First food

Woo-ey! Mum gave me a wedge of Tesco's Finest Pink Lady apple to suck this morning. I couldn't get enough of it, and sucked it nearly dry! I like Pink Lady apples, I think...

In the afternoon, Auntie Justine came over and we went to London Colney for a cup of tea and some sale shopping. Mum got me a couple of flowery shirts from Monsoon Baby. Dad thinks Mum would put me in a pink sequinned dress and tights if she had the chance. Now, I like the sound of that...

Guilty as charged

Ah, yes. You have caught me... er... having inappropriate relations with my toy mouse.

Boxing Day

I had a nice lie-in this morning. Yesterday's festivities really tired me out!

Merry Christmas!

Auntie Jenny and Uncle Tim came round early this morning. Auntie Jenny had made a duck stuffed with turkey, cranberries and chestnuts for Christmas lunch.

I just had to eat my Christmas card:

Here I am opening my present from Auntie Jenny and Uncle Tim. I was much more interested in the wrapping paper at first though, because it's sparkly and crinkly, and makes a delightful sound when you bash it.

We all ate a lot today. The grown ups had some canapes, then Auntie Jenny's duck with roast potatoes, vegetables and the cranberry and bread sauces that Mum made last night. I licked my Christmas card, the wrapping paper, my new caterpillar toy, and even the crackers!

Impending apocalypse... and a new chair!

Mum and I went to the shops quite early this morning. Mum said that there were rumours of an impending nuclear apocalypse and we had to buy enough food supplies for our air raid shelter for a year. There were loads of other people cramming their trolleys high with food, but Mum managed to get what she wanted.

In the afternoon, Dad came home early from work, so he went to pick up my new high chair that we'd ordered on Saturday! Here I am in it. Mum's discovered that I haven't got the attention span to stay in it too long, but it makes a worthwhile throne for a few minutes from whence to survey my admirers.

The name's Sheridan, Joel Sheridan

This afternoon we all went round to Great Uncle Howard, Great Auntie Karen and second cousins Maddy, Abby and Elly.

Boobie had spent all morning cooking nice food, which she brought along. Great Uncle Howard had made some red cabbage, and Great Auntie Karen had made her extra boozy trifle, so all in all there was this tremendous spread that I could only gaze at (which I duly did).

When the girls saw me they all wanted a cuddle, so they formed a queue! Sigh. I think I have that effect on women. Incidentally, Mum's seen some baby T-shirts on line and she's hankering after getting one or two for me, including the one with the slogan "Granny Magnet" and "Thank God I don't look like those ugly babies". (I personally like "I'm here to fix the video" and "I broke it, so sue me".)

Great Auntie Karen was desperate to give me this black tie outfit that she and the girls had bought. Mum put it on me, and instantly the paparazzi appeared.

Do I look suave or what? Milk, skaken not stirred, anyone?

Uh-Oh!

Dad's just got me ready to go out, but in a minute the smell of what I've done down there will waft up to him...

Lip balm

Hello there! Joel Sheridan here again! You're watching the Cute Channel!

It's been so cold lately, and even with my baby-soft-skin I've been getting slightly dry lips... so Mum gave me some lip balm today, and, guess what - I love it! (But don't tell the other baby boys at the Mother and Baby group.)

This is me, examining the lip balm tube - oooh, can you eat it?

When Mum puts the lip balm on me (actually, John Masters Organics Lip Calm with Ylang Ylang) I pucker my lips and then smack them together in a satisfied way.

Please can I have some more, Mum?

Avid readers will also have noticed I am using my new sitting skills to sit up on my own for all that time now: hooray!

Christmas is coming, the goose is getting fat...

Mum hauled me along to the Baby Clinic this morning. I didn't want to go - I wanted to stay in as it was soooo crispy cold outside, even though Mum bundles layers onto me.

The Baby Clinic had been relocated at Furzefield Leisure Centre, a swimming pool complex on the edge of town. Three weeks ago there was a virus outbreak at the community hospital where we normally go, so they've shut that down temporarily. They had much smaller scales in this makeshift clinic but Mum plonked me on anyway. I weighed 15 lbs 10 oz. Mum had been hoping that I would have reached the 16 lb mark, but I guess I've been puking a lot and using the rest of the energy in kicking around.

As we were halfway in that direction already, Mum suggested that we go to London Colney, a hypermarket complex ten minutes away, to complete our Christmas/Hanukkah shopping. We got a few more presents. I had a good ol' nose-around, as I normally do.

I can more or less sit up on my own for a couple of minutes now without toppling! Here I am on my playmat. That's Criminal Bird flying in on the left.

Don't blame it on the baby

Psssssst! Zaida! Was... was that you?

My first words

Boobie said that in my chat with her this morning I said "Gembeg." Actually, what I said was, "Ooooh, mgwa-ooo yeh-wooooh, oooo, ooo, gembegh-a-ooo, ooooo oo ooo," which in Swahili Baby-goo-ese means, "I have successfully smeared my bogey on your sleeve, and you haven't noticed."

Went to visit Great Boobie this afternoon, who was having a not-so-deaf day (v. good). I slept through much of the moderate shouting though. We might get her an ear trumpet. When I woke up I showed Great Boobie my standing skills so far. Mum and Dad had chocolate eclairs and I had some warm milk.

Man-flu

Dad's contracted a horrible lurgy which Mum calls Man-Flu. She says it's like Bird Flu but it only affects grown up men. Dad says, in between sneezing and coughing, that I have to learn the symptoms of Man-Flu (but he calls it "Ban-Flu"). He's not gone into work for the last couple of days. Boobie's been a bit ill too.

We stayed at home this weekend, because it was so cold outside and because of Dad's Ban-Flu. Here I am asleep on Dad.

My old man's a dustman...

...'e wears a dustman's 'at,
'e wears Cor Blimey trousers
An' 'e lives in a council flat. (together, with elbows flapping)
I tried on one of the grown up kippahs and it looks more like a flat cap.

We light one extra Hanukkah candle each day, and I get one more present - wooh!

Talking of Cockney, Mum found out today that "blowing a raspberry" is rhyming slang for "raspberry tart".

Tomfoolery

Joel "Jazz Hands" Sheridan here, demonstrating the Macarena.

Do I look sexy if I ram my head into the cushion?

Well, I can put the world to rights by tipping the other way.

On the first day of Hanukkah

It was the first day of Hanukkah today, the Jewish festival of lights (and doughnuts). Here is a picture of Boobie lighting the Menorah whilst Dad and I are watching:

I got my first Hanukkah present - yay! The red wrapping paper was by far the most interesting, as it made a crinkly noise when I bashed it.

My present was a Worzel en Pip book that Boobie got from Amsterdam when she went at the weekend!

Oi!

What'choo lookin' at?