Blog Baby 39

Welcome to the family!! 

Seth James born 11.49am, 25th February 2014.  8lb 2oz

Congratulations Michael and Hannah.  Little brother for Noah. 

Can't wait for my first cuddle.  Xx

Establishing a bedtime routine.....Is it too late?

Ok.  I admit it.  I do love having Jamie sleep in our bed.  But he is getting far too big.  And he is not getting the amount of sleep he should.  I have read somewhere that 4/5 year olds should have 11 hours sleep a night.  I am afriaid this is not happening at the moment and Jamie has started to wake up grumpy.   www.nhs.uk/Livewell/Childrenssleep/Pages/howmuchsleep.aspx

So, lets go back to an old article at:  www.bounty.com/baby/care/establishing-a-bedtime-routine?WT.mc_id=50002

Consistency counts
Even if you're not a fan of rigid routines during the day, in the evening a bedtime 'ritual' helps children of all ages to relax and set the stage for sleep.   A good bedtime routine can kill two birds with one stone by ensuring your children get quality one-to-one time with you, while still enabling you to have some grown-up time in the evening.

Mum of two boys Lisa has been strict about bedtime since she returned to work part-time when each of her children were a year old: 'It works for everyone. My boys always have a bath then a bowl of cereal, then relax with books before bed. They are in bed at the same time every night, which means they are never tired and grumpy in the morning and I get to have some downtime as well.'

A few ideas

There's no 'right' way of doing things or a 'right' bedtime. There are many examples of bedtime routines and rituals and you can create one that suits you and your family. You might want to think about:

•A last burst of energetic running around
•A quieter sort of play before a bath
•Whether or not you want your children watching television before bed
•How you will mark when it's time to start the bedtime routine - maybe a song for younger babies or a five-minute warning or tidy-up for toddlers.
•How long bedtime takes - you'll probably need to allow at least an hour
•Whether you give them a bath every night, or bath less frequently

Whatever your family's bedtime ritual, if you keep it consistent and low-key, you'll give yourself the best chance of a reasonably calm end to another day.
 

Phonics Workshop

Following the Phonics workshop that two of the teachers did for the parents in January, I ordered two packs of phonics cards.  I am so glad I did as Jamie loves playing with the cards and we can see how quickly he is learning his sounds and his letters.  Even Mrs O was impressed!!

Highly Recommended:

Happy Birthday Weekend Lucy

What a weekend.  After a week of feeling awful and full of cold, I was glad to say I felt a lot better once Lucy arrived late Friday night.  It was her birthday Friday, but the celebrations started as soon as she got here and then carried on until they left on the Monday morning!!

Saturday afternoon we had a massive amount of Pizza at Pizza Hut, and were so pleased that we rang and booked a table as it was very busy.   However, the nice manager managed to get us the circular table as we had requested.  Then it was off to see Nanna Grace who - you could see - was very glad to see everyone.  She has had a few falls recently and still had a couple of black eyes when we saw her, but she was singing happy birthday and eating cake with us all!!

Sunday, we got up early and picked up cousins Alannah and Laura (and Jack) before heading off to Sundown   www.sundownadventureland.co.uk/     We were there just as it opened, and left 5 minutes before it closed.  We certainly got our monies worth and everyone (as usual) had a fantastic time!

"God looks after all the babies....."

Having a philosophical discussion this morning while I was getting ready for work.

I have two friends who are today undergoing some severe form of treatments.  Moon, who thought she had sciatica, but it turns out it was cancer of the spine, and Wendy - who was such a treasure running baby signing - has a brain tumour.

I was musing how it seemed so unfair and how could there be a god?  when Jamie commented:  "God looks after all the babies".

Happy Valentines Day

Jamie got two cards from Trinity......  

Parent Consultation - Feb 2014

Daddy and I went to see Miss C to discuss Jamie and his progress and once again we came away quite pleased.  I asked about his writing position; as there are photographs on the classroom wall of the different styles, but there were no worries in  this respect.   I said that we always did his homework with him, but were worried about his attention span.  Miss C didn't seem to think it was out of the ordinary!

Last set of targets cracked  - see: http://grumpymumtobe.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/jamies-targets.html - with only a slight worry about getting himself dressed.  We still have days when he comes home after doing PE with his trousers on back to front, and his shoes on the wrong feet!, but the other targets seem to have been hit.  So time for some new ones....

Literacy - Writing
I can talk confidently about different subjects.
I can say a sentence.
I can hear the initial sounds in words and have a go at writing them independently.
I can write labels for pictures when working with an adult.

Literacy - Reading
I can read all the set one sounds from phonics alone and in words.
I can build words with set one sounds in.
I can read words with set one sounds in.

Maths - Number
I can order, read and write numbers to 20.
I can add and subtract with numbers to 20.
I know my 'Learn Its' off by heart.

Maths - Shape
I recognise and can name a variety of 2D and 3D shapes.
I am beginning to describe the properties of shapes.

I promised Jamie that if he had been good he could have a treat.  And Miss C confirmed there had been no instances of Jamie having to stand on the Black Spot!!  Of course he chose McDonalds.   I was a bit disappointed with the Happy Meal as it was not a piece of Lego (and it was advertising the new LEGO movie) but rather a plastic cup - although Jamie was impressed with the hologram!

Sleep Over!!

Jamie had his first official sleepover this weekend with cousin Noah.  I am so pleased we got the bunk bed.  It makes things so much easier.  Even as far as mummy being able to sleep on top of the terrible twosome to stop them messing about!

But there was plenty of messing about before then, as they had a burping competition at tea time and then decided to give Jamie's daddy concussion by bombarding him with cuddly toys from the top bunk.  Unfortunately, one of the puppets had some hard plastic inside!!

But all in all, I think it was a success.  Nanna had brought them a copy of One of Our Dinosaurs is Missing - which they watched Sunday morning.  And it was only a little breakdown that Daddy had.  I am sure he will be fine in a week or two....

Cheers Girls!!

January always seems to pass so quickly and having a birthday just after Christmas can be a bit pathetic when no one has any money to help you celebrate.  Then there is the other factor - that everyone is too full up and fat after the indulgences of Christmas and New Year.

However, I was very lucky to have 10 of my closest friends help me celebrate my birthday this week.  This is what life is all about......