So, I realise that it’s been a little while since I last did a normal regular post on what’s actually been going on in our lives, so with Clara turning 4 months old this week I thought I do a little catch up blog.

I can’t believe it’s October already! I mean I know this year has seemed like a whole decade rolled into one year but it also feels strange that it’s also almost over. We’ve now had a few weeks of the school routine and I think (touch wood!) it’s going ok. Polly really enjoys going which is the most important bit and I’m learning very quickly that all those things I read about are completely true- they come out of school like starved vultures and however much uniform you thought you needed- double it! The only thing Polly does different to the other kids is that school doesn’t seem to sap her energy and instead of crashing before teatime she’s still bouncing off the walls till bedtime.

Bedtime has become an interesting affair though- (touch wood again!) the only downfall in the new routine. A week or so before starting school Polly hit some sort of secret unheard of sleep regression (I was getting psyched for the 4 month sleep regression and the 4 year one smacked me in the face with the force of a train). Basically she decided one night that she didn’t want to go to sleep. I know a lot of people will just say “she’s 4, just make her”. Well this is easier said then done when most of the bedtimes are me by myself with 2 other children to think of and new neighbours and the 4 year old happens to be the noisiest child in Britain. We do seem to be on the tail end of this nightmarish situation now, bedtime is far from perfect but at least our neighbours aren’t concerned they’ve moved next to the site of a daily exorcism.

Seb is really finding his voice now Polly is at school and although he’s also throwing some fairly dramatic tantrums he does sort himself out pretty quickly and most of them are resolved with a cuddle- even if it is a snotty cuddle. He’s developed huge love for the YouTube star Blippi and is picking up all sorts including a love of naming colours, he does it in such a cute way by announcing “colour red”, “colour yellow”, “colour black” to everything!

He did have a slightly hilarious meltdown a couple of days ago though when I refused to let him pull Clara’s nappy out the bin as he wanted to be the one to throw it away. Looking forward to reminding him of that one when he’s a teenager.

Little Clara bear or koala bear as she’s becoming known as, has also found her voice this week. She’s starting to make excited squealing sounds and is also blowing raspberries- much to her siblings delight! I’m not really sure how she’s 4 months already but at the same time she’s definitely not a little baby anymore. She’s trying to sit up and does a hilarious little stomach crunch trying to pull herself up from laying down, considering she’s not actually rolled over from belly to back yet I think she needs to get her priorities sorted out and focus on the baby stuff before the big girl stuff! I’m also sticking by my assessment that she’s going to be the cheeky one as her personality is starting to ooze out, I mean when you pull faces like this after doing a poo when daddy has just pulled the car round for us to head out, you really are making it clear that cheekiness is your middle name!

As for us, Henry and I are just muddling through this funny new world trying to keep it together, raise the kids without freaking them out, keep the bills paid and sometimes find time for cup of tea together on the sofa.

Anyway, that’s about it really. All caught up. Now I can finally hit post on a post that’s taken 4 days to write and ignore the to do list that has doubled in size over that time instead of shrinking!