Now I am 32...

I very nearly just posted this picture all on its own, as a bit of a 'silent Sunday' post, but I thought it probably deserved a word or two of explanation. It's a shot of a recent page I pulled together for my scrapbook, to mark my birthday a couple of months ago. It's the first layout I've ever done without a photo in it, because I wanted to try and remember all the things floating around in my head as I entered by thirty-third year - in particular, all the things I'm thankful for. In the midst of all the boring day-to-day stuff, and schedules and work and who's-made-the-packed-lunch and we've-run-out-of-nappies and please-please-wait-for-the-potty moments, there's loads of really good stuff happening, you just have to try and stop for a moment to remember it all...

Things I'm thankful for... the weekend away edition

We did some really good weekending this weekend. It was so good I forgot to blog, or even think about blogging, one of those ones. It reminded me of all the things I'm thankful for, and in a week that's also been a bit mixed and had some not great things happen I feel like it's more important than ever to be thankful and remind myself of all that's good - for me, that list includes:

• Old friends. The really comfy ones. Where you chat, or not chat (and that feels totally OK and not-at-all-awkward) and it's easy and comforting and you remind yourself why they're such good friends and that you really bloody need them around to remind you who you are and what's important.
• Cake. Because really and truly the hunk of carrot cake pictured above saved me from a terrible hangover on Sunday and for that I am eternally grateful.
• The sun (who has since departed) for making everyone altogether more happy.
• My trusty Saltwater sandals. For going with everything and being just so comfortable that I never want to take them off because all of my other shoes all of a sudden feel just too warm and stuffy.
• Arlo's brain cells. Bear with me on this, but after a particularly difficult week, where we cursed the 'terrible twos' and wondered who'd come and swapped our usually sweet and caring boy with an irrational, tantrum-throwing goblin child, something's clicked and the Arlo we know and love is back. Not only is he happier and more rational since the weekend, he all of a sudden knows loads of new words, so I'm putting it down a developmental leap that was going on in his brain that he's now worked past. Yay for brain cells!
• Having a bit of a think. Was so interested to read this collection of thoughts from atheists sharing how they find meaning in a 'purposeless universe' - I was struck by the reoccurring themes running through them all as they listed the things that make their lives meaningful - friends, love, learning, teaching, being creative, enjoying the simple things. SO true, and all things to be thankful for. Today and every day.

Things I'm thankful for - the election day edition

It's been a while since I've done one of these posts, but I've woken up with such a buzz today because I bloody love election day. We all should. We're lucky enough to live in a democracy and we should all exercise our right (and responsibility) to have our say and input into what happens. I'm torn between voting with my heart, and putting a cross next to the party I believe in most, or using my head an making a tactical vote that might not be my first choice, but is a vote against the guys I really don't want to make it in. A lot of that happens here. I think I'll just take a deep breath in the little cubicle at the polling station, and decide on the spot, unless a flash of inspiration hits me in the meantime.

So with a bubbling sense of excitement in my tummy I've been thinking today about the things I'm thankful for - some big, some small, all lovely and important:

• Choices. I have lots. I'm lucky enough to have been born here, in this country, and now, in this era, which means I can choose things which essentially are basic human rights but have been seen previously as privileges and still are denied to lots of people all over the world. Things like; what I do for a job, whether I even have a job, what I wear, whether to go to school (that choice was kind of made on my behalf but I'm glad it was - good thinking mum and dad), who I live with, when to have a child, you know, just little things like that. I can't imagine not being able to choose these things, it seems totally absurd not to be able to, but I'm lucky and wanted to stop and take a moment to remember that and be thankful.
• Time off. Last night I booked what will be our first ever proper family holiday. We have a week off work int he first week of June, coinciding with Arlo's birthday, and we'll be going away. The last time we went on hols the Spice Girls were together (for the Olympic closing ceremony, it wasn't the 90s, that would be ridiculous) so this has been a long time coming. I'd forgotten how ace it is to have something to look forward to like getting away. Can't wait.
• Hobbies. This might sound like a weird one, but for ages I kind of forgot to have any hobbies because I had lots on and trying to fit in a 'hobby' seemed a bit self-indulgent because the other things on my plate were very genuinely important. Things like making sure our baby didn't die / making sure I stayed awake in client meetings so I could make a valid case for getting paid and therefore paying the mortgage. But actually, hobbies are so important! (I'm going to stop using the word 'hobby' now as it's sounding quite gittish, but you know what I mean - something you do that you find fun but isn't essential to your time on earth). Over the last few months they've helped me relax, provided head space, and reminded me how much fun it is to be creative.
• Creativity. Bit abstract I realise, but truly such a mega-important part of life. I saw someone say the other day that "you can't use up creativity - the more you use, the more you have" and his has been so true for me lately. Yes I'm creative at work and that's brilliant but there's a different kind of freedom to being creative for yourself, just because you fancy it. To create something just for the sake of creating, where the process is just as important as the output. I feel like lately I'm bursting with ideas of things I want to draw, paint, write and make... it's just like when I was nine years old and obsessed with Bitsa. In short, it's ace! 

So dear pals, go forth and vote, make choices and be creative. Such ideal ways to spend your time.

Shhh...

Something quite exciting has been happening round ours for the last few weeks. I've barely wanted to tell anyone or even say it out loud in case it stops being true and goes away forever but, for the last little while (whispers) Arlo has been sleeping through the night. After more than 18 months of really quite a lot of getting up in the night actually, it really does feel like such a treat to be able to get some sleep.

I really don't know what's normal when it comes to sleeping patterns. In fact I can't believe I just said that because if I've learnt one thing about parenting its that there is no normal - so please ignore that ridiculous last thing I said. I know babies older than Arlo that still wake many times though the night, and others that have slept through almost from birth too.

All I do know is that being a parent has made me so insanely grateful for sleep, and for the chance to be in bed. In bed is my favourite way to be. Arlo hasn't always been the best sleeper, and I have no idea how long this new sleeping phase may last, but I shall be making the most of every last bed-bound moment this new phase brings.

HNY

A year in (very mini) review: Two new nephews. Arlo's first steps and words. Dream job realised. Brilliant pals and family. Lots of laughs (and a few tears). A looong summer. Wonderful weddings. Being part of our little family of three, the best team going. Balance.

If 2013 was a year of change, then 2014 was a year of settling in - to being a family, to figuring out this working mum thing, to living in the country instead of the city. To sharing so many amazing things (like babies and bumps and engagements and weddings) with friends and family who deserve it all. I'm not sure what I want 2015 to be a year of, I think I'm going to wait and see what it becomes.

Things I'm thankful for - an honorary Thanksgiving list

So it was Thanksgiving this week, and although that's not something I celebrate, I love the sentiment. So instead of letting life rush by, I wanted to take a moment to be thankful for all kinds of good good things that I want to remember this week:

• Hair. specifically Arlo's. Because he has grown his first little curl! It's right on the top of his head, and I know it to be very cute. After a year and a half of being a baldy, he's looking so grown up all of a sudden. (Exhibit A: this picture above that captures said curl. Bookshelf arrangement needs some work).

• Sofas. New pink ones. After going on and on about new sofas (and specifically pink ones) for ages, we finally plumped for one. I never thought a new sofa could rock my world as much as this one has, but for the first time we can all three of us fit comfortably onto one sofa, which makes for for some very nice cuddle scenarios. Last Sunday we had a sofa marathon that included Wallace and Gromit, cheese on toast and comic reading, and it was the BEST. (Exhibit B: arm of said sofa peaking out in picture above).

• The promise of the Xmas break. And not just for all the daytime boozing and pyjama wearing, but also for two weeks of all three of us off work and hanging out together, doing all kinds of family pursuits (i.e. daytime boozing and pyjama wearing). 

• New music. Got this this week and we can't stop playing it. All kinds of nice play-while-you're-cooking type sounds.

• Santa Claus. I had a realisation this week as I bought bits and bobs for Arlo's stocking: this year, I AM FATHER CHRISTMAS. It's our job to do the stocking thing now, and it's not a responsibility I'm taking lightly. I expect practice stocking 'stuffs' will need to be done to get the present order vs. lump ratio just right, because that stuff's important!

• Lights. Seeing them pop up day by day in front gardens and rooftops as we get closer and closer to Xmas. God I love fairy lights. I love that they're decorations you put up for everyone else to enjoy, rather than yourself. Gives me the warm and fuzzies to see them twinkling away.

Things I'm thankful for - the London edition

It's 2 o'clock in the afternoon and Arlo is sleeping. As I said in this post, he's not always the best sleeper, so a napping Arlo is definitely something to be thankful for. We're back from a trip to London and trying to get things back to normal, from sleep patterns to washing to food shopping and all those other boring things.

We had such a lovely trip and there's been so many things happening that I want to make sure I don't forget them before I move on to the next thing, so here's Things I'm Thankful for - the London edition:

• Weddings. God I love a good wedding. It's the best, happiest excuse for a party and it was wonderful to be at Alex's bro's wedding this weekend. AND I'm helping my sis plan hers, to much excitement.
• Confetti. How can you not be happy when there's confetti around?!
• Babysitters. Aex and I have had a night of manic dancing, dinner with friends, and a trip to the cinema all in the past week, because lovely people have looked after Arlo for us. 
• Being mega busy at work. Because it makes you truly appreciate the weekend, welcoming it like an old friend with open arms.
• Alex and Arlo's relationship. It's been getting stronger and stronger and it's so lovely to see them hanging out. Arlo doesn't need me all the time any more, and it's part and parcel of him getting bigger. That's both scary and amazing, and it's taking a bit of getting used to.
• TV. The good kind. I've always loved TV, but lately it's been so rubbish (apart from GBBO, obvs) and I've been hankering for something new. But now we've discovered True Detective - it's one of those series that's so good you text each other in the middle of the day just to say "I CAN'T WAIT FOR TONIGHT SO WE CAN WATCH TRUE DETECTIVE" (and yes you write it in caps because it's THAT good).
• Plus a miscellaneous list of other things that I have been thankful for this week: dim sum, wedding cake, Radio 6, disposable cameras, prosecco, picnics, friends, family.

Things I'm thankful for - the birthday edition

May I draw your attention to the perfect round dome of clotted cream pictured above? It was a truly joyous birthday sight, made even better by the fact that we were baby free and had several hours to partake in Afternoon Tea in the sunniest place on the Island.

In case you missed the huge sunnies in my last post, it was my birthday this weekend. I'm now officially 31, and I'm alright with it. One year in, my thirties are my favourite decade so far. The best present I got this year was a small, enthusiastic, walking man - Arlo is officially a walker now and it's amazing to see him strolling around in what I find a surprisingly casual manner, as if it's what he's been doing all his life.

The Bank Holiday weekend was so full of lovely happenings that it's reminded me of a few things I'm thankful for, including:

1. Buying myself flowers. Such a simple yet bloody lovely thing - why don't I do it more often?!
2. Hearing Arlo call "mama" from the other room and waddle round to find me for cuddles
3. Friends that energise you just by being near them
4. Really good coffee (Arlo's sleeping is not so good at the moment so this is what's keeping me going most days) 
5. Seeing Arlo hang out with both his new cousins in the space of a couple of weeks. He is mad about them both
6. The Arthur theme tune. It's been featuring pretty heavily in our house at the moment. The first note is enough to get Arlo bopping in his seat, and it's been subject to many a family sing-along lately. Too catchy! And also - how good is Arthur? It tackles interesting subjects that kids need to know about in a non-patronising way. This week alone it's covered topics including brand marketing tricks, how reality TV is edited, and why it's OK if your mum and dad fight sometimes (in an episode called "mum and dad had a really big fight" that was actually RIVETING. I don't want to ruin the ending, but it was all OK in the end because "disagreeing about something doesn't mean you don't still love each other." TRUTH.)

Life lately

It's been a busy old week in the Lewis-Wild household, and some lovely things have been happening that I want to stop for a second to remember before life whizzes by and I find myself preparing for another Monday.

Yesterday Arlo got fitted for his first pair of shoes. They are the bright red version of the shoes in my last post (yay to gender-neutral footwear!) and he looks proper grown up in them. The shoes are the latest in a long line of things that are amazing me and making me feel like time is flying by and he's getting more grown up by the minute. Some of the things he's learnt lately are useful and totally brilliant, like going backwards to get off the sofa or go down stairs safely, eating his cereal with a spoon or waving at people when they say goodbye. Other new tricks are less welcome, like knowing how to turn on the radio, set it to white noise, and turn the volume up. Really loud. (This happens daily - new out-of-reach shelving is needed). All in all he's going through some major leaps at the moment and it's really exciting. And obvs we couldn't resist a little father-son shoe shot. Look how small!

Arlo's grandma, aka my mum (must remember I don't need to call her grandma when Arlo isn't listening) has been a bit of a saviour this week. She looked after Arlo when we had to go to the dentist (four fillings between Alex and me, three of which were mine - ouch), took me out for a trip the cinema, and does things like impromptu washing up when she pops round, which is the way to my heart. She'll never read this of course, because she doesn't own a computer, but I am writing this more to remind myself how grateful I am to have her just around the corner. Here's Arlo climbing into her basket the last time she came round, so she couldn't leave (or so that she would take him with her if she did!)

Other things I don't want to forget this week is how bloody amazing the weather has been, and how nice it has been to be here on the island to enjoy it. The week has been filled with trips to the beach, local parks and dunks in the outdoor kiddy pool, and we've enjoyed picnics and walks with friends (both Arlo's and mine!) - basically all the stuff I daydreamed about when I was in London looking for a change.

Oh and this week I also completed my very first crochet granny square. It's two weeks since I wrote this post about starting a crochet project, and about six weeks since I bought the wool in the first place, so at this rate I may have something resembling a blanket by the time I actually am a granny. This first attempt is pretty wonky and probably won't even make the final blanket, but it's a start, and I reckon every other square is going to get a bit easier from now on. So that's one down, only about a hundred left to go...

Things I'm thankful for this week

Sat on the London train on the way to work yesterday I was thinking that it's been a pretty good week - it's not often I get 5 mins to sit and reminisce like that, and it was nice to stop and look back rather than always just being in the moment and focusing on getting things done all the time.

So in the spirit of celebrating the small things, I wanted to make a note of the things I've been thankful for this week - so that I don't forget them too quickly:

1. Finally teaching Arlo how to give kisses, and being woken up on Friday morning with a big smacker. I opened my eyes to see this squiggly little face peering down at me and my heart melted.
2. The ferry ticket man telling me I had a "very nice, very creative signature". My kind of compliment.
3. Listening to one of my all time favourite albums in full with no interruptions.
4. A night out in London - and making the last ferry home by minutes.
5. Celebrating with my friend and team mate Hannah on a VERY well deserved promotion
6. Sweet notes from sweet friends to tell me they're actually reading (and enjoying!) my blog. I frankly feel surprised to hear that anyone reads it at all, so big thanks if you're having a little peek at this right now - don't you look lovely today :)

Things I'm thankful for

This print was one of the first things I bought for our new home - in fact I bought it long before we ever moved in, and kept it in a drawer for months, waiting to be framed and hung in our first very own house. It had been sat on a pinterest board of mine for years before that before I tracked down the seller (check out more of her beautiful work here) and ordered it as a pre-house-warming present - I've always believed in celebrating and finding joy in the little every day things, and as soon as I saw the first thing on the list, I was sold - delicious beverages are basically what make my world go round.

It's hung up right by our front door in the living room - I purposefully wanted to put it up somewhere we'd see it every day as a little reminder of all the things we have to be be thankful for. Amongst other things, things I've been thankful for this week are:

1. Long baby naps and iced coffees
2. Cuddles with my brand new nephew Archie on his two-week birthday
3. Afternoon visits to the cinema with Alex - something that hasn't happened since BB (before baby)
4. A message from my dear friend (and very talented writer) Sparky that came at just the right time 
5. The sun beaming over our little back garden all day long 
6. A surprise visit from a BFF who drove down from London to hang with me and Arlo for a day
7. Lie-ins. Amen.