremonies and that pushing them out of the way may not be a good idea, Anan decided to go and rearrange the leaflets. Anna then decided to pick up a leaflet and, pretending that it was the 3 little pigs story, Anna recited 'Not by the hair on my chinny chin chin, I won't let you in. He came down the chimney and burnt his bum. The end'. At this point, even Carolyne's poor parents were questioning the decision to have Anna as the angelic bridesmaid.
I went home with a big headache that evening. Friday saw me basically pacing the house, having visions of Anna asking all the congregation to move so that she could go body surfing along the pews (something else she did at rehearsal) or shoving Carolyne out of the way to get a better look at the vicar!
Saturday morning came and Anna's special day as Princess soon began when she walked out of the house to be greeted by Mummy's car decked in ribbons and bows (I was driving Anna to church so my dad had tied the ribbons earlier). 'Wow. Brilliant. A princess car' exclaimed Anna. I explained it was all for her to ride in and a huge beaming smile came upon her face.
At 10.45am, we arrived at Carolyne's parent's house. Anna had been here before (under the illusion that it may help to settle the excitement on the actual day). Of course, Anna hadn't forgotten so immediately asked if she could go and see the cows in the barn, the ducks in the pond, the sheep in the field and play with the dogs, all of which she did last time. Of course, time was not going allow for all that so I did one of those little Mummy lies and said today was the day when all the farm animals had an extra long lie-in. Anna just looked at me as though I had gone round the twist but thankfully went along with it! As it turned out, there was some time spare but going to see the animals was not a great idea as I knew we would then have to follow that up with a second visit when Anna insisted that we go and show her 'friends' (the cows!) her princess dress which would not have been a great idea. Therefore, Anna headed straight for the Grand piano and bashed the keys for a very long time while singing 'Money, Money, Money' at the top of her voice (Anna is insisting on listening to Abba for a vast majority of every day at the moment!!). I did check with all members of the household at frequent opportunities to check that Anna was not ruining a very expensive piano, passed down through generations and regarded as a family heirloom but they all assured me that as long as Anna was happy, it was fine. I also checked to see if anyone was suffering from headaches or perforated ear drums but they continued to smile at me and assure me all was well.
So, it was finally time to get the 'princess dress' on, complete with velvet shoes, head dress and special Rose buttonhole. I admit to crying when Anna gave me her first twirl as a fully fledged bridesmaid. We then set eyes on Carolyne where both Anna and I let out a collective 'Wow' at the same time at seeing how beautiful she looked. Along with Anna, they made a truly gorgeous pair.
So we were soon heading to the Church, which was the most nerve-wrecking drive of my life. I was imagining all sorts, such as car sickness or tearing her dress when getting her out of her car seat (Which you need a degree in to operate!). It felt longer to drive those 10 miles than it would of to drive to London and back.
As we approach the huge oak door to the church, Evan (Carolyne's brother and Usher) had been instructed to close it and only open it when the vicar announced 'Please stand for your bride'. Anna thought this was a great game so kept knocking on the door, shouting 'let me in. Huff and puff and blow the door down'. However, whilst the vicar apparently gave a tutorial to the congregation about the different types of confetti that could and couldn't be thrown, Anna got a little bored and thought Evan wasn't playing the 3 little pigs game very well. Luckily we just changed the words to being Evan, instead of Big Bad Wolf and Anna thought that it was all fine then!!
As our ears are flooded with the chimes of the organ playing 'Here Comes the Bride,' the door opens and I can contain Anna no longer as she giggles and goes racing in like a tornado and... stops very abruptly, frozen to the spot. No longer is it a church filled with only empty pews and a few people she knows. Suddenly, there is 150 people, all looking at her as the church is filled with music. Anna looks behind her to see Auntie Carolyne and Carolyne's dad smiling at her. Carolyne gently bends down and gently encourages Anna to 'show me the way to go' and Anan is serenely and so incredibly beautiful walking down the aisle, looking as though she is floating slowly and gently. Evan and I are peering around the corner of the pews as we watch Ev's sister and my daughter wowing the whole congregation and hearing the gasps of people realising how beautiful they both look. Then it was my turn to be frozen to the spot as I feel the tears well up and fall down my cheek. Ev, at this point, just smiles at me and says 'I think we can go now' and so, as the vicar begins her service, we both walk down the aisle and take our seats at the front.
The service was lovely and seemed to strike the perfect balance of humour (a reading of a funny poem which summed up Steve and Carolyne very well), sentimentality, faith and just a general feeling of a joyous and glorious occasion. All f this and the occasional shout of 'Look Goo-Goo, Iggle Piggle and Upsy Daisy are dancing (I had provided a sticker book to try and keep Anna seated for longer than 2 seconds. Thankfully it worked although the whole congregation and, in particular, my Nan had to hear all about it!). However, no one seemed to mind and just seemed to add to the whole atmosphere. It was only when signing the register that Anna decided to have another go in the pulpit so I then had to walk to the front to rescue her while Anna tried telling me that she was lost. A likely story but I did hear the whole congregation quietly giggling so Anna was forgiven! Anna then decided that she was missing some vital action so went to look at the register but, on finding that it didn't have any pictures in it, decided to return to her seat to tell Goo-Goo how much she liked her hat!
(I am wearing really large heels in this photo. Unfortunately, the grass was so soft that my heels sunk and I then had to be yanked out of the ground by somebody every time that I stood still for longer than 1 second. Nobody else seemed to have the same trouble as me!!)The rest of the day was filled by lots of drinking of Pimms (which I had never tasted before but got quite a liking too), Champagne, photograph-taking and sitting by the lake soaking up the sun. Anna also thought that the throwing of the top hats by the men in the morning suits was not just for men only so decided to take her Grandad's top hat and do some wearing and throwing of her own. I think Anna thought it was all part of the wedding day tradition where everyone got to wear silly hats and throw them! She looked very cute though!
Thankfully my speech as 'best woman' was witty enough for people to laugh at a few times (I have video evidence to prove it as I had no recollection of it several seconds after sitting down due to the relief being so immense) and despite being heckled by Anna on one or two occasions, I think it went down well. In fact, I'm not sure Anna was heckling or merely trying to help. All week, I had been practising my speech and every time she saw me with my cue cards in my hand, she would announce (in her poshest voice), 'Ladies and Gentlemen' before allowing her Mummy to continue practising!
Despite only having half an hour's sleep all day (which was amazing considering how much Anna had been up to), Anna then proceeded to dance to EVERY single song from the moment the disco started to the time where her eyes could no longer stay open (11.45pm!). Amongst all that disco dancing, there were several requests for Abba, all of which were played and LOVED by Anna. A special Thank You must also go to Adrienne (my cousin) for accompanying Anna on the dance flOor. I did offer my services on several occasions but Anna was having none of it and literally pushed me off the dancefloor so that she could dance with Adrienne and not have a boring Mummy spoiling their creative moves!!
As I said in my speech, I thank Steve and Carolyne for asking Anna to be their bridesmaid. It was the most special moment of her life so far I think and made James and me very very proud parents. Of course, Steve and Carolyne also were fantastic in every way and I felt so proud of my little brother and how wonderful the day was.
As well as Steve, Carolyne, Anna and indeed everyone looking so wonderful, as well as the beautiful setting and the gorgeous food, the fantastic company of family and friends and the hundreds of smile, as well as all of that, the sun also shone. It had been torrential rain and storms in the week leading up to the Saturday and Sunday morning saw the rain heavier than ever. However, for one day only - on teh day that my little brother got married, the sun shone all day and it was glorious in every way. That is what they call perfection!
Huge congratulations to Steve and Carolyne. James, Lou and Anna (Chief Bridesmaid) love you very much!
Tuesday, 28 July 2009
Proud Parents
Sorry about being so absent from the blog recently. Rest assured, we are all fine!!!
In fact, all 3 of us are feeling very upbeat and happy at the moment. We have just returned from my brother's wedding, which was glorious in every way!!!! It was such a happy day and every single guest had a huge smile on their face all day.
I am sure you are wondering how Anna got on with her solo performance as Bridesmaid. Well, after the rehearsal where all my nightmares came true and, despite Anna climbing into the pulpit and trying to educate the whole congregation about the merits of Upsy Daisy and Iggle Piggle, Anna was wonderful. In fact, she was the perfect bridesmaid and I will try very very hard to tell the whole story on here in the next couple of days. However, here is a little picture to be going on with.
In fact, all 3 of us are feeling very upbeat and happy at the moment. We have just returned from my brother's wedding, which was glorious in every way!!!! It was such a happy day and every single guest had a huge smile on their face all day.
I am sure you are wondering how Anna got on with her solo performance as Bridesmaid. Well, after the rehearsal where all my nightmares came true and, despite Anna climbing into the pulpit and trying to educate the whole congregation about the merits of Upsy Daisy and Iggle Piggle, Anna was wonderful. In fact, she was the perfect bridesmaid and I will try very very hard to tell the whole story on here in the next couple of days. However, here is a little picture to be going on with.
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