An evening with Max

Dinner time with Max can be a tiring, frustrating and hilarious affair.

Look at this innocent face. He wouldn't do anything remotely naughty would he?

Oh look. How did that get there?

Ha ha ha, Daddy has to clean it because I'm too little!


Max Has also started to crawl everywhere (it looks more like swimming at the moment) and he loves to grab, topple and play guitars.

This is not a good picture, but If you can imagine how nice it is to come home, walk up the stairs and be greeted by this little monkey peering round the door and giving off little screams!

So, to round off the evening, we read one of Max's favourite books before bath, bottle and big long sleep. Until about 5 - 6am. Mysteriously I have developed a terrible hearing problem and am unable to be woken and poor Kaye has to get up.

New old book!

I just received this 1952 first edition Penguin paperback from a bookshop in the US. I'm not sure why I find these original Penguins so exciting - but I do. The covers give nothing away, so you really can't judge it by its cover. Except that the design itself is attractive. The idea of previous owners is exciting too. Where has this book been? Unlike proper first edition collectors, I'm not too bothered by the condition and I love it when someone has inscribed the book.

I'm getting there with my collection...

Max is very much into books too. He seems to prefer them to toys, unless the toy in question is actually a TV remote, a watch or a tin lid. Anything unsuitable for babies, preferably with a good choking hazard. He has two clear favourites right now...
That's not my lion... is the most used, chewed, pulled and dropped. It goes everywhere with Max and he likes to roar whilst pulling it to bits. I think he has actually eaten a fair amount of book paper now. I recommend it for all diets.

This the monkey.

Here he is. This is the monkey that spent months rolling about inside his mummy's tummy. This is the little chimp who took 36 hours to appear. It is totally unreal having your own child, especially when you still feel like one yourself.

So, it appears, this blue/grey squashed bundle. It was a shock because he seemed massive and looked like a cross between one of those silver gorillas and a packet of sausages. What was also a shock was how all your expectations and plans vanish and your thoughts reboot ready for freaking out!

I thought I was going to be super dad and sure enough, when he was shiny and new I was the king of nappies, gallantly stepping up while my wife recovered from her ordeal. But in reality, when it came to the constant slog of waking and comforting and feeding...I was rubbish. I had really strong feelings of panic and unease and imagined how it would be best for all of us if I just ran away. Perhaps to Las Vegas or home to the outback of Oz.

Anyway, 9 months down the line it occurred to me that I was missing out. So from now on I really am going to be a superduper dad. This is what this blog is for. To document my ups and downs as my wife and I begin job sharing - week on, week off. Laugh at me all you like...laugh as I struggle to put on Max's jacket, laugh as he rolls over and crawls away while I try to clean his backside, and laugh as I dance under a mini maypole in front of experienced mums at Friday's Rhythm Time.