And a Happy New Year!

Nothing like a busy run-up to Christmas and then all the festive nonsense to keep one away from blogging.

I've always said how lucky we are to have such an even-tempered nipper. Well, we were until New Year's Eve when he started teething! That changed things somewhat...

Poor little mite didn't really know what was going on. Neither, embarrassingly, did we until my sister diagnosed the problem with a quick feel of his gums. To be fair to us, she's been there and got the t-shirt, having two kids of her own.

So we had a mad scramble for some teething gel - not an easy thing to buy at 8pm on New Year's Eve in Great Yarmouth. Luckily a bit of local knowledge prevailed and said gel was secured from a petrol station convenience store (funny, I always thought they only sold engine oil, Cornish pasties and porn mages). Thus we managed to settle him, if not ourselves.

A fun evening was duly had while my parents minded the littl'un, and then it was back home to face a new year of work for me and child-rearing for the missus. Having had a few days of the latter over the holidays, I reckon there are pros and cons to both.

Child rearing is more intense, less well paid but infinitely more satisfying, especially as the 'developmental stages' are passed. I'm sure to miss him rolling over for the first time, his first words, even that first tooth finally breaking through.

Work, by contrast, is just a bit shit really, but at least it allows me to own a fast car and buy pints of beer and CDs more or less when I want to. Who says men are shallow?