Bank Holiday and Other Stuff

I'm really missing my laptop and I'm not updating this as often as I should.

Joel is a little comedian at the moment.  He has real comic timing and loves to tease us with his cheeky smile!  He finds it hilarious to feed us his food and sometimes offers it and then whips it away and eats himself whilst laughing at us!

He's getting good at communicating with us.  He nods yes and no when asked a question and seems to have a good understanding of what we say.

His eating had been a little bit picky but he's got better recently.  He seems to love green French beans, quiche and corn on the cob this week!  I made roasted corn and having cut it from the cob for Joel's plate, he saw me eating it and wanted to try it that way and liked it!

His walking is brilliant now.  He has no trouble with corners or bending down to pick things up.  It's as though he waited until he could do it properly rather than have an inbetween stage!

The other good news is that work have agreed I can go part time from October.  I'll be working three days a week, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday and the Faculty Management Team have approved it too.  It just has to go to executive first for the final decision.  I can't see it being turned down though.  I can't wait.

I was ill again last week with another lurgy which means I've had too many sick days this year already and I've only been back at work for 5 months.  Hopefully being part time will be less stressful.  Joel will be going to nursery on a Wednesday and Thursday and my parents on a Tuesday.  I then will have him on a Monday and a Friday.  It's exciting to think we can plan some activities.  We had a card through the door advertising Tumbletots and Steve thinks I should take him there!  I'd like to take him to Waterbabies to learn to swim but it's expensive.  We'll have to look into it.

We've been down to Exeter for the Bank Holiday and we had a nice time.  On Saturday I had the day to myself and went to a hairdressers for a major cut, and got some shopping done for work clothes as I don't have many clothes for work in winter.  It was nice to have some me time, knowing Steve's parents were happy to be entertaining Joel!  In the evening, Steve and I went out for dinner with Steve's brother and sister-in-law.

On the Sunday we went out on their boat at Teignmouth which was fun but scary as it's a power boat thing, and you sit on the edge and bump across the sea.  How I didn't fall in I don't know.  Joel loved sitting on the beach and digging whilst watching all the kids and folk in the sea.

We also discussed Christmas plans as I'd like to be at home for Christmas day so had thought if we went down before and drove home on christmas Eve it would mean we get Christmas week in Stafford which is easier for us and we get to go to our Church.  It seems early to be thinking about it, but it's September soon!!

So Joel is 16 months old now and a proper little toddler.  He's brilliant and we love him so much!!  It's amazing to see what will happen next!  he's learning so much all the time.