35 months old (oops)

We recently realised that with all of the excitement about posting the fun things we got up to in August in the Isle of Man, we forgot the regular monthly update! So it is long overdue (especially as the next one is due in a week!) but I wanted to quickly do the 'what happened in August' post - though it will be fairly quick, seeing as most of it was spent in the Isle of Man, and we already covered that.

So here we go!
Firstly, here are his pictures side by side:

34 months old

35 months old

And these pictures lead nicely into one of my favourite things about Finn. His joyfulness. It's often commented on by strangers about what a 'happy' boy he is, and it is entirely true. Obviously he has his moments, but for the most part he is a happy, joyful, easy going and fun child to be around. We are very very lucky indeed!  But the best thing about that joyfulness is the way it bubbles over - it is so free-flowing and genuine.  And there's a great illustration in these photos. This is a sequence of trying to get his monthly picture. He was a bit bored by it all and we were getting pictures like this (including his version of 'saying cheese'):

But then I did one simple thing. I stood behind his dad, who was taking the pictures, and pretended my finger was a wriggly worm that was about to go into his hair.  Not really that funny - but this is the sort of reaction we get from Finn -

It's lovely and great fun! He loves being silly as well. We don't have many pictures but he's a great one for making funny faces and talking in silly voices. He loves playing pretend and dressing up and overall having a grand time.

Speaking of having a grand time, August also had James' birthday. We made a cake and gave presents and it was lovely fun. I got James a travel guitar so he could have one when he goes to the Isle of Man and also made him a guitar strap as well. While I was at it, I made a matching one for Finn. I have to admit - it's pretty cute seeing him playing his guitar like a proper musician, and he likes matching his dad.

The only other exciting thing that happened in August was when James went back to the Isle of Man and Finn and I stayed home (August really WAS about the IOM, wasn't it!). We had lots of fun adventures. My favourite was when we went off to find a 'jungle' in the city. I discovered that the Barbican Centre (which is very close to my museum) has a massive indoor conservatory that they open up to the public every now and then. I discovered that it was open on that weekend and we had a day out, Finn and me. First we read some books with jungles in them and talked about whether we could find one in the city - and decided to have an adventure and see.  I knew the conservatory wasn't open for a bit so we went to the museum first and had a look around - but no jungles there! Then we took a walk next door and wandered the building until, what-do-you-know?! Finn saw a jungle!! We had a good look and wander and sat on a bench and read some more books with jungles in them and talked about what we could see that 'matched.' Then we went down to the fountains outside and had our picnic lunch and then went home.  Overall a lovely lovely lovely day that I'll remember for a while.

And I suppose the last thing about Finn is that we've finally sorted out his bedtimes! Up until now, he has needed someone to stay in the room with him until he fell asleep, both at night and for his naps. I knew that this was something that needed to change before the new baby got here, but neither of us were too anxious to change it because I actually rather enjoyed that time. It never took too long and it was nice to know that I always had this time at the end of the day after dinner and everything was all sorted to settle Finn into his bed and then just sit down and relax for a bit. Especially when I was early pregnancy and I was exhausted by 7:30 - I would lay down on a mattress beside Finn's bed and have my own little snooze.  So we weren't stressed by the 'bad habit' and were in no hurry to 'fix' it. Until this month when we figured we should make a start - in order to get it sorted by October since it was so ingrained it was likely to take awhile.

Little did we know that it was completely the opposite and easily sorted!  James took Finn to the Isle of Man and used that as the opportunity to make a go of it - the circumstances were different so he thought he might accept it. It came to bedtime and he settled Finn down and then said that he was going - and Finn accepted it! (or so James tells me - I'm always glad when James does these sorts of things, I can be a bit too much of a soft touch when it comes to carrying through...)
Then, later, when I joined them I just carried on the same. There were a few times that he cried a bit and asked me to stay, but it never lasted long (as in 5 minutes tops) and he got over it. And that was it!  Sorted! Evenings are back, Finn goes in his bed and gets a kiss and I walk out the room. So simple in the end. Parenting - it's always full of surprises.

And that's all I can really think of for Finn and August.  So here are two more pictures of him being lovely:

And I guess now is a good time as well to talk about the next one.  Firstly I'm amazed at both how swiftly the time has passed (I'm full term on Friday!) but also how long it feels like it has taken. This pregnancy has hit me a lot harder than the last one and it's been quite hard. Partly probably because of having Finn around as well - so things like the lack of sleep which came with both is harder to deal with this time around because it doesn't matter how little I slept in the night, Finn is up at 6:30 and so am I! So while I remember some of the same things being difficult, they are much more pronounced now. But there are other things as well, things that are unique to this pregnancy that are making it harder. Mostly it's the fact that I've developed SPD (which, if you're curious, stands for symphysis pubis dysfunction) which is a condition where the ligaments that hold the bones of your pelvis together loosen and allow them to separate.  What that means in reality is that any movement that uses my pelvis (ie: most everything but especially walking, climbing stairs, getting up off the floor etc) causes the bones to rub together and it all gets very inflamed and painful.  At its best it's just a dull ache that feels like a bit of a bruise, at its worst it is a sharp hot stabbing pain as if I've been kicked in the crotch out of nowhere. It is a LOT better now that I've been getting treatment for it and have met with a physio who showed me ways to manage it etc etc. I keep ice on it when I can and have learned what to avoid doing in order to keep it under control. So it is definitely a lot better than it used to be - before I was diagnosed or knew what was going on, I would get to the end of the day and find that I couldn't walk. I could stand on two legs, but as soon as I shifted my weight to one the pain was unbearable and down I went. That was a miserable time. But I am past that now. If I'm careful with what I do during the day I can entirely manage the pain levels. But it's still annoying and upsetting at times - because being careful with what I do means I have to not do a lot of things I used to. I can't carry Finn at all because the extra weight makes it worse, I can't walk around much, I can't climb and play in the park, I move very slowly, etc etc. It was especially hard in the Isle of Man when there was SO much I wanted to be a part of and so much I didn't want to say no to. It was a trade off -enjoy this now and hurt later or deny this now and be ok later. But I just took each choice at a time, and there are some things that it was certainly worth hurting later for and I'm glad I did them.  It's also hard now that I've started my Maternity leave. I had big plans for these few weeks after-work-but-pre-baby.  Art exhibitions I wanted to see, long walks around gardens I don't ever get to visit, leisurely wandering the shops... But that's all gone.  I've replaced them with other fun things to do, but it's always hard when your body restricts you and there's nothing you can do about it. It feels a bit like a betrayal.  So overall, yeah - not really enjoying being pregnant and glad that this is the last time I'll have to do it!

But regardless of all the physical stuff there is still the very very exciting thing to look forward to which is the new baby. Which I think we sort of keep forgetting is going to happen, and soon! We still are nowhere closer to a name, haven't set up the cot or organised the clothes... or packed the hospital bag, or... well, anything really!  It's funny to think about this time last time. It was so overwhelmingly CLOSE AND SOON AND OMG LIFE CHANGING! Whereas this time, it feels like still loads of time and really there's no need to even think about it yet and actually, if I'm honest, we're both a little bit dreading it as well. Newborns are hard work. It's a blessing to at least know what we're getting into - so the fear and uncertainty that was so overwhelming with Finn isn't there anymore. We know what's coming.  But at the same time - we know what's coming.  I'm sure it will all be 1000% 'worth it' as soon as there is the little face to love and it's not just the thought of having 'a newborn' again, but we're looking at our actual son, a person with a name (hopefully) and needs that we desperately want to take care of. But at this point the idea of starting it all over again is a bit... daunting.  But there's something else we also now know this time around - and that is how FAST that time goes. Even though every day feels like an epic lifetime, the actual months fly by and all the sudden BOOM! you're planning their 3rd birthday :)

So I'll leave it at that I think.  But here are a few more pictures for you, this time of me. With Finn we took a lot of pregnancy photos - not so much this time around! But did take the opportunity when we were on the beach in Peel to get a few... I'm 30 weeks pregnant in these so it's not the most recent update - but they are a nice record of what I looked like with this baby, none-the-less!

And here is a random video of the alien inside me trying to get out, just because it's freaky and weird and fun.  Enjoy!

And on that note - until next time! When Finn will be THREE!

Isle of Man, Week Two: With Cori

So, after the last post about the first week in the Isle of Man, we're now onto the second week, spent with Cori as a part of the team.
Cori wasn't able to join us for the first week, because of her work, but she was keen to get over for at least one Summer week, after the great fun we'd had last year in her absence. When we looked at the dates, we determined that she needed to get there for the Saturday, because of the Royal Agricultural Show!
It may seem like an odd thing for us to work our schedule around, but Finn had had an amazing time at it last year, so we were both keen to have him there again and both to be there for it. And it was certainly an exciting event, for a Finn. For instance, there was a heap of old machinery up and running:

And a big old threshing machine:

(Excuse my excitement here - threshing machines are very exciting!)

And there were also the old cars and tractors on display, the new tractors and diggers on show/sale etc. And there were also the salespeople out to bribe the crowds with sweet treats, which Finn adored:

And, of course there were the animals...

Finn even got to meet his first ever real Little Turtle:

He also got to meet the native sheep of the Isle of Man, the Loaghtan, which is a very beautiful looking thing:

However, the Loaghtan is also much less easy-going than your average sheep, which caught us rather unawares. We were hanging out next to the pen of the male sheep perusing our map and whatnot with Finn as close to the still sheep as he was in the above picture, but Finn then put his hand out to touch the wooden bars of the pen and the sheep immediately dipped its head and rammed the bars. Terror and wailing ensued!
It had nipped Finn's finger and almost broke the skin, which must have hurt, but Finn was probably more upset by the shock of the thing. He wailed and wailed, but eventually we got him calmed down enough to explain that it was just one Not-Nice sheep and that we would go and find some other nice sheep to speak to (though, admittedly, not to get as close to again!).
Here is a picture of the offending Loaghtan - if you see him, be aware that this one is Not Nice:

But Finn was soon happy again once we met back up with his cousins, when everything couldn't be better - especially since he could even show off his Hurt Finger to everyone. As to why that meant he had to sit on Thomase's lap, who was sitting on Heidi's lap, we do not know...

Finn, by this stage, impressively, had also involved his aunt and uncle in his ring of complete trust and adoration:

When we bumped into Dean in the supermarket a few days later Finn was delighted to be in the queue behind him, as it meant that he could spend the whole time skipping around him, banging on his belly and saying "Dean! Dean!" repeatedly!

We had been saving things in the first week, knowing that they would be things which Cori would want to be involved in, so when she arrived we got stuck into some really fun outings, such as going to Douglas...

... to get on the Steam Train...

... to Port Soderick.

In fact, it's only one stop, but it still took 15 minutes or so, which was as much as we could have hoped for with the patience of a gaggle of boys. And it also took us down to a beautiful bay where we could enjoy our packed lunch:

After exploring the bay with cousins for a little while...

... I decided to instigate some oh-so-daring paddling in the waves. But the nephews soon upped the stakes into an all-out swim.

Finn wanted to take part, but not actually to go in the cold and scary waves, so Cori was called up from reserves. This meant that I was free to dunk the older boys (note the mid-turn of Oliver in the second picture here, moments before a wave would unexpectedly submerge his head completely!):

One of the most exciting trips of the holiday was to Peel Castle, which always amazes us in how stunningly beautiful and idyllic it is. It's hard to imagine ever growing tired of it, so we always try and get to it whenever we're over...
However, having said that, we've never actually managed to (officially) get inside before, since it's only open in summer, and when there haven't been freak snowfalls to block the entrance (as happened the last Easter that we were over).
(And, if you are wondering about the "officially" having never been in, that is a reference to our Young & Free days when Cori and I climbed up the walls to get in one cold February day, long before Finn. It's not really a story we often recall, but it seems to have become a thing of legend in Finn's cousin's household, where the boys almost revere us for such daring. Mind you, it does look very high from the outside!)

(And, for all those Hall Caine fans out there, it was in the last of the large red-brick Victorian houses on the far side of the bay that he finished The Manxman... "Wow!" I hear you say!)

On the drive there (after Cori frustratingly beat the rest of us to spotting the castle first as we came down the coast road), I had read everyone the legend of the Moddey Dhoo, the famous "Black Dog" of Peel Castle, who one day frightened the life, literally, out of one of the guards there. The boys were (we were very impressed to discover) rather mesmerised by the story and even Finn became very excited to get inside and to see the Moddey Dhoo. He spoke about it all the way round and was particularly interested to stand silently observing the statue of a dog in the guard house, just beyond the entrance here:

Besides the Moddey Dhoo, Peel Castle is a particularly great castle for being very ruinous (in a good way!) and so great for running about and discovering, in a real adventure sort of way:

There was also one of the most painful parts of many heritage sites - the dreaded audio-tour. (The quickest way to turn interesting history into a laborious slog through laboured text and painful acting!). But at least Finn and Jake found it interesting (for about 1 minute)...

But after that minute, the handsets were handed to granny to clatter around with as they found a good bank to roll down, as you do!

Finn was momentarily distraught when the boys darted off to race around the ruins, but it did give us the opportunity to snap him happily in what passes for flowers on a small islet in the windy Irish Sea:

 Then the necessary part of any Boys' outing - a picnic!

(I still can't believe that I told everyone to look and smile, and we just about got it, except for granny, who was too busy shoving a crisp in her mouth!)

The view from our lunch spot was probably one of the most lovely possible. It inspired us to line the boys up to pose in front of it:

... We're rather proud of this picture, with everyone smiling. But it was only manageable by me doing handstands in the background, which inspired everyone else to have a go themselves...

Peel Castle: great for Finns and Cousins:

And, finally, this is probably going to be their album cover when they release their Manx Hip-Hop beats:

We were exhausted, but they boys had been promised the beach, so we went down there for a quick play:

Then followed a couple of days happily entertaining ourselves in Ramsey, where we were staying in the flat overlooking the sea, and where people like granny would come and visit.

But one of the greatest things about Ramsey, according to the cousins, is the skate park. Finn was introduced to this by them and loved it. Admittedly, he was not up to the sorts of tricks and jumps that the older boys were capable of, especially since he was on the plastic trike that his uncle Dean had leant him, but he did have a lot of fun scooting himself around the edge and watching everyone:

It is probably worth noting how nice and considerate all of the Youth were on the jumps and half-pipes of the skate park - they would all stop en masse whenever Finn got anywhere close to their run. I'd try to tell them to go, saying that Finn would just go around them, but they all said (in an awkward teenager way) "no, no, you go through, it's ok." - Ramsey Skate Park Youth - the nicest Youth I've ever met! They evidently bring them up proper in Ramsey.

Toy bikes were an added joy of the trip, as there was one in the flat as well the one we borrowed for the skate park. When I picked up Cori and Finn from outside the chippy at the other end of town to the flat one wet afternoon, I was surprised to see them come around the corner and appear like this:

Cori tells me that it had started as a request from Finn to simply drive about "outside" (even though it was raining), but he'd done it sufficiently long and she still had time to kill, so she decided to let him scoot the thing down the main street. I don't know what Ramsey would have made of a Finn scooting down the road in wellies in the rain, but I imagine it probably converted into something approaching the joy I imagine Finn probably felt.

But the biggest thing in Ramsey, especially in summer when living in the flat, is the beach...

Finn even ventured out into the actual sea instead of just staying in the tidepools - until Cori carelessly mention how nice it was to be where the waves were, and Finn realised for the first time that he WAS in the waves and immediately raced back for the shore...

What we hadn't counted on was our coinciding perfectly (by luck) with the weekly practice launch of the Lifeboat. Finn was, well, as you'd expect...

I don't imagine that there are words to speak the fever pitch of attention and excitement that Finn experienced in seeing the lifeboat. We would tell it in pictures, but unfortunately the pictures just look like a concentrating Finn...

But Finn's being distracted gave me the chance to do this...

...which was one of the best ideas I suspect any father of a car-obsessed son has ever had on a beach: creating a massive road map in the sand!
Unfortunately no pictures can really show the enormous grid of roads, junctions, roundabouts, stop signs and lights that was created. But they do show Finn having an immense amount of fun being a car driving around it (and bullying his mother into also being a car and following him):

And (though I fear the idea of more pictures might bring a groan from anyone who's followed thus far) by this time the light had become brilliant so we grabbed a few last pictures before we darted in for dinner (or "tea" as it is on the island, which proved to be nothing less than confusing for Finn, who would always react with "I don't like tea" whenever granny or Heidi invited him to the table at 6pm or so!).

After all that, our time was running short, so we thought that we should give Finn the most from an Isle of Man trip that he could hope for, so we made sure that there were more trips on the trams!

First up, we returned to Laxey, where we went on the rather exciting half-hour tram trip up the mountain. (People often laugh at me for talking about "the mountain", but it is actually highly accurate - there is, in fact, only one peak that officially counts as a mountain amongst all the slightly-less tall hills of the island).

The route took us up one of the most beautiful valleys on the island, with a great view of Laxey Wheel again, hence the excitement in the picture here:

At the top of Snaefell we rewarded ourselves with a swift hot chocolate before the trip back down, but not before we'd strolled to the very top of the mountain...

... which was very windy:

Back down in the village, we then ticked off another Isle of Man transport must, though probably one of the silliest - a 2-minute mini-steam-train ride on an old mine's track.

Finn, however, did not find it silly in the slightest - he found it something incredibly absorbing and serious, as ever, especially when we went through the spooky tunnel (we tried to instigate a spooky "Ooooh!" but Finn was too busy taking it all in to care about us silly adults - we felt very foolish!)

By the end Finn had proven himself sufficiently One Of Us with the volunteer train enthusiasts who maintain the line to be allowed to sit in the drivers' seat. Finn felt very proud:

In the background here you see not the Laxey Wheel, but a much smaller one that is further down the valley. Finn christened this the 'Little Laxey Wheel', obviously associating it with himself in the guise of 'Little Turtle', since he has been equally keen that we draw both the actual Laxey Wheel and the Little Laxey Wheel whenever we get a pen in our hands ever since.

After that, there are only the two last trips to recount...

The first was another outing on the tram, this time to Dhoon Glen. Cori came with us, but she didn't come down the Glen with us, which is (I imagine) the longest of them all. Finn would normally have cried and moaned at leaving her behind, but we went with the cousins and the mob of Treasure Seekers from Maughold Church, so he didn't care about her absence in the slightest. He didn't even say goodbye to her, simply running off shouting with the rest of them!
Eventually we settled into the long-distance strategy of pacing ourselves behind the speedies and taking in the lovely sights. And at the end we were rewarded with a much-needed packed lunch:

I would show you the pictures of the return trip, but there aren't any - Finn was too tired and so I carried him pretty much the entire way sleeping. This taught me the hard way what a heavy thing he has become lately!

And that takes us up to the last day. We had a few hours only in the afternoon between packing and flying, but we managed to pack in a trip south to the Port Erin. The main drive/excuse for going there was the (very small) train museum, but I'm sure that you can imagine for yourselves by now what Finn looks like near a train. Instead we'll leave you with one last picture of Finn enjoying one last decadence with granny; a juice by a lighthouse (the cakes have already been eaten by this point!):

After that we got back on the plane and flew back to London.

It's rather sad now to look back on all of these pictures showing such a lovely trip. It would be nice if such holidays never had to end. Sigh.

But there will always be next year, when we'll be making it with not just Little Turtle, but also with Baby Turtle as well! Let's hope that he will enjoy it as much as Finn does.