2014 Reasons to be Cheerful

Hello friends far and wide,

2013 has been an amazing year in our household.

This Wonderful Year has even included swimming, yes swimming, on our own beach.

I'm sure you are all well aware of our beloved Isaac's continued development via our previous correspondence both personal and social.

It's been a year that seems to have reached its conclusion prematurely, although in some respects it seems to have taken the longest time. Isaac's sleeping challenges as a wee baby gave way to a boy who seemed to have no trouble sleeping soundly from 7pm until 7am each morning, until . . .

2013 could well be referred to as the 'Year of the Teeth'. Any of you holding on to the mysterious belief of Intelligent Design need look no further than the process your God designed for seeing in that first set of baby teeth. The first ones seem bad enough. Sharp little incisors slicing their way through the tender skin inside a small child's mouth. Redness of the cheeks, litres of saliva produced, leading to unmentionable issues inside nappies and the ensuing rashes and soreness, and general grumpiness and difficulty settling after those brief wakes throughout the night.

There's also the doubt that that perfect little face won't be nearly so cute with a face full of teeth, doubts that quickly evaporate when he flashes that handsome smile dotted with perfect square teeth.

It seems, though, that the first few teeth are the easy ones. The next to come aren't nearly so sharp and take a lot longer to grind their way through the flesh. The same issues as the first ones repeat, only this time it seems a more drawn out process. Isaac didn't lose his sense of humour during this period, and for all his discomfort he remained a happy and alert little camper.

One Happy Camper

Throughout all of this Isaac continued to attend Country Bumpkins Nursery two afternoons a week. He has now graduated from the baby room, which he lorded over for some time. He quickly dropped his afternoon naps, as there was simply too much to distract and entertain him whilst at nursery. His daily report card evidence of a little boy happy within himself and comfortable interacting with his little friends as well as the lovely staff.

Naked Boy with Horse (on Isle of Arran, Sept 2013)

There were a couple of notable benchmarks:

His first word (apart from the obligatory mumma and daddy) was button.

His favourite song is The Wheels on the Bus. Repeatedly.

His favourite books are the Meg and Mog series. Ten of them. One after the other. Repeatedly. However when I mention that he has favourite books I'm glossing over the fact that he loves all of his books. Most days, all of his books. Repeatedly. What they don't tell you in anti-natal classes is that practically all books for 0 - 2 year olds are complete and utter rubbish. Yet we still have to read them. All of them. Repeatedly. Every day. Sometimes a few times a day. Sometimes from the minute he wakes to the moment he sleeps. Dozens of crap books with poor character development, inadequate story arcs and dubious morals and conclusions.

Mr Handsome on the Bus goes Pose, Pose, Pose.

His favourite companion is Meow. His black and white cat that not only sleeps with him, but accompanies him most everywhere. He also commits unspeakable acts to every part of the defenceless animal. Poor Meow was so worse for wear that Mumma decided it needed a cycle in the washing machine. Worried that young Isaac would be distraught at losing Meow for just a couple of days, a twin was purchased. Now Isaac has two Meows that he must sleep with and molest each night and carry everywhere he goes. Poor Mr Elephant, his constant companion for his first six months, is now a sad and disconsolate recluse.

Isaac Ising plays the Blues

His favourite toy has been the Duplo cars that Uncle Ken and Auntie Vandi brought from Amsterdam. 'Make a Lorry' is Isaac's favourite game. Make a Lorry. When he wakes up 'Make a Lorry'. When he goes to bed 'Make a Lorry'. When we have guests 'Make a Lorry'. What has been remarkable has been his fine motor skill development. From a boy who could only knock down a tower of blocks, he can now construct cars from Duplo. His favourite is a cow car, combining two separate sets of Duplo. So proud.

Naked on the Beach, again (Nairn July 2013)

Bath-time was another challenge for the very young Isaac, but that has turned full circle. It would be hard to find a boy who loves bath-time more. This has also led to his graduating from bath to swimming pool. Isaac has completed two sessions (2x 6 weeks) of baby swimming lessons. Not that he needed any tutelage. He has taken to the water like a fish . . . to . . . water. He led the class in diving underwater to salvage the sinking rings. Remarkable.

Mr Handsome's First Haircut

His bath is now home to a full set of letters, numbers and shapes. His favourite number was number 2. Number 2. Number 2. Number 2. Though that has now expanded to liking every number. He can practically count to twenty. This is remarkable. Twenty! He can also spell his name. Not exactly in order, but he knows which letters constitute Isaac. His favourite shape is the triangle.

Butter wouldn't melt

His favourite colour is orange. And by that I mean that it is the only colour that he can correctly identify with any regularity. That is probably because he eats plenty of oranges. And grapes. And mangos. And apples. The whole apple, core, pips and all. The only impediment to his appetite has been the teething I referred to earlier. But the boy will eat anything. So proud.

This one's finally paying for itself

As for me, I'm still churning out 80s Flashback Showbiz for Paul Stephenson's 80s Rewind Show on MFR2 on Tuesday nights. 2014 is already almost booked full of visitors and trips away. Visit the new website (if you're not here already) at: craigising.com and follow the links to the portfolios of my music and radio stuff. Let me know what you think.

Stay tuned, who knows when the next update may be.

Until next time,

Craig
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