Granddad's birthday!

Today was my dads birthday - his first as a grandad! He absolutely loves max and was a bit miffed that we hadn't been to his at dinner to see him!

We've had a busy day today - max has finally got into a bit of a routine! He's always wanting to do something - whether it be bouncing or looking round, as long as he's getting attention! He's never just sat still in a chair or slept all day, since he was born. Everyone says its because I'm so soft with him but I enjoy singing to him and playing with him and I think he's been getting a bit overstimulated and then struggles to sleep for a long time in the day, let alone at night! So for the past couple of days I've been trying to follow a routine of feeding, playing and singing and then sleeping, roughly every three hours, and today we really saw the benefit as Max was far calmer and happier :) 

I also managed to get things done around the house and even found time to bake some cakes for my dad. 

I love baking, especially cupcakes, and my last trip to hobbycraft resulted in the purchase of a cupcake corer. It's a little device that cores and holds a section of your cupcake, so that you can fill it and then replace the cake - resulting in yummy filled cakes. I made two different types of cupcake today, an incredibly sickly chocolate cupcake, filled and topped with chocolate frosting and sprinkles and a sponge cupcake filled with jam and topped with icing and hundreds of thousands! They were lovely and went down a treat! The only trouble is, I end up eating half the ingredients as I make them! (Actually gaining weight now, instead of losing baby weight!)

I also baked a baggin cake for my dad. It's his favourite and the recipe has been passed down to me from my mum. I decided to share it, so you can all relish in the moist, fruity yumminess! 

Ingredients

8oz self raising flour

4oz caster sugar

4oz margarine 

4oz mixed fruit

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1 small cup containing 1 egg and topped with water

Method

• Preheat the oven to 190*C

• Mix all the ingredients together with a hand whisk

• Grease and line a loaf tin

• Pour the mixture into the tin

• Bake for 1 hour 15 mins

And there you have it... Yummy baggin cake!

Dad was happy with it, even though he got a yummy flake cake too! 

I'm absolutely shattered now. Unfortunately, all the excitement at mum and dads meant we really struggled getting max to sleep as he was overtired and grouchy. Finally got him down though, and hubby's just offered me a back rub so I'm off!!! Night all xx

*Yawn!*

So I'm led here at 3.29am with what can only be described as a banshee feeding off me. I think it's safe to say Max is still not feeling great. He's refusing any kind of bottle or cuddle and will only calm for boobies (which currently feel like I've been horrendously tortured and not in a Christian Grey kind of way!) 

So as I'm up and led here, nose blocked and running at the same time, sweating as the hubby cuddles up under the covers, I thought I might as well post an update on our bank holiday weekend!

I'm not sure what's going on with blogger- I think my time settings are wrong, but the last blog I wrote was Sunday morning - meaning the walk I wrote about was on the Saturday. 

Sunday we spent the morning taking photos. We really wanted a photoshoot of Max doing but with me being on statutory maternity pay and us now owning a very cute financial leach, it just wasn't going to happen! So I got our digital camera out, and an editing program and tried my hardest to get some semi professional shots (all encouragement/criticism/help would be accepted gratefully!)

Here is my favourite photo:

I'm incredibly biased but I think he's the most gorgeous baby ever!

Later on my brother was racing his motorbike just over a mile away so we had a walk down as the weather was lovely! My brother has raced since he was little and is fairly good! My dad would have Max on a motorbike from as soon as he could walk but I'm so not liking that idea! He did look super cute sitting on his uncles bike though!

That night we had a BBQ which Max slept through, before sitting and watching War Horse, which he also slept through! All the walking and fresh air tires him out! He's not the only one and I was feeling sleepy too but it was lovely to spend some much needed time with the hubby.

Monday was fairly chilled, we did our shopping in the afternoon and put Max in the trolley seats for the first time. (We normally just push the pram as well or use the trolleys that allow you to sit your car seat on, however I always end up banging my head on the car seat part when trying too get food from under it at the tills!) I was a bit worried he'd hate the seat and we'd be pushing the trolley around in a way that could only resemble an episode of supermarket sweep, with a screaming baby and disapproving stares from other customers! However, I think it's safe to say he loved it!

That night we went to visit Dave's dads.

We were lucky in that hubby had the Tuesday off work too as it fell on my sisters birthday. She turned 16, and I couldn't believe it. I can still remember helping mum looking after her at Max's age. Here are some photos from the day:

(An outfit my sister had bought him!)

Happy birthday Lou xxx