Christmas and New Year 2011

We had a lovely Christmas this year. It was quite exciting having Wee Murray running around instead of just sitting and sleeping like last year!

Call us mad, but Al and I set the alarm for 6am so we could have a quiet cup of coffee in bed before the craziness of the day started, and I'm really glad we did. It was nice to chill out for a short while before the day started.

Al's folks came to Mass with us in Comrie which was really nice. I had to laugh as Murray (for the first time) did a really stinky poo in his nappy during Mass. If we had been at Crieff, it would have been fine as the Priest's house attaches to the church, but in the tiny wee chapel in Comrie, there is no where, so I had to take Murray back to our car (a few mins walk away). I managed to hold on until after communion, but I nearly knocked the Canon out when we went up for communion! HAHA! When I got to the car I realised I had dropped my keys in the church, so had to carry the big lump back to the church and then back to the car, so by the time I had changed him, Mass was over - ah well!

When we got home, we put the turkey in the oven, and Murray down for his nap and Al and I headed out for a run/the gym respectively. It was kind of sad not to be running with Al this year, but that's life - at least I got a workout. When we got home, my parents arrived and we got Murray up and we all opened our presents. My dad got Murray a sledge and Murray loved it. He sat in it and said bubbles, because he thought it was like his bath!!!! He also got a his first pair of skis which are so gorgeous and just like the pair I had at 18 months.

I was so busy on Christmas day that I didn't hardly have a chance to take any pics, but my mum in law took a few, so when she emails them I'll post them, but  we did take a video of Murray practising using his ski poles! I just looove it!

New Year was an altogether quieter affair. I cooked Al and I a nice meal and we had a few wines, but I'm afraid I still didn't manage to stay up to the bells! Maybe next year!

Did I make any New Year's resolutions? Nope, not really. I'm sure Murray will keep me learning in the ways of being a mummy. I have booked Al and I a night away in January. Our club always has a dinner dance in Jan, so we've booked to stay overnight for that. I'm really looking forward to getting ready without having to juggle doing hair and make up with bed time routine and also being able to have a few wines without the worry of having to get up in the night! I've also booked a family weekend away in Feb in Aviemore to go skiing. It's my sister's and brother in law's birthdays close to the weekend so it will be celebration weekend for them too. It'll be really nice to introduce Murray to skiing and to get skiing myself as it has been a few years, between pregnancy and young baby ties!

In an effort to make sure Al and I get some baby free time together, we headed out for a hike together while Murray had a day of fun with my folks. Al is doing a club team race in a few weeks and didn't know his route so we recc-ed that. It is only about 3.7 miles, but we walked out and back as it is a point to point and we only had one car which made it a nice 7 miles. It was pretty blowy on the tops and there were a few snow flurries on the way back, but it was great to be out and we rounded the day off with a lazy lunch/dinner. I must admit it was rather nice not to be eating and feeding Murray or trying to keep him in his high chair for longer than 5 mins!

Here are some pics from our hike.

 Trying to stay upright! - Note the rab down jacket - fantastic Xmas present - I've never been so warm!

Oh and Murray is now completely off his bottles.. He was just having 1 at night, but he now has his milk in a cup while we do bed time stories and he's adjusted just fine. I wanted him off them by 18 months and he is, so that's a good feeling!

All the best to everyone for 2012. I hope it is a good one.

Last Week of Term and Chatter, Chatter, Chatter.

Boy am I glad this is the last week of term now. The past 3 have been pretty rough with Murray getting a nasty cough and sinus and sticky eye bug which was duly passed to Mummy and Daddy. My throat was like swallowing razors and the cough was barking throughout the night so sleepless nights while Murray was sick and same when I was. Al thought he'd got away with it  better than me this time, but just as he was feeling better, it came back and bit hard and it has dropped into his chest. I ended up with no exercise for 2 weeks, but there was no chance at all. I count myself quite lucky though as some friends' kids have landed in hospital with it. It might not be the same thing of course and Murray will come down with that version, but I'm praying like mad he doesn't. Finally managed to get a workout on Thurs, Sat and Al and I got a lovely snowy, wintry hilly walk this afternoon, thanks to Nanna and Grandcha's playing services. It was nice to reconnect with Al.

Murray has taken a mega growth spurt and from being mid way between the 9th and 25th percentile at 13 months is now on the 50th percentile. No wonder he's been hungry - I thought it was just because he wasn't able to eat when he had his sore throat! His language this week has taken a wee burst too. We now have:

door for definite;
ca and mew for cat;
ba for sheep;
ut for out like when he wants out of his high chair.
ook for book and look (you have to use the context);
ta when he wants to give you something he's found, but not when you give him something - we're working on that!;
mik for milk;
had for hat and he even said nanna's had the other day.
He also says something that sounds very similar to in de ca for in the car.

He's following directions more and more - we've taught him to put his books back in his book box, by saying in the box.He thinks himself v clever and claps himself when he does it! He also comes running when I say: 'Come and get breakfast/lunch/dinner/snack' and if I say: 'Let's go and get dressed,' he'll stand at the bottom of the stairs.  My next one is trying to get him to stay near when I let go of his hand to put my coat on.It is a NIGHTMARE - he is off like a shot. I've nearly had a hundred cardiac arrests as he shoots out a door. I NEVER let go in a car park because he'd be away before I knew it. He's obsessed with doors too so the other day he managed to escape at playgroup. He's calmed down quite a lot in the house, but if we go somewhere, he just wants to explore so much he won't even wait to take his jacket off! it certainly keeps me on my toes! Oh and he knows where his nose and mouth are too.

He still doesn't have any teeth, so I've made an appointment with the dentist on the 17th Jan and they'll take an x-ray to make sure they are there!

Oh and we went to his nursery's Xmas party last Wed. It was really good fun to see him play in the nursery. Santa visited and Murray was really good with him - he looked totally non-plussed as he always does when it is something new! Another party this Wed at our village's playgroup and another visit form Santa - wonder what his expression will be this time!

I gave Murray his second Haircut today. I still dare not take him to a barber as it is a blood bath waiting to happen! LOL! I do love my little boy with ants in his pants!

Mojo Dip + A Very Busy Boy!

Well it's been a wee while since I last posted anything. To be perfectly honest I've just been lacking the mojo. It's been a long time of going to the gym and swimming and I was really feeling v v frustrated at not being able to run and quite frankly quite down about it all as it just seems so unfair (probably not aided by being support crew once again for Al at his 1/2 marathon the other week.It's not that I don't want him to run - I do, but I simply wish we were able to take turns) but in my usual style I've given myself a kick up the butt and got back on with what needs to be done. This recovery milarky is a frustrating process, but we are moving forward - slowly - but forward I think, and I just need to keep focusing on the positives (ie - less everyday pain).

I've been trying to post on Debs and Vicky's blogs, but every time I go to upload, it says error. Vicky - well done on your run - please take it steady and not get carried away, but really pleased you had the energy to get out. Debs, take it easy getting back into your running - you had a very heavy year last year and you're probably still a bit fatigued.

Murray is getting even busier. He is climbing now and I keep finding him a top of things he should not be on - like his music table rattling the fire guard or the window sill (we have an old stone house, so the window sills are very deep. The worst one is when he dive bombs from the easy chair, over a gap and onto the sofa!!!!! Needless to say, trying to get anything done is pretty tricky! He does really like books now, but only when he wants to read (ie - when we go to the library, that as far as he is concerned, is NOT the time to read, but to crawl under all the furniture!) I have to admit to being pretty flipping knackered out by him. I asked my mum what I was like at his age and she looked at me with a knowing look and said: "relentless, Karen. You never stopped. I couldn't even get you to stop to eat." I then asked if she was tired to which she replied: "exhausted, I remember looking at the clock more than once and thinking, how long is it to bed time!" Ha ha! Oh well, looks like I've only got myself to blame. I read somewhere the other day that toddlers get a burst of energy between 2 and 3 and I nearly flipping cried - how much busier can he get!!!!!!

Anyway, he is just gorgeous and he's learning all manner of new skills. We've been learning to use a fork and he's really getting the hang of it. The other video is of him on his phone. With both that phone and his pretend mobile, he chatters down into it in this voice that he only uses for the phone - hilarious! Totally adore him!

Chomp, Chomp, Chomp!

Gabble, Gabble, Gabble!

Little Chatterbox

As Murray turned 16 months yesterday (how on earth did that happen?) I thought it might be nice to document some of Murray's first words. He has been saying cup (he's not great with the p, but it is definitely there) for all drinks and baw (ball) for all balls, spheres (including concrete ones that are cemented into the ground , but he wants to take them with him anyway!) and balloons for quite a wee while now.

A relatively new word we have is mamama. It is so lovely as he points at me and says mamama. On nights I'm at work, Al says he now says mamama at bath time which is both lovely and sad.

The newest additions are ca (car) when we get back to our car and oof oof for dog. Also I'm pretty sure he is saying dor (door) when he pushes the kitchen door open.

He's very cute. He can point out  a duck, dog, horse and of course a ball in a book. In fact he is really quite obsessed with balls. He's starting to follow instructions too which is fun and exciting to watch!

What a clever little chatterbox!

Helen's Wedding + Family Holiday

On Friday we drove up to Dulnain Bridge a few miles North of Aviemore. Murray of course woke up early in Friday so instead of being able to get the car packed and then put him in the car for nap time, he was a total limpet as he was tired so we had to put him for an early nap and head after he had lunch when he woke. This meant we had 30 minutes of peaceful journey before he started wrestling his seat to get out. We lasted another 30 minutes of us singing nursery rhymes before we stopped at the house of Bruar for him to have a run around and snack. He was a bit better the second half of the journey, but we did find ourselves back singing silly tunes for the last 15mins. The venue was lovely and my sister ad booked us a lovely big room with a sitting area in it so we had room for Murray to run around. The best thing was that the monitor worked perfectly so we didn't need a babysitter on either of the nights. I'm very glad I only had 1 glass of wine though as we woke Murray going into our room at night (midnight) and he refused to go to sleep until after 4am! He was like a ruddy meercat popping his head over the travel cot. I even took him into our bed which I never do, but although he did lie relatively still, if you discount him sticking his fingers up my nose, he just wouldn't sleep. Thankfully once he fell asleep he slept until 8am so we got a few hours at least. In the morning folk had a game of rounders while I had a nap and Al drove Murray around to get him to nap, but to no avail! At least he rested! Then after lunch it was a crazy dash to get ready. My sister looked beautiful and the ceremony was really lovely. The minister was really friendly, but still had a nice sense of occassion. Poor Murray was a bit confused as to why he couldn't come to me at first! It was quite funny during the ceremony, as Murray was getting a bit restless and I knew Al had forgotten to give him snack so mid prayer I was trying to mouth, 'snack' to Al without causing to much disruption!

A Nicholl family shot in our glad rags!

The bride and groom to the left and us. I hadn't realise they were behind us while we were trying to get a family shot. If I had, I'd have got them to join us. I like this photo as if you look down at Helen's feet you can see her gorgeous red shoes peeking out.

My parents and the new Mr and Mrs White.

Dad was all pleased with himself in this photos as he had managed to sneek up on the step so he didn't look so short next to my sister in her KILLER heels. No joke, they were about 6 inches high!

After the ceremony we had champagne and canapes in the bar. I think I just about managed to get a glass in between chasing after Murray! Dinner was at 7pm so we were able to do Murray's bath and bed time as usual and he was out like a light. The meal was lovely. We all sat at 1 big table and it was a really great evening. All the speeches were funny too. After the meal Helen and Ian cut their cake which was made by one of their friend's daughters who is 13. Ailsa did a great job and even did little figures of Helen and Ian skiing on the cake.

I managed to stay up until my sister and Ian went to bed and then we headed off hoping for a good night's sleep, but not before I managed to get a really nice photo of my sis and I. Love you Hel!

It was not to be - again we didn't get to sleep until after 4am. What a killer! Nevermind. Despite the lack of sleep, he really was a good boy, but you could see he was absolutely shattered and a little overwhelmed by all the company and excitement. After another yummy breakfast, the new Mr and Mrs White waved us all off, before they headed on honeymoon themselves.

We had a few mile drive down the road to get to our cabins, but we couldn't get in until 2pm so we got some lunch at the 'Skiing Do' which I hadn't been in for ages - so retro! We then drove around so Murray could nap before checking into our chalet which was lovely. After the previous 2 nights we had decided Murray would be going in the bedroom while we slept on the matress in the livingroom. This worked out far better as Murray slept through until 7am every night! I think on Sunday night i was in bed by 8 and Al by 9pm!

Murray getting settled into the chalet

Mumy and Murray both pooped from lack of sleep - note the mattress propped behind the sofa so we can sleep in the living room and actually have enough energy to enjoy the holiday!

We had a lovely holiday, filled with walks in the Rothiemurchus area which is ideal for small children as it is flat area with the mountains in the background. The views were stunning as it had been snowing on the tops and they were glistening white. I really love this area.

We bought Murray and all in 1 rain suit and oh my gosh, he just looks adorable in it. He was really toasty in general, but poor wee thing, his hands did get really cold out on 1 walk and it brought back memeories of painful hands as a kid. Of course it didn't help that he thought it would be fun to put his hands, gloves and all, straight into a really cold puddle!

Feeling all pleased  with himself as he has just had great fun in the afore mentioned puddle... and then the cold set in....

I love this photo as it reminds me of one my favourite moments all holiday, or perhaps ever. Just after this Murray wander around to my back, pulled my hood over my head, then came back around the front, gently kissed me on the lips and gave me the best cuddle ever! What a lucky mummy I am.

Wedding Bells.

It has been a busy few weeks. Amongst other things my sister is getting married (with about a 6 week engagement) so as her bridesmaid we've had to (oh the hardship) go on a shopping trip (2 weekends ago) to get my dress, shoes etc and organise her a hen party which was this weekend. I booked us hens on a cocktail making lesson which was great fun and then we had a lovely meal and couple of drinks - well i had a couple as that truly does seem to be my limit. No kidding my last 2 drinks I ordered were a coke and a decaf coffee! OMG - I've aged about 30 years! My sister had a good time so that's all that matters. The wedding is this weekend and I can't wait. Al has taken Friday off, so we travel up then and then the wedding is at 4pm on the Saturday. It's a really intimate wedding - 18 adults including the bride and groom, and 8 kids including wee Murray. We have also booked a wee holiday in the area after the wedding. I'm really looking forward to our wee break. We didn't take a holiday in summer as it was too expensive, but actually I think Murray is at a better age to go away with now as he just loves to walk and walk.

Despite not being able to bike, row, recline bike or do anything generally involving sitting to prevent ruining my coccyx manipulation I've done pretty well in terms of exercise and basically aimed to do 4 workouts per week, mainly based around swimming, but as I felt more normal, the x-trainer again. i've been really enjoying my swimming actually and have been averaging 130 ish lengths in an hour (20m x 130 = 2600m) I'm sitting alot more comfortably now so am hoping that I may be allowed back on the bike soon. We'll see what the physio says soon. I can't believe I put up with that pain for 15 months. I can feel my coccyx now where before there was just an empty space! As of last week driving for an hour was still a bit tender, but I can tell everything is settling down. Hopefully the drive North won't be too bad. Time will tell if it helps the rest of my pelvis realign. Patience is a virtue Karen!

Photo and Video Catch Up

Murray is walking BIG time and like his crawling, is developing a serious pace. He is Duracell bunny. He never stops. See below how the idea of sitting in a hammock is his idea of hell and is desperately trying to escape.  It is very difficult to tire him out. He simply has to walk everywhere which at times is v impractical, but the boy won't be argued with! 

I attacked Murray's hair with the scissors, so this is his first haircut.

 Al picked up Murray from nursery the other night to find him dressed in these rather fetching pink leggins! Apparently at snack time when the staff were clearing up all the unwanted fruit Murray took a run for it and shoved a whole handful in his mouth and ran off. He consequently choked on his uber mouthful and sicked up a little! Ah Murray!

And finally a wee video of the wee dude with his new toy. He went round and round and round!

Coming to a Tricky Decision.

Today I came to a decision. I won't be doing my bike race next weekend.

After my last long bike ride I was in a lot of pain again. The downward pressure on my pelvis for that long on the bike was obviously a step too far. I was in really bad pain for a week after and so skipped my long bike last weekend in an attempt to help it ease. In addition I was so tired I keep going a bit dizzy when I stood up, so figured if I rested I'd knock any bugs on their head before they amounted to anything. Unfortunately, despite waking up on Monday feeling less fatigued, while at the gym, my tummy started cramping and well, without going into too much detail, Murray had given me his bug. I managed to stagger through the week despite a bloated tummy that made me look about 5 months preggers and too many trips back and forth to the loo to count. My tummy is gradually settling down although it's still a bit dodgy. I could handle the tummy bug though as I know it would eventually pass and if it was just that I would probably muscle on, but I had physio on Friday and the treatment she does leaves me really quite sore after on a normal day, but, as I was still sore from the previous ride nearly 2 weeks prior, it was jump off the bed pain. So as I am still sore today I have made the decision that it would be ridiculous to do the bike ride next weekend, especially as I have my coccxy manipulation 2 days after the bike ride.

I'm pretty gutted as I was looking forward to both the ride and a wee family trip away, but I cannot afford to put my recovery back. It has taken 14 months to get this far and so I'll just have to be a little more patient. The race will be there another year when I'm not in pain and my health is tip top. For now Murray needs a mummy who is healthy and not in unbearable pain.

Longest Bike Ride + Bad Nights.

It has been another tough week. Murray took a relapse on Tuesday and has been up at 2, 4 or 5am pretty much every night screaming for milk. At least at 2 we got him settled again, but at all the 4 or 5 wake up times, he just cried and cried and cried, so after an hour or so of trying we just got up. I'm hoping this is the bug and not just a bad habit. His nappies are only just improving (scrap that - Al has just changed another explosion) and he's been so incredibly thirsty, so I think it is the bug. We'll soon see.

Despite all this going I have managed to maintain exercise and for that I'm feeling quite smug. Being booked in to the sportive helped with that as I can feel time ticking away. I had wanted to do more cycling/spinning over gym work, but with the bad nights it was just a case of doing whatever got you motivated to go.

Mon: 30 mins pilates; 3 mile hilly walk with buggy; 100 lengths swim.
Tue: Rest (Murray v ill again)
Wed: 45 mins gym + 20 mins pilates
Thurs: 45 mins gym
Fri: 60 min spin
Sat: Rest
Sun: 48 mile bike ride.

Today was my longest bike ride ever and boy did my butt and legs ever feel it. It was a lovely route, but with the lack of sleep this week, a bad time in my cycle and slightly squishy tyres (note to self - make sure they are like bullets next time) I'm not sure if I actually enjoyed it. OK, I enjoyed sections of it, but at about the half way point when I stopped off at a hotel to use a loo, I could have quite easily booked a bed for a few hours, lay down and gone to sleep! Anyway, now that it is done I guess I feel pleased with the achievement. Trying not to think too hard about next week's long ride and the actual event itself!

Next week I think I'd quite like to do 50+ (thinking 55) because the event itself is 65.5 and I think psychologically if I've only got 10 more miles to do it will help. Then the week before the event I'll do 25 - 30 I think. I'm questioning my sanity at this point after that ride. How on earth my butt is going to cope with that length of time in the saddle I have no idea. Why oh why did I think a 65.5 mile first sportive would be a good idea! Never mind the B+B is booked, so we're going and I'll just have to keep pedalling onwards. Just please start hoping for good or at least dry weather, oh and that Murray goes back to sleeping through or I'll fall asleep on the bike!

On recovery news, there has been some positivity. After much complaining about my coccyx pain, it turns out Murray's delivery has displaced my coccyx and it is sitting out and quite markedly off to the left. No wonder it has been sore. Apparently this only usually happens in skinny women - now there's a reason if I ever heard one to eat cake! Anyway all my perseverance in finding a physio who deals with this sort of thing has paid off and at the end of the month she is going to try and manipulate it back into place. If she can't do it that way she'll try under general anaesthetic so fingers crossed the first way will be successful. I'm excited that that source of pain will hopefully be gone or improved soon. I'm trying not to get too excited, but it will be good to not be in pain driving the car or even sitting in a car. Thankfully you lean forward on a bike and take the pressure off the coccyx or if I was in the pain I am in the car, the bike would be a no go too. They hope with the coccyx in line, that some of my pelvic pain will be reduced, but that they will tackle that after. We'll see. It's been a long road with lots of disappointment so like I said, I'm trying not to get too excited. It would be nice to have some pain removed as it can really get terribly tiring. Lots of positive vibes would be gratefully received.

I bought Murray a pair of crogs - mainly because I couldn't find his left shoe the other day (I found it eventually in the pots and pans cupboard - hmmmmmm, I think he's found a new game) but it turns out they're good for putting on over his baby-grow in the morning so he doesn't keep wiping out on our slippery tiled kitchen floor. He thought himself rather clever walking about in them.

I ran an Open day at my centre on Saturday to celebrate our 5th birthday when we received our 5 year certificate. Murray and Al came with me so we could spend time together once I was done. Murray really enjoyed walking around the central table and helping mummy work. The Kip McGrath balloons we had to hand out where an even bigger bonus.

What a Week!

What a week - and not in a good way. Murray caught a tummy bug and has not been very well at all. By 8am on Friday, I had cleared up 2 lots of sick and a nappy that could have been used by the army as a secret weapon to knock out any enemy attack! Most of this week was spent doing the following: pick Murray up as crying to be up; wee cuddle; put Murray down as trying to wriggle out of arms to try play; v short attempt to play; pick Murray up; put Murray down; feed Murray a watered down bottle of milk; put Murry down; try to wash bottle so ready for next feed while Murray sat on floor making very pathetic grizzling sounds (poor thing); pick Murray up.... you get the picture. He seems to be on the mend today and had some proper lunch for the first time in days so hopefully next week will be back to 'normal'.

As a result of the above I haven't managed anything since Tuesday, but quite honestly exercise has been the last thing on my mind. Murray has taken priority and it is as simple as that. Today I've spent the day cleaning (as no housework could be done during the week) and generally getting sorted for the week ahead so that I can get back to it next week. I actually think my body will have appreciated the recovery week as I've been pushing quite hard (for me at the mo') for a few weeks now.

Yesterday I finally signed up for a cyclosportive. I've been mulling it over for a while, but finally bit the bullet. It is in 4 weeks time so it has worked out quite well to have a rest week this week and hopefully I can build up again for the next 3 before tapering for a week. I HAVE to get 2 more long rides of 40+ in the next few weeks and will try and cycle / spin over gym as much as poss. I'm quite nervous as I'm not a good cyclist, but, you've got to start somewhere and it's nice to have a challenge. I just really hope it's dry on the day.

Bike Seat + Reins.

On Saturday we headed up to Perth as a family to research bike seats for my normal bike so Murray and I can go out together. We found some for a decent price in Halfords, but couldn't get a helmet to fit Murray (all too big) so headed round to Tiso to see if we could get one there. We could, so we got it. Too, too cute!

I also got a set of reins for Murray. He was off before I could even lengthen out the reins!

As it was a bit early for lunch we paid to go into the soft play. Murray loved it. So much so he had his first mega melt down in public on being removed at ,lunch time! Mega tears! He then went on lunch strike! so our lunch was not terribly enjoyable! Oh well! As Muray was knackered we didn't go back to get the seat from Halfords but I think I will try and get it soon now we have the hat. (update: have bought said seat from the slowest assistant in the world who clearly could not understand the concept of a little mush mush, I need to get back to see my child before I have to leave for work!)

The reins were bought just in time as Al was running in the 11 mile Sheriffmuir road race and having the reins meant I could walk around with Murray while Al was getting organised. He absolutely loved the 'freedom' and tired himself out so much that he had a wee power nap in the buggy when we went for a walk while Al was racing. Al did really well and ran 1h28 which he was really pleased with especially as he was doing it as a fast training run and it is uphill the whole way back! Once Al had finished, he took Murray home for lunch and as we had taken my road bike I hopped on and road 30miles to get home (it is closer if you go straight home, but I wanted to do about that distance and do not like the busy roads so am happy to go on the windier, longer routes! I was really please as I pushed the pace a bit and did 30 in just under 2 hours so just over 15mph pace with a route that included a killer up and thus down - the downs frustrated me more. I was overtaken by 3 sorry 4 folk on the way down and 2 of them were on a flipping tandem for crying out loud. It is so frustrating - if it was skiing or running I'd be hooning down, but on the bike I just get really freaked out that there will be a random pothole and I'll go flying and then a car will come round a bend and ..... I definitely need to get braver as I know that would increase my average pace!

This morning Murray and I went to Rhyme Time at the library. It was really good despite him not wanting to sit for hardly a minute - God help his P1 teacher when it comes time for him to start School! LOL! Thankfully a mum friend was there too with her little boy who has started crawling now and was all over the place too. I'm always amazed to see little boys and girls who can move sat at their mum's feet waiting patiently. Murray does NOT do waiting (woops - sorry wee dude, mummy doesn't do waiting either!). I'm enjoying taking this Monday off as I have to work Saturday, but as Mum can't baby sit until 11 on a Monday we should be able to go every week before I need to get my head down and work like crazy. Thankfully mum can stay on late and give him his tea so I can work until 6 ish, so I should get a lot done. that is definitely the bonus of working for yourself - you can be a bit more flexible with your hours.

I'm hoping for another good week. Aim this week is more pilates. Speaking of which, as Murray is napping I'd better get on with it. I skipped swimming last night but got up early a did a spin first thing, so a ggod start. Did 50 mins pilates yesterday too.

Here are some lovely pics / video that Al took to show me when I get home as I miss him while I'm at work.

I'm so cute!

Night Time Bath - night night, sleep tight!

A Mummy to A Toddler!

Last week I had another good week - the second in a row which feels like a first for a while. I started taking booster B vitamins and I really think it is helping with energy. The proof will be in the pudding once I'm back to work today.

Mon: 110 lengths @ swim group - really good session
Tue: 4 mile hilly walk with M in buggy (he is heavy!) + 50 mins pilates
Wed: REST
Thurs: REST
Fri: 60 min spin
Sat: 50 mins pilates + 40 mins  Gym
Sun: 33 mile Bike rid (av pace 14mph) + 3 mile flat walk with Al pushing M

Mon: 3 mile hilly walk with M in buggy + 30 mins pilates + 110 lengths @ swim group - phew!
Tue: REST!

I wrote the above on Tues and then did the following:

Wed: 4 mile hilly walk pushing Murray in the buggy
Thurs: 40 min gym workout
Fri: 10 mins Ab pilates - then M woke up early!

I am v v tired today so decided to have a rest day but plan on a long bike, a shorter workout and some pilates over the weekend. Trying to do my pilates during the week is tricky now M naps once a day as that sleep coincides with me leaving for work. I'm sure I'll find my groove with that once I've adjusted to the new routine. The only problem is as Murray adjusts to 1 nap his sleep is haywire - up in the night sometimes so sleeps later; other mornings he wakes early; sometimes he can cope util after lunch and at others I have to put him down before as he is getting past it and wouldn't eat his lunch anyway - that does mean he is v tired at tea time. I put him for a nap at 11 on Thurs as he hardly slept at nursery on Tues and was almost sick with tiredness and that seemed to help so as long as he's up at 7am I'll do that again I think as I figure longer earlier is better than short later. I contemplated doing my pilates but it was my only chance to sit for half an hour before running around getting ready for work - hopefully next week I'll be in the groove more.  I've started putting his cuddly toy (eeyore) in with him and certainly he resettled himself last night and had a long nap yesterday (3 hours - WHAT? once I'd done pilates, housework, cooked soup and Murray food and had a cup of tea I was twiddling my thumbs!) so I'm hoping that helps with the nights and settling for naps.

I read somewhere that unsettled sleep often goes hand in hand with learning to walk which makes sense because I often don't sleep as well if I've done a hard workout close to bed or am doing a lot of study. he's wee body and mind is developing so much at the mo. He's v hungry at most meal / snack times and keeps amazing me with how much he wants - a whole nectarine the other day for snack! He started walking about a week ago properly, but clocked himself doing it on Saturday and since then is walking more and more with a big smile on his face that just shouts: 'look at me, I'm soooooo clever!' he even claps himself as he walks too - v funny!

I went round to my neighbour's yesterday ( she has a 9.5 month old) for the boys to play. Firstly we went round on his fire truck - OMG - he loved it and then as she has a bigger house, Murray was walking up and down the corridor. It really made me wish we had more space for him inside, but that's not going to change any time soon - so he'll just have to get used to his shoes so he can walk about in our big garden. We've started to going to the village playgroup too, now that he isn't taking a nap, and that gave him a really good chance to practise his toddling skills. I was really impressed with the toys and every one seemed really friendly so I think we'll be back.

I'm so glad the first week back is over and some yukky reducing of staff hours has been done. It has been hard being away from Murray more and I am v tired today, but I hope with an early night I be back to full pistons tomorrow. I'll definitely keep popping those B-vits!

Photo + Video and General Catch up.

Murray is getting faster and faster. His crawling is lightening speed now and his cruising around the furniture can often be at almost a run. He walked more than 2 steps himself mid last week and is now regularly walking 4 or 5 steps on his own. Usually at a bit of headlong wobble but he can correct his balance too and so it really won't be long until he can do it properly - that is if he doesn't keep resorting to crawling because he can get places so much quicker!

Down side of his cruising everywhere is being able to switch on the dishwasher / washing machine and also being able to reach the knobs on the oven. Cooking time can be rather problematic! I walk around the house a lot of the time with Murray hanging onto my trousers!

We've got rid of afternoon bottle and his appetite has really soared. Yesterday he ate an entire nectarine for snack and a yoghurt! Next will be getting rid of the bottle with breakfast. Only problem is he doesn't drink a lot for his cup, so may have to get one of those cups with a straw thing. I'm glad he likes his fruit as at least he gets liquids from them.
He's so good at feeding himself with finger food and is getting better all the time with his spoon - so much so that you have to let him taste the meal with his spoonful first to see if it is acceptable to his taste buds!!! LOL!

I love this pic taken after his nap when he was actually letting me give him a cuddle.

I may be speaking too soon, but we seem to have changed to 1 nap a day. We have just had a week of up at 3.30am and resettling until 4 - 4.30!!!! but he has then slept until later and so his nap has been after lunch. he finally slept through last night but still kept to the same pattern so goodbye mummy morning time just in time for the new term! It's going to be a looong day!

Debs suggested getting a bike seat for Murray so we can go out on t bike together. I think I may well do that as it would be nice to have a different option for exercise that doesn't require a baby sitter and I'm sure he would find the breeze in his face fun.

Some Randoms:

He is obsessed with that doggy pillow. He loves to cuddle into it and carries it everywhere! It can really get him walking if you hold it just out of his reach! Tee Hee! Oh and I spend my life throwing those ball back in the pit after he has emptied them out!

Mojo Returns

I've found some mojo this week and as such had some good workouts:

Mon: 60 min spin + 20 mins pilates
Tue: 45 min grym workout + 50 mins pilates
Wed: 60 min spin
Thurs + Fri rest
Sat: 40 mile bike ride

Hope to also do at least 30 mins in gym tomorrow and some pilates.

My bike ride today was really good, but also quite tough. I started from the house and headed to Crieff via Kinkell Bridge (10miles). Once at Crieff I headed to towards the Sma Glen via Monzie (15). I then started the upwards grunt through the Sma' Glen to Aberfeldy (36). The descent into Aberfeldy was terrifying especially as the rain had just come on and the roads felt lethal. From Aberfeldy I finished off the last 4 miles to the village Grand Tully (40) where there is the loveliest Chocolatier, shop and cafe and where Al and Murray were waiting for me. It was so lovely to have them there as it kept me pushing on when my legs were cream crackered and the heavens had opened! We had a yummy lunch and I bought some of the special Karen friendly dark chocs while Al had an amazing looking apple caramel pie.

I have a massage booked for tomorrow. Al got me a voucher for my birthday a way back in April and I still haven't used it so I thought before the craziness of term starts I'd get a chance to relax. Speaking of the craziness of term I had to make some tough decisions yesterday while I was doing the accounts. Unfortunately I need to increase my working hours. I was really upset yesterday at the thought of being away from Murray more. It is not what I would chose but needs must. Hopefully it won't be forever and once new exam students return I can re evaluate again, but for now it is back to pretty much full time hours. I'm very grateful to have had a good amount of time for his first year, but I am apprehensive about how I'm going to juggle everything. Time will tell. I have to admit I found it hard to go out for my ride today as I felt it was another time away from Murray, but it really did me the world of good and both the wee dude and I were so pleased to see each other again. Getting out to do something for myself really re-centres me helps me be a happy mummy. I must remember that when the guilts kick in.

13 months + First Shoes

Murray turned 13 months today. I can't believe it. My friend was over with her boys today and he was right in the middle of all the boys' play. Although he's still crawling he really didn't seem that much younger at all. I definitely think going to nursery has helped with that as he just loved having friends to play. He aslo wanted to join then on the slide so with my mates help, I helped Murray climb up the steps and then Emily helped him slide down while I then made my way down. He loooooved it.

Yesterday we all headed into town and got Murray fitted for his first pair of shoes. He is a size 3.5H. Poor wee guy got my wide spades! LOL. Really chuffed as I got a pair for £6. All the rest were min £20 but like a true bargain hunter the £6 pair were snapped up.

 I was going to wait until Murray was walking, but then I thought it would be better if he got used to them in the house. This was a good plan as he keeps looking down at them and when he cruises around the place he lifts his feet really high. It is hilarious!

It is really good at Clarks because they take a photo to mark the occasion.

Ants in his Pants!

Murray is non stop! He has a serious case of ants in his pants the entire time he is awake. He hates being in his buggy if he is awake and he will not nap in it so basically he hates it! If he's in the back pack you have to keep moving or he starts gurning to get out. Then if you take him out, like I did while helping out at the Crieff 10K, the Benny Hill chasing shenanigans start. He had huge grassy area (about size of 3 rugby pitches) to crawl all over and where did he want to go? Onto the tarmac path and cement stairs of course, so then ensues me repeatedly carrying him to a far away point and then chasing after him as he crawls full tilt toward the steps. A club mate even asked me if he ever stopped! No is the answer except for when he naps.

Murray exploring the empty Famous Grouse costume (our sponsor). It kept him away from the road and steps for about 5 mins!

We are now at the stage where he takes about 30 mins to fall asleep in the car so any usual journey is not enough to give a sleep unless I want to waste fuel by driving around on a loop and with the cost of fuel at the mo' it is not a great prospect, and as said previously, he refuses to nap in his buggy, so if I want him to rest (and me to rest) then to home it is. As a mum friend of mine said the other day - it is now all about endurance! The other week was a toughy as a) Murray had a bug - I'm wondering now if he put something a bit grotty in his mouth or if it was something going around and then when the worst of that passed b) he was teething like I've never seen before - he was driven demented and spent 2 days crawling full tilt back and forth to me, but when he came for a cuddle, he'd arch his back and thrash out and yell. He was too sore to fall asleep too. Hard days. Had a mummy meet a few days later though and we all had a good cathartic chat about the emerging tantrums and it all became a lot easier suddenly. He is back to his old self again now - just the ants in the pants!

I'm v glad he's back to his old self as Al was running as part of a team at a race a couple of weekends ago and we went along to support. It was forecast to pour with rain, but actually it was a really nice day - muggy, but dry. It was a great day and Al's team won the relay! How cool was that! The other really nice thing that happened was that I met Debs as she was running the whole route (40 miles). She wanted to do under 6 hours and she came 2nd lady in 5 hours 56! Awesome running - well done lady. It was really lovely meeting you in person and Cairn is so another Daddy look alike! It was adorable to see him run and give you a hug at the finish!

 At the start. Murray had been great and finished his breaky in time for us to cheer on all the runners

 The Strathearn Stags team shot post race!

The stags receiving their trophy! Well done guys!

 Murray's bib says: crawl, walk, run, marathon! Someone said it was missing ultra to be like his mummy! LOL! I'd take being able to do 3 miles at the mo though!

Murray was a good boy and it had been a great day.

Exercise has been a bit hit and miss recently between Murray's bugs and my bugs and actually a general lack of motivation. Some days are really good and I'll have a really good spin or a 33 mile bike ride or a 15 mile tempo ride done at 15mph (fastest average yet) and other days are just a real drag to get my sorry ass to the gym. I'm so bored of the gym and basically I have no goals. I keep meaning to enter a cycling sportive but just haven't quite managed to do it. I worry that even if I enter I still won't find the motivation and then I'll be even more annoyed. I think I just feel so v frustrated at not being able to run and not having a strong body like I used to have. I've been working so hard with my physio and I'm no further forward. I must remember that it is not just exercise that is affected and that daily life can be quite tiring too - some days more than others so exercising is not what my recovery needs on those days. I'm sure, in time, I'll look back and laugh, but in the mean time I need to dig deep and I'll come out the other side. On the plus (a good day) Al and I powered up Ben Chonzie (900m ish high) this am while Murray was at nursery as we woke up to glorious sunshine. We had 4 hours max to get up and down and it took us 3.5 hrs with a nice wee tea break at the summit! I'm meant to be doing a 40 mile ride tomorrow, but I'm wiped out tonight so we'll see how we go! Will happily accept any positive vibes sent my way!

Birthday Boy!

Murray turned 1 on Friday. I was so excited to get him up, but weirdly he slept until 7.50am! I didn't of course (programmed to wake at 6am at the latest plus I was going for a bike ride with a friend so needed to get up for breakfast). It was so odd to be up before anyone else, but as soon as I heard him I rushed in singing Happy Birthday which he loved! We opened his cards and gave him his wee Thomas the tank ball we got him, but then it was time for him to go to nursery. I love his birthday banner made by my aunty - there are 10 birthday bears and you put the hat on the bear holding the correct number!

My friend and I had a great 34/35 mile bike ride then it was a quick shower before picking Murray up from Nursery and heading to the supermarket to buy up what felt like the entire store for Murray's party! Al's sister had arrived on the Thursday evening and Al's parents on the Friday so they all went off together for the day as Al was working but when they got back Murray was excited to see his Nicholl grandparents and aunty.

Due to work commitments we planned his party for Saturday and saved his pressies for then. We had planned a BBQ come rain or shine, but fortunately, by some miracle, when we woke it was blue skies and stayed gorgeous all day. When my sis and parents arrived my sis and I set about decorating the cake. I was pretty pleased with the results! I really felt like a mum when I was doing that!

We then had champagne to celebrate our first year of parenthood and opened Murray's presents which he loved!

As it was such a lovely day we put the water pit straight up and it kept him happy for ages!

We all just sat around watching Murray play until it was time for his nap. Unfortunately he was asleep when we did his cake, but he got his bit at tea time - I can't say he terribly impressed!

I cannot believe my wee boy is 1 - how,how, how did I become the mum of a 1 year old - so hard to get my head around still!

As Al's family were still here today and it is still nice weather, Al and I got a lovely walk together in Comrie while Murray slept. What a nice wee present for us to get some together time.

After a lovely lunch at our favourite Deli

and meringues in the garden (Al's mum is a demon meringue maker) on our return, they headed off home. Al's sis stays until Tuesday and so Al has taken the day off tomorrow - what a great way to start the summer hols! Long may the sunny days continue!