tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-360208242024-03-06T05:39:39.471+00:00Mummy and Daddy ClarkWhere Tasha and Chris ramble on about their daughters, Rosemary and EleanorCoding Mamma (Tasha)http://www.blogger.com/profile/17374751246656722167noreply@blogger.comBlogger134125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36020824.post-1112518260343232132010-07-11T15:00:00.001+00:002010-07-11T15:00:59.969+00:00Three quarters of a year<p>Eleanor is 9 months old, today. And, boy, is she doing well. I was looking back over posts from when Rosemary was this age, and they’re remarkably close in when they’re doing things. I think Eleanor’s a bit more mobile than Rosemary was and will probably walk a little earlier. But Rosemary was pretty early to start with, at just over 11 months. </p> <h2>Mobility</h2> <p>Eleanor has certainly mastered the crawl, now. She’s also cruising around with great ease. She’s taken a couple of steps a couple of times, but isn’t walking yet. She can climb stairs, though not ours yet, as they’re too steep. She also tries to climb up various things (Rosemary’s bed on the floor in the hotel room, recently, onto boxes, onto the sofa (she can’t manage the sofa yet, but it probably won’t be a huge amount of time) and into washing baskets). </p> <h2>Speech</h2> <p>There’s an awful lot of ‘Da Da’! We’re fairly certain she has said ‘Thank you’ (obviously not perfectly enunciated!) a number of times. She seems to say ‘Dog’, as Rosemary did. She says ‘That’ (Dat) a fair bit and we think she also says ‘Stand’ (also sounds quite like Dat!). She says ‘Na Na Na’ quite often, which seems to mean milk. And she has a high-pitched, really loud, scream which she loves doing and which Rosemary enjoys encouraging and/or imitating (yes, we’re stock-piling paracetemol). </p> <h2>General learning/intellectual development</h2> <p>She’s fairly close to clapping and often claps our hands together. She waves (though it’s more of a high five, than a wave still). She happily crawls and cruises round the living room, office, bedrooms and even dining room and kitchen, exploring her toys (and frequently other people’s toys and things she’s not supposed to have, of course) for large chunks of time. She’ll come over for a cuddle or a chat now and then and then go back off to play. She knows that hitting the bilingual drum makes it sing (she was just doing this, but it was switched off, which confused her a little, but she was very happy when I switched it on). She’s getting into books again and has a couple of favourites at the moment (<em>That’s Not My Truck</em> and a cloth <em>Baby Dinosaur</em> book that Rosemary and Chris bought her in the National History Museum). She loves being singed to, and especially likes it when Rosemary sings a high-pitched <em>Baa Baa Black Sheep</em> to her at the dinner table. </p> <h2>eating</h2> <p>The baby-led weaning (BLW) is going fantastically, just as it did with Rosemary. She loves loads of food, especially fruit and steak, it seems. She’ll try pretty much anything and has yet to express any true disgust (unlike her sister, who is very fond of the word ‘yeuch’ these days, though has been improving over the last few weeks). She is not going to remain chocolate-free or ice-cream free for anywhere near as long as her sister. She already has a lot more juice to drink than Rosemary did, because she keeps picking up Rosemary’s cups and drinking from them. And she has had a taste of cow’s milk this way, too. Don’t think there will be any difficulties giving her a cup or two of it once she’s turned 1! She salivates when she’s us eating ice-creams and chocolates and other things she can’t have. In fact, she’s fairly desperate to try peanut butter, since she has to watch me eat it most mornings. </p> <h2>Breastfeeding</h2> <p>She’s still having plenty of milk and, like her sister did, has taken to feeding standing up, while I sit on the sofa. This is quite odd, though I think leads to less wind. She has feeds at roughly 3am, 6am, 8.30am, 12 noon, 3.30pm, 6.30pm and 9pm. Sometimes more. Sometimes less. On a Thursday, she misses out the 12 noon one with no problems whatsoever (she spends the day at my mum’s). </p> <h2>Clothing</h2> <p>She’s in a combination of 6-9 months and 9-12 months clothes, though definitely veering more toward the latter, now. At the moment, as the weather is very hot, she’s often just in a short-sleeved vest and light leggings or trousers. Sometimes, when it’s super hot, just a nappy. Despite being smothered in high-factor sunscreen, which is frequently reapplied, she’s developed a tan on her feet. She does have a tendency to suck/chew on her feet, actually, so perhaps she’s licking it all off (ewww!). No shoes yet, as we prefer to wait until she is walking and, even then, only put them on when walking outside, as Rosemary’s physiotherapist told us this was best for preventing later walking problems. Almost all her clothing is permanently stained, now. I had been very impressed at first, with the new washing gel (Ariel Active Gel), but it hasn’t been performing as well as I’d hoped of late and, even with the addition of a scoop of Vanish the clothes are still stained. Of course, a fair few of them were probably already stained from Rosemary, so Eleanor’s just adding to the collection. </p> <h2>Other</h2> <p>Eleanor is very happy, chilled and independent. She’ll quite happily play in the office while we work. She’ll chatter away to new people, though she’s recently clung to me when I’m attempting to hand her over to someone she’s not too familiar with.</p> <p>Her relationship with Rosemary is pretty good. She loves playing with Rosemary and squeals with delight when Rosemary sings her song. She loves playing crawl chase with her and with some of her toys – e.g. there’s a toy where Rosemary pops the animals up and Eleanor pushes them down. </p> <p>All in all, Eleanor is doing very well.</p> Coding Mamma (Tasha)http://www.blogger.com/profile/17374751246656722167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36020824.post-85092239555317723342010-03-12T13:15:00.000+00:002010-03-12T13:16:16.723+00:00This video was sent from my Palm Pre sner sner<object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/pRRpqrjPsTE&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/pRRpqrjPsTE&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11704184269919666572noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36020824.post-52477264045668843662010-02-09T14:33:00.001+00:002010-02-09T14:35:07.941+00:00Eleanor's routineJust posted this on my Babyworld October club, and thought it might be of interest (to maybe a grandmother out there?):<br /><br />Eleanor usually wakes some time between 6 and 7 am, generally after Rosemary has woken up, which means I often get some one-on-one time with Rosemary and get her breakfast sorted before Eleanor wakes up. When she does wake, she usually goes in her chair for a bit, while I eat some breakfast and/or tidy up a bit. Then she comes upstairs with me (and often Rosemary) to watch me (us) have a shower. We all get dressed and then Eleanor has some milk, while Rosemary watches a bit of TV. (The order of this can change quite frequently, depending on what time Rosemary wakes up and what she's doing - playing, reading, watching TV, etc.)<br /><br />Eleanor usually comes on the 'school' run, either in the buggy or the sling, though sometimes she'll stay with Chris. She often has a small nap then (30-45 minutes), though now and again will sleep all morning. Two mornings a week, my mum then plays with her and takes her out for a walk, while I do some work. Otherwise, either Chris or I will play with her/take her shopping.<br /><br />She'll have some more milk between 11 and 12.30, depending on whether we're picking Rosemary up at 12 or not and if we have somewhere to go after. If we go out, she'll often have another little nap (30-45 minutes), otherwise, she'll normally stay awake in her chair/on her gym/sitting on people's knees/etc. until about 2pm, when she'll sometimes have another small nap and sometimes have a big 2-hour nap.<br /><br />She usually has some milk around 4pm, then the evening routine commences - dinner is cooked and we eat at 5pm, bath pretty much every other night (which she usually has to share with Rosemary), get changed into bed clothes, read stories with Rosemary until she (Eleanor) gets very shouty, then Chris takes over Rosemary's stories and Eleanor and I go through to our bedroom and have milk in darkened room - I tend to read or check twitter and facebook, etc. on my phone - down to sleep (half the time, she's asleep already, and the other half she'll put herself to sleep with her thumb - occasionally I have to use the sling). She'll be properly asleep some time between 7 and 8, occasionally by 6.30.<br /><br />Often, she wakes around 10 or 11 for a feed, though she is cutting this one out more often now. Then, usually, she'll wake at 3ish for a feed (though sometimes, if she didn't have the night feed, she'll wake at 1am then 5am) and get up some time between 6 and 7...<br /><br />Evenings/nighttimes we have down pat, thanks mostly to a fairly rigid routine (which helps with Rosemary, too, I think). The daytimes are less predictable, probably because there are different things happening on different days, so she can't really fall into a set routine.<br /><br />She is a very happy baby, though, which is lovely. When I take her out in the buggy or the sling I spend the vast majority of the time with a huge grin on my face. And when I'm working and my mum or Chris has been playing with her and I come downstairs to get a coffee or something, she gives me the biggest smiles and says hello (squeals). Wonderful.Coding Mamma (Tasha)http://www.blogger.com/profile/17374751246656722167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36020824.post-44799535075275745592010-02-07T21:46:00.001+00:002010-02-07T21:46:48.853+00:00Can I whisper something in your ear?<p>Rosemary has recently started reporting to us when she has done something wrong, whether on purpose or by accident. She whispers it in our ear. So, the words ‘Can I whisper something in your ear?’ cause to think ‘Oh no! What’s she done?’ Sometimes it’s a little something, like not flushing the toilet, and other times it’s something bigger, like breaking something or pouring juice on the floor. </p> <p>The trouble is, it’s so darned adorable, that it’s really difficult to be cross, or even just firm. The majority of the time, I end up with a big grin on my face, which is not the way to admonish someone for taking their baby sister’s Taggie away from her. </p> <p>It is very interesting, however, as it does show that she really is getting to grips with what we do and don’t want her to do. Yes, she’s testing some of the boundaries, but she’s also writing her own rule book, it seems. And it seems to me that, as she does this, the actual intentional wrong-doing is getting less and less. Which has got to be good. </p> <p>But, mostly it’s just terribly cute! </p> Coding Mamma (Tasha)http://www.blogger.com/profile/17374751246656722167noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36020824.post-87811315612013521592010-02-04T17:35:00.003+00:002010-02-04T17:41:07.937+00:00O My Best BelovedsI have a long list of books I want to read to Rosemary and Eleanor, or have them read themselves. And I get a little impatient. So I was very happy to be able to semi-cross one off the other night, one that I've tried a couple of times already, when we went through The Cat Who Walked By Himself. Slightly cut-down version, but they kept some of the language. All places are alike to him. Not 'He can go wherever he jolly well wants'.<br /><br />There's a response you get when reading something truly poetic to a child. They go very quiet as it works on them. They're no longer just wanting the story. The pictures disappear to them, because now the pictures in their head are better. Something deep within them is moved.<br /><br />So it was nice.Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11704184269919666572noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36020824.post-81396339133520048002010-02-03T20:59:00.001+00:002010-02-03T20:59:59.489+00:00So different, yet so the same<p>I was reading some old posts from this blog the other night – from when Rosemary was about the same age as Eleanor is now. <a href="http://mummyanddaddyclark.blogspot.com/2006_11_01_archive.html" target="_blank">You can take a look, here.</a> </p> <p>And it struck me how a lot of things were actually quite similar at that time. For example, I had a busy work period where I decided it would be <a href="http://mummyanddaddyclark.blogspot.com/2006/11/sunday-12-november-through-saturday-18.html" target="_blank">much better to be a stay-at-home mum (SAHM)</a>, rather than a work-at-home mum (WAHM), just like <a href="http://wahm-bam.blogspot.com/2010/01/is-grass-greener-over-there-or-over.html" target="_blank">I did recently</a>. Rosemary was spending large chunks of time under her gym, which is something I recalled her not doing for more than about 10 minutes at a time. Rosemary was getting good at sitting up (with help), shuffling on her back on her play mat/changing mat, being all chattery (though with different noises, interestingly). </p> <p>And then there are the differences… If you look at the photos, there’s one huge difference, in that Eleanor has tonnes of hair. Their noises were different. Rosemary was apparently sleeping through a lot at that point. Not sure when she stopped doing that, because my memories of her sleeping habits are all about being woken up in the night loads! Eleanor is not sleeping through yet, but she goes to sleep pretty well and much earlier. Rosemary’s bedtime was generally between 9 and 10pm, whereas Eleanor’s is generally between 7 and 8. Rosemary was almost entirely fed to sleep. Eleanor is able more and more to put herself to sleep in her cot, with the help of her thumb and her Taggie. Rosemary needed a lot of attention, whereas Eleanor is quite happy to sit/lie quietly and look around at the world. Not that she doesn’t love a chat or play, of course! </p> <p>And, of course, it goes without saying that they are both the cutest girls in the whole world and quite obviously absolute geniuses.</p> Coding Mamma (Tasha)http://www.blogger.com/profile/17374751246656722167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36020824.post-42541817301963534122010-01-26T14:42:00.001+00:002010-01-26T14:42:03.026+00:00Ballet shoes<p>We are now fully paid-up members of the middle classes. Yeah, I know, we were already, but…</p> <p>Ballet! Rosemary now goes to ballet classes on a Saturday morning. </p> <p>And here she is, showing off her new ballet clothes. </p> <p><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg78BUWVfAs3tH_sTRXpeKY6t8FejBlSwZn1v7yfBLwiqn8skJTJmLuqT2_IANXzsYC1u7OayeAsa3auyD9xyF3wYba7DidJQUhHB93Y7tpHDlpFT78Cd56PAjjoOGR-DYqCj7o/s400/SDC10677.JPG" /></p> <p><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0Tnhu6UGI0pnK4gFDWi6wXr7n435F05yZbRZ-J-pe-S6FbkRVuYtYNRqNjbf9xnvnd6X5EOmk84wHjLMk7BKcVP3bVcs4crs2hBQkNB-qsH1OoNlBeI6rmScWvmD-zp7qGxN4/s400/SDC10678.JPG" /></p> <p><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA4PMUENq9wBtj5ikQiZQ3b7qWvFeeNanZJSZJIQBkC39cIu2KLfPUY-RNOKj42v4X-5QvjAWYVevZqv8sHmpPlPnS74mKvJ3Ist5DimrZHlYITn3dIWfHdTc1QKIeAhXzDHOr/s400/SDC10679.JPG" /></p> <p>She loves it and, it seems she can even manage to sit still for long enough to listen to the teacher and follow the instructions. </p> Coding Mamma (Tasha)http://www.blogger.com/profile/17374751246656722167noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36020824.post-29529149865029579682010-01-19T10:00:00.001+00:002010-01-19T10:02:09.513+00:00More Eleanor<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/jPPItsOmmAk&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/jPPItsOmmAk&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11704184269919666572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36020824.post-28273517987446173092010-01-18T23:16:00.003+00:002010-01-18T23:22:07.702+00:00She's once, twice, 99 a ladyRosemary is gradually getting the idea of quantifying the world around her. She's using '99' as an adjective in place of very, or completely. 'Are you tired?' 'I'm 99 tired'. (No idea where this has come from, maybe someone said '99% certain'.) But more interestingly, she's using a few others which she's picking as the situation warrants - if she's not hungry, she might say 'Ummm, I'm only 3 hungry'. And today she said she enjoyed something '494949 [four nine four nine four nine]'. Which I guess is a lot. But is it more or less than enjoying something 100?Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11704184269919666572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36020824.post-46412793109111793722010-01-16T14:35:00.004+00:002010-01-19T10:50:38.680+00:003 months (and a bit)Age ~ 3 months, 8 days<br /><br />Weight ~ Not sure; about a stone<br /><br />Length ~ No ídea !<br /><br />Feeding ~ 100% Mummy Milk, roughly every 3 hours, for about 10-15 minutes, with occassional hour to hour and a half marathons, especially in the early evening<br /><br />Favourite toys - Turtle, big 'spider' on the baby gym, which she spins round for ages; also likes her parrot; and has recently been really enjoying books (well, how could she not in this family?)<br /><br />Milestone from past month ~ First laughs, rolled over, though not done so a lot, really trying to move when on tummy, will probably be crawling quite early<br /><br />What size clothes ~ All 3-6 month, since she was about 2 months, may need to get out the 6-9 months box next month<br /><br />What size nappies ~ Size 4, whatever's on special offer<br /><br />Language development: Blowing bubbles, which is apparently an essential step in learning to talk. Squeals, makes gurgling kind of talking sounds. 'Chats' - i.e. listens to someone talking then responds.<br /><br />Physical development: Can hold self up on arms when on tummy for a bit. Pushing forwards with feet when on tummy and can actually move herself forward a bit. Sitting up with only a littke aid. Very strong legs; can weight-bear on them for a bit and 'stand' when being held lightly.<br /><br />Social, emotional and intellectual development: Presumably all happening in the background, but no specific milestones, except for laughing.Coding Mamma (Tasha)http://www.blogger.com/profile/17374751246656722167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36020824.post-25306701109516956412010-01-12T19:48:00.002+00:002010-01-12T19:51:02.372+00:00Here's Eleanor<p>3 months after her birth, we finally get around to introducing Eleanor to <s>the world</s> this blog.</p><br /><br /><object width="445" height="364"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/58Njw6VbABI&hl=en_GB&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x234900&color2=0x4e9e00&border=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/58Njw6VbABI&hl=en_GB&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x234900&color2=0x4e9e00&border=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="445" height="364"></embed></object><br /><br /><p>Hope you like this, Grandpa!</p>Coding Mamma (Tasha)http://www.blogger.com/profile/17374751246656722167noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36020824.post-63162907182076212012009-07-03T18:40:00.001+00:002009-07-03T18:40:55.241+00:00Rosemary tells us about her Mummy and Daddy<p>This is cross-posted from <a href="http://wahm-bam.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">‘the other blog’</a>, as it’s a very Rosemary-centric post. And I thought it was only fair to ask her the same questions about Chris. Here are the results:</p> <h2>Mummy</h2> <ol> <li><strong>What is something Mummy always says to you?</strong> <br />Stop! </li> <li><strong>What makes Mummy happy?</strong> <br />Not shouting. </li> <li><strong>What makes Mummy sad?</strong> <br />Shouting </li> <li><strong>How does Mummy make you laugh?</strong> <br />Tickling me [did give her some hints after an initial ‘I don’t know’] </li> <li><strong>What was Mummy like as a little girl?</strong> <br />I don’t know. </li> <li><strong>How old is Mummy?</strong> <br />70 </li> <li><strong>How tall is Mummy?</strong> <br />This tall [pointing at me] </li> <li><strong>What is Mummy’s favourite thing to do?</strong> <br />Work </li> <li><strong>What does Mummy do when you’re not there?</strong> <br />Work! </li> <li><strong>If Mummy became famous what would it be for?</strong> <br />Television </li> <li><strong>What is Mummy really good at?</strong> <br />Painting </li> <li><strong>What is Mummy not very good at?</strong> <br />Work </li> <li><strong>What does Mummy do for her job?</strong> <br />Maybe paddling pools </li> <li><strong>What is Mummy’s favourite food?</strong> <br />Pasta </li> <li><strong>If Mummy could have one wish, what would it be?</strong> <br />Chocolate, maybe. </li> </ol> <h2>DADDY</h2> <ol> <li><strong>What is something Daddy always says to you?</strong> <br />Milk [holding up a cup of milk] </li> <li><strong>What makes Daddy happy?</strong> <br />Spraying [pointing at water spray] </li> <li><strong>What makes Daddy sad?</strong> <br />Shouting </li> <li><strong>How does Daddy make you laugh?</strong> <br />Tickling </li> <li><strong>What was Daddy like as a little boy?</strong> <br />I don’t know. </li> <li><strong>How old is Daddy?</strong> <br />70 </li> <li><strong>How tall is Daddy?</strong> <br />This tall [drawing a long line all the way up the page] </li> <li><strong>What is Daddy’s favourite thing to do?</strong> <br />Work </li> <li><strong>What does Daddy do when you’re not there?</strong> <br />Work! </li> <li><strong>If Daddy became famous what would it be for?</strong> <br />I don’t know. </li> <li><strong>What is Daddy really good at?</strong> <br />Looking for snails and slugs </li> <li><strong>What is Daddy not very good at?</strong> <br />Not eating bananas [not sure if she understands about double negatives or if she actually means he’s no good at eating bananas!] </li> <li><strong>What does Daddy do for his job?</strong> <br />Music, maybe </li> <li><strong>What is Daddy’s favourite food?</strong> <br />Pasta </li> <li><strong>If Daddy could have one wish, what would it be?</strong> <br />A toy </li> </ol> <p>We were amused, anyway.</p> Coding Mamma (Tasha)http://www.blogger.com/profile/17374751246656722167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36020824.post-55106987877377559472009-03-20T07:52:00.001+00:002009-03-20T07:52:12.628+00:00Rosemary’s post<p>x/<,,,,,,,//s,,,;x;[[ew[weewwe[</p> <p> </p> <p>[Rosemary said ‘Can I do some work on you computer? Can I post something with you?’ So that’s hat that was.]</p> Coding Mamma (Tasha)http://www.blogger.com/profile/17374751246656722167noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36020824.post-58106089111086011972009-02-15T09:04:00.001+00:002009-02-15T09:07:31.894+00:00Snow, snow and more snowAnd now for some gratuitous snow pictures:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQVY0QYoU4lXTQiUDadOGY8ID0N2QEyt1P1257600twYEKZ4Z3O_dO62at0r9fMS8TUY7d240-cwhREFcpJaSzumVz8XKflIqhJur8R3D5EbcK56hFKAXt7b4aP-l0I_1Abedw/s1600-h/moto_0298.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQVY0QYoU4lXTQiUDadOGY8ID0N2QEyt1P1257600twYEKZ4Z3O_dO62at0r9fMS8TUY7d240-cwhREFcpJaSzumVz8XKflIqhJur8R3D5EbcK56hFKAXt7b4aP-l0I_1Abedw/s320/moto_0298.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5302948071274450722" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGGFidbSOQAbmkHIXN7ffukeL5aJFgqa8TXPkAL1TkkbUu6-DP0UODBn67_-vpFwYcbp_HT189e_MCnm1A4PNMzhpvj0KyiysEY12spw-se7AUDBsPgIPfKmmSNw0LKuADnvPN/s1600-h/moto_0297.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGGFidbSOQAbmkHIXN7ffukeL5aJFgqa8TXPkAL1TkkbUu6-DP0UODBn67_-vpFwYcbp_HT189e_MCnm1A4PNMzhpvj0KyiysEY12spw-se7AUDBsPgIPfKmmSNw0LKuADnvPN/s320/moto_0297.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5302948070161897026" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL7WFCXuVb78PVYuPsox4QPGnRBD5HWTByA3UHuHol8IXVVt4ZX215KXcPyRxKfQElytgUWQ1Cbod5CaVfF0jFToTH_lTwFzgB6dAQ4awC24LKhgSHUTsqB09yQzWAiaffh_5T/s1600-h/moto_0294.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL7WFCXuVb78PVYuPsox4QPGnRBD5HWTByA3UHuHol8IXVVt4ZX215KXcPyRxKfQElytgUWQ1Cbod5CaVfF0jFToTH_lTwFzgB6dAQ4awC24LKhgSHUTsqB09yQzWAiaffh_5T/s320/moto_0294.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5302948065676202754" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixwRLVeI0If9v7z2bkFTJ6kbaXvUxCd5wvO7j2aDMcquKRgR0m9FQtP13g0z4bixK9xajDbJ3J3D4BKLr8tSuSe-PgEym487W95iSdyl1v9AFJ3DEAPcYK4iW4OIUZbQrxvt0S/s1600-h/moto_0292.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixwRLVeI0If9v7z2bkFTJ6kbaXvUxCd5wvO7j2aDMcquKRgR0m9FQtP13g0z4bixK9xajDbJ3J3D4BKLr8tSuSe-PgEym487W95iSdyl1v9AFJ3DEAPcYK4iW4OIUZbQrxvt0S/s320/moto_0292.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5302948065624115426" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwQH2j_C3AUVziJe1Adv45_O1fO5Fqol4iQtIRP6AdXszchyphenhyphenGSljXHgPkbfL_TZK-jeK4BY43nsYYhz74RRE0f_7rqcY9U5_kqG27GbVN5-KB3SdFCHT3yvlnSDr-LvMzeXXWM/s1600-h/moto_0276.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwQH2j_C3AUVziJe1Adv45_O1fO5Fqol4iQtIRP6AdXszchyphenhyphenGSljXHgPkbfL_TZK-jeK4BY43nsYYhz74RRE0f_7rqcY9U5_kqG27GbVN5-KB3SdFCHT3yvlnSDr-LvMzeXXWM/s320/moto_0276.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5302948061124205202" border="0" /></a>Coding Mamma (Tasha)http://www.blogger.com/profile/17374751246656722167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36020824.post-90178883490370528482009-02-15T08:45:00.005+00:002009-02-15T09:03:12.925+00:00Putting them to work earlySo... during the cash-strapped times that are 2009, we thought it was about time Rosemary earnt her keep:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX0wR62vQu_OPVyE55dcKXCuM-9H8fS735PdoU4NvJYwQmtBonJG9UCFjob6ope9KXzUuXLYP_BFW6dcYBJHx22t0FSCDZanv-8slScuVv0HM21RNt5LJCK1R39qBt3MJ-kP0w/s1600-h/moto_0263.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX0wR62vQu_OPVyE55dcKXCuM-9H8fS735PdoU4NvJYwQmtBonJG9UCFjob6ope9KXzUuXLYP_BFW6dcYBJHx22t0FSCDZanv-8slScuVv0HM21RNt5LJCK1R39qBt3MJ-kP0w/s320/moto_0263.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5302945643985654290" border="0" /></a><br />And, of course, as we need to make more money, it's important that Rosemary starts doing her fair share of the chores, so we have more time to work:<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG-odQnohNHkSaP1EpsdB20SdpMZhD4IKZ7Vg6zlrFV8tDPUxgt82Q2aSfP8GZB0R5kEoJXPTmxR88WGCt_lQD0PMnectdmFVBtw0diwCKS5oDSD3cArpR5wFqkmUA2m6WmCUr/s1600-h/moto_0266.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG-odQnohNHkSaP1EpsdB20SdpMZhD4IKZ7Vg6zlrFV8tDPUxgt82Q2aSfP8GZB0R5kEoJXPTmxR88WGCt_lQD0PMnectdmFVBtw0diwCKS5oDSD3cArpR5wFqkmUA2m6WmCUr/s320/moto_0266.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5302946460533055122" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2DiWtKUtAnoUiaEd6W4K1HPqAgx3G4Hee16vf_FUZ21PGPqn0LFENMcnmkUmdKphvtyQgfYARyVNxIMO4jY7GgKhVnuPPTr1IEBeGmw09RkjHXeFeZXqDAnFoXVWea_nRrC1F/s1600-h/moto_0271.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2DiWtKUtAnoUiaEd6W4K1HPqAgx3G4Hee16vf_FUZ21PGPqn0LFENMcnmkUmdKphvtyQgfYARyVNxIMO4jY7GgKhVnuPPTr1IEBeGmw09RkjHXeFeZXqDAnFoXVWea_nRrC1F/s320/moto_0271.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5302946459395523298" border="0" /></a>Coding Mamma (Tasha)http://www.blogger.com/profile/17374751246656722167noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36020824.post-11530319781205398172009-01-25T16:50:00.002+00:002009-01-25T16:56:58.698+00:00More role-playRosemary: I need to ask Daddy.<br />Tasha: What do you need to ask Daddy?<br />Rosemary: I just need to ask Daddy.<br />Tasha: OK. Shall we call him on the phone?<br />Rosemary: No. Can I go upstairs to ask him?<br />Tasha: OK.<br /><br />[<span style="font-style: italic;">exeunt, stage left</span>]<br /><br />Chris: Hello, Rosemary.<br />Tasha: Rosemary had something she wanted to ask you.<br />Chris: What did you want to ask me, Rosemary?<br />Rosemary: Daddy Pig?<br />Chris: Yes, Rosemary.<br />Rosemary: No, I'm Peppa Pig.<br />Chris: OK, Peppa. What did you want to ask me?<br />Rosemary: Daddy Pig. [<span style="font-style: italic;">points to Tasha</span>] Is Fairy Godmother Mummy Pig?<br />Chris: Um. What? OK, yes.<br />Tasha: [<span style="font-style: italic;">rolls on the floor laughing for five minutes - much as Mummy Pig might do, in fact</span>]Coding Mamma (Tasha)http://www.blogger.com/profile/17374751246656722167noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36020824.post-20763562978902195242009-01-13T21:51:00.001+00:002009-01-13T21:51:20.026+00:00Dorothy!<p>For some reason, Rosemary has taken to calling me Dorothy. Her pink spotty dog is called Toto and Toto is my dog, though Rosemary looks after him by sleeping with every night. Sometimes, she’ll use it to try to get me to stop lecturing her about something:</p> <p>“So, Rosemary. Remember that, when you go to sleep, you’re not going to call out. You’re not going to get out of…”</p> <p>“No, Mummy. You’re Dorothy.”</p> <p>“OK. So, you mustn’t get out of bed. You mustn’t…”</p> <p>“No, but you’re Dorothy!”</p> <p>“OK. Well, Dorothy needs you to stay in bed and look after Toto. And you have to be quiet, so you don’t wake Toto up.”</p> <p>Sometimes it’s easiest just to play along. </p> <p> </p> <p>In an interesting development, apparently Chris is Charlie. We shall if this catches on. </p> Coding Mamma (Tasha)http://www.blogger.com/profile/17374751246656722167noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36020824.post-82173940474784869462009-01-12T16:12:00.001+00:002009-01-12T16:12:45.086+00:00“I tried to strangle a little girl”<p>This is what Rosemary announced to us over lunch today. </p> <p>“You tried to what a little girl?”</p> <p>“I was strangling her”</p> <p>“Why did you do that?”</p> <p>“I don’t know.”</p> <p>“Ah. Were you trying to give her a hug?”</p> <p>“Yes, I was.”</p> <p>“And you were hugging a bit too tight?”</p> <p>“Yes, it was too tight and she cried.”</p> <p>“Did you stop strangling her?”</p> <p>“Yes, I did stop.”</p> <p>“Did someone ask you to stop?”</p> <p>“Yes, one of my ladies.”</p> <p>A bit later, we decided on a few more leading questions.</p> <p>“Did you play nicely with the other children?”</p> <p>“You weren’t nice?”</p> <p>“No.”</p> <p>“Were you horrible?”</p> <p>“Yes, I was horrible.”</p> <p>“Why were you horrible?”</p> <p>“Because I tried to strangle the little girl.”</p> <p>In the end, Chris phoned the nursery school to check. Yes, she was trying to give a girl a hug and the little girl was getting upset and Rosemary didn’t realise. She let go as soon as one of the adults asked her to. And she played very nicely with all the other children. Phew! </p> Coding Mamma (Tasha)http://www.blogger.com/profile/17374751246656722167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36020824.post-50757310192823076172009-01-11T09:21:00.002+00:002009-01-11T09:38:23.387+00:00Happy Birthday Daddy(Hopefully he won't read this until after he's opened his presents.)<br /><br />Yesterday, we went shopping for presents for Chris. Of course, we had to get the obligatory cup, which Rosemary wants to buy for everyone's birthday, Christmas and Thursday afternoon. But, when we were in the RSPCA shop I suggested we go through to the book room to see if I could find any books for Chris. I thought she was just looking for books for herself in the children's section but, within about 10 seconds she'd come to me holding a small book. "Maybe Daddy would like this? I think he likes books like this one, doesn't he?" It was a small, thin book with the title <em>Goblins Attack</em>.<em> </em>While it is probably not anything he'd be inclined to read (as far as I know) I was so impressed that she recognised (presumably from the picture) that it was a genre that Chris enjoys, that I had to buy it.Coding Mamma (Tasha)http://www.blogger.com/profile/17374751246656722167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36020824.post-80409282163404883822009-01-08T15:40:00.003+00:002009-01-08T15:49:15.188+00:00Photos<h3>Christmas 2008 in Carnoustie</h3><br /><br /><iframe height="500" src="http://www.flickr.com/slideShow/index.gne?set_id=72157612274543515&" frameborder="0" width="500" scrolling="no" align="center"></iframe><br /><br /><h3>Christmas No.2 and Boxing Day No.2 (2008) in Stroud</h3><br /><iframe height="500" src="http://www.flickr.com/slideShow/index.gne?set_id=72157612322653626&" frameborder="0" width="500" scrolling="no" align="center"></iframe><br /><br /><h3>Rosemary's Den in the living room</h3><br /><iframe height="500" src="http://www.flickr.com/slideShow/index.gne?set_id=72157612274665787&" frameborder="0" width="500" scrolling="no" align="center"></iframe>Coding Mamma (Tasha)http://www.blogger.com/profile/17374751246656722167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36020824.post-13339794940760798522008-11-26T08:10:00.004+00:002008-11-26T19:54:48.379+00:00Never mind, we can buy another oneFrom somewhere, Rosemary has developed the idea that everything is replaceable. If she drops something, breaks something or loses something, she says 'Never mind, we can buy another one.' If we've run out of noodles or oat biscuits, she will say 'Maybe we can buy some more.' If she sees a toy she likes at her nursery school or at Parliament, and she's told she can't take it home with her, she might say 'Oh OK, maybe we can buy one for me.'<br /><br />Perhaps she thinks she can single-handedly bring the economy back into gear.Coding Mamma (Tasha)http://www.blogger.com/profile/17374751246656722167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36020824.post-84677908574647567592008-11-21T21:34:00.004+00:002008-11-21T21:43:03.438+00:00(Not really monthly) updateWell, it's been an absolute age since I've done an update, so it can't really be called a monthly one anymore!<br /><br /><strong>Age: </strong>27 months<br /><br /><strong>Size/weight: </strong>Weighs about 2 stone, not sure of height. Mostly in 2-3 year clothes, actually has a few tops that are 3-4 and her new mac is 3-4 as she complains about coats being 'too tight' a lot. I have now discovered the really easy way to take trousers up (iron on hemming thing, that takes about 2 minutes, instead of the 45 minutes it takes me to sew up one trouser leg), so am happier about buying trousers that are nice and loose, but far too long.<br /><br /><strong>Health: </strong>Generally pretty good, though she's had two colds/coughs this month.<br /><br /><strong>Teeth: </strong>She still has some gaps at the back, though maybe they're supposed to b there. She loves brushing her teeth, and would do so 5 or 6 times a day, given the chance. She's also usually happy for us to brush them a bit, to ensure they are being properly brushed; sometimes we have to let her brush our teeth, though. I almost always brush my teeth at the same time as she does, unless I've done them already for some reason, as I think it's good for to see it. I actually have no idea if Chris does the same.<br /><br /><strong>Toiletting: </strong>Getting much closer to being dry. She's on her second potty and toilet reward chart (she got a toy snake as a prize for filling the first one up). When at home, she's now frequently realising she needs to wee or poo and pulling her trousers (and nappy, if she has one on) down and sitting on the potty. She still has quite a few accidents when she's just got trousers on, but they're gradually going. She's not much good on the toilet anymore - odd, because we thought she might bypass the potty and go straight to the toilet. I think she appreciates the immediacy of the potty; there's no need to walk upstairs and she doesn't have to worry about having to get someone to open the door for her. The potty (or potties; we have three of them; one on each floor) gives her the ability to be more independent (which is something she is clearly craving.<br /><br /><strong>Sleep: </strong>Well, she had quite a bad night tonight, deciding to make a game out of bedtime. However, generally speaking she's going to bed very well and without hours of watching TV, which is useful. And, more to the point, she's going to bed at a reasonable time (usually between 7 and 8pm, though tonight she held out until 8.30pm). She comes into our bed in the early hours far too often and hasn't had a star on her staying in her own bed chart for a long time. She rarely has a daytime nap now, though sometimes falls asleep in her buggy if she's had a long day.<br /><br /><strong>Eating: </strong>She's generally not too keen on evening meals at the moment, though can surprise us (with no apparent logic, unfortunately) and really wolf something down. She's very keen on noodles at the moment and quite often has some at lunchtime. She usually has a lot of breakfast and a fair amount at lunchtime and also usually has some snacks in between. She's back into bananas again, after having a couple of weeks of not liking them. She really loves pears and quite likes apples. She also prefers food from my plate, even though it's usually exactly the same as the food on her plate. She's fairly reluctant to try new things at the moment, though I'm sure that's just a phase.<br /><br /><strong>Speech/communication: </strong>This is the area where she's very forward. She can explain what she needs or wants, what she's been doing, what she's going to do, and so on. She still sometimes forgets that she explain things, or is too quick to get upset, but once she's calmed down, she usually remembers that she can use words to tell us why she's upset. She can say some things in Spanish and quite a lot in Esperanto, which her Granny often speaks to her. The other day when we were running to catch the train, we were saying 'One, two, three, wheeeeeee,' and, after we'd done that a few times, she said 'In Spanish, this time,' then it was 'Uno, dos, tres, wheeeeee,' (if anyone can tell me the translation for 'wheeeeee' that would be really helpful) a few times. The interesting thing here, I think, is that she's recognising it as a different language, rather than just different words. The other thing I've noticed her doing is saying made-up words that sound a bit Spanish (pretty sure they're not actual Spanish or Esperanto words!), which is how babies learn a language and how I learnt Spanish when we lived in Spain. (Sorry, Chris and I are both very interested in language and linguistic development and so on, so we can go on about it a fair bit. Which could also contribute to her being forward in that area, I imagine.)<br /><br /><strong>Intellectual development: </strong>Pretty good, I would say. She often listens when we explain why we need to do something or not do something and sometimes asks questions about the explanation. She's drawing faces now and she was making more complicated playdough creatures today, asking me to roll balls to make into eyes, and then sticking them on - on on each side (wiggly worm). She did also think that the worm needed two legs. She listens to longer stories, now, and can talk about the story afterwards. (Can also tell you what happened to Peppa Pig after watching an episode, etc.) Her counting has definitely progressed to actually counting objects and not just saying the numbers, though sometimes she does still continue counting after she's reached the end of a series. She recognises a number of different letters - O for Owl, M for Mummy, E for Eva, T for Tasha, J for Jenny, I for Ice cream... - and has started to realise that words in books say things and pointing at them and asking 'What is it?' or 'What's its name?'. She can move things around to get to places she can't reach - for example, she can pull a chair across so that she can press play on the CD player, pull a box across so that she can wash her hands or climb into the bath, pull a box across so she can look out our bedroom window, etc. There's undoubtedly much more to mention here, but we certainly don't have any concerns about her intellectual development.<br /><br /><strong>Emotional development: </strong>We have been experiencing the 'fun' of the 'terrible twos' over the last few months. As I'm sure most parents do, we thought we'd escaped this, until it actually arrived. We said things like 'She did the terrible twos early. They lasted about two weeks.' And people told us that we might need to be prepared and that perhaps it was still to come. Well, they were right. For the most part, I can identify some logic behind it (in Rosemary's case, I mean; not every two-year-old!). It seems to be down to two things, the first being the conflict between the desire and need to be independent and the inabilty to do everything. The most common scenes occur when her nappy needs changing, when it's time to get dressed and when it's time to go to sleep - all things that she's wanting to be able to do herself, but not quite there yet. The other thing is the inability, despite advanced language development, to quickly explain what she means. For example, she might ask me to tuck her in, and will scream because I didn't do it the way she wanted. She's less likely to scream these days, but may shout 'No, like this!' and even stomp her feet. But the problem comes when she has to explain what 'like this' is. She's getting better at explaining things, and including a number of steps, now, for example 'Put the cover down here, then wrap it round me' (turned out that tucking her in isn't tucking the covers under the mattress, but tucking them under her; who'd a thunk it?). But she needs to think about it before she can come up with such an explanation, hence the immediate reaction is still often just 'No! Like this!'<br /><br />We went through a stage (probably a couple of weeks) of 'banging'. Banging is essentially hitting and she does now know the word 'hitting' as well. At first it was just banging a spoon or fork on the table (you know, there's actually a children's book that says 'A spoon's great for banging; a cup fits your paw', or possibly the other way round and it annoys me a bit whenever I read it, because it's really annoying having a small child banging cups and spoons on the table!), but then it progressed to hitting us and Wesley (and various cuddly toys). And there were a couple of occasions where she hit another child while running past them (i.e. running around very fast and randomly sticks her hand out and shouts 'Bang!'). This is another area where I always watched the children doing this and wondered what their parents could be doing wrong, because of course my children would never do such a thing. Apparently it's a phase that most children go through and it's just a question of how long it will last - and how you deal with, of course. We seem to be over it, for the most part. Very occasionally, when she's very excited, she still does it to us, but she also usually realises she's done it and says 'Oh, sorry, I banged you.' How do we deal with it? For the most part we tell her it's not nice and that it hurts and it's not nice to hurt people or animals. We also say things like 'We don't like banging or biting or scratching. What do we like? We like kisses and cuddles and tickles and raspberries.' If it's protracted (doesn't really happen any more, touch wood), then we might (if it's safe to do so), leave the room and say we're not coming back in until she's going to be nice and friendly. Of course (I say, of course, but I realise that it's not obvious to everyone), what we never do is hit back, or bite back or scratch back.<br /><br />Over the last two weeks she has become a lot more clingy with me, saying 'I need you, Mummy.' and literally clinging on tight to me. This morning, for the first time in my recollection, she said she didn't want to go with Granny, but wanted to stay with me. A brief talk about what she'd be doing and how she would see me in a few hours when she got home, and she was fine. And, of course, she had a lovely time, as she always does. I'm wondering if this might have something to do with starting nursery school. She adores going there and asks to go in there whenever we walk past, even if it's a weekend. She's has no qualms whatsoever about staying there without us and always has a good time. However, I wonder if there's a conflict between her desire to be more independent and not quite being ready to be. (Or perhaps I'm over-thinking it!!)<br /><br /><strong>Social development: </strong>She's getting better at sharing, though still does snatch sometimes. She's good at offering her things - the ones she wants to - but she's not quite so happy when someone has something she doesn't want to share. She's getting on well at nursery school and likes the other children. She's particularly enjoyed playing with an older girl, which is often the case, it seems. She's still quite shy with many adults, but seems to be OK with the adults at nursery school (though on her first day she did say that she didn't like them because 'They're too old'). She still has a tendency to go up to other children and give them big hugs, something that many children find a bit upsetting, for some reason! Anyone in a buggy she'll say 'Awww. What a cute baby', even if they're clearly (to us, anyway) older than her. She shows sympathy and concern when she sees another child or baby crying. She's generally quite good at taking turns, in the park, for instance.<br /><br /><strong>Likes: </strong>Going on the merry-go-round, running, being pushed in the buggy running 'really, really fast', noodles and bread and butter and peanut butter (not at the same time), being talked to by a hand puppet (Snake is the favourite, but Eeyore, Mouse, Dragon, Knight and Princess also work), climbing over and up just about anything that she can manage (us, chairs, walls, park equipment), The Wizard of Oz, Peppa Pig, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Boris and Dudley puppet books, reading in general (mostly being read to, again, but asks lots of questions and will join in with some of the ones she knows very well), probably a gazillion other things I can't think of right now.<br /><br /><strong>Dislikes: </strong>Having her hair rinsed, getting dressed when she doesn't want to, having her poopy nappy changed (fortunately, we don't have to do that very often as she does most of them on the potty), sitting at the dining table at dinner time for more than about three minutes, any clothes or straps that are not really, really loose, and probably a bunch of other stuff, too.<br /><br /><strong>Developmental worries: </strong>None<br /><br /><strong>New tricks/skills: </strong>Pulling her trousers and nappy or pants down so she can use the potty (and realising she needs to!), drawing faces, probably lots of other things that I have not properly noticed!Coding Mamma (Tasha)http://www.blogger.com/profile/17374751246656722167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36020824.post-32820420147781539722008-11-06T11:36:00.002+00:002008-11-06T11:44:51.482+00:00Either really, really sweet or slightly creepyJenny has a young boy named Liam living next door to her who plays with Rosemary quite a lot when she's over there. Liam's dad died recently, and when Tasha was explaining this to her, Rosemary asked if Liam wanted to borrow her daddy. I'm not clear if this means she thinks I'm worth lending or that she wants rid of me.Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11704184269919666572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36020824.post-9557623536828854552008-11-04T16:08:00.001+00:002008-11-04T16:12:26.069+00:00Tasha'a birthdayBut really, as always, it's about the Rosie. Video especially noteworthy for her acrobatics trick at the end. <br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/wubwyykE_4U&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/wubwyykE_4U&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />Sorry for the poor light. Blame the tilt of the Earth's axis.Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11704184269919666572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36020824.post-43159254550519976792008-10-21T13:06:00.005+00:002008-10-21T21:48:06.931+00:00First day at (nursery) schoolWell not quite, but it was her taster session at The Shambles Nursery School, today. She was very excited to be going to 'school' and was expecting to see lots of bags and, for some reason, a giraffe. She was so excited that I was able to use it as tool to persuade her to go back to sleep in her own bed at 4am ('Go back to sleep in your own bed, like a big girl who goes to nursery school.'). And when she woke up, at just after 8am, she came running into our room and said 'Mummy, get up, it's morning time. I need to get dressed and brush my teeth and go to nursery school. Come on!'<br /><br />We arrived at about 10am, knocked on the door and were let in, at which point she immediately ran off to the water play area. I spoke to Patsy, the woman in charge for a bit, then she said 'If you want to try leaving her, you can.' Wow! Wasn't expecting that, but it makes sense to try it at the taster session, to prepare for any potential problems. So I went over to Rosemary and asked if she would be OK if I left for half an hour. 'OK. Bye.' and she ran off to some other activity. I left my mobile number and went and had a coffee. It felt very strange.<br /><br />When I got back she was happily playing in the home corner. She noticed me and came over to show me a saucepan. Apparently, she was absolutely fine. She explored most of the different activities they had out and she had some milk at snack time. Patsy did have to intervene at one point when she was trying to take something from another girl in the home corner but, apparently, when asked, she was quite happy to have something else to play with instead and there were no tantrums.<br /><br />The difficult part was persuading her to leave, as she would quite happily have stayed there for the rest of the session. I did manage to talk her into leaving, in the end, though, again with no tears. As we walked down the steps she said 'I like my new nursery school, mummy.'<br /><br />So.... roll on 10 November, as Rosemary is definitely ready for it!Coding Mamma (Tasha)http://www.blogger.com/profile/17374751246656722167noreply@blogger.com0