Ode to Nanna B

Well, Nanna B left us this morning after 6 months in the UK so it seemed appropriate to create a tribute post to little Alexander's super nanna.

It's been such a pleasure having Carol here (yes she has a name other than nanna) she's been a huge help around the house and with Alex but more than anything else it's been wonderful to have someone who manages to love and adore our little man as much as we do - totally unconditionally. Personally I couldn't ask for a better mother-in-law type person.

So here's a little photographic tribute to Nanna B.

Sleeping around

When Alex was one or two month's old I would often look enviously at the other mum's in my mothers group as their babies would always fall asleep on their mums' lap or tummy. Alex never really did that, he might nap on mum or dad for a few minutes but he usually woke up soon after. It's not that he was a bad sleeper, far from it, he slept in his baby bouncer; his hammock; our bed; the middle of the floor and under his rain forest play gym with music blaring... just not on mum or dad :-(.

For the other mums the opposite was often true, their babies would only fall asleep if they were firmly attached their mum or dad. I know it is a blessing really to have a baby that doesn't need me to get to sleep but I was still jealous of how cute the others looked curled up contentedly in their mum's arms.

Well in the past few weeks things have changed, he still falls asleep in those other places it's just sometimes he needs a little help from dad, or mum or Nanna B to finally drop off.

And quite frankly... we love it!

Weekend break with the girls

Young master Butler spent last weekend away in the Cotswolds with three young ladies - OK one of the ladies was his mum and the other two were his mum's friends' Sandra and Amy so not quite a playboy weekend.

He got a good dose of English countryside with thatched cottages, rainy walks, the odd dose of sunshine and an English pub with an open fire - and yes it's August so 'technically speaking' summer.

Alex loves Sophie

It's ok, we haven't found a girlfriend for Alex before he's even discovered what girl germs are. Sophie is a giraffe teething toy and they have been getting to know eachother for the past couple of weeks.

Initially it was a tentative affair, some awkward squeeking from Sophie some determined staring and concerned glances from Alex. This was followed by hand holding, well grasping of Sophie's neck and feet and some gentle squeezing of her tummy.

As you can see from the photos things have progressed and they are sleeping together now. And yesterday I discovered Alex with most of Sophie's head in his mouth! I guess it must be love...

Putting those big feet to good use

Alex and his NCT baby buddies have been taking baby swimming lessons for about 5 weeks now and while the little man with the big feet isn't challenging for the 100m backstroke record just yet he is getting more confident in the water with every lesson.

So far we've learned how to swim to the edge, hold on to the side, splash about, jump in from the edge, float on our backs (the babies not the mums) and sing lots of watery songs. We've even had a few dunks under the water which was much more terrifying for us mums than the babies. Alex has now started kicking under the water which must be a good sign, but his favourite activity seems to be splashing mum in the face.

Hammock Love

I have had a bit of an obsession with things than bounce and sway since I was a child, I've never been a fan of roller-coasters but those swingy chair rides that fly in the air were my favourite. Well having a bubby has just served to increase my obsession with baby bouncers of every shape and size, his gorgeous baby hammock bed and more I'm probably still to discover.

I've always been a fan of hammocks but when we visited some friends a few weeks ago and saw their lounge room with this amazing set-up I had to take lots of photos in the hope of one day re-creating it.



Keep in mind this is a central London apartment on a fairly busy road but the room was made so peaceful by the hammock and as you can see from the pictures Alex shares my love of all things bright and hammocky (is that a word?). I did suggest that Alex, Haydn and I could move into their lounge for a few months but with a baby of their own due at the end of the year they were less inclined to my suggestion. So I'm left to the photos and the dreams of finding a house with a bay window and a hammock of my own... I mean 'our' own of course :-)

Hindi Bubba

After spending time in Miami with the Indian/Guyanese side of the family we were all inspired when we came back to London to explore all things Indian. Mum, Alex and I took a trip to Southall. According to Wikipedia 'Southall has one of the largest concentrations of South Asian people outside of the Indian sub-continent'. Sounds like a good place to go.

We thought our little blue eyed, fair skinned bubba should get in touch with his Indian roots which meant a forehead tikka so no one could give him the 'evil eye'. I'm still not 100% sure what the evil eye is but sounds like something to be avoided.

The trip to Southall was a success, we came back with loads of Indian sweets, ice cream and a lovely bracelet for Alex from Amma.

Despite the complexion Alex could pass for a good Indian boy, don't you think?