Worries.....

When I look back on all these worries I remember the story of the old man who said on his deathbed that he had had a lot of trouble in his life, most of which had never happened.

Sir Winston Churchill

(Their Finest Hour)

Growing Old.....

Growing old is like being increasingly penalized for a crime you haven’t committed.

Anthony Powell

(A Dance to the Music of Time 1973)

Look how much I've grown.....

Left handed ??

When Jamie was about 6 months I remember taking him with me to Sam's leaving do from the library. One of the (left handed) people who were there pointed out that Jamie seemed to favour his left hand. At this time I asked a number of people about whether or not this could be an early sign, but everyone thought it was too early to tell. Recently I have been watching Jamie with his drawing and play and he still seems to favour his left hand.

It seems that this could be my fault as women over the age of 40 are more than twice as likely to give birth to left-handed babies than younger mothers, according to a Canadian study. This may be because older women are more likely to experience difficult pregnancies and arduous deliveries. Studies conducted over the past decade in Canada, Britain, Australia and the US show consistently that left-handedness increases with birth stress. Stanley Coren, an experimental psychologist at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, conducted a survey of 2228 first-year students at the university. He asked them a variety of medical and personal questions, including how old they were, what their mothers' ages were when they were born, and whether they were right- or left-handed. Coren used mothers between the ages of 17 and 24 as his baseline. He found that mothers aged between 30 to 35, had a 25 per cent higher chance of their offspring being left handed.www.newscientist.com/article/mg12717262.800-science-older-mothers-have-more-lefthanded-babies-.html

According to http://www.babyexpert.com/Toddler/Spotting-a-left~handed-child/v1 once your baby is on the move and starting to talk, interesting clues will begin to emerge as to his future personality. It's also around this time that he'll start showing a preference for using his right or left hand. If he's left-handed, then he'll be among 10 per cent of the population. There's no set age as to when children show a preference; some 18-month-olds use one hand consistently, others not until they are three or four years old.

Signs of left-handedness to look out for include: which hand your child uses to hold a spoon when eating; which foot do they prefer to kick with; which hand do they use to hold a crayon or pencil; when standing on one leg which leg do they feel more secure on? Lefthanders may find it easier to stand on their left leg.

If you think your child could be left-handed there are ways to smooth the path. ‘Firstly, make sure they learn to write left-handed,' advises psychologist Dr Stephen Williams. ‘It may sound obvious but it's their dominant hand and, otherwise, will cause a lot of problems later on. Never force a left-hander to be right-handed. They will be clumsier at tasks, which can lower their self-esteem.

‘Investing in basic specialist left-handed equipment like scissors is a good idea too, but above all, be supportive of your child. 'Most children want to fit in, and because left-handers are in a minority, it can be difficult for them, so make sure they know how special they are.' Remember that left-handers are at an advantage in many sports. Left-handed fencers and tennis players (Monica Seles, John McEnroe, Martina Navratilova, Ivan Lendl) for example,

Little Souls...

Just wanted to share something beautiful I read this weekend in the Daily Mail. Bel Mooney, in answering a letter from someone who had experienced a number of miscarriages, ended her advice with the lovely line:

Please honour the little souls who didn’t make it by cherishing the love which made them. Let that be the magic spell which encourages you to try again.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1347368/I-yearn-mother-bear-lose-baby.html#ixzz1BCOC63GE

Happy Birthday Mummy! Now the Diet Begins.....

I had a lovely birthday weekend. We all went to Damons with Paul, Kerry, Ella and Emily. I had too much to eat and then some......and don't forget the strawberry daiquiri! We all loved it and Jamie ran wild in the bar with the girls so was nice and tired later. We all had are PJs on before 7pm!!

Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels, Kate Moss once said and this is to be my mantra for the next few months until I finally shift that stone! I started Fitness Pilates last Thursday and have booked myself in for the next 4 weeks. I can't believe I have been hanging onto this extra weight for so long. Time to do something about it. There were too many fat people at the hospital on Friday being pushed around in wheelchairs. I don't want Jamie to end up having to push me around. I want to be fit and healthy for my son; not to mention for me!!

Hospital Visit

Jamie had his appointment at the Ophthalmology Clinic this morning. I had originally planned to go on my own with him and then visit Karen and Sophie afterwards, but after they cancelled at the last minute I asked Nanna if she wanted to join us. And I am so glad I did! Nearly 2 hours we were there and of course this meant entertaining Jamie, as well as carrying all the bags, coats and toys necessary was hard work! I was glad I took his reins with me as well!

The clinic did do a very good job and we were seen quickly and efficiently. Jamie just had to be seen 3 times. First by a doctor who asked Jamie to follow a number of pictures around the room, then look at some shapes as they got fainter and fainter, and then look at what can only be described as a magic eye puzzle. Apparently this was the one that confirmed whether or not Jamie had a squint. As he could point to where the 'ball' was it was agreed that he only had a pseudo squint. This has something to do with the bridge of his nose being in his vision. As Jamie grows and gets used to that he should grow out of the squint. I found the following on the Internet; 'An extra fold of skin near the inner eye, a broad, flat nose or eyes that are unusually close together may also produce the effect of false (or pseudo) strabismus. False strabismus should disappear as the child's face grows.'

After this check up Jamie then had some drops put into his eyes which made his pupils dilate. We had to wait 20mins while this worked and so had a little walk about the hospital. The doctor who checked him this time looked into his eyes with a light, as well as used some lenses against his eyes. This doctor commented that Jamie was slightly long sighted but no more than average.

Felt a lot better as we left the clinic, as it seems there is nothing really to worry about. They say they will call Jamie back for a check up in a few months but this is really because of his age and to check his development. We decided against going to the shops on the way home and once we got in (after dropping Nanna off) we got straight into bed!!

Urban Myth - NOT!

I always thought those stories about toddlers 'posting' items into the video player were urban myths!

I can now confirm they are NOT myths. Jamie posted my collection of Jack Daniels coasters in there yesterday. From now on that's the first place I will look for anything that goes missing.

I am still looking for a TV remote control that have been missing since before Christmas if anyone has seen it!??

Leaps and Bounds

Mummy has been very busy for the last few weeks - what with Christmas, Birthdays (Nanna, Daddy) and job interviews, and feels sorry she has neglected her Blog. However, because of the holidays Daddy has been able to spoil Jamie with his time, and Jamie suddenly seems to be changing. His vocabulary grows every day and its nearly possible to have a conversation with him. He can point out most things you ask him and name quite a few things himself. We were given a book from Surestart which names all the facial features and Jamie loves pointing and saying; 'Nose', 'Eyes'. A recent addition has been 'flowver' which I think is his first 2 syllable word. There is also Teddy...

Toys which have been ignored for a while have suddenly become more popular and it is fascinating to see his grasp of the stacking cups over the last few nights. Stacking them up and then putting them back inside themselves. Jamie has been doing this over and over..... Cars and people now seem to be being played with as they should be - although they are still being thrown about and posted through any available orifice!

His Christmas presents - drum kit from Uncle Finny and Easel from Nanna - both of which he loves - have taken up residence in his bedroom (we don't have a conservatory like other families) and due to Daddy starting nights this week we have moved the old sofa bed out of his room and into the garage. We will soon be needing to buy Jamie his own bed and a wardrobe for his clothes (but mummy needs a job first!).

The only drawback with Daddy having time off is that Jamie's sleep pattern was a bit disrupted as he would rather be playing than going to bed. We also felt he was being a bit clingy but visiting Nicola and Will this weekend we find they had the same problem. Our play date on Friday was brilliant and Jamie and Will actually seemed to be 'playing'. My little baby is becoming a little boy!!

Resolutions.....

.....are the same as last year:

To keep Jamie as Number One. Everything else must come second; including Blog time and especially FaceBook time! I will try to remain Positive at all times about all people and all situations! I must remember that time is precious and to say No to things unless I really want to say Yes. I will also try to find time for my writing resolutions (see http://theonlyconsequence.blogspot.com/).

And I will loose a stone this year via diet and exercise; and will eat healthily and exercise at least 3 times a week.

Remember; 'You won’t get to the end of your life and wish you’d made more money – you’ll wish you spent more time staring at the clouds, playing with your children or doing something more meaningful'