You Make My Day

I have just received an award! It is from my friend, Nic, who sent me the 'You Make My Day award. Apparently, she really enjoys my blog and it makes her smile to read it. I am chuffed that Anna makes people smile and, that the embarrassing situations that I find myself in, are causing amusement (I would hate to think that my embarrassment was all for nothing)!
Now that this blog is not 'public', I didn't expect any awards so it has made my day to receive one. These types of award tend to be sent by people within the 'blogging community'' but Nic is actually a real person that I know (rather than a pretend one!!!) as she had the misfortune to teach at the same school as me. In fact, our classrooms were right next to each other, which made it very handy when I was having my daily crisis.

It is only right that, after receiving this award, I should spread the smiles by passing it on to a few more people. I think I am supposed to pass it on to 10 fellow bloggers. However, I only read two... and one of those is Nic who passed it to me. So...

I would like to return the compliment to Nic by giving her a duplicate award. For a 'Teacher on a Break', it is lovely to read all about the on-going highs and lows of an infant classroom! (I have to be honest and say that the knitting posts tend to leave me feeling clueless but still admiring Nic's knitting talent)

The second person who I would like to pass the award to is Elsie Button. Elsie is also a 'primary school teacher on a break' and her daughter, Betty, was born the exact same day as Anna. It is such a relief to find someone who is going through the same events, traumas and highlights as yourself as it just reassures you that you are not going mad, delirious or 'round the twist'.

Singing Superstar

As well as Anna getting spoilt at Christmas, I also confess to being rather spoilt by James.

Amongst my wonderful gifts, I was given a Nintendo Wii (my first ever games console!!). I'm not very good at playing video games but there is one game called 'Boogie' that I LOVE. As the title suggests, you basically dance along to the music and earn points if you manage to accompany the beat. As you can imagine, I'm not very good but still shake my not-so-funky stuff as though the world depended on it. Even better than the dancing however, is the Karaoke! Again, you earn points depending on how much you are in tune and it even comes with a fully working microphone. Like the dancing, I am truly awful but that doesn't stop me belting out the songs at high volume (my neighbours must love me!)

I knew Anna wasn't very impressed with my singing voice by the frowns that she gives me every time that I attempt to sing. However, I didn't realise that Anna would show me how it was meant to be done. It didn't take long for Anna to find the microphone in the drawer under the TV screen and it took even less time for her to pull it out.

At every available opportunity, Anna now finds the microphone and sings into it! Her favourite song to sing along to seems to be 'Girls Just Wanna Have Fun'. Of course, Anna is not familiar with any of the words yet so tends to just make it up as she goes along (very much like her mother does).

I will know it is time to give up trying to sing when Anna starts to earn more points than me which, at this rate, will probably be next week!

I'm Still Standing

Last weekend, Anna learnt how to stand... completely independently! For the past few weeks, she has been very close to doing it. Anna would let go of whatever it was that she was holding and stand on her own but, as soon as she realised that she wasn't holding anything, she would fall down due to lack of confidence. However, Anna now knows that she can do it without falling so stands in the middle of the room with a very proud look on her face.

There is no more sitting around all day. Anna is constantly on her feet. At her music class yesterday, Anna refused to sit down for the whole lesson as she wanted to show off her new found skills... and make sure every adult and baby in that room noticed her! When the attention turned to the music teacher, who was reading a story (complete with sound effects and accompanying instruments), Anna felt the attention was focused on the wrong person so crawled over to the teacher, stood up in front of her and faced her audience (completely obscuring the view of the teacher so that all the babies had to look at her.) She then waved her hands about in mid-air, as if to say 'Look at me, no hands, no hands'

As well as the proud look that Anna displays while standing independently, Anna's face is also one of determination and sheer frustration at the same time. She looks down at her feet as if to say 'just move!' but her feet just don't want to lift off the ground. She wants to take that first small step but there is something in her mind that just won't let her. Again, I think it is a confidence thing. Physically, she can do it as she has even progressed to running with her wooden trolley, but she just feels the need to have something there is hold on to whilst she is walking, whether it may be her trolley, train or Mummy's leg.

Hopefully one day soon, I will be able to write that Anna is walking. Then, Anna really will look like the cat that has got the cream, there will be 2 very proud parents (acting as though Anna is the first baby to ever achieve such a wonderful thing as we phone everyone we have ever met, in order to tell them!) and I will hopefully stop having a bad back!

You've Got Mail

As well as supporting the same football team (although Anna still has to make her own mind up yet... although she will probably want to, if it means that she is copying her Daddy!), Anna also shares another obsession like her Daddy. Anna loves the computer!

Whenever I am upstairs (cleaning, changing Anna's nappy etc), I am listening to music on 'i tunes', which means having to go to the computer to turn it on. Anna then asks to be picked up (quickly progressing to shouting if I'm not quick enough!) and watches, mesmerised by the screen and dancing along to the music. She has also drawn the connection that if someone presses the keyboard, other things will start happening on the screen. Anna presses the keyboard at every available opportunity.

A few days ago, I had received a phone call for James while he was at work and thought I should let him know (a very uninteresting phone call so I won't bore you with the details). Seeing as though I was upstairs, I thought the quickest way would be to e-mail him. As usual, Anna soon lost interest in her toys and asked to be picked up, to watch me type the e-mail. This looked like fun so Anna then tried to type something.

Anna thought it was amazing that little black squiggles (letters to you and me) could appear on the screen when she pressed the keyboard so did it some more whilst giggling loudly! She even found out how to underline words without having to press an icon on top of the page! I had been trying to figure that out for months!

Just so James didn't think that I had gone mad, I wrote 'Dear Daddy' at the beginning of Anna's 'message' and 'Love Anna' at the end. I then pressed send. I didn't think anything more about it as I went to change Anna's nappy. However, half way through the delightful task, I heard a beep from the computer to say that an e-mail had come.

And so it went on...

Dear Daddy,

Vbjk cvnhbjihniju vbhnijuhnijuhniujnhijkhniujhniju
Cvbmnnnnnuf

Love Anna

Dear Anna

Jklgjsvklddmnfglwejv,poefi
Jdgdkl;rgjedropeo d

Love Daddy

Dear Daddy,

00200020 NHHGGGHGYHZHJYU JH NHBGG,HNKM
N.K,M, x xcccccccccccccc

Love Anna

Dear Anna

hlhcdgcugdlbh;jhv;dfj'
ggholhfqehrfdhiw

Love Daddy

I think Anna would have been happy to do it all day but, after a few minutes, Mummy started to worry that too much computer time would damage her eyes so became a spoil sport and dragged her away to make her play with her toys instead!

I don't have a clue what their e-mails say to each other but James assures me that both he and Anna know exactly what they were talking about!

Daddy's Number 1 Fan

It would be fair to say that I went a little overboard with Anna's gifts this Christmas. However, in my defence, lots of them were books or bath toys (of which she had hardly any before). In fact, the pile would have been smaller if it was just up to me but, whilst shopping for my present, James had felt the urge to buy Anna 2 extra gifts (and he calls me 'soft'). I was even more intrigued when he wouldn't tell me what they were.

So Christmas morning arrived and most of her gifts had been a big hit. She had learnt how to gallop on her zebra, dismount him by swinging her leg over the saddle and how to get back on him... all before 9am.

The time then came to open her last present - the second gift that James had got without me (the first had been the book that Anna had fallen in love with). After opening it, I must have looked like a goldfish as my mouth opened and closed for several moments without any words actually managing to escape. Our daughter had just been given a Manchester United Football Kit. This wasn't just any kit either, it came complete with shorts, shirt and even the socks! Just to help you put this into perspective... I am the girl who vowed NEVER to go out with a Manchester United supporter. Not only did I marry one but I now have a daughter who has her own football shirt! Apparently James had been worried that one of Anna's uncles was planning on buying her a football top. Unfortunately for James, Anna's Uncle Matthew supports Manchester City (as does ALL of the Gibson's apart from James!) and Anna's Uncle Steve supports Spurs. James felt as though he needed to get in quick before her support for a rival club began.

When I told Anna's grandad (my dad), he couldn't believe it either as he joked 'WHAT!!! I don't believe it. My granddaughter can't support Manchester United. Oh... the shame of it'. Unfortunately, I fear that it is too late. I will be trying my best to make her see sense but Anna is going to want the support the same team as her dearest Daddy, especially when he went out in the bitter cold to buy the kit for her (according to James it was bitter cold. It was probably mid-summer when he got it, having devised his devious plan months ago!).

As a one-off (seeing as though it was Christmas and all), I did allow Anna to wear it for all of 5 minutes in which time, James had taken several thousand photographs of her in it, as evidence that she is now a Manchester United fan!! I don't think that James and I would want to dress Anna in a football kit normally. It isn't the greatest fashion statement in the world (it doesn't even look good on adults!) and, as the photograph proves, it is hardly the most flattering of garments even on someone as gorgeous and beautiful as Anna!!! However, for James, knowing that Anna's very own Manchester United kit is hanging in her wardrobe is enough... for now!

I have included 2 photographs with this post. The top photograph is just to prove how gorgeous Anna normally looks.

Anyone Got a Spare Tardis?

Despite being back home for 3 days now, after visiting various family scattered around the country, the house is still looking like a building site as the dust and debris continues to gather and spread. The laundry basket is straining at the seams, the fridge is still full of biscuits, various other leftover food that my mum threw at me as we were leaving and lots of chocolate (despite my best attempts at beating the world record for most chocolate consumed by one person). Anna's toys are also still occupying every inch of floor space in our house! Instead of writing this, I really should be doing something about it all but... bugger it! I am going to sit down for half an hour while Anna has her nap (restoring her energy levels before another 5 hours of crawling at full speed around the house!)

Despite her mummy being very scrooge-like in the build-up to Christmas, Anna had a wonderful time. She was invited to 3 Christmas parties where she was lucky enough to see Father Christmas on all 3 occasions. The first time that she saw him, Anna was a little apprehensive of this big strange man dressed in red. By the time that she saw him at the third party, she was thinking 'Oh No, not him again. Why is he following me around everywhere that I go?' and continued to eat her rice cake without even bothering to give him a second glance. I knew that I had turned into Scrooge when we turned up at the first party in normal every day attire to see all of the other children dressed up as Christmas puddings, reindeer, Father Christmas or a fairy. The invitation definitely didn't say anything about Fancy dress (Ironically, this was the same group who didn't bother to dress in Pyjamas when it DID say to dress up on the invitation.). I thought I had better start making an effort for the next party so dressed Anna in her best party dress. Lo and behold, all of the children turned up in Jeans and a jumper. Aghhhh!

Anna spent Christmas day with Grandma Lynn, Grandad Flob, Uncle Henry, Uncle Matthew, Florence (Grandma Lynn's Mum) and... oh yes, her Mummy and Daddy. Uncle Henry very kindly gave her a wooden horse which was a treasured toy of his own when he was growing up and, thanks to Grandad and Grandma Lynn, Anna will continue to be the best-dressed baby in Chester, due to all of the wonderful clothes that she was given. Anna was most mesmerised by a book that her Uncle Matthew gave her and is now obsessed with stroking Miffy at every bedtime (books have been a clear winner this Christmas!)! She loved every second of the day, especially Grandma Lynn's Turkey with all of the trimmings. Thankfully, we could walk off some of it off on Boxing Day when we took a wonderful, if not blustery, stroll along Southport Pier while Anna lay regally in her carriage (pram) being pushed and waving at everyone who passed her (lots of very kind people waved back which Anna loved)! She must have thought she was the queen!

Then, as if that wasn't enough, Nanny Mary cooked another Christmas dinner for when we stayed in Hereford over New Year. Anna wasn't complaining in the slightest and amazed everyone with how much she managed to eat. She also wasn't complaining when a HUGE sack of presents was presented to her including a wooden trike with trailer (from Uncle Steve and Auntie Carolyne), art easel (from Uncle Phil), a toy vacuum cleaner and a talking and Dancing Iggle Piggle! The best moment though was when Nanny and Grandad showed Anna their Christmas tree. At first, she took no notice. 'Oh.... another green thing with things hanging off it' thought Anna. However, this tree was MUCH better than our tree. This was because Nanny had hid the cuddly toy characters from 'In the Night Garden' in the tree. Anna adored the moment when Nanny started magically pulling each one out from the middle of the tree and then couldn't stop giggling for the rest of the evening! Why didn't her own Christmas tree do that?

It was lovely to see so much of our families over the Christmas (the best part of the festive period is all getting together in one place at the same time, which is rare!) and, having spent Christmas with James' family and New Year with my side of the family, Anna was very very spoilt for a long time!

Yet again, we are completely overwhelmed with the generosity and kindness that everyone continually shows towards Anna. Thank you.

It has left us with one problem however. Due to Father Christmas forgetting to leave a conservatory on the back of our house, we are now tripping over toys in EVERY room. I put Anna down in her play area this morning while I made breakfast and, when it was time to retrieve her, I actually couldn't see her due to the amount of toys in there! Even Anna had got lost amongst it all and couldn't find an escape route to the gate! A book case has been ordered as her pile of books has now become taller than James but we have no idea where it is actually going to go and I continue to scratch me head and wonder where her toys will go.

A Tardis is the answer as it takes up minimum floor space but is plenty big enough to hold a vast array of toys. If anyone has got a spare Tardis hanging around, please let me know. If that fails... we will just have to resort to permanently standing up!

The photograph is Anna, Grandma Lynn and Florence playing with the present that her Uncle John and Charlotte kindly gave Anna for Christmas.

Finding the Christmas Spirit

Ever since I can remember, I have adored Christmas. Even when I stopped believing in Father Christmas (How silly was I? Of course, there is a Father Christmas!), I still loved Christmas and it helped being a teacher surrounded by very excited 5 year old children (who could confirm that Father Christmas DOES exist and it was only silly adults who were wrong!)

Then there was last year. What with the little matter of giving birth and Anna being only 5 weeks old (hence I was surrounded by baby sick, nappies and leaking boobs!), Christmas passed me by in a haze. I don't remember very much about it at all (although I'm sure it was lovely). For the majority of 2007, I was really excited about this year's festive period as I felt as though I had missed out in 2006.

Unfortunately I started to feel like Scrooge during the build-up to Christmas this year! That doesn't mean that Anna had any less presents from her parents. The huge pile under the tree would have confirmed that (and James shaking his head in disbelief as the pile grew daily!). It just didn't feel like Christmas to me! Instead of wishing complete strangers 'Merry Christmas' as I passed them in the street (like I normally do every year!), I began muttering 'Bah Humbug' under my breath!

I have 2 theories on why this happened. The first theory is that the commercial aspect of it all is just too much. When I start to see Christmas crackers on sale in September, I automatically shut off and refuse to think about Christmas until nearer the time. Unfortunately, by the time that December comes, I have tried so hard not thinking about it, that I am fed up of Christmas! The other reason is that Anna hasn't caught the magic yet (being only 13 months). I am so incredibly excited about telling Anna all about Father Christmas, leaving the carrots out for the reindeer and mince pies out for Father Christmas on Christmas Eve, sprinkling 'Reindeer feed' on the grass outside in the dark on Christmas eve night (I know somebody who sells bags of 'Reindeer feed' during Christmas) finding Father Christmas snow trodden footprints on the stairs on Christmas morning (hopefully!!!) and, most of all, the anticipation of seeing Anna's excited face. I had dreamt of doing all of that and more this Christmas but Anna didn't understand so it was all a little lost on her. I suppose I'm like that excited 5 year old child on Christmas eve who feels as though they will just burst if they have to wait another second for Christmas... I feel like that except I am bursting with excitement about Anna experiencing the magic of Christmas!

After trying many things to find the Christmas spirit, such as singing carols very loudly in Church, attending the nativity service at Church, wrapping presents for 7 hours (they were not even well-wrapped.... it just took ages to wrap all of Anna's!!!!!), crying through cheesy weepy films on Christmas eve and giving an impromptu solo performance to the shoppers in Chester (whilst singing along to the brass band as they played 'Joy to the World'), I did eventually find the Christmas spirit.

So where was it?

It was in one of the smallest gifts under the tree. It was a book that only cost a couple of pounds (that James had actually found so all the credit goes to him!) and, despite being surrounded by toys that cost much more than that book, Anna sat and laughed and giggled at it for a long time. It was completely wonderful and suddenly, it felt like Christmas!

I will write another post all about Anna's wonderful Christmas (including a gift from her Daddy which I am still in shock about!) some time later during the week.... when the house starts to look less like a building site, when James and I have stopped feeling sick from all of the chocolate and Christmas cake and I have found somewhere... anywhere (!!!)... to put Anna's 1 million new toys!