Merry Christmas

We're heading off on a rather epic journey to Cornwall via the south coast tomorrow, so I thought I'd write to wish you all a very merry Christmas and a wonderful 2007, in case I don't get the opportunity to update my blog for a while. We are going to spend Christmas with Steve and Sarah in their (brand new to them, having moved in last week) cottage and Nanny Hils is also coming down to share in the festive fun. Because we won't see my Mum and Dad over Christmas, they invited us round for a wonderful day yesterday, where Mum cooked a beautiful Christmas dinner and we swapped Chrissie pressies. What a fab time! As you can see by the pics, Little Miss Bean did rather well on the present stakes, receiving a rocking horse from Nanna and Papa. While it may be a little while until she can sit on it independently, we enjoyed showing her how it was done, although she wasn't quite sure what to make of the horsy noises her new toy made when we pressed its ear. Hero, Mum and Dad's dog (for the uninitiated) welcomed the horse into the family as only Hero knows how, by sniffing his bottom. Oh well.....on a rather more tasteful note, we are really looking forward to the stay in Cornwall, although the drive down is scaring me a little. We're going down via Jon's old stomping ground as he has a job interview on Wednesday for a sailing position in Lymington. Then, after just over a week in Cornwall, Azara and I are flying from Exeter to Glasgow while Daddy has the rather unenviable task of driving up. I'm really looking forward to the week in Scotland as it has been several years since I've been up there and the week in the lodge is usually very relaxing...although that may not be quite the case this year with a little one....ok, not quite that little any more: at 10 weeks and four days, Azara weighs 11lb and 3oz or 5.08kg, if you do it that way.
Well, I'm afraid my bed calls....it's getting late and I'm exhausted from all the packing. Wishing you all the most fantastic time over the next few weeks whatever you are doing, whoever you are with and wherever you are.
Feliz navidad xxx

Here's a photo we took of Azara last week to mark her two month birthday. The dress was a present from Uncle Halk and Auntie Lorena in Peru and is a little large at the moment as you may have guessed. Anyway, we think she looks just lovely.
The news today is just what we wanted for Christmas. After two months of being a little frog, Azara is officially brace free and her hips are fine. We went to the hospital yesterday and, althought the specialist wasn't there to see her, the x-ray showed that her once dislocatable hip is now perfectly normal. We are very happy and although Beanie doesn't probably realise what has happened, she seems to be enjoying being able to kick about. We are really enjoying being able to give her proper cuddles.

Santa's grotto

One side of our living room looks a little like Santa's grotto: full of tinsel and bright coloured Christmas lights. It would be in poor taste if we didn't have a baby. She loves it. Beanie keeps staring and staring at the glittery gold tinsel and smiling at the lights as if she's sharing a secret with the Christmas decorations. She's got her first advent calendar thanks to Nanny Hils. Mummy has been helping her with the daily chocolates and Daddy has been helping with the lighting of the advent candle. She's also got her first Christmas tree decoration; a beautiful fairy from Nanna and Papa, although we have opted not to have a tree this year as the real ones are too messy and the nice ones are too expensive, so we've borrowed some of my Mum and Dad's decorations to make the place feel more festive and so at least one side of the living room (the other side to Santa's grotto) looks tasteful. In the meantime, we have all been suffering with colds. Azara has had hers for more than a week; I came down with it last weekend, got better and then started feeling rough again today and Jon has been proper poorly (as only men can be) since Thursday. On another health note, tomorrow we are going to Hull to see the specialist about Azara's hip. We'll keep you posted on the results of that and hope that we get good news and she doesn't have to wear her brace any longer. She is getting quite heavy at the moment and the brace is pretty clumsy. It will also be nice for us to let her sit up which she cannot really do with the brace on and also it will mean she can play on her tummy a bit more easily. Time for bed in Terrington, so love to you all and a special get well soon to Great Aunt Fairy from the von Trappers
xxx

Two months' today

Today Azara is two months old. In many ways it feels like we've had her for ever and I don't think Jon and I can really imagine life without her. She has changed so much since October 5th. She now weighs in at 10 lb 7.5 oz and as well as growing she is really developing her own personality, which is great fun. She has taken to smiling at almost every given opportunity and her face really lights up when she makes eye contact with us. All this despite having her first cold this week and giving Mummy a cold as a present. We've been feeling a bit rotten and it's quite distressing hearing her so snuffly and being able to do so little about it.
Yesterday we got back from a few days in Liverpool, staying with Great Aunt Fairy and Uncle Dave. We had a lovely time and Beanie was a very good girl. It was Jon's birthday on Friday and GAF made dinner for the clan, so we got to see Fairy G Kate and Uncle Frank, Auntie Ellen and Uncle Si. It was also Nanna Ruby's 87th birthday on Sunday, so we went to visit her and while we were there we also saw Auntie Olive, which was lovely.