As BB has been soaking vocabulary like a sponge over the last few months we have been careful to implement the "Manners Matters" rule. I say "rule" it is really just me trying to make more of an effort in teaching her to say please when asking for something, thank you when something is given to her and sorry if something silly has happened. I don't really like to use the word naughty so early on as she is still too young to fully understand naughtiness (at 22 months she is mostly curious and adventurous and mishaps are bound to happen when you are like that!).
Obviously she still needs reminding to say these words but she is saying them and that is the important thing to me at this stage, to get her used to them and when to use them. I was inspired by my friend who has a little girl just over a year older than BB and she is possibly the most little behaved little girl I have come across. When I asked my friend how she managed it she said just sticking with it and repeating the words and the right times over and over. So, although I know our little BB is very strong minded and will eventually do what ever she wants, I want to give her the best teaching that I can give her. And manners really do matter to me, so if she can learn to say please, thank you and sorry it only be a good thing!
2 year check
I've sort of been looking forward to BB's 2 year development check up in a couple of months as we haven't had much to do with the Health Visitor for a long long time. So I was a bit disappointed to receive a letter from them saying that this check up is no longer necessary unless we have any concerns with her development.
Personally, I think BB is doing amazingly well but I guess that's what most proud parents think. In their letter they've set out the things that 2 year olds should be doing, including having a vocabulary of around 50 words. At first we thought this number was rather large, so I decided to make a list of the words we know she uses already (BB still being 2 months off of being 2 years old), and the list is still growing at just under 100 words. Yep, we've got a talker on our hands!!
Personally, I think BB is doing amazingly well but I guess that's what most proud parents think. In their letter they've set out the things that 2 year olds should be doing, including having a vocabulary of around 50 words. At first we thought this number was rather large, so I decided to make a list of the words we know she uses already (BB still being 2 months off of being 2 years old), and the list is still growing at just under 100 words. Yep, we've got a talker on our hands!!
Innocent Little Words
BB's vocabulary is very quickly expanding. She is so pleased with her knowledge that she will often look around the room looking for objects she knows, will point at them and say the words. We think she is very clever, particularly when she does this in front of others, despite the fact that most other little ones are progressing just the same, we still think she is particularly clever. Biased? Oh, absolutely.
At Toddler Group last week (I only seem to get organised once a month to attend to this at the moment!) I spoke with a really interesting mum of 3 who in her former role was a...I want to say Environment Scientist - or something along those lines. Her husband is still carving out his career in this field also and seems to be doing particularly well. When I asked her if she would be going back to work at some point she said that she'd probably do the 2-3 month project work trips (which are voluntary), but not back to the career itself as she will have had too much time out of it, and as her husband is doing so well, she would never be able to catch up. No, she said she would have to find alternative work that would fit around her children's school schedules, which she knew would be tough.
We also got into a deep conversation about a programme she had heard on the radio about how most parents feel some amount of guilt whatever they choose to do - be it being a full-time parent, part-time working or full-time working, or whatever other option there may be - there seem to be so many these days. And that most of the guilt and or pressure we perceive to be under is mostly brought on by our own thoughts, pressures and expectations which we put on ourselves, so we might as well just feel confident in the choices we make for ourselves and our families.
Loaded with this refreshed self-confidence in my own situation I moved forward with a work proposition which had been set to me over the course of the previous couple of weeks.
However, it is amazing how innocent little words can affect you. A friend recently posted on Facebook that she was glad she had been a full-time mum when her girls were young - she is now retraining to be a nurse as her daughters have settled well at school but it does mean a lot of studying and training time away from the family, which is difficult. This comment came the week that I had just formally accepted a short-term contract for a part-time role back in the legal sector - it is an offer I feel I can't refuse and yet doubt about being away from BB keeps creeping in. I know this is exactly what I want to do but at the same time, I'm not sure how I'll feel once I am in the swing of it and away from BB. I'm sure she will be fine as she is doing really well at nursery - so much so that she is now starting sessions with the 2-3 year old group (she is just 21 months old) - and she will still be having a full day with my mother, who is still very kindly looking after her for one day a week to help us with childcare costs.
Still, I know I will miss BB's funny daily antics and even her whining which can sometimes get to me - can I admit to that?! Oh well, I just have. Good thing she is my little treasure, hey!
Time Away
Holidays, for me now, are about reading and writing and a break from cooking. Mr B tends to do all the cooking, which he is pretty good at to be honest. We recently spent a week up in Snowdonia so that Mr B could do a fair bit of mountain biking. We were lucky with the weather and he was able to ride every day for a couple of hours, leaving BB and I to play in the log cabin we had rented on a lovely well-kept development. They also had a great playground and a few Shetland ponies in neighbouring fields. But it was clear that at just over 18 months old there wasn't a huge amount for BB to do, and timings with meal times and her middle of the day nap made it a bit tricky to go out and about to far away from base. Our next visit will be different though. Clearly, the older she gets, the more we'll be able to do with her and for her.
Just over a month ago I attended the Chipping Norton Literary Festival. It was its second year, but my first. AND, my first night away from BB. I was glad that I had the festival to look forward to and to concentrate on as when I had time just to myself I found myself feeling like a bit of a spare part. Although, I did make the most of my lie in, despite waking up at around 6am I stayed in bed till 8:30am and read my book, without disruption - apart from the delivery of a hot chocolate in bed! Bliss.
I left the weekend rejuvenated and inspired to keep writing. A month on and my mum is keeping me on track by editing the second draft of my novel and demanding more pages from me on a regular basis. Nothing like a mother demanding pages from you to make you write!!
Just over a month ago I attended the Chipping Norton Literary Festival. It was its second year, but my first. AND, my first night away from BB. I was glad that I had the festival to look forward to and to concentrate on as when I had time just to myself I found myself feeling like a bit of a spare part. Although, I did make the most of my lie in, despite waking up at around 6am I stayed in bed till 8:30am and read my book, without disruption - apart from the delivery of a hot chocolate in bed! Bliss.
I left the weekend rejuvenated and inspired to keep writing. A month on and my mum is keeping me on track by editing the second draft of my novel and demanding more pages from me on a regular basis. Nothing like a mother demanding pages from you to make you write!!
Mummy's Day Out
A few weeks ago I went to an old colleague's hen do. It seemed as good an excuse as any to get Mr BB to look after BB on his own for the afternoon (of course he took her to his parents for back up, so another attempt is being plotted for a longer time away!).
Anyway, back to the importance of this post: hen do/day off of being mum but I kept catching myself talking about being a mum - I was the only mum there (apart from the bride-to-be's sister-in-law who was at the time suffering from morning sickness). Yes, I had become that woman. The one who talks almost exclusively about her child. And I was totally aware that I was doing it, even though inside I was shouting at myself to shut up. Although to be fair, the other girls did keep asking me about BB so what's a girl to do?!
I was so excited about the day ahead that I arrived dead on time - the restaurant we were meeting at was shut, despite its sign saying it should have been open for an hour already. So I waited, in my best jeans (with no food smears or generic child's marks), smart jacket and heels. I was going to show those girls that I didn't live in jogging bottoms/leggings/old jumpers or the like, really (although I blatantly do!). Well, as the organisers of the day arrived (30 mins late - I was only counting so as to have something other than my shivering to concentrate on), it was clear that most of the girls were treating the day as a smart/casual event, emphasis on the casual - they were going to go all out for the evening part by all wearing dresses. I was clearly overdressed and looked like the mum-out-on-the-town. Oh well.
We had a lovely lunch with A LOT of prosecco whilst we all got to know each other, and before heading to the to the Clifton Wine Cellar for an afternoon of Champagne tasting (during which the hen had to wear a French outfit - garlic string included). Very glad to have had a proper meal before the tasting as those bubbles were gloriously giggles inducing devils! The tasting was brilliantly entertaining with the owner of the wine cellar who seemed a little nervous at the gaggle of girls ready to get going with the drinking. He coped really well and we all had a wonderful afternoon as he described the history of Champagne, how it is made and the differences between the good Champagnes and the better Champagnes.
Once we finished with the tasting, we found our mode of transport for the next part of the day, but not before the hen changing into her next outfit - a browny/grey velour tracksuit. Ready for the Hummer limo waiting for us in The Mall Clifton, right outside my old flat! Oh the shame! And yet, with the specially chosen tunes for the hen pumping, the nightclub lights on and more prosecco flowing, it was a hilarious ride to Bath! Once there, we headed for a craft shop where we would be making bunting. Now, bearing in mind the copious amounts of alcohol drunk so far, it may have been better for us to have started with this particular activity. However, the creativity did seem to flow pretty well, even if a few fingers were pricked along the way.
I left the group once we got back to Bristol, readying myself for dinner with the in-laws. Thankfully, this went fine, although Mr BB did keep saying that I was slurring my words a bit to which I proudly replied "I HAVE been drinking all day!" ha ha ha. Spoken like a true mum let loose for the day!
Anyway, back to the importance of this post: hen do/day off of being mum but I kept catching myself talking about being a mum - I was the only mum there (apart from the bride-to-be's sister-in-law who was at the time suffering from morning sickness). Yes, I had become that woman. The one who talks almost exclusively about her child. And I was totally aware that I was doing it, even though inside I was shouting at myself to shut up. Although to be fair, the other girls did keep asking me about BB so what's a girl to do?!
I was so excited about the day ahead that I arrived dead on time - the restaurant we were meeting at was shut, despite its sign saying it should have been open for an hour already. So I waited, in my best jeans (with no food smears or generic child's marks), smart jacket and heels. I was going to show those girls that I didn't live in jogging bottoms/leggings/old jumpers or the like, really (although I blatantly do!). Well, as the organisers of the day arrived (30 mins late - I was only counting so as to have something other than my shivering to concentrate on), it was clear that most of the girls were treating the day as a smart/casual event, emphasis on the casual - they were going to go all out for the evening part by all wearing dresses. I was clearly overdressed and looked like the mum-out-on-the-town. Oh well.
We had a lovely lunch with A LOT of prosecco whilst we all got to know each other, and before heading to the to the Clifton Wine Cellar for an afternoon of Champagne tasting (during which the hen had to wear a French outfit - garlic string included). Very glad to have had a proper meal before the tasting as those bubbles were gloriously giggles inducing devils! The tasting was brilliantly entertaining with the owner of the wine cellar who seemed a little nervous at the gaggle of girls ready to get going with the drinking. He coped really well and we all had a wonderful afternoon as he described the history of Champagne, how it is made and the differences between the good Champagnes and the better Champagnes.
Once we finished with the tasting, we found our mode of transport for the next part of the day, but not before the hen changing into her next outfit - a browny/grey velour tracksuit. Ready for the Hummer limo waiting for us in The Mall Clifton, right outside my old flat! Oh the shame! And yet, with the specially chosen tunes for the hen pumping, the nightclub lights on and more prosecco flowing, it was a hilarious ride to Bath! Once there, we headed for a craft shop where we would be making bunting. Now, bearing in mind the copious amounts of alcohol drunk so far, it may have been better for us to have started with this particular activity. However, the creativity did seem to flow pretty well, even if a few fingers were pricked along the way.
I left the group once we got back to Bristol, readying myself for dinner with the in-laws. Thankfully, this went fine, although Mr BB did keep saying that I was slurring my words a bit to which I proudly replied "I HAVE been drinking all day!" ha ha ha. Spoken like a true mum let loose for the day!
tum, tum, tum, tum, tuuuuuuuum
Just over a month ago I started the 30 day shred. Unfortunately a week and half in I injured both my ankles after I had gone for a run, did one of the 30 day shred level 2 sessions and stupidly then did another exercise DVD (both exercise DVDs without trainers on!). Because of this I've had about a month off of any exercise as my ankles were simply too painful. Luckily, this coincided with my giving up chocolate for lent so I didn't actually put any weight on, but it certainly leveled out for that time. However, this weekend I managed to go out for two runs and a short session on the rowing machine, and was pleased that the old ankles seemed to cope well with them.
So, in yet another bid to try and get rid of the leftover "tum from being a mum", I am attempting the 30 day shred yet again. To be fair, when I started it last time, it was making a difference. Even in just a few days my stomach felt firmer and stronger.
Weight has been checked and measurements taken (I've never taken exercise this seriously before), so, here's hoping that with a bit more sensible eating (my downfall I'm afraid) and a refreshed attitude towards squeezing a workout into busy days of entertaining 19 month old daughter, working and extra studies, that the leftovers will be banished forever. Well, for a little while at least!!
So, in yet another bid to try and get rid of the leftover "tum from being a mum", I am attempting the 30 day shred yet again. To be fair, when I started it last time, it was making a difference. Even in just a few days my stomach felt firmer and stronger.
Weight has been checked and measurements taken (I've never taken exercise this seriously before), so, here's hoping that with a bit more sensible eating (my downfall I'm afraid) and a refreshed attitude towards squeezing a workout into busy days of entertaining 19 month old daughter, working and extra studies, that the leftovers will be banished forever. Well, for a little while at least!!
Bye Bye Bottle
During February, Mr BB was lucky enough to have a few days away skiing with work - a perk of the job which hasn't been available for a few years, obviously. Still, for days and weeks leading up to his "work trip" he went to great lengths to establish that it was a "work trip", and practically no fun would be had. None whatsoever, really, it's work, with work people and clients. Hmm, I nodded in agreement knowing full well that skiing is one of his favourite holidays and could see that despite himself, he was leaping for joy inside, which was really nice to see.
At first I thought it would be quite strange without him and I wondered how BB would cope without him. He tends to put her to bed and they have a little bedtime routine, and they had only had one night apart and that was a year ago when she was 6 months old. So this could be different. And tricky. So I braced myself. We spent the first night just the two of us, and luckily BB was fine. I had managed to tire her out enough in the day that she just wanted to go straight to sleep when bedtime came round. But in the morning, she kept looking for her daddy. Pitter-pattering from room to room, but no luck. This routine took place every morning until he was back and he got her up, to a lively cuddle and a "welcome home" jump on his belly back in our bed. Order was restored.
Whilst Mr BB was away, I took the opportunity to try and get BB off of the bottle. I've read that it is ideal to try and wean them off the bottle by 18 months but I know that many have struggled to do this. And despite my wanting this, flashbacks of the times we tried to get BB to actually take a bottle in the first place kept coming back to me! So, without any fuss I put BB's milk in a beaker (with a top on) and placed it in front of her on her high chair and walked back to get her cereal ready. As I turned back, to my amazement BB was guzzling away at the beaker, with no complaints. She had been used to drinking her water out of a smaller similar cup so I think this helped, but still, I was so relieved. And we haven't looked back since. Bye bye bottle, bye bye calling BB a baby.
At first I thought it would be quite strange without him and I wondered how BB would cope without him. He tends to put her to bed and they have a little bedtime routine, and they had only had one night apart and that was a year ago when she was 6 months old. So this could be different. And tricky. So I braced myself. We spent the first night just the two of us, and luckily BB was fine. I had managed to tire her out enough in the day that she just wanted to go straight to sleep when bedtime came round. But in the morning, she kept looking for her daddy. Pitter-pattering from room to room, but no luck. This routine took place every morning until he was back and he got her up, to a lively cuddle and a "welcome home" jump on his belly back in our bed. Order was restored.
Whilst Mr BB was away, I took the opportunity to try and get BB off of the bottle. I've read that it is ideal to try and wean them off the bottle by 18 months but I know that many have struggled to do this. And despite my wanting this, flashbacks of the times we tried to get BB to actually take a bottle in the first place kept coming back to me! So, without any fuss I put BB's milk in a beaker (with a top on) and placed it in front of her on her high chair and walked back to get her cereal ready. As I turned back, to my amazement BB was guzzling away at the beaker, with no complaints. She had been used to drinking her water out of a smaller similar cup so I think this helped, but still, I was so relieved. And we haven't looked back since. Bye bye bottle, bye bye calling BB a baby.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)