One hundred posts later....

I love doing my blog. A diary of what it is like to have a family of my own. My family is the most important and special gift that I could have ever been given. I am truly blessed and very fortunate to live in an age where I can record the day to day life of my children in a way that we always be there for Amy, I and any reader to enjoy. It is a very simple gift that I can give to Lucy and Anna to enjoy and be completely embarrassed about in years to come. In times when I might struggle to find the words and let my wife and girls know what they mean to me, all they will need to do is read this blog. So happy blogging century girls - may there be many more to come and may I embarrass you in only ways a father can do to his daughters! So in celebration - Lucy had achieved ten out of eleven dry nights and a very in depth conversation about the merits of 'hot' and 'cold' today and Anna you are growing up too fast. Slow down you are making me feel very old. I love you both very much.

Amy - thank to you for the two wonderful and scrumptious gifts that complete me and show me what is important. My family - you and the girls. I will keep on blogging for many years to come as it simply has become a part of me and reminds me that I am 'rich' beyond recognition...

Developmental milestones....

Anna is flashing and zipping everywhere now she is crawling. To say she is really enjoying her freedom would be an understatement. She is pretty darn pleased with herself. The problem is she is a little bit wired and is difficult to settle in the evening or get through the whole night. She is quite simply into everything. She is standing up using a table or the side of the bath and holding her weight for a good few minutes. She does need to work on her dismount, it's very undignified! Anna clapped her first clap this week, blew her first comedy raspberry, played her first drum and trumped in the bath for the first time. These are all important developmental landmarks and are well worth noting. Lucy has had a tough week with highs and lows. The high being she continues to have dry nights and has not had one accident, Barnaby Bear has come to stay with us for the weekend and her counting and number recognition is excellent. Low - she has spent the week on antibiotics and has had glands the size of golf balls!! Phrase of the week: 'Daddy we'll go upstairs and play, because we are girls and you stay downstairs and tidy up our mess, because you are a boy and very naughty!' Equality is going to be a problem in this house for many years to come....

She did it again!

Well done Looby chick! She did it again. Two dry nights in a row. The downside at the moment is that she is waking up very very early, by early I mean 5.30am! I think she might be worrying about trying not to have a wee. That will come with time. I am finding that a particularly painful experience, but never mind. She is such a big girl, she has taken to wearing her mummy's shoes. Don't walk before you can crawl Lucy as the saying goes. We had our friends Kate and Raz to lunch yesterday. Kate is pregnant and Lucy has predicted that it is a boy. So far she has a one hundred percent success rate, so watch this space in three months time. Oh they don't know what they are letting themselves in for!

Lucy's first big night...

Armed with only her wits, courage, brand new 'fifi' pyjamas and knickers, a protective sheet and my big girl is going boldly for her first night ever without a nappy. You go girl! She was so keen, right up to the last minute when you could hear nerves in her voice. She's now asleep so we will see what kind of night she and we have. I get really nervous about things like this, I am not sure whether it is because I don't like to see her upset or I am just afraid of change. Fingers crossed for the Looby chick as she takes another big leap towards growing up...

UPDATE IN THE MORNING: Fantastic, Lucy did it on her first night! She stayed dry and got up to use the toilet at 6am. Cue much celebration and general silliness...

The incredible story of the curious purple banana and Edmond the egg...

Lucy and I have been making up stories today with hilarious affect and the above title was by far the funniest. The plot was complex with twists and turns, thrills and spills and a damn good ending. Did I mention that Edmond had a crack that need fixing! We did have an argument about who would take the lead in the film version and Lucy's choice of director was appalling. Anna as you can see thought it was fantastic. In the background is the new rabbit her grandma bought her that Lucy has egocentrically named 'Lucy'. Bless her, Anna has not had many good times in the last few days. She has really struggled with her teeth and is very low. Lucy did not react well to me having all my hair shaved off on Friday, she thought I was poorly and cried and cried. We have set that record straight and now she just thinks I am silly! She is so very right. Thank god it will grow back and I can feel like me again. Hopefully tomorrow will bring a day when Anna feels more like herself too. P.S. thanks Lucy for being nice to me again, we must be setting a new record for consecutive days!

I Need to do something..

It has been an emotional and thoughtful week as a parent for me. I have been watching the television this week and reports from the build up to Comic Relief day and I cannot stop thinking about the plight of the children in the films. Three year old children in Africa such as Lucy without parents and caring for themselves. It does not bear thinking about, the thought of Lucy for example, having to go through that. I cannot even describe in words how that feels. Whilst Lucy is spirited and bright she has so much to learn and is so vulnerable. The loneliness, the fear and isolation of being without parents in a war zone. I am a very, very lucky man. So I have decided to do something about it and raise as much money as I can for Comic Relief. So tomorrow I am having all my having shaved off.

Heard a wonderful line this week, used to describe raising children: 'You will never have enough money and you will definitely never have enough sleep, but you will never not have enough love for your children'. My girls mean the world to me and now I am a parent watching programmes such as Comic Relief has suddenly become hard and I have lost my complacency. It brings home the responsibility of parenthood, how amazing it is, how wonderful and fragile your children are and how words are so hard to find to describe your love for them.

The one with the stroppy toddler. Or so I thought...

In the last couple of days Lucy has taken educated advice and seems to have decided that after all I am not that bad a person. She seems to like her daddy again. The annoying thing is I don't know why - is it the different way I have been with her or she just likes me again? I will never know. She has also been a fantastic big sister to Anna this week and helps her in so many ways. Anna is now seeming advanced compared to Lucy at eight months - but I suppose that is the advantage of having a big sister to learn from. Stop press and read all about it. Anna is crawling everywhere and nothing is safe. It's official!!!! All the stair gates are up, the fire is being carefully watched and all things small are becoming less accessible by the hour. She's a speedy little munchkin as well. We are all doomed I say - all doomed...

When you have had a bad day...

When you have a bad day, simply spending time with the ones you love can be the only tonic you need to get you back on track and reminds you why you graft and work hard. I have had a horrific day at work and spending time with Amy and the girls was the only thing I wanted to do by five o'clock. Alright apart from a nice strong coffee and several cigarettes, but nobody is perfect! P.S Lucy - thank you for being nice to me today...

Crawling, giggling, stropping and cursing!

The amazing Anna has started crawling, she clocked up about two and a half metres last night. I was so proud. She is progressing so well - confident with her sitting up, good communication noises, eating very well (accept fish), she loves 'in the night garden' and playing with colourful toys, she is always smiling and giggling away. I spent a fantastic fifteen minutes with her munching on puffed wheat whilst watching telly last night, bliss. She also completely adores her sister, who in turn adores her. Lucy on the other hand continues to give me a really hard time. My attempts to spend quality time with her on Sunday did work on a temporary basis, for the duration of our trip out, but it has been business as usual since our return. She is stroppy, opinionated, challenges everything I say or ask her to do. It is really getting me down. I will keep going and try not to take it personally. It is amazing that a three year old has nearly driven me to tears on several occasions in the last few days. Who ever said parenting was going to be easy. She is challenging her boundaries with me and we are learning much about our relationship. I know she is a good girl and we will find our way again. I know I can be a good dad.