The baby chronicles #42: A little bit of sun

Age: 9 2/3 months
I like: Mango, waving my spoon around, my plastic bucket, boobs, Gouda

One of the main reasons Mr O and I decided to move out of London and into Essex was the potential to have a garden. It might seem a bit odd that a garden was a priority considering that the UK isn’t exactly known for its sunny weather but we both have very fond memories of playing in the garden as children and wanted the same for Little O.

With the weather briefly improving over the last couple of weeks Mr O and I have both been taking Little O out into our garden to play. His first response to the grass was utter confusion. He spent ages patting the springy green stuff and seeming amazed that it was all around him. Once the initial amazement wore off though he went back to his default response to everything new… EXPLORE!

Of course garden exploring comes with challenges like rocks, splinters, weeds and the occasional cat poop so he has to be watched carefully but we’ve had some lovely lazy afternoons while he crawled around in the balmy sunshine… obviously hat and sunscreen are a must.

All of this culminated on Sunday with the main reason Mr O wanted a house with a garden… braais (or BBQs for the non-South Africans). I am a bit obsessed with the weather forecast so I had an inkling it was going to be extra warm. We invited the O Seniors and Mr O the younger around and spent a day grilling, enjoying each other’s company and watching Little O get very excited about splashing some water in the little bucket we bought him. Suburban living for the win.

I have reminded myself of the joys of living further out frequently this week as I have dragged my sleep deprived arse out of bed at an unholy time of the morning to undertake my commute. Little O hasn’t been sleeping very well this week so consequently neither have I.

I am hoping to catch up on just a tiny bit of sleep this weekend as both Friday and Monday are bank holidays and the whole family is going away. In theory there should be enough adult caregivers to amuse Little O, while I have at least one tiny lay in…