In anticipation of Squidge starting weaning, I decided that today she should join me and Fidget at the table for lunch, to get her used to the chair and implements... she liked the spoon, but I think that has alot to do with it being very chomp-able on her sore teeth-y gums...

after lunch we all went upstairs, I put Squidge down in her cot for a nap (only about 30mins in the end but better than nothing - we persevere) and Fidget and I went into her room to photograph the new curtains which I hung yesterday. It was a lovely sunny day to show them off...

Fidget says she likes them and that she has been looking at them, so that's all good.

Check out Wilhelmina Knitwear! http://www.wilhelminaknitwear.com/index.htm (link on right hand menu too). She has relaunched her site, Fidget is still the face of Wilhelmina Knitwear, but now she specialises in Christening gowns and has named one after Fidget.


I do wish her all the best as the gown and cape she made for Fidget were beautiful and I can't wait until it is Squidges turn to wear them in April.

Things seem to be on a reasonably good track at the moment at the Challis Palace, Fidget is doing really well and is a joy to be around, Squidge is coming on great and is sleeping and settling well, still up once each night to feed her but not too much trouble settling her. Though having said that I am not the one who has been doing the settling when it is needed, we have the cot right next to the bed, so M switches to my side and holds her finger and shushes her (generally falling asleep like that), I head off to the spare room as I don't have M's "sleep on a washing line" super hero powers. M said that the way he looked at it the girls are only little for a short time and he wont be able to hold their hand to get them to sleep for ever so it really was a privilege. Well fortunately there are still plenty of privileges for him to enjoy!







On Friday we had a good morning playing in the house, Squidge is really starting to twist round to see or reach things of interest, not sure she'll be rolling over imminently but who knows.

Fidget had a good rummage through the dressing up bag and found the cowgirl shirt and new hat I found at the charity shop...

she then decided that the Fire Chief hat looked safer for horse riding...

That afternoon we went out to a super soft play place for under 5s with the mummies, Fidget had a great time, I'm sure we'll be back soon.

Productive weekend, the curtains are almost complete, got the hemming finished and the header tape tacked on (if I hadn't run out of thread last night they would be done now - but soon, soon!).


Monday we ventured out to get new shoes for Fidget. I also tried to get Squidge to nap after lunch to no success, so the afternoon was tiring as Squidge was tired and grumpy, so we were all pleased to see Daddy arrive home early.

Tuesday morning me and Fidget made a cake for mummy's afternoon as I really couldn't face heading out in the cold to the shops. It was a cherry cake with icing and white chocolate blobs - yum. Then shock of shocks Squidge napped! Up in her cot for an hour and half! It was really nice to spend time with Fidget on her own, we read books, had cuddles, made a card and decorated the cake... Then it was mummy's afternoon here, the girls played nicely together, Fidget and Anna even sharing a chair peacefully for a while...

I realised I hadn't taken Squidge's 20 week pictures, it was getting dark so they are a bit grainy, but here she is...

Fidget at 20 weeks...

Sunday night Squidge still wasn't settling so we took a different tack - sitting with her and calming her but not picking her up. Now she wasn't getting her recharge of sleep in our arms she gave in more readily to sleep. It has seemed to have a positive impact generally as she is now settling quite easily after the night feed. We wait to see what happens next but for now we are feeling positive!



Been getting back to my sewing marathon now our evenings are less disturbed. I have over 6m of hemming to do on Fidget's curtains that I am doing by hand. In an evening I may manage 30-50cm! The end is now in sight, one more night without anything too distracting on telly and we could be there!
Squidge was 19 weeks old yesterday...

Fidget at 19 weeks...

them both now...

Had a really super day with Fidget yesterday, Squidge fell asleep for a nap in her cot so we did some activity books together, eating snacks up at the big table. We also had chance to read together in the afternoon. She is a really lovely little girl, she is very thoughtful and kind, and while still at times being a typical 2 year old she regularly surprises and delights me with how lovely she can be. On Monday she had had an accident in her pants, that was really from her messing about and not wanting to go to the loo. I cleaned her up, but hadn't put any trousers back on her as there were a million other things to do. She was getting very upset about this and was wailing and whining under my feet as I tried to sort out laundry, dishes and lunch for us. Squidge then set off crying and Fidget went over to her, calmed herself down and then was trying to calm Squidge down! I was so impressed I went straight over to give her a big cuddle and kiss and of course the clean pants she was after. Thank you Fidget x x x

Squidge was 18 weeks old last Tuesday...

She is a very sociable little character, never happier then when seeing lots of people. I walk up to the high street with her in the baby bjorn facing outwards and almost everyone coming towards me smiles and many say "what a lovely smile!", they are not talking about me but Squidge who just beams away at everyone!

Fidget at 18 weeks...

Them both now...

The week after returning from our holiday was a fairly difficult one as Squidge was really not settling to sleep, she just wouldn't sleep on her own. If you could get her down into her cot asleep she would cry as soon as she stirred, so I was ending up sleeping next to her on the bed while M slept in the spare room. So we intended to have a quiet stay at home weekend, but on Friday we got some great news, Aunty M had given birth to the twins and they were all safe and well. Little C and J are still in hospital but we went over to see Aunty M who was back home already and told us her very impressive birth story. Fidget can't wait to meet her cousins and neither can we.

Last week was Squidge's first holiday, we were due to set off on Monday with Granny and Grandpa to stay at St Brides castle in Penbrokeshire for a week. On the Friday before Fidget was very excited about the idea of a holiday, cottages, swimming and the beach.



Here she is with a drawing she did of me and Squidge...

We decided to borrow an idea from Sophie's mum Sharon and start a sticker chart for Fidget to record her "potty progress", here she is on the first day proudly showing off her two "wee" stickers and her two "poo" stickers...

very proud...!

Granny and Grandpa stayed with us over the weekend. On Saturday we went to visit Aunty M and Uncle A, where the potty progress wasn't so marked (sorry about your hall carpet guys!), we did have a lovely lunch out and a really nice day.

Sunday was mainly spent with me packing the mountain of stuff we felt we needed to holiday with two wee ones, while Granny and Grandpa entertained the girls.

We set off on Monday morning, stopping on the way for lunch at a service station. It was a very good journey, Squidge slept most of the way and Fidget was an angel just chatting or playing with Bear or her sticker books. We arrived at our cottage in the old stables of the castle, mid-afternoon. Squidge proceeded to have a good look around...

Fidget was very impressed with her bedroom, which had a little low window (with a sea view no less) that she could sit in, and her own en suite! perfect for the potty training princess.

On Tuesday Squidge was 17 weeks old. It was a damp, cold and windy day. We went to Littlehaven for lunch, which is a beautiful cove. We had a yummy lunch at the Swan Inn, sat in a window seat, near a roaring fire, looking out at the rainy bay. It was lovely, but I had forgotten to take my camera. We came back and had a swim, and by then it was quite late, so the birthday photos were a bit improvised...

Fidget at 17 weeks...

Wednesday was also pretty wet and miserable after a slow start we headed out and drove round a few places to find somewhere for lunch, but most places were shut, either for winter or their owners hadn't bothered to get out of bed that morning - which i could well understand!

We eventually found a cafe open at Broadhaven and went inside for hot chocolates and lunch.

After lunch we drove back for more swimming. The pool was really great. Big, quiet, attractively designed and very warm, which was certainly appreciated by both our little swimmers. Squidge loved it and just squeaked and smiled the whole time. Fidget was getting really confident in the water, happy to float around out of her depth just hanging onto a noodle.

Thursday was still damp and grey, but as soon as we saw the rain had stopped we suited up and decided to walk down to the bay just beyond the castle....

We got nearly to the bay after only a short walk down the drive, but found that the path through St Brides church had been locked, so we would have to cross a small stream. As we considered how to do this the heavens opened and so finally, wet and defeated we trudged back to the castle. The rain cleared as we got back, but we were all too soggy to try again.

Fidget was making her own entertainment running round with the sofa arm covers on her head as a cape, but went all coy when the camera came out. The result is a surprisingly lovely photo even if I do say so myself, it is vying with one of Fidget on the beach for "latest favourite Fidget picture"...

Squidge is a real chatterbox, she squeaks all the time, and since the holiday has also added blowing raspberries to her increasing vocabulary. Here she is making her opinion known...

Granny had bought Squidge a lovely denim dress, but it turned out to be a real squeeze to get on her, we were quite worried about how we'd get it off. But it was so nice I wanted to take some pictures as she wouldn't be able to wear it again. So Aunty M - here is one coming your way!

I think in the photos above and below she really looks like M...

though in this one she looks like Yoda "Size matters not. Look at me. Judge me by my size, do you? Hmm? Hmm?" ...

Thursday night was really stormy, I though we would wake to find ourselves washed into the bay. But instead we woke to the first sight of blue sky since arriving. We were away in good time and headed back to Broadhaven to give Fidget's kite it's first run on the beach there. The tide was in but there was still some room...

Squidge was getting a bit fed up, so we went back to the same cafe for hot chocolate...

When we'd finished the tide was noticably on the way out, so we had more of a walk along the beach, the wind was fairly mild and Squidge was alot happier facing outwards.

Fidget enjoyed checking out the pebbles

wandering about...

stamping in puddles...

and watching the surfers...

enjoying the sushine!...

We then went back to Littlehaven and had lunch at a different pub, and then explored the bay

Fidget and I went back to the pub to use the loos - she did brilliantly and was dry all week, she certainly prefered to use nice toilets and was not impressed each time I proffered the travel potty, particularly on a windswept beach! The others walked up a path around the cove to a lookout. When we retuned, M, Squidge and I went back up to take pictures while Fidget, Granny and Grandpa played on the beach...

there they are...

Then it was back to the castle for a swim before bed.

Saturday was also glorious, we set out for St. Davids. We stopped at Newgale beach, where we had stopped after Aunty M and Uncle A's wedding. Squiudge was asleep so Granny stayed in the car with a flask and bicuits, while we explored...

It was really beautiful, the sound of the waves on the pebbles was mesmerising

Fidget really enjoyed throwing pebbles into the water

This is my other favourite Fidget picture...

We carried on, having lunch in a cafe just outside St. Davids. Granny took Fidget to the loo and Fidget ran out shouting "I've done a poo and a wee!!!" everyone stopped talking, most people gave us little smiles, some even added their own congratulations to ours!

We walked down to the cathedral.

having a look around the chapel where Aunty M and Uncle A's service was held...

Squidge taking in the architecture...

Then back for one last swim. Due to a poorly ear I stayed out, did a bit of packing, then wandered around to get some photos...

One of the common rooms in the castle, may favourite, but Fidget wasn't sure about the chap in the corner...

The view from the pool room (the table type not swimming). The windows were reallyt beautiful with mirror inlay...

back to see a bit more swimming....

Then on Sunday it was time to head back. Fidget had been dry all week and was very pleased to show off her sticker chart...

It was a really super break. Thanks so much to Granny and Grandpa for organising it and all your help - you made it very relaxing and enjoyable. Thanks from us all.