Holiday Part II

Day 2 of the holiday started with a gentle cycle around the complex and through the woods. We ended up giving up on Joshua's Lightning McQueen cycle helmet as it is too big for him still and he really didn't like having it on. But he loved being out on the bike.

After the long cycle it was time for a nap - Question:- how do you fall asleep holding your foot in this position?

After the power nap it was time to hit the pool for the first time. Firstly a gentle float down the lazy river on his floatie............

Then it was time for a bit of body boarding............

First Holiday

If you didn't already know then you probably guessed that we have been on holiday all last week and hence no blog updates. This was to be Joshua's first holiday (and our first holiday as a family) at Centre Parcs in Thetford. I may be biased but Joshua was the smartest baby on the site with all the new holiday outfits everyone bought for him.

Joshua seemed to really enjoy the holiday and was a very good boy all week. He loved the swimming pool, the park, the swings, cycling etc. He also booked himself in for a baby massage to teach Mummy and Daddy how to massage the little man! Centre Parcs cater very well for babies and we managed many activities such as baby dolphin swimming clubs and baby fun sessions etc.

The restaurants are all very good as they all have high chairs, bottle warmers, micro waves and complimentary baby food. There was a time when I went to restaurants based on the menu and what I fancied eating - this holiday it was all about what baby facilities they had! And how weird is it going out for a meal and no longer asking for a table for two (two and a bit please!).

Joshua was also fascinated by all the wildlife. He loved watching all the squirrels, rabbits, ducks, geese, moorhens, ducklings etc. Most mornings after breakfast you could find the little man in his baby walker standing at the french doors looking out at the wildlife leading down to the lake behind us.

Anyway check in all this week for pictures from the holiday. For today here is a selection from Day 1.

All loaded and ready to hit the road.

The sun was shinning so it was time to put on the holiday hat!

First on the agenda was a walk down to the beach by the lake.

Then Dad taught Joshua the fine art of arcade driving!

After the arcades it was time to hit the children's park for some gentle horse riding.

Then a few trips on Mum's lap down the slide.

No trip to Norfolk is complete without driving a tractor!

And last but not least for day 1 was a lot of quality time spent on the swings.

"Pimp My High Chair"

Well firstly in case you hadn't noticed there is a new poll to vote on - see top left of this web page. So cast your vote regarding Joshua's eye colour.

Anyway just a short update today - yesterday Joshua got a new steering wheel for his high chair. So we had a "Pimp my highchair session"................

From this.............. a nice butterfly toy, nemo balloon, tiger etc.......

To this...............lightning McQueen balloon, new steering wheel, racing car teddy and the fire truck Dad bought from Czech.

Also another first - I went in to greet Joshua at around 7am this morning and found that for the first time ever he had rolled over onto his belly in his cot (cheeky little monkey!).

Another First

Another "first" was achieved yesterday as Joshua got to experience his first taste of baby tooth paste with a brush of his new toothy pegs. As you can see from below he was not too impressed initially.

But he did seem to like the taste of the toothpaste and soon enough he was getting into it and chomping down on the brush.

It has helped a bit that we always put our electric toothbrush near his mouth when we clean our teeth so that he starts to get used to the process and the concept of teeth cleaning.

A Spring Swing

Has spring finally arrived............after finishing work today the weather was so nice that we took Joshua over the park. Since the little guy enjoys swinging in his door bouncer so much we decided to try him on the swings for the first time. As you can see from the picture below, Joshua's initial reaction was sheer horror and holding on for dear life.

A quick suck on Mum's finger to calm the nerves..............


Right this isn't so bad after all, why was I making all that fuss.........come on Dad, I need another push.

Joshua also seemed to be fascinated watching all the other children playing in the park.

The Zoo

Today Joshua was treated to his first zoo visit in Colchester with mummy, nanny, great nanny, auntie Shahinah and Mia. Forget 3 men and the baby - this was 5 females and the baby (poor Josh). Anyway whilst I was stuck at work it looks like they all had a fun day out.

Joshua, Mummy and a Rhino (hopefully you can all tell who is who?)

Joshua visiting the seal exhibit.

The horse whisperer............... whats that funny smell??? The horse, the manure or is it time for a nappy change.

Aaaargh, finally some tips on the art of power napping from a big cat with big teeth.

And if you thought that big cat above has got sharp teeth - then check out Joshua's very own pegs below (for all those who doubted he had teeth coming through at 6 months old!).

6 Months Old

Would you believe that Joshua was 6 months old yesterday - god that has gone so quickly. It seems like only yesterday I was driving home from the hospital to bring the little guy home for the first time.

The amount Joshua has changed over the 6 months is absolutely amazing. He now has two bottom front teeth, he can sit up on his own (see picture below), he eats pretty much everything you put in front of him and every moment we get to spend with him is still such a pleasure.

As you can see below Joshua's hair is now staring to get thicker and is changing colour as it grows. His eyes are still blue at the moment. Here he is tucking into half a rusk after just polishing off a bowl of vegetables for lunch.

Even after 6 months Joshua is still being showered with gifts very regularly from friends and family and for this me and Tina would like to say a big thank. All the gifts are all very well received and much appreciated. To mention just a few, Auntie Lorraine and Nanny recently got Joshua some lovely little outfits ready for his first holiday.

Another Weigh Day

Another weigh day today and the good news is that Joshua has gained another 7oz and is now a healthy 16lb 3oz. I am guessing this weight gain can be attributed to his recent healthy appetite for Dad's cooking! Today the little guy has been introduced to several new flavours, firstly some nectarine with his breakfast, then for dinner tonight a huge meal of chicken and parsnip with a side order of broccoli followed with some more nectarine for desert!!!

All this food seems to be providing loads of energy and as you can see from the video clip below Joshua absolutely loves bouncing and spinning around in his door bouncer. This door bouncer has proven to be worth its weight in gold as Josh loves being in it and the bouncing motion has helped him no end in his baby walker and his ability to support his body weight in an upright position. He uses the same leg motion from the door bouncer in his baby walker and scoots all around the kitchen crashing into everything and everyone!

Over the last two days it has also been reported by Tina that Joshua has now rolled from his back to his front 3 times (however since I have been at work I have not managed to witness this).

The Tooth Fairy

The poll seems to not be very popular - over 70 people have looked at Joshua's blog since the addition of the poll, but only 5 people have voted. Get your votes in before this poll expires............

Joshua is really starting to eat very well now and is thoroughly enjoying his solids three times a day. At the weekend I cooked him up a dish comprising of sweet corn, carrots, potato, turkey strips and formula milk all blitzed into a puree. He absolutely loved this and is devouring the whole bowl full at each sitting. We are also planning to try him on strawberry's, nectarines and chicken this week to introduce more new flavours (not all together!). Forget 5 a day, the little lad is having about 10 a day with all fresh fruit and veg he is currently eating.

To help chow down on all this solid food the little guy now has two lower front teeth which have broken through - we will soon have the fun and games of starting the teeth cleaning process. I guess I also better start practicing my "slide of hand techniques" to pull off the elusive exchange of the tooth for money under the pillow case without waking the child. Do you picture me as making a good tooth fairy????

Finally as can can see from the video clip below, Joshua is now getting very mobile and very fast in his baby walker.

I Luv My Dad

I am sure that all the readers of this blog already enjoy this site - otherwise you wouldn't sitting here reading it right now. However to make things a little more interesting I have expanded my knowledge of HTML to add two new features.

Firstly there is the poll - you may have already noticed this on the top left of the page. If you haven't already voted then please do so. Look out for new polls every couple of weeks.

Secondly have you ever wondered just how many hits Joshua gets on this website - wonder no more!!! We now have a hit counter on the website to see exactly how many visitors look at the site (and if all of Dad's efforts are worth while).

Anyway Joshua is developing just as quick, if not quicker than this website. His new tooth is getting bigger (and sharper) by the day. He seems to be eating more and more each day and getting stronger all the time. He can now pretty much sit on his own now but is a bit wobbly and falls over after a while. He cannot actually sit himself up yet, but is desperately trying. His sleeping seems to be marginally better as most nights he only wakes us around 3am once he has had his dream feed at 11. But this may also be down to the fact that I dropped the baby monitor in the washing up bowl and now it seems to be considerably quieter than before (woops!).

Learning to sit upright.

Look no hands.............

Joshua's new cap all ready for holiday.

Dad and Joshie watching the swans and ducks over the park.

Breaking News

Breaking news..............10 days before Joshua's 6 month birthday and his first tooth has popped through the gums (bottom front tooth). So put your finger in his mouth at your own peril now as its a sharp little bugger!!!!

Also below are a couple of really cute professional pictures that we had done of Joshua. I think most people have already seen these, but they are still worth putting on the blog.

Standing Tall

Hi all, check out the snaps below - this is no David Copperfield stuff, no trick wires or trick photography. At not even 6 months old Joshua can stand supporting his own weight for a few seconds whilst leaning up against my legs. He is showing little signs of crawling or rolling over - maybe he will just go straight to walking, who knows?

Snow Is Falling

Its the middle of April...............daylight saving hours are in effect...............spring is upon is...................and in good old England it snows!!!! Anyway Joshua got to experience a bit of snow for the first time. It won't be long before I am out there sledging, snow ball fighting and building snowmen with the little dude.

"Dad, how about you lay in the snow this time and I take a picture of you!!!!!"

"Dad, that snow ball is the size of my head - just what do you plan on doing with that?"

"Now I am getting worried, Dad still has hold of me, and a big snowball"

"Daaaaaddddd, whats the idea of putting the snowball on my crotch - now this is what I call a chilly willy"

"Well gee thanks Dad, so you take the snow ball off of my private bits and instead throw it at me - just because you want to say you got me with my first ever snow ball - so childish"