My little monkey/girl Megan is three today! It doesn't seem like that long ago we were in the states worrying about how the health care works and hoping that we'd be able to cope. She's grown into a lovely little girl with bags of energy and personality. Friday she had her birthday at Nursery, Yesterday we went to Bristol Zoo, and today is a birthday tea! Next week, off to Grandma's for another one. One very lucky little monkey:

Having a blog is a wonderful thing at times like this, especially one that existed before she did. Looking back over her life we have:

When she was just a scan
The one when she was one
Then she reached two

For those who have been reading all that time, thanks! And sorry if you're getting a bit bored by now ;) On, for another lovely year with my little star.

I have a new laptop desk. It means I sit properly to use the computers. That's good. After putting it together I came back from a drink to find the competition had taken it over and were busy working on their next ground breaking game...

She's just a bit too good at this stuff, though apparently Java is a baby language for amateurs and I should be using C++ like her :).

Another random up, talking to some folks on IM, talk about kids, talk about Meg, look up some photos, she makes me laugh so much:

She is destined to be either a boarder of some sort (snow or surf is undecided).

My little girl is learning to walk. She's doing really well and for the first time on Sunday morning we went for walk round the block without the push chair. i.e. she walked. We stopped to look at every stone and every plant, but we did get round the block and back again. It was very strange to be walking around holding Meg's hand, especially with Meg screaming "Hiya!" at everyone we passed. She did get a lot of smiles though.

As we ventured around the streets Meg decided quite often that she'd rather not hold my hand and would like to sprint off to examine one landscape feature or other. Every time this happened I'd jump out of skin and run off after her. She's never more than a arm's reach away (she's not that quick yet) but still I'm dumping my load each time she runs.

It's interesting to try and remember what used to scare me about Meg. My brother and his wife are due to have a baby soon, so I've been trying to think of useful things that I learnt to pass on (not that I suppose he'll be interested ;)). However, to be honest I really can't remember what used to worry me. It all seems so par for the course now, the scary bits then fade into normality while the new scary bits continue to terrify me.

Never once did I think being a Dad would be like this, no one can tell you or prepare you for it. No one can tell you how much fun it's really going to be :)

...you get to see this:

Meg has, a year to the day we flew back from the US and at exactly 14 months, decided to get up off her ass and walk! Cath and I couldn't be more excited, we'd been worrying a bit about it and starting to wonder if we'd just been doing too much for her and she didn't see the need to walk. However, tonight in a phase we're referring to as "Nut Meg" where she goes completely insane - throwing her self around the room laughing before getting tired and ready for bed, she just decided to take a step...

Then one more..

Then a few more..

And then she was walking round in circles around the world. We have decided that, like Zoolander, she is not an ambi-turn, i.e. currently she only turns in one direction. The best bit is that all the time she's laughing and giggling, when she falls over thats just more fun! (notice the pillows placed over head butting potentials).

It's hard to explain how much this has lifted my day. Partly because I'm so proud, partly because it's made Cath very happy but more than anything because my little Meg is over the moon!

'Go Crazy?' - 'Don't mind if I do!!!'

Life is a bit on the lame side at the moment. At least 2 of the three members of my household have been ill for the past month an a half. Work wise I've been sat on the same low priority but critical work for the last 3 months - not really going anywhere fast. No code involved at work and no energy to code at home.

Haven't been out in a while, no pub, no trips, not much fun. Don't have time to play games even though I've had Wii Paper Mario sat on the shelf for the past month. Christmas is coming and I can't begin to get excited. This time last year we were preparing to come home which could have been the worst mistake we've made. Coming back was great from a family perspective but pretty much everything else has been a bit of a read through.

What's more the idiocy of the world at large is begining to annoy me again. Road users - why oh why - just because something is legal doesn't mean it's sensible. Just because something is temporary doesn't mean it's automatically ok. No, there arn't double yellow lines - but parking there will still block the road. Bike users - weaving in and out of traffic is legal, but if it's cold, wet and early it's still dangerous as hell. And as to the woman that parked on the roundabout so she could "just pop in" to McDonalds to get her breakfast - I mean seriously, what sort of brain dead moran are you?

Recieved a phone at work yesterday. This might not seem like a big deal worth blogging about but consider that I've been working for a telecommunications company for 3 years and this is the first time I've had a phone on my deak. It's pretty big news. Now, if it only actually worked it'd almost be a positive aspect of my day.

Meg is still coughing alot, she can't shake this bleady cold any more than anyone of us. However, she is still giggling and trying to walk and falling on her butt alot. Some how she's really into drawing now - she's just over 1, so it seems a bit bizarre - but she loves her crayons that she now takes everywhere with her in a little red handbag. There has to be a game concept in there somewhere.

Talking of which, I've decided to write 4 games in parrallel, the logic being that even if I give up one or two I should still get futher with some. So, the run down seems to be two that have been around for a while, Scorched Turf and Mootox and two new ones currently called Samson and Dumb Bots. Should I ever make it back to the computer at home I'll be pushing on with the golf game first since it's core engine is shared between all 4.

Finally, I've blogged again. Almost feels like normal if a bit random and tangenty. Anyone know of anything gamedev related in the Cardiff area let me know, I need to get motivated again!

Big News! Meg took her first wobbly steps forward yesterday. We're not really sure whether you can call it walking, more a limited control fall. Even so, it's a wonderful feeling to see her getting more confident.

Now we just have to start worrying about how fast she'll be able to move once she can walk.

At the weekend, Meggy, Cath and I decided to have a bit of art session. It started quite simply with Meggy and Me sat in the front room with crayons and bits of white cards. We could only have been in there for 30 minutes or so, but I must have said "Meg, draw with the crayons, don't eat them" 50 times. She did managed finally to get some crayon on the paper, but I'm pretty sure she ate more.

Next Cath decided it was time to go for the big guns, out came the messy play mat and the baby non-toxic paint. Cath decided we should try the Meg with potato prints. Out came some cut potatos and some bits of toilet roll to use as prints. Meg picks up a potato, studies it for a few moments then takes a bite. Getting the picture? Cath and Me started putting paint on spuds, pushing them on the paper, trying to show Meg what to do. Not interested in the slightest :(

So... I picked Meg up and put her feet in the paint then walked her over the paper. That worked :) She was loving it! In the hands went, squidging the paint and printing on the paper - success! That was of course until Meggy needed to know what the paint tasted like. Hands in mouth, green and red everywhere! A quick run to the bath later and we have 3 meggy created pictures, 1 clean baby and a pair of artistic meggy original daddy trousers, which I'm still wearing :)

Most fun I've had in ages!

(photo to follow I think)

Most of the time when I'm at work, I feel out classed. I work with a lot of very talented and able people and alot of days I spend realising how good I'm not at what I do for a living. They're all very diplomatic about it, but heh :) However, some days, just some days, I feel useful - today was one of them. I spent the day knowing the answer to bizarre questions and actually managing to achieve something. Feels like I earner my 10 pieces of silver today.

What's more, when I got to nursery to pick up Meg she had her hair in bunches. Hilarious! She looked the proper little girl and seemed to be thriving on the attention (photos to follow on Cath's blog).

So, a nice easy morning with Meg, followed by a traffic free drive to nursery and work, accompanied by a successful and motivating day at work, topped off with a nice evening with Meg and Cath (including some pizza!) makes for a very nice day. I wonder if I can manage to match it tomorrow?

Oh, and I managed to blog, lots.

I used to watch a bit of kid's TV. Just the bit's that interested me really. Now we have Meg, and I'm taking her to nursery each morning, I get to sit and watch little kids TV for an hour or so.

The problem is the theme tunes. Harry and his bucket full of dinosaurs - I mean that's addictive. Worst has to be FiFi and Flowertots tho. I find myself sat at my desk in work humming along to FiFi! FiFi's world.

So far, so good. No one I work with directly is aware of the tune's origin. I'm just waiting to start singing without thinking about it one day... "Make way for Noddy, Noddy, he's coming out to play!"