Christmas with George

Christmas was lovely. George didn't really notice the huge pile of presents that had magically appeared under the Christmas tree – he was more concerned about the chocolate behind the last door of the advent calendar and attempted to plough through the mountain of wrapped gifts to get to it.

However, after both sets of grandparents arrived and the first couple of presents were unwrapped he soon realised there was a lot of fun to be had – both in the unwrapping to find out what lay beneath the brightly coloured paper and then in playing with the toys he discovered. Eventually it all got a bit too much and the final few presents were put back under the tree to be unwrapped another day.

Christmas dinner was a big hit but Christmas pudding failed to make an impression and was the only thing to wipe a smile off George's face the whole day.

After a day indoors it was nice to get outside for a breath of (very chilly) fresh air on Boxing Day when George enjoyed some fun playing in the "no" (that's snow – which sometimes caused a little confusion that should be cleared up now that the "no" has melted away).

Back in the warm, snug in his new pyjamas, and he returns to having a whale of a time with his new toys and books – and just like any other little boy, sometimes the boxes can be just as much fun too!

An exciting Christmas

George got quite exited when he had his first encounter with Santa at a 'Tots and Toddlers' Christmas party, pointing and shouting "man" at the top of his voice as if no one in the room had noticed the big, bright, bearded fellow. Most of the other little ones watched Santa warily. Just imagine how excited George will get when he understands the tradition of Father Christmas bringing presents.

George won't remember his first Christmas when he was seven months old and didn't know what was going on, but hopefully this time he'll pick up on the vibe and will soon be as excited I am (and mummy is) – he already loves his "chee" and come January he'll really miss the advent calendar with chocolates behind the little doors which has been a big hit (perhaps someone should make one with 365 little doors).

Anyway, here's to a happy Christmas for all... and also wishing everyone gets a little excitement too.

Oh Christmas cheeee!

Yes... it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas at our house and George was a little wary when a tree (or "chee" as he prefers to say) appeared in the corner of the living room. Now that it's been up a little while, however, he has to keep checking it's still there, that the decorations are all as they should be and that the lights are all aglow (heaven forbid anyone turn them off – that would be more than a problem, it would be a disaster).

Anyway, here's how he reacted when he first saw his "chee"...

I don't know whether it's the excitement of Christmas or whether it's the fact that there has been quite a bit of paper around recently, what with Christmas cards and wrapping up presents, but George probably thought he was helping by making his own contribution...

And, of course, Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without the Radio Times magazine. George is quite taken with it and enjoys nothing more than sitting on mummy's or daddy's lap, flicking through the pages, pointing out the Christmas "chees". Mummy was particularly happy when he pointed at a picture of Angelina Jolie and shouted "mama" – although she soon returned to earth with a bump when a few pages later George shouted exactly the same thing at a picture of Anne Widdecombe.

Goodbye nan

A picture from earlier this year of George with his Great Nan who died this week. If he lives as long as she, it will be another 91 years before they meet again.

Blood, money and music

Last Thursday George fell off a step and bashed his chin. In the process his teeth embedded themselves into the inside of his bottom lip. At the time it was pretty scary and George was more than a little bit shocked too. It seemed like the bleeding would never stop, so much so that we couldn’t see exactly what he’d done for what seemed like ages.

Mummy was right next to him and she managed to catch him before he gave his head a great whack too, but however close or lightning quick you are, it’s never quick enough.

George was soon back to his normal self. After sitting quietly for most of the morning – perhaps feeling a bit sorry for himself – he was munching on biscuits by mid-afternoon.

And we also weren’t quick enough to catch him before he got to the fridge the other day. We’d been to the supermarket and made sure we had all the ingredients to bake this year’s Christmas pudding when George put a spanner in the works by grabbing two eggs and hurling them across the kitchen. The look on his face was pure dismay as they disintegrated on the tiles rather than bounce happily away. We told him off but even then we were trying not to laugh.

We couldn’t help but laugh though, when George started pointing and shouting “Nanna” at a £20 note that was on the kitchen table. Now neither nanna looks much like the Queen, but perhaps one of them dons a tiara to change George’s nappy.

I was quite pleased the other day. I’ve been giving George a few lessons in ‘Classic Albums’ (my interpretation of a classic album is probably off the scale for most people). Most lessons go unheeded and he prefers to rock back and forth to his own favourite ‘Row, Row, Row Your Boat’. However, I introduced him to the timeless classic ‘Gentlemen Take Polaroids’ by Japan and it wasn’t long before he was rocking his head to ‘Methods of Dance’, ‘Swing’ and the title track. You gotta say – the boy got taste... he obviously appreciates the syncopated rhythm of Mick Karn's bassline and Steve Jansen's drumming, or perhaps it the technically brilliant arrangement and sweeping dynamics of each track.

For those unfamiliar with Japan, here's a taste. The music may be timeless but the fashion... well the less said about that the better.