Aengus & Captain Biggles Bear

Now Aengus has a high-flying job in technical support (see below) he has been in discussions with Captain Biggles Bear about the joys of flying.

Cpt Biggles has come to live with us after he was found in the babyseat of Grandads new car!!

Call Aengus for Technical Support!



Aengus got ahold of the laptop this week and has setup his own baby technical support desk - here's some pictures of him in action!





Ahh ... a new call coming in ... "how may I help you today? Dribble dribble gurgle"?






"Yes I can help you with that - just hit one of the plastic square things and drool into the keyboard. Now restart your PC whilst throwing it out of the window and all your problems will be solved."






Ahh - so satisfying .... a job well done!

Hard Work!

Aengus has been putting some extreme efforts into crawling - he's not there quite yet but as he is getting really close to being 'off' I thought it only right to show some pictures of him doing his hard work!

Typical Male Shopping!

Aengus and I went to find a new sofa - as you can see he wasn't particularly interested in hunting around and just chose this one!

As it happened, we liked it too so that's the one we've ordered!

Caught out!

Is Aengus hiding something behind one of his beloved cloth books? Looks like I've caught him out, especially as he is reading it upside down!

First Food!

Had to just add this pic quickly - I took it on my phone camera and have only just got around uploading the pics from it.

Aengus's first experience with solid(ish) food - he loves it now but when he first started he didn't really know what to do with it!

Oh dear, 1st May and more blogger neglect! As you can probably tell from my extended lapse in blogging - we've been very busy!


Aengus is now 21 weeks young and still a little superstar despite teething and throwing himself around!


He's been into his proper cot for a couple of months now and actually seems to like it in there, if you can find him amongst all the toys. He is particularly partial to cloth books with crinkling bits and usually ends up asleep with them on his head - bit like me really! He is very strong and loves anything he can pull into his mouth for a good gummy chew.



He also now rolls over and is very determined about the crawling business - he puts in a lot of effort everyday into getting on the move and can usually be found grunting at the floor like a soldier crawling under a camo net on his elbows. He also loves the door bouncer his cousin Dolly has lent him but we are limiting time in that because he just goes bouncing mad and is going to end up doing himself an injury.



Talking about injuries, his right arm seems almost bionic and Paul and I (and even Harry on one occasion) have both been bodily assulted by the long and strong arm of the baby whilst he tries to get it under control.



So why so busy? Well I have finally come around to the fact that I am not going to zip off and get a full time contract or job - bringing up Aengus is what I want to do. It was very hard turning down interviews - especially one which was for a super web managers job but I had made the decision and so it had to be. I have also found renewed enthusiasm for the business and the two seem to go together pretty well - even if it means we have less dosh and I am having to run to a routine (what me, routine? Yes me!). The fact that Paul is now working fulltime also takes the pressure off and it's all coming together.



On top of that, we have taken on the mad plan of 'doing' our garden ourselves - as someone once said - the only problem with doing it yourself is that sometimes it does it back! Well what a job it has turned out to be - a rather bigger project than either of us had anticipated! I'm not going to bore you with all the details here but I have been blogging the progress at the garden chaos blog which you can see by clicking on the link on the right of this page, if you are interested!



I have booked Aengus and myself on a swimming course starting in June which I am really looking forward to and we go every week to a mother and baby group and baby massage class. There are so many small children in our road and local area - all around Aengus's age or on the way so there's a bit of a Mummy gang and lots of friends for the kids.



So I had better get on with some work before I am required by his babyship for mid morning playing and feeding. Here's some latest Aengus pics in no particular order!

Aengus is 3 months and 3 days old! That means that, yet again, I haven't updated the blog for a month (I see a trend forming here - alert the media!) - bad bad Mummy.



But hey, maybe not so bad mummy as I have been very busy - only today I completely butchered the front garden with a master plan of greatness which is only currently being held back by 1) muscle fatigue in places where I am sure you are not supposed to have muscles - fat fatigue maybe? 2) the stench of the neighbouring cats wee - I am not a cat person at the best of times and 3) the total disappearing act of the bloke in a village near Northampton who was going to sell me two old millstones from his 18th century converted windmill as a garden feature (Windmill House - get it?). Yes well, he probably cottoned on to what they were actually worth - more than I was going to pay him obviously!



Well this is The Sprog Blog - so more about Aengus ....



He's just topped 14lbs - that's the same as the heaviest bowling balls that only giants can get their fingers in down at your local AMP Bowling joint. Mind you - he was 2 pounds heavier than the smallest bowling balls (they're 6Lbs - he was 8Lbs) when he was born. I am sure I said I felt like I was carrying a bowling ball around when I was pregnant - midwives takes note - could be a training aid!



Now I know I am biased here ... but he really is a superstar of a baby! He sleeps - well - like a baby, he only really cries when he wants his food, whinges when his nappy needs a change and is otherwise very jolly and funny and sweet. He watches EVERYTHING and is very nosey - so we know we've got the hassle coming when he can get about - he's going to be into it all.



I've been thinking about this and I'm going to say something about - PARENTS! Many of you reading this will have heard me waffling on about my parents - the encouragement and guidance they gave us (Clare and I) and the freedom to make our own mistakes (and still do) etc. etc., about how my Dad said to me 'I don't mind what you and your sister choose to do workwise so long as you don't become a computer engineer or an artist'. Oh dear - murphys law!!! Anyway, what I want to say is .... I never, ever expected it all to kick in again for their grandson ... but there they are, loving him, doing anything for him, putting themselves out and just being wonderful. I hope we can do the same for Aengus. Hopefully in 20 years time he will feel the same. To all parents out there - don't think your kids won't notice - they will!



That's it - better go to bed - here's some pics!

The Star of the Blog -



With Daddy, re-fueling whilst watching the motorbike racing


Aengus with Mummy's Friend Nicky


Nighty night! xxxx

A Lovely Day Out!


Aengus and I had a lovely day out when we went to visit his Nanna & Grandad at their pad in Brighton. My Sister Clare and her daughter Dolly came too and we all went out and about. We all then went back to the usually tidy flat and messed it up with all our baby stuff!


Here's the photo evidence!

Cripes! Aengus is 2 months old already and I haven't updated this blog since Christmas - naughty Mummy!


Of course there's been rather a lot to do instead of blogging, but we're pretty settled into having our little bundle of joy around now. Aengus is so well behaved and really not much trouble at all, perhaps we have it all to come yet!


We've been catching up with family and friends and even had Helen visit all the way from Australia whilst she was over here at Christmas. Still plenty of you to catch up with though and it's been a great a excuse to get in touch with folks we have lost touch with recently.


Anyway, my office is a mess and as Paul is on Aengus duty this afternoon (in other words watching the Rugby), I am supposed to be up here having a clearing up session (could take all week)!

So, here are some of the latest pics and we hope to hear from you soon. By the way, for those of you who tried to leave blog comments and couldn't they should have been added now, I had to update the blogger software :-)

Ahhhh ... Christmas Morning and all is well.

Aengus slept through from midnight to 6:30am for the 2nd night in a row - I love my baby more and more every day!

So whilst he is having a cuddle with his Daddy, I'm here having a sort through the hundreds of photos we have accumulated over the past 12 days.

Here's a small selection of some of the best ones.

Is 8:30am too early for champagne I wonder? :-)

Merry Christmas!

Announcing the arrival of .......

Our Baby Boy ....

Aengus Graham James Strand

Born 10:48am on 13th December 2006

Weighing in at 8Lbs

Parents and Baby doing fine,

More photos and info over the next few days!

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!

39 Weeks and Counting!

Humph - this blogger system seems to have lost an entire entry for some reason. Oh well .... I'm still here, still preggers and moving around the place like a battleship. Oh I am so fed up with being uncomfortable! So much for me convincing myself the baby would be a week early - no such luck.

It was so windy here last night - I was up at 4am watching our wheelie bin being blown around the close - yes this is what my life has come to! When I finally got up again later this morning it was in the middle of the road lying on its back, looking very much like it had been on a wild night out and passed out in the road - just as well our street is very quiet and no one had driven into it!

Not much else to report really, I just bumble about and get done what I can, business is of course busy now and we are staying ontop of things at the moment - but if it all has to go to hell sometime next week - so be it, we'll get it all out and sorted in the end.

I guess it's time to get the Christmas decs out, put the tree up at least - not sure I can be bothered with the rest - all seems a bit insignificant at the moment and still a long time away, even though it isn't.

Well, more news as it happens, well after it has happened really, but hopefully very soon anyway!

Wish me luck!

NOT LONG TO GO NOW!!!

And boy, am I grateful for that! The last week or so has been a big change from the preceeding months - everything is such bloomin' hard work now. I have completely given up picking up anything I drop on the floor (which is loads of stuff as I have reached new heights of clumsiness), I have forgotten what lying comfortably in bed for longer than 20mins feels like and how easy it used to be to do simple things like turn over in bed or get out of the bath!

The baby has moved down some more and now feels like it is doing that spinning on the head breakdancing in there! It is certainly pretty lively. According to my latest check-up I'm in fine fettle, which I just don't buy - if that's the case why do I feel like I've been in a car crash every morning or that someones been trying to smash my pelvis and pull my legs off in the night? Doesn't seem right to me :-)

Had a bit of a crappy week last week when I had an horrendous headache for 3 days that just wouldn't go and was running me ragged - ended up in the hossie being checked over for this and that. In the end I had a bit of an emotional episode in the middle of the maternity ward - well if you can't have one there - where can you! Anyway, that got their attention, and got me the painkillers I had been waiting 3 hours for. Turns out I had a sinus/ear infection so they gave me some antibiotics and allowed me to go home. All seems to have cleared up now, thankfully.

We then went back to the hosiptal last weekend to be shown around the delivery suite and I have to say it wasn't what I expected at all and we were very impressed. All the delivery rooms are really roomy, have adjustable lighting, TV and lots of fun stuff like birthing balls and bean bags to help through labour and nice big baths along with the dreaded bed but even that looked kind of squidgy and soft and had loads of controls for moving you up and down and about (could do with one of those now actually). The birthing pool room is just amazing - a huge, deep, shell shaped tub complete with relaxing spa music, soft lighting and dolphins painted on the walls. Then there's loads of fluffy towels and a big double-size floor-level bed to flop onto - the whole thing blew me away! I was expecting beds with big metal contraption sticking out the end and loads of screaming and shouting - none of it - it was really calm (makes you wonder where they put all the screaming women!!!)

So, the bag is packed, the cot and crib are ready, as is a whole heap of baby stuff I've been hoarding for months. Paul pumped the wheels up on the buggy/pram today (bless - he'll have it in the garage for a polish soon if I don't keep an eye on him)! So now we just wait and I moan alot - but at least I've got I'm a celebrity get me out of here to watch, and even I don't moan as much as Jan Leeming!! :-)

As you can tell my promise to upload pictures and update this more often was an utter lie - no update for all of October!

Turns out this new place is a time warp and October just flew by without me noticing. Truth is we've been pretty busy getting the business ready for Christmas, which has kicked in already and of course getting ready for the new arrival. The baby side of getting ready has involved building and putting together all manner of items which neither of us have a clue how to work. For example, we haven't actually managed to figure out how the buggy/carrycot/car seat baby transport system folds down yet but are chuffed with having put the thing together and figured out where the brakes are! Next challenge is the baby seat base for the car which both of us are putting off and pretending it's not really lurking in the corner of the kitchen awaiting installation.

So, I'm going to write up some more news later today (that is my intention, I promise)! In the meantime, here is a rather fuzzy picture of me and the ever-growing bump as previously promised and requested by those too far away (like Australia) to see it in person! Unfortunately Harry the dog was very determined to be in the pic with me and has made my legs look even shorter than they really are - I haven't shrunk in the process! The reason picture is fuzzy is that Paul was testing out his new phone which he is only very slightly happy and impressed with!

Well we made it! We've been in the new house for just over 3 weeks and are NEARLY box free! It was all a bit of a marathon and we ended up not only paying the removal people extra to finish off our packing but we also had to do two 7.5 tonne truck runs from St Albans to Angmering to move the office, the garden pots and of course the hot tub. We are now totally indebted to my Dad for nearly finishing himself off helping us! We also had fantastic help from John and Monkey and Roopy, who came back for a second day of punishment - oh to be young! But a big thank you to everyone who helped - it was a mad few days.

So, things are still pretty disorganised here but we are getting there and the business is all fully operational from its new HQ! The local post office is pleased to have something to do handling all our deliveries and everyone we have met around and about seems very welcoming and friendly, we even had 'new home' cards from our neighbours which was really nice. Unfortunately we haven't had time to actually chat to them beyond waving across the street and yelling 'hello' yet, but I am sure we will.

I am all up and running with the local medical centre which is brilliant, way beyond the service you would expect in a small village - the medical centre has only just opened and it's all technology and shiny sinks abound. They even have in house blood testing so no more trekking off to the hozzie for blood tests etc. New midwife is lovely and I have bumped into her at the local shops, it's that kind of place, all very chatty.

Baby is now growing at such a rate that anyone would think I am eating fertilizer - as I waddle into the 3rd trimester the tiredness strikes again and I'm back to conking out unexpectedly. Thank heavens we did the move before it all went downhill again and I still had some energy left! Have to book my ante-natal classes just as soon as I remember about them and have a phone next to me.

Will try and post up a pic of the amazing bump in due course, will have to find a wide angled lens to cope with it I think.

Paul has been working with his friend Harley this week, who has been staying with us along with his doggy. Luckily there hasn't been any fur flying and Harry hasn't minded sharing for a change. Strangely a chap who owns a restaurant in St Albans has bought another in Worthing and asked Harley to renovate it for him, so how handy is that - a few weeks work for Paul and Harley has somewhere local and comfy to stay over here - nice one!

So, we are really quite settled in considering how long we have been here, still loads to do but there's plenty of time. We are getting to know the local area and are so sure we have done the right thing - everything seems good and there's very little to find fault with - even the trains into London are reliable, clean and not much more than they were from St Albans.

Will sort some pics and post updates a bit more regularly from now on!

AGRHHHHHHHH THE BOXES, THE BOXES!

Tomorrow is the 1st big day of the year - the move is ON!

The house is a mess ... it's 10:30pm and we still have loads to pack!!!

Oh grief ... will it EVER END???????

Hanging out with The Hells Angels .....

My one and only festival trip this year ... to the Bulldog Bash last weekend. OK, maybe not the best place for someone in my condition to hang out, but I was determined to get to one event this year, especially as it will be the last chance for quite some time!

I have to give the HA much credit for their care of a pregnant woman turning up to their mad weekend - they were very nice, even when I tried to take my car through the motorbike entrance and they allowed me to park right inside the event area at no charge. This turned out to be an absolute bonus as I could keep creeping back to the car for a comfy kip whenever I felt like it (and at 4:30 in the morning when the airbed in the tent had deflated!).

Had a fun weekend, although things seem different now somehow, perhaps it was the lack of alcohol in my system? Got some cool and groovy things in the on-site market at great prices and met some nice people selling there. I think they get rather stuck on their stalls and are happy to chat to any mad person who wants to pass the time of day!

As it was the Bulldog Bash 20th anniversary they had fireworks over the drag strip Saturday night which had to be the best we have ever seen. Just as you were thinking - wow that's something - this must be the finale, they just kept coming and coming and coming - absolutely fantastic. Paul recorded some of it on his mobile - apparently to save and show the baby later what all the noise was about!

My bike has now gone to its new home but it went to a good one so I am not too sad, was a bit upset when it actually went though. Other than that we are MOVING NEXT FRIDAY - YIKES! We have also accepted an offer on the current house, so that should hopefully get that situation sorted pretty quickly as the buyers are desperate to move. We had to haggle over price which has resulted in us deciding to take the hot tub spa with us, just hoping moving it won't be more trouble than it is worth!

Oh there is soooo much to do and at the moment I am wondering how we are ever going to get everything ready to go, at the moment we are living in cardboard box city and in my state of heightened clumsiness I am falling over them all the time. Paul finishes up at work tomorrow so at least he has a clear week to get it all done, whilst I am currently burying myself under boxes in the office. Which is what I should be getting on with right now .......

Just wanted to add a note about FREECYCLE (i'm on a roll this morning!)

As we have been clearing out the house, I have been redistributing stuff locally via freecycle. My eco-friendly friend karen told me about it ages ago and I have passed it on to a few people but here's a good chance to tell you about it.

Basically anything you don't want any more, you can freecycle - you give it away for free but 1) is goes to a good home and 2) you can also get other stuff offered for free. People usually come and collect so it's pretty hassle free and a great way of clearing out stuff without it going into landfill - everyone is happy!

Just visit http://www.freecycle.org/ and find the nearest freecycle community to you, most cities and towns have one and it is run via yahoo groups.

Just spoke to the solicitor and looks like all is OK with the new house so feel it is safe enough to show you a picture of 'Windmill House'! Can't wait - all that space - yipeeeee!