No more resolutions

I never thought it would happen – but my iPod now has Incy Wincy Spider on it, along with other children's favourites including I'm a Little Teapot and Dingle Dangle Scarecrow.

Resolutions made in the past – not to have any toys in the lounge; not to have Fisher Price ditties competing with daddy's Feeder or David Sylvian CDs; to avoid dirty nappies; not to be seen in public in charge of a pushchair – have all gone out of the window and the last bastion of baby-free living (daddy's iPod) has finally succumbed... Well, actually, there's still the computer which one day will inevitably have CBeebies in 'My Favourites'.

It's the time of year when people make resolutions in order to change their lives, more often than not it's something challenging that will hopefully make them feel better. Well, there are no resolutions for us this year – other than George. He's the one making all the changes – albeit indirectly – they're nearly always a challenge and when he smiles (in a nice megalomaniac type way) he makes us realise that life is better than we sometimes think.

Anyway, here's his first experience of Christmas morning.

Happy New Year!

It's the Christmas No 1

It's George's first Christmas and he doesn't know that he's about to get stimulation overload for the next couple of days – but we're certainly looking forward to see how he copes.

Mummy and daddy have made last-minute trips to the shops and the supermarket to make sure nothing has been forgotten – presents, food and all sorts. Not that the world would come to an end if we ran out of anything before the shops open after two days – but we certainly have a 'Christmas charts' of items that could make the festive season miserable if they were in short supply. This years top five is as follows:

1. Nappies – a new entry replacing last year's regular No 1 spot holder, wine.

2. Milk formula – another new entry. Last year's No 2 was stuffing.

3. Dishwasher tablets – Making the top three all new entries and pushing cheese out of the top five altogether. We never realised how vital these little things were until our sink began to look like a job for Kim and Aggie.

4. Baby wipes – Nowhere to be seen last Christmas, this record fourth new entry knocks pigs-in-blankets down to 10th place.

5. Wine – it has slipped a few places but keeps its annual spot in the top five.

George is going to look great for all the Christmas photos and videos. He's got a 'Baby's first Christmas' romper suit and – as seen on his Christmas photo last week – a snuggly reindeer outfit. He's also got his first bruise – just under his eye on his left cheek. Even when you're right on top of them, they suddenly lurch in an unexpected direction and George lurched forward bashing himself on one of his favourite toys. Unfortunately, George is the wrong shade of pink to borrow mummy's foundation, I know it's Christmas but we don't want him looking like a pantomime dame.

Apart from that, we've all had a fun week this week (daytimes only). The highlight for daddy was when Nanny and Grandad came round for a coffee and watched as George pooed in mummy's hand just as she'd taken off his nappy.

The other highlight was the first birthday party of his friend William where George had a jolly old time joining in with the musical fun – they even sang his favourite Hokey Cokey song. Another five months and it will be George's turn and somehow – in those five months – it looks like there's a dietary transition from the mushed-up goodness of wholesome fruit and veg to cakes, crisps and pizza. Now, I'd never expect him to eat broccoli or sprouts like mummy does, but if daddy can't say no to sausage roll, what will George be like? Oh the worry... the worry... will it ever go away?

Does he know it's Christmas?

It'll be George's first Christmas in a few days time and there have been a few Christmas dilemmas along the way.

The first was the Christmas tree. Usually adorned with colour-coordinated or themed decorations, this year it looks more like a display in a toy shop window with its colour-changing lights, Father Christmases swinging from the branches and even a wooden frog with moving arms and legs. Strange thing is, I think it looks better than ever – and George almost hyperventilates the moment his fingers get anywhere near a bauble.

The other Christmas dilemma is the wrapping paper. Do we wrap George's presents or not? After all, it will be mummy and daddy undoing all their own hard, wrapping-up work – then again, I'm going to feel a bit stingy (or should that be Scroogey) if mummy and daddy are the only ones who haven't wrapped up his presents.

There's also the Christmas entertainment dilemma – only realised the other day when daddy was faced with the musical choice of Westlife's latest single (mummy was watching the Alan Titchmarsh Show) or the Fisher Price cover version of Puff the Magic Dragon (daddy was playing with George). In a battle of these musical greats Puff the Magic Dragon won hands down, but there are going to be times in the coming week or two when the decision is oh-so-close.

And... we must remember to put some ice in the freezer in case anyone fancies it in their Baileys. Daddy forgot to put the white wine in the fridge the other day and thought he'd chill a glass with an ice cube, only all the ice cube trays are being used for you know who. Faced with the dilemma of choosing between white wine chilled with a cube of sweet potato or waiting for the white wine to cool in the fridge, daddy went for the sensible option and had a nice warm glass of white wine.

Anyway, it's a very happy Christmas from George... and his mummy and daddy. Baileys and parsnip puree anyone?

That's what it's all about

There's a bit of a battle going on. George loves to eat all the sweet things we give him, but he attempts to return the savoury things by way of pushing them out of the corners of his mouth.

This is what he looks like when half way through his yoghurt and fruit dessert...

And this when he's trying some of daddy's specially-made-for-George cottage pie...

He is getting better and even surprised us the other day when he happily munched down a mush of cabbage and peas.

We've found he's more likely to eat the not-sweet things if he's in a good mood and it's the Hokey Cokey that works wonders at the moment - especially when he's watching daddy put his 'whole self in, his whole self out, in, out, in, out, shake it all about'.

I don't know... the things you do to get your baby to eat green stuff.

Water world we live in

George had his first swimming lesson this past week. Lots of mummies with different sized and shaped babies took their little ones for their first dip at the local pool.

George has had a dip before – on a few days break in Weymouth – when the pool was a bit nippy to say the least. The temperature at the local health club's pool was considerably warmer and George almost fell asleep as he was whirled around on his back as the mummies all sang Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.

He took the dunking bit without even the slightest flinch and the expression on his face as he resurfaced remained utterly nonchalant. Unfortunately, there are no photos to prove it.

Even though photography was allowed, all the daddies, grandads and grandmas kept their cameras tucked away – no one wanting to be the first just in case someone objected, which was a little sad really; bit of an indictment of today's society.

George has taken a liking to slippers this week – especially daddy's big blue ones. No book or toy could keep him from leaning and stretching to see what the feet in the slippers were doing, so there was only one solution...

Early one morning and a bit bleary-eyed, daddy had to change George's nappy – which is a particularly slow process when daddy does it. Half way through, when George is without both old and new nappies he decides to do a tinkle which surprises daddy whose reactions aren't at their peak. Daddy grabs a muslin to mop up the damp patch on the carpet. However, when mummy comes to dress George a little later she is left wondering how his little trousers got wringing wet.

If they'd have been his little denim jeans with the elasticated waist then there would have been no mix up – it's just that everything else feels so soft and it's nearly all baby blue. Actually, even the little jeans with the elasticated waist are pretty soft. In fact, daddy wouldn't mind a pair of those himself... hmmm, comfy!

You scratch your nose, you scratch mine

It doesn't seem to matter how snuggly George's little mits fit, he always seems to wake up with his hands free and a scratch (or four or five) somewhere – usually on his head.

Mummy keeps his nails nice and short but somehow he still manages to scratch himself. The other day he gave himself a long line that stretched from the top of his ear almost to his little nostril and together with the red dash on his nose and the marks on his head from previous days, looked as if we'd been putting him to bed in a bramble bush.

It bothers us a lot more than it does him – especially when it's shopping day. Instead of proudly showing him off, mummy and daddy give him much more of a lower profile to avoid the looks that say 'just what have you been doing to that poor baby?'.

This week daddy didn't feel quite so much of a paranoid parent – George managed to hang on to daddy's face long enough to give him a matching scratch on his nose which certainly got people feeling sorry for him instead...

George needed feeding half way through a shopping trip, so mummy and daddy went to the nearest cafe where mummy sat down to give George his bottle and daddy joined the queue for refreshments. Daddy returned to the table with coffee and tea and two little jugs of milk only to realise that he'd forgotten the teaspoons. Two ladies on the next table overheard his muttering and took pity on him when they saw his attempt to stir coffee by a) swishing it about, and b) using his finger. So much so that one of them got up and walked all the way across the crowded cafe just to fetch two teaspoons. How kind was that? With results like that George can scratch daddy's nose any time.

What mummy and daddy have noticed they have been enjoying over the past few months is the way they have been able to expand their use of the English language. George should be no different to all the other kids who grow up with fantastic imaginations when he has started life listening to sentences such as:

"There's a row of animals stuck to your bottom."

"Oh dear, you've got sick on the cow's hoof now."

"How did you get that elephant on your head?"

"I wish that darn crab would shut up."

"Are you looking at my slipper?"

(Of course, the last sentence has more impact when repeated Robert De Niro style).

Our funny little fella

It's magical to see George changing (not his nappy) and becoming more interactive. He's started to do things such as arch his back when you go to lift him out of the car seat, and put his hands out on sight of anything bottle shaped.

It's great to see his little personality beginning to evolve and there are a few things that make us smile. Every time you say 'hello' he smiles and then bashfully buries his head in mummy or daddy's armpit – bashful being the operative word as his little noggin can deliver headbutts of considerable force. He can also cling on to mummy's hair like a strongman pulling a lorry, and when mummy starts saying 'ow, ow, ow', that's his cue to do a bigger smile and tug a little harder – not so funny for mummy.

Some of his facial expressions are quite amusing too – and sometimes there's a touch of mummy or daddy in them. Today is the first really windy day he has experienced and his first impression, much like the first time he felt rain, was one of disapproval. Very similar to daddy's frown, George looked around as if to say 'is there really any need...?'

There's one thing George can do that daddy hadn't even thought of, let alone tried, and that's sneeze and fart at the same time. George was sitting up on his towel all ready for his nightly bath and the eruption of noise at both ends made mummy and daddy snigger naughtily. George obviously thought he was doing something right and after a little smile repeated his sneeze/fart party piece three times in a row. That's my boy!