Tuesday, April 29, 2008

I like, love, want, need...

Rosemary has recently developed more of an ability to express her opinions about things, foods, people, etc. Until recently it was just 'Have it.' when she wanted/needed something and 'I no like' when she didn't like/want something. But now she can use:
  • I like it.
  • I don't like it.
  • I love it.
  • I really do love it.
  • I want it.
  • I need it.
  • I really don't like it.
Probably two of the most common uses of these are:
  • I want some mummy milk.
  • I want some ice cream.
Last night, Chris and I found her increasing desires for ice cream quite amusing.
  • R: I want some ice cream.
  • T: Eat a bit more dinner, darling.
  • R: I really want some ice cream.
  • T: Well, she's eaten quite a bit, and she's not feeling too well. What do you think?
  • C: Yes, she's had a fair bit. What's the magic word, Rosemary?
  • R: Ice cream! I want the ice cream!
  • T: What do you say?
  • R: Ice cream!
  • C: When you want something, what's the word you say?
  • R: I really, really need some ice cream!
  • T: Puh, puh...
  • R: Puh, puh, please.
  • T&C: Well done, Rosemary!
It was the needing ice cream that amused us, of course. And after she'd gone to bed, I discovered that I also really needed some ice cream. :)

Monday, April 07, 2008

Monthly update

(This is just copied and pasted from a post on the August club forum, so it may read a bit odd...)

AGE 20 months

SIZE/WEIGHT No idea, really. She's in size 4 shoes, though probably won't be more than a couple of weeks before she's in size 5. Clothes are mostly 1 1/2 years to 2 years clothes and the occassional 2 years item. She has a problem that most of the trousers are too long for her and need rolling up. The ones that are right height are too tight round the waist (and she's not really what you'd call plump!). Her father and I are both on the short side, I suppose, so I imagine she's taking after us there.

MEDICAL HISTORY/CURRENT AILMENTS She's always been very healthy, but has recently had a few nasty colds, which she's tending to pick up at the 0-2 drop-in and swimming classes we go to (it seems) and we end up in this cycle of colds and coughs, with Rosemary having one, then Chris getting one, then me, then Rosemary again. I comfort myself with the knowledge that this is all very important for building up her immune system. Still annoying, though!

TEETH Still just the top and bottom four, though there seem to be some others coming through at the moment. (The bottom molars maybe? Never remember what they're all called, but the ones next to the canines, we think.)

LIKES All sorts of things - spaghetti, Charlie and Lola (far too much!), going 'up the stairs and down the slide', swimming, ducks, peas (she frequently says 'I like peas'), ice cream (recent addition to her diet when she had a sore throat, and something she likes a lot now), yoghurt, climbing up things and people, walking, singing, her Tia Eva, her Granny, her doggy Wesley (usually pronounced Welly), her Mummy and Daddy (of course), Tulo (her Granny's cat), cuckoo clocks (and clocks in general), going on the bus, talking on the phone to Grandma and Grandpa and Nana (and Eva and Granny), painting and drawing, various books, going to the library...

DISLIKES Having to get dressed when she doesn't want to, having her nappy changed, getting in her buggy when she doesn't want to... well, pretty much being told she has to do something she doesn't want to or can't do something she wants to. The full-blown tantrums have started, and the word 'No' has become a staple in her vocabulary. It's worst when she's tired, or not feeling well.

FOOD & DRINK She's still having a few breastfeeds, but no longer needs it to get to sleep (and quite often can't get to sleep with it, in fact, if I decide to be lazy and try!), though more 'fridge milk' and juice. She loves drinking juice (very watered down pure fruit juice, usually, though she's occasionally had some really, really watered down ribena) from a cup with a straw, but still mostly uses her Any Way Up cups. Foodwise, she's generally got a decent appetite, though not as much when she's got a cold. She has her favourite foods - spaghetti (with goat's cheese, rocket and sunblushed tomatoes, or with bolognese sauce), risotto (my mixed vegetable - whatever's handy - risotto, with lots of parmesan), toast (prefers granary, with just butter) or bread and butter, cheese, beans, peas, lots of fruits (pears, bananas, grapes and apples being favourites), carrots, fish fingers and Granny's porridge (which is apparently much better than mine!) - but she'll try most things and eat a decent helping at most meals. She basically eats whatever we're having for dinner, unless we're being naughty and having a Dominos, when she'll have beans on toast and tomatoes and cucumber or something like that.

SLEEP Meh. She's going to sleep without Mummy Milk, finally. Which has made my life a gazillion times better (and the house a fair bit cleaner, too). But she still wakes at least once during the night, and often twice, and has Mummy Milk at least one of those times, and also usually ends up in our bed. She's napping pretty well in the afternoon, usually for about 2 hours, though sometimes only 1 and sometimes up to 4 if she hasn't slept well the night before. But a few times recently she's woke up after her nap and screamed and screamed for ages, with no comforting her whatsoever. We think it's probably that she hasn't had enough sleep, though think it might also be wind, as she's often done a huge fart just when she's starting to calm down! (No pattern in terms of food beforehand, though.)

TOILETING Still in nappies (Pampers Easy-Up Size 5). She's done a couple of wees on the potty, but think they've mostly been flukes. She does sit on them (we have 3, one on each of the main floors of the house) qutie often, though also puts them on her head, uses them as buggies to push dolls around in, etc. She understands about them, and I think will get there in her own time.

DEVELOPMENT WORRIES None really. She's way ahead in a lot of things, particularly language - she uses full, grammatical sentences, understands the difference between lots of pronouns and even uses different tenses. She's ahead in terms of drawing and painting and imaginative play. She's maybe a bit behind in things like shape sorting and jigsaws, but she's shown she can do them when she wants to, so I think it's more that she's just not that interested in them. She can count up to eleven in English and 100 in Esperanto (my mum speaks Esperanto with her quite a lot). She has a few phrases in French (for some reason I tend to do a lot of telling her off in French, which is odd - Touche pas! Pas dans la bouche! Pas pour manger!). She can jump and run and throw a ball, and even occasionally catch one (though usually that's a fluke, or very careful throwing on the adult's part), is affectionate towards other children, especially those younger to her, and mostly quite confidant. She recognise some writing - Rosemary, Mummy and Eva and is loves asking us to write words down. And she also seems to have started the Terrible Twos a bit early, but hopefully that means she'll also finish them early (wishful thinking?).

NEW TRICK LEARNT THIS MONTH Can't think of anything specific. It all seems to be gradual and it's more that we'll suddenly realise that she's doing something really well. Actually, going to sleep without Mummy Milk was probably learnt during the last month and a half, and that is a really good trick (I think so anyway, though I do know that practically every other child her age learnt to do that a long time ago!)