Phoenix Loves... Trips.

Today is Saturday and we left our house bright and early to go and visit my farmor and farfar at their house in Guildford. This is something I've been looking forward to for ages as dad was born there and lived in the house when he was just 16 years old.

We had to get a bus, train and then a car to get there, which is all old hat for me now, but according to mum and dad I had a bit of a scare on the bus, not that I'd know it though as I slept the whole way through!

Apparently the man driving the bus was going too fast and forgot to stop for a lady who wanted to get on. When he saw her he stepped on the breaks which made me and my pram topple over onto the floor. Luckily we had the car seat today so I was strapped in and didn't even wake up, but it's safe to say that mum shouted a few choice words at the driver, most of which aren't for ears as young as mine! I think he got a bit scared...

Thankfully the train and car journeys were much smoother. Here I am looking cute on the train...

Sleeping bear.

Although I was asleep when that happened I think somehow it must have tired me out as I've continued sleeping all day despite farmor and farfar giving me loads of cuddles. This is how tired I was:

Yaaaawn...

Finally, today is my gammelfarfar's (i.e. mum's farfar) 89th birthday! Sadly, mum has told me that he is very ill and in hospital and it makes me sad that I might not get a chance to get to know him, although I'm sure mum will tell me all about him when I'm a bit older. I want all my Swedish relatives, especially gammelfarfar and gammelfarmor, to know that me, mum and dad are all thinking of them and sending hugs and lots of love!

Until next time,

Phoenix Love.

Phoenix Loves... The Godfather and Co.

Friday nights are fast becoming party nights at our house and this Friday was no different as five of mum and dad's friends came over to see them, but more importantly me!

First dad came home from work with his friend Damien who if I'm honest I couldn't really understand as he had a funny accent. Dad says its because he's from some place called France but no matter, he was really smiley and I liked him straight away. Here we are...

Mon ami Damien - that's French you know!

Next came mum and dad's friends Sam and Ida. Dad met them both at work and they're really cool and so have been friends ever since. Ida is from Sweden just like mum, and Sam always tells really bad jokes, or so dad says. Here we are together...



Me and Ida - she was comfy!




Me, Sam and his hairy face.

Finally Tom and Lucy came round - I've met them before as they live just round the corner from us but its always nice to see them.

Tom is my godfather and dad's best friend so that makes him the main man in my eyes but for some reason he had been nervous about cuddling me for the first time. Lucy told everyone that she's been helping Tom practise by filling something called a condom with water and making him hold it. Unfortunately mum and dad didn't have any for Tom to refine his baby holding skills (that's why I'm here!) so he had to just get stuck in! Anyway, it must have been good practise as he was really good at it - check us out...

The Godfather and me, minus water-filled condom!

Me and Lucy.

In the end Friday night was a bit like pass the parcel as I went from person to person (whilst fast asleep!) - although can't grumble as there's nothing better than a good hug! I think I must have racked up a few air miles too as I had cuddles all the way from France, Sweden, Egypt and er, Stoke... Come back soon gang!

Phoenix Love.

Phoenix Loves... Tipsy parents.

All those cuddles come in handy when you have to go and do what I had to on Friday. Dad was at work so mum took me to get something called an injection. These are meant to be good for my body and help me stay strong but even the word injection sounds scary...

As it turned out I was really sleepy and woke up for just 30 seconds after my injection and then fell straight back to sleep. Mum said I must be super brave as all the other babies came out crying whereas I was in the land of nod... as per usual!

When mormor and morfar come to visit they like going to a place near our house called Cafe Lemon where they make the tastiest Turkish omelettes, so on Saturday morning that's exactly what we did. Omelettes are kind of like the milk I drink but there they added things like cheese, ham or even Turkish salami. Yuck! Give me my milk any day.

I was awake the whole time we were at the cafe but I didn't cry, I was just happy to be hanging out with everyone. It did mean that dad had to cut up all of mum's food to eat as she was too busy holding me. Who's the baby now?!

Me, mum, mormor and morfar at Cafe Lemon. Dad had to take the picture - sorry dad!

The rest of Saturday we spent at home and they all tucked into one of mum's homemade pizzas - I can't wait to try it when I'm older.

All evening morfar was bringing mum and dad glasses of something called wine which made them creep over all the time and look at me as I was trying to sleep. They were being really soppy and kept saying I was the cutest baby they'd even seen and patting themselves on the back for making me - so annoying!

Finally on Sunday we all went for a walk to a place called Hampstead Heath and as it was really cold I got to wear my favourite bear suit which is all warm and toasty. At first Hampstead Heath seemed to be just lots of American people walking around with dogs, but then as we reached the top of a big, big hill you could suddenly see all of London. Mormor and morfar tooks lots of pictures of the view but mum and dad just seemed happy to catch their breath!

After that it was back home as mormor and morfar had to pack their things and head back to Sweden on Monday morning. Thanks for coming and I can't wait for your next visit!

Phoenix Love.

Phoenix Loves... Swedish stuff.

You'd never believe it but my mum was once a tiny baby just like me and that means she has a mum and dad just like me too. They are my mormor (mother's mother) and morfar (mother's father) and on Thursday they arrived all the way from icy Sweden with suitcases bursting full of presents for me, mum and even dad!

I thought it is was confusing enough when mum and dad first told me about their parents, but now I've found out that mormor and morfar have parents too! They're my gammel or old mormor, morfar, farmor and farfar (phew!) They live in Sweden too and so far I've only met them when I was in mum's tummy but hopefully later this year we can go and say hello. Check out some of my new Swedish clothes...



Jumper knitted by gammel mormor.



"Rock and roll all night!" A present from mormor and morfar.



One thing my folks love is eating sweets so mormor and morfar brought them loads of godis (Swedish goodies) all with funny names like Zoo and Geisha. Sometimes when mum and dad think I'm sleeping I'm actually wide awake because I can't sleep for all the noise from their hands rustling about for sweets in the bags! Don't forget to save some for me!

The good thing about having grandparents to stay is that you get twice the cuddles you'd usually get which is something a little man like me could really get used to. Next weekend we're off to stay with farmor and farfar and I can't wait!

Phoenix Loves... Work.

Today was a busy day as mum and dad decided they wanted to take me to meet everyone that they work with. They both work in offices right in the heart of London so we had to take a bus there which was a bit boring as I couldn't see much outside of my pram so ended up sleeping all the way!

First up was mum's office where everyone was asking when she would be back at work. I'm only just starting to get to know her so I hope she doesn't go back to work just yet, plus with dad back at work and mum too, who would be looking after me?! I'm only two and a half weeks old...

Mum's work is known as 'research' which seems to mean asking people lots of questions. I think dad might be good at research as he's always asking mum questions, usually about what there is to eat in the kitchen cupboards! All mum's work friends were really nice and watched me as I showed off some of the clothes they'd bought me as a present. They all kept saying how great mum looked and I'd have to agree - I think she looks really pretty every day!

Next up was dad's work. I don't think anyone really understands what dad does at work but his office is above a shop filled with lots of cool, colourful, comfy things and his work involves all this somehow. Mum fell in love with one of these things as we walked round but looked a bit shocked when she saw how much it would cost to buy...

Me and dad sitting on the really, really expensive sofa that mum loves. If I start saving now I might be able to buy it for her one day!

Everyone has been so kind since I was born and dad's work friends gave me some really cool socks, a baby-grow and apparently there's even something else in the post! I think all the boys at dad's office must have been working really hard as it was mainly lots of girls that came over to meet me. Come to think of it, the same thing happened at mum's office too... Weird. Despite all the cooing and admiration, I somehow managed to stay asleep all through the visits to both mum and dad's work, and everyone thought I was a really well behaved baby - they should hear me cry!

Anyway, enough of me talking, here is a picture of us at dad's work.

Me, mum and some of dad's work friends.



Before we went home mum and dad decided to take me to a cafe and shop called The Scandinavian Kitchen to get something to eat and to see if they could wake me up enough to have my lunch. 

In there, they sell goodies from where mum's from and she got all nostalgic. Mum had a 'semla'. In Sweden, they have these instead of pancakes on pancake day and mum said they call it Fettisdagen, which basically means 'Fat Tuesday'. She also said it's lucky you only eat a semla once a year as it contains about a year's worth of calories, and since I arrived, she can no longer use the excuse of eating for two! Dad had a 'kladdkaka' which is a stodgy type of chocolate cake. It translates as 'messy cake' and he did make a bit of a mess! 

Anyway, I managed to finish off my lunch whilst still asleep (I'm getting good at this multitasking malarkey!) and then it was time to go home on the bus. I carried on sleeping all the way home and by the time we arrived I'd been asleep for six and a half hours, which is tiring work, so I had my dinner and then went back to sleep!

Having some fika at the Scandinavian Kitchen. Mums!

Today is also something called St Valentine's Day, or All Hearts' Day in Sweden, which makes people in love get all smoochy and slushy and buy each other presents. As I'm such a good boy I stayed asleep throughout the evening so mum and dad could enjoy some alone time and have a nice meal. I think I might like to stay up tonight though as I've slept through most of the day!

Phoenix Love.

Phoenix Loves... Saturdays.

Yesterday was my third Saturday on this earth and I have to say I think I could get used to them. Saturday is part of something called 'the weekend' which seems to be much more relaxed and fun compared to the rest of the week. Dad says he has to go back to his job next week so weekends will be when we can all spend time together and mum can have breakfast in bed!

I started off yesterday with a nice lie-in with mum and dad, which is basically where you just sleep for longer than you should and feel a bit naughty. Next I had a bath (fast becoming one of my favourite things) and put on a new set of clothes ready for some more visitors later in the day.

First was mum's friend Noorin whose job it is to make clothes. Apparently she makes something known as ethical and sustainable fashion. Now I don't really know what these big words mean but I think it just means that everyone who makes, sells and buys the clothes are nice people and really happy, which is good in my books. If you like nice clothes made by nice people you can have a look at Noorin's website here: http://www.outsiderfashion.com/

Before she arrived, mum told me that Noorin had made her wedding dress so I liked her even before we met! She also brought me a really cool gift from Amsterdam. Check it all out...

If Noorin ever needs a model for baby clothes, I'm her boy!

This rattle toy is ethical so have a look at www.olmoost.com if you like it as much as I do.

Next to visit were a couple called Shiona and Russell. Shiona is mum's boss at work and a boss is someone who gets to tell people what to do and when to do it but Shiona didn't seem bossy at all to me - she was nice! Her husband Russell has recently become known as Dr Davies which means that he's really, really clever and gets to use long words all the time. Lucky him!

They brought with them a huge bag of gifts from them and everyone at mum's work. I got a few new outfits, one of which I'm wearing today. For mum and dad they brought some drink with bubbles in it which made mum all smiley and a bit giggly! Thanks to everyone at mum's work for all the gifts. Here are some photos...

Me with Shiona and Russell.

Sporting one of my new outfits courtesy of Shiona, Russell and everyone at BDRC Continental.

Finally on Saturday evening we had an unexpected visit from my one and only godmother Kathryn! She came over to keep mum company as dad had gone with my godfather Tom to some place known as the pub to 'wet the baby's head.' This is basically an excuse for grown ups (usually men) to get drunk however I'm just happy that it didn't mean getting my head wet for real!

Anyway, I slept for the whole time dad was gone and when I woke up Kathryn was still there keeping mum company and she gave me a long cuddle in front of the TV. This was great as all the other times I've met her I've always been sleeping, although I have to admit I did fall asleep again in her arms as it was just too comfy! Here we are together...

As Harry Hill would say - "Milky milk!"

Chillin' with my godmummy!

So that was a really busy day, so busy in fact that I had a great sleep and only woke up once all night. Can't wait for my next Saturday to come when mormor and morfar will be here. Woohoo!

Phoenix Love.

Phoenix Loves... Being free!

We had another visit from a midwife today and it was mum and dad's least favourite midwife of all! Last time she came she said they were doing lots of things wrong even though the other midwives had said they have been doing a great job. She also thought the answer to everything was to feed me more milk even when I'm full.

So today when I had hiccups she tried to give me some more milk even though mum told her I'd already been fed just before she arrived. This made me throw up my breakfast all over my new outfit however I also managed to get some on the midwife's suede shoes! This made mum and dad smile and they told me I was a  good boy, although not until after the midwife had left!

Anyway, the good thing about the visit was that I'd put on another 200g in weight and am now heavier than I was at birth. She was happy with everything else too and decided to discharge me which means no more visits for us and we can now relax and be a little family. Woohoo!

Familjen Barker.

Phoenix Loves... Being Phoenix Love.

Mum and dad took me to get registered on Thursday. Being registered basically means that lots of serious, important people know I exist and also that I am now officially Phoenix Love Barker.

We had to go to a big building in Angel Islington (called the town hall) and I slept all the way there on the bus. The folks were proud of me for this! We had to wait a little while to be seen and whilst we did a lady kept coming and calling different baby names out, including 'baby Dave' which made mum and dad laugh for some reason...

Probably the best thing about being registered is that I can now get a passport which will allow me to travel the whole world and meet more of my family on mum's side. Dad says London is tiny when you look at it on the map and there are tons of cool places that he'd like me to see when I'm older, places even he hasn't seen yet. Sounds good to me!

Dad took some photos of me and mum whilst we were there so check them out...

Me and my mum at Islington town hall. Not sure who the weird dude behind us is!

Brrrr... Time to go back outside again.

Phoenix Loves... Baths.

Mum and dad insisted I had this thing called a bath on Sunday which was great... in the end.

I was a bit unsure at first as dad had to take off ALL my nice warm clothes, but then he started to 'wash my hair' which was pretty relaxing actually. Then they put me in this big tub of water which was all a bit weird to begin with but after a while it felt really warm and cosy - a bit like being back in mum's tummy. After splashing a little bit of the water over me to get me clean, mum took me out and gave me a great big cuddle in my very own special cuddle robe to finish it all off!

Apparently people have lots of baths when they're older, sometimes every day, and dad says they can end up spending loads of money on smelly stuff to make them extra clean. This seems a bit much to me but I think I could get used to them as long as mum and dad keep the head massages and post-bath cuddles coming!

Here are some pictures of me not enjoying, then enjoying my bathtime...

Not sure about this...

... Ahh, not so bad after all.

Phoenix Loves... New friends.

I've had lots of new friends come round to meet me on Saturday, which was ace!

First was mum and dad's friend Jonn or American Jonn as they call him, although I haven't met any other friends called Jonn yet so I might just forget the Amercian bit. Apparently he's from really far away and has a funny accent. Dad tried to speak like him but ended up sounding stupid as usual. Anyway, Jonn was super cool and brought me some nice threads to wear when I'm a little bit older. Here's a picture of me with my new bro' Jonn!

 

Me and my new friend. Mum and dad think he looks like some person called the child catcher in this picture...


Next up was mum and dad's friend Wayne who had just come back from another place far, far away, called Thailand. Dad told me that Wayne was one of his best men at their wedding (mum and dad's wedding - not dad and Wayne's) so I liked him straight away.

He was really funny and for some reason had loads of hair on his face aswell as on his head, which dad said is known as a beard, but I just thought it made him he look like a bear! I said thanks to Wayne as when I was still in mum's tummy he bought me one of the zebra outfits from my previous post. Thanks again Wayner! Check us out together.

Winner, winner, chicken dinner!

Then on Saturday afternoon I finally got to meet my farmor (father's mother) and farfar (father's father) or granny and grandad as they're known in England. They brought their three foster kids with them who were really quiet at first but then they spotted one of dad's guitars and things got really noisy!

They brought me some cute presents, including a hand-knitted quilt that farmor had made. We got to have lots of cuddles and dad kept bringing out cups of something called tea and plates of biscuits. He's doing that a lot these days. Here's a picture of the quilt farmor made me and one of us together.



 

Check out the cowboy detail on my new quilt.





Me and farmor relaxing.



After making so many new friends I was exhausted and slept all through the night despite mum and dad's attempts to show me my first snow. Mum says that in Sweden (where she's from) they have loads of different words for snow because they have so much of it. That's something I've got to look forward to but for now I'll have to make do with this picture instead!





Snow helping to hide the weeds in our overgrown garden in London.

Until next time!

Phoenix Love.





Phoenix Loves... Presents.

Apparently it is tradition for friends and family to give you cards and presents on your birthday and as it was mine last Friday I've been getting lots of these. Here are some pictures of my favorutie ones. Thank you everyone. 



 



An owl cushion made by my auntie Sophie's own fair hands.





That's me!







My nickname is Duckie. This one is from my godmother-to-be Kathryn.

Ducks.

A red fleece quilt to match my mum's hair, given to me by my auntie Kate, uncle Jon and cousin Harry.

This has loads of ghosts on it and is from mormor (mother's mother) and morfar (mother's father) Eva and Leif.

This is really warm so its a good thing I've got two of them.

Cards and balloon.



Phoenix Loves... This Charming Man by The Smiths.

Whenever I'm tired or hungry dad has been playing these funny noises to me to try and calm me down. Apparently they're known as songs.

His favourite to play is The Smiths. They're a band from Manchester, England and are really ancient but he thinks they're good and I think I so too.

He says the words are funny but I don't know about that, I just like all of the nice jangly bits. Dad always ends up dancing around and trying to sing like the man in the songs but mum thinks he just ends up sounding like Mr Bean, whoever he is.

He plays me 'The Boy With The Thorn In His Side' as he says I must have a thorn in my side what with all the crying I do, but he also plays me 'This Charming Man' as apparently I've been charming everyone I meet, so this is my favourite!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kGnjrTkv1gs

Phoenix Love.

Phoenix Loves... Home.

I've been pretty busy since my birthday last Friday and have quickly discovered that home is the best place.

Mum and dad had to take me back to hospital on Monday as I wasn't as heavy as I should have been and they needed to make sure I was ok. There were lots of strange people there who kept poking me and using either really long words or making the words really short. Either way I didn't understand what they were saying and despite their nodding, I don't think mum and dad did either!

They allowed dad to stay with us all night which made mum happy and she was even happier when she saw there was a televison in the room. I ate loads on Monday night so come Tuesday morning everyone was really pleased with me and we got to go home that evening. Woohoo.

Mum and dad are more relaxed at home and I get to sleep in my own bed so home is most definitely the best. I also get lots of new friends coming to see me at home and usually they bring presents - more of that to follow shortly!

Phoenix Love.

Hello everyone.

Mum and dad thought it would be good for me to let all my new friends and family know what I've been up to since popping out into the world at 4:58am last Friday morning! So this is my blog, Phoenix Loves...

I hope you like it!