Friday 25 January 2008

It's a Steep Learning Curve

Well, no major developments this week - just George's first bad cold, poor thing. But I am noticing some little indications of how much he is learning about all sorts of different things.

He can now walk holding on to his trolley of bricks, without any additional support - so long as someone is on standby to turn it around at the end of the room, and to readjust the trajectory when he goes slightly astray and wedges himself against the furniture.

Today he brought me one of his shoes, which had come off (nothing new there) and I said "if you want me to put it back on, you will have to give me your foot" - in response to which he lifted up his foot - and it was even the right foot, the one with no shoe on.

Yesterday I swear he was trying to say "duck" when he was in the bath - it was a sort of "da du" - which would make sense because I normally say "duck duck" for some reason!

I am really working on his first word being "book" - and I think he is almost there with that too; he certainly has the "b" and has on occasion used it appropriately. But possibly just coincidentally.

In his favourite bedtime book, when I say "meow" he points to the picture of the cat.

Since he seems to hate me doing the washing up, and stands pulling on my trouser leg and moaning at me - which is very wearing - I have started putting him up on a chair next to me (tied on to it) so that he can see what I am doing. This makes him much less moany, and he has been helping me by putting things from the side into the water.

He is now strong enough to push the button on the "Wheels on the Bus" book which makes the tune play - and he recognises the tune when it plays elsewhere, or when someone sings it, and he looks around for the book.

And, as well as learning how to clap, he now recognises the word "clap" and will do it on demand. At last, my baby can do a trick!

Saturday 19 January 2008

Day Out with Mummy

It was my turn to keep George out of the house for a while, so that David could do some tidying and cleaning. I'm not sure who got the best deal, because George was in a pretty grumpy mood all day - he has a bit of a cough and cold so isn't at his best.

We went to the Museum in Docklands - which just happens to be close to the shops at Canary Wharf (yummy Waitrose food and Krispy Kremes to boot).

Luckily the museum was pretty empty, so I let him crawl around some of the exhibits. And we did quite a bit of walking practice as well, with me holding only one of his hands - great progress.



















Friday 18 January 2008

Day Out with Daddy

Today I had a deadline for some work so David took George out for the day - the details are slightly sketchy but there was mention of the Science Museum, the Natural History Museum, and more trouble for the poor souls at David's workplace.
















Building bricks up within reach of George...








...is just asking for trouble!









(And yes, I'm afraid that is a Wrexham football shirt he is wearing - as it was Daddy's day I let him choose what George would wear!)

Wednesday 16 January 2008

If You're Happy and You Know It...

George has finally learned to clap - about 8 months after we started trying to teach him.

He woke in the early hours of this morning and I went in to settle him back to sleep. Just after I had laid him back in the cot I noticed that he seemed to be clapping his hands - in his sleep. I checked with David, and sure enough he said he had been "practising" clapping with George yesterday evening just before bathtime.

Today George has been a clapping fool - he hasn't stopped clapping, and he is mighty pleased with himself!

Tuesday 15 January 2008

My Son the Thief

Today George spent the afternoon at work with David. During the course of a few hours he apparently pinched a Ferrero Rocher, a muffin and a banana. And he also seems to have acquired a big green soft toy, which David thinks is a frog but I am calling a lizard - either way it doesn't belong to George!

Saturday 12 January 2008

Down on the Farm

This morning we took George to Horton Park Children's Farm - not too far from us but proper countryside nonetheless. We saw lots of sheep, some pigs and boars, goats (including very cute baby ones), ducks, and we even got in with the rabbits. There were also some more exotic creatures like alpacas and a llama.

After getting muddy outside we warmed up inside with a jacket potato (George shared bits of both parents' lunches) and then enjoyed the "playbarn" with ball pool for babies and big jungly stuff for older children.

We also managed to fit in some shopping in Kingston, which George wasn't quite so excited about. And now we are all worn out from the fresh country air, and hoping for decent amounts of sleep tonight.





Friday 11 January 2008

How can you do this to me?

My parents came to visit today, with the result that we finally have a stairgate fitted! We only did the one at the bottom because so far that's where George has been most troublesome - he hasn't yet tried to go down from the top.

Suffice to say he wasn't impressed!


Wednesday 9 January 2008

Georgequake Alert!

This is the scene that greeted Daddy when he arrived home last night, while I was upstairs putting the cause of the chaos to bed:I like to keep George amused by putting his toys away every night so he can spend all of the next day getting them out again - and today he managed to get right to the bottom of the box.

Tuesday 8 January 2008

Save All Your Kisses for Me

Ha, Ha - you're going to be singing that in your head for the rest of the day now (at least you will if you are old enough to remember it!)

George has started being super-cutely affectionate, especially at the end of the day. He started out a few weeks ago, leaning his forehead against mine, and now he has refined the technique to include an open mouth. Which isn't quite so cute when his mouth is smeared with yoghurt.

Tonight we had a major kiss-fest when Daddy came home just as George was getting ready for bed, and George repeatedly kissed both of us - at times simultaneously.

Altogether now: Aaaaaaaaaah!

Saturday 5 January 2008

Party Time!

We celebrated George's birthday today, with a small party at my parents' house - just us, my brother and his fiancee and daughter, and an old family friend with her daughter and granddaughter. Even with so few people it felt pretty manic at times - which doesn't fill me with joy at the thought of birthday parties to come!
George was a bit shy and clingy for a while, but did warm up and entertain everyone eventually. And he enjoyed eating the fruits of yesterday's labours in the form of fairy cakes with blue icing, as well as some slightly more nutritionally valuable cheese and egg mayonnaise sandwiches.

He got more presents to open of course (which means more thank you cards for me to write) - and just when there won't be any more for a year he seems to have got the hang of ripping the paper off!

Friday 4 January 2008

Baby Chef

George gets nosier by the day, and complains loudly if he isn't included in whatever I am doing. So today I had to strap him to a chair so he could help me make the cakes for his party tomorrow, and some nut-free shortcake biscuits for his allergic uncle.
As you can see from the photo, he isn't the most tidy of cooks - and seemed to eat rather a lot of the biscuit mixture while it was being rolled out (although I did find a fair few crumbs collected in his belly button when I changed his nappy later)

Thursday 3 January 2008

Happy Birthday to You!

George's birthday today - not that he realises, of course. He is probably just wondering why people keep singing to him.

We opened some cards and presents this morning - he liked the doll I bought him and a book with flaps (which he finds hilarious) and has been enjoying the musical birthday card as well.

Someone told me about a friend who takes photos of her children every year at the minute they were born, so I have stolen the idea and poor sleeping George had the flash going off in his face (but didn't wake, fortunately). And I have included his very first photo for comparison!


Wednesday 2 January 2008

George's Last Day as a Nought-Year-Old

It's George's birthday tomorrow - and again I can't help thinking about what was happening this time last year (but I won't bore/scare you with the details).

He has been in a really cheery mood today, which made a change from the grumpiness of the last week or so. For the past few months all bad moods have been put down to teething, which may just be an old wives' tale - he won't let me look in his mouth today to see if there have been any new breakthroughs which could explain his cheeriness. But I do suspect something along those lines because he has also eaten so much more over the past couple of days - including a whole bowlful of pasta and pesto for lunch today! And last night he only woke up once - fingers crossed that this trend continues.

It was especially lovely today to leave him at nursery without too much screaming, and no tears at all when I picked him up - just a big smile and a speedy crawl over to me. And when we got home (and he had been indulged with breast milk) he was being really affectionate, doing his cute "touching foreheads" thing which I think is his version of kissing.

Tuesday 1 January 2008

Fireworks? What Fireworks?

Last night we went to a friend's house to see in the New Year - the same friend who aided in my escape from hospital this time last year when they wanted to keep me in because my waters had broken and my blood pressure was high. I think this will always be a slightly odd time of year for me, reminding me of George's protracted arrival.

Anyway, George did very well on his first New Year's Eve - he stayed awake and charming until about 9pm then slept through all the fireworks at midnight and only woke up briefly just before everyone came back from the park where they had been watching the displays across London. We got home at about 1.45am (after a surprisingly busy drive across south London) and I fed George before putting him in his cot. He woke up a couple of times, but we did manage to achieve a massive lie-in until about 9.15am - which I think is the latest I have been able to stay in bed for over a year!