North of the Border

Tomorrow we go North to bonnie Scotland. We are going to Edinburgh for 4 days. It is mainly to see Anna's Uncle John and Charlotte who now live there but it should also be a lovely break too.

Tonight, I am feeling rather nervous. The main reason is due to Anna's asthma worries. (Predictable, aren't I!). Anna has had 3 colds in the last 4 months but all of them have come and gone without any hospital visits which I consider to be a HUGE achievement. In fact, there has been no wheezing or any sign of asthma whatsoever, which might also suggest that it isn't actually asthma but just a viral wheeze when it occurs, which is also good news (that can't be diagnosed until Anna is 3 though!). However, despite all of this, I still can't help but worry that it will all come back while we are away. However, I do get comfort from the fact that Charlotte is a pediatric nurse at Edinburgh hospital (which is the only thing that persuaded me that I might be able to venture further than 10 miles from Chester hospital!)

I am also worried as we are staying in a hotel. When going to Centerparcs, it is self-catering and having children with you is almost obligatory at Centerparcs. In fact, you would be considered the weird ones if you didn't have children. This Edinburgh trip is different. We are in a hotel with other adults, which means sharing the same room to eat breakfast (Has anyone ever seen Anna eat her Weetabix in the morning? You need shields to protect yourself from flying mortar). It also means eating out at restaurants each evening! Oh dear! To be fair, Anna has always been fantastic in restaurants (except for one unfortunate occasion where she threw her food across the crowded room and headbutted a fellow diner!) but things can always change!

I remember when we last went to Edinburgh when James and I were young professionals on a 'weekend city break', carrying our overnight bags and looking like we knew what we were doing. How things change! Now, when we stroll into the hotel, I will be armed with a pack of nappies, a toy box and other paraphernalia that accompanies a toddler, including Anna herself who will probably be trying to unpack her suitcase while walking towards the lift! Thankfully, I have insisted that we book the least posh hotel that we can find which serves breakfast (Anna would refuse to leave the building f she hadn't had her breakfast first!) and is convenient for a local Boots at short notice.

Knowing Anna, she will also have things to say about men in kilts and Scottish accents.

Wish us luck as we head North and watch this space!

Anna in Wonderland

I am starting to feel like Alice did when she fell down that rabbit hole. Not only am I still trying to recover from the Mad Hatters Tea Party that was held on Sunday (OK, maybe there were no hatters but it was a birthday tea party and definitely mad!). I also feel like I have swallowed some of that magic lotion that Alice drank, all thanks to the entire stock of Early Learning Centre being given to Anna by various friends and family, all of whom are too kind for words (a massive 'thank you' to all of you).

So why do I feel that I have had some of that magic lotion? Let me explain.

Our house feels like it has shrunk and is now tiny. Monday afternoon actually saw me sit down and just stare at the pile of toys in our living room, not knowing where to start! Our living room felt like it was the smallest room in the world when I looked at all of the presents that were now filling it. At one point (due to being so overwhelmed that my tiny brain couldn't cope anymore!), I literally felt as though I was going to drown in a pile of toys as I felt so tiny compared to this huge pile of generosity.

Anna didn't help! Every time that I attempted to move some toys to her playroom, she would be going in the opposite direction carrying a pile of toys back to the living room!

Thankfully, once I had organised toys into those that were destined for the Wendy house and those that were for indoor use, I did start to think logically and actually manage to organise myself.

The party was a great success! I base my success criteria on how much Anna loved it and she really did love every second. Her smile was a permanent fixture. She was the centre of attention all day, was dressed in her favourite outfit (her Fairy dress which she insisted on, despite me buying a posh party frock!) and most importantly, she got to see lots and lots of people that she loves, all in one day and at her house! She was in paradise. To make matters even better, her Mummy even let her have some of her birthday cake that her Grandma Lynn so kindly made. Yet again, it was fantastic - a Upsy Daisy cake, which also perfectly matched the Night Garden table cloth, plates, cups, banners and balloons.

Unfortunately for me, because I had let her have one tiny piece of cake, everyone was so shocked at my lull in cake security that, apparently, all family members then kept sneaking her a piece of birthday cake when I left the room. I blame them all for Anna's obsession with cake now. For example, today I served a tasty Butternut Squash risotto for lunch and Anna said 'No... cake please'. This has happened every single lunchtime this week. She then makes me feel really guilty when I politely say 'no' and she says 'cake... yummy, nice, lovely cake'. (If Grandma Lynn ever needs someone to provide a voiceover advertising her cakes, Anna is perfect for the job!)

I am overwhelmed by every one's kindness and generosity towards Anna! She is a very lucky girl, not only to be given so many wonderful things but also so lucky to be surrounded by so many lovely people who obviously love her so much. The whole idea for her party was that it would be day where Anna could see and be around all the people that she loves and it certainly worked.

Anna adored every second and now, each morning when she wakes up, says 'Party please Mummy' before singing 'Happy Birthday to you' several times! It is a big deal when a 2 year old (only just!) is still talking about her party a whole week later than the event itself!

A huge thank you to all of you who made Anna's birthday so special. Anna sends you lots and lots of love, hugs and kisses.

Grinning Like a Cheshire Cat

James and I have been feeling rather gloomy today. This is because we had such a fantastic day yesterday that today felt very dull indeed!

I cannot begin to tell you what a wonderful day it was.

At 7.15am (just like every morning!), Anna was heard to wake up. Within 5 seconds of waking up, Anna begins to talk (and doesn't stop all day!). Normally, I would go into her room and start talking back but yesterday, she was confronted with a very mad Daddy dancing into her room singing 'Happy Birthday,' quickly joined by me!! Anna thought this was hysterically funny and started joining in as well so, for the next 10 minutes, all 3 of us sang 'Happy Birthday' over and over again (at Anna's request!).

We then opened presents!!! Jessie Cat (a cuddly toy cat that they have at baby signing class) went down very well and Anna insisted that Jessie had to sit and watch as Anna read him a story from her new books. She also loved her wooden set of toy food, complete with chopping board, tray and pretend knife. It may sound rather unexciting to you but Anna thought it was 'amazing' (her words). Again, just like last year, I was overwhelmed by kind friends and family who have been so incredibly generous and kind. It would be too many to list here but to everyone who gave Anna gift and/or card, thank you so much. You are all wonderful!

We kept the main present until last. This last gift involved going outside and if we had taken her outside before breakfast, we would never be able to get her back in to eat! (Anna adores being outside and I often have to resort to bribery to get her indoors!!).

So after opening cards and wolfing down her Weetabix (She must have known there was something else to come!!), we headed outside. Unfortunately, before we could get to the Wendy House, chaos ensued when a small kitten decided to take up residence in our house after we had opened the back door. I think Anna thought this was her final present as she chased it around the house, squealing with delight. Unbeknown to me (despite being with him for 8 and a half years!!), James isn't actually very fond of small animals in close proximity to himself, even if they are the cute variety so decided to watch from afar as I chased Anna who was chasing the kitten while the kitten chased anything and everything! I didn't mind Anna looking at the kitten but Anna shows no fear whatsoever and, never having been around small pets before, I wasn't sure what she would do. I had visions of her trying to pick him up or kiss him or swing him round by his tail like she does with John Giraffe (her cuddly toy). I finally managed to grab the kitten while he was crawling up my curtains and Anna was attempting to crawl up the curtains after him. After a stroke, I showed the kitten the back door and we lead Anna to the back of the garden.

The Wendy house has been covered in an old dust sheet for the past week so, with a grand unveiling, the dust sheet fell to the ground and Anna was presented with her new play house. Did she squeal with delight?? Were there cries of 'Wow' and 'Amazing'. No! I looked round to see Anna attempting to climb the tree after the kitten!

However, once we opened the door and the kitten decided to play with the 'Happy Birthday' bunting that we had hung up above the Wendy house, Anna could suddenly see what the fuss was about as she entered through the little door.

For the next hour, we had millions of cups of tea made for us by Anna and her tea set and the kitten even sat on the chair to join in with our make-believe tea party!

At 10.30am, we set off for Chester Zoo where we had a wonderful day. The last time we visited was the beginning of summer, with Matthew and Ulriikka and I was amazed at how different it all felt yesterday. There were no crowds or queues. In fact, for most of the day, it felt like we had the whole zoo to ourselves which was rather special.

At first, I was a little worried at Anna's reaction to the zoo. Being a very grown-up 2 years old (albeit only having turned 2 that morning!), I thought she might have been really excited at seeing all of the animals. However, when coming upon the first animal which happened to be the rather large and impressive elephants, Anna took one look at them and shouted 'next' as she strode on purposefully without giving them a second glance.

However, after we had something to eat and Anna had become used to her surroundings, things soon changed and Anna started to love it. When we went with Matthew and Ulriikka, Anna had fallen in love with the flamingos as her favourite attraction so we expected huge excitement when we approached their area. Anna took one look at them and asked to carry on walking. Obviously, Flamingos were 'so last year'!!! Anna's new favourite animals are now the Giraffes and Penguins and Anna talked to them for a very long time (while James and I stood there wondering what Anna was saying to them)!!

We were also very impressed with the way that Anna insisted on walking for the WHOLE day. Several times, we attempted to put her in the buggy, thinking that her legs must be awfully tired and she refused on every occasion. I think we must have walked at least a mile yesterday (although our legs felt as though we had walked 100 miles) and Anna was still running at the end!

So, after a long but gorgeous day, we headed home feeling tired and slightly cold but with a big smile on our faces.

Happy 2nd Birthday

Our darling daughter is 2 today.

I cannot believe how quickly time flies. I realise that I sound like a broken CD but it only seems like 5 minutes ago that this bundle of joy was placed in my arms, looking so tiny and fragile. From that second, I knew life would never be the same again but I didn't realise quite how much it would change and quite how wonderful life would be!

Even the tantrums (which are starting emerge!) and the cheeky grin that she gives when Anna knows that she is doing something wrong are moments to be cherished (although they don't feel like that at the time, especially when it is in public!). However, they are far outweighed by the lovely moments when she runs up and gives you a kiss or a cuddle for absolutely no reason except that she wanted to, or the times when Anna and I are in the car, singing at the top of our voices to Bob the Builder or Postman Pat.

Anna is developing so quickly every day and I always seem astonished when she comes out with something new. Yesterday, she waved good bye to the till operator while saying a cheery 'See you soon, over the moon'. and shouting 'Thank you' as we walked down the supermarket aisle! It also makes me immensely proud when I See Anna making everyone else smile around her, just like she makes me smile every day.

It has been the best 2 years imaginable, thanks to Anna, who is wonderful, clever, so very special and beautiful in so many different ways.

I hope you have a wonderful birthday and may this next year be filled with as much sunshine as the last year.

(Apologies for the cheesy and rather soppy post but I hope you will let me get away with it on my gorgeous daughter's 2nd birthday!)

School is Cool

On Friday, I returned to my old school (where I taught for the first 4 years of my career... it was an experience!!!). The secretary was leaving and I wanted to say goodbye, especially considering it was often her office I would hide in when I wanted to moan/gossip/seek advice or just hide for 5 minutes (not from the children but other staff!!!!).

When we arrived I explained to Anna that I used to be a teacher there and Karen, the other secretary (who isn't leaving) also shared this new information with Anna. Anna just took one look at me as though she was thinking 'Yeah right... as if you were ever a teacher'. Either that or was just not impressed with her Mummy being an ex-teacher (worried about those detentions that I could give out!).

I actually wasn't intending to stay very long. With a new headteacher and lots of new staff, I wasn't sure that I would still be remembered so I headed straight for the school canteen as this was where Jane (the secretary who is leaving) was hiding.

As Anna and I headed down the very long corridor, we could hear the very noisy children in the dining hall. I was a little apprehensive as Anna would just be presented with a massive wall of sound as we opened the double doors and 100 children looked at us. In fact, I felt a little apprehensive myself.

As I opened the doors, Anna's face lit up as a hush fell over the dining room. Anna then opened her arms wide and shouted 'Hello Friends'. She looked as though she was the queen welcoming her subjects! It can't be said that Anna isn't sociable!! While I talked with the cooks and Jane, all of the children stroked Anna and patted her. Anna loved every second.

We then headed down to the nursery to say Hello to Anne, who was the best teaching assistant that I ever had the pleasure of working with. I was curious to see how Anna would react to a room full of activities in a school setting. It possibly wasn't the best day to visit the nursery as a new child had started and made it quite clear that she didn't want to be there by screaming very very loudly, which just seemed to excite all the other children!! Anna wasn't bothered in the slightest.

The nursery had lots of different activities set up such as play dough, water play, book corner, sand, Lego, music corner, painting, computers and so on. Anna headed straight for the music corner, pressed play on the CD player and placed the headphones on her ears. She was then contented for the next 10 minutes. The fact that there were screaming children around and a hive of activity everywhere didn't faze Anna at all. She just moved on to the painting table and attempted to paint her face purple! When it was time to go, Anna thought she should protest loudly by joining in the screaming. It has given me even more hope that Anna will love pre-school.

We headed to the staffroom. Anna wasn't so keen on the staffroom so it wasn't long before we were heading back out. I was under strict instructions that I had to go back and see the cooks when it was slightly less manic so, once the children had gone back to class and while I had a brew and a gossip with the cooks and caretaker, Anna ate her lunch at the dining table. Normally Anna would refuse to eat her lunch when other people are around waiting to make a fuss of her. However, the fact that she saw all of the other bigger children eating their lunch at the dining table earlier made her think she would like to be grown-up and do the same.

Just before we left mid-afternoon, we went to say a final goodbye to Jane in the secretary office and Anna insisted on becoming school secretary so sat at the desk writing and pretending to answer the phone.

For the entire duration of the journey on the way home, Anna kept saying 'Children go school'. I think Anna thought school was cool.

Fancy Fairy

Anna attended her first ever Fancy Dress party this week.

The party was held at our music class, in aid of Children in Need (which is always my alarm bell to alert me to the fact that Anna's birthday is not far away!! As if I needed reminding!). You may remember that last year's fundraising party was a Pyjama theme where Freya's mum and I were the only adults to dress up despite the invitation stating all adults should take part in the silliness, as well as the children!)

Following on from the magic wand which Anna has not been able to put down since the Fireworks part on Saturday, it was very apt that Anna went to the party dressed as a fairy so off we plodded to the shops to find a fairy dress costume.

There were lots to choose from and some were actually very pretty with little diamonds (fake obviously... my daughter may be spoilt but NOT that spoilt!) sewn into the lace overlay and silk material. Of course, Anna didn't want the pretty little dresses. No, Anna decided that she wanted the one that looked rather over the top and a tad gaudy!!!

Despite my reservations however, she did actually look gorgeous in it and her fairy wings looked very nice too. James had suggested (for reasons that will become apparent in a minute) that I didn't actually put the fairy wings on her until we got to the party but in my enthusiasm, I forgot and, whilst preparing breakfast, Anna was getting very over-excited running around the house in full fairy dress complete with wings. She then got rather frustrated and she kept shouting 'FLY, FLY' and pulling at her wings so I had to explain that these wings were not real and she just had to pretend to be a fairy who could fly. Anna looked at me as though I was stupid and continued to run around the house and getting rather annoyed at her wonky wings (after pulling them too hard!!).

It was rather a big challenge when trying to sit Anna down for breakfast as she insisted that her fairy wings must be kept on. Fortunately, the harness was big enough that I could get round the problem. Unfortunately, the car seat proved too big a challenge and, despite Anna's insistence (shouting and losing patience) that she had to wear her fairy wings in the car, there was no way that she would have fitted in the car seat as the wings were wider than the actual seat itself. I then had to have a long discussion with Anna about the fact that fairies sometimes need a rest and travel by car so they don't have to fly and therefore she wouldn't need her wings. I'm not sure that she understood what I was saying but she got so bored with my explanation that she just gave up getting agitated at her lack of wings and cuddled her cube instead.

When arriving at the party, I clearly wasn't the only one to have trouble. Libby's mum also looked rather frazzled after struggling to get Libby in the car seat, who had a massive hoop under her dress in order to get the skirt to look floaty and princess-like. When her mum had tried to persuade Libby to take the hoop out, Libby had said 'I'm Princess Jasmine and Princess Jasmine wouldn't go to a party without her dress looking right.' (Libby is 2 and a half, going on 22 and a half!).

The party went well although we did have hysterics when the parachute emerged and then a few tears when we played 'Pass the Parcel' because Anna couldn't understand why everyone was getting to open the parcel except her (although she calmed down brilliantly when I explained, which I was really proud of). I was also really pleased when, after being offered some chocolate, Anna chose not to have it and asked for some grapes instead!! I am fully expecting that to be the first and last time that Anna ever turns treats down (once she realises what chocolate is, which she doesn't yet so we may still be winning that one for a while!).

So Fairy Anna returned home looking a little tired and, as soon as we got in, threw her wand to one side and headed for her toy teapot and a cuppa! There is only so much fairy business that you can take in one day!

Firework Flops and Fairy Frogs!

Before this weekend, I had assumed that Bonfire night was not a social event in the Gibson calender due to Anna being too young for it all. I then noticed that Chester racecourse was holding the big fireworks event, as they do every year, but that there was also a special 'Toddlers Fireworks Party' earlier in the evening (with no loud bangs). I was still not convinced that Anna would be that interested. However, our neighbourhood has become a party central with fireworks going off every evening this week. It has sounded like a war zone before you then look out of the window and see an amazing amount of beautiful colours lighting up the sky. (That is what happens when you end up living next to a road full of hotels, all having fireworks on the same night!!!!). Anna has loved it and the bangs, whooshes and whistling noises have not fazed her in the slightest (even when they have started to explode at 11pm at night!!)

Therefore, we thought that the toddlers fireworks would be a good way of introducing her to the world of Bonfire night.

The evening started well as we ate our dinner in a nice restaurant in town before strolling down the hill to the racecourse.

When entering the racecourse, we were met with a fair which had the noisiest rides going, complete with hip hop music blasting out of the high speakers. Anna, of course, loved it and asked to go on all the rides which went upside down. I don't like the idea of her going on rides that go upside down when she is 18 years old, let alone when she is 2!! We quickly steered Anna away from them and she found herself confronted with a stall selling toys made up of LED lights that flashed on and off. Of course, Anna wanted one so just grabbed the nearest one, which happened to be in the hand of a lady who had just purchased one for her little boy!

So, complete with magic wand that flashes neon pink at 100mph, (we bought her one so she didn't have to steal the little boy's!), we headed off to the fireworks arena. As soon as we found our position, the skies opened and the rain poured. Anna just thought that this was all part of the attraction and insisted on holding the gigantic umbrella that we had, which she thought was amazing!

After a delayed start, the fireworks began, in time with the accompanying music. Anna didn't pay any attention whatsoever.

Then, the Teletubbies music began (those bloody things follow me everywhere!!) and Anna's eyes lit up! She actually noticed the fireworks and started to watch and smile. We think it was probably because the speakers, which were still blasting out the Teletubbies, happened to be in the same direction as the fireworks. It had nothing to do with the firework display. This was followed by Bob the Builder (which Anna hates on the TV but loves the song) so, as the rain soaked us, Anna sang at the top of her voice.

In 5 minutes, it was over and I felt my admission fee (which was expensive) had gone up in smoke rather too quickly. 'Is that it?' I said. Anna didn't care as she was now too interested in waving her wand at her Daddy, shouting 'Abracadabra' (which she has learnt from her 'Winnie the Witch' books, which she adores) and then shouting 'frog.' We think she was trying to turn her Daddy into a frog, which cheered me up a lot!!

I don't think it was the short duration of the fireworks or even the expensive admission fee that made me more than a little disappointed. It was just the fact that it wasn't a bonfire night celebration. There was no Guy Fawkes made from straw, or even a bonfire. Being one for tradition, I like the whole historical story surrounding Bonfire night (obviously not the torture bit but the fact that we are celebrating history). I love feeling the heat from the fire on a cold night and watching children with sparklers, while I eat a Hot Dog! (James insists that you are meant to eat Toffee apples on Bonfire night but I never had that tradition... it was always hot dog for me!) I obviously realise that Anna wouldn't have understood all that at this age but I wanted her to experience a proper Bonfire night and not just a commercial event, trying to get as much profit as possible.

Now that I know that Anna is not afraid of Fireworks, I have already lined up our Bonfire Night celebrations for next year. I have heard of a village close to where James works, which has a Bonfire, including a 6ft Guy Fawkes sitting on the top, as well as a good firework display. Anna will get the true experience of Bonfire Night next year!

As for Anna, she didn't care that we hadn't seen tradition. She had her magic flashing wand and as we were walking back to the car, she was still attempting to get her wand to work by shaking it and shouting 'Abracadabra Frog' whilst waving it at her Daddy. So despite the firework disappointment, I still had a huge smile on my face!

Anna's First Haircut

On Saturday 18th October (Yes, it has taken me this long to find time to be able to sit at a computer long enough to write this blog post!), Anna had her first haircut. She was accompanied by her Daddy!

There are 3 reasons why her Daddy took Anna to the hairdressers. The first of these is that it is actually Daddy's hairdresser that we assigned the mission of cutting Anna's hair. This is because we thought the hairdresser, having 5 children herself, would have the patience to deal with a fidgety Anna and her salon also has lots of children's books, which is always a plus where Anna is concerned. The second reason was that James doesn't often get the chance to do 'firsts' (first dance class, first music class, first painting, first time with glue and glitter etc) with Anna on his own and I thought it might be nice for him. The last reason (and the main one to be honest!!) is I am a wimp and couldn't face the prospect of dealing with a very fidgety Anna on my lap while the hairdresser held scissors close to my daughters head. I had visions of bits of ear missing (not the hairdressers fault but just because Anna is so unpredictable at times!).

So, while I amused myself browsing in the shops (which I am NEVER able to do any more so it felt like complete luxury!), Anna and her Daddy trotted off to the hairdressers for a much needed haircut (it was very long at the back although still lacking down the sides!)

I am told by James that the first hairdressing experience was a complete success. At first, Anna insisted on doing the job herself and took the scissors, brush and comb from the hairdresser within 3 seconds of it going near her head and then proceeded to try and cut her own hair. However, the hairdresser was prepared for such a situation and promptly gave Anna her own child-friendly set to play with.

As soon as Anna had been given the children's set of hairdressing equipment, she was no longer interested in being a 'hairdresser' and sat beautifully while she studied her reflection in the mirror and tried to kiss her own reflection several thousand times during the haircut.

A very proud Anna, wearing a huge sticker, came and found me with a big grin on her face and James looked somewhat relieved.