as good as it gets

Was pulling up B’s night nappy after she’d finished her ritual wee before bed when her arms went round me and the words “I love you mummy” came out of her mouth. There really isn’t anything else on this earth that could put such a smile on my face and so instantly melt my heart. And how I absolutely love her too.

funny

Ok, so I’m Dilly Dilly La La and B is a princess according to the Oracle that is Bryony H. After her bath this evening she pointed out her small nipples and then asked if she could see mine to which I replied “No” to which she asked “Is it because they are dirty?” Still can’t figure out her reasoning but my answer was because I had my clothes on and I didn’t want to take them off.

Another easy bedtime with only one book as the rest of the time (until the big hand was on the number 3 (i.e. 7.15)) we watched the end of Super Why (an excellent new animation that B is quite taken with which is all about letters of the alphabet (she can know recognise all 26 upper case letters!)) and playing her P Pg phonics “pizza”. Admittedly there was some faffing once we finally made it upstairs but Mupsy, teddy and Lotte were all placed next to each other in mupsy’s bed, covered up with B’s poncho and then each kissed good night by B who then wished them “sweet dreams” (bless) before finally getting into her bed herself. No recall into her room either once we’d have lots of tight cuddles and kisses and just the two renditions of her “Go to sleep my baby” song which we have sung to her almost every night since she was born.

On a further happy note, I paid the deposit for the house in St Ives for May, ordered a noodle (swim float thing) which hopefully will arrive by our next swim date (Sunday) and scoffed the rest of the frozen yoghurt that had be residing in the freezer. Happy days! Oh, apart from the crippling headache I had for a couple of hours this afternoon. Happily though after informing of this she said I should have some medicine to make me better and when I suggested that a cuddle from her when we got home from nursery would also make me feel better, she remembered and promptly called me over for a cuddle soon after we got home. She is nothing short of a little angel.

girly girls

First day of just the two of us and we had a splendid time swimming this morning even if we did have to hit the pool at 8.00 (which wasn’t that hard as B was wide awake and wanting to go swimming at 6.30). Whilst she was a little anxious of getting in initially as we hadn’t been for quite some months, once she was in and realised that it was shallow enough for her to stand and walk around her confidence shot up and she soon was getting up to all of her old tricks again (getting out, jumping in (holding my hands), sitting down and turning over and getting in, “swimming” with me holding her under her armpits etc.). It’s now that I really appreciate having taken her for a couple terms of swimming lessons before I went back to work full time hours as at least I felt I kind of knew what I was doing and we can build on her progress. I really enjoyed being back in the water again too and will maybe have to think about going swimming regularly one evening a week instead of breast stroking almost on my belly of the training pool. Now all I have to do is try and by B a “noodle” (a buoyant swimming aid sausage) for next week as we’re both keen to go again.

Lunch and lunch time sleep was easy, H&A came round for a play date in the afternoon, and dinner, bath, hair wash and put down were all very easy too. Stress levels are therefore currently very low and were lowered even further when Al agreed that I could go ahead and book a little house in St Ives for a week in May for us all to head off to for a mini Hart holiday. Only 90 days to go!

Typical B-ism:

Me : Would you like the green or orange plate for your dinner?

B : The blue one please.

(I suppose it makes a change from pink).

girls alone

Al jetted off to the States this afternoon so the next ten days will just be me and my B. Really gutted of having to miss the first Tucson show in 7 or 8 years but now we have to buy a ticket for B it’s just not financially worthwhile even though some warmth and a little sunshine right now would be absolutely priceless. That all said, B and I had a great girly afternoon visiting the library, B choosing 3 books (it’s all RFID now and automated which is cool and really should have been the way we went at work but hey ho, I’m not the one making those decisions), helping out with dinner and then being a star for her bath and bed time. We even had a snuggle and watched Dumbo together which was absolutely lovely as not only did it make a change from Ice Age but also totally engrossed B in the story.

Swimming is on the agenda first thing tomorrow morning with perhaps the park or a play date with one of her little friends in the afternoon. The shed load of cuddles, giggles and polite manners today will hopefully continue and the next 10 days should hopefully will fly by and daddy will be back before we know it. Although it must be said that I’m looking forward to having a bed all to myself!

sleep

Just popped in on B before I head off for some zzz’s and for the second nighton the trot she’s managed to half get out of bed and be asleep bent over the side of her bed (with her legs on the floor and duvet wrapped around her). Strange but at least she’s not removing her pj’s and nappy and peeing in her bed.

chit chat

Another day of non-stop chatter from B today. P & E also came round for lunch with baby oscar who was incredibly cute. B behaved very well at lunchtime and thanks to me digging out the old mini dvd player (so Al could watch the tennis final earlier) she took herself off to the lounge to watch a dvd and eat her ice cream whilst Al cleaned up the kitchen and me chit chat to P & E. Nice.

B chit chats:

“Mummy, what are you doing” (me sat on her floor with me head on her bed whilst she’s on her potty, 40 minutes after she’d gone down for the evening)

“Waiting for you to do a poo”. A couple of minutes pass…

“Are you waiting for me to do a poo mummy” closely followed by “Are you waiting for me to do a wee?”

“Yes B, please can you hurry up and do one”.

B. Still on potty but with her current fav book – Things to cook for Christmas.

“Mummy, what does that say?”

“Cheesy christmas stars”

“Cheesy christmas stars blah blah blah” (B singing it in the styley of a nursery rhyme).

B turns the page:

“Mummy, what does that say?”

“Chocolate dipped fruit”

“Chocolate dipped fruit lah lah lah” (again turning it into a nursery rhyme whilst I’m quietly sniggering).

Bless her for thinking that all her books are sing-a long ones.

Along with tickley kisses (the ones under the neck which you can help giggle), a very nice bath (complete with hair wash) and lots of cuddles it has been a very nice weekend. Oh, and the ferry is now booked for July so I only have to wait 6 months for a holiday!

oops

Al tripped on B’s bead frame and went crashing to the floor this evening with it twisted with his foot in in. Unfortunately I found this hilarious and so it wasn’t long before B was giggling too. Sitting him on the sofa and placing a stool under his foot (me) B then offered to kiss his foot better which she did and then announced “it’s all better now”. If only a kiss would heal everything in the world.

B now knows over half of the capital letters in the alphabet and is quite competent as pointing them out in her numerous books or randomly through observation (road signs, building signs etc.) along with any aeroplane that might happen to be passing. Had a sprinkling more snow this morning which was a nice surprise. Yesterday morning we had rain and then sunshine but sadly no rainbow was visible. Shouldn’t have worried though as B’s response was “don’t worry mummy, there will be a rainbow soon”. Her reassurance and facial expressions currently have us completely in stitches. I think I most probably should get a pad and pen in every room to make sure that we record her classics for future happy memories.

non stop

B now basically talks non stop and there is barely a silence when she’s around unless she’s glued to the tv – her current favourite being the dvd of Where the wild wotsits are (and in particular the 2nd animation which has dodgy 70s graphics and dodgy 70s songs).

Her current fav pair of shoes are her flip flops (or fit fops as she calls them) which she can wear everywhere apart from walking up or down the stairs for obvious health and safety reasons (not that she’s doing it that much at the moment as she insists of being carried because ‘there are lots of steps’ or ‘a dinosaur is coming up the stairs’).

Al had a bit of dilemma earlier in that when he and B were waiting in the station car park B decided that she needed a poop. Luckily we have a permanent potty in the car for such occasions however what to do with a stinky specimen once it has been produced? Wees are too bad at disposing off but poops? Needless to say the nearby flowerbed is now benefiting from unexpected fertiliser however I can help thinking that we might need to adopt a more pc disposal method… i.e. a nappy bag!

revelations

The bedtime routine is still working a treat and continued again with daddy back helping out after a two day absence.

I also found out the reason for B’s dunking of her bread in the communal water jug as nursery which got her receiving no dessert and being taken straight to bed – her garlic bread wanted to go swimming! Not sure if she gave this as her reason when she committed her crime but her explanation had me in stitches and Al also when I told him today.

Also bought some new packets of seeds this morning at the Garden Centre in Knockholt (which has been completely transformed and now has a nature trail complete with chickens and pigs! Obviously B loved this and spent quite some time running up a little spiral path to the top of a mound and then back down again with Al. On her choosing we shall be attempting to grow broccoli this year along with some “pink” flowers, carrots and strawberries so we’ll have to see how that goes.

On the down side, she seems to be continuing with her exceeding annoying (fast-becoming) habit of taking her pj’s off and weeing in her bed. Have just been up to change her bed again and so there’ll be no special crispy bits and mil tomorrow in the morning for her (which she had been warned would be the punishment if she did it again).

success

The new bedtime routine is going from strength to strength and tonight’s was the easiest yet. Sadly though I find myself missing traipsing up the stairs countless times for extra cuddles with B.

That will teach me for complaining!