De Silva Family Blog

In our household, Christmas starts with the decoration of the tree. So a fornight ago, when we told him that Mummy had returned with the tree in the back of the car, he nearly peed his nappy with excitement (I'm sure he probably did). He ran outside, begging to be picked up so that he could see the Christmas Tree inside the car. His reaction was not quite as expected - the poor boy looked despondent. When I asked what the matter was, he merely pointed at the huge Douglas Fir in our front garden, as if to say "That's a proper tree, not that six-foot sapling!" Luckily the rest of Christmas was a little more appreciated. This being his second time round, he was a little more savvy. For example, he knew that the presents were more interesting than the wrapping paper and that most of the presents were for him. He'd even started opening presents when our backs were turned on Christmas Eve! In the lead up to Christmas, he'd been getting chocolates daily fr

How do you call your mummy? Come here, mummy. And if she doesn't answer? Oh mummy... And if she still doesn't answer? I simply say... ...MISSUS!!!

Leo loves cars. Since he could first say the word he has been fascinated. He loves to stand in the driver's seat of our car and pretend to drive, playing with all the controls. Sometimes he breaks into the garage at his grandparents house to stare at their car. Most nights he wants me to tell him the story of "Little Boy Lewis (Hamilton)" and how he grew up to be the number one F1 driver. So we thought he might like a "Roary the Racing Car" sleepsuit and as you can see, he was beside himself with glee. Unfortunately, getting an extremely excited Leo to bed proved to be quite difficult.

The 2008 Atlantic hurricane season has been the second most destructive in history. Whilst not an El Niño or La Niña year, scientists (my wife is a lecturer) believe it may be the lesser known "Lil' Leo" effect. Hurricane Leo has been gathering intensity all summer and unusually hit landfall in North Hertfordshire. Currently rated a Category 1 storm, this force of nature has left devastation in his wake. When examined about is actions, he glibly replied, "Leo makin' messin'!" Lord help us when he reaches Category 2 in February 2009. Better start battening down the hatches...

We're pleased to announce that our baby Foetoo is a bouncing baby boy! Any suggestions for names are very welcome. He's a very active little one and loves to kick as I talk to him each night. Leo is already very fond of him and often kisses and cuddles mummy's tummyand he always remembers to say "Night, night Baby Foetoo" before snuggling down into his cot at the end of a long hard day.

I went to Hong Kong for work last weekend and unfortunately spent most of the time inside our (very nice) hotel! Hong Kong seems great for food and we had an amazing eleven-course Chinese banquet at Yung Kee , including 1000-year-old eggs, dry ice and all sorts of other weird and wonderful stuff! I managed to find a few hours to explore an in that time managed to find a traditional "wet market" (where the fish are sold alive to keep them fresh), the Ladies' Market (to find a handbag for the Missus) and about 50 shopping centres. Hong Kong is certainly heaven for shopaholics. As I never seem to find the time (or the inclination) to go shopping these days, I managed to get a decade's worth of suits and shirts made for me! It turns out that I can even order online , so no more traipsing around Oxford Street for me - wahey! I'd just better make sure my measurements don't change.

Children say the funniest things and with Leo's increasing vocabulary he's becoming hilarious. Here are a few of his gems... "Mummy Ogre!" - Leo proudly announcing to fellow diners on holiday that Mummy was at a yoga. "Mummy dancing. Badly!" - Obviously! "Kiss (my) poo bum bum!" - when he didn't want to lie down for a nappy change!

Our little boy must surely be of royal descent as he commands his loyal subjects in a truly imperious manner. He's had his family in thrall since birth, but in a matter of hours the lifeguards on the beach were carrying him aloft in a makeshift sedan chair, calling him the "Little Maharajah". Even the tides obeyed his every whim!

The second half of my holiday was spent at the amazing Sugar Beach Hotel . Unfortunately Mummy and Daddy made me sleep in the bathroom because of my snoring, but the days were much better and there was plenty to do... I learnt how to canoe... went swimming... played football... and went for romantic walks on the beach... Most important of all was Kids Club where there were lots of toys and friendly people to play with. If Mummy and Daddy were being boring, I'd even go there on my own. All in all I had a wonderful holiday in Mauritius and am looking forward to going back next week. Love Leo

The second half of Mum's 60th Birthday celebrations was a holiday to see her family and friends in Mauritius. We thought we'd tag along too! We almost didn't make it past the airport. Leo loves minibuses so he thought he was in heaven whilst standing outside Heathrow's Terminal 2. After two hours of chasing minibuses, we finally convinced him that planes were more interesting and made our way inside. We spent the first half of the holiday with Aunty Arlette. Leo was loving all the attention and frequently toddled off to visit cousins Magali and Patrick nearby. We had parties most nights but ended with a big bash for Mum's actual 60th birthday (above). The entertainment was provided by our very own Patrick on the guitar, Magali and Mary on vocals and Leo with some cool new dance moves. If you'd like to see some photos, please see our online album .

We're delighted to announce a tiny new addition to our family! This little bundle of joy weighs about 14 grams and is just over 3 inches long. Loving known as "Foetoo" for the moment, he/she is due at the end of March 2009. Leo seems quite excited by it all and often kisses mummy's tummy, calling Foetoo "Baby in dere". Thankfully the first three months have been fairly kind to Mary and she's looking forward to cravings of sushi and ice cream during her second trimester!

Mum will be celebrating her 60th birthday during the whole of September with a three-week trip to Mauritius. To kick off the proceedings, we held a garden party in her honour for all her family and friends in the UK. It was a perfect afternoon in an otherwise awful summer and Mary's recently finished garden was a great venue. We had a Sri Lankan buffet followed by the World's Best Brownies from the local farmers' market, topped off with a lovely cake and a glass of bubbly. Despite Mum's protestations that she didn't want people to make a fuss of her, she secretly loved it and later likened the butterflies she felt in anticipation to those on her wedding day. Over 50 friends and family came to celebrate and once or twice I caught a little glint in Mum's eye as she looked around. For once in her 60 years she was lost for words when it came to making a speech, but Noel came to her rescue when he presented her with a "This is Your Life" photo album

It has taken a while, but Mary's green fingers have worked their magic on our garden and hasn't she done a good job?  Whilst Paul Graves (an old classmate of mine) did the hard landscaping, all the design and planting was Mary's hard work (with a lot of parental support thrown in).  Well done Mares!   Incidentally Leo seems to have inherited the gardening gene... Anyone remember that school-yard song... What do you do when you can't find the loo  in an English Country Garden?  Pull down your pants and water all the ants  in the English Country Garden!  Get a little spade and bury what you made  in the English Country Garden!

My gorgeous little neice had her second birthday today which she celebrated with all her friends. Thankfully the weather cleared up just in time so we had a wonderful garden party with lots of bubbles, toys and games. I was surprised to learn that she's got a new boyfriend, Alex (pictured). Watching them together, I can see that she's going to be a real man-eater! I pity her poor father when she gets older!

Looks like Leo takes after Daddy on the dancefloor!

Leo loves buses. It was one of his first words and continues to be one of his favourites (along with "car", "gardn" and the ubiquitous "no!"). He's even started branching out to saying "minibus". So when we took him to Stevenage bus station today, he was beside himself with glee at the sight of so many buses. He squealed with delight and ran up to the railings shouting "bus" at the top of his voice, stunning the bemused shoppers nearby. He then proudly stated that there were "two bus" (hasn't quite got to ten yet)!

The latest skirmish in my Battle against the Bulge was a sortie to London with two like-minded new fathers, Alex and Brian. Thinking we were young whipper-snappers, we thought we could cycle to the Thames under cover of the lovely Lea Valley (over 30 miles), enjoy lunch at a riverside pub and get back in time to put our children to bed. All without any training. A particularly vindictive headwind developed as we passed the M25 and, no matter which direction we cycled in, it fought us. We sought refuge at The Grapes , a wonderful 300 year-old pub favoured by Charles Dickens. Unfortunately the Bulge won this skirmish as beer, roast lamb and apple crumble proved to be the wrong fuel for the return journey! The impending downpour sealed our decision and we made an organised retreat towards the trains at Liverpool Street. Nevertheless, it was a fun day - looking forward to the next round.

As usual I gave Leo a big hug after getting back from work this afternoon. Little did I know that mummy had just given him a Cadbury's Chocolate Eclair which, when combined with a teething toddler, results in an inordinate amount of dribble. With it all dripping on to my face and suit, I felt like Sigourney Weaver in that scene from Alien 3!

Leo was very taken by Aunt Cathy when she came to visit today and I think it's safe to say that she was besotted with his cherub-cheeks. They had a wonderful time playing together bouncing on the trampoline, playing in the sand and learning to fly, but in the end a tired boy just needs his mama...

Move over Ronaldo, here comes Leo!

We took Leo to Willows Farm today as one of his friends, Bethany, held her fourth birthday party there. Leo loved it - he giggled at the guinea pigs, held a rabbit (somewhat warily), baa-ed at the sheep (and goats and lamas), squealed at the pigs, mooed at the cows and very gingerly petted the horse whilst neighing. Then we got down to the rides, but spent virtually all of our time on the bouncy castle. The best thing about it was that I got to go on too! I haven't been on one for at least 20 years and I'd forgotten what I've been missing - it's so much fun. I wonder if Mary would like a large inflatable yellow "sculpture" for her new garden. Hmmm ...

I returned home this evening to find Mary's umbrella lying in the garden. Thinking she must have forgotten it, I went to pick it up, when all of a sudden it got up and ran away!

Mary was practising her yoga this morning in the conservatory whilst Leo looked on in fascination. After a while he thought he'd show mummy how to do it properly and here you see him teaching her to do "Down Dog". We were surprised at his prowess, but then remembered that he'd been practising since he was a foetus!

Leo recently went to our DVD collection and picked out one with a yellow cover (as yellow is his favourite colour). It had a monkey on the front and naturally he was curious so he brought it to me, saying "Book!" and "Oo oo!" It turned out to be the Curious George DVD and so I played it for him. As you can see, he was transfixed. Perhaps he thought he was looking in the mirror?

For my second Fathers Day, Leo gave me a wonderful day. He was so excited about it that we started at 6am! He'd made me a plate and four coasters, which he'd painted himself as well as a card featuring his artwork. We played together all morning and that afternoon we cycled to the park for a picnic with the NCT group. Just to make sure that mummy wasn't feeling left out, Leo had a little present for her too...

Our little boy has been speaking Leoish for months and whilst he's currently learning English he continues to speak his native tongue much of the time. One of those words is "manaa," which means "give me" and when he wants something badly (which is most of the time) he says it twice. We previously thought Leoish was a unique language, conceived by the boy himself, but it turns out that it is actually a derivative of ancient Muppet - once popular in the previous century. This video is the last known recording of that wonderful language, but as Leo has never seen it until this morning it proves that the transfer of knowledge is possible through DNA.

The Clan expanded today with the arrival of Lucas at 00:27 this morning. Weighing in at 7lb 2oz, he's a gorgeous little thing with a lovely head of hair. He was incredibly alert, perhaps due to his mummy's lack of pain relief during her 20 hour labour (she's a trooper that one)! As you can see, mum and dad are doing very well - congratulations guys, and welcome to the family Lucas.

Love was in the air today for Louise and Martin who got married today. Mary went to celebrate with them and by all accounts it was a gorgeous wedding and a wonderful day. So congratulations to Mr and Mrs Willis! That left Leo and myself time for some male bonding. We played with cars, went fishing in the bath, ate biscuits all day (because I love the way Leo says "bikit"), got tattoos in finger paint and went cruising for chicks on our bike. There was certainly love in the air for Leo this afternoon as he was picked up by one particular young blonde bike chick, Rosalind (girls are so forward these days). Here you see the cheeky pair having just emerged from the "Tunnel of Love" in Knebworth's play park.

Watch the master at work. One for the Tate methinks.

The country roads nearby are wonderful for cycling on and we've been desperate to get back on our bikes and go cycling as a family. Unfortunately Leo's head has been too small to wear a helmet. So after months of praise, his head has finally swelled enough! Here's he is on our first trip although it was rather short as we only got about 50m before getting a puncture! Luckily the second attempt was a little more successful as we made it all the way to the local pub for a swift half of milk.

Nick and Charlotte (Mary's cousin) got married today and what a perfect day it was (see here for some more photos). With the hottest day of the year so far, the weather didn't disappoint and the lucky couple looked absolutely stunning. Congratulations to you both!!! Leo loved his first wedding, in particular his two (!) puddings of profiteroles followed by chocolate ice cream. But his personal highlight came at the end of the evening when having changed into his pyjamas for the journey home, he made his escape whilst we said our goodbyes, toddling onto the dance floor and dancing his heart out. Thank you Charlotte and Nick for a wonderful day and we hope you have a wonderful honeymoon.

We thought Leo might like to do a little cookery today so we thought we'd make some chocolate rice krispy cakes. Being a messy puppy, he loved it - measuring out the ingredients, tasting each one personally, mixing them up and best of all, putting the M&M's on top. However our little boy is a sneaky little thing as at soon as we turned our back he snatched an M&M and put it straight in his mouth! He then had the audacity to pretend it wasn't him. Luckily, we caught him red handed on CCTV.

... to see such fun. And the dish ran away with the spoon! Leo loves his books. Every morning after having his milk, he rushes to the bookshelf and grabs his nursery rhymes book. He needs a little help as, with 1,000 rhymes, it's bit too big and heavy for him. (Somehow it always seems to miss his toes as it falls to the floor!) He then sits down and proceeds to "read" it for ages, getting very excited when he comes across "Hey diddle diddle" or "Twinkle, twinkle, little star". He's even started making up actions to go with his favourite rhymes!

Walking past Tesco in Stevenage yesterday, Leo gave out an almighty shriek and practically jumped out of my arms. He hit the ground running, shouting "Car" all the way to this yellow digger. When he got there, he didn't really know what to do so tried hitting it, then eating it! Eventually I found a 50p piece and set him down on the seat. The first bars of " Bob the Builder " played out and the digger started rocking. A grin split Leo's face from cheek to cheek and he started jigging to the music. Unfortunately, 50p doesn't go very far these days and before he knew it, it was over. Shame I couldn't say the same thing about the song - it was stuck in my head for the next few hours. I can't wait to take him to Disney World now.

Leo's immune system has been under fire recently, having had his MMR jabs last week. To top it all off, the poor baby's caught chicken pox. He's putting on a brave face as he hasn't learnt to milk it yet! Tomorrow some of his friends are coming round for a Poxy Party! (Apparently, it's best to catch it while you're young and poxy parties are all the rage this season!)

After such a messy dinner, it was time for bath. However at soon as his nappy was off, the little tearaway made a break for freedom. He enjoyed running about in his birthday suit so much, we were afraid he'd pee all over the carpet. Luckily he waited until he got into the bath, before doing it on me!

He may be seven months older ( see earlier post ), but our headstrong little boy still wants to feed himself with predictably messy results! Use your spoon Easy! Oops, wrong end! Oh dear - brain ache!

Although Leo has been walking hesitantly for about a month now, he's really improved in the last day or two. This is the first time we've caught him on camera. Enjoy!

Mary had a wonderful start to her birthday - a great big hug and a wet sloppy kiss from Leo! It was a gorgeous morning so we all went for a walk in the woods before having a quick rest in her new swing seat (a birthday present from me). After lunch we celebrated Sophie Smith's first birthday, followed by a lovely romantic dinner at Sazio in Hapenden (probably our first since last year!)