Well, it has all passed us by in a fog of exhaustion, to be honest. Jessicat has got ANOTHER cold, so has been sleeping badly. Dot and Brian are staying with us, and have kindly taken her out for a walk to give Dave and me a bit of a break to recuperate.
On the plus side, Jess has got lots of lovely new books as presents! I don't have all the titles to hand to record them, so will save that for another post. Just wanted to do a quick update for Jessicat to look back on. More soon....
Wednesday, 26 December 2007
Friday, 14 December 2007
More signs of toddlerdom...
Jessicat is increasingly asserting her will and preferences and she does not do it quietly. She will be 13 months old this weekend, and toddlerdom is coming upon us quickly.
As I've written before, sharing books is both a joy and a challenge now. A joy because Jessicat seems to understand so much and be able to point to and identify so many objects correctly; a challenge because her concentration span is more limited now she is mobile and there are so many attractions to entice her to explore. One ruse we've employed to get her to sit still for brief periods recently is to ask her to "read" to one of her little plastic figures from In the Night Garden; I wonder if other people think I've gone mad if they hear me say "show Iggle-Piggle the pictures Jess"!
Some of our books of the moment are:
There's a Cow in the Cabbage Patch - Clare Beaton (we've read this one before, and both of us enjoy the rhyme).
Spot Loves His Dad - Eric Hill. Nice to see a book featuring a dad spending time with his kids. Jessicat loves to study the pictures and point to objects for me to name.
Elmer's Friends - David McKee. Featurning the most camp polar bear and lion you will ever see in a book, ever. But Jess loves grabbing the book off me when we get to the page with the kangaroo on it, to make it bounce.
My Shimmery Glimmery Christmas Book - Selina Yoon.
Dave and I are really busy now getting ready for Christmas. Dot and Brian are coming down next weekend, and we have a lot of shopping to do first. We have got our 2 Christmas trees up in the front room, and Jess loves it when we put the lights on. This feels like our first Christmas in a lot of ways - last year's was a colicky blur - so we have some extra celebrating to do!
As I've written before, sharing books is both a joy and a challenge now. A joy because Jessicat seems to understand so much and be able to point to and identify so many objects correctly; a challenge because her concentration span is more limited now she is mobile and there are so many attractions to entice her to explore. One ruse we've employed to get her to sit still for brief periods recently is to ask her to "read" to one of her little plastic figures from In the Night Garden; I wonder if other people think I've gone mad if they hear me say "show Iggle-Piggle the pictures Jess"!
Some of our books of the moment are:
There's a Cow in the Cabbage Patch - Clare Beaton (we've read this one before, and both of us enjoy the rhyme).
Spot Loves His Dad - Eric Hill. Nice to see a book featuring a dad spending time with his kids. Jessicat loves to study the pictures and point to objects for me to name.
Elmer's Friends - David McKee. Featurning the most camp polar bear and lion you will ever see in a book, ever. But Jess loves grabbing the book off me when we get to the page with the kangaroo on it, to make it bounce.
My Shimmery Glimmery Christmas Book - Selina Yoon.
Dave and I are really busy now getting ready for Christmas. Dot and Brian are coming down next weekend, and we have a lot of shopping to do first. We have got our 2 Christmas trees up in the front room, and Jess loves it when we put the lights on. This feels like our first Christmas in a lot of ways - last year's was a colicky blur - so we have some extra celebrating to do!
Friday, 7 December 2007
Christmas books
Well, we are in December now, and Jessicat is excited by Christmas trees, Christmas lights and the decorations that are hanging up in the supermarket. So, there is a bit of a festive theme with our reading as well at the moment:
Dear Santa - Rod Campbell. Oh yes, a much loved book already.
Father Christmas - Fiona Watt. Big, bright book with cluttered pictures of Santa and his elves doing their business on Christmas eve. Now she is familiar with it, Jess loves it, and we pore over this book together to pick out the details and objects she recognizes.
Poppy Cat's Christmas - Lara Jones. Another big book, this time with pop-ups, so I do have to keep it out of Jessicat's reach, which is a shame, as she loves it. One of the best in the Poppy Cat series.
Some time ago, I also bought Jess a book entitled Christmas Baby by Fiona Watt, and I am looking forward to sharing it with her. We are planning to put our tree and decorations up tomorrow, though not sure how we will be able to Jess-proof them.
As always, lots of tiny developments in Jessicat all the time. She is now cruising round the furniture much more confidently, and has even tried to stand unaided, but is some way off doing this yet, I think. When we are feeding her, she is keener than ever to grab the spoon from us, and try to manipulate herself, though in reality, she would starve if left to her own devices. Yesterday, she signed for "more" when I asked her if she wanted me to continue reading to her, and she seems to be attempting to say "yes" and "there", although not clear.
Dear Santa - Rod Campbell. Oh yes, a much loved book already.
Father Christmas - Fiona Watt. Big, bright book with cluttered pictures of Santa and his elves doing their business on Christmas eve. Now she is familiar with it, Jess loves it, and we pore over this book together to pick out the details and objects she recognizes.
Poppy Cat's Christmas - Lara Jones. Another big book, this time with pop-ups, so I do have to keep it out of Jessicat's reach, which is a shame, as she loves it. One of the best in the Poppy Cat series.
Some time ago, I also bought Jess a book entitled Christmas Baby by Fiona Watt, and I am looking forward to sharing it with her. We are planning to put our tree and decorations up tomorrow, though not sure how we will be able to Jess-proof them.
As always, lots of tiny developments in Jessicat all the time. She is now cruising round the furniture much more confidently, and has even tried to stand unaided, but is some way off doing this yet, I think. When we are feeding her, she is keener than ever to grab the spoon from us, and try to manipulate herself, though in reality, she would starve if left to her own devices. Yesterday, she signed for "more" when I asked her if she wanted me to continue reading to her, and she seems to be attempting to say "yes" and "there", although not clear.
Friday, 30 November 2007
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.
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.
Friday, 23 November 2007
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?
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?
Friday, 16 November 2007
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!
Monday, 12 November 2007
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.....
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.....
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