March-April 2010

Easter in UK

Once again we found ourselves in Leicester, UK for Easter 2010, and once again both Thomas and James had major developments over the course of the journey.

Since we were also there at Christmas, Thomas could still remember everyone well, and had a great time playing with Alfie again; he also had fun sharing his newfound enthusiasm for dinosaurs with Tamsin, who enjoyed digging up some of her old dino movies and CDs from her collection.

This year we stayed at the Grand Hotel where Granny Lynda had secured us a recently renovated Family room, including single bed for Thomas, cot for James and best of all, big bathtub.  Both boys thorougly enjoyed spending time in the bath, with or without water!  They also had fun sitting in the antique armchair in the hotel lobby.

Thomas got a chance to deepen his relationship with Henry, Granddad Roger's black labrador dog, and by the end of the visit was far less nervous, stroking him without running away and allowing his hand to be licked without panicking.  James meanwhile wasn't fazed one bit; given the choice he would have curled up right beside him and batted him on the nose.

We discovered a great playground near Granny Lynda's, and Thomas got a special ride there with Granddad John on the mobility scooter which he had borrowed while recovering from a foot injury.  Both boys had a blast, and James loved his first experience of sitting in the grass.

By the end of the trip, Thomas was counting to 100 without any help, naming several new dinosaurs, and discovered a love for bacon sandwiches for breakfast; James continued to develop his cruising technique, managed to get himself up and down the flight of stairs at Granddad Roger's, and for once saved his next teething session until we were on our way home again.

Updated 29.04.10