firstly, can I say a Happy New Year to you all, from the fabulous toad and I :) Seeing as it is a new year n' all that, mummy thought she would summarise the last two months of 2008 in a post for there is much to catch up on and an increasing number of changes in the toadling's life!

secondly, a gorgeous picture of my gorgeous boy, taken at a friend's house, where the toadling thought it appropriate to crawl over to the cat chair and plonk himself on there with her keys. Liberties taken, not at all ;)

so, what has the end of 2008 had in store for the Harrington? Oodles of things, I can tell you. Once again, we are into daily changes and the way his personality shines through now is quite amazing. He is proving himself to be a very charming, loyal, playful, sociable and cheeky snugglemuffin :) So, here is a list of the most recent changes, more to come soon!

* eating - Harrington appears to be most desperate to grow up and is now feeding himself pretty much all the time, unless he feels a little under the weather or too tired to do it, and has his own little cutlery set. This of course means that he likes to have a spoon in one hand and a fork in the other, often banging them on the plate or bowl. Saying this, he is incredibly apt at using the cutlery (although mummy hasn't given him the little knife in the set yet for she can see how excitable he is with them and fears for her, him and every surrounding object if she were to hand it to him!) and his dexterity is Rather Impressive Indeed.

food seems to be a constant source of change and a show of power on the mooselet's side. He is fickle to say the least. Favourite foods still include toast (with Marmite, of course - good boy :), anything that is a one-pot meal (casseroles, soup, cous cous-based things, chilli and bolognese), lasagne, nabanas, tuna feesh, porridge, bisque-wits and of course, the obligatory chocolatl and cake. Mummy just has to be standing in the queue at a food emporium when she will soon hear the dulcet tones of a toad who has spied something sweet, even if it is just a picture on the packaging.

warm minski is now the favourite drink, unless mummy is offering the minski foam from her fancypants coffee (or even if she's not for he is very sneaky with a spoon, sometimes!) and mummy has had to purchase new larger spill-proof cups which makes her boy look even older and more of a grown-up. Apart from that, he only has water and the occasional sip of mummy's orange juice for mummy believes that giving children sweet drinks all the time is not a good thing and the milk is really helping the growing of the tegglepegs and the inane strength in them (trust me, she knows...put your finger in there and expect not to get it back for they are vair, vair sharp!)

* mobilising - well, what can I say? The boy now walks the majority of the time, holding on to one hand of a person or the furniture or even his walker. This is the way we prefer to move around but we still seem to not have the confidence to do it on our own. Harrington requests to walk all the time and if mummy is transferring him from one thing to another, he will grip her hands in the walking way and totter off. In fact he has even run on occasion, mostly when being at A's abode where there are twelvety pussycats to chase!

crawling is now old hat and we zoom around and refuse to sit somewhere for long if we are out, as there are many things to be explored. BuzzyBee is also good to transport around the place on our knees and can often be found strewn around the upstairs part of the house, a bit like a lone shopping trolley that has been pilfered from a carpark.

* playing - Harry's social skills and playing have changed greatly and he is developing so very well, with a lot of it being down to going to nursery which he still absolutely loves :) He seems to play with things in a very different way now and things that you wouldn't necessarily expect him to like you will often find him holed up in a corner with (especially if it comes to the mats on the coffee table which he adores putting under the runner). He is getting very good at building high towers out of blocks and straightens them out as he goes, still LOVES drawing and seems to be playing around with slightly different shapes, almost like he is trying to write a letter of the alphabet (and also demands that the adult nearby draw for him. A lot. And then comments and points at what is being drawn for him!). Mummy's phone is still a source of great amusement and he can unlock the keys, open the camera and make calls on the speakerphone without much of an effort (apologies to those he has contacted ;) as well as mummy's laptop, especially now mummy has foolishly introduced him to the CBeebies website which has made him think that it definitely must be his. He rather reminds me of Eskarina, one of our pussycats, as he creeps up to it so very slowly (definitely a stealth toad) and then presses the keys adamantly, one at a time.

speaking of CBeebies, television is still a favourite although mummy does limit it somewhat. 'In the Night Garden' is a HUGE favourite, much to our dismay as it is incredibly bizarre, as well as 'Big Cook, Little Cook', 'Big Barn Farm' (I caught him chuckling away at this the other day as a result of the goat shaking his head and 'Thomas the Tank Engine' which he has recently discovered and chunters away to.

with regards to socialisation, Harrington is still absolutely fascinated by other children and also people-watching (definitely his mother's child!) and is always pointing and talking to people, sometimes looking shy and always charming them; in fact, he gets rather frustrated if he is on a charming mission and the other person doesn't respond!

* speaking - this has suddenly come on in leaps and bounds and his listening skills are huge now and he can understand long sentences and instructions now, such as "go and put your book away and then we will play with the ball" and "you can have a snack when you get home". This amazes me somewhat as there is a lot of work that has been done in that head of his to process everything and make sense of it all. His way of communicating with people, especially mummy, has changed. He now says "mama" when he wants something, "mummy" when he wants me, "(bub)bye" which is quite self-explanatory, "ayo" to greet someone (or when he is pretending something is a phone which is a regular occurrence, especially when it is Monkey! The toadling now points a lot more and is a lot clearer in his body language and facial expressions, smiling and laughing, showing upset and frustration. All of this leads to his recent fondness to tell you about what he is doing and thinking and ask questions, often asking if he can do something or what something is. Mummy loves this phase muchly but cannot wait until their conversations develop and they can discuss things as opposed to her asking questions and him responding in whichever way makes it easier for him. Plus he will now give mummy kisses, snuggles and say sorry when she asks, if something naughty has been done. Surely not, I hear you say...!

* sleeping - we still love our afternoon snooze and will sleep for up to two hours which is a Good Thing as mummy can normally rely on this routine and plan around it. Plus, he easily falls asleep in his Bugaboozle at this time and without a dummy or muslin. Speaking of which, these items are only requested for the nighttime snooze which is fantastic! And I am sure I could take them away now were it not for the fact that we are constantly teething and red-cheeked at the moment, often to be found with our hands in our mouth. Poor little mite :(

so, that's what's been happening in the World of the Toad and very wonderful it is too. If gushing is permitted, mummy falls in love with her boy a little more every day, despite her not thinking that that's possible. He is her world and will remain so until she is twelvety-hundred and six!

laters.

mummy is so very bad for not having updated her toadling's blog recently. Things are so manic most of the time and, since he has been going to nursery, there has been illness after illness and milestone after milestone. So, mummy has decided to combine the last two months as they really have rolled into one. And then another soon, she promises!

so, here's a stunning picture taken this morning - mummy found the toadling standing up in his cot and loving looking out of the window. Stunningness and cheekiness personified :)

so, what has the gorgeous-est boy been up to of late? Well... :-

* eating - this small, English toad is increasing in weight faster than you can say "please sir, can I have some more?". You never know from one day to the next what he may wish to consume (mummy keeps trying to feed him "poison", apparently - especially if it is a raisin. When we are forced to try one, we remember just how much we like them!) and sometimes we like to feed ourselves and sometimes we don't. But the hearty traditionals of meals cooked in pots (bolognese, chilli, casseroles and beany veg soups) are our favourites. As well as tuna-ry jacket potatoes and also as well as anything made of bread, chocolatl, yoghurt, bisque-wits and fruit. Lots of fruit. Preferably for every meal. He is particularly loving grapes, satsumas (or equivalent small orange-type thing) and NABANAS - still his favourite foodstuff. People are always commenting on his appetite for them; he likes to take a huge bite and fill his hamster cheeks with them. Far too cute to function :)

* mobilising - well, this has come on in leaps and bounds. We are still crawling for the majority of time, but in such a varied and fast way, with complete control. I mean, why would a boy wish to walk, when they can get pretty much everywhere they want and reach anything they want by standing and getting ourself into some random position to obtain something shiny or fruit-related. However, mummy's darling boy is now standing for the majority of the time when playing and has even STARTED TO WALK!! With a walker of course but he actually asks to do it now he knows it's not a trick. This, of course, happens a lot more at nursery as one likes to show off to one's public and cannot possibly be outdone, dontcha know! Now, the mooselet will walk up and down the bath, round the toy chest and mummy's bedside table (our favourite place for Shiny Things) and along her bed and his. And, speaking of baths, mummy is no longer able to have one on her own, for the toad stands and watches her, pushes her legs in the water and throws his toys back in there. Basically, anything to sabotage!

* playing - the Harrington continues to develop his playing on a daily basis. Our New Favourite Things are drawing (mummy and Harriphant made a sign for his bedroom door and everytime it is passed, we point out said sign and grin at it!) - he also has one of those things you pull across and erase the picture, which he is very good at doing - balls (a long-term favourite - we love playing catch with mummy and laughing when she throws and bounces the ball), cars (which makes mummy wonder how boys grow up to like cars and girls dolls for he has never been particularly persuaded to like them and has access to a while range of toys), his wooden train, things that make noise (such fun says the mummy. Or not) and BOOKS! However, we love books in a slightly different way now; Harrington still likes to read on his own, often removing certain things off the page, but now loves reading longer books with mummy and Granddad - especially 'Our Jungle' and 'Monkey See, Monkey Do' (for we have a thing for monkeys). He points out the animals he knows (birds, spiders, monkeys, elephants, giraffes, pussykittens - one often chases Pteppic whilst laughing and strokes Eskarina - dogs, snakes, butterflies, sheep and creepy crawlies) and helps the story along.

One of our also Very Much The Favourite Things is our keyboard - mummy found a children's keyboard in a charity shop and, she can tell you, it was the best (or possibly worst - six and two threes n' all that!) £3 she has ever spent! Very quickly, the cleverest toadling learnt what all the buttons do and can scroll through to his favourite demo tune or beat, playing the keys with his feet and hands like something out of a Prog Rock band. Thankfully, the toadling appears to be very musical like his mummy and loves listening to it, dancing away and grinning, even when he's the only one in the room :) He likes mummy to sing to him on the way home from work and nursery and tells her if it's the wrong song and also loves dancing with her and Granddad to classical lullabies when it's bedtime; in fact, he even forces their hands into the correct ballroom dancing position!

But, more importantly, we like to play with things we shouldn't, such as mummy's make-up bag (we even get out the things for her that she uses most regularly and pass them to her, throwing the rest - and anything else we can throw - away, nail varnish, REMOTE CONTROLS, pens (but we do only draw on the paper, after asking mummy to draw something first, and not the surrounding area which mummy is very appreciative of), mummy's shoes (often liking to put them on her) and our toothbrush, which we are very good at using twice a day. The bath is still fabulous and has incredible un-grouchifying qualities.

* speaking - the mooseling's speech has come on in leaps and bounds; he is now saying a variety of sounds, such as boo-jar, mum-meh (mummy or when we want something that mummy can give or indeed get), a-gah (often meaning Granddad or something else that has excited us), gaa-gee, da-da (meaning 'ta-da', as mummy has decided) and a favourite, aah-oo (with the 'oo' quieter and at a different tone). He can often be found babbling away to himself and has now developed intonation in the sense that he phrase things like questions or statements. Often, he will come up to mummy, say a load of stuff, wait for an answer and then go away again, only to come back a short while later and repeat the process. He really is trying to communicate his thoughts and mummy finds it so very fascinatingly interesting. Bizarrely, she tends to know exactly what he's trying to say with his movements and gestures, but is still getting used to the verbal commands, often getting them wrong. For one is now a very definite toad and if things don't go quite one's way, a small tempter tantrum is held where one can cry, arch their back and sometimes put their head on the floor. Oh, what fun...but the talking means that when we are out and about, we have conversations about what we see; the birds (his favourite ever thing and he can spot them even when they are a dot on the horizon), leaves (especially when mummy kicks through them and gives him one to watch fall to the ground), the moon, streetlights, Our Public and anything else that takes our fancy.

* sleeping - the whole routine that mummy dared to get used to is now out of the window, never to be seen again. We used to go to bed at about 9am for an hour or so and then at about 1pm for the same amount of time. However, it seems to have been decided by a certain someone that morning sleeps are now a no-go area but that afternoon sleeps are the way forward (we went off these for a bit, but as long as we had had a morning snoozle, it wasn't so bad). The time in the morning was mummy's precious time to get things done or just relax for a wee while. Ho hum.

well, I have now probably bored you all into submission so I should probably disappear for now! Harrington has really come into his own and his personality shines through; he is a loving, warm, affectionate and happy child with the ability to charm anything from anyone (trust me, it works!). He and I continue to get even closer and, as he grows up and explores the world around him, comes back to mummy more and more for comfort and affection. The time at the end of the evening (when Granddad has left, following their male bonding time :) is wonderful. Many snuggles, much laughter and smiles makes everything better as does the first snuggle and five minutes of the day. B.E.A.utiful. Gotta love him, there's no other way :)

mummy's poor, darling toad has chicken pox, apparently. Or so the doctor says. What she thought was evil teeth and nursery sniffles has turned into little red spots that were definitely not there when she got him dressed this morning :(

much time off work (and nursery), plenty of healthy food and drinks, snuggles, walks and watching the television under a blanket should have it gone in no time :) Let's just hope that it's not too horrible as he is such a young pup...maybe mummy should purchase the below item so one can tell one's public...

the fifteenth month continues to bring in the changes, remodelling the once tiny baby into a proper toddler. In fact, if it wasn't for the fact that Sir Harrington is still refusing to walk unaided, a toddler he would be!!

* eating - when it comes to eating, the toadling still likes to eat a variety of things. Or not. Depending on the mood one is in. Fruit seems to be the new favourite and is demanded lots a day, especially if we can see it, whilst eating our meals. Cereal is now loved even more and formula has now been completely replaced by adult minski. But we prefer it warmed in the evenings, thank you very much. Oh, and if mummy's eating something it must be delicious and, by proxy, turns the toady treat into poison, apparently

* mobilisation - the beast continues to crawl at a rate of something Very Fast Indeed and is wonderfully slick around corners and obstacles. You can hear him coming a mile off, what with all the thudding and sqwauking that accompanies it! We're still not walking but mummy can see that it is getting closer to that time as standing is now something we are very good at.

* playing - Harrington is now even more of a social butterfly and loves talking to other children and playing with them, Very Much Indeed. I think that this has been helped greatly by mummy deciding that it was time to let her gorgeous toad go to nursery. He is really thriving there and apparently plays with everyone. No wonder he's so tired by the end of the week!

apart from that, Sir Harrington still loves books but prefers to pick one up and then trot along to mummy or granddad, requesting it to be read to them. Bless. Oh, and destroying them is fun too, but not for mummy. Poor Pirate Joe :(

balls are still a huge favourite and they are flung around to the tune of a very excitable Harrington and if someone else happens to throw and catch with him too, then so much the better...in fact, playing with others is something that has really come on with the toadling. He still loves the time to play on his own, and if mummy can catch him when he's not looking, she witnesses him figuring out just how things work (a typical boy trait I am told, but who knows...?). But, often, he likes to play with others. I guess it's all to do with growing and learning. Since he has become more of a toddler, mummy's darling boy has become more clingy and snuggly at times. There's a big, wide world out there and it's a little scary for such a toadling so young.

there's not really much more to tell this month really...my fabulous boy is really coming into his own and is more stunning by the day. But ying and yang also mean that there is a dark side to all the fabulousness...the tantrums are starting (but thankfully, not lots at the moment) :(

despite that, mummy loves him more every day. B.E.A.utiful :)

the fourteenth month of a Harrington's life is mostly centered around mobilisation. Shortly after his first birthday, mummy's gorgeous toadling began to discover how to crawl. Then, one day, he just got up and did it. It took a little while (a week, if I remember correctly) for him to get the hang of it and begin the crawling marathon!! Now, he has such a turn of speed on him and can steer better than an Aston Martin!

this means that the clod-hopping of a Small English can be heard throughout the house (exposed floorboards, that's all I'm saying!) and he can now take himself from one end of the house to another faster than you can say "toady toes on the go"...

...however, it also means that nothing else in the house is safe. Many times, mummy has found little Harrington paws somewhere she would prefer that they weren't. And when it goes quiet, you know he's found something shiny to investigate and sometimes even destroy. Let's just say, mummy has now relocated several objects (but does refuse to move them all as she believes that you can over baby-proof the home).

that's been the main thing of the month really...many huge changes have been afoot but they have been more recent. More about that soon...mummy's stunning boy is most definitely growing up :)

(one of mummy's favourite pictures, taken just after she had given him his first haircut - stunning :)

mummy decided not to write her usual post for Harrington's one year old triumph...as he gets older, more and more happens in clumps, if that makes any sense at all and from eleven to thirteen months, a lot has changed!!

at thirteen months, Lord Toadmeister has changed in the following ways:-

* food - Harry's food tastes continue to change and develop as time progresses. One day he will absolutely love something and the next, protest that he has never eaten that particular thing in his life before! This makes for non-complacency on mummy's part.

bread is still the Very Best Thing that could be administered and all he has to do is hear mummy rustling the bread bag and then will poke his little head up and demand a little (or rather, huge) piece. Minski is something we are going off rather a lot but now mummy has introduced proper grown-up minski from a bottle and everything, so gives him half and half, also sneaking it into home-made rice pudding with fruit instead of sugar, custard and cheese sauce (for we refuse to eat cubes of cheese - YUK!).

nabanas are also fun still as are some breakfast cereals and cereal bars (shreddies, rice crispies and oatibix). Pears have reappeared in one's list of loves and basically anything that mummy has must be good!

* mobilising - very shortly after his birthday, mummy's fabulous toad learned to crawl!!! This is the most wonderful thing for him and for mummy as it has changed and rocked his world. The independence means that he will now come to mummy for snuggles (which are her most favourite thing in the world :) and to 'touch base' so to speak. Now there are toys everywhere and the sound of toady-trotting (as mummy calls it, even though it's not actually walking) up and down the house, especially in the upstairs hallway; mummy always knew that this would be the case! Man, the boy can move at a very fast pace and often carrying a toy or two on the journey! Am most proud of him :)

* playing - mummy could spend hours watching her beautiful boy play. He is now even more interested in things and sees them in a different light. We sat down one afternoon and sorted through his toys, making piles for the loft, as he no longer wants all the ones with rings and rattles on, tossing them aside! Stacking cups are forever a source of fun as are wooden rings and shape sorters (the bath one is our favourite, for it is a whale). Mummy purchased a wooden Noah's ark several months ago which has now come into its own. She can often find the little creatures strewn around the whole upstairs part of the house. Nope, she never tires of picking them up...

...bathtime is loved more and more and is still guaranteed to cheer up the tiredest and grouchiest of toads. We sit up independently and refuse to have our hair washed, but rather love having our teeth brushed, requesting it as soon as we get in. Mummy wonders how long this will last!

* sleeping - Harrington still seems to need to go to sleep by 9am (perhaps because he wakes up from 5.30am...?) and sleeps for up to two hours. He still needs his afternoon snooze but often fails to do so as he is busy playing in his cot! Such a toad...

...there were so many changes from being new in the world to reaching one year old, but even more changes to my darling boy seem to be afoot. He is really coming into his own now and is showing his personality more and more every day. He appears to be very intelligent, tenacious and increasingly wonderful by the day. Love him more and more, if that's even possible :)

on May 16th, Sir Harrington was a Whole Year Old!!! Of course, mummy could not believe it and was rather emotional (surprise!). And, of course, she was awake at 2.01am and relived what she could remember about the whole amazing experience!

the celebrations were held over the weekend with much joy and wonderment :)

on Friday, we had a quiet, family day with Granddad coming over in the morning to witness the card and present opening;

unlike most children that I have encountered in the past, Harry seemed to love opening things as much as he loved playing with them and every present was very well received!

Granddad, mummy and the toadling then went out for lunch in the Forum...

...where Harrington had his first proper meal from the children's menu (pasta with incredibly scrummy tomato and basil sauce at Pizza Express) - this went down very well indeed as did the little spoonfuls of icecream that also came his way! Much beaking out of the window was done as well as charming the waiter!

the birthday toad's party was held on the Saturday afternoon - mummy thought it best not to go too mad for one's first birthday party as we are only a wee, young thing and don't need to get too excitable! So, she decided on a tea party with just a few members of family and close friends. Preparations were made as well as many sandwiches and The Cake the night before:-

Harrington then received some more lovely presents which he enjoyed just as much and played very well with them, much to the enjoyment and amusement of those around him :)

Granddad helped light the candles and the cake was brought in. Mummy helped blow out the star-shaped candles and then the toadling thought it best to eat as much cake as possible!

Harrington thought it best to take the biggest pieces of cake for himself and then had even more energy to continue playing.

a fabulous afternoon was had by all...thanks to everyone who made it so special :)

Harry, mummy and A are off on their holidays tomorrow for a whole week!!

we shall provide many tales and pictures upon our return, as well as catch up with a couple of blog posts (mummy has been busy updating flickr with twelvety photographs, which consumes much time!)

ta-ra for now :)

(mummy finally has a chance to catch up with blogposts as she has been so very busy and not very well)

a couple of weeks ago, mummy and A went away to London town for the weekend. Now, it took a lot of strength for her to leave the toad and there were many tears shed by her but she knew that her Harrington would have a whale of a time with Auntie Emma and Uncle Neil for he loves them muchly and thinks that they are wonderful (as does mummy) :) Of course, mummy left a rather detailed (!) list of what to do which made others laugh but they humoured her anyhow for they knew how hard it would be for her to leave her wonderful boy! So, many arrangements were made with Harry's favourite people so there was not too much of a change for him, meals prepared and pussycats primed and off they went!

whilst they were away, Harrington appears to have developed the ability to write a diary which mummy thought was really rather clever of him and it made her smile Very Much Indeed. So, please read below for the adventures of the toad on that hot, sunny weekend:-

"Dear Mummy,

Friday - Emma and Neil came to pick me up at 16.15 - Auntie Mavis had just given me a yoghurt so I finished chomping that and then we were on our way! I played funny games with Uncle Niel while Emma prepared some lovely minski and made me tea.

I had yummy marmitey toast and some crumbled cheese.

After tea, we all snuggled on the sofa with some keys and several lovely books. I decided to read them to Auntie Emma and Uncle Neil and then let them read them to me. I also played a fabulous game of pushing my toys under the sofa and trying to retrieve them!

Granddad then arrived and we proceeded with the bedtime routine - I drank almost all my minski but left the last ounce just in case. We blew lots of kisses to London for you to catch, then Granddad settled me into my cot and I dozed off dreaming of you (as did mummy :)

Saturday - Today has been a very busy day indeed - we've had lots of fun and we hope you are having fun too!

I decided to let Emma and Neil sleep in this morning, but as soon as I stirred at 06.30 they came to see me! Emma changed my nappy and we went into your room to drink some lovely minski. We came downstairs and had some shreddies and a nabana - yum yum! We put down the quilt and had a good old play and roll around. At 07.30 I started to rub my eyes and was looking Very Tired Indeed so another nappy change and back to bed! I talked to Tegglepeg Toad for a few small minutes then fell sound asleep!

After having lovely snoozes, I woke up at 09.55 ready to play and go on fabulous adventures. After retrieving me from my cot and releasing me from my Grobag, Auntie Emma changed my nappy and moisturised me! We picked out an outfit for the day (a stripy tee-shirt with a toad on, of course! And some matching brown trousers which we rolled up to look like shorts). I played in my playpen whilst Emma and Neil packed a bag and prepared for the day. I was a little bit hungry after my snoozes so I ate a breadstick and drank some water from my sippy up and eventually, we were ready to go! There was a little bit of a delay while Emma and Neil co-ordinated the fitting of the car seat, folding of the Bugaboo and comfort of the toad but soon we were off!

I had a lovely time in the car playing with my RudolphMoose and watching everything closely! Soon we arrived at Aylsham Fun Barns (after a little bit more delay as Emma and Neil were not watching out properly for the signs - I saw it of course!).

At the Fun Barns, we played in the sand and on the bouncy castle...

...I was a little bit cautious at first but soon it was all good fun! We decided to have lunch there as well - I had yummy pasta with tomato sauce, vegetables and cheese and I also had a dorito or two and a yummy yoghurt. After lunch, we explored the outside and looked closely at all the animals but decided it was best not to get too close! We saw rabbits, guinea pigs, chipmunks, chickens, ponies, horses, donkeys, sheep and goats. I was very, very good indeed and kept my lovely hat on at all times. Auntie Emma applied suncream every time we stopped so there was non chance of catching any rays!

After another poke about, I was feeling tired so we decided to go; Emma and Neil wanted me to sleep in the car so they turned on the air-con to make it nice and cool and tucked me in with my muslin and dummy and started off. After just a minute I fell fast asleep and slept the whole way to Cromer. When we got there, Emma and Neil parked up quickly to make sure I got my full sleep and after about 30 minutes I woke up and was ready to go. We went on a lovely, long walk along the seafront. I kept my hat (and sun cream) on and was most splendidly charming. We also selected some red sunglasses to purchase as the sun was getting in my eyes.

We got a red windmill to match, too! We were most annoyed at the lack of appropriate baby-changing facilities. After a long search we made a makeshift stop to change me in the disabled toilet of a cinema! We then went to Woolies and bought some pick n' mix and some light shorts for me. We looked at the toys but I didn't love any of them. We then went to the pier and munched on some delicious ice cream. I also had another yoghurt and nabana for tea. When the chomping was over, we walked along the sea and back to the car. On the way home we stopped at Toys 'r' Us for another nappy change (they thought I'd done a poo but I was saving that for Granddad!) - we looked at all the toys and baby things and I picked my birthday present. Auntie Emma lifted many toys on to the trolley (my chariot) for me to examine. There was one I liked very much more than all the rest...you will see it next week!!! I will just say now that it might have lots of lovely bright colours, lights and maybe even noises! When I got home, I was Very Tired Indeed and happy to read and chitter until Granddad came for bedtime. When he took off my nappy I released my two poozles onto the changing mat - a cunning plan! I had a very merry bath indeed with much splashing, grinning and giggles. Granddad changed me, Neil fed me and quick as you like I was snuggled up in bed, dreaming of you.

Sunday - This morning I didn't wake up til 07.00 - I was so tired from yesterday's adventures! I might not even have got up then but Emma came in and I woke up. We had yummy minski and even yummier oatibix for breakfast - mmmmm! After a short story, we headed back up to bed. I wasn't so tired after my long sleep last night and I woke up at 09.00. I had my third nappy change of the day and then got dressed in my fabulous beach clothes.

We went to Emma and Neil's again so they could shower and I could play with E.T. We then drove to Gorleston and I ate yummy breadsticks in the car. When we got there, we went to Emma's friend's friend's christening! I loved the music and charmed all the public! We met Emma's friends, Paul and Jan, at the christening and sat with them so I could charm them! I also ate some yummy grapes and drank lots of water. We then went to Paul and Jan's home where I had yummy turkey and vegetables and a delicious yoghurt. It was then time for a snooze while the grown-ups ate. I got into my stripy Grobag and went to sleep in my lovely Bugaboo. I snoozed and snoozed and snoozed!!

We had a good old play and then set off for the beach...

...we walked up and down, up and down but most importantly we stopped to play at the pool with some other friends we met earlier. I enjoyed playing in the sand and charming the other children!!

I had a big lunch so didn't want much tea - I had some milk, some juice and a yoghurt but wouldn't eat my toast, so Emma bought some breadsticks with cream cheese to tempt me into eating something :) After a final wander in the sunshine (looking amazingly cute in my red sunglasses), it was time to get in the car (which I enjoy very much) and head back home to get ready for you coming home, mummy!

Emma and Neil love looking after me and they love me much more than the pussycats who were very vomitty indeed.

We are almost home now mummy - I have had a fabulous weekend but I really can't wait to see you.

Love you very much,

1,000,000 kisses,

Harry xxx"

the happiness mummy felt when she saw her boy was huge and wonderful :D and so were the snuggles - after giving him twelvety hugs and kisses, mummy gave him his new stripy vest from BabyGap (as she simply can't resist the place!) and Londinium Bear.

mummy had the most wonderful time away and so did the Harrington, it would seem (although she missed him to the moon and back) :)

today, the most fantabulous boy - my boy - is a Whole Year Old :-D

this is a truly wonderful and special time and mummy is Very Emotional Indeed and barely slept last night; I think her body and mind remembered exactly what was happening this time last year...wouldn't change a single thing and would do it all again in a heartbeat.

love him to the moon and back...xxx

PS: more details and waffle from mummy later about this - she has a tea party to sort out!!

today, my stunning, wonderful and incredibly fabulous son is eleven months old!!! I think I have been in shock all day - it just doesn't seem possible at all. But, possible and literal it is and thinking about the next month makes the mind boggle further. Of course, I still woke up at the usual 2.01am, but at that time of the morning, I never quite remember why I have woken up, so the toad 'helped mummy out' by waking her at 5.20am to think about what she'd done!

the eleventh month has had Many A Change Indeed. Gone are the days of placid, helpless baby and here are the days of a-wriggling, a-squiggling and general determination-related activities, so much so that mummy now has a pain in her back from restraining said toad after he had finished his bedtime minski this evening (he was trying to get to mummy's - sorry, HIS - laptop on the floor and crawled across her at great speed). She is also covered in bruises from the Toady Toes and scratches from the nails he refuses to have cut (but which mummy manages to do, several at a time and when he least expects it).

over the last month, mummy's bestest boy has changed in the following ways:-

* eating - food continues to be of great interest to the toad. However, the tastes seem to have developed further and now we definitely know what we like and what we don't. No longer tolerating of the lentil and vegetable mixes, are we so mummy has added a dash of Lea and Perrin's which seems to make it a tad more edible. Chilli Doritos (which he sampled after stealing one out of mummy's hand), anything tomato-ey, garlic, ginger and other strong tastes are ones that we love, as well as the increasing desire for bread (preferably in toasted form), cereal (and cereal bars), nabanas, fromage frais (which, when the pot is finished, makes us cry a lot), muffins and chocolatl still. But mummy has stopped giving him everything to try as he now thinks any food is fair game and she does not want him pilfering everything from her plate!

yesterday, I decided to make him scrambled egg, tinned (holy in mummy's eyes) plum tomatoes and toast for lunch. And yes, I know they say no eggs until babies are twelve months' old but one wonders, how, suddenly, does a child go from not being able to being able to eat something, just because it is then his birthday? Piffle. So yesterday it was. And we rather loved it, eating it from a fork (no longer do we use baby spoons; we have plastic spoons and forks for slightly larger english toads now), then deciding that we would only eat it if we could pick it up out of the bowl with our fingers and then put it in our mouth, then deciding that gravity's effect on it is far more interesting that chomping it so plummet to its doom it did!

minski is still loved but the mooseling seems to have decided that we only need three bottles per day and not four, most of the time. I think it's the habit of it that keeps it in the forefront of his mind. However, this recently changed as Harrington had his first nasty bug - a sickness and diarrhoea one in fact - which lasted just over a week and involved even throwing up water for the first day and a half and then the rest of the yuckiness for the duration. We would not eat anything at all for the first couple of days, preferring only to drink much water. Mummy was so desperate to get some food inside him, she even bought/made him rusks and juice (organic, no added sugar ones of course!) and anything else she could think of (mashed potato, several different types of bread products, ginger biscuits and plain tortilla chips). But, the worst thing was that the doctor said not to give him minski - I have never seen a child so distraught and genuinely so, when he was not given any at bedtime - it was so unbelievably horrible and Harry and mummy cried together. So she gave in and gave him watered down minski twice a day as nothing is worth making him that sad and upset for. And now he's completely better and fighting fit again. The whole experience seems to have changed his tastes slightly - maybe because he was without proper meals for quite some time - and he'd chomp away happily all day if I let him! The playing off against his carers continues though when it comes to food...he knows mummy takes no prisoners but still tries it on with others. Tsk.

* sleeping - just as mummy thought the two naps a day were the way forward, the toad decided otherwise and now sometimes misses either the morning or afternoon one which is NOT a good thing. I think it's to do with the tegglepegs as he is a red-cheeked beast again :(

* appearance - Harrington's hair has been on a major growth spurt recently and how his fringe (if brushed forward) is below his eyes with two kiss curls at the back - stunning :). His two bottom centre teeth are well on show although they have not grown as fully as they should just yet, but they are still partly functional and can often be heard being used on something that shouldn't necessarily be chomped (mummy's Benefit highlighter glass bottle, for one). The toadling has now been bought a pair of proper shoes made of brown suede with a giraffe on (obviously) and mummy is putting them on him every so often. Strangely, we don't hate them as much as the other things she has tried to put on his feet!

* moving - we're still almost at the same stage as last month with regards to movement. However, Sir Moose-a-lot can now get into the crawling position rather well, although is still not completely sure what to do with it when he is there. We're still flinging ourself around at a rate of knots and propelling ourself off things, into things and anywhere else the mood takes us!

standing up is still great fun and often results in squawking and laughing, bouncing on our legs and strange foot positions. He can take his own weight but requires the support of someone else otherwise he'd fall over immediately...and that would NOT be good.

sitting up is the most preferred position but can not be done at all times. Mummy and her supporters have been trying to help this along by allowing him to sit upright in the bath, unsupported (although, she is always right next to him in case there is an incident) and to play in a ball pool. These two activities have helped tremendously and today he fell over whilst sitting and didn't even cry, just got on with rolling around and causing mayhem!

* playing - well, apart from chomping, playing is the Best Thing Ever. The boy is ridiculously insatiable for books and will happily play with them for a long time. But, he knows exactly what book he wants and will go to great lengths to get them, often chuntering to them, pulling at them and getting over-excited.

balls are loved too...the best game is when he is sitting in an armchair with an adult-type device on the floor. He then takes the ball and pushes it off the end of the chair, to the tune of laughing and screeching, for the other person to throw it back. To say he loves this game is an understatement. And to be honest, anything that can be turned into a game is a major hit at the moment. Especially when it comes to throwing things on the floor. And I mean throwing - our new 'skill' which we simply love to practise. All the time. And with anything and everything, regardless of location.

playing in the bath is something guaranteed to make even the grouchiest toad happy. This seems to be one of his favourite times of day and he smiles away to himself, playing with cups, balls, rubber toads and chomping the sponge (will he ever grow out of that, mummy wonders...?). Last week, Harrington put one of the toads in a cup, bottom side up, and then couldn't get it out as it was rather a tight fit. The fingers and tegglepegs went in there to try and help but the toad stayed in there. Granddad and I thought that he would pick up the cup and shake it out, but the toadling had another idea in mind and kicked the cup until it came out. And, watching him do it, he knew exactly what he was doing and had worked it out. Watching him play is a truly remarkable and wonderful thing. The way in which he grabs items, transfers them from one hand or one location to another, puts it inside something and bangs it against something is amazing.

mummy is still insisting on using the playpen and encouraging the Harryphant to spend longer and longer in there without getting upset. If he forgets she is there, he is fine, but often decides to get grouchy and ask to come out. Of course, mummy doesn't always oblige, especially if he is crying to get attention and he now knows to stop doing it for effect. Although, he still tries it on, of course. But, I fear that that's something that's never going to change!

apart from the stacking cups, balls, noisy things and books, Harrington now pulls along toys on strings, puts things inside things, plays percussion instruments, knocks down stacks and goes on his rockingbug (on which he learned to make it rock, just today - which explains the bouncing motion he has been making whilst sitting down for the last few days).

* communication - for some months, Harry has been very good at communicating his needs/desires. He now understands several words including minski, nabanas, toast, water, penguins, mummy, granddad, kisses for mummy (at which point he blows her kisses which is truly the most stunning thing in the world :) and pussycats.

if he wants his nappy changed, he'll tap it (and undo it on the left side if it is a clean one that's just been put on - but that's another story!) and will either move towards what he wants (you have to hide the day's food now as he knows where to look and makes noises to demand it) or the hands will start going at a rather excited pace. In fact, the hands are going a lot of the time, for there appears to be so much that is worthy of such a thing!

we are still chuntering away to ourself but not so much with syllables at the moment, much rather preferring to see how far our voice can carry and to laugh. The toadling now has several different laughs; one for when he is being tickled, one for seeing ourself in the mirror and being generally excited and one for the pussycats.

it goes without saying that he gets more incredible by the day and that mummy loves him a little bit more every day. She feels like the luckiest person in the world to have such a fine and stunning boy. He's such a happy and clever child whose determination knows no bounds (the biggest understatement, I feel) and whose smile and gestures could and indeed does charm everyone around him (the amount of wonderful comments he gets from strangers is astounding!). I know I am biased - not that I care a jot - but he is the most wonderful child and I love him more than anything else at all...just one word - stunning :)