Preschool Birthday Party

A few weeks ago we got a birthday party invitation tucked into our tray at preschool. It was the first party invitation Bambi had ever been given. I was much more excited about it than Bambi, especially as it would be a nice way to meet all the children he goes to preschool with and, more importantly, their mums!

I RSVP'd a few days later, not wanting to seem TOO keen and then forgot all about it. We usually talk about things that are happening soon quite a lot. It seems to help him be less of a deer in headlights during a new experience and gives him lots of opportunity to reassure himself, for example by having the chance to ask if I'm definitely going to stay with him! Well this time, we were busy worrying about house contracts, so we forgot to 'prep' him until the morning of the party. He didn't seem phased by the idea at all and didn't even question whether I would go with him or not, he just assumed (rightly) that I would!

So off we went, leaving Daddy and Duck at home napping (yes, both of them). I was quite looking forward to meeting the Mum of the birthday boy, partly because she doesn't do the preschool drop-off, so we'd only ever seen the boy's Grandma, but mostly because her middle son has the same (pretty rare) name as Bambi so I knew I'd like her. Great minds think alike.

I can swim with 2!

Since we moved "home", we are a bit shorter of things to do than we were in London. Fewer friends and far fewer toddler groups has led us to the natural conclusion of going swimming A LOT. We've been at least once a week since we arrived and while the hassle of changing two wriggly children is still a hassle, it's actually getting easier!

A couple of weeks ago I would've flat out refused to take 2 under 3's swimming without a ratio of 1:1. I just didn't see how it would end in anything other than certain drowning. But one of my new friends (who I made by saying "our kids are the same ages as each other and you seem nice, can I have your number?") invited us swimming in a new exciting pool with toys. She promised there was a large very shallow bit the babies could sit and splash in. It was a 2:4 ratio which made me a little bit terrified but the splashy sitting down bit swayed me and off we went.

Bedtime stories

Bambi is a big book lover. He could (and would) recite the Gruffalo word for word if you asked him. Or even if you didn't.

Ditto Dogger, Five Minutes Peace, Each Peach Pear Plum, and a bizarre old book from my husband's childhood called Mr Gumpy's Outing in which a man has a boat and he lets farm animals get on it "so long as they don't bleat/kick/flap" and so on. Then they all misbehave and fall in the water, then they have a tea party and Mr Gumpy says goodbye. 

To the kitchen AND BEYOND!

Duck can walk! He has been pootling around quite fast with minimal assistance for a few weeks now but last week he let go for good. He can walk, stop, turn around, walk around stuff and negotiate a floor full of Lego! I think I decided his official "walk day" was when he was 10 months and 6 days. Now the world is his oyster! He can get all the way from the toy kitchen to the real kitchen, and all the way to the back door!

Welcome!

Hello!

Welcome to Bambi and Duck. To mark a new chapter in our lives, I'm starting a new blog.

A little intro,

I'm Bambi and Duck's mum. I love to talk about my boys, mark important things they have done, remember nice times we've had and record the funny things they say and do, because god knows I can barely remember their birthdays let alone the millions of times they make me smile every week.

Bambi is 2 1/2. He has just stopped napping in the day, and instead I am educating him through the Disney back catalogue. First up was Bambi, so for 2 weeks now we have had daily discussions of death, hunters and the fact that snow is cold but fun and ice is slippy. (All the important messages I think you'll agree.) So that's why he's called Bambi on here. Plus he's cute, like a deer. He loves dancing, jumping, fixing things with real tools, running, looking after his 'baby', reading books together and playing with his kitchen. He's totally adorable 70% of the time and drives me crazy the other 30%. Because he's 2. They do that.

Duck is nearly one. The poor little guy has a Christmas birthday and I fear a lifetime of "2 gifts in 1" lies ahead of him. He has just learnt to walk, at 10 months, so is currently sporting an impressive array of headwounds from falling over in spectacular style once or 20 times a day. He's chunky (gigantic) and sturdy. He likes peekaboo, knocking stuff over, bashing things, giving open mouth kisses, showing off that he can pick up a football from standing, and walking. Walking, walking, walking!

Bambi and Duck's Dad can be called Mr B&D for the purposes of this blog. He's self employed which means we CAN sometimes force him to come and play with us during the day, but also means he works lots and literally takes his work home with him. Luckily his work is beer, so it's not all bad.

We are currently living half in my parents' house and half in my in-laws' house. Both houses and families are wonderful but I'm desperate to move into our new home. An old, fairly dilapidated end terrace on a busy road with no bath. Living out of suitcases for 6 weeks was probably a good move because moving straight from our gorgeous old maisonette to the new place would've felt like a step down. Moving there from 'no fixed abode' will be a dream!