November's reading

We've got some good books on the go at the moment. They include:

Ten Chuckling Ducklings - Sally Crabtree. Jessicat loves to press the sound chip to make the ducks quack, and enjoys looking at this book on her own, making the sign for "duck" as she does so.

Moo, Moo - Jo Lodge. Bright, clear and relatively uncluttered illustrations mean that this book triggers lots of chat and questions even though the text is very basic.

Happy Christmas, Lulu - Caroline Uff. Really this book is aimed at older children, but it's a nice way to start talking about Christmas with Jess.

Where is Maisy Going - Lucy Cousins. Jessicat loves Maisy, and we are always looking out for more in this series.

Ready for Bed-y-Byes- Helen Stephens. Another book with textures - putting her fingers on the sticky cake makes Jessicat laugh.


Dave and I are getting ready to host a little party for Jessicat this weekend. We have our family and close friends coming to help us celebrate surviving the year (surely you mean Jessicat's first birthday?!?!), and will be able to show off our front garden which is now newly converted to a driveway.

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.

Concentration levels gone AWOL

Jessicat is more interested in getting mobile than sitting still and listening to Mummy (or anyone else) reading at the moment. This means that I have to employ every ounce of skill that I have to entice her to stay near enough to me to look at the pictures and listen to me reading. Often, I find that Jess will listen a bit longer if she is stood up leaning against the sofa, or I let her crawl all over me as I continue reading, and encourage her to look/participate during any particularly exciting bits. Obviously, I am looking forward to the day when Jessicat takes her first steps and my back and arms get a bit of a break, but I hope this milestone does not herald the end of our snuggly times together sharing books. I'm determined to find ways of keeping her connection with books strong, and am open to any suggestions about how this can be achieved.

Our books for this week include:

"Pretty Brown Face" - Andrea Davis Pinkney (as a result of reading this, Jessicat can now point to my chin and eyes!)

"Funny Face " - Nicola Smee. We like spotting the little insect or animal on most pages.

"Just Like Mummy" - Cecilia Johannson

"Zebra Clops" - Stephen Barker.






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Seeing grandparents

Had a nice few days with Dot and Brian staying. Jessicat was a bit suspicious at first, but became confident in their presence much more quickly than I expected, though still not really content to sit on their laps for more than a few moments. But she did love the extra games of "peekaboo" and has been spoilt with advance birthday presents and some new clothes. Thankfully, she did sleep well for the duration of their stay; long may this continue.

Jessicat was 11 months yesterday, so I think it is ok to officially be excited about her first birthday now! The invitations are issued and some of the party food is already in the cupboard.

For posterity, I will record some of Jess's favourite things:

Reading with Mummy and Daddy (obviously)
games of peekaboo
Crawling from one side of the room to another to give us a kiss (altogether now - aaah!)
snacking on our food
"In the Night Garden"
Seeing the car boot being opened (!)
Anyone dropping anything and inadvertently swearing (this can lead to convulsions of laughter)
Petits Filous and biscuits
Being asked to point to objects she can readily identify, such as the moon, lights, noses, ears etc.
Successfully imitating actions to certain well known songs and rhymes.

Wot no sleep?

Jessicat is still waking up around midnight and being difficult to settle back down. As a result of this, Dave and I are feeling pretty tired at the moment. Still, we are looking forward to Dot and Brian visiting, and hope they will be pleasantly surprised by how well Jess is doing (minus the erratic sleeping patterns).

We have been discovering couple of children's classics this week:

Goodnight, Gorilla - Peggy Rathmann. This book has made me realise that it's actually harder to read books that have very little text, as the onus is on me to provide the narrative and explain the illustrations to Jess in a way that she understands. Thankfully, the pictures in this book do lend themselves to lots of talking, repetition and animal noises - 3 things that Jessicat loves! And she does laugh at the page where I have to say "good night" in lots of different voices.

Goodnight, Moon - Margaret Wise Brown. Lovely rhymes make this book a joy to read aloud, though the pictures are very small for Jessicat to comprehend. One very tiny quibble - that balloon is not red, it is orange! I think it's important to get colours right when babies are taking everything in.

The best of times, the worst of times...

Some good days and some bad days. Jessicat's sleep has been a bit disturbed of late by diarrhoea and rampant teething (looks like a molar is trying to push through), so Dave and I have been feeling tired. But her receptivity to songs and books continues to be a joy. She is beginning to imitate the actions to certain songs (Twinkle, Twinkle, Wheels on the Bus, Wind the Bobbin Up etc) and can manage a few basic gestures. Also, I have noticed that if we see a picture in a book of, say, a pair of specs, or a necklace, or an ear, she will turn round and point to my glasses, necklace or ear. All signs that her comprehension continues to develop fast.

A visit to the Central Library on Saturday (whilst Dave was busy re-painting our kitchen) yielded the following:

I Hear - Helen Oxenbury. Great book for prompting a bit of conversation.

ABC - Sarah Phillips. Jessicat loves to feel the different textures in this book, and is particularly fascinated by the pluckable strings on the violin.

One Little Home - Dubravka Kolanovic. Great pictures in this book, with lots of little details to discuss. I also like the fact the the pictures are not too cluttered, so Jess can immediately see and understand what I am referring to.

Find the Teddy - Claudia Zeff. And she can, I am so proud!

A week of illnesses...

....for Jessicat and me. She has had a stomach upset (first ever episode of proper vomiting), and I have got a streaming cold. We are now both on the mend, and really enjoying the damp, autumn weather that makes staying indoors and snuggling up with our books so enticing!

Finding books for Jesssicat is challenging at the moment. She has gone past the stage of very first baby books, but is not yet ready for anything other than the simplest of narratives. Books with flaps, mirrors and textures continue to interest her, as do any simple, repetitive stories that feature animals and animal noises.

Some of this week's books:

Bedtime Poems, Moonlight Rhymes - ed by Mary Joslin. This works well as a book to read just before bedtime, and is nice for me, as it features more adult poems, including a great one called Silver by Walter de la Mare, but is really aimed at children 4+.

Happy Birthday, Lulu - Caroline Uff. Jessicat enjoys the Lulu books, and as her first birthday is now approaching, I am taking the opportunity to begin discussing birthdays with her. Another series that I want to share with Jess in its entirety.

What Do You Do? - Mandy Stanley. Love her pictures, and the way the basic text invites participation. Jessicat can't really join in yet, but she giggles when we get to the rocking beetle and I bounce her up and down on my knee.

Ten Stars Twinkle - from the Baby Einstein series. I'm disappointed with this. It's beautifully produced and Jess loves to feel the glittery stars, but the text is uninspired and it's hard to spend long over this book.

Can You Cuddle Like a Koala? - John Butler. We only picked this up from the library yesterday, but as it features lots of beautifully drawn animals, I imagine Jessicat will come to love it (it sometimes takes a few readings now for her to really begin to enjoy a book).

Bear In Sunshine - Stella Blackstone. One thing I love about these books is all the small details in the pictures which lead to lots of conversations and questions about what is going on.

Daisy Says Coo - Jane Simmons. Not sure if Jessicat understands the comedy of a duck saying "coo" rather than "quack", but when she does, I think this will really amuse her!