Friday 23 May 2008

Some books that Jessicat is really enjoying

Big Red Bath - Julia Jarman. A rollicking rhyme that is a lot of fun to read. Jess is fascinated by the page that shows the bath flying round planet earth. Not sure she understands the story, but I think the repetition and the pictures help to hold her interest.

Fuzzy, Fuzzy, Fuzzy - Sandra Boynton. A bizarre book that makes Jessicat giggle. Must work on some level that is only comprehensible to toddlers.

Colours - Shirley Hughes. Beautiful drawings and nice rhymes; a pleasure to read aloud, and I am so pleased that Jessicat loves this book.

Bing Make Music - Ted Dewan. Our first Bing book. Jess enjoys the repetitive refrain and giggles when we read this.

Oh Dear - Rod Campbell. Another classic featuring Buster and lots of flaps.

Baby's New Shoes - Dashka Slater. What I most enjoy about this book is the way Jess can join in when the baby says "uh oh" and mummy says "on no" and the repetition of "go go go". It's very much like We're Going On a Bear Hunt for encouraging children to join in.

This Little Chick - John Lawrence. Stunningly crafted illustrations in this book.

All of these books are enjoyable for Jessicat and me to share. Some of them are so beautifully produced that I would be happy to have posters replicating the illustrations to put up on my wall; they would look great next to Jess's Bookstart certificates. I feel fortunate indeed that there are such amazing books out there for children of Jessicat's age.

Saturday 17 May 2008

May update

Jessicat now 18 months old. We have had a hellish week. She caught a nasty gastroenteritis bug that culminated in 4am trips to the NHS walk-in centre and a visit to Bristol Children's Hospital to get her rehydrated. She was vomiting for over a week. Definitely one of the worst experiences of her - and our - lives, and a time that I am glad to put behind us.

On a more positive note, Jess's language skills are really developing now. She seems to be able to say quite a few words, though cannot link any together yet. She surprises me sometimes with the words she has a go at. Yesterday, we were looking at a picture book together when she suddenly said - quite appropriately - "car seat". She still loves to identify and point at objects in her books, and I can see all this repetition paying off as she appears to understand and be able to label many things.

Daytime naps. Oh dear. Jessicat appears to have given hers up. For the last 3 days, she has been awake between 6 -6.30am and despite my best efforts, does not want to sleep until bedtime at approximately 7pm (when, admittedly, she is tired). So Dave and I have lost that little hour; an oasis of peace, lunching and wasting time on FB. That precious time will be sorely missed.