For the whole of this year, I have been excitedly waiting until the day that Anna could start her dance classes. The day arrived this week.
Back in January, I found out that there were dance classes for children aged 2 years upwards and I immediately knew that Anna would adore it. Seeing as though Anna's favourite thing in the world is to dance and prance around all day every day (even the Forest Warden suggested that Anna could go to dance classes after she dances her way around the trees during every Forest Tot session).
The classes are called Diddi Dance and are aimed at 2 to 4 year old children. Each half term focuses on a different style of dance such as Salsa or Tap or Ballet but there is also general dancing thrown in each lesson where they dance to well-known pop songs in a non-specif genre. They are also given a variety of props to experiment with whilst dancing such as Hula Hoops, ribbons or batons.
So all year, I have been waiting with excited anticipation. To be fair, the teacher did say that Anna could start the classes as early as 18 months due to her love of dancing. However, I resisted the temptation because, although Anna might love the dancing bit, her ability to follow instructions is still lacking at times!
Recently I had heard on the grapevine that Diddi Dance classes were over-subscribed and fully booked so I decided to phone the teacher to make sure we were put on a waiting list. Fortunately for us, she still had some places remaining in her Ellesmere Port class which we could join now (there were no guarantees that they would still be available in November) so I took the plunge and so, this week, saw Anna booked on her first dance class.
Now, considering that I have been waiting all year for this class, anticipating that Anna would adore it and even getting rather excited myself (Mum's are encouraged to dance with their little ones too. Yay!!), you would think that I couldn't be too nervous about the prospect of Anna in her first dance class.
I didn't sleep a wink on Wednesday night as nerves had got a hold, fearing what would happen in this dance class that Anna was attending at 10am the next morning. I allowed my mind to run away with me. Despite all the class members being 2 to 4 years old, I had this image in my head of all these toddlers performing a perfect sequence of movements in time to the music, using their ribbons and hula hoops (think 'Fame' but with much younger kids!!). Then this image of Anna popped into my head, doing completely her own thing and going in the completely opposite direction to the others, twirling around uncontrollably and shouting Ting Tings at the top of her voice until all the children, mum's and teacher all ended up in a heap on the floor with Anna still dancing as she pirouetted out the room!
Fortunately, the reality was much different.
While waiting for the class to start, Anna decided to do her warm-up exercises and started running round and round the dance floor, spinning, twirling and doing leap frog jumps. One of the mum's turned to me and said 'She won't have any energy left for the class at this rate'.
'I wouldn't bet on it' I replied .
I wasn't wrong. As soon as the teacher started the music, Anna became even more excited and immediately started copying everything that the teacher did (which was very dramatic and exaggerated as she used to dance in West End shows etc so is a bit of a diva herself!) . For the entire 45 mins (except for the 5 minutes when they had the parachute out, which Anna has a MASSIVE phobia of. She cannot even stay in the same room as the parachute at both Diddi Dance and Jo Jingles and screams, shakes, sobs and gets hysterical, much worse than the hoover phobia ever was!)
I think the dance teacher has met her match as Anna showed her diva traits too. By the end of the class, Anna was standing next to the teacher, attempting to show all of the children how to do it! Unfortunately, the dance teacher is not as patient as the Jo Jingles teacher (strict is one word to describe her!) so didn't appreciate Anna taking over so firmly lead her back to the dance floor to the other children. I suppose that is what happens when divas get together!!!
I had 3 different mum's comment to me on how much energy Anna had and how she never stops. One even said that I must be permanently worn out if she has this much energy all the time. One look at the bags under my eyes would have probably given her confirmation of that!
However, despite the teacher's lack of appreciation for Anna's unique dance moves, Anna continued to dance away and, even after the music had stopped and everyone had gone home, Anna was still dancing to her own tune, by singing herself!
Friday, 17 October 2008
Wednesday, 15 October 2008
Dipsy Day
Despite my best efforts, Anna has taken a liking to the Teletubbies. It all happened because the Teletubbies programme immediately follows 'In the Night Garden' and, one day while I was on the toilet (too much information possibly!!), it came on and Anna was transfixed. Anna thinks it is hilarious and giggles so much that she has to lie down because she is laughing so hard!
Being the mean Mummy that I am, it is still a programme that I dislike (I can't see the educational value to it and think it encourages poor speech!) so quickly turn the TV off after her 'Night Garden' fix. However, her favourite CD is the C Beebies one, which we listen to in the car and it does happen to have the Teletubbies tune on it so Anna knows all the words!
After listening to the song several million times and watching the programme twice, she now knows the name of each teletubby. I didn't think there was much harm in that until yesterday.
Just so that you have a clear image in your head for the purposes of this blog post... this is a picture of the teletubby called Dipsy.
Yesterday afternoon, Anna and I are walking through the park. It is 3.30pm so we are meeting lots and lots of people as all the high school and primary school children make their way home. Being the sociable and friendly girl that Anna is, she insists that we say hello to each and every one of them. You can just imagine how thrilled I was when I saw 4 teenage boys hurtling towards us on their bikes and Anna stands directly in their path and shouts 'stop' whilst holding her hand above her head as though she is a policewoman! Thankfully, the teenagers were brilliant and screeched to a halt before I had to dive in and rescue her. They even said hello to her and one even shook her hand (to which Anna just jumped up and down with glee!) before they rode on.
So we carry on sauntering along when I see a lady coming in the opposite direction. This lady is wearing a velour tracksuit. A lime green velour tracksuit. A lime green remarkably similar to a certain teletubby.
Anna starts waving at her enthusiastically and I am none the wiser, just thinking what a wonderfully polite girl I have! As the lady gets closer, Anna starts saying Hello to which the lady, very kindly, says 'hello' back. Anna then replies with 'Hello Dipsy'.
I think I could have got away with it if we had managed to walk away at that second but, after no response, Anna turns to me and says. 'Dipsy' as she points to the lady. It is then that I pretend to look puzzled, hoping that the lady would not think anything more about it. With hindsight, I think that was a mistake because Anna could see that I looked puzzled. Therefore, to help me and make things clearer for me, Anna says 'Dipsy teletubby'... while patting the lady's tummy (which was a similar size to mine. I.e: Not small!!)
At this point, my brain was screaming to the ground.. 'open up and swallow me NOW'.
Thankfully, I think the lady was so taken with Anna 'being cute' that she didn't actually understand the teletubby reference. I hope!
For the duration of our walk, Anna and I then had an in-depth discussion (with me doing the talking and Anna ignoring me!) about the differences between a teletubby and a real human being.
I knew those Teletubbies would be trouble!
Being the mean Mummy that I am, it is still a programme that I dislike (I can't see the educational value to it and think it encourages poor speech!) so quickly turn the TV off after her 'Night Garden' fix. However, her favourite CD is the C Beebies one, which we listen to in the car and it does happen to have the Teletubbies tune on it so Anna knows all the words!
After listening to the song several million times and watching the programme twice, she now knows the name of each teletubby. I didn't think there was much harm in that until yesterday.
Just so that you have a clear image in your head for the purposes of this blog post... this is a picture of the teletubby called Dipsy.
Yesterday afternoon, Anna and I are walking through the park. It is 3.30pm so we are meeting lots and lots of people as all the high school and primary school children make their way home. Being the sociable and friendly girl that Anna is, she insists that we say hello to each and every one of them. You can just imagine how thrilled I was when I saw 4 teenage boys hurtling towards us on their bikes and Anna stands directly in their path and shouts 'stop' whilst holding her hand above her head as though she is a policewoman! Thankfully, the teenagers were brilliant and screeched to a halt before I had to dive in and rescue her. They even said hello to her and one even shook her hand (to which Anna just jumped up and down with glee!) before they rode on.
So we carry on sauntering along when I see a lady coming in the opposite direction. This lady is wearing a velour tracksuit. A lime green velour tracksuit. A lime green remarkably similar to a certain teletubby.
Anna starts waving at her enthusiastically and I am none the wiser, just thinking what a wonderfully polite girl I have! As the lady gets closer, Anna starts saying Hello to which the lady, very kindly, says 'hello' back. Anna then replies with 'Hello Dipsy'.
I think I could have got away with it if we had managed to walk away at that second but, after no response, Anna turns to me and says. 'Dipsy' as she points to the lady. It is then that I pretend to look puzzled, hoping that the lady would not think anything more about it. With hindsight, I think that was a mistake because Anna could see that I looked puzzled. Therefore, to help me and make things clearer for me, Anna says 'Dipsy teletubby'... while patting the lady's tummy (which was a similar size to mine. I.e: Not small!!)
At this point, my brain was screaming to the ground.. 'open up and swallow me NOW'.
Thankfully, I think the lady was so taken with Anna 'being cute' that she didn't actually understand the teletubby reference. I hope!
For the duration of our walk, Anna and I then had an in-depth discussion (with me doing the talking and Anna ignoring me!) about the differences between a teletubby and a real human being.
I knew those Teletubbies would be trouble!
Thursday, 9 October 2008
Delilah
I am truly amazed at how fast Anna is developing at the moment. She is absorbing everything around her, even when you don't realise it.
She is copying everything! If she hears an 'interesting' word off the TV or radio, she will repeat it and this happens at least 50 times a day. Tonight's word was 'baboon', which she heard on the TV and then repeated over and over.
We also have to be extremely careful with what we say. The other night, whilst eating dinner, I was talking about a certain mother, who I shall call 'Jane' for the purpose of this blog! She attends Forest Tots with her son and has a tendency to show-off about her horses and stables (completely ignoring her son while he runs off towards the pond.) I was telling James about her when suddenly Anna started saying 'snobby Jane, snobby Jane'. Oops! I now have a vision of Anna going up to this lady and saying it to her face! I will be steering Anna away from her at the next Forest Tots.
The times when I am most reminded of Anna's ability to hear everything and use it, is when there is music about. For songs that capture her imagination, she will listen intently to the song and then start singing it back to you once it has finished. I am astonished at how well she can pick up the tune, let alone the lyrics. Of course, the Ting Tings are still her firm favourite. Their first 2 singles have been rather 'shouty' and sounding similar so I figured that was the attraction. However, their new single is quite a lot slower and more 'tuneful' and she still ran over to the radio and started grinning like a Cheshire cat, dancing around as though her bum was on fire and shouting 'Ting Tings' at the top of her voice. I didn't even know it was the Tings Tings until the song ended and the DJ told me so but Anna recognised it was the Ting Tings as soon as the song started and she had never heard it before!
However, the classic example of how Anna is picking things up and repeating them comes in the form of a Tom Jones impersonation.
Each night, while I cook the tea, we listen to Chris Evans. Friday night is especially good as Mr Evans has a request show where all the songs are very up-beat and cheesy for most of the time. As part of the Friday show, he plays Delilah each week, to which we are all meant to sing along at the top of our voices. I normally refrain (I need to concentrate while cooking the tea as I find it rather stressful to cook!!).
One recent Friday, we were sat at the dining table eating our dinner, after having switched the radio off several minutes before, when suddenly Anna starts singing 'Delilah'.
She is copying everything! If she hears an 'interesting' word off the TV or radio, she will repeat it and this happens at least 50 times a day. Tonight's word was 'baboon', which she heard on the TV and then repeated over and over.
We also have to be extremely careful with what we say. The other night, whilst eating dinner, I was talking about a certain mother, who I shall call 'Jane' for the purpose of this blog! She attends Forest Tots with her son and has a tendency to show-off about her horses and stables (completely ignoring her son while he runs off towards the pond.) I was telling James about her when suddenly Anna started saying 'snobby Jane, snobby Jane'. Oops! I now have a vision of Anna going up to this lady and saying it to her face! I will be steering Anna away from her at the next Forest Tots.
The times when I am most reminded of Anna's ability to hear everything and use it, is when there is music about. For songs that capture her imagination, she will listen intently to the song and then start singing it back to you once it has finished. I am astonished at how well she can pick up the tune, let alone the lyrics. Of course, the Ting Tings are still her firm favourite. Their first 2 singles have been rather 'shouty' and sounding similar so I figured that was the attraction. However, their new single is quite a lot slower and more 'tuneful' and she still ran over to the radio and started grinning like a Cheshire cat, dancing around as though her bum was on fire and shouting 'Ting Tings' at the top of her voice. I didn't even know it was the Tings Tings until the song ended and the DJ told me so but Anna recognised it was the Ting Tings as soon as the song started and she had never heard it before!
However, the classic example of how Anna is picking things up and repeating them comes in the form of a Tom Jones impersonation.
Each night, while I cook the tea, we listen to Chris Evans. Friday night is especially good as Mr Evans has a request show where all the songs are very up-beat and cheesy for most of the time. As part of the Friday show, he plays Delilah each week, to which we are all meant to sing along at the top of our voices. I normally refrain (I need to concentrate while cooking the tea as I find it rather stressful to cook!!).
One recent Friday, we were sat at the dining table eating our dinner, after having switched the radio off several minutes before, when suddenly Anna starts singing 'Delilah'.
'Cry, cry, cry Delilah',
'Why, why, why Delilah'.
'So before you come to la la la la' (she forgot the words at this point)
'Why, why, why Delilah'.
'So before you come to la la la la' (she forgot the words at this point)
She continued to sing while wrestling peas onto her fork and scooping up the last of her salmon fishcake!!!
We didn't even realise that she had been listening that closely to the radio!!! James and I just sat there looking at Anna, open-mouthed with our forks hanging in mid-air!
For the last 3 weeks, we have had Anna singing 'Delilah' at least 5 times a day. Thankfully, I also have witnesses as most people who have seen Anna in the last 3 weeks have also had the pleasure of being entertained by Anna singing 'Delilah'. Bizarrely, every time that her Grandma Lynn phones, Anna starts singing it immediately. I think Anna thinks her Grandma Lynn is called 'Delilah' or maybe Anna thinks that Grandad Flob is Tom Jones!
I have to admit that it does sound very very cute when she sings 'Delilah' and I am not the only one to say it! Everyone says it is very sweet and Grandma Lynn says Anna sounds like a little Pixie singing!
So not only do I have to be careful with what I say now but I also have to remember to be very careful with our music selections too! For example, on my mobile phone, I have a gorgeous sounding Kelly Jones (male lead singer of the Sterophonics) singing as my ring tone so it is only a matter of time before Anna starts singing the same song at the top of her voice. I'm just not sure that Anna singing 'You sexy thing' would impress the Forest Tots (even if Kelly Jones does sound gorgeous when he sings it!). I think I will be finding a new ring tone tomorrow!
We didn't even realise that she had been listening that closely to the radio!!! James and I just sat there looking at Anna, open-mouthed with our forks hanging in mid-air!
For the last 3 weeks, we have had Anna singing 'Delilah' at least 5 times a day. Thankfully, I also have witnesses as most people who have seen Anna in the last 3 weeks have also had the pleasure of being entertained by Anna singing 'Delilah'. Bizarrely, every time that her Grandma Lynn phones, Anna starts singing it immediately. I think Anna thinks her Grandma Lynn is called 'Delilah' or maybe Anna thinks that Grandad Flob is Tom Jones!
I have to admit that it does sound very very cute when she sings 'Delilah' and I am not the only one to say it! Everyone says it is very sweet and Grandma Lynn says Anna sounds like a little Pixie singing!
So not only do I have to be careful with what I say now but I also have to remember to be very careful with our music selections too! For example, on my mobile phone, I have a gorgeous sounding Kelly Jones (male lead singer of the Sterophonics) singing as my ring tone so it is only a matter of time before Anna starts singing the same song at the top of her voice. I'm just not sure that Anna singing 'You sexy thing' would impress the Forest Tots (even if Kelly Jones does sound gorgeous when he sings it!). I think I will be finding a new ring tone tomorrow!
Wednesday, 1 October 2008
Bug Hunt
Today, in Forest Tots, we went on a bug hunt. The idea was that we would go and find some bugs in the forest and then return to make bug hats, complete with googly eyes and antennae.
Unfortunately, it was a wet day but the rain held off just long enough to do our walk and get back to the lodge. So, all dressed up in our wellies and raincoats, we set off.
It wasn't long before the 10 children (all aged 2 and 3) were jumping in the puddles. They were not even little jumps, this was full-on getting wet. The control freak in me wanted to steer Anna away to look at blades of grass or something (You would never guess that my childhood was spent living in the countryside if you look at me trying to stay clean nowadays!!). However, the sensible, fun Mummy kicked in and I remembered that 'dirt is good' and so I let her go. Anna was having a fantastic time, jumping in the water and shouting 'splash' at the top of her voice. (From the 3 previous weeks of Forest Tots, I have learnt that putting Anna in anything other than her scruffy clothes is a really silly idea. Getting Muddy seems to be the main aim of this class!).
After a while, the forest Warden, Anita, found lots of logs and so all the children raced off to watch as Anita lifted up the logs to find bugs. It was lovely to see all the children literally holding their breath while the log was picked up, watching the anticipation in their faces as they expected to see hundreds of creepy crawlies. Unfortunately, every log seemed to have nothing underneath except some old moss and broken twigs. However, undeterred, the children marched off with Anita as leader, hoping that the next log would be home to the bugs.
Well, most children followed Anita. Anna was still having an amazing time shouting 'splash' and seeking out every single puddle that was in the forest.
After walking for a good 20 minutes, we came to the last log (or the last puddle in Anna's case) and Anita picked the log up. Suddenly, I heard lots of 'wow' and 'ooh' and 'arhhhhh' as a bug was eventually found. It was a big one too! Anita told everyone that it was a beetle that was called a 'cold back' (or something that sounded like that). All the children were still and quiet as they watched Anita point to it and describe it.
At this point, Anna looked up from the puddle and finally wondered what everyone was fascinated by so ran off to join them, with me racing behind her in a desperate attempt to catch her up.
Meanwhile, all the children are still crouched down, open mouthed, gazing at this beetle scratching in the mud. Then Anna comes hurtling across and... runs over it. One flat Beetle.
It has taken the entire walk through the forest to find this beetle and Anna manages to flatten it within 5 seconds. Thankfully, the children are oblivious and thinks the beetle has gone to sleep (due to lack of movement) and the other mothers are too busy talking about horse shows, stable management and where they got their sleek riding boots from (which they have worn to Forest Tots!!). Anita, the forest warden, takes it well too. 'These things happen' she muttered.
The rest of the morning was pretty uneventful in comparison. Anna made a ladybird hat (Making a Beetle hat would have been a painful memory every time that I look at it hanging in our kitchen!). Anna adored doing it, so much so that she didn't even look twice at her biscuit because she was so busy with paint! She managed to get red paint in her hair, up her nose and smeared across her T-shirt.
We must have looked quite a sight walking back to the car at the end of the class with me clutching a paper plate smeared in red and black paint, Anna's trousers soaking wet and extremely muddy and the top half of her body, including her face, covered in red paint.
Oh well, another fun morning had by all (except the beetle)!
Unfortunately, it was a wet day but the rain held off just long enough to do our walk and get back to the lodge. So, all dressed up in our wellies and raincoats, we set off.
It wasn't long before the 10 children (all aged 2 and 3) were jumping in the puddles. They were not even little jumps, this was full-on getting wet. The control freak in me wanted to steer Anna away to look at blades of grass or something (You would never guess that my childhood was spent living in the countryside if you look at me trying to stay clean nowadays!!). However, the sensible, fun Mummy kicked in and I remembered that 'dirt is good' and so I let her go. Anna was having a fantastic time, jumping in the water and shouting 'splash' at the top of her voice. (From the 3 previous weeks of Forest Tots, I have learnt that putting Anna in anything other than her scruffy clothes is a really silly idea. Getting Muddy seems to be the main aim of this class!).
After a while, the forest Warden, Anita, found lots of logs and so all the children raced off to watch as Anita lifted up the logs to find bugs. It was lovely to see all the children literally holding their breath while the log was picked up, watching the anticipation in their faces as they expected to see hundreds of creepy crawlies. Unfortunately, every log seemed to have nothing underneath except some old moss and broken twigs. However, undeterred, the children marched off with Anita as leader, hoping that the next log would be home to the bugs.
Well, most children followed Anita. Anna was still having an amazing time shouting 'splash' and seeking out every single puddle that was in the forest.
After walking for a good 20 minutes, we came to the last log (or the last puddle in Anna's case) and Anita picked the log up. Suddenly, I heard lots of 'wow' and 'ooh' and 'arhhhhh' as a bug was eventually found. It was a big one too! Anita told everyone that it was a beetle that was called a 'cold back' (or something that sounded like that). All the children were still and quiet as they watched Anita point to it and describe it.
At this point, Anna looked up from the puddle and finally wondered what everyone was fascinated by so ran off to join them, with me racing behind her in a desperate attempt to catch her up.
Meanwhile, all the children are still crouched down, open mouthed, gazing at this beetle scratching in the mud. Then Anna comes hurtling across and... runs over it. One flat Beetle.
It has taken the entire walk through the forest to find this beetle and Anna manages to flatten it within 5 seconds. Thankfully, the children are oblivious and thinks the beetle has gone to sleep (due to lack of movement) and the other mothers are too busy talking about horse shows, stable management and where they got their sleek riding boots from (which they have worn to Forest Tots!!). Anita, the forest warden, takes it well too. 'These things happen' she muttered.
The rest of the morning was pretty uneventful in comparison. Anna made a ladybird hat (Making a Beetle hat would have been a painful memory every time that I look at it hanging in our kitchen!). Anna adored doing it, so much so that she didn't even look twice at her biscuit because she was so busy with paint! She managed to get red paint in her hair, up her nose and smeared across her T-shirt.
We must have looked quite a sight walking back to the car at the end of the class with me clutching a paper plate smeared in red and black paint, Anna's trousers soaking wet and extremely muddy and the top half of her body, including her face, covered in red paint.
Oh well, another fun morning had by all (except the beetle)!
Wednesday, 24 September 2008
A Stethoscope Story
For a couple of months now, Anna has been walking around with things dangling from around her neck. It normally is my mobile phone charger wire or the spare cable from the TV. I always wondered what she wanted a wire hanging round her neck but assumed she thought it was a necklace or simply just a comfort thing.
Now, before you all start panicking that she could injure herself, I am very careful that I am around when she is doing this and fully aware that she could try to attempt to wrap it around her neck (which she has never ever done but I am aware of it). I am constantly taking wires off her and putting them out of reach but she always finds something else to use.
When down in Hereford, my mum also commented on it and suggested that she may be pretending it was a stethoscope. Surely not!! Admittedly, she has been in hospital more than the average baby but I couldn't quite believe that she would be pretending to have a stethoscope permanently around her neck. Then I started watching more closely...
Anna, every so often, would approach her dolls or Teddy's and, with the wire dangling around her neck, she would then stick the plug or phone charger 'bit' onto the doll's chest before nodding her head and saying 'good' whilst nodding her head reassuringly!! She really was pretending that these wires were a stethoscope. I shouldn't have been surprised. Last time we were in hospital, she insisted that the consultant left his stethoscope behind so she could play with it and listen to every one's chest when they visited her, including nurses, nursing assistants, cleaners, doctors, registrars and consultants. Thankfully, the consultant was lovely and went off to find a spare one so that Anna could have a loan of his stethoscope for the duration of her stay. However, I never imagined that this would have stayed with her and she would still be 'using' a stethoscope, 3 months after her last visit to the doctors.
However, things have now been taken to the next level. We recently went for a review at the hospital and saw the head respiratory consultant at Chester. It has now been 10 weeks since our last episode in hospital so things do seem to be improving as this is the longest we have been out of hospital since March. (Fingers crossed very tightly and praying that I have not just tempted fate.) When it was time for the consultant to listen to Anna's chest, I feared the worst after knowing that stethoscopes are a big hit with Anna. At first, I thought we had got away with it. Admittedly, when Anna saw the Stethoscope, she started bouncing up and down excitedly but then held her hands up above her head so that the doctor got easy access to her chest. The Doctor didn't even have to ask.
The consultant hadn't been listening for more than 2 seconds before Anna insisted on having a go. Luckily, the consultant was understanding and allowed Anna to have it. Immediately, the stethoscope was put around her neck and she insisted on placing the metal plate on the consultants chest to have a listen. She then bullied the poor medical student (who was observing the meeting) into pulling her chair closer so that she could ensure her heart was beating normally too.
Only after Anna had shown the senior consultant how to use the stethoscope properly was the consultant allowed to have it back. Anna then proceeded to call the consultant a 'good girl' when she did it correctly!! Thankfully, the consultant had a good sense of humour about it all although Anna was not a happy bunny when she started packing it away and started saying 'no, no, no, not yet'. to her.
'I think we have a future Doctor Gibson' suggested the consultant, to which Anna just beamed and bounced up and down with renewed enthusiasm! Anna was probably thinking that she had just been offered the job! 'Who needs 6 years studying medicine when I can use a stethoscope already'.
Oh well, there is her birthday present sorted! Anna's 2nd birthday present will be a stethoscope! I suppose it is original!
Now, before you all start panicking that she could injure herself, I am very careful that I am around when she is doing this and fully aware that she could try to attempt to wrap it around her neck (which she has never ever done but I am aware of it). I am constantly taking wires off her and putting them out of reach but she always finds something else to use.
When down in Hereford, my mum also commented on it and suggested that she may be pretending it was a stethoscope. Surely not!! Admittedly, she has been in hospital more than the average baby but I couldn't quite believe that she would be pretending to have a stethoscope permanently around her neck. Then I started watching more closely...
Anna, every so often, would approach her dolls or Teddy's and, with the wire dangling around her neck, she would then stick the plug or phone charger 'bit' onto the doll's chest before nodding her head and saying 'good' whilst nodding her head reassuringly!! She really was pretending that these wires were a stethoscope. I shouldn't have been surprised. Last time we were in hospital, she insisted that the consultant left his stethoscope behind so she could play with it and listen to every one's chest when they visited her, including nurses, nursing assistants, cleaners, doctors, registrars and consultants. Thankfully, the consultant was lovely and went off to find a spare one so that Anna could have a loan of his stethoscope for the duration of her stay. However, I never imagined that this would have stayed with her and she would still be 'using' a stethoscope, 3 months after her last visit to the doctors.
However, things have now been taken to the next level. We recently went for a review at the hospital and saw the head respiratory consultant at Chester. It has now been 10 weeks since our last episode in hospital so things do seem to be improving as this is the longest we have been out of hospital since March. (Fingers crossed very tightly and praying that I have not just tempted fate.) When it was time for the consultant to listen to Anna's chest, I feared the worst after knowing that stethoscopes are a big hit with Anna. At first, I thought we had got away with it. Admittedly, when Anna saw the Stethoscope, she started bouncing up and down excitedly but then held her hands up above her head so that the doctor got easy access to her chest. The Doctor didn't even have to ask.
The consultant hadn't been listening for more than 2 seconds before Anna insisted on having a go. Luckily, the consultant was understanding and allowed Anna to have it. Immediately, the stethoscope was put around her neck and she insisted on placing the metal plate on the consultants chest to have a listen. She then bullied the poor medical student (who was observing the meeting) into pulling her chair closer so that she could ensure her heart was beating normally too.
Only after Anna had shown the senior consultant how to use the stethoscope properly was the consultant allowed to have it back. Anna then proceeded to call the consultant a 'good girl' when she did it correctly!! Thankfully, the consultant had a good sense of humour about it all although Anna was not a happy bunny when she started packing it away and started saying 'no, no, no, not yet'. to her.
'I think we have a future Doctor Gibson' suggested the consultant, to which Anna just beamed and bounced up and down with renewed enthusiasm! Anna was probably thinking that she had just been offered the job! 'Who needs 6 years studying medicine when I can use a stethoscope already'.
Oh well, there is her birthday present sorted! Anna's 2nd birthday present will be a stethoscope! I suppose it is original!
Tuesday, 16 September 2008
Spider? What Spider?
‘She waved her massive legs at the crowd and they waved back, she sprayed water and the crowd begged for more, and when she was caught in a snowstorm and went to sleep in the middle of the main retail area, the audience gave out a great collective sigh of pleasure as if they had all been given a precious free gift. It turned out to be a very bad day for shopping, but a great day for art.’ The Guardian, 8th September 2008
There are many things that you can get up to at the weekend. Standing in the front row, watching a giant spider making its way through Liverpool with people trying to stop it with water, snow, lightening and fire no less, is not a way that I would have imagined spending a Saturday! However,
we did and I'm so glad that we did. It was fantastic!
Giant doesn't really describe this spider in any way so I hope the photo that I managed to capture gives you some idea.
It is difficult to explain it really. One lady was asked to describe it to BBC news and simply said ' There are no words... if you weren't here, you don't get it' and that is as accurate a description as you can hope for. However, for the purposes of this blog, I will attempt (and fail) to do some kind of description.
We were not even sure that we would get to Liverpool to see it. Torrential rain the night before had flooded the railway line, just outside Chester, so trains had come to a standstill (rain may beat trains but it didn't stop the spider!). Unfortunately for us, we didn't get told that the trains had stopped until the cashier was handing our train tickets to us and said 'By the way, the trains are not running so go and wait outside and a bus will pick you up in half an hour'. Great!
We were wondering how Anna would cope with a wait for so long but, as always, she was a star and was quite happy to sit and watch everyone else get irate while she just laughed at them! Unfortunately the bus was running 20 minutes late so, 50 minutes from when we first walked into the station, the double decker bus finally arrived. However, 50 minutes is a very long time in which to pile up Liverpool bound passengers (normally trains from Chester depart every 15 minutes to Liverpool). A massive crowd of people surged forwards to the bus but there was no way that we were all going to fit. In fact, the driver has stopped any more passengers from boarding, just as we got to the door but Anna decided that enough was enough and just clambered on anyway. That's my Girl!
With no seats left, we were left standing which I was not happy about as it was far too dangerous to let Anna stand up on a speeding bus. To be fair, there were people willing to stand to let Anna have a seat but, being crammed in like sardines meant there was no way of getting to the seats anyway. I was ready to get off again and go home! However, I then saw an opportunity. The baggage compartment had enough room in it!! I sat Anna in there and I wedged her in using our coats and bags while other people let me borrow their coats and bags to make it even more secure. Anna was in heaven. It must have felt like she was on a throne. She was able to look out of the window with nobody restricting her view (which is more than the rest of us had) and she had a bus full of people all facing in her direction giving her smiles and waves! Of course, Anna gave regal waves back and sang 'Wheels on the Bus' for everyone's delight. When it came to the line, 'The driver on the bus goes moan, moan, moan', everyone laughed so Anna just kept repeating that line over and over again while the driver just shook his head and muttered something!
The bus off loaded us at a train station north of Chester and we then had to wait another half an hour for a train to come! It was fast approaching midday but the 'I refuse to give up' mentality had set in and I was going to get to Liverpool now, regardless. Unfortunately, the train passengers had built up in all subsequent stations to Liverpool so, by the time that we got to the Mersey Tunnel, there was an imprint of my face etched on the window pane as I was stood, wedged in the corner with my face against the glass. There were actually people getting off the train and fainting! Thankfully, Anna's pram is very roomy so she was perfectly fine. In fact, she got so fed up that she fell asleep and missed the whole 'train journey from hell' bit!
Eventually we arrived in Liverpool and realised that we had no idea where this spider was! We saw lots of council men taking down bollards and flower pots and lamp posts to enable the spider to get through later in the day but we had no idea when that would be. 'Never Mind' said James. 'Maybe we can just go and look for my new trainers instead'. By this stage, I felt as though I had completed my mission in getting to Liverpool in the first place so my energy levels to find a massive spider was diminishing fast!
After lunch and James eventually finding his trainers, I decided to go hat shopping (for a very important wedding next Summer!!) and we found ourselves in the lift at Debenhams. However, when arriving on the second floor and the lift door opening, we discovered that we couldn't actually get out of the lift as the whole of the 2nd floor was crammed with people. I then heard a security person shouting that nobody else would be allowed in. 'I think we have found the spider' I uttered to James. We did stay in the shop for a while but our view was restricted severely and we wondered whether it was worth it at all so James suggested going back down. 'We won't be able to see anything at street level' I whined (not fully realising how big this spider was) but James insisted. I'm so glad he did. If we had stayed in the shop, we would have only got to see the spider as it walked past the wondow and we would not have had the full effects of anything.
However, James, being the vey clever person that he is, led Anna and I to the very centre of the street (it took ages to get through the crowd but eventually we had stepped on enough toes to get past). 'It is no good stood here' I whined again (Anna was far too busy eating an apple to whinge!!) 'The spider will mow us down and we won't see anything' However, James had a plan! Basically, when the spider came up to us, we would be directly in front of her (the spider was agirl spider with the offical name of 'La Princesse'). We would then get moved to the side with the procession and we would end up on the front row! I wasn't convinced but I really should have more faith as that was exactly what happened. We had the best view in the whole of Liverpool city centre!
So what is it... (sorry... you have had to read all of that to get to the ineresting bit but I needed to give the context didn't I??)
Basically, it was a HUGE mechancial spider, operated by 12 engineering intellects. The spider moved on its own with no help from lorries or other common vehicle. It could climb up walls and move each leg independently so that flaying legs could be seen to reach over various buildings throughout Liverpool as it walked, as though it was taking over the city. In fact, it literally DID take over the city and it did it in magnificent style!
It was shoruded in secracy and the first anyone knew about it was when it appeared on a derelict building outside Liverpool Lime Street station on Wednesday. Imagine coming off the train, still half-asleep with your mind mulling over another tedious day in the office, only to look up and see one massive spider dangling off an office block!
For the next 5 days, the spider then made it's way through the city, day and night, on a rampage. http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2008/sep/07/art
However, the spider is only half the story. You then have numerous 'performers' trying to stop the spider from it's tirade and they used all sorts to stop it. Often water was sprayed (drencing the spectators but nobody cared as we were all caught up in the drama) , lightening (flashing strobes), snow and fire was blasted.
Then, to accompany all of this was an orchestra, all following the spider on cherry pickers and cranes, elevated to the spiders height. This was no small orchestera. There were at least 20 musicians and the instruments included a full sized harp and harp player (she had a crane all to herself!). All of this was conducted by the maestro, on the lead cherry picker. Apparently, the composer of this music has slept in a tent on the streets of Liverpool for a week so he got a vibe of the city, so that the music reflected the environment! The music was the crowning glory as it just seemed perfect and the musicians, despite being elevated into the sky with the lashing rain pouring down, sounded amazing! It was very loud and simply awesome.
For the official word from the theatrical company themselves, click here (although calling 'La Machine' a theatre group really doesn't do them justice. It would be like calling the Mona Lisa a 'doodle'.)
So what did Anna think of the amazing spectacle which people (mainly scousers!) are describing as 'the best thing that Liverpool has ever witnessed'. Well... after a very exciting bus journey, a nice lunch in a smart cafe and helping Daddy pick out trainers... she just took one look at the spider (which was now hovering above her looking extremely intimidating with a very loud orchestra accompaniment) and carried on eating her snack as though it wasn't there! Well, lets face it, it was a giant spider towering over everything with an accompanying orchestra and lightening, fire and water spraying everywhere. What's so special about that!
There are many things that you can get up to at the weekend. Standing in the front row, watching a giant spider making its way through Liverpool with people trying to stop it with water, snow, lightening and fire no less, is not a way that I would have imagined spending a Saturday! However,
we did and I'm so glad that we did. It was fantastic!Giant doesn't really describe this spider in any way so I hope the photo that I managed to capture gives you some idea.
It is difficult to explain it really. One lady was asked to describe it to BBC news and simply said ' There are no words... if you weren't here, you don't get it' and that is as accurate a description as you can hope for. However, for the purposes of this blog, I will attempt (and fail) to do some kind of description.
We were not even sure that we would get to Liverpool to see it. Torrential rain the night before had flooded the railway line, just outside Chester, so trains had come to a standstill (rain may beat trains but it didn't stop the spider!). Unfortunately for us, we didn't get told that the trains had stopped until the cashier was handing our train tickets to us and said 'By the way, the trains are not running so go and wait outside and a bus will pick you up in half an hour'. Great!
We were wondering how Anna would cope with a wait for so long but, as always, she was a star and was quite happy to sit and watch everyone else get irate while she just laughed at them! Unfortunately the bus was running 20 minutes late so, 50 minutes from when we first walked into the station, the double decker bus finally arrived. However, 50 minutes is a very long time in which to pile up Liverpool bound passengers (normally trains from Chester depart every 15 minutes to Liverpool). A massive crowd of people surged forwards to the bus but there was no way that we were all going to fit. In fact, the driver has stopped any more passengers from boarding, just as we got to the door but Anna decided that enough was enough and just clambered on anyway. That's my Girl!
With no seats left, we were left standing which I was not happy about as it was far too dangerous to let Anna stand up on a speeding bus. To be fair, there were people willing to stand to let Anna have a seat but, being crammed in like sardines meant there was no way of getting to the seats anyway. I was ready to get off again and go home! However, I then saw an opportunity. The baggage compartment had enough room in it!! I sat Anna in there and I wedged her in using our coats and bags while other people let me borrow their coats and bags to make it even more secure. Anna was in heaven. It must have felt like she was on a throne. She was able to look out of the window with nobody restricting her view (which is more than the rest of us had) and she had a bus full of people all facing in her direction giving her smiles and waves! Of course, Anna gave regal waves back and sang 'Wheels on the Bus' for everyone's delight. When it came to the line, 'The driver on the bus goes moan, moan, moan', everyone laughed so Anna just kept repeating that line over and over again while the driver just shook his head and muttered something!
The bus off loaded us at a train station north of Chester and we then had to wait another half an hour for a train to come! It was fast approaching midday but the 'I refuse to give up' mentality had set in and I was going to get to Liverpool now, regardless. Unfortunately, the train passengers had built up in all subsequent stations to Liverpool so, by the time that we got to the Mersey Tunnel, there was an imprint of my face etched on the window pane as I was stood, wedged in the corner with my face against the glass. There were actually people getting off the train and fainting! Thankfully, Anna's pram is very roomy so she was perfectly fine. In fact, she got so fed up that she fell asleep and missed the whole 'train journey from hell' bit!
Eventually we arrived in Liverpool and realised that we had no idea where this spider was! We saw lots of council men taking down bollards and flower pots and lamp posts to enable the spider to get through later in the day but we had no idea when that would be. 'Never Mind' said James. 'Maybe we can just go and look for my new trainers instead'. By this stage, I felt as though I had completed my mission in getting to Liverpool in the first place so my energy levels to find a massive spider was diminishing fast!
After lunch and James eventually finding his trainers, I decided to go hat shopping (for a very important wedding next Summer!!) and we found ourselves in the lift at Debenhams. However, when arriving on the second floor and the lift door opening, we discovered that we couldn't actually get out of the lift as the whole of the 2nd floor was crammed with people. I then heard a security person shouting that nobody else would be allowed in. 'I think we have found the spider' I uttered to James. We did stay in the shop for a while but our view was restricted severely and we wondered whether it was worth it at all so James suggested going back down. 'We won't be able to see anything at street level' I whined (not fully realising how big this spider was) but James insisted. I'm so glad he did. If we had stayed in the shop, we would have only got to see the spider as it walked past the wondow and we would not have had the full effects of anything.
However, James, being the vey clever person that he is, led Anna and I to the very centre of the street (it took ages to get through the crowd but eventually we had stepped on enough toes to get past). 'It is no good stood here' I whined again (Anna was far too busy eating an apple to whinge!!) 'The spider will mow us down and we won't see anything' However, James had a plan! Basically, when the spider came up to us, we would be directly in front of her (the spider was agirl spider with the offical name of 'La Princesse'). We would then get moved to the side with the procession and we would end up on the front row! I wasn't convinced but I really should have more faith as that was exactly what happened. We had the best view in the whole of Liverpool city centre!
So what is it... (sorry... you have had to read all of that to get to the ineresting bit but I needed to give the context didn't I??)
Basically, it was a HUGE mechancial spider, operated by 12 engineering intellects. The spider moved on its own with no help from lorries or other common vehicle. It could climb up walls and move each leg independently so that flaying legs could be seen to reach over various buildings throughout Liverpool as it walked, as though it was taking over the city. In fact, it literally DID take over the city and it did it in magnificent style!
It was shoruded in secracy and the first anyone knew about it was when it appeared on a derelict building outside Liverpool Lime Street station on Wednesday. Imagine coming off the train, still half-asleep with your mind mulling over another tedious day in the office, only to look up and see one massive spider dangling off an office block!
For the next 5 days, the spider then made it's way through the city, day and night, on a rampage. http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2008/sep/07/art
However, the spider is only half the story. You then have numerous 'performers' trying to stop the spider from it's tirade and they used all sorts to stop it. Often water was sprayed (drencing the spectators but nobody cared as we were all caught up in the drama) , lightening (flashing strobes), snow and fire was blasted.
Then, to accompany all of this was an orchestra, all following the spider on cherry pickers and cranes, elevated to the spiders height. This was no small orchestera. There were at least 20 musicians and the instruments included a full sized harp and harp player (she had a crane all to herself!). All of this was conducted by the maestro, on the lead cherry picker. Apparently, the composer of this music has slept in a tent on the streets of Liverpool for a week so he got a vibe of the city, so that the music reflected the environment! The music was the crowning glory as it just seemed perfect and the musicians, despite being elevated into the sky with the lashing rain pouring down, sounded amazing! It was very loud and simply awesome.
For the official word from the theatrical company themselves, click here (although calling 'La Machine' a theatre group really doesn't do them justice. It would be like calling the Mona Lisa a 'doodle'.)
So what did Anna think of the amazing spectacle which people (mainly scousers!) are describing as 'the best thing that Liverpool has ever witnessed'. Well... after a very exciting bus journey, a nice lunch in a smart cafe and helping Daddy pick out trainers... she just took one look at the spider (which was now hovering above her looking extremely intimidating with a very loud orchestra accompaniment) and carried on eating her snack as though it wasn't there! Well, lets face it, it was a giant spider towering over everything with an accompanying orchestra and lightening, fire and water spraying everywhere. What's so special about that!
Monday, 8 September 2008
New Kid in Class
After our summer break, our baby groups and classes start again this week. It is nice to think that we are getting back to a routine and a hectic social life again but I am also nervous for a number of reasons.
The most important reason for being nervous is the fear of Anna being exposed to all those children, hence a much bigger risk of being exposed to cold viruses. I know, I know, you can't wrap her up in cotton wool but sometimes I have to fight a strong temptation to do just that when the alternative is days spent in hospital. I am going to try and stay positive. Each day that goes by means that Anna is getting bigger and stronger to fight these viruses from going to the chest. Be positive Louise (I am talking to myself again)!
Secondly, I am nervous about our music class tomorrow (Tuesday). Today is the first day with Anna's new teacher!! As I have mentioned before, Anna can be a diva in her music class, insisting that she demonstrates how to play the instruments, that she is the one who collects and distributes the instruments and that she will carry the box back to the cupboard (before the other children have even stopped playing the instruments). She also makes sure that she sings louder than everyone else and that her dancing takes over the entire room! Sue, her previous music teacher, was amazingly patient (much more so than I would be with an 'Anna' in my class!) and reacted wonderfully to Anna's diva moments. I'm not sure the new teacher will be quite as forgiving! At the moment, the other parents just consider Anna as being very very cute but, if the new teacher starts getting exasperated by Anna, how long will it be before the other parents start to feel the same?? We will wait and see!!
I am also in the process of enrolling Anna in a dance class. It is a group specifically designed for 2 to 4 year old children, dancing to pop music and using lots of different equipment such as hula hoops, ribbons and poms poms. In terms of the dancing, I think Anna can join in with the best of them but I'm not so sure on the 'following instructions' part of it. With Anna being asked to listen to music, dance and being incredibly excited (which Anna will certainly be where music and dancing is involved), it is not a good time to ask Anna to follow instructions. While all of the other children are dancing around the room in a circle, Anna would probably be dancing her way to the middle of the room! The teacher states that the dance class is a good way for children to keep fit. I'm not sure about the children but I will probably come out of each class puffing and panting after running behind Anna as she attempts to do the Highland Jig through each and every dance hall!
This Wednesday, we start a brand new class called 'Forest Tots'. I am extremely excited about it! Basically, it is a club set in Delamere Forest. For the first half of the morning, toddlers and their parent will go for a walk in the forest with a specific focus such as collecting leaves or looking for acorns etc. Then, they return to the wooden lodge and they take part in an arts and craft activity associated with their walk. Apparently, the tots did lots of pond dipping last half term which they loved. Anna will be the one that insists on getting in the pond with the mini beasts, in order to 'take a closer look'. I think Anna will adore it as it is outdoors, getting dirty and being around lots of other people which is her 3 favourite things! I am also looking forward to it, especially if it lives up to how good it sounds. I am also feeling slightly nervous. The thought of Anna let loose in a forest, over-excited and showing off to the other children is a little daunting. Also, I keep wondering what the other mum's will be like. It will be like I am the new kid in class as the club has been running for a year now and all of the other mum's know each other. I fear that they will all be super-fit and talk about their mountaineering trips and hiking expeditions. Oh well, I probably won't be getting a chance to join in the discussions anyway... I will be too busy wading into the pond to retrieve Anna!
Whatever the new term holds, I am sure that Anna will have lots of fun (and her Mummy will have some new grey hairs!)
The most important reason for being nervous is the fear of Anna being exposed to all those children, hence a much bigger risk of being exposed to cold viruses. I know, I know, you can't wrap her up in cotton wool but sometimes I have to fight a strong temptation to do just that when the alternative is days spent in hospital. I am going to try and stay positive. Each day that goes by means that Anna is getting bigger and stronger to fight these viruses from going to the chest. Be positive Louise (I am talking to myself again)!
Secondly, I am nervous about our music class tomorrow (Tuesday). Today is the first day with Anna's new teacher!! As I have mentioned before, Anna can be a diva in her music class, insisting that she demonstrates how to play the instruments, that she is the one who collects and distributes the instruments and that she will carry the box back to the cupboard (before the other children have even stopped playing the instruments). She also makes sure that she sings louder than everyone else and that her dancing takes over the entire room! Sue, her previous music teacher, was amazingly patient (much more so than I would be with an 'Anna' in my class!) and reacted wonderfully to Anna's diva moments. I'm not sure the new teacher will be quite as forgiving! At the moment, the other parents just consider Anna as being very very cute but, if the new teacher starts getting exasperated by Anna, how long will it be before the other parents start to feel the same?? We will wait and see!!
I am also in the process of enrolling Anna in a dance class. It is a group specifically designed for 2 to 4 year old children, dancing to pop music and using lots of different equipment such as hula hoops, ribbons and poms poms. In terms of the dancing, I think Anna can join in with the best of them but I'm not so sure on the 'following instructions' part of it. With Anna being asked to listen to music, dance and being incredibly excited (which Anna will certainly be where music and dancing is involved), it is not a good time to ask Anna to follow instructions. While all of the other children are dancing around the room in a circle, Anna would probably be dancing her way to the middle of the room! The teacher states that the dance class is a good way for children to keep fit. I'm not sure about the children but I will probably come out of each class puffing and panting after running behind Anna as she attempts to do the Highland Jig through each and every dance hall!
This Wednesday, we start a brand new class called 'Forest Tots'. I am extremely excited about it! Basically, it is a club set in Delamere Forest. For the first half of the morning, toddlers and their parent will go for a walk in the forest with a specific focus such as collecting leaves or looking for acorns etc. Then, they return to the wooden lodge and they take part in an arts and craft activity associated with their walk. Apparently, the tots did lots of pond dipping last half term which they loved. Anna will be the one that insists on getting in the pond with the mini beasts, in order to 'take a closer look'. I think Anna will adore it as it is outdoors, getting dirty and being around lots of other people which is her 3 favourite things! I am also looking forward to it, especially if it lives up to how good it sounds. I am also feeling slightly nervous. The thought of Anna let loose in a forest, over-excited and showing off to the other children is a little daunting. Also, I keep wondering what the other mum's will be like. It will be like I am the new kid in class as the club has been running for a year now and all of the other mum's know each other. I fear that they will all be super-fit and talk about their mountaineering trips and hiking expeditions. Oh well, I probably won't be getting a chance to join in the discussions anyway... I will be too busy wading into the pond to retrieve Anna!
Whatever the new term holds, I am sure that Anna will have lots of fun (and her Mummy will have some new grey hairs!)
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