Dancing like Jack Black

To say that Toby is obsessed with Yo Gabba Gabba is a bit of understatement. Some days I think he would like to watch it all day long. He talks about it, he pretends some of his toys are DJ Lance Rock, and he even has me making little paper hats, so they can be like him.

The episode featuring Jack Black is his absolute favourite, and he spends a lot of time practising his dancing to be the same ( have a little look at it here, Jack Black is the crazy one in orange). I love watching him do this, its so sweet to watch him trying so hard and enjoying himself so much.
And he absolutely insists on wearing that hat whilst dancing.

Words of the week:

Be Careful!

Said by Toby whenever he or one of his toys is about to do something dangerous...

The problem with buying new wellies for Toby, is there is no excuse now for him not to jump in puddles. We went to a music class today, held on a community farm. It was raining, and very muddy and there were plenty of big, dirty puddles. Toby was running through them, throwing stones into them, jumping in them, having a wail of a time. And just as I said Be careful! to him, as he was getting too excited and looking a bit unsteady, splash! Toby fell face down in a giant puddle.He was soaking wet from head to toe, covered in mud, and crying hysterically. With no change of clothes with us, he had to wear one of my pink t-shirts on the way home.

Which he didn't want to take off once we got home....


When we talked about it together later on, Toby said to me, I went swimming, in a puddle!

Nearly Two

Being nearly two, is hard for us both. And sometimes so funny.
We have just spent ages playing with a ball together. I throw it really high, and then dive onto the floor to catch it. Toby thinks this is THE funniest thing he has ever seen, and the sound of his uncontrollable laughter is a delight. And watching him trying to copy me do it, with his uncoordinated limbs is one of the funniest things I have ever seen.

So too was watching him with a colander on his head, chanting I am a robot in a special robot voice.
Or when he wears a nappy on his head as a hat...


But its pretty hard when he is throwing things into the toilet, unfolding all the clean towels I have just put away and throwing them around the room, climbing on everything, 'helping' me wash up by throwing water everywhere, and walking the playdough we made this morning from one end of the house to the other....and all whilst screaming Sausage! at me every few minutes.

(I stupidly told him he was having some sausages for dinner, he has never had one before. As sausages are what they have for dinner in his current favourite book, The Tiger Who Came to Tea, he is very excited about the prospect!)

It's been a hard day, maybe tomorrow will be better...

My happy lucky boy

He doesn't like having his nappy changed at the moment. I start getting him undressed, and then he'll scramble up and run off, arms in the air, squealing in delight as a chase begins. Sometimes it can take an hour or so before he'll finally let me change it without a tantrum, and it makes me so mad. But it's hard to stay cross at him for too long, when I see his happy smiling face.


His language is getting better and better everyday. And he remembers so much now. He knows the bit of road that has a railway crossing long before he can see it. He remembers the corner where we once saw a fire engine and ambulance with their lights and sirens on, and talks about it sometimes when we go past. He remembers having a broken arm, and how we used to wrap it in clingfilm and pretend it was a robot arm when he had a bath. And he remembers often the time we saw a fire engine parked at the side of the road. Toby waved at them (with his broken arm) and they let him climb up into the fire engine and look around. They also gave him stickers and a goody bag. At the end of re-counting the story he'll always say, "Mummy, Ti-Ti is a lucky boy."

He told me he was a lucky boy today, after I bought him 2 new matchbox cars. I think I really bought them to assuage my guilt at letting his swim instructor dunk him completely under the water today for the first time. Letting my happy, smiling innocent faced boy be plunged under, and seeing his gasping, horrified and frightened face as he re-appeared felt terrible. I won't be able to forget the look on his face for a while yet. But he was so brave. My beautiful, lucky boy.

The best bit

The photo is a bit blurry, but it captures my little man perfectly. Jumping about in excitement, doing his crazy crinkle nosed smile. He insisted on wearing one of my aprons, all folded up to avoid him falling over it.


We both agreed, the best bit of baking is licking the bowl out after the cake is safely in the oven.

His first haircut

His hair has been butchered many times now by me at the kitchen table, and even by Luis in the bath. It was getting too long, too knotted, the hairdresser said it was out of control.... It was time for his first haircut.


Off we went to his Daddy's barber.


He didn't fuss too much, and it was all over pretty quickly. Not a huge amount different to how it was before, but the baby curls are all gone....makes me a little sad.

Words of the week:

Upside down

We were playing with his stacking clown, one of his favorite toys. I built him upside down,

Toby thought it was hilarious. And he's been using the words as much as possible ever since.


Everywhere we look, things seem to be upside down. He finds the bat in one of his picture books particularly troubling....

A parcel arrived

A special parcel arrived today for Toby, from his beloved Gra-Gra and Gra-Pa. He opened it after his sleep, and was very excited.
His first words upon seeing what was inside were, Oh wow! He loved his new jumper.

My Little boy

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He's got a bit of a cold at the moment, and he's not sleeping well. No daytime sleep today. We lay on my bed together, I thought he might sleep next to me, but it was no use. Instead, we discovered the voice recording function on my phone. Toby thought it was brilliant! We sang songs together and then listened back to them. Toby loved hearing himself, and was shaking with excitement. In the end he was getting stage fright as I tried to record him, and just giggling infectiously into the phone. I love the way he finds joy in the simpliest of things.


I love the way he dances to music. Little arms in the air, he spins around giggling, until he stumbles, dizzy, grabbing hold of something to steady himself.

I love the ways he sings to himself, songs he's heard on the TV (Yo Gabba Gabba songs are very popular) or songs that I sing. We duet together to Hello Goodbye by the Beatles. He sings whole lines by himself.

I love the way he tries to make other people laugh, and the way he finds so many things funny. He is such a happy, gentle little boy.

I love the way he wants to share his own excitement with me.

I love the way yesterday, he ran to me in the kitchen, 'Mummy! It's raining!' and pulled me over to window so excited. He waved out the window and shouted in his sweet, innocent little voice,
Hello raining!

I love when we are in the car, he shows all the things he sees to Gaw-Gaw. I hear him in the back, Look Gaw-Gaw, Ambulance! Look Gaw-Gaw, a bird! Oh, look, a man! It goes on and on, he shows him everything.

I love how much he loves his soft toys. He spends ages cuddling them, and he makes them talk to each other, sometimes they kiss each other, they say hello, they drink imaginary cups of tea.

I love the way he praises himself, when he thinks he has done the right thing. Good Boy! I hear him exclaim.

I love his latest favourite phrase, Yes I do. So formal. It makes me laugh.
Do you want to watch TV?
Yes I do.
I can't get enough of hearing it.

I love my little boy.

His first broken bones....

It wasn't a good start to the weekend for Toby, early on Saturday morning, he fell and broke his wrist (In 2 places, the doctor rang and told me this afternoon!). So he is now adapting to playing with just one arm, and having to draw left-handed. And he found trying to do Yogo whilst watching Waybuloo practically impossible, but he still gave it a try.
My brave little boy.

In the car on the way to the hospital on Saturday we had no idea what was wrong with him, just that he wasn't right. He'd hit his head, he wasn't moving his arms, he wasn't standing on his legs, he couldn't stop crying, and his face was the face of a little boy in agony. Terrible thoughts went through my mind, I felt sick at the possibilities. And then he did something, something that was so Toby, I felt immediate relief. Looking out the car window, crying, he suddenly stopped, turned to me and shouted as clear as anything, "Mummy! Police Car!" as one passed us by. He has eyes like a hawk when it comes to spotting emergency vehicles. Almost like x-ray vision, I think he can see them around corners. And it gave me just the amount of relief I needed, that maybe he was going to be fine. And when his little bones have mended, when his little cast is removed, he will be.