October 21, 2007

Hello again. Sorry there haven't been any updates for a couple of weeks - life is just ticking along merrily. In fact we're almost wishing the next two months away as fast as we can because we really don't want Charlie's cardiac catheter to happen before Christmas. It's almost like we want to get 2007 all nicely buttoned up, and then we can start thinking about the catheter and everything that is to follow.

Charlie is full of beans at the moment, although he has the annual runny nose that sets in around October and stays right through to March. It doesn't really seem to affect him a great deal, and he doesn't seem ill with it, but it does mean he gets breathless and out of puff a bit more quickly because he can't breathe through his nose. Otherwise though, he's doing fine and is still growing like mad. He's needed loads of new trousers because all his others are too short. He also weighs a ton and it's now almost impossible for me to carry him. This is all good though, in terms of his heart.

I can hardly believe that tomorrow it will only be two weeks until he is four. We simply cannot fathom that our tiny little baby has become this sturdy young man. He is bright as a button and so affectionate. We can't remember what life before him was like!

He's getting pretty excited now about the up-coming birthday, and he and I had a riot at the cake decorating shop yesterday, buying all the bits and pieces to make his cake. (Pete just followed us round, trying - and failing - to stop me buying the entire shop; and to stop Charlie from poking fingerprints into all the fondant icing blocks!)

Charlie had his photograph taken at playschool last week, and I can't wait to see the pictures. He went in wearing a little tartan tie and looked a million dollars! (Mind you, I was told he looked like something out of a 1950s knitting pattern in his last playschool pic, so who knows what this next one will look like!) He did tell me that he didn't think he smiled very nicely though, so we shall see. I'm just dreading it having his 'cheesy' grin on it - nowadays if you ask him to smile, he shouts 'Cheese' and bares all his teeth!

Charlie has a busy week ahead - we have to go in for his 'coffee morning ' on Tuesday, which is kind of like a reports day, when we hear how he's getting on, and what he's up to at playschool. Then there's a meeting at playschool the next day to plan the Christmas Bazaar, at which Pete and I are taking the pictures of the kids with Father Christmas... watch this space for one of Charlie! Then on Friday it's the 'Pumpkin Party' at playschool. I can't remember if I've mentioned in a previous post about Charlie's fab new fancy dress costume, but it's the Donkey from Shrek, and he looks absolutely priceless in it. The hood comes up over his head with the ears on, and he even has a tail stuck to his bottom! Again, watch this space for pictures!

Talking of pictures, I'm attaching a couple of recent ones - one just of a very grown-up -looking almost four-year-old, and one of Charlie in the aftermath of a crispie cake covered in lurid green icing! (You should have seen his tongue!)