Video - foot tapping and sneeze

Gwen has had her first proper cold, runny nose, sneezing and coughing. She has dealt with it quite well, and even slept right through the night one night. Sat in her 'snug' she has started foot tapping too.  

Composing, Gwen gets mad! - video

Here we see Gwen composing her first tune, she's clearly not very happy with it and has an artistic strop.

Toupee wearing and saying Mum - video

So here is a video which I enjoy for a couple of reasons. 1) Gwen looks like she's wearing Bruce Forsyth's toupee!  2) She smiles at her own reflection on the screen 3) She says mum mum! First recognisable words - yay for me! However tis probably just an accidental word from the latest face she's been pulling. She has also been doing a snorting thing too, not sure if it's that clear in this video. 

Isabelle and Gwen

Gwen's friend Isabelle only lives around the corner, very handy for the future me thinks!! We went round for lunch and the girls sort of played. To start with Isabelle bounced and Gwen watched her transfixed.

This was a lucky shot where they both turned to look at me!

'Hey dudes check me out I am sitting up (with the help of a cushion incase I do a wobble) but honest I can do it myself!' 'oh I've also half pulled my sock off - cool huh?'

Gwen is smiling at Isabelle even though Isabelle stole Gwen little teething toy, and is offering it to me.  Meanwhile Gwen is plotting her revenge

Gwen's revenge came soon after (no pictures for obvious reasons) it was to grab Izzy with both hands by the HAIR and pull. We got her to let go, and she was just smiling about it! Poor Izzy cried! Vicki has named Gwen the 'smiling assassin'. Here the girls made up and sort of shook hands. Izzy is very forgiving bless her. 

James (Izzy's Dad) came home for lunch in between showing houses, so I took this of the lovely family. James sold Chris old house by the way so we have a lot to thank him for. I never knew that we'd be hanging out round his and Vicki's back then!

A few 7 month Gwen faces

Well our little baby is no more, she is now sitting up and getting more and more personality all the time. Here are a few faces, I'm sure her eyes are getting straighter you know! The patching is obviously doing something. 

We have a sitter at last- oh and teething

She has been trying to sit (not very successfully) for a while, and not really getting any better at it! Last day or two she seems to have got it and the lengths of sitting are increasing quite rapidly. She looks like and proper little girl now, very cute! Gwen also has a cold and tonight seems to be in more discomfort than usual- crying inconsolably, stuffing hands in her mouth. she has had teething gel and Calpol and has gone back to sleep. Last night for the first time in a couple of months she slept from 8pm-7am Weird seeing as she has a cold! I wonder what night a cold and teething will bring? As if on cue- she's coughing , now crying, It's 11.23pm. Oh poor Gwen. x Update, she went back to sleep after a little while in with us having a cuddle and slept all night, so not so bad!

Also added a pic of her touching Sally the sea horse whilst wearing a flowery hair clip!

Our little pirate

Gwen has to wear a patch now for an hour a day.

A few pics

Fishstock 2012

saturday 8th September was fishstock in brixham, a really well organised festival with chefs putting on live demo's lots a nice stalls and foods to choose from. Sister vix is on the comitteee/team that put it together. Well done to them, great stuff, hope you made lots of money for the mission. 

here is chris talking to one of many people he knew. Gwen is acting interested, by the 10th person she was not so keen. 

Our holiday to North Devon - Sept 2012

Our trip started off with the drive, Gwen slept for the first hour and then woke up crying. It's very hard to drive when she's screaming in the back of the car, we stopped and had our sandwiches at Tiverton canal. This is Chris playing with her and Gwen wearing his fetching hat.  After this we stopped off again due to her crying and then Chris sat in the back with her and ended up feeling a bit sick cos I took a windy B road to get to Combe Martin. She cried on and off all the remainder of the way, but we got there eventually. Phew! 

This was our chalet, which was a bit dated and musty smelling but had two bedrooms, kitchen diner/lounge and a bathroom. Well I wasn't expecting the ritz for £160 for 4 days. 

Here is Chris in the Chalet, check out the matching curtains /chairs!! 

We didn't do much on the first day as we got there fairly late afternoon ands unpacked, fed gwen, sat down had a cuppa tea and watched a few races on the paralympics (Which has been amazing by the way) It was time for bed then.

The rest of the pictures are a bit out of order, but you'll get the jist. Can;t be bothered to re organise them, takes too long on here!

We went to Watermouth castle on day two after we had been around Ilfracombe in the morning, we weren't sure what to expect, the man on the door said we could go in for price of 1 adult as it was late. So £13 later and we walked around a very unusual castle full of odd things/collections. I found it kitsch and fascinating!
Here is the robot band that was initially hidden behind a curtian and it came to life and played all sorts of songs including the beatles. Gwen was intrigued!

Some funny dolls

An antique fuseball (spelling?) wearing knitted jumpers

A strange little scene

We also went down into the old dungeons where there were scary scenes in different dark alcoves, an antique arcade full of 'old money' machines. Oh and also a moving snow white and the 7 dwarves scene that sprang to life on the push of a button behind a window in the dungeon singing, with dancing cups and saucers on a table. I loved this place and would like to spend more time in the castle next time. I appreciated it's quirky ness. OUt of the castle and into the ground which were lovely and  again full of lots of funny stuff, firstly gnome land, pictures below, a lovely pixie type garden, and all sorts of small children type rides.  it was very pretty too.

Gnome land

We stopped for a coffee and flapjack which was very tasty. 

View from the front of the castle

Before we went to the castle we went to Ilfracombe itself. It was very sweet, not as nice as Brixham but we decided for most people this place would be just gorgeous. 

Gwen  not looking terribly impressed, she made this face a lot as she rubbed her gums together (teeth still not come through yet though)

Walking up to the top to see a little chapel

View from said Chapel

An american man offered to take this of us all, how kind.

Day three and SUNNY!! we went swimming in the nearby holiday camp.

At the bottom of the campsite some camp workers showed us this field for tents, with only one tent in it, where we could have our picnic.  What a lovely view!!

Later after we came home we parked up to see combe martin beach, we were intrigued by the walk way running through the rocks.  We went back to chalet, got dressed up warm as the sun was setting and went down to check it out.

Here we are walking along said walk way

Gwen was grizzly in the push chair so chris carried her.

 We saw this cave, so went to investigate. Well chris did, took my phone for some light and it went back quite far, man made, but they obviously got bored or stopped for some reason and it came to a dead end, Very famous five though!!

We collected some big rocks from this bit, (cave is behind me) for our fairy waterfall back home.

Aww Gwen is a cutey

Day 4 - Thursday and we went to the dinosaur and wildlife park, near combe martin. It was a huge site and had all sorts going on. Dinosaurs???? and lions and seal lions. Here we are watching the sea lions display

The one on the left is called Morgan and the one of the right is Aero. Morgan gave up half way through and went for a swim. They were still fabulous, they are clapping here to make the crowd clap. their trainer only had to tap her fingers together as you can see in pic and they did it.

They had Emus walking around, in a sort of enclosure but you walked through it! He didn't peck though!

They had free flying parrots that just stayed there.

All in all a great time was had. We came home on Friday morning and Gwen slept nearly all the way back!