Tuesday, September 28, 2010

The Apple in my pie


This weeks gallery prompt is food. Go over to Sticky Fingers for lots of other great photos and posts on this weeks theme.

This blog is about being a dad and parent and todays prompt is about food, so you won't be surprised to see a picture of Mini Mck scoffing away at some food a little further down the page.

Briefly, I thought of using the theme to write about my allotments and show photos of baskets over flowing with various veg and fruit, but that seems too showy, and I've already mentioned my allotmenting in several posts before. I also don't want to sound like Mr organic preacher man. Yes, I do garden organically, but I can also put away a mega bag of monster munch or KFC Zinger Burger as easily as the next man (or woman, probably easier).

Mini Mck can also put away food at a voracious rate. One of my favourite food time games is lining up raisins on his tray and seeing if he can eat them, rapid fire action, quicker than I can put them down. I can only surmise as to why his eating habits are so, though I think it might be to do with Baby Led Weaning (which in simple terms is mostly giving babies what you eat as soon as they are on to solids and avoids any pureeing).

One friend described Mini Mcks eating habits as medieval- face smeared with food, throwing away gnawed bones (re: crusts) and demanding more juice minion. Probably similiar to many other babies.

At one point Mini Mck would have a good try of any food put in front of him. He is now a little more discerning and knows what he likes and doesn't. There is no way you can sneak by any form of mashed or reformed potato, and we have tried many methods. One of the things we are most proud of is his love of fresh fruit, the fresher the better, especially straight from the plant. Mrs Mck only told me today how he cried when they didn't go into the fruit cage as usual.

I love it when he screws up his eyes, scrunches his nose and opens his mouth wide enough to shove in whatever he is eating. I think these photos sum up his wonderful attitude to food.

Cheese sarnies and cruisers
A Dad and Son day trip to Wroxham to see boats on the broads


Duck bread for brunch
A Dad and Son river walk to feed the ducks, every bit of stale bread given to Mini Mck went straight in his mouth.


A healthy start
Our cereals are now kept in tubberware containers, following too many self service breakfasts.



My little pumpkin
Mini Mck's first experience of pumpkin was not at all daunting.

Scone Scoffing
Cramming in a home made mummy scone.
All photos were taken on an iPhone3 and edited using the Mill Colour Photo App

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

My Beamish Boy 2

This weeks gallery prompt was smiles. Pop over to Sticky Fingers for all the other great photos and posts on this weeks theme.

I am usually quite selective over photos that I use. This week when searching for pictures to use, I realised that most of the more spontaneous smile photos I had were on my phone.

So forgetting all worries about focusing, framing and F-stops, these are photos of Mini Mck smiling, Mrs Mck smiling or simply photos that make me smile.

Before Mini Mck arrived there was laughter and there were smiles- it was what kept us sane. However everyday since, there has always been something that has made us smile and grin, even on our most shattered and darkest days. Thank you my beamish boy

After falling in the pool when retrieving a ball

After buying new shoes

Chuffed because I've climbed onto a chair

Shopping, what fun!

Yoghurt for hair gel

I've ripped a cardboard leaf out of a book and started eating it, how funny!

We can fit our whole hand in our mouths!

Simple bath-time fun!

Making Daddy take me for a drive at 3.00am is so much fun!

Mummy makes me smile

A lot!

Thursday, September 16, 2010

My Son's Mum

Mini Mck's Mum has had a tough few days. Tonight I told Mrs Mini Mck that he does love her, he does appreciate all the things she does for him. I think she knows it's true, but Mini Mck can't tell her yet, and at the moment she is seeing through a glass darkly.

With no prior experience to draw from, Mini Mck may be exhibiting the normal behaviours of a 17 month old child. He does seem a handful compared to his NCT buddies. I don't like to use such an objective word, but it isn't that he's naughty. He is however a whirlwind of energy, spending a scant few minutes on each new venture before moving on to the next, demanding to be picked up, released from his chair, wanting what he can't have and blah-ing when he doesn't get it. And he wants a lot. This all now comes with a new addition of a whining 'maaaa, maaaa, maaa'-where did that come from? I have a class of 23 nine year olds, and they are not as challenging as our single son, especially when he is on (or should it be off) form.

That's why I take my metaphorical hat off to Mrs Mck, his stay at home mum. Yesterday she packed the day with activites, painting, sandpitting, swinging in the park, singing group, reading, more reading and other pre-toddler delights. She was proud that he didn't watch a single episode Chuggington. An engaged Mini Mck was a happy Mini Mck, but an activity packed day isn't something that anyone could keep up, day after day.

Mrs Mck second guesses herself a lot. She, as with most mums, wonders if the choices she makes are the best for her child. Does he watch too much TV? Should he watch any TV? Is he eating enough? Is he warm enough?...This leads to guilt when she feels she hasn't make the right decisions.

To Mrs Mck and all the Mums out there, please stop feeling guilty. Your child's brain will not rot from watching TV. If they nap for longer than usual, let them, it won't damage sleep habits- so put up those aching feet, enjoy the well earned break and eat that cake with a fresh brew of tea. If a trail of toddler destruction is wrought throughout the house, pause to enjoy the toddler trail that so many couples try for, but sadly will never experience.

To Mini Mck's stay at home mum, I love the fact that when I now come home you are not wound up from the infighting and politics of a well paid, but soul destroying job. Although you may still be wound up from tempestuous toddler tantrums. I love that you are no longer arriving home at half past six in the evening in a drab starched uniform, but instead I get home at a sensible hour and your hair is tussled from rahh-ing around on the floor, or from being yanked during the Battle of the Bulge-ing nappy. Your Mums Uniform has the hand print of yoghurt on the shoulder, gold stickers on your bum, paint on your elbows and sand in your turn ups. You wear it well.

Your son loves you (and so do I).

These pictures sum up for me the wonderfully joyful, caring and loving relationship that Mrs Mck and Mini Mck have already built in such a short time.