...at your request (A)

HELLO AUNTY RACHEL

9pm, wed 28th jan, i am 6 and a half months old - this is me in my bouncy chair with my teething ring, in the kitchen listening to radio 3. the big boys have gone to bed and mum and dad are relaxing. i saw my cousin elijah today and we both ate pureed bolognase. my uncle dave bathed me, and my mum has to cut my nails every few days. i like being a 3rd child, so much to see...

i sleep on a sheep skin rug in the lounge room and have still to learn to sleep through the night. i do not like solids as much as milk

sometimes they ignore me here, but then other times i get lots of kisses from my big brothers who say 'it's okay bubba, it's okay'

either/either (A)

Today Seb started using the word either. eg. 'Not dat one either' (for the record, he pronounces it I-ther)

Let's clear a few things up. (T)

Firstly, despite the grim picture below, and a freezing couple of weeks after Christmas, the winter has been actually relatively mild this year.

Second, we call Sebastian the 'teenager' because he wakes, tousled in a grizzly mood from his afternoon sleep, takes an age to re-emerge as himself. Here is his in the light of his cake, at his birthday tea last week.

And, finally, when I can find it, here's a slot for a photo from Eddie's nativity play, courtesy uncle sam:

Echo Park (T)

With Uncle David during the very cold 12 days of christmas. Make sure you've got your sound on for the weird echo.

The Teenager turns Two (T)

Sebastian, our coy, pouting, shouting mischief-maker, turned two today.

Cock-a-doodle-do (T)

Rooster having his first ever solids. Sebastian offered to help, but given the opportunity, he just eat the baby food. When I did the second feed later that night, Eddie was also intrigued. "big boys can also have solids" he said, eliptically.

New Year's Day (A)

While Tom went on his traditional, lone, New Year's Day country walk, we made this...

sorry not to get it the right way up. Anyway, it was delicious.

Salisbury (T)

To visit Gemma at the Panto, and Sam in his Hampshire manor, we stayed in beautiful nearby Salisbury. We got to go to the cathedral for sunday church, and all stayed together in one large room in the hotel. This was fun, but exhausting, as the boys were so energised by being all together that we just left the TV on and stayed up till nearly midnight, half-heartedly sending them periodically back to bed. At intervals, the boys discovered biscuits or little containers of milk, and shared them together. We told Eddie to get back into bed with his biscuit, but he didnt want to get crumbs in his sheets, so sat perched on the end. The mornings were harder, and the photo records a tear on Eddie's cheek.