Our new routines

I have been back at work since the 20th November, so our time together has taken a different structure.

Mondays - might be Sing and Sign (though we are finishing this class soon) followed by St Luke's Toddler Group in the afternoons.

Tuesdays - I am at work and Jessicat is with her Nanny. There is a Toddler Group in the afternoon that she attends, where she particularly enjoys going on the trikes.

Wednesdays - from next week, Dave will be spending the day with Jessicat whilst I am at work. Jess and I usually attend a Baby Bounce session at the library and go to Stay and Play in the afternoons.

Thursday - another day with Nanny and another Toddler Group. Jessicat seems to need a full and busy day to tire her out.

Friday - hurrah, my time with Jess again! We usually attend a Storytime at Wick Road library, where Jessicat doesn't sit still for a second and Mummy ends up doing the craft activity. Afternoons often see us going to a soft play area, sometimes with our neighbours, Shelley and Rex.

The weeks are busy but satisfying. Jess still enjoys her books, though her concentration continues to wander as her main aim at the moment is to learn to walk. Something she does frequently now is to make connections between what she sees in a book and what she can see in real life. For example, if I point out that a character in a book wears glasses, she turns and points to mine. The same if I point out a fire, a candle, and lots of other easily recognizable objects she can see in our front room.

November already....first birthday approaching

Unbelievable to think that Jessicat is now nearly a year old - only two weeks to go! Also scary to think that in 3 week's time, I will be back at work - a prospect I view with some ambivalence. Yesterday, Jess attended a birthday party for all the babies from my ante-natal cohort, and we are also planning a little family gathering for her nearer to the 16th.

Jessicat still continues to be restless, constantly pulling herself up onto her feet, but she is still enjoying being read to. We find it helps if we move around the room a bit with her, or simply continue whilst she wanders off, as she nearly always finds her way back to us; sheer nosiness means she needs to see what is going on!

Some of our books of the moment include:

Bathtime Peekaboo - Dawn Sirrett
I wish I were a dog - Lydia Monks. I'm pleased that Jessicat enjoys this book as there are no gimmicks - ie flaps or textures - so it must be a combination of the pictures and text that captivates her.
Poppy Cat's Farm - Lara Jones. A little gem of a book. The repetitive rhyme is fun and Jess likes to wave back to Poppy Cat on the final page. She loves this one!
Ready or Not, Mr Croc? - Jo Lodge. Another great read. The flaps and pop ups are fragile, so I have to watch Jessicat carefully when we read this book, but she loves Mr Croc jumping out at the end of the book. We will be looking for more books in this series.