131. Finished At Last!

Bryn and Sarah's wedding cakes are finished at last!
I am pleased with them, but I'm more proud of how I battled Woman Flu to get them done than I am of the cakes themselves!
They are being collected tomorrow morning and driven to Devon. I sincerely hope, after my labour of love, that they make it in one piece...

130. Too Sick To Eat (anything but chocolate).

Not looking as poorly as she actually is, due to the chocolate coins, but Harriet's been very ill since Saturday. 
She has passed her germs on to me just in time for the cake decorating I'll be doing tomorrow.
Nice.

129. Chocolate Cake.

This cake was made with the help of my mum. She knows how to make a nice plump cake and this needed to be plump, as it's the top cake for Bryn and Sarah's wedding.
It is more chocolate than cake really, but they are chocoholics. 
It was baked, marzipanned and iced this weekend ready to be decorated tomorrow.

128. Tamara.

A photograph of Tamara taken today! Finally caught up!
This is my friend's 2-year-old daughter. She and Harriet had only just met when they started hugging each other. They got on brilliantly.

127. Filler 3. Baby Zia.

This was taken tomorrow too. It's a wary looking Harriet, a ropy looking me, and an absolutely gorgeous little baby called Zia.
He's my niece's 4-week+2-day-old baby.

126. Filler 2.

This was actually taken tomorrow. Boden is a very soppy and loving dog, but shies away from children.
Except Harriet. The two of them have always got on like a house on fire.

125. Filler 1.

Oops! Have been ridiculously busy so the next few photgraphs were all taken on the 28th - 30th November.
This is my beautiful dog, Boden, who I'll be seeing on Friday, at my mum's.

124. Harriet's Newborn Clothes.

There are so many things that I'd like to keep, such as this gorgeous babygro. I'm being firm though, and only Very Special Things are being stored away.

123. Clear out.

Today was spent sorting out Harriet's old clothes. I had kept loads thinking that they'd be useful if another baby girl should come our way, but the imminent baby is a boy, so a lot of turfing out must be done.

122. Ball Pit.

 
Harriet and her friend, Megan, having fun at soft play.

 
Daddy's lost and Harriet's helping to find him.

121. Pleasant Sunrise.

I cursed Harriet for waking me early until I saw this.
Very uplifting.
I love the golden light being cast across the grass.

120. The Boss.

Harriet in bossy mode.
Probably saying, "Put that bloody camera away and get me dressed."

119. Sad Face.

Another one of Harriet's faces. This is an example of a sad face. I presume it's sad because someone punched it in the eye. There's a desperately sad realness to that eye on the left.
Very sad indeed.

118. Another Family Portrait.

Harriet loves to draw faces. She likes to draw sad ones, happy ones, cross ones, surprised ones...
I drew three circles for her and she drew the details. We all look happy enough. Daddy looks a bit smug and Harriet and Mummy look like they're under the influence of something, but we're definitely more happy than sad.
You might also notice that Harriet has my eyes.

117. Scary Monsters.

Harriet told me she was going to draw monsters.
From across the room I heard, "I'm unna draw some monsters. I'm drawing monsters. Look! Is a scary monsters. It's a very scary monsters... It's ok Harriet. It's ok...MUMMY!"
And she threw down her pencils and took flight, screaming.

These are the monsters that scared her so.

116. Pointless Searches?

I found this on the laptop after my brother had left. Did he really expect any other answer?

115. Little Brother.

The morning after they came.
It was a gloomy and wet day so we stayed in, ate chocolates and played with pasta. 
LtoR: Linda (lovely Linda), Harriet, Paul (my little brother).
I hope Harriet gets on as well with hers as I do mine.
:-)

114. Family Portrait.

My brother, Paul, and his girlfriend, Linda, paid a surprise visit today. I look surprised don't I.
It was late in the day when I realised that I hadn't fulfilled today's 365 requirement so Linda kindly took this photograph to highlight the family resemblance. (Believe it or not, but there was no collusion. We just chose to pull the exact same face.)
I clearly need a haircut (and possibly a facelift).

113. Co-sleeping.

Yet another photograph of my sleeping child. This is either testament to the fact that I believe she looks adorable when asleep or it's proof that I'm frequently forgetful when it comes to taking my 365 photos.
Take your pick.
Tonight, Harriet and I were left on our own overnight, as Scott went out for some socialising. So the little lady slept with me and this is the last thing I saw before I dropped off.
Before this I had an hour of her whining and chatting about noses, followed by at least one hour of Braxton Hicks. Then I was able to sleep.

112. Face Biscuit.

Harriet has insisted that we add a new ritual to our Thursday mornings. We go to Toddler Group, which she knows as "Hop hop hop" (she named it after her favourite song) and then we must go to the bakery for a "face bicuit". A gingerbread biscuit with a face of smarties and melted chocolate.
She eats the face off and then when she's had enough biscuit I get the soggy leftovers! Mmmm.

111. Playing In The Leaves.

After a last minute change of plans, Harriet and I headed off to the library for craft activities, books, cake, and an impromptu rummage in the leaves.

110. Spider By Moonlight.

The moon was out full and early today and this beast caught my eye as I drew the curtains.
It's a crap picture really, bit blurred and out of focus.
The subject matter suits the mood though.

109. Muffins!

Today I have crippled myself bandy in the kitchen, baking 50 muffins for Bryn and Sarah's wedding. I need to bake 6 more tomorrow and whack them in the freezer and then that's that part of the job done.
Harriet was a great help. She helped with the "mixy mixy" and tapped the sieve to sift the flour.
I used: 2lbs 8oz flour, 2lbs 8oz marge, 1lb 14oz sugar, 20 eggs, and a bottle and a half of vanilla essence.

108. Aunty Sarah.

Our friends, Bryn and Sarah, dropped round this evening to discuss wedding cakes and to receive hugs for their recent bereavement. 
Harriet adores her Aunty Sarah. Here they are doing each other's hair. Harriet's a bit heavy-handed, but I think she shows flair.

107. Having A Ball.

Scott took Harriet to the soft play park again today. I stayed at home to bake cakes and have a long (uninterrupted!) soak in the bath.
Harriet had fun again, and actually looks as if she's enjoying herself this time.

It's a shaky picture taken by Scott with his mobile phone camera. I quite like it, as it's captured the moment and activity shots aren't spoiled by a bit of blur if you ask me.

106. New Nightlight.

Scott had some of his birthday money left over and, big softy that he is, he spent it on a Night Garden nightlight / torch for Harriet.
She loves it, but I'm not sure if it helped settle her or kept her awake.
Oh well.

105. My Little Town.

Had a miserable morning, which I won't go into, but this view cheered me a little. I was making my way slowly and reluctantly across town when I chanced upon it. It's precisely this type of view of the town that makes me suspect it might be twinned with Stepford.

The Hotel, incidentally, is where Scott and I spent our wedding night. I was 27 weeks pregnant with Harriet at the time and went to bed early while he stayed up with friends and family. When he eventually came to our honeymoon suite he found an elephant snoring in the four-poster bed and cricket on the TV.
Ah! Romance!

104. Mr President.

 
Harriet woke me at 6am (I didn't get to sleep until 3am) and I looked in to the living room where Scott was snoozing on the sofa and Barack Obama was giving his victory speech on the TV.
I gather the news of his victory broke at around 4am our time.
I snuggled up with Harriet for a couple more hours and had a very odd dream in which I was told my baby would arrive in two days time...
Watch this space!

I probably should replace this with a more personal photo later today, but I think I'll be a little too tired to perform even basic tasks. Photography may well be beyond me.

103. A Week Later.

...and my once neglected plants are not crispy brown stumps. They're looking more pert and green (one even has new shoots!), which is more that can be said for the trees in the garden.
The cold and the wind we've had this week have changed their appearance dramatically.

102. Keeping Warm.

It's cold. The house is drafty and the heating expensive so Harriet has improvised and runs everywhere all day long. She's always toasty, whereas as I am permanently cold.
It's hard to run everywhere all day long when you're nearly 34 weeks pregnant.

101. Private Viewing.

Scott and I went out to see Quantum Of Solace as a birthday treat for him. When we got there the only available seats were immediately beneath the huge screen so we exchanged our tickets and saw Burn After Reading instead. It was in a smaller cinema that was completely empty.
Felt rather nice having the place to ourselves, although another 8 people drifted in before the film started.
I sprang this photo on him somewhat and he's mid hotdog. He'll probably hate that the photo is here, but I didn't take any others today. I really should have, as Harriet provided a few opportunities, especially when she gave Scott his presents in the morning and then helped him eat his breakfast in bed.

(By the way, if you're a Coen brothers fan you really must see the film. I loved it.)

100. Juicy Fruit.

I introduced Harriet to clementines a week ago. She was unsure at first due to the fact that she bit into the skin of one and disliked the bitterness. Unsurprisingly.
I tempted her by pinning her down and squeezing the juice of a segment into her mouth. Heavy handed and not really 'tempting her' but it had the desired result and she's been a fan ever since.
Initially she ate the whole thing, but has today decided that the juice is the only bit worth digesting.
This is what I found deposited on the table when I returned from the kitchen this evening. 

99. Shadow Play.

Harriet and I had fun messing about in the shadows cast by the bright winter morning sun. My hand was a big black spider that she chased around for a while before it climbed up on to her belly.
Rather shamefully, the camera angle took in the clock, which shows that Harriet was still in her pyjamas at 10.30.

98. Postman Pat And The Hail Storm.

Harriet and I had a lot of shopping to do today and I broke it up for her by letting her have a go in Postman Pat's van. 
We only just got back to the car before this hail storm hit town.

97. Tell Me Why I Don't Like Wednesdays.

Well, actually I'll tell you. Wednesday is bin day. And recycling day.
I have a steep flight of stairs to negotiate with the bin bags and recycling, and I have a little person who insists on "helping".
Once we're outside she is actually very helpful, but I have to carry her down the stairs first, making harder work for my poor bloated self.
Still, I do love the sight of her in her hat, coat and shoes worn over her pyjamas.

96. Water Me!

The purpose of today's photograph is to shame me into looking after my plants better. These sorry specimens have the added cruelty of having a clear view of the rain-drenched garden to make them even thirstier.
I have watered them now and we'll see if next Tuesday's photo is of verdant, healthy plants or of crispy brown stumps.

95. The Hills at Night.

I've managed to lose the camera's case so I didn't take it out with me this afternoon.
This photo was taken with my phone, hence the grainy quality.
It's only about 5.15pm, but now the clocks have gone back the nights draw in early. All the way home Harriet said things like, "It's really, really, really dark now" and "Eddybody's bedtime, isn't it Mummy?"

94. Fast Asleep.

I took this photo because Harriet looks so darn cute amongst her assortment of teddies and because today was an uneventful day with no photo opportunities.
The teddy at the top left glows in the dark and helps her off to sleep. The monstrously large rabbit was a gift on her first Christmas from her Aunty Jennie. The mouse is the softest teddy I've ever beheld and Harriet adores it (it was a gift on her second Christmas from her Aunty Natalie).
We have a new, less stressful bedtime routine. I read a few books with Harriet and then her dad goes in and she's asleep within minutes.
I don't know how he does it.

93. Soft Play With Daddy.

Scott took Harriet out to a soft-play warehouse to meet some friends for a play date today. I wasn't invited, as it was 'Dads only'.
They stayed for over two hours, which is an amazing feat in my eyes. I can't manage much more than 40 minutes at those places without being completely knackered. Harriet didn't want to leave at all, but their time was up.
Scott took a few sneaky photos (taking care to keep other children out of the shot) and I have chosen these two as 'my' entry for today:

One shot of Harriet coming down the big slide, not looking like she's enjoying it as much as she actually  is.

And one shot of Scott's nether regions, taken as he reached the bottom of the slide before he was absolutely ready for it, due to facing the wrong way in order to photograph Harriet.

92. Most Frequented.

This is the best fruit and veg shop in town, and Harriet and I visit it at least once a week.
Throughout the summer it was the source of our summer pudding fillings, and now it's where we stock up on avocados, dried and fresh fruit, and purple sprouting brocoli (and chocolate brownies).
Mmmm.

I used to drool over clothes shops..

91. Storm Brewing Over The Hills.

I pulled over on my way home from Toddler Group today to snap this. The weather had been warm and sunny all morning, but was suddenly on the turn.
It got very cold and windy and we were very glad to get home.

(This photo was taken through the windscreen of the car, which has muted the colours and made it look almost like a painting.)

90. The View From There.

Another view shot today. This is what I see from our kitchen window, which looks up the hillside. For six months of the year it's leafy, of varying hues. For the other six months, from November to April, the trees are bald and we are overlooked by our neighbours.
I much prefer the leafy half of the year.

Eagle-eyed viewers may notice the extremely fat spider on the top right window pane. He gets a very healthy diet there and seems to double in size each week. If he carries on at that rate maybe we won't be overlooked after all.

89. The View From Here.

If I turn my head to the right, when sat at my laptop, this is what I see.
The top window is the kitchen window of a nosey neighbour.
She spies on me.

88. Having a Laugh.

Feeling a bit feeble today so Harriet and I spent the day relatively leisurely. I'm making the most of days like this, as I know they'll be absent for a while when #2 comes along.
Harriet enjoyed pulling faces for the camera this afternoon and I've chosen a picture of her laughing at how silly she can make herself look.

87. Emo In the Leaves.

In the last week, the trees overhanging the driveway have shed pretty much all their leaves. Harriet's happy about that, as she loves crunching about in them.
I love the outfit she's wearing today. She's wearing a punk/emo ensemble softened by an adorable hat that she calls her "Pocoyo hat".

86. On The Phone.

One of us is obviously spending a lot of time chatting on the phone like this! As soon as I handed Harriet the phone she adopted this pose.
She didn't say an awful lot, but she looks like an old hand.

(Today she wore spotty tights, as her collection of stripey ones were drying on the radiator.)

85. A Book At Bedtime.

Harriet's bedtime routine involves a lot of reading these days. The book on the top is her current favourite. We read it last (often twice) and I am always yawning by the last page, which is handy because the story calls for a big yawn.
Bit of a lame picture really, but after precious little sleep Thursday night I was not much more than a groaning, mumbling zombie all day and taking photos was the last thing on my to do list.
Will do better...