Panic Stations!

Feeling a bit sick at the moment as we have just got back from a trip to the park; mummy, daddy and Jamie. Jamie was climbing to the top of the slide by himself and then he climbed up the slide to the top! I couldn't look at all and hid my face. Another mum came over and was saying how she felt exactly the same - and still does - but she found showing your fear and shouting at them to be careful actually increases the risk of them hurting themselves. She did point out how well Jamie did on the slide; how he was holding on with his hands and using both his legs and arms to help with his climbing, but I am afraid I still cut short our trip as I felt so sick! I did tempt Jamie away with ice cream and chocolate so I don't think he was too disappointed!

As I keep saying, I cannot believe how much Jamie is growing up. He understands so much and has begun to say no end of words. This morning I was amazed he knew 'torch' but of course he knows 'ice cream' and 'chocolate'. He was trying to help daddy mend my bike this morning and he really wanted to get stuck in with the spanners. This meant he ended up covered in oil and stuff but he is learning how to wash and dry his hands at the sink.

He is still sharing our bed and I am sure Karen and Nadine will have something to say about that tonight when we see them for tea. However, Jamie has learnt not to demand milk as soon as he wakes up. He has actually begun to snooze if neither mummy or daddy seem like they are getting up. This was particularly welcome this week with daddy getting up early, as it meant mummy could have a few more hours snooze before she went to work. Saying that, Jamie does like to have a cuddle and a little play in bed before getting up. He especially likes to look at his hands and move them about in front of him. He also likes to be tickled and will just chill in bed without necessarily having the television on straight away.

Hot, Hot, Hot!

Have had a lovely Easter weekend with lots of sun and lots of choccies! Spent Saturday with his mate Will who came for a play and yesterday he was with cousin Noah at Nanna's. This means Jamie has been getting through an awful lot of clothes so its a good job for the sunshine - and the new Peppa Pig wardrobe I bought him last week!

Daddy has got himself a new job which means he will be here in the evenings every week at long last. I am hoping this will mean we can get Jamie into more of a routine and will have less midnight visits into our bed! The job will also mean some more money for daddy and because of the childcare being a bit of a nightmare to sort out around my 20hours we have decided to put Jamie in nursery for a second day a week. If I thought that Jamie was unhappy there I certainly would not have considered this but he loves it and I am sure it is responsible for some of his recent development. His talking and understanding of things changes every day and it is wonderful to see. He is certainly not a baby anymore!!

Catching Up……

Jamie is loving nursery now. Last week as soon as he saw his uniform (sweater and t shirt bought by Nanna) he wanted to put them on straight away. Unfortunately it was 7.30am. This week he never even noticed when I left him there. He was too busy playing with Dizzy from Bob the Builder.

Working 5 days this week has been a trauma. Missed Jamie terribly on Wednesday when I heard him on the phone. Luckily daddy has been able to have him in the mornings so he hasn’t really suffered. Daddy however, is suffering from lack of sleep due to the early morning visits and then mummy leaving for work first thing! He did get a lie in Friday morning to catch up which is more than mummy got! Thank god we have a number of bank holidays coming up.

Had a lovely big shop on Tuesday after my child allowance came – to add to all the stuff Jamie got for his birthday. He is well and truly Peppa Pigged out, and now has a few pairs of shoes to choose from and well as a good few t shirts. Nanna got him a garden set which he loves digging in the dirt with and using his watering can to create more mess! However, he got frightened when we opened and started up the remote control car from Uncle Finny. I think this is what caused him to cry at his Peppa Pig car as well. We shall leave them for a few weeks and see what happens.

Oh and he loved his chimp from Lynne – making chimp noises as soon as he opened it!!

Blog Baby 22

One of our friends Jason announced on FaceBook this week; happy to announce the arrival of a new Speed to the world! Miss Indie Grace born this morning (12th April) weighing 6 lb 12oz. I'm sure my mush is up there looking proudly down on mother and daughter :-) All thinking of Steph at this time and wishing Vicky and Indie all the best for the future.

Jamie at Two Years

Following the previous two entries, I would like to say that Jamie is talking. However, he is talking in so far as we understand what he is saying most of the time i.e. flowver, bye bye, milk, cuggles, more, no more, but whether anyone else understands him I am not sure!!

Mummy is still talking baby talk with him which probably doesn’t help! He still loves his ‘bear bear’ and mummy recently bought another as back up – Jamie certainly looked suspicious the first time he saw it but loves it like the other one.

You can tell the toddler is coming out as he now quite happily throws bear bear into the trees as well as cuddles him. He has however, learnt that bear bear doesn’t necessarily need to take a bath with him and is happy sat watching. And most of the time I can get him to do the same when he is eating!

Other times Jamie shouts or screams out quite a few ‘words’ at once of which he obviously knows what he is saying but unfortunately we don’t.

He has really gone off In the Night Garden and this year for his birthday we had e a Peppa Pig theme! He loves Bob the Builder; dressing up as him on Red Nose Day, and Postman Pat as well as Fireman Sam and Ben and Holly's Little Kingdom.

He loves his music and we often have a dance just before bedtime – which I hope helps get him to sleep. On Wednesday we went with the twins to a Diddy Disco at the Drill Hall in Lincoln which Jamie thought was fantastic! He certainly has some moves! We shall be getting tickets this week to the next one in June .

As for bed we are still struggling to get him to spend a full night in his own bed and often wake up to find his legs sprawled across us, and a bad neck / back from having to sleep at an angle. Looks like no chance of a second child! We did ask him the other day if he wanted a Dog, a Cat or a Baby. His answer every time was Dog! I do find if he is really tired he sleeps all the way through and does not find his way into our bed, but unfortunately this doesn’t happen every day!

As for the terrible twos. At the moment he is too much like his mum. I can see myself in him when he shouts, screams or has a mardy if he doesn’t get his own way. The worst time is first thing in a morning when I am trying to keep him quiet when daddy is still in bed. Saying ‘shhhh’ doesn’t quite seem to be enough! But I feel for him when he is upset and my heart breaks for him every time he cries…

Toddler Development

What your child is doing • Riding a scooter or tricycle • Saying three word sentences or more • Dressing himself/herself with easy clothes • Singing to himself/herself • Being clingy one moment and independent the next What not to worry about – fears Most two year olds go through a phase of demonstrating age appropriate fear around things like thunderstorms, the dark, and even monsters and spiders. The key is not to make a big deal out of it, especially if it’s a fear of yours as well. Reassure your child with words and a hug and then distract them. You may find the topic keeps coming up long after the fear has gone, again reassure and then distract. How you can help your child at this age 1. Play physical games with them such as running, jumping and climbing; it will give them a taste for activity and help with their motor skills. 2. Help your child to learn to express their feelings when they have a tantrum. Instead of telling them off, get them to express what has upset them/hurt their feelings etc. 3. Your child's imagination will become more colorful if you start to play pretend games with his/her dolls and stuffed animals. www.bounty.com/toddler/development/toddler-development-2-years?WT.mc_id=50002

Toddlers at Two

How he behaves: He'll be behaving increasingly like adults do, wanting to make demands on you, and becoming self-centred in the genuine belief that the world revolves around him. Along with this newly discovered sense of identity, he will be fiercely possessive about his things and negative about anything he doesn't want to do. This is very true. Some of his birthday presents he loved and some made him cry! But if you make him wait for anything he can tun on the sobs… Temper tantrums become works of dramatic art, with screaming and sometimes biting and kicking. He may be angry, sad and happy again within a short space of time. About one in five children of this age have at least one tantrum a day. Aggression is also common from now until three - don't blame the television, it's human development and will be phased out when he's better equipped to express himself. Best not to be aggressive in return, it's not a concept he can relate to - other people don't have feelings that are nearly so important as his. Not too bad so far. We have had the occasional tantrum; which I am afraid can be quite amusing. Not too much aggression so far. The sulks are terrible though!! If you insensitively choose this time to have another baby, he may be completely furious and insist it go back to the hospital straight away. Jealousy is normal for a child who is suddenly displaced as top small banana. Do not leave them alone in a room together because your two year old's natural inclination is to torture his rival. He is not evil or mean-spirited, he's a poor little two-year-old whose heart is momentarily broken. Make a fuss of him, downplay the baby and leave cooing until after your two year old's in bed. No baby here…. Still worry whether this is a good or a bad decision. Along with emotions such as jealousy, comes fear of noises like fireworks, and unfamiliar animals and objects. Bedtime may become a battle of wills because he has enough sense now to object to being shunted off to bed while everyone else is having a fine old time downstairs. This battle lasts until adulthood. It was the noise of the Peppa Car along with the movement of the remote controlled car that frightened him on his birthday. He got a bit upset this week with the noise of a helicopter when we were outside but I told him it was just Miss Rabbit – the same as one of his presents he liked!! We don’t have too much trouble with tantrums at bedtime but that’s because he is still coming to bed with us before we move him into his bed. Must try harder this week!! How he thinks: He'll have a short attention span but more complex thoughts. If he feels secure he will widen his social attachments to like other children and adults and realise that although his mother goes away she will come back and exists even if he can't see her. At the Diddy Disco this week it was great to see him with other children. He actually approached other children who were playing and joined in (if they let him). He even found a new mummy at one stage! Taking his drink to her and wanting to sit on her knee before he realised I was stood behind him! He finds it hard to make decisions and can seem paralysed by what's the best option (who isn't?). He will also be attached to his routine; try dressing him before breakfast and he'll be most offended if that's not what you normally do. He will be aware of rules and rehearse them out loud, so you will see him saying "no" seriously to himself before doing something that's life threatening. When he achieves something he will feel proud of himself, and he will try for longer to do things, like pedal a tricycle. That's not to say he won't hurl himself off it and howl in frustration if it's not going well. Your child is learning by imitation, so be on your best behaviour. He will follow you around, sweeping with a broom (does anyone still do that?), picking up the paper and looking very serious. He can now remember things over 2 to 3 weeks. Yes! Sweeping with a broom and using the sponge to help clean up after he has made a mess! He copies most things at the moment. He will start getting his toys to do things, like feed another toy or whack it. He starts to enjoy make believe play and you will hear him giving orders to his dolls and teddies. Sometimes he may sound as bossy as you do. He'll now be able to run well, walk up and down stairs one step at a time, and jump off steps. He may be able to ride a tricycle. He'll increasingly try to dress himself and will turn pages in a book one at a time. Yes! He loves the park and loves stairs. Thank god the summer has arrived and we can play in the garden again! How he speaks: He understands longer sentences and you in turn will understand more of what he says. You will still be his interpreter but his vocabulary is up to and maybe more than 200 words. He'll follow simple stories and enjoy them. Best of all he will start saying "Love Mummy". With a big kiss – long may this continue! Thanks to http://www.mumsnet.com/ for this

Happy 2nd Birthday!!