Little Miss Mobile!

Jessicat has - at last - really found her feet and is enjoying walking EVERYWHERE! It's great fun - so far - to watch her tottering round the library or the supermarket, and today we were able to meet up with friends at Bocabar whilst Jess entertained herself toddling around. What a fantastic development!

So all this action on the walking front means that books have taken a backseat in Jessicat's mind at the moment. Reading has to be fitted in in short bursts, and Jess is increasingly fussy about the books she likes. These listed below are proving popular this week:

One Big Building Site - Dubravka Kolanovic. Jess loves to be asked to identify the cranes or the cement mixers! Makes a change from books about animals or toddlers, and this can only be helpful for increasing her receptive vocabulary.

Meg's Car - Helen Nicoll. Meg and Mog fascinate Jessicat at the moment. The illustrations are bright and arresting, and I think this is why this is one of the few books that Jess will sit by herself and pore over at the moment.

Milton the Early Riser - Robert Kraus.

Bathwater's Hot - Shirley Hughes. Lovely book. Jess particularly likes the page with the traffic lights - another of her current preoccupations.

Fuzzy Yellow Ducklings - Matthew Van Fleet.

Spring reading

It's good to be able to blog and report that - touch wood - we are finally all getting over our various viruses. Jessicat is livelier than she has been for a while, and is back to waking up before 7am (grrr....)

Her concentration for books continues to be variable. She is much fussier about what we read together now, and will push a book away very forcefully if she's not in the mood for it. On the other hand, when we get the book just right, her response and her enthusiasm are just infectious.

Last Sunday, we had a family outing to a baby show, held at Ashton Gate. There, we managed to pick up 2 gorgeous books for Jessicat:
Bear At Work - Stella Blackstone. Yippee, a brand new bear book! This series remains quite possibly Jessicat's favourite of all time, and this is fabulous - lots of detail in the pictures to discuss and the usual jaunty rhyming text. Buying this book has coincided nicely with Jess's interest in letter boxes and posting things, which arose after we bought her her own post box from the Early Learning Centre.
Sparkly Fairies (Touchy Feely Board Books) - absolutely beautiful board book from the Usborne stable, full of glitter, sparkle and soft textures. Jess is already girly enough to be interested in the idea of fairies (she has the ELC Fairy Toadstool Cottage), and though the text if a bit naff, this is a beautiful book to flick through.

Hard to believe that it's Easter next week. Jess already has one egg, so there will be some serious rationing going on for my little chocaholic! Dot and Brian are coming to stay over the Easter weekend, and I am hoping that Dave and I may even get the opportunity to go out to celebrate his imminent promotion and transfer to the Planning Inspectorate.

Another week of illnessess...

...this is just getting tedious! Jessicat is picking up slowly, though she continues to have a cough and runny nose. I have been ill myself and in hospital with a (fortunately, mild) case of viral meningitis. So with all this going on, reading has not been at the forefront of our minds this week. But in another way, we have been glad to escape into books as a getaway from all the other crap going on.

Jess and I have particularly been enjoying Snowman by Guido Van Genechten and Get Into Bed by Virginia Miller. Jess has already mastered saying "nah" along with Bartholomew as he refuses to follow yet another instruction.

I look forward to being able to post again soon with the news that we are all in good health.

Worried Mum

Jessicat is still ill. The doctors are saying it's a virus, but I am worried, and hate seeing her so lethargic and off her food. This just doesn't feel right, and we are going straight back to the doctor on Monday unless things drastically improve over the weekend.

We are still making our way through a pile of brand new board books from Wick Road library. These include:

Chimp and Zee - Catherine Anholt.
Baby's Catalogue - Janet Ahlberg.
Joe's Dog - Angela Joy
Princesses - Fiona Watt
Splash, Splosh - Jo Lodge.

These are a great collection of books, but I just can't summon up the energy to enthuse at the moment. Until Jess is well again, nothing else seems that important.

The challenge of putting in eyedrops

Jessicat has a severe cold and conjunctivitus. This means several times a day, Dave and I have to go through the traumatic job of attempting to get eyedrops in. Even the bribe of mini Cheddars to follow does little to stem the flow of tears, and all 3 of us will be glad when this never ending cold is finally over.

On a more cheerful note, our friendly librararians at Wick Road kindly put aside a consignment of brand new board books for Jessicat and me to share. We have had a nice time discovering some new writers together, including:

Love is a Handful of Honey - Giles Andrae. You wouldn't know from this book that he is also Purple Ronnie! Not too sure that Jess is keen on the rhyme, but she is fascinated by trying to find the 3 tiny mice hidden on each page. What a great way to hook an easily distracted toddler!

Bedtime Teddy - author unknown. Sweet little books that show a teddy going about his bedtime routine. Nice to share a book with Jessicat that so accurately reflects her experience.

Baby Noises - Verna Wilkins.

One Moose, Twenty Mice - Clare Beaton. I like her distinctive illustrations and think that Jessicat will enjoy looking for the cat on each page.

Wake Up, Little Rabbit - Debi Gliori.

Duck's Day Out - Jez Alborough. I love this book! It's full of fun and has a very basic story told in rhyme. An instant winner.

When It's Time for Bed - Nick Butterworth.

More steps...

Progress on the walking front if slow but sure. Yesterday, I went to collect Dave from work and was able to walk into his office with Jessicat beside me holding onto one of my hands. This new found skill tires Jess out and does affect her concentration levels and interest in reading slightly, so we have spent a bit more time this week with old favourites rather than trying more new books. It's not all good news: Jessicat has become very resistant to being fed, and is taking all of my imagination and shopping nous to keep a steady and varied supply of finger foods on the go. She is 15 months old tomorrow, and on Sunday we are hoping to go out to celebrate.

Jessicat's first steps!!!

Yesterday, Jessicat took her first tentative, bumbling steps! I was sitting next to her on the floor reading to her whilst she played her usual game of standing up and then letting go of my legs to balance herself. All of a sudden, she took two wobbly steps forward and fell into my arms, feeling very pleased with herself! Cue much pride on mine and Dave's part, and an immediate phone call to my mum to do some boasting.

I'm also trying to introduce paperback books now, as we've exhausted the board book collections at our local libraries. To start us off, we have:

Jungle Sounds - Colin Hawkins

There's Something at the Letterbox - Jez Alborough. An immediate winner, with Jess signing "more" as soon as I reached the end for the first time, and she is amused by the dad we meet on the final page swinging on his rope and pretending to be Tarzan.

Hello Lulu - Caroline Uff. Jessicat is still attracted to the bright pictures. She can now point to the text on a page when asked to identify which bits are words, and which bits are pictures.

Noisy Poems - Debi Gliori.

I'm now looking forward to seeing if Jessicat's new found mobility (well, a few steps is a start!) leads to a leap forward in her ability to verbalize and communicate with us. This is an exciting time to be a mum!