Just as I was starting to feel brave and get my hopes up that hospital trips may just be a winter hazard....
Another 3 days in hospital.
Exactly the same scenario as the previous 4 occasions. Exactly the same thing said by the doctor, exactly the same frightening emotions, boredom and frustration and exactly the same ever-so-helpful advice of 'There really isn't anything else you can do to prevent this from happening again'. However, I think, even the doctors are starting to sympathise with the frequency as one look on their faces when they read the notes tends to give it away. This was the 5th admission in 5 months.
Private consultants, constant questions, endless background reading and numerous specialists all say that this is just unlucky and something that we may have to endure.
Meanwhile, the parties planned for end-of term clubs, the week we had planned while James is off, the meet-up with friends all now look dubious as Anna may be too unwell to attend. This feels more than just unlucky... this feels very unfair and very difficult at the moment.
Saturday, 12 July 2008
Wednesday, 2 July 2008
Club Chaos
The start of this week started off very well in playgroup but, unfortunately, it seems to have gone downhill at the rest of our clubs!
We began our week with Anna visiting a friend's house. I think it would be fair to say that I was slightly nervous about it, due to Anna's reaction to other little children in recent times, specifically when they have been playing with toys that she has an eye on (see previous post regarding playgroup). However, I am thrilled and relieved to report that Anna may have turned a corner!
When Anna was playing with her little friend, even if he was playing something that she wanted, she patiently watched until he had finished with it and then had her turn. Even when her little friend wanted something that Anna had found, Anna simply let him have it and went to find something else. The only slight issue was when her friend tried to take her red cube. For anyone that doesn't know, Anna's red cube is her most treasured object in the whole wide world. She takes it everywhere and, without her red cube, sleep would be non-existent. It is her security blanket and seeing someone else taking it away was a little too much. After playing so nicely, Anna's little friend looked slightly miffed at having this strange new object taken off him by Anna so his mum suggested that he go and find his teddy. Unfortunately, he couldn't see it but Anna was soon on the case and, without any prompting from me, had found the Teddy within seconds and had ran back to give it to him, to make him feel better. They finished the day by playing Kiss Chase! I think it would be fair to say that the game was a little one-sided though as Anna was doing all the chasing and her friend had a job on his hands to run away from a determined Anna! Once Anna had caught up with him, he was the recipient of some huge hugs and kisses.
Following the success at her play date, Playgroup saw Anna demonstrating her wonderful side yet again. She didn't snatch any toys and, if other children were playing with something that she would have liked, she either watched them or just walked away and came back to it later. Cue one very relieved Mummy! I have also decided that Anna is incredibly sociable. With the staff and other mum's being ignored for the majority of the time, Anna insists on going up to each and every mum, carer and staff member and waving and saying 'Hello' before giving them a huge smile.
After 2 great successes, I was feeling on a high for Anna's music class on Tuesday. As I have said before, Anna doesn't just sing in this class (like all of the other children do!). Anna goes for the whole experience and likes to dance too! Her current favourite trick is to spin around until she is dizzy and then go swaying until she falls over (in time to the music of course!). Unfortunately, Anna didn't feel as though enough people were watching at Tuesday's class so insisted on standing in front of the teacher and demonstrating, to make sure everyone was watching her. (I don't know where she gets this showing-off from... 'like Mother, like Daughter', I hear some of you mutter!!!). Anyway, not only did she upstage the teacher but she then felt an extra song was needed so, while the teacher was changing the CD's over, Anna decided to give her own rendition of the naughty monkey song. Everyone was instructed to listen (by Anna singing louder and louder until everyone was quiet) and then finished it off with a rousing applause... for herself. All of the other mum's then joined in and cheered and clapped her too. I then reminded them that their applauding her just encourages Anna's inner diva.
Now, some teachers could have become slightly annoyed with Anna for constantly doing her song and dance routine and interrupting the flow of the lesson. In fact, I was talking to some mum's in playgroup this week who were complaining that their babies' music teacher (they go to a different class to Anna) was not very good as she made any child sit down if they started jigging about. I then replied by saying how fantastic Anna's teacher is and how she actively encourages Anna to go to the front of the class and 'perform'. Anna's confidence is unbelievably high, thanks to her efforts and I am so fortunate that Anna has had such a wonderful experience, thanks to Sue. Therefore, imagine my horror, when Sue (Anna's music teacher) announced that she was stopping the class! I feel gutted about it! The silver lining is that a teacher from another area has decided to expand her business so will take over in this area. However, I am now panicking that they may not be quite so tolerant of Anna's diva-like enthusiasm. Anna adores her music class and it just won't be the same anymore!
I then think back to today's session at Tumble Tots and my heart sinks even lower. I had decided that Anna may benefit from going to Baby gym classes again. We did attempt to do this when she was 6 months old (in the 6 months - walking class) but Anna refused to roll, let alone crawl so we had to stop going. However, seeing as though Anna is now using the sofa as a trampoline and the dining table as a climbing frame (given half a chance and a seconds hesitation by me!), I thought she would enjoy using gym equipment. Oh dear!!! For the entire 45 minutes session, Anna refused to go on any of the equipment apart from crawling through a tunnel twice, where she insisted on going in the wrong direction so that the queue of children coming from the correct direction had to back up. For the rest of the time, she ran around the hall like something had just stung her on the bum, only to then start spinning around extremely quickly until she fell over. Just in case the staff couldn't see, she then went round every staff member (all wearing white T-shirts so easily identifiable to Anna) and spin wildly directly in front of them. There was just no controlling her! Every time I managed to catch up with her and try to pick her up, she shouted and went stiff-like. I tried putting her on top of the slide (which she adores when we go to the park) and she wouldn't bend her legs so that I could sit her down. I wouldn't have minded her running around for the entire 45 mins if it was open-space but this was a hall packed with 2 year olds so Anna had no choice but to bump into unsuspecting children. The equipment was completely lost on her. Thankfully, it was a trial session but, after Anna's reluctance to do anything which involved gym-based activities, I am very reluctant to pay £5 for Anna to just run around for 45 mins. She does that in the park or garden most days and it doesn't cost anything!
Our baby signing has stopped now as well, due to a change in the teacher's circumstances and swimming is still too risky at the moment, even taking her to normal lessons which don't dunk them underwater. Considering that I used to attend 5 clubs a week (one each day), Anna and I only attend 2 sessions now (Playgroup on Mondays and Music on a Tuesday) and Music club might have to end if the new teacher doesn't see Anna's enthusiasm in quite the same way as others see it!
I am now feeling very lost about all of our social gatherings. I fear that, without enough clubs to keep us busy and entertained, Anna and I will find ourselves making a lot of mischief!
We began our week with Anna visiting a friend's house. I think it would be fair to say that I was slightly nervous about it, due to Anna's reaction to other little children in recent times, specifically when they have been playing with toys that she has an eye on (see previous post regarding playgroup). However, I am thrilled and relieved to report that Anna may have turned a corner!
When Anna was playing with her little friend, even if he was playing something that she wanted, she patiently watched until he had finished with it and then had her turn. Even when her little friend wanted something that Anna had found, Anna simply let him have it and went to find something else. The only slight issue was when her friend tried to take her red cube. For anyone that doesn't know, Anna's red cube is her most treasured object in the whole wide world. She takes it everywhere and, without her red cube, sleep would be non-existent. It is her security blanket and seeing someone else taking it away was a little too much. After playing so nicely, Anna's little friend looked slightly miffed at having this strange new object taken off him by Anna so his mum suggested that he go and find his teddy. Unfortunately, he couldn't see it but Anna was soon on the case and, without any prompting from me, had found the Teddy within seconds and had ran back to give it to him, to make him feel better. They finished the day by playing Kiss Chase! I think it would be fair to say that the game was a little one-sided though as Anna was doing all the chasing and her friend had a job on his hands to run away from a determined Anna! Once Anna had caught up with him, he was the recipient of some huge hugs and kisses.
Following the success at her play date, Playgroup saw Anna demonstrating her wonderful side yet again. She didn't snatch any toys and, if other children were playing with something that she would have liked, she either watched them or just walked away and came back to it later. Cue one very relieved Mummy! I have also decided that Anna is incredibly sociable. With the staff and other mum's being ignored for the majority of the time, Anna insists on going up to each and every mum, carer and staff member and waving and saying 'Hello' before giving them a huge smile.
After 2 great successes, I was feeling on a high for Anna's music class on Tuesday. As I have said before, Anna doesn't just sing in this class (like all of the other children do!). Anna goes for the whole experience and likes to dance too! Her current favourite trick is to spin around until she is dizzy and then go swaying until she falls over (in time to the music of course!). Unfortunately, Anna didn't feel as though enough people were watching at Tuesday's class so insisted on standing in front of the teacher and demonstrating, to make sure everyone was watching her. (I don't know where she gets this showing-off from... 'like Mother, like Daughter', I hear some of you mutter!!!). Anyway, not only did she upstage the teacher but she then felt an extra song was needed so, while the teacher was changing the CD's over, Anna decided to give her own rendition of the naughty monkey song. Everyone was instructed to listen (by Anna singing louder and louder until everyone was quiet) and then finished it off with a rousing applause... for herself. All of the other mum's then joined in and cheered and clapped her too. I then reminded them that their applauding her just encourages Anna's inner diva.
Now, some teachers could have become slightly annoyed with Anna for constantly doing her song and dance routine and interrupting the flow of the lesson. In fact, I was talking to some mum's in playgroup this week who were complaining that their babies' music teacher (they go to a different class to Anna) was not very good as she made any child sit down if they started jigging about. I then replied by saying how fantastic Anna's teacher is and how she actively encourages Anna to go to the front of the class and 'perform'. Anna's confidence is unbelievably high, thanks to her efforts and I am so fortunate that Anna has had such a wonderful experience, thanks to Sue. Therefore, imagine my horror, when Sue (Anna's music teacher) announced that she was stopping the class! I feel gutted about it! The silver lining is that a teacher from another area has decided to expand her business so will take over in this area. However, I am now panicking that they may not be quite so tolerant of Anna's diva-like enthusiasm. Anna adores her music class and it just won't be the same anymore!
I then think back to today's session at Tumble Tots and my heart sinks even lower. I had decided that Anna may benefit from going to Baby gym classes again. We did attempt to do this when she was 6 months old (in the 6 months - walking class) but Anna refused to roll, let alone crawl so we had to stop going. However, seeing as though Anna is now using the sofa as a trampoline and the dining table as a climbing frame (given half a chance and a seconds hesitation by me!), I thought she would enjoy using gym equipment. Oh dear!!! For the entire 45 minutes session, Anna refused to go on any of the equipment apart from crawling through a tunnel twice, where she insisted on going in the wrong direction so that the queue of children coming from the correct direction had to back up. For the rest of the time, she ran around the hall like something had just stung her on the bum, only to then start spinning around extremely quickly until she fell over. Just in case the staff couldn't see, she then went round every staff member (all wearing white T-shirts so easily identifiable to Anna) and spin wildly directly in front of them. There was just no controlling her! Every time I managed to catch up with her and try to pick her up, she shouted and went stiff-like. I tried putting her on top of the slide (which she adores when we go to the park) and she wouldn't bend her legs so that I could sit her down. I wouldn't have minded her running around for the entire 45 mins if it was open-space but this was a hall packed with 2 year olds so Anna had no choice but to bump into unsuspecting children. The equipment was completely lost on her. Thankfully, it was a trial session but, after Anna's reluctance to do anything which involved gym-based activities, I am very reluctant to pay £5 for Anna to just run around for 45 mins. She does that in the park or garden most days and it doesn't cost anything!
Our baby signing has stopped now as well, due to a change in the teacher's circumstances and swimming is still too risky at the moment, even taking her to normal lessons which don't dunk them underwater. Considering that I used to attend 5 clubs a week (one each day), Anna and I only attend 2 sessions now (Playgroup on Mondays and Music on a Tuesday) and Music club might have to end if the new teacher doesn't see Anna's enthusiasm in quite the same way as others see it!
I am now feeling very lost about all of our social gatherings. I fear that, without enough clubs to keep us busy and entertained, Anna and I will find ourselves making a lot of mischief!
Wednesday, 25 June 2008
Train Trips
Last weekend saw Anna taking her first ever trip by train. I was very excited!
We had decided to go to Liverpool. Being Capital of Culture, they have spent millions on transforming the city and we were curious to see how it had changed. It actually works out much cheaper for us to get the train and, as they leave Chester very 15 minutes, it would be just as quick too (we only live a 15 minute walk away from Chester station) .
I have a fondness for trains (Not as much as a train spotter, I hasten to add) as it is trains that I have to thank for my relationship with James. Every Saturday, after my shift at the local supermarket (I was at University at the time), I would travel 2 and a half hours to spend the weekend with him.
Most of the time, I actually found train travel really relaxing. It gave me 2 and a half hours where I could do very little except lose myself in a good book. However, that is no longer the case as I was hardly going to have time to read a timetable, let alone a few pages of a book, with Anna accompanying me on a train!!
Anna was oblivious to the fact that we were on a train until we had actually sat down and it had started to move. I think Anna immediately thought trains were much more preferable than cars. For a start, there were lots more people to talk to and watch and it was even better when they all started cooing and 'oohing' at her. Anna was also taken with the 'Clickity Clack' sound of the train as it sped along. She then started to point to all of the other trains out of the window and say 'Choo Choo' every 5 seconds. She had a beaming smile form ear to ear. She also thought it was hysterically funny every time that the announcer (automated voice) announced the next station stop. I have never heard anyone laugh quite so loudly at the name 'Birkenhead Central'.
I was a little worried about the tunnels as, when she was younger, she would always get a little upset when we drove through the Mersey tunnel (on the way to Grandad Flob and Grandma Lynn's house) but, on the train, the tunnels didn't faze her in the slightest and Anna thought it was all part of the adventure. Anna was very disappointed when it was time to get off.
After a long but great day in Liverpool, it was time to head back to the train. Unfortunately, Anna was so tired after seeing so many new sights and sounds, she fell asleep and completely missed the return leg of the journey. She even stayed asleep when the train pulled into the underground station with the train driver being a little too late in pulling on the brakes and making the train literally screech to a halt.
Despite missing the return journey, I think that Anna was rather taken with train travel. In previous playgroup sessions, she has completely ignored the 'Thomas the Tank engine' train set. This week, she took one look at it, smiled and said 'Choo Choo' before laughing and jumping up and down with excitement.
We had decided to go to Liverpool. Being Capital of Culture, they have spent millions on transforming the city and we were curious to see how it had changed. It actually works out much cheaper for us to get the train and, as they leave Chester very 15 minutes, it would be just as quick too (we only live a 15 minute walk away from Chester station) .
I have a fondness for trains (Not as much as a train spotter, I hasten to add) as it is trains that I have to thank for my relationship with James. Every Saturday, after my shift at the local supermarket (I was at University at the time), I would travel 2 and a half hours to spend the weekend with him.
Most of the time, I actually found train travel really relaxing. It gave me 2 and a half hours where I could do very little except lose myself in a good book. However, that is no longer the case as I was hardly going to have time to read a timetable, let alone a few pages of a book, with Anna accompanying me on a train!!
Anna was oblivious to the fact that we were on a train until we had actually sat down and it had started to move. I think Anna immediately thought trains were much more preferable than cars. For a start, there were lots more people to talk to and watch and it was even better when they all started cooing and 'oohing' at her. Anna was also taken with the 'Clickity Clack' sound of the train as it sped along. She then started to point to all of the other trains out of the window and say 'Choo Choo' every 5 seconds. She had a beaming smile form ear to ear. She also thought it was hysterically funny every time that the announcer (automated voice) announced the next station stop. I have never heard anyone laugh quite so loudly at the name 'Birkenhead Central'.
I was a little worried about the tunnels as, when she was younger, she would always get a little upset when we drove through the Mersey tunnel (on the way to Grandad Flob and Grandma Lynn's house) but, on the train, the tunnels didn't faze her in the slightest and Anna thought it was all part of the adventure. Anna was very disappointed when it was time to get off.
After a long but great day in Liverpool, it was time to head back to the train. Unfortunately, Anna was so tired after seeing so many new sights and sounds, she fell asleep and completely missed the return leg of the journey. She even stayed asleep when the train pulled into the underground station with the train driver being a little too late in pulling on the brakes and making the train literally screech to a halt.
Despite missing the return journey, I think that Anna was rather taken with train travel. In previous playgroup sessions, she has completely ignored the 'Thomas the Tank engine' train set. This week, she took one look at it, smiled and said 'Choo Choo' before laughing and jumping up and down with excitement.
Monday, 23 June 2008
Care and Share
You may remember a while ago, on this blog, that I expressed concerns about Anna's inability to share her toys with other children and how I thought a toddler playgroup may help.
Well... Anna now attends toddler playgroup (with her Mummy tagging along to cramp her style!) and it appears that the 'sharing' issue is not getting any better.
Anna seems unable to share anything! If she sees a child playing with something that she wants, she will simply go up to that child and take it off them without any hesitation. I then proceed to give the toy back to the poor child in question and Anna simply takes it off them again. This then continues for the next 10 minutes until I have to pick Anna up, remove her from the scene of chaos which she has created, and then try to distract her with another toy. Unfortunately, the toy that I choose never seems as exciting as the toy that she attempted to snatch, so Anna then has a tantrum where she falls to the floor and shouts (If able to be translated, Anna would probably be saying 'Why do you always spoil my fun Mummy?') I have now learnt to ignore the tantrum but it doesn't seem to stop her trying to take another toy from a different child, only 5 minutes later. The only shimmer of silver lining is that she doesn't actually intentionally try and hurt another child while snatching their toy and if she does ever think that she hurt a child (which did happen once unfortunately), Anna does get extremely upset.
It is not even as though she is taking toys from children that are younger than her. Today, she had no hesitation in approaching a 4 year old boy in playgroup and taking his toy car off him. It didn't mater that he was twice her size! Last week, a little girl was sat in a red ride-on car and Anna tried pulling her off it (so she could have a go) by gently tugging on her T-shirt. The girl, however, was made of strong stuff and wouldn't move (good on her) so Anna decided to sit on top of her so that she could ride the car instead. I was absolutely mortified (so was the girl who Anna was sat on).
Anna is also quite possessive over her toys. We were staying in Hereford last week and Anna's little friend, Macy, came to play. (Macy is 14 months old). All morning, Anna had shown no interest in sitting in her little chair but, as soon as Macy sat down on it, Anna tried to take it off her so that she could sit down. Yet again, I tried to explain that it was nice to share and that there were lots of other toys to play with. All to no avail until Anna's Nanny came along and then Anna allowed Macy to sit in the chair!
Of course, in all of these situations, I hastily rush over, trying to console the poor victim, removing Anna from the situation while also trying to explain to Anna that it wasn't her toy to have and that she must share. I don't think I am helping matters though. James keeps reminding me that I am a teacher and used to deal with these types of situation on a daily basis (especially in my first school where sharing did not come naturally at all to some children as they never ever got to see it at home). I was even known to be strict by some children. Often, I would end up with unruly children who had been sent to the head for an afternoon (it didn't help that the year 2 classroom was next door to the head's office). My class of 5 year old's would think it was hilarious that other children thought I was strict. (After my class got used to me and knew the boundaries, they knew that as long as they followed the class rules, I was just a big softy who loved chocolate too much and giggled... a lot!!!) However, I am increasingly finding that being a teacher and being a mum are two very different skills altogether. I'm not sure other mum's realise that though. I can almost hear them thinking 'But she says that she was a teacher... what a rubbish teacher she must have been if she can't even tell off her daughter').
The really annoying part of all this is that we never see the uncaring side of Anna at home. In fact, it is the opposite. If she is eating something and I'm not, she will always break a bit of her biscuit/fruit off and offer me a piece. If ever Anna is playing with her toys and I start to talk about it, Anna will always try to give me the toy because she thinks that I want to play with it if I am talking about it! In music class, she will often make sure all of the other children have got an instrument before she picks one up herself. Likewise, I have also known Anna to go and give another child a hug if they are upset.
James and I are now role-playing situations at home so that Anna can see lots and lots and lots of examples of sharing and we are also more conscious of the fact that we shouldn't let Anna take something off us if she wants it immediately. (For example, if I am reading a leaflet, I used to let Anna take it off me to look at but I now say 'Anna, Mummy is reading it and you can have a look when I finish', even if I have finished reading it already). I am also starting to think that putting Anna in nursery one day a week may help. In nursery, she will have no choice but to share and, if she didn't, there would be someone who isn't her boring old mum, telling her that it was wrong. It would also mean that I could go to work one day a week (Maybe that would be a good thing for both me and Anna although I am petrified at the prospect of it). I am still undecided about it but it is certainly something I am thinking about.
Maybe all children go through this? I was certainly given more to think about this afternoon whilst shopping in Sainsburys'. I was picking some bananas from the basket and, to make Anna laugh, was singing 'Bananas in Pyjamas' and making the bananas do a silly dance at the same time. Anna was giggling and clapping her hands and we were having a great time. I then turned around to pick up some strawberries when suddenly this little boy (about 7 years old) walked past Anna, stopped and said 'I hate you' to Anna and stuck his tongue out at her. Poor Anna just looked at him and started sucking her thumb (thankfully I'm not sure she understood him or what poking your tongue out meant). I think it is the first time that anyone has ever intentionally been horrible to my little girl. I felt even worse than if someone (adult or child) had said that to me and I immediately wanted to pick Anna up and give her a huge hug and tell how beautiful and wonderful she was (even if she hadn't understood the nasty comments). My teacher instincts then told me to ask him why he had just been nasty to my little girl, who had done nothing wrong to him. I suppose I just wanted to defend my little girl. However, before I got a chance to say anything, his mother, who was stood at the end of the fruit aisle, said 'For goodness sake Harry, hurry up or you will be late for your tennis lesson'.
If, aged 7 years old, Anna is still being a little too keen to assert herself, maybe then I should worry. For now, maybe it is all part of learning.
Well... Anna now attends toddler playgroup (with her Mummy tagging along to cramp her style!) and it appears that the 'sharing' issue is not getting any better.
Anna seems unable to share anything! If she sees a child playing with something that she wants, she will simply go up to that child and take it off them without any hesitation. I then proceed to give the toy back to the poor child in question and Anna simply takes it off them again. This then continues for the next 10 minutes until I have to pick Anna up, remove her from the scene of chaos which she has created, and then try to distract her with another toy. Unfortunately, the toy that I choose never seems as exciting as the toy that she attempted to snatch, so Anna then has a tantrum where she falls to the floor and shouts (If able to be translated, Anna would probably be saying 'Why do you always spoil my fun Mummy?') I have now learnt to ignore the tantrum but it doesn't seem to stop her trying to take another toy from a different child, only 5 minutes later. The only shimmer of silver lining is that she doesn't actually intentionally try and hurt another child while snatching their toy and if she does ever think that she hurt a child (which did happen once unfortunately), Anna does get extremely upset.
It is not even as though she is taking toys from children that are younger than her. Today, she had no hesitation in approaching a 4 year old boy in playgroup and taking his toy car off him. It didn't mater that he was twice her size! Last week, a little girl was sat in a red ride-on car and Anna tried pulling her off it (so she could have a go) by gently tugging on her T-shirt. The girl, however, was made of strong stuff and wouldn't move (good on her) so Anna decided to sit on top of her so that she could ride the car instead. I was absolutely mortified (so was the girl who Anna was sat on).
Anna is also quite possessive over her toys. We were staying in Hereford last week and Anna's little friend, Macy, came to play. (Macy is 14 months old). All morning, Anna had shown no interest in sitting in her little chair but, as soon as Macy sat down on it, Anna tried to take it off her so that she could sit down. Yet again, I tried to explain that it was nice to share and that there were lots of other toys to play with. All to no avail until Anna's Nanny came along and then Anna allowed Macy to sit in the chair!
Of course, in all of these situations, I hastily rush over, trying to console the poor victim, removing Anna from the situation while also trying to explain to Anna that it wasn't her toy to have and that she must share. I don't think I am helping matters though. James keeps reminding me that I am a teacher and used to deal with these types of situation on a daily basis (especially in my first school where sharing did not come naturally at all to some children as they never ever got to see it at home). I was even known to be strict by some children. Often, I would end up with unruly children who had been sent to the head for an afternoon (it didn't help that the year 2 classroom was next door to the head's office). My class of 5 year old's would think it was hilarious that other children thought I was strict. (After my class got used to me and knew the boundaries, they knew that as long as they followed the class rules, I was just a big softy who loved chocolate too much and giggled... a lot!!!) However, I am increasingly finding that being a teacher and being a mum are two very different skills altogether. I'm not sure other mum's realise that though. I can almost hear them thinking 'But she says that she was a teacher... what a rubbish teacher she must have been if she can't even tell off her daughter').
The really annoying part of all this is that we never see the uncaring side of Anna at home. In fact, it is the opposite. If she is eating something and I'm not, she will always break a bit of her biscuit/fruit off and offer me a piece. If ever Anna is playing with her toys and I start to talk about it, Anna will always try to give me the toy because she thinks that I want to play with it if I am talking about it! In music class, she will often make sure all of the other children have got an instrument before she picks one up herself. Likewise, I have also known Anna to go and give another child a hug if they are upset.
James and I are now role-playing situations at home so that Anna can see lots and lots and lots of examples of sharing and we are also more conscious of the fact that we shouldn't let Anna take something off us if she wants it immediately. (For example, if I am reading a leaflet, I used to let Anna take it off me to look at but I now say 'Anna, Mummy is reading it and you can have a look when I finish', even if I have finished reading it already). I am also starting to think that putting Anna in nursery one day a week may help. In nursery, she will have no choice but to share and, if she didn't, there would be someone who isn't her boring old mum, telling her that it was wrong. It would also mean that I could go to work one day a week (Maybe that would be a good thing for both me and Anna although I am petrified at the prospect of it). I am still undecided about it but it is certainly something I am thinking about.
Maybe all children go through this? I was certainly given more to think about this afternoon whilst shopping in Sainsburys'. I was picking some bananas from the basket and, to make Anna laugh, was singing 'Bananas in Pyjamas' and making the bananas do a silly dance at the same time. Anna was giggling and clapping her hands and we were having a great time. I then turned around to pick up some strawberries when suddenly this little boy (about 7 years old) walked past Anna, stopped and said 'I hate you' to Anna and stuck his tongue out at her. Poor Anna just looked at him and started sucking her thumb (thankfully I'm not sure she understood him or what poking your tongue out meant). I think it is the first time that anyone has ever intentionally been horrible to my little girl. I felt even worse than if someone (adult or child) had said that to me and I immediately wanted to pick Anna up and give her a huge hug and tell how beautiful and wonderful she was (even if she hadn't understood the nasty comments). My teacher instincts then told me to ask him why he had just been nasty to my little girl, who had done nothing wrong to him. I suppose I just wanted to defend my little girl. However, before I got a chance to say anything, his mother, who was stood at the end of the fruit aisle, said 'For goodness sake Harry, hurry up or you will be late for your tennis lesson'.
If, aged 7 years old, Anna is still being a little too keen to assert herself, maybe then I should worry. For now, maybe it is all part of learning.
Saturday, 14 June 2008
Who's Who
Going upstairs and downstairs in our house is taking a very long time at the moment! It is not because Anna takes ages to climb the stairs. In fact, nowadays, she is climbing the stairs as though she is in a race (in which she wins). However, going up stairs is taking so long as Anna insists on playing the 'Who's Who' game at the peak!
We have a framed photo at the top of our stairs, basically showing pictures of close family members. Ever since Anna was born, I have shown her different faces and told them their name. I thought she was getting bored of it recently so we did stop for a while but Anna is now insistent (by making a loud whinging noise if we walk past it without stopping) that we have to stop and play.
The Who's Who' game involves me saying a name and then Anna pointing to the correct person. When she gets it right (points to the person whose name that I have just said), I then give a big 'Woo Hoo', which Anna thinks is very funny! As time has gone by, Anna has become increasingly good at this game so I am shouting 'Woo Hoo' a lot. In fact, she can point to Uncle Phil, Uncle Steve, Uncle Matthew, Auntie Sally, Uncle John, Nanny, Grandad and Grandad Flob every time. She is also practising her names and can say 'Steve' very very well. Uncle John is a very good attempt too but always sounds like 'Ug Jo.' I happened to mention this to John who thought it was so cool that he now has it as his profile status on Facebook. He has only got himself to blame when Anna is 20 years old and still calling him 'Ug Jo'.
To all those family members who have not been mentioned in this post, it doesn't mean that we haven't got photos of you hanging up or that Anna can't identify you from a line-up!! It just means that the photos are too high up the wall for Anna to reach. Therefore, I am currently on a mission to swap the photo's around so Anna can see you and you can be included in the 'Who's Who' game.
Rather worryingly, there is one person in the 'Who's Who' game that Anna gets wrong every time. When I say 'Point to Mummy', Anna points to everyone else except me! Admittedly, in the photo, I am in a wedding dress and my hair is actually looking tidy and in a controlled state, which is different from normal. In the photo, I also don't have Anna's food splattered all down my front or playdough stuck to my elbow! So that is why she can't recognise me... oh dear.
We have a framed photo at the top of our stairs, basically showing pictures of close family members. Ever since Anna was born, I have shown her different faces and told them their name. I thought she was getting bored of it recently so we did stop for a while but Anna is now insistent (by making a loud whinging noise if we walk past it without stopping) that we have to stop and play.
The Who's Who' game involves me saying a name and then Anna pointing to the correct person. When she gets it right (points to the person whose name that I have just said), I then give a big 'Woo Hoo', which Anna thinks is very funny! As time has gone by, Anna has become increasingly good at this game so I am shouting 'Woo Hoo' a lot. In fact, she can point to Uncle Phil, Uncle Steve, Uncle Matthew, Auntie Sally, Uncle John, Nanny, Grandad and Grandad Flob every time. She is also practising her names and can say 'Steve' very very well. Uncle John is a very good attempt too but always sounds like 'Ug Jo.' I happened to mention this to John who thought it was so cool that he now has it as his profile status on Facebook. He has only got himself to blame when Anna is 20 years old and still calling him 'Ug Jo'.
To all those family members who have not been mentioned in this post, it doesn't mean that we haven't got photos of you hanging up or that Anna can't identify you from a line-up!! It just means that the photos are too high up the wall for Anna to reach. Therefore, I am currently on a mission to swap the photo's around so Anna can see you and you can be included in the 'Who's Who' game.
Rather worryingly, there is one person in the 'Who's Who' game that Anna gets wrong every time. When I say 'Point to Mummy', Anna points to everyone else except me! Admittedly, in the photo, I am in a wedding dress and my hair is actually looking tidy and in a controlled state, which is different from normal. In the photo, I also don't have Anna's food splattered all down my front or playdough stuck to my elbow! So that is why she can't recognise me... oh dear.
Friday, 6 June 2008
On Yer Bike
We have just spent a glorious week away in the Lake District and the week was great! I'm not sure that I have ever known a week fly by so quickly but it was still wonderful. The weather was glorious and it was action-packed.
I was petrified in the days leading up to our holiday. I feared the worst: that Anna would get ill again and we wouldn't be able to go or, even more terrifying than that would be Anna being taken ill while on holiday. The doctors had recommended that we check out where the local A and E hospital department was, in case she had an asthma attack. After reading our travel guide, we thought it was 5 miles away. However, being very thorough, James decided to phone the NHS to double-check and it was 25 miles away in Carlisle (Apparently, Penrith Hospital, which is only 5 miles from where we were staying, only has A and E during the daytime). The NHS then went on to reassure us that an ambulance station was positioned only 3 miles from where we were based so could get to us quickly if needed. I suppose that was some consolation but just compounded the fear for me. I couldn't even think about packing for our holiday or planning anything to do with it until the Sunday night before we were due to leave on Monday morning. Every time that I dared to hope that we might be able to go, there was a very tight, painful knot in my tummy as I imagined Anna being taken ill in the night. I realise that I must not let her illness take over but it is hard not to when you have to consider the possibility of her being ill. I also realise that I do tend to be talking about it a lot at the moment. I can only apologise but, when it seems to be dominating and dictating a large part of our lives through no choice of our own, it is hard not to talk about it.
Thankfully for us, Anna was brilliant and I'm sure the fresh air helped. It was definitely a different type of holiday for us this time but just added to making it so wonderful. We were practically outdoors for the entire holiday, from morning to last thing at night, except for the moments where we slept! James even suggested tents next time so we could be permanently outdoors but I just cannot contemplate only having a thin piece of material separating us from them (by them, I mean the furry 4-legged variety which shouldn't scare me but actually freezes me to the spot whenever I even think about them).
Being someone who adores being outside, Anna loved every second, running though woodland and open fields. We even hired bikes (my bum now hurts every time I sit down from being saddle-sore) and Anna had a little carriage to travel around in. It was very funny when poor James, who happened to tow Anna in her little bike buggy for the majority of the holiday, got shouted at by Anna to go 'Faster, Faster, Faster' every 5 seconds. I wasn't laughing so much when we went to meet James from his Archery course and I had to tow Anna. I'm not sure what she was saying to me for the entire duration of the ride but, judging by the serious tone in her voice, it wasn't complimentary about
my bike-riding skills.I think the personal highlight for me, during the trip, was seeing Anna win a medal and certificate for coming 4th in the Treasure hunt. Basically, we had to follow clues around the woodland and park. Being 3 miles long, we had to travel on bikes and there was approx. 20 families taking part. I had already devised a strategy plan where by I would race ahead and find the clue and figure out where to go next, while James followed my lead, albeit a little slower because he had to tow Anna around. Despite my claims that I was not going to be competitive during the treasure hunt, I fear that my competitive nature overtook any lame claims and I could soon hear James laughing as I started to overtake other mum's and dad's whilst shouting 'come on James, we can do this'. Unfortunately, disaster struck when I lost the map half way round and then had to follow my directional instincts (coming from me, who manages to lose sense of direction whenever I walk out of a lift). A massive hill also didn't help as I lost valuable time trying to cycle up the bloody thing, only to find myself actually cycling backwards because I was going so slow. It was not attractive. By the time, that we had reached the last clue, we knew we were not the first family back and it had stated that only the first family back received a prize. 'Why don't you just go and check in at the sports desk anyway' suggested James. 'What's the point?' I sulkily replied. 'We were probably the last ones back'. I am such a sore loser! James just raised his eyes and said he would go, just to make sure. Imagine my surprise when he came back with a medal and a certificate with Anna's name on it! Apparently, we were 4th and 3rd place beat us by literally 10 seconds. If only it wasn't for that last hill!!
Other highlights included a 'Messy Play' morning for Anna. It was in a huge room where they had laid out paints, playdough, glue, paddling pools filled with spaghetti, fruit slices, custard, flour and water mix and practically everything else that is messy. The leader had also laid out a massive tray of water, in order that the children can clean themselves up if they wanted to. Guess where Anna went first? That's right... Anna decided that the first stop would be to get into the tray of water, sit down and start kicking furiously. Luckily, we had already been advised that swimwear was optional and had followed the advice. Anna then discovered the custard, flour and water mix and jelly tub before then moving over to the paint table where she tried to taste every colour of paint. My daughter was in the midst of chaos all around her... all of which she had created. All of the other children were very gentle and calm as they poured custard through sieves and mixed the flour and water with spoons. Not Anna, she wanted to sit in the jelly and flour trays before then covering her face in it. She also felt the need to taste everything in sight. At one point, the leader commentated that this group of children were very calm compared to some children she met. 5 seconds later, Anna let out a squeal of pure delight while diving head first into the custard. The leader re-phrased it that 'Most of the children were very calm'. At the end of the morning, whilst all of the other children were being washed and dressed, Anna was still painting her face with the purple paint, refusing to let go of the paint and bucket of custard that she was pouring over her feet. We even experienced a major tantrum as she began to scream, before going very rigid and stamping her feet as we led her away, leaving a trail of jelly, custard and paint behind us as we walked away.
Apart from that fun and chaos (which was fantastic fun),the holiday was a true mix of events as other days we would find ourselves sitting next to the lake of Windermere (NOT the tourist bit but a very secluded and quiet spot, 9 miles south of the actual town), eating scones with cream and dangling our feet in the water as we watched the little rowing boats and the ducks swimming past. Anna has also found a love for rabbits as she will happily sit and watch them or ages. Her attempts at saying 'rabbit' have been less than successful but she has an excellent go!
It was an action-packed but wonderful holiday and I am missing it already. We all cannot wait to go again.
Sunday, 1 June 2008
Top of the Pops
I always knew that I would have turned into a true 'mum' on the day that I didn't understand my daughter's musical taste and said things like 'They don't make music like they used to' or 'This is rubbish. I remember when you used to be able to understand the words.'
However, I didn't think that day would arrive when my daughter was just 18 months old!
Most days, we have some kind of music playing in the house for the majority of the time. I try and play different types of music so that Anna gets to hear all genres but I suppose I was secretly hoping that my listening to the likes of Coldplay, Stereophonics, Queen and anything 'cheesy disco' would rub off on Anna and she would share my excellent taste in music!!
Oh dear. I'm not sure it is working. She cannot stand my Amy Winehouse CD (I play the edited version which contains no swearing when Anna is around). I can instantly tell that Anna dislikes Ms. Winehouse by the way that her face looks like she has just sucked a lemon every time that it comes on. Anna is not a big fan of Paul McCartney either as his voice makes her cry for some unknown reason. We have unsuccessfully tried to listen to Paul McCartney on more than one occasion but it doesn't work and the song, 'Band on the Run' gets her incredibly upset.
However, Anna has now got to the stage where she can express her likes and dislikes even more, especially if she likes the song. The first clue that she likes it is the way in which she starts dancing around the room, twirling and bouncing up and down on the spot. This will last for the duration of the song! The other way that I know that she likes it is that she asks for 'more' when the song is coming to an end.
Now, there are some songs which I don't mind playing again... and again... and again. However, there are some songs which I can barely cope with listening to once, let alone 10 times in a row.
Anna has 2 favourite songs at the moment. The first song is 'Mercy' by Duffy. (I have included a you tube video for those who want to hear it)
Now, I actually really like this song so I really don't mind that Anna asks for it to be played 10 times in a row. It is also great to see my little girl dancing around the house with a huge smile on her face so I have no complaints.
Anna's other favourite song is just awful but, somehow, gets caught in your head and you find yourself singing it all day, including whilst waiting in the queue at Sainsburys! It is by a group called the Tings Tings. (I have included another video for those who want to hear it although it takes a few seconds to start. You do so at your own risk... as you will be humming it all day!)
When this is playing, I hear myself saying stuff that makes me sound incredibly old. 'This is rubbish' or 'They don't make songs like they used to'. Oh No... I think this may be damning evidence that I am not a trendy mum!
My problem is that I just can't say 'no' when she looks at me with her big eyes and flutters those long glorious eyelashes! However, I have limits and even I have to start saying 'last time' after the 3rd or 4th listen. I blame James. He is as soft as me and downloads all of these songs when he knows that Anna likes them so much.
So, it looks like it has started already... I am turning into a grumpy old mum!!! Meanwhile, as I write this, Anna is dancing around the house looking like she is having a great time while listening to the awful song. Well... if you can't beat them... join them! I'm finishing this post now... so that I can go dancing around the living room with my daughter!
However, I didn't think that day would arrive when my daughter was just 18 months old!
Most days, we have some kind of music playing in the house for the majority of the time. I try and play different types of music so that Anna gets to hear all genres but I suppose I was secretly hoping that my listening to the likes of Coldplay, Stereophonics, Queen and anything 'cheesy disco' would rub off on Anna and she would share my excellent taste in music!!
Oh dear. I'm not sure it is working. She cannot stand my Amy Winehouse CD (I play the edited version which contains no swearing when Anna is around). I can instantly tell that Anna dislikes Ms. Winehouse by the way that her face looks like she has just sucked a lemon every time that it comes on. Anna is not a big fan of Paul McCartney either as his voice makes her cry for some unknown reason. We have unsuccessfully tried to listen to Paul McCartney on more than one occasion but it doesn't work and the song, 'Band on the Run' gets her incredibly upset.
However, Anna has now got to the stage where she can express her likes and dislikes even more, especially if she likes the song. The first clue that she likes it is the way in which she starts dancing around the room, twirling and bouncing up and down on the spot. This will last for the duration of the song! The other way that I know that she likes it is that she asks for 'more' when the song is coming to an end.
Now, there are some songs which I don't mind playing again... and again... and again. However, there are some songs which I can barely cope with listening to once, let alone 10 times in a row.
Anna has 2 favourite songs at the moment. The first song is 'Mercy' by Duffy. (I have included a you tube video for those who want to hear it)
Now, I actually really like this song so I really don't mind that Anna asks for it to be played 10 times in a row. It is also great to see my little girl dancing around the house with a huge smile on her face so I have no complaints.
Anna's other favourite song is just awful but, somehow, gets caught in your head and you find yourself singing it all day, including whilst waiting in the queue at Sainsburys! It is by a group called the Tings Tings. (I have included another video for those who want to hear it although it takes a few seconds to start. You do so at your own risk... as you will be humming it all day!)
When this is playing, I hear myself saying stuff that makes me sound incredibly old. 'This is rubbish' or 'They don't make songs like they used to'. Oh No... I think this may be damning evidence that I am not a trendy mum!
My problem is that I just can't say 'no' when she looks at me with her big eyes and flutters those long glorious eyelashes! However, I have limits and even I have to start saying 'last time' after the 3rd or 4th listen. I blame James. He is as soft as me and downloads all of these songs when he knows that Anna likes them so much.
So, it looks like it has started already... I am turning into a grumpy old mum!!! Meanwhile, as I write this, Anna is dancing around the house looking like she is having a great time while listening to the awful song. Well... if you can't beat them... join them! I'm finishing this post now... so that I can go dancing around the living room with my daughter!
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