The story of a big head

 I was cautioned about his big head even while he was in my stomach and we didn't even know that He will be a Robin when the sonographer told me "Ooh, he has a big head!". That is not really the sentence you want to hear before birth, though I have tried forgot about it and put it behind me, plus the midwife reassured me that it doesn't mean anything.
Then 1st of August came, and I was reminded again of his big head and it was clear that his head was not made for my birth canal, and as we know now he had to be born by c-section.

He was beautiful and the topic of the headsize didn't come up, and I don't think it looked any bigger at all.
Then he must have been about 3-4 months (maybe on the 16 week check-up) the health visitor measured his head and found that it is on the 96th percentile, just under the top of the normal level.
I still wasn't worried as he was still developing well and Richard's head is big also :-)

But on the 6th month check-up another health visitor measured his head again and the size was on the 99th percentile, but more worrying that there is a lump on the top of his head next to the soft spot (or whatever the English word for that soft centre on babies head).
The health visitor was really kind, she said that there is no reason to worry, he is developing nicely, but just to be on the safe side, I should go to the GP to have him checked-out.
Off we went.
He looked into his eyes, felt his little lump (while Bobin was smiling encouragingly at him) then he reassured me that there is nothing to worry about, he is developing well, can't see any pressure in his brain BUT just to be on the safe side and to make sure he will give us an appointment to the pediatrician to have him checked out.
I don't mind as I rather be on the safe side as well, but why cant I go straight to there? Why all these appointments and waiting??
At last the day of the appointment came last week. More waiting, more measuring and he swept more nurses off their feet with his soft, spikey red hair.
He was measured as well, 10.6 kg and 72cm.
The doctor was a nice a lady from Iraq, who examined him a bit more thoroughly, more lump feeling, more looking into his eyes, listening into his head, looking at him crawling, sitting....Then she reassured me that she doesn't think there is any problem with him, he is developing nicely, doesn't think there is any problem with his brain, BUT she would send us to skull x-ray and ultrasound to check that the bones of his skull didn't start to attach before they should be as she can't determine that by touching.

So now we are waiting again for the 13th of May appointment and really really hope that he is fine and there is no problem with him and we won't need to be referred upwards until we reach the Queen so someone can tell us that he is fine.

One good day

Or rather two, as Richard stayed at  home on his birthday on Friday and the days are much better when its not just three of us.
Benji and me made a cake on Thursday together, lemon and poppy seed cake, the only problem that it stuck into the baking paper... :-( Tasted good though.
We had birthday lunch at Packing Moor Farm Shop, was a nice and sunny day, nice food, nicely behaved children, nice scenery.

The next day because (at last) it was warm and sunny and because it was a free day at most of National Trust Properties we have visited Sudbury Hall. It is about 45 minutes drive away, but it was worth it, the boys slept all way and when we arrived they enjoyed the "castle", the woodland play area, running around the like, the museum of childhood and trying out the toys, and it was a good "adult program" for us too.
Opposite of the Hall there was a nice, old, englishy pub with a nice garden space where we could watch the tractors going by, we have had some nice pub food and a glass or two wine.
In the meantime Benji was running around (or shyly watching the older boys) and Robin was eating grass.

When we got home the sun was shining till late, so we could plant some herbs and veg seeds in the garden while Benji was running around and Robin was eating stone. (Nowadays in about every 5 minutes you can hear the sentence "What's in your mouth again Robin" under our roof)

We have been in Hungary

Relatively short time, but we went to Hungary all four of us. I really needed this visit as I started to have enough of England and the weather (I know, I know that it was the same in Hungary, but in my head it is always sunny there) and I was really homesick (even after all these years I long to be back after 1-2 months).

We have travelled with Lufthansa as worked out cheaper, it was miles better than the cheap airlines. Kind stewardesses, little gifts for the kids, no weight limit, free food, place for our legs...etc. So it was worth it despite the long wait in Munich.

At home I managed to see everyone (expect poor Vera, but it almost costs the same to drive down to Balaton as one of our plane tickets, and we simply couldn't afford it), we also spent a lot of time with the boys, we have seen Barnabas being baptised, I have been running three times, we have been at Aquaworld for a swim and to try make Benji to like water. We haven't been so successful, 10-90% the time he spent in the water compared the one he spent on dry land. Slowly but surely :-)

Poor Bobin couldn't come with us as he came out in chicken pox while we were in Hungary, I know he would have really liked it.

We had a really good time, and it is never good to come back, especially that all our clothes smell of my mum's fabric softener and this smell reminds me of home... :-(

There was lots of dog-loving from both of them:

Making "violet perfume"- e.g putting violets into water :)

Inside of the new Lego shop

On the plane at way back home: (They have both been praised by fellow passengers how good they behaved)

Footprints of our Easter rabbit

We were thinking way before Easter how shall we have Easter as Benji will definitely will understand it now this year and we wanted to created the magic of innocent moments which he hopefully will like to think back upon.
Luckily it is the same in both cultures: Easter rabbits hides the eggs and the little ones find them. Richard wanted to continue their family tradition of little footprints showing where the rabbit has been and hid the eggs (three fingers dipped into flour is the secret...) and I didn't object as I think it is really cute, plus there wasn't really an option to hide the eggs in the garden this year as it was almost snowing and was freezing cold.
We managed to get up before the boys (which is not easy as our little red squirrel wakes up around 6 and his older brother follows around 7), but we managed to finger- (sorry, foot-)print the house and hide chocolates around.
After he has drunk his milk he came downstairs and was surprised the little white marks on the floor, from then on he didn't let my hand go, we had to go around like that he was so scared that the rabbit might jump out from somewhere :-) (he is very shy in new or unusual situations nowadays)
He soon got the hang of it and were really happy once he found another little chocolate rabbit or chic or his two Spot books.
One of his favourite book to read is Spot the dog which is hiding under flaps, on the cover of that book you can see the small pictures of the rest of the Spot series and he was pointing at them every night: "we will buy this one, we will buy this one", so he was really happy to see two of them and that he could show now "I have this one, I have that one". Good to see small things making him happy. I still have to read the new Spot book every night before going to bed.

This year Robin has also got a little chocolate (just to show) and a book, it took a good 10 minutes for Benji to understand that he also can have that little rabbit and he has to be happy with this other 6 chocolates...

I have also been a housegkeeping godess and made my own challa bread (hungarian plaited sweet bread), was a bit flat, and a bit burnt, but tasted very good! :-)

Unfortunately only took a video of the egghunt which is too big to put in here (although you can see the little feet behind Benji eating chocolate), so I attach some pictures of the day before when we went to Kingsbury water park to the miniature steam railway. Benji was also really scared, didn't want to sit on it, Robin of course pood himself, the snow started when we arrived, was freezing, but we didn't give up! We have to go back when the weather is better as it was really fun!

A bit flat, a bit burnt, but its ours!

Easter egg painting

Easter is coming soon, so Benji's nursery again asked that children take in a painted egg as there will an egg beauty competition. I didn't mind that he is paiting an egg (in Hungary only girls do as per tradition and boys receive them if they sprinkle the girls with water) as at least he keeps some Easter tradition, plus he really enjoyed it. That much that we had to blow another egg as the two we did weren't enough. (we ate omlette for lunch that day as another 2 were broken in the blowing process)
We only have to teach him that you wash the brush out after each colour as in the end the eggs and all the paints looked the same goosepoo colour. Nevermind, we used some stickers and they were beautiful.

On the paper from the nursery it was specifically pointed out that they will appreciate more if they can see that the parent didn't help, and the paiting is age appropriate. I took this on of course, but I didn't even have the intention to do it instead of him as there wouldn't be a point. And who cares anyway whose is the nicest egg, I am sure every parent thinks that their child's is the best anyway.
Turns out that not all parents thought this way, which is a bit annoying as I now feel sorry for Benji. We forgot to take the egg in on Monday and on Tuesday morning he said he doesn't want to take the egg in, and didn't let us take it (despite all weekend and on Monday he was carrying it around as if it was a totem). When we dropped him off we saw some of the other eggs and were clear that some of them were not made by the children (that or my child is really rubbish at painting), there were little baskets with fluffy cotton balls, rabbit ears, chicken faces etc. No wonder he didn't want to take his egg in anymore.
Why do parents do this? Does it really matter who wins this egg competition?

(And if it is Easter, it is rabbit, lamb, chickens...Benji used managed to time it right and have a festive chicken pox....)

Those little moments

I found myself watching them quite often and just wonder how cute they are as they find themselves and they are starting to be brothers now rather than "Benji and the baby". And it is so good to see that Benji is looking at Robin more as a partner of crime rather than just someone who eats and sleeps.
Sometimes he just turns around and tells me: "Mummy I am playing with Robin" then he takes a toy to him and grins into his face from really close: "Roooobiiiiiin"
He also chats to him in the car and they exchange a knowing smile.
Or if Robin starts crying he runs there saying "Its ok Robin I am here now", and even despite he finished crying and happily looking down from my arms he still has to give him a "healing kiss".
This idill is usually only broken when Richard comes home as he wants Daddy only to himself (I am at home with him all day, I am not interesting....), if Richard "dares" to hold Robin or gives him a little attention, then when the "accidentally kicked him" or "sat on Robin's head" happen....Our poor little Second One, if your read this 18 years later you will realize you had a good training in your early days. Last week Benji even dropped you on the floor, I only run from the toilet because of the big knock on the floor and the loud cry, you are lying on the floor Benji next to you all innocent as he just wanted to lift you on the chair. I need to grow an extra pair of eyes....Although it is probably your fault being that heavy. 9.6kg at 7 months! (the health visitor came and measured you. More worrying that your head circumference is on the 99% percentile...all that brain...)
Benji is 16kg, he gave such a big tantrum all that because he had to stand on the scale..

It was also Mother's Day in England (lucky me, I can have another one soon), and got two nice cards from B, the right one from nursery and the left one stamping, drawing is with Daddy's help. Very nice, thank you!

The first warmer day

At last the sunshine arrived, so we could go out into the garden and get some vitamin D into the kids.
Benji helped us collecting rotten apples, stones and weed and copied Richard sawing some banches off the tree. Of course not with a real saw, but with a little stick he was bashing our bamboo bush :)
I managed to get them together for the sake of a photo as well. Very rare opportunity as usually he starts winging nowadays if we try to take picture of him/them ("I don't want cheeeese")
He is very timid nowadays, or I rather say scared of new situations, and starts winging if he doesn't like something (or worse case scenario he stars crying, screaming loudly).
I am little worried about it, as we have been in a birthday party of one his little friends yesterday,and there was everything a kid could want: bouncy castle, toys, balloons, little chairs, and little table full of sweets and treats. But instead he didn't move from our shadow and of course "I dont want jump jump, I dont want cake...etc" In the end Richard managed to persuade him to get into the bouncy castle with him, but only when noone else was inside, and he only approached the table when everyone else have stood up. He didn't really warm up for the 1.5 hour we have been there.
I feel sorry for him, but I don't want to push him something he doesn't want to do. I just hope it will change by school for his own sake and that it is not something serious.
Richard is probably right, that what should we expect when both of us were really quiet ones when we were little and this probably have just added up in Benji.

Our Little One has become 7 months on 1st of March as well.
He started pulling himself along on his arms like a little seal, reaches for everything, he is actually quite strong. I think he is not far from crawling, he is lifting his bottom up in the air, and rocking  himself back and forth.
He is very smiley, his whole face smiles whenever he spots me, his lips, eyes stretches for a big smile and his little ears go upwards. Very cute.
His sleeping is very rhapsodical  he started again waking up at 2am and 4-5ish as well. Although I hope this is only temporary because they both a little bit snotty and he can't breath at night and thats why he wakes up.
He is eating very well (carrots, potatoes  chestnuts, pears, mango, peach..etc, today ate his first little piece of chicken too), his drinking is the same as Benji was at this age, he only drinks a gulp of water, he rather has his formula still to drink.
Thursday the health visitor will come and I will ask how heavy he is, but I bet he is around 10kg now,..

They also started to get on better and better together. Benji finds Robin as a little partner now in games (they push cars together, or shows his books to him), he is rarely jealous, mostly only when Robin happens to find one of his cars or toys, and of course Benji wants that toy there and than, and can grab it really hard off Robin.
But I hear the sentence "Look Mummy I play with Robin" more and more, which really means that he lies or sits next to him and looks into Robin's face really really close.
But he kisses him quite often or tries ticking or stroking him, or making his clown moves to him which Robin loves and appreciates with big giggles, "Look Mummy, he likes this"