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Saturday 10 December 2011

Both dark and light...

Is it normal that our 10 month old appears to have started to tantrum?

Now don't get me wrong I appreciate that a 2yr old tantrum is no doubt way worse but I thought I was immune from any kind of paddy for a while yet?

It is well documented that Mabel doesn't sleep during the day and despite improvements since grey rabbit landed on the scene it is still not unusual for nursery to tell us she only managed 20 minutes all day. And naturally this leads to a baby who is literally past herself prior to bedtime.

On a Thursday, perhaps due to the above, she does normally have a better day sleep wise and we will sometimes get as much as an hour and a half in one go. When this doesn't happen she is very grotty.

Today was one of those days. I have to admit it wasn't helped by my choice of activity - a trip to Eureka! with Uncle Mark (great museum, well worth a visit if you are in the Yorkshire area and haven't already). So so much brilliant stimulation.

And to my dismay we have also now gained a new element to being over tired / not getting our way (today wasn't the first time this has been apparent, I have just clearly been in denial). This is the 'back launch' and the 'it is the end of the world' tantrum.
The back launch is, quite literally, an action not dissimilar to that completed when doing the high jump, only without the finesse or the crash mat. The surprise back launch is one of my personal favourites. You know the type when she is sat on your knee on the sofa and only just catch a leg to save her fall.

The 'end of the world' drama tends to come in tandem with the back launch and involves 'get off me mummy' hand pushing away, struggling to get down, followed by throwing her head forward onto the floor and then screaming to be picked up again. Repeat x 5 times and you pretty much get the picture.

I am really really not looking forward to this happening in public. I am so going to be one of those parents who are judged for not 'managing' their child.
The only positive I can think of is that she will end up being so good at drama that she lands a starring role in a hit west end musical and the fact that neither G Kisby or I have a pension will all be resolved.

In which case, play on baby, you keep practising as much as possible.

On a 'lighter' note we popped along to the 'Festival of Light' in Huddersfield last weekend. It was sooo cold but we enjoyed the 'giant lobster' (what the hell?) Photographs are pretty poor on account of the camera struggling with the contrasts and my hands being nippy.

The garden of light was worth a walk through (Mabel and Belinda look completely unimpressed) and we did have our first experience of a carol concert, albeit a short one with the cold. I do love a good carol, especially with a brass band.


Ooooh bring on Christmas!

Monday 5 December 2011

A green bean you say?

So a couple of nights ago I wake to hear Mabel coughing. Now this is not unusual, she is always coughing, but it was a particularly loud and continuous coughing fit. So much so that I eventually nipped through to check on her since it was becoming more like a choking sound.I went in and gave her a cuddle whilst rubbing her back.
A couple of big coughs later and something came out onto my shoulder before she snuggled her head into my neck and fell back asleep.

After putting her back in bed, half asleep and in semi darkness I removed what I thought was a big bit of phlegm from my top and popped it onto her chest of drawers thinking that maybe I should check it looked normal in the morning.

The next day I took it through to G Kisby who was getting ready in the bathroom,
"Look at this...it came out last night. How horrible, a dried up bit of phlegm"
"Are you serious?"
"Yeah it came out last night during a coughing fit"
"Babe, that is very clearly a green bean"

On second inspection it was indeed very clearly a green bean. Someone in nursery needs to learn to chop. God knows where she had been hiding that all day. Probably in the same place she likes to store an entire loaf of bread.
How annoying, to wake in the night and find you have a flamin green bean tickling your throat. What are the chances.

We have also had a sudden
 'talking' surge in the past week. 'Hiya' is now repeated to the extent that I am pretty sure she has no idea what it means. And perhaps more worryingly she does a good rendition of 'dirty'. Don't judge me, the pram wheels that she was trying to suck at the time really were dirty.

I asked G Kisby if 'hiya' counted as her first word?
"Ah really? I'm gonna go for no. I think it is just a sound" came the reply

In other words, let's hold out for a better one. She will be about 3 and asking,
"Hiya, why the hell is the pram in the house, the wheels are clearly dirty"

And we will still be holding out for something a little more profound!