One small step...

Another video today. And isn't this why video cameras were invented? And why we blog for that matter (some of us at any rate)? Today's archive post is from January 14th 2009, and records the Neil Armstrong moment when Charlie took his first small steps.

To see him whizzing around the place today you'd hardly know it's only a year-and-a-half since he became fully bipedal. And when he runs he takes some catching. But the most charming thing is the way he tiptoes around the place, almost dancing little steps from one room to the next. It's very amusing, and I've no idea if it's something other toddlers do or if it's a special Charlie affectation. Anyway, just to bring things up to date, here's a little clip of Charlie training for the 2012 Olympics. Don't forget to click the Tardis link and travel back in time! But come back here to comment. Please?

My first vlog!

Ok, for today's trip down memory lane I'm going to have to send you back to the page itself. You see, it's a vlog (video-blog) - my first, in fact. Last week's archived post was all about losing my blogging virginity, and today's is about the time I, well, 'lost it' in the company of a video camera. It's only thirty-seconds long. You see, you get better as you get older and I'm now much more confident, practised and established than I used to be. Anyway, you don't want to hear about it, do you? No, you want to see it. Ok then, here it is...

Live action video streaming!!

Don't say I didn't warn you. Actually, it's also a post harking back to the days when the only comments (if I got 'em at all) were from members of the family. This one's from my sister-in-law, in case you're wondering. It must've been her turn that week. Oh how they love it now that other people write responses to my posts and they no longer have to do it. In fact, they probably don't even read it. But back then, a blog-post was a real event and I'd 'phone people up to remind them to have a look. Stats (if I knew about such things) probably ran to, oh... dozens. Per month. 

How times change. Actually, I've just thought of a problem. Should anyone want to comment on the archived post, they won't be able to. Because since then I've installed DISQUS and closed the old Blogger comments. So, once you've had a peek, you'll have to come back here if you've anything to say. Which you probably haven't. After all, you're on holiday too, right? 

Anyway, see you again soon for more shameless recycling of old material charming little snippets from the Bringing up Charlie back-list.

Old friends...

It's the summer hols, we're all off school at last (cue Alice Cooper) and as I'm not always here to post I thought I'd schedule a few 'old friends', i.e. posts from the archives to keep you entertained. And where better to start than at the very beginning. It's a very good place to start...

So here's the first-ever post on Bringing up Charlie, back in the days when I still worked full-time in a job I was increasingly unhappy doing, dreaming of a way out and tentatively dipping my big toe in the world of blogging; back in the days when I hardly knew what blogs were, and had no idea where my own blog would lead. It's an appropriate first-post: rather like a manifesto and harkens back to my first-ever url: stayathomedad. That's what I was to become, so I thought it would be an apt name for the blog. Little did I know there was another out there. Hence, Bringing up Charlie: a rather hastily chosen alternative. 

It all began on Monday, April 14th 2008 and it was called 'The Big Idea'...

And today’s idea... ...a blog – perhaps called ‘stay-at-home-dad.com’. In fact, I might make that my e-mail address as well. A year in the life of a stay-at-home dad, beginning with the first tentative idea of giving up work, the loss of interest in career, a desire to cut down on conspicuous consumption and – of course – to look after Charlie, my three-month-old son. Ten years ago my daughter went to nursery at just six months old. They had all the parties on her birthday, blowing out the candles on the cake we had provided. They saw her take her first steps, and probably heard her speak her first words too. What I got to do was drop her off at eight o’clock and pick her up at five. If I was lucky, there might be an hour or so when we got home before it was time to have a bath and go to bed. I love my daughter dearly, and the nursery she attended gave her a first-class start in life, it really did. She started school a confident, intelligent and co-operative little girl, used to adult company and at ease with other children. I have no regrets whatever about my daughter’s time at nursery. But I do feel that I missed out somewhat on her early years. We both did. Simply by being at work, we missed things that other parents would enjoy – simple things like going to the park, developmental things like baking cakes or making Christmas cards, all sorts of small and individually insignificant little things that add up to the kind of early life experience that stays with you – and provides a basis for you – right into your adult life and probably forever. All those little things like sitting down and watching kids TV together – things I used to do myself; things that I remember now with great affection. So, I'm going to stay at home with Charlie for a year. And Sarah will go back to work. And this blog will record the ups and downs, the highs and lows, the smiles and words as well as leaky nappies and the temper tantrums.

Short and to-the-point, but a wee bit self-important don't you think? Oh well, I was soon to learn! There'll be more trips down blogging memory lane in a day or so. In the meantime, the anthem of the summer: School's Out FOREVER!

Something for the weekend?

One of the great things about being a parent, I find, is the slightly surreal nature of the conversations you end up having. This week, for example, we've had enquiries into the nature and purpose of the sky and the proper names of our wheelie bins. Then yesterday afternoon, at the end of a long and tiring stint of motorway driving, I was commanded by a voice from the back seat to observe rather than merely listen as Charlie addressed some new and exciting line of philosophical enquiry. The trouble is, I was driving. And explaining my physical inability to swivel my head like an owl, not to mention the danger of taking my eyes off the road at seventy mph was a challenge even to my persuasive powers. The exchange went something like this:

Look at me daddy, look at me.
...I can't Charlie; I'm driving.
Why not you look at me daddy? Why?
...Because I'm looking at the road; that's what you so when you're driving.

Except when you don't, of course. Except when you're on the 'phone, or eating your lunch, or texting or any of the dozen or so other things I saw other drivers doing yesterday rather than watching the road. And the most frightening culprits were those behind the wheel of some huge articulated lorry.

I can just about (just!) tolerate that thing they do on a two-lane road when one pulls out to overtake just as they start to climb a long, slow incline. I mean, what is that about? Do the two drivers have a conversation as they crawl up the hill side-by-side? Are they having a quiet chuckle at all the frustrated car drivers behind them? But driving several tons of metal bumper-to-bumper while checking your text messages is beyond a joke as far as I'm concerned.

Now, I'm not one for making extra work for the police. They're busy enough. So instead of imposing stiffer penalties on the blighters, I'd like to suggest we all take advantage of the super soaraway Sun's £9.50 holiday challenge and buy these idiots a hands-free 'phone kit before it's too late. (You can get 'em from as little as £2.80 for goodness sake!)

£9.50 might not pay for much of your holiday. But at least you might live to enjoy it!

Make me smile...

What makes you smarter than a chimp? What makes you you? That's the question the Science Museum is asking as part of its 'Who Am I?' exhibition and they'd like your answer to the question 'What makes me smile?' In my case, it's simple. In fact, I can answer all the Science Museum's questions in one go: what makes me smile, what makes me who I am (and far luckier than a chimpanzee) is the pleasure and privilege of sharing my tiny corner of the universe with such a wonderful family...

How about you? What makes you smile? The Science Museum really wants to know, and you can answer by leaving a comment on this post, on twitter or even Facebook. And the more adventurous, the better.

And you can't have a post about making people smile without a bit of Cockney Rebel.... can you? This always makes me smile...