New Sandals

At the first sign of warm weather this year we brought Conor to get new sandals... much to his excitement. He loved having his feet measured in the ‘special machine’. He is now size 8.5, two sizes bigger than last summer. He figured out a few weeks ago how to take the sandals off by pulling the Velcro apart. Then one morning this week he put his feet into the sandals and spent a long time carefully threading the straps through the loops, bending the straps back and pressing down on the Velcro. Finally, he proudly announced ‘Mammy, I put my sandals on myself!'

Ooops!

Tractors

Conor's first tractor

I couldn’t write a blog about Conor and not include a post on tractors! He was given his first tractor for Christmas by his grandparents when he was 1 and ¾ and he was hooked. His tractor collection now includes four Massey Fergusons, a John Deere and a wide selection of “accessories”! He is soooo happy playing with them! His favourite "Tractor Ted" DVDs (www.tractorland.co.uk) are like mini documentaries about farm life... They’ve taught me a lot!

Houdini Stop

Conor got to the stage recently where he could wriggle his arms free of his car seat straps. I saw a little gadget called a Houdini Stop advertised on television. It was invented by Bianca Richardson, a mother in New Zealand who had experienced the same problem. I ordered it from her website (www.houdinistop.com) and it arrived a week later... all the way from New Zealand!

It works really well and Conor loves it, not realising that its purpose is his safety!

Passport Photo

Getting Cormac’s first passport has been on my to-do list for some time. I knew that it would be difficult to take a photo of a baby which would meet Passport Photograph Guidelines. After taking a lot of unsuitable photos I remembered the burst mode on the camera (which takes a series of shots in rapid succession) ..... and look at the wonderful result!

All I have to do now is get around to posting the passport application!

Big Bed

Over the last few months, we had been gently suggesting to Conor the idea of moving out of his cot and into a bed. He firmly refused saying that he wanted to sleep in ‘my cot’. Then suddenly one morning he announced that he would like to have a ‘big boy’s bed’. We bought the bed that day! A few days later we brought him to Ikea (www.ikea.com/ie/en/) to buy his new sheets, mattress and duvet. He was very excited! That evening he disappeared upstairs ‘to see his new bed’! And that night he (and Teddy) happily slept in his ‘big boy’s bed’ for the first time… after lots of photos had been taken to mark the occasion!

Weaning 2

So, Cormac had his first taste of solid food this week... apple purée. It was a big event in our house! His reaction was one of confusion. As the week has gone on, he has dutifully eaten the apple but with no sign of pleasure. Maybe it’ll be an acquired taste for him!

I’ll try him with pear next week...fingers crossed!

Weaning 1

Cormac is five months old today! He is such a good baby. I’ll be starting him on solid food this week so I’ve got my old Annabel Karmel book out (www.annabelkarmel.com) and soon I’ll be busy making and freezing fruit and vegetable purées for him.

It seems like only yesterday that I did the same for Conor...and tonight he had Nasi Goreng for dinner!