Some of Mum's reading as well

Some of the books Jessicat and I are enjoying together at the moment include:

Mr Bear Says Let's Go Outside - Debi Gliori. Another one from the series we both love. Jess enjoys looking at the last illustration of Mr Bear in front of the fire, and pointing to our fire (sadly not a pine-scented log affair).

Follow the Fish - Mandy Ross.

Dear Santa - Rod Campbell. Well, it's nearly December!

"Where's the Cat?" Stella Blackstone. Jessicat loves this book so much that I am considering ordering some from the Barefoot Books range for her Christmas stocking.

Ghost - Luke Depondt.


I have an admission to make. At the moment, I am reading Philip Pullman's Northern Lights. I can't believe I left it so long, and can only plead that pregnancy and the rigours of motherhood kept me too busy to read much. This is one of the best books I have read, ever. I am genuinely frightened of Mrs Coulter and cannot believe that I am so absorbed and gripped by a fantasy novel - normally a genre I avoid. I am savouring the novel, allowing myself a chapter a night. It is like a fine wine to be sipped I think, rather than a drink to be gulped back. I wonder if Jessicat will ever want to read it?

Happy Birthday Jessicat!

We are off to the zoo shortly, so just a very quick post to record for posterity that Jessicat has reached the grand old age of 1! And despite sniffles, PND (mine :(), lots of disturbed nights and lots of difficult days, there have been moments of such joy and love that they take my breath away. Here's to the next year being even better!

Jessicat's first birthday party

We held Jessicat's party yesterday, though it is not her actual birthday until the 16th. All our close friends and family were able to attend, including Dot and Brian, who had been staying with us on their way back home from their cruise. Jess coped with a full house of people very well, enjoying the balloons and cake, and making me feel ridiculously proud when we all sang "happy birthday" to her.

As of today, we have substituted the early morning bottle for a cup of milk, and that went smoothely. It's more difficult to persuade Jessicat to drink cow's milk instead of formula, and I have to confess to giving her Frosties in lieu of her normal Weetabix to entice her to eat cereal with cow's milk. Hmmm, bad mummy. The next step is to began adding cow's milk to her remaining milky drinks, and swapping the evening bottle for a cup. One challenge after another, one step in front of the other.....

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.