2 minutes with a smiler

I've been inspired by mamarazzi and co. to try storyboards. So (with Photoshop help from Mr Turner) here is my first attempt:

Not a Wiggle in sight!

Between reading mamarazzi & co. & Becoming Sarah I am more determined to stop being lazy and to use my D200 rather than my point & shoot. Although the P&S is much easier to wield in public!

Beware - storyboards are addictive and may take over my life.

P.S.: These were taken in his pushchair! He's been in the Xplory more this week, not because I want to get rid of him - nothing could be further from the truth). It's the least sweaty option for him when we are out in Florida's sweltering heat and carrier or pushchair are the choices. Ideally we could travel in an air-conditioned bubble at all times (!) We use it as a high chair in restaurants too. I LOVE how high the Xplory is; it really is great for Isaac to be able to see everything going on around him - he's such an inquisitive little fellow. We get LOADS of positive comments about it and how good it is.

Big up Stokke.

Not for Florida

Carousel Capelet, how is should look.

So, I'm in Florida (hot hot hot) crocheting a woolly poncho type thing from the newly discovered (by me) Stitch Nation Collection 1 booklet. Am I nuts? Quite possibly. I couldn't help myself, I had my first Michael's experience and bought some lovely yarn (Debbie Stoller's Bamboo Ewe, a review of which can be found here). It's so soft and pretty, lovely sheen to it. The pattern calls for Alpaca Love (review here), but they didn't have that so I'm using a worthy replacement.

I've done my tension square using the suggested 5mm hook in the store & it's 1/2 an inch too small on all sides. BOO! Ah well, back to Michael's I go :-D

ScienceFingers™

ScienceFingers™

ScienceFingers™ 1. noun - the moment when the thumb and forefinger of the infant human male forms a pincer like position which is then used for precise selection of objects of interest. (Such objects can include: pens, toys, Mummy's eyelid, Daddy's nose, expensive technological items, dog hair, food, own toes etc.) 2. exclamation - The cry made by the parents of said infant human male when the ScienceFingers™ appear; usually accompanied by massive excitement about developmental dexterity evidenced by wide grins and wild  gesticulative pointing .

ScienceFingers™ in action!

Orlando, part II: Getting into the swing of things

At first he wasn't so sure

 

Then he got the hang of it

Now we're having a lovely time!

It only took him 2 days to get the hang of US time. He's napping more regularly than at home; we attribute that, the fact that he won't sleep in the pushchair [at all] and that he's drinking lots of water (HURRAH!) to the IMMENSE HEAT! All in all it's going rather well and he's even been in the pool with smiles - we really are on holiday!

Orlando part I: On the road [plane] again

So it's 6.11am & I've been awake for about 4 hours now. This does nothing for my adjusting to local time (5 hours behind UK time). Yes that's right folks, The Turners are on their travels again, this time to the sunny state of Florida in the big [not so] old US of A. Yes yes, we've brought Isaac to Orlando.

We got off to a typical Turner start, i.e.: the flight was delayed by 3 hours. I was quite impressed that Virgin sent us a text message to tell us early in the morning before we'd left for Gatwick, so we didn't leave unnecessarily early and Isaac got to nap a little at home before we set off. It worked out quite well as we could rush around like loons tidying up. (A. there's nothing worse than coming come to a messy house with dishes from before you went away and B. we have dog/house sitters staying & it would be grim for them to stay with our mess!) So, for the first time in a loooooong time, the house is spotless!

Anyhoo, we woke Isaac from his nap & got on the road. We made incredible time. Isaac slept for a good 2 hours en route and only really got upset in the last half hour. He way hungry for booby so I fed him while we waited for the guy to pick up the car. It all worked out rather well really. Although, Isaac is a pretty nosey little chap and kept upside-down gawking at all passers-by, thus exposing my nips...as is his wont these days *sigh* There's no dignity in this mothering lark.

Anyway, check in & pre-flight business all good. Isaac busy watching everything going on around us. We boarded the plane & it was only then (about 4pm) that he started to get a bit grumpy. Bearing in mind he'd totally missed his second nap I thought he did extremely well.

Pre-grump (very cute) crazy fit

Once in the air, the lovely stewardess brought his sky cot. He had about 2 inches to spare in that thing. It's a lovely idea, but the material from which it's made (non-breathable), plus the fact he sleeps best in his fleecy blanket meant he was sweating his little tits off while he slept! (even if he does look angelic, I'm his mother I'm allowed to gloat)

I was worried that the strap things would get in his way; he likes to roll over and fling his arms about while he sleeps. All I had to do was gently unhook his arms & put them back under the strap & he was fine. I was also worried they'd irritate his face & he'd wake up, but apparently not!

 Just goes to show that when they're tired enough, babies really do sleep anywhere! He even slept in my arms when the captain put the seatbelt sign on (for the third time, due to some very lame excuses for turbulence) - something he has done only once before...on a coach...in Spain (ugh).

So yes, back to the current travelling. He woke up just before landing which was about time for his middle-of-the-night booby feed. Timed pretty perfectly to coincide with the worst of the ear popping too so that was great! Changed his nappy while people disembarked to avoid faffing in the terminal building. Was expecting him to be massively grumpy, but was an angel all the way through customs - even cracking out his beautiful smile a few times.

We met up with Mum & Peter & got our bags (again) & then spent a good 20 minutes fighting with the stupid car seat. I'm still not happy with the safety of it. I moves very easily & is only held in place by one bit of strap at the foot end of the rear-facing bit. RHUBARB!

The new carrier - Ergo in Galaxy Grey

We're using the Stokke as a high chair in the apartment which is working well so far and will most likely be taking it to parks with us. (As an aside: SUCH a good job we didn't take it to Spain, the bag for it is HUGE! and it really would've been more of a chore to lug around, especially considering the homeward bound trauma). We also used the carrier instead of the sling for the whole time yesterday. It really is great. We brought the sling in case of emergencies, but he really is a bit long for it now & I can't tie it comfortably now he's bigger. I know you can use it until they're quite big, but it doesn't feel right anymore, so we've officially switched to the carrier.

So now the rest of the family sleeps and I sit here typing away watching the sun come up & wonder what Isaac will make of America now that he isn't in utero [as he was last time we were here]. It's still very weird for me  to think of him as the same Wiggler that made my belly dance while lying on various hotel beds up & down the Eastern Seaboard!

Right, enough waffle. I may have a wee sleepy of my own :-D

Isaac's favourite toy

With dried mung beans in it, of course. It makes some fab noises! I tell ya, these home made toys are priceless :-D

Viva bath time!

Now he's more upright more of the time, I decided Isaac needed a bath seat rather than a bath support. The bath support was lovely, but we're just too growed up for that these days :mrgreen:

I set to, diligently researching all upright bath seats available for babies, only to be thwarted by one obstacle. There is only one bath seat in the known universe. I kid you not. Actually maybe a little, there are 2 others apart from Safety 1st. One by Tigex and this other one are also available. But seriously - three bath seats? In the known universe.

Aussie

Brit

We opted for the Safety 1st one, although with hindsight maybe the Tigex one would've been better; the toy thing on the Safety 1st one gets in Isaac's way and he doesn't really play with it, although he'll grow and it won't be a problem for long. Having perused the web for links for this post I've discovered that the Australian version of the Safety 1st seat is so much better than the UK version - WTF? Why must the babies of the UK suffer clunkiness whilst Aussie babies enjoy a sleek and streamlined bath experience? Something's not right here...Isaac likes it though :-)

Which brings me onto topic numero deux: the baby dam. Where has this thing been all my life?? It's GREAT! I didn't think so at first when it leaked and I swore at it and threw it out of the bathroom. Simon fitted it properly last night & tonight I did it all on my own! Hurrah! It's a nifty little device that means you only have to fill half of the bath with water, thus saving time, water and money (as we are now on a meter). GREAT STUFF! Here is Isaac enjoying both items.

The dam does leak a little, but it's nothing to be worried about.

Hurrah for the baby dam and viva bath time!

Crochet, reborn

My GAHD it's been an age since I posted anything. I've been sooooooooooo busy with my Little Man that I'm pooped at the end of the day and haven't really been very creative of late. BUT. The great news is that my Art of Crochet, number 1  (and 6) arrived today! Words cannot express how happy I was to see it, I was starting to lose faith. Bear in mind I already had 2, 3, 4 and 5, but not 1. I'm a bit of a stickler for doing things properly so I've been waiting until now to start my throw. Hopefully this will ease me back into craftiness gently and rekindle my oomph, which is decidedly lacking right now.

I know that I probably know a lot of the stuff already, but one thing I have learned thus far is that American and British stitches are TOTALLY DIFFERENT! Well, maybe that's gross exaggeration on my part, but at least a few stitches are different. For example US slip stitch = UK single crochet, US single crochet = UK double crochet, US double crochet = UK treble crochet, US treble crochet = UK double treble crochet. WTF?? I mean, come on. I learned to crochet using The Happy Hooker and it doesn't mention that there is a difference between the two. WHY IS THERE A DIFFERENCE? Seriously? What's the point? I have to say though, US terminology makes more sense to me and seems to be more logically labelled.

So anyhoo, while patiently waiting for issue 1 to arrive , I started to make the rustic shopping bag. Would've been nice to know of the difference in stitch names. It'll teach me to think I know everything and not read the instructions! R.T.F.I.!! The bag's on a back burner now (and will not become a UFO) while I get up to speed with squares, although who knows when the next one will arrive?? Hachette aren't exactly as punctual with delivery as they are with taking payment.

Aside from that, my list of crafty to-do grows ever longer. I shall be glad when the kitchen is finished and I want to be in there behind my lovely new sewing machine again! It must think I don't like it :-(