Train Cake

The Boy celebrating his birthday in blue and sugary style!

One today

My not-quite-so-baby Boy is one today, it's hard to believe that this last time last year we'd only known him for three hours.

Happy Birthday little one :-)

The Urban Baby

We discovered in Thailand that my Urban Boy apparently can't walk on grass or sand - if you put him on it and walk away he cries 'till you come back and pick him up.

One downside to this big city life.

Flying with babies - A Rant

The only real downside to our trip was the continuing and ongoing story of what to do when flying with a baby.

They don't make you buy a seat for him, and even if they did they wouldn't provide a safe way of restraining him in his own seat.

Now, apparently, the FAA no longer advises a lap belt attachment for the baby, they recommend "you hold on tight". Does that sound right to you??? In a form of transport where they are so anal about safety for all the adult passengers they are happy for you to just hang on to your baby.

And I guess that wouldn't be too bad if they were consistent, I actually have a harness that I can use and think is way safer than a lap belt extension but I didn't bother to take it as on flights to the UK they made me take it off during turbulence, even though he was asleep, and put their stupid lap belt extension on.

I asked around for other mummies' experiences and found out that they've all had the same problem, different airlines, routes and staff, insist on different safety precautions on board - some insist on the lap belt extension, some on using a carrier, some on nothing, some on taking your sleeping baby out of the carrier and putting them in a belt extension, some forbid carriers, some won't let you use your own harness.

Even car seats aren't the answer as some airlines make you prove they are FAA approved, some will allow you on with any car seat and some no longer allow car seats with the new seating they are installing and will provide baby seats.. but, I hear, only on some routes.

I guess after this what I've realised is that they just don't know what is safest, they haven't done the testing and they have no idea. Which is fine(ish) but if this is the case I really wish they'd stop insisting on their airline's arbitrary standard - let him wear the harness I have researched and chosen for him, or let me put him in the carrier if I want to, hey, let me hang on to him if that's my decision just stop telling me what to do (and waking him up!)

I told you it was a rant.

Thai Thai - the food

Food, it's one of the things I love best about Thailand and I think The Boy is turning out just like his Mother.

I avoided anything too hot, I didn't think he'd like a curry or a spicy papaya salad for instance but he ate pad thai, seafood rice, lots of spring rolls (too many spring rolls considering how deep fried they are but hey, we were on holiday) he also ate a lot of rice with veggies as well as bbq king prawns and snapper baked with garlic and herbs.

Then we tried street food, G had a banana and nutella pancake and I had mine with banana and chocolate - funnily enough, the boy liked them both!

He also discovered a new love for fruit, there's just something about eating fruit close to where it's grown, it's sweeter and more flavourful and The Boy scoffed lots of pineapple and strangely heaps of watermelon, something he has no liking for in Hong Kong.

We'll be back soon Thailand!

Coconut Milk

The Boy has discovered a new best drink, our helper in Thailand had prepared coconut milk served in the shell to greet us and I let The Boy try it and it went down very well indeed.

Then he tried to eat the orchid it was served with...

Thai Thai - the journey

DH headed off for a business trip this week, a whistlestop 4 days in Delhi then London. So being the Tai Tai I am I decided to take The Boy and G and head to our holiday home in Thailand for a couple of days - Hong Kong is the kind of city that's great to live in but sometimes you just need to see a bit of green and breathe some fresh air.

I was a little apprehensive about the journey but The Boy was his usual self, charming all and sundry with his blue, blue eyes and blonde hair. People stopped us in the airport to ask if they could pose with him for photos - I'm worried he's going to grow up with an extraordinary idea of what a normal amount of attention is but it'll probably get less as he gets bigger.

I made a mistake on booking as I'd asked for a baby meal and got two pots of puree for my trouble - as if he'd eat that!! So he ate a good proportion of G's noodles instead. Then he trotted up and down the aisle grinning at people until we had to sit down for landing.