Baby Grace Elizabeth

[Bella2]

So the illnesses continue in our house, poor Mark has tonsillitis!! Is on antibiotics, just hoping babe doesn't catch it too although I think it may have been caused by him ctaching a little of the virus she had the other week and it going to his throat. On the bright side had a lovely afternoon with Grace yesterday, met my friend and her little boy Finlay and went to Wacky Warehouse, Grace had a great time climbing about and playing. On the walking front am a little concerned she is getting far too dependant on us helping her, she no longer wants to push her walker as she knows she can get along a lot quicker with Mark or me helping her. She really is quite quick now and her balance is really quite good just holding on with one hand, but she's still extreamely relectant to let go. Cries whenever we let go of her hand and sits down but I think the more we help her the less likely she will go it alone. So the plan is this weekend is to stop helping her as much, it will kill me seeing her upset but I want to try it just to see if it works. Fingers crossed!!

 

[Bella2]

Possibly my most exciting journal entry to date...the little lady is officially toddling!! Over the weekend I kept to my word and stopped walking around with her holding her hand, and as it turned out she wasn't particulary worried either about walking about, was happy to sit and play together. Then last night she decided she wanted to walk so I stood behind her and gently supported her under the armpits as she walked forward...then I let go and she kept going! She then toddled about sporadically for the rest of the evening and we caught it on the camcorder which was great. Funny but over the weekend I had vowed to stop worrying about it and accepted she would go when she was good and ready, it's as if she picked up on that and thought, ok, no pressure now, I'm going to try it!

At work today but mum phoned lunchtime to say that she'd walked from their living room out into the hallway and into the kitchen to see my dad so hopefully now they'll be no stopping her Starting to sink in now that my little girl is making the transition from baby to toddler - eek! Can't wait to see her when I get home and have some quality time the rest of the week, tomorrow we are trying a new baby group for children aged 12 months to 3 years so looking forward to that. Happy Days!

 

[Bella2]

Have had a great day today with Grace, went to the new toddler group this morning, was 9.30am-11am so fitted in perfectly woth nap time as put her down as soon as we got home. Lots of toys/activities there to keep the kiddies busy, they even had a little snack time where they sat at little tables & had chopped bananas & toast. All good practice for nursery I guess!

After her nap we met Sheila for lunch at the swallow, was then able to take Grace in the soft play bit after but all she wanted to in there was practice her walking lol! Then it was home, a light dinner & some quality with Daddy before she went to bed happily at 70pm

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[Bella2]

Took the little miss to be weighed this morn, 19lbs 10.5oz so not much increase but health visitor put it down to her illness a couple of weeks back and the toddling round. Yesterday we went to visit Grandad and Grace sat on his lap looking at a book. She then pointed to a picture of a duck and said "Duck!" with no prompting from us. Grandad had a pot of bubbles and she even managed to blow a few If you ask her to touch her nose she will touch it although sometimes she picks it instead lol!

Have noticed since she stated walking how much more content she has been, we have found that to be the case with most of her physical development, happened when she learnt to sit up and again when she crawled. It's lovely as it feels like a whole new phase we're entering into. Today I gave her some baby safe crayons and some paper she probably spent more time putting them in her mouth but we did get a little picture to give daddy when he gets home from work

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[Bella2]

SLEEP, ROUTINE, & SPEECH!

Well little Miss just walks everywhere now! I haven't seen her crawl for several days, if she falls over she stands right back up again and off she goes! She is also loving her sleep lately, I expect its to do with all the additional exercise she's getting as recently been going over her normal 12 hours a night and sometimes having as much as 13 hours sleep and I still have to wake her

With that in mind thought I would make a note of her updated routine here, so when I have the next baby it will be easier to refer back to! So here is a typical day in the life for Grace...

Wake around 7:30am
Have 7oz bottle
Breakfast @ 8:30am
Bath & Play
Nap @ 11am-1pm
Lunch once she has woke from nap so around 1ish
Normally we then go out somewhere for the afternoon, so either softplay centre, baby group, or walk to shops/library
Afternoon snack if hungry
Dinner @ 5.00pm
7oz bottle & bed between 7.00-7:30pm

Lunch is usually a sandwich, beans/spaghetti on toast, scrambled egg on toast or crackers with philly with finger foods like cucumber, cheese, peppers etc. Then a yoghurt for desert. Dinner she has whatever we're having followed by fruit for desert. Have actually found one food she dislikes and thats sardines!!

DEVELOPMENT
Have noticed Grace being a lot more vocal this past week, can now say "dog" whereas before they were always a "bo wo!" And she just generally gabbles on a lot more like she's really trying to communicate and have a conversation which is very sweet.

 

[Bella2]

So what have we done since I last wrote? Well as it's now December we put up the tree, initially I was anxious Grace wouldn't leave it alone but thankfully she hasn't taken much notice! She also has her little tree in her room as well as xmas cuddly toys, she is also managing to open the doors on her advent calendar which she loves!

I have been doing a bit of research on sensory boxes and how good they are for a toddlers development, so yesterday I made my own. Got a large storage container which I filled with rice as the base then added some Christmas themed objects which I buried in the rice for Grace to find. I added tinsel, cotton wool balls (for snow lol), old christmas baubles & decs in different colours and textures and finally added a scoop and a small tin with a lid on. She played for ages scooping the rice, digging for objects and taking the lid on and off the tin. So a real success!! Was a bit messy but I laid an old tablecloth underneath the box and it didn't take long to hoover up any stray bits of rice. Thought I would do a different themed box each month, for example a Valentines Box for Feb and an Easter themed box for April. Then in Summer hoping to experiment with sand and water as she'll be able to play with it outside then. Also been doing some research into Montessori style activities, which basically teaches children to learn through play and exploration. Can't wait till she's old enough to do crafts!

Having a few problems at the moment getting Grace to nap when she's at mum's or Emma's when I'm at work..for some reason she's not wanting to go down in her travel cot and just cries whenever they try to out her down. Making me a little anxious as we are going away for the weekend next week and she will be going in her travel cot then, we'll also be sharing a room with her at night and she's such a light sleeper, the smallest noise wakes her up. it's only 2 days though so hopefully we'll muddle through. We're going to stay in a cottage with a large group of friends and there will be 2 other kiddies similar age there so at least we won't be alone!

 

[Bella2]

So its been a couple of weeks since I updated this journal and plenty to write! We had a lovely weekend away, the cottage was massive and Grace slept soundly She had a lovely time playing with the other children and she even had a bath with 2 of the other toddlers She had such a good time exploring the house which was just beautiful with log fires and even an ancient rocking horse on the landing. Before we went me made the decision to get her a new front facing car seat - the health visitor recommended we keep her in her rear facing one for as long as possible and until she was 20lbs but the straps were starting to get tight and it was going to be a 2 hour journey. We got the Britax Eclipse which is lovely and padded and also reclines, she was so comfy in it

Last week I took her to a new toddler group at a church with my friend and her son Finlay, there was a lovely big room with lots of toys in and another room for arts and crafts. To my surprise Grace sat happily at a table and chairs playing with playdoh. I had thought she was perhaps a big young but she enjoyed it, and has thankfully reached the stage where she is not putting things in her mouth as often. So the next day I went out and bought her a tub and set up her little table and chairs and she sat happily playing with Mark for over half an hour! She’s loving sitting at her table, I think she feels quite grown up! Also at the tots group she caught sight of a box full of baby dolls and loved them, she spent half the afternoon dragging them around with her. This week she had her Christmas party at tinytunes, she wore her Christmas jumper and looked so adorable!

She currently has another cold, I think she caught it off one of the kiddies at the weekend but luckily she is not as bad as last time when she had a high temperature etc. She did wake at 3am this morning coughing, but just sat herself up in the cot and popped her thumb in, she didn't cry so I waited and she eventually dropped back off to sleep again. So we are almost ready for Christmas, here is what we have bought her...

Babydoll
Musical pull along "Dog & Bone" phone
Pack of mini Books
Bath Book
Musical book to attach to her pushchair
Melissa & Doug Wooden animal magnets

We didn't go overboard as she is still so young and will no doubt be inundated with presents from other family & friends! I also found it a bit of a struggle to buy things tailored to her age group...so many things are for 3+

Our plans for Christmas are dinner at my mum & dad's, then Christmas tea at our house with mark's mum & Graham then Boxing Day at Mark's dad's & Sonia's. So a busy one but I'm really looking forward to it. This time last year Grace just slept most of the time so will be lovely this year to see her open her prezzies

 

[Bella2]

Again a very long time since I last wrote in here so another huge update due!

Had a great Christmas albeit a very busy one. Gracie got thoroughly spoilt, even I felt overwhelmed by the amount of presents she got! Her cold lasted around 2 or 3 weeks, then Mark got it and eventually me last week She is also currently cutting 4 teeth, the 2 incisors on the top and the matching 2 on the bottom and she's really struggling with it poor little girl. Have found quite a shift in her development/personality over the past few weeks, she's becoming much more toddler-like and along with that the tantrums are getting underway!! Nappy changing/getting her dressed/undressed is frankly a nightmare, she hates it and will run off or put her parts on so its all starting to get a bit challenging.

I actually got Jo Frosts book for Christmas so hoping to get some tips from that but I think this is the age where they naturally start to try to push the boundries so I must be strong! Saturday was an exciting day, we actually purchased her 1st proper pair of shoes! Took her to Clarks in Mothercare with my friends Karen & Clare (girly shoe shopping day) and got her a lovely pair of soft leather shoes in dark grey and pale pink. She's size 3.5G and they took a polaroid of her wearing them and gave us a certificate She looks so lovely in them.

Have booked her swimming lessons which start on the 28th of Jan, every Monday morning at 10am for 30mins. Not sure she will learn an awful lot at this age but will hopefully get her confident in the water, and at least if I have paid I will go every week £38 for an 8 week course which I thought was really reasonable.

Have had a few problems with her daytime naps and routine, don't really know where we are at the moment as somedays she will wake up at almost 8am then won't want to nap till the afternoon (not till 2pm yesterday arvo) then this morning ahe was awake at 6am and went down for a nap at 10.20am. Need to start waking her at the same time everyday really but I do naturally think that at this age toddlers can go for longer periods before needing a nap so maybe she will shift to napping after lunch rather than before. I have also found that she doesn't sleep for as long. A little frustrating not having a set routine as makes it difficult to plan any activities with her but will just have to go with it for now.

 

[Bella2]

Have managed to Gracie back in a better routine, was at work Monday but then had 3 days off so was waking her at 7:15am then putting her down for a nap at around 11am. She would nap for anything between an hour to 2 hours then go to bed at 7pm. making sure she didn't lie in meant she was ready for her nap mid morning which was ideal. Took her to be weighed on wednesday she's finally over 20lbs!! 20lbs 6oz to be precise so back up following the 25th centile

Yesterday afternoon we met Mark after his exam and we all went swimming. Grace was a little unsure of the water at first so really glad I will be taking her every week. Going to buy her one of those little jackets with the floats inside as I think she found it frustrating being held all the time and has decided she no longer wants to sit in her inflatable seat!!

She has been saying/doing some really funny things this past week, she chatters away in her own little language all the time, and now if we ask for a kiss she will come over and kiss us each in turn. She even kissed the cat on the nose too!! Her latest obsession is with shoes..yesterday she pulled mine out of the porch cupboard and put them on her feet Then when she was eating dinner she managed to get some food on her spoon and held it out to me as if to feed me like I feed her! Very sweet.

She has another birthday party to go to on Sunday, her little friend Finlay will be 3 so looking forward to that.

 

[Bella2]

Despite the freezing weather have been keeping busy with the little miss, she enjoyed Finlays birthday party last Sunday, a lot of people there commented on how confident she is...as soon as we arrived she was off running around and playing..no worries where her mum was lol! Went to our tots group yesterday where Grace did her first painting That said her attention span is still very limited at the moment so only managed a couple of swirls on the paper before she was off playing with something else

Also had her haircut this week, first time she has had it cut all over and looks so much better. Didn't have a lot taken off just neatened up so its a little bob just above her shoulders. Mums hairdresser Helen cut it while I sat her on my lap, she was fine having the back done but cried when her fringe was cut!

In terms of behaviour mealtimes are beginning to get a bit challenging, it seems when she starts getting full she will start messing about and is starting to dislike being strapped in. So yesterday I didn't strap her in and she started to stand up so I took the plate away and wouldn't give her anymore to eat until she sat back down again. Starting to push the boundries methinks!

Just popped in to town during my works lunchbreak to buy a few more bits for "sensory activities" for Grace, have joined pintrest and there's so many great ideas on there. Got some pom poms - thought she could practise fine motor skills by putting them in the top of an empty water bottle; some glow sticks - which I though would be fun to use either in the bath or on their own and some regular plastic drinking cups to stack inside each other. Also some velcro for her to practice sticking it together and pulling it apart. Excited to see what she makes of them. Yesterday she had fun playing with a plastic bowl, some dry pasta and a wooden spoon - amazing what they find interesting

 

[Bella2]

Well Gracie enjoyed the sensory toys I made up for her, in particular putting the mini pom poms into the top of a bottle. She's been extremely cute lately, heres a few funny things she has done...

1. After eating some celery and spilling some down her top she picked up the sponge I'd been using to clean the high chair with and started dabbing her top!

2. At mum's she found a sweet wrapper on the floor and went over and put it in the bin

3. Today she said "ta" for the first time when my friend Emma handed her a biscuit

4. She dances ALL THE TIME!!

5. Walks around cuddling her dolly and patting it on the back

6. Yesterday when she heard a bird she said "Birdy!" (Usually every single thing that makes a sound is a dog lol)

In a bid to calm the madness when she's in her highchair I have started giving her activities to do after she's eaten, just to try to encourage her to sit in there a bit longer...I feel otherwise when we come to take her to a restaurant she will just freak out and want to get down straight away after she's eaten. We've found she loves playing with coins...taking them out of one bowl and putting them into another..and also the same thing but with marbles. Obviously we have to keep a close eye that she doesn't put them in her mouth but these activities really hold her attention. She's also fond of little fisher price toy cars. Going to keep some activities just for when we go out so that she doesn't become bored of them.

We had her little friend Oscar round this week and they played really well together, am so glad that I've continued to socialise her with other children as hopefully by the time she goes to nursery she will have learnt the basics of sharing and playing nicely. Touch wood she's continuing to sleep well at night and back to taking decent naps of around an hour & a half a day.

I took her to tesco and then the Range yesterday, I must admit I've been avoiding shops because Grace gets so impatient when she's in her pushchair. Thing is though if I avoid it forever I'll never get anything done and she'll never become used to it so I did a really small shop and as it happened she was fine! The time she mostly loses patience is when we're waiting at the checkout so I kept her busy by giving her my purse and keys to play with and it seemed to do the trick. We shall see!

 

[Bella2]

Since I last wrote we have begun swimming lessons! Every Monday 10-10:30am at our local pool for 8 weeks. We had the first lesson last week, Grace did well but really hated going on her back, the teacher was lovely and encouraging though and we sang lots of nursery ryhmes which made it fun. Today she did a lot better, still cried a bit on her back but better than last week so am hoping by the end of the course she will be more confident. The group is aimed at children 6 months-2.5 years and I have to say it seemed to be the older children that were struggling more. In a way I wish I had taken her when she was a bit younger as they are so easy then! That said she does really well on her front and loved all the nursery rhymes.

Her nap times are starting to change a little, I find if she wakes any later than 7:15am she won't be ready for a nap until after lunch so we just play it by ear each day. Today she woke at 7:40am so I didn't put her down until 1pm and she went off really well, she will probably kip now until about 3pm which is great as I can get stuff done!

We have booked a summer holiday with Mark's mum & partner & brother & partner, going to Menorca for a week all inclusive in June. So excited! It's a Thomson hotel and sounds like a really good package as they cater really well for little ones with childrens splash pool, soft play areas and toddler & parent sessions. Right on the beach too so ideal Should be a bit more interesting this summer with little miss as last summer she just tried to eat sand all the while whereas this year we will be able make sandcastles! The travelling may be a bit stressful at times but at least there will be 6 of us on hand to keep her amused!

She's been really into playdough recently, just loves sitting at her little table and chairs and squidging it and using pastry cutters, she even tries to roll it out! She definately prefers doing that type of thing to just general plastic toys. Starting to show a bit of interest now in peg puzzles too although they're still quite difficult for her, most of all though she loves her books! Particulary likes the "That's not my" books or ones with flaps. She's a busy little girl

 

[Bella2]

Yesterday we had our 3rd swimming lesson, Grace definately seems to be enjoying it more and getting more used to the water. Had a bit of a mishap though, when we were singing "Humpty Dumpty" the teacher said we had the option of putting their heads under the water and as as it was week 3 I thought I'd give it a go. She was fine the first time I did it but the 2nd time she swallowed some water and coughed so much she was sick!! Luckily it was only milky/porridge sick so they didn't have to clear the pool She didn't seem to bother though and was fine for the rest of the lesson! Think I will think twice before putting her head under next week lol!

 

[Bella2]

Yesterday was Velentines day and as Mark wasn't due at college till 1pm he was able to come to tots group with us which was lovely. Gracie got a valentines card from her little boyfriend Oscar! She sent 3 cards, one to Oscar, one to her daddy and one to her grandad. They were homemade and really cute, had her handprint on in red paint and then wrote on the front "Daddy, You're my hero" and "Happy valentines day" inside.

She is still suffering with her canine teeth, they are taking absolutely forever to come through has also been a bit constipated last couple of days so I had to resort to some lactulose in the end as even fruit and rasins wasn't working! Horrible to see her in so much pain. According to mum who has her today she's been 3 times lol so its definately done the trick!!

During bathtime Wednesday night we had a breakthrough, Grace actually let me wash her hair/pour water on her head without tears! I used a watering can to wet her hair like we do at swimming lessons and sang the nursery rhyme we sing and she didn't make a fuss! Enjoyed her bath so much and was splashing to such an extent she flooded the bathroom lol and was still sitting in the bath even when all the water had drained out! Normally she stands up and cries to get out so I'm so pleased, looks like the swimming lessons are doing the trick.

Took her over the local park yesterday afternoon, she just loves tottering around. Was so tired ended up putting her to bed a 6:30pm! I can just imagine how knackered she will get when we go on hols in the summer with all that sunshine and fresh air. Really looking forward to the springtime, will be so nice to do more activities with her outside and be able to go for picnics and to the beach. It's been a looong winter!

 

[Bella2]

Forgot to mention we have a couple of new words!! Shoes and Teddy!

 

[Bella2]

Have had a few ups and downs last few days with Gracie's teeth again, been unsettling her a lot in that she's not been napping during the day so have been resorting to calpol and teetha powders/gel. I do wonder if it is still the canines causing the pain or if the back molars are starting. Doesn't really let me look though! By teatime she would be really grumpy due to not having her nap and entertaining her for a 12 hours a day without a break is pretty tough! I was also unwell with another sickness bug so that was hard having to take care of her whilst feeling so ill, luckily mark is on nights though so I only had to take care of her in the morning until he got up. That said she was pretty good and played happily or brought me books over to read to her whilst lying on the sofa.

She is attempting more and more words, yesterday she was looking at one of her books and pointed to a picture of a fish and said "Fish!" also says "bird" a lot and does the sign language for it too Have noticed she mimicks me too, for example if I'm brushing my hair or putting facecream on. She's obsessed with shoes too! Loves trying them on and tottering around, she's going to be a proper girly girl

 

[Bella2]

So whats been happening since I last wrote? Grace is getting better at having her nappy changed, for months now we've been having to change her whilst she's standing up as everytime we laid her down she would roll onto her front then get up and run off! We've been strict recently though and making her lay down and she's getting much better, so much so that I took her to be weighed Wednesday and she laid down really chilled while I dressed/undressed her which is completely unheard of!! Generally speaking though we still have battles getting her dressed and undressed, she's always so busy and on the go and has no patience to stand still! At the weigh in she was 21lbs 6 ounces so gained really well this past month, she does love her food!

Really enjoying the tots groups recently, yesterday we were at a group and one of the helpers there commented what a lovely social little girl she is and how she doesn't get phased by lots of children or noise. That was such a nice compliment. There was a dental nurse there and she gave us some great tips on toothbrushing which we're finding another daily battle! Trying to sit Grace in front of a mirror and brush her teeth so she can see, also brushing our own teeth at the same time so she feels like its a fun game.

 

[Bella2]

Grace has been a little bit fussy this week, although only after nap time, she's either been difficult to get down for a nap or when she does go down doesn't sleep for long so is still grumpy and tired when she wakes. A friend whos baby is the same age seems to be going through a similar thing so I googled it and its apparent that babies go through what is called "wonder weeks" they are certain weeks in their development where they have a "mental growth spurt" which can be upsetting for them as their brains are suddenly bombarded with all this new information. Makes sense as when I look back Grace has had these before any new major development.

She's really coming on with her language skills this month, can say several small words although is not making any sentences yet. Dad was really chuffed when she said "Grandad" yesterday She's really enjoying nursery rhymes and can do some of the actions, her favourites are "row your boat" and "wheels on the bus". She also loves "sleeping bunnies" and will lie on the floor pretending to be asleep until I shout hop little bunnies at which time she'll jump up! Very cute

Last Saturday we took her shopping with nanny Ann and for the first time we let her walk with her reins instead of putting her in the trolley. I was predicting disaster but she was actually pretty good, then we had lunch after in morrisons and she sat in her highchair and ate lunch really nicely, I think because she'd got all the running around/exploring out of the way.

Goiong up to Liverpool at Easter to stay with Marks mum so looking forward to that, have bought some bits to do her first easter egg hunt! Hope the weather is fine so we can do it outside...

 

[Bella2]

Grace is continuing with her language explosion, I have been amazed at the developmental changes this month. She observes and copies a lot, just last night she decided she would "change her baby's bum" so she got her baby doll, put her on the floor, got a wipe and wiped her, put some talc on her then wrapped a nappy round her ha ha! The funniest part was at the end she then laid on her back with her legs in the air ready for me to change her bum! Got the whole thing on film, very cute

Thought I would make a little list of the words she is saying so far so I can refer back to it...

Dog, cat, book, ball, daddy, mummy, nanna, nanny, grandad, teddy, bath, car, shoes, bag, fish, chair, bibby (her bib which she will go and fetch from the cupboard and put round her neck when it's dinnertime). Other words I will say and she will repeat them such as clock and house, although she doesn't know them by automatically looking at the object yet. She also knows a lot of the noises animals make so when you ask "what does a cow say?" she will say "moo!" etc, knows the sounds of a dog, cat, cow, sheep, chicken & pig. She understands simple instructions such as when I ask her to bring me a book or have a drink, or tell her to put something back. It really is such a lovely age

She walked over the road to the co-op with me the other day, usually when we walk she refuses to hold my hand but on this occasion she held my hand the whole way there and back and walked really nicely. Also insisted on carrying the sachet of pasta sauce which we bought

Nap times have been much better past few days, has been having 2hrs rather than just an hour which is great. Had our last swimming lesson yesterday, quite pleased that out of 8 weeks we only missed one session. Going to continue to take her on my own once a week to keep in the swing of things as she's really enjoing it now.

 

[Bella2]

Sickness, tantrums & a chatterbox!

A long time since I updated this journal so lots to write!!

Unfortunately Easter weekend did not turn out as we hoped, Grace caught a nasty sickness & diarrhea bug so we were unable to go up north to visit Mark's mum. She became ill on the Thursday whilst I was at work; was sick over both mum & then dad so I left off early to pick her up. She was then sick again a couple of times that night and the rest of the weekend had diarrhea and a high temperature of 38.5 She slept loads which was a good sign but on Good Friday we were worried as although her temperature was high her fingers had gone blue. After some googling found out this is normal as the blood rushes to all the major organs; only time we needed to worry was if her toes went blue aswell. So we just gave her lots of cuddles and affection and kept her mind off feeling so rotten by reading her books and a good old dose of cbeebies!

Mark's mum came down on the Saturday but we basically stayed in all weekend; Grace was feeling a little better on the Sunday so we did do a mini egg hunt with her in the living room and she wore her cosy bunny onesie which grandad bought for her. By the Monday she was better just still off her food a bit so we wrapped her up warm and took her to the seaside for some fresh air which she loved.

Since then she has been much better but....the tantrums have started!! Nothing really major yet thank god - but she has learnt the word "No" and uses it frequently!! She's testing the boundries to see what she can and can't get away with so I feel we have entered a whole new chapter now! Have read various ways of dealing with it, if I know she's getting upset out of frustration for example if she can't manage to do a puzzle/play with a certain toy on her own I will happily help her but if it's because I've told her off for say, going near the hot oven I will try to ignore the behaviour or distract her until she calms down. So hard to know what's right to do sometimes as complete foreign territory to me at the moment!

This month she is saying even more than she was last, can now pronunce the cat's name properly "Bella!" with the L's and everything and is trying to copy a lot of what we say. Can also string a couple fo words together, more so in nursery rhymes such as "up above the" in twinkle twinkle little star. Mum & dad are loving having her when I'm at work, finding her newly aquired language skills really endearing