Can you guess what it is yet?

Can you guess what Alice is trying to do and successfully achieving in these photographs?








Yep, a few days ago she started taking off her babygrows after breakfast. Last night she took it off when she went to bed, then woke at 8.30pm completely out of her babygrow. Given we're going into the winter that's not really something we want her to get used to. So today we went out and bought some (non-pink, or at least as non-pink as I could find in her size) pyjamas. So from now on she won't ever wear babygrows again. We were hoping to get to 2 wearing them at night, but she's obviously decided she doesn't want to wear them any more.

So here she is in her first pair of pyjamas, or "mamas" as she calls them. Unfortunately the battery on the camera went, so this was all we could catch before bed time. They are wee bit big on her, but we are hoping to get the whole winter out of these. This was part of a set of two pairs from Boots. So we'll have to try and find her another pair of non-pink pjs too.

A visiting weekend.

Mummy and Alice had a busy weekend of visiting and visitors. It started on Friday afternoon when one of Alice's Godmothers popped in, as she was in the area (Laura the English can pop from time to time). Alice had fun showing Louise her books and toys and singing her favourite song, "row, row, row your boat". I didn't realise until I started going to toddler groups that there are about 20 verses to the song!!! Anyway, it was a very busy weekend for Stuart at work and thankfully Louise did call in, because she stayed for dinner and then kept me entertained while he spent most of the evening on the phone to work.

Saturday. Stuart was at work, we had a couple of offers to go visiting with friends. We did a lot of deliberating, but Druridge Bay didn't work out with Mr and Mrs D, doglet and the boys. So went round to the McKelveys in the afternoon. Alice seemed very taken with their new bunny rabbit and enjoyed drawing a lot.

Sunday. Stuart managed to get out of working. However, was on the phone quite a lot to work throughout the day. We did have some very special visitors on Sunday. Alice's great aunt Betty and great uncle Brian. They were on holiday in Scotland for the week and did a few days at the end in our area, so they could meet Alice and then travel back home to Essex. It was great to see them and Alice really enjoyed showing them her toys too. Brian said he really wanted to see Alice and sit her on his knee and that's what he did. Thank you for calling in and for Jess, she is Alice's new favourite toy.

Jumping, Gardening and Slippers

Alice and mummy go to a Bible study group once a fortnight on a Thursday. Last week was the first one back after the summer, so they had a social instead of a study. Alice stays in a creche whilst the mothers go up stairs to study the Bible. As it was finishing one of the children who is a bit older than Alice was jumping all over the place and Alice was trying to copy her. Then on Sunday after church she was trying to do some more jumping, the first bit of the video is Alice trying to jump. She can't get both feet off the ground at once, so ends up more like stamping. We think it's hilarious.

On Saturday we went to a garden centre and bought a pile of bulbs for the garden. So whilst Alice was asleep on Sunday afternoon we planted most of them, bar one section. When Alice woke up we got her changed and went into the garden to introduce her to gardening. She threw in all the bulbs (only trying to eat one of them) and then we covered it with soil. She then didn't want to come back in so stayed outside with daddy to "garden" some more. She seemed to really enjoy herself and so hopefully in years to come we can get her doing all the gardening, for a small fee, no doubt.




She also found a new game; jumping on daddy to be a lot of fun. She did this for ages. Then got bored with that and started walking in Daddy's slippers instead.

We just can't believe how much she is taking in on a daily basis. She can count to 2, well we say one and she says 2. She can recognise the letters A and B on her wee alphabet frame. In fact daddy stepped up the counting training when he saw that she could recognise the letters A and B. Daddy is determined she will be a mathematician and Mummy is determined she will be really literary, hence reads Shakespeare to her every day (that's a joke I don't really).

Also really glad that the baking demonstration inspired a few of you to bake again. Glad also that they have worked for you and you are enjoying your creations.

It's as easy as wee buns

This is really for Laura, go on try it, it's soooo easy.

A few of us have been having baking discussions on other blogs and a couple have had minor disasters with baking sponges.

So I thought I would demonstrate how to bake one.

Remember, you will need 2 X 8 inch lose bottom tins (the bottom comes out) and your oven will need to be at 180C, 350F, Gas 4 or 160 for fan assisted and bake for 25 mins.

Ingredients:
8oz butter
80z caster sugar
4 eggs
80z self raising flour (or plain and a couple of teaspoons of baking powder)
grated rind of 1 lemon

lemon curd
200ml whipping cream
teaspoon icing sugar

7oz icing sugar
juice of 1 lemon (and a little water if needed).

You can't really hear Sharlene from Home Group, but she's saying it's the best thing she's eaten that I've baked. I didn't even have to pay her.

Let me know how you get on.

The mouse, the bath and home

The first bit of the video is us trying to capture the way Alice says home, it is so funny. When we're out anywhere and going home, and we say "are we going home" etc, she purses her lips this. After dinner every night she has a bath as part of her bedtime routine. This is what we get most nights when she's finished dinner. This is her saying bath.

Then we had a wee visitor yesterday. I think it's building a nest below our back step. Not sure that's good news, but Stuart was very excited when he got home from work and wanted to see it. Alas, it didn't comply. So he had to make do with this video. Alice thought it was hilarious and every now and again she would squeal with delight as it scurried past. Come to think of it haven't seen the rabbit this week.

We also started a mothers and toddlers' group at our church yesterday. It was great fun, although Alice didn't enjoy it too much initially, as every time we go to church I leave her in a creche of some sort. I think she realised I was staying with her this time and settled and played on the slide (her favourite). The group is so well organised. We had general play things, a story time, juice and biscuits time (although we don't give Alice either), sticky time and then general play doughing and painting etc. We missed the singing at the end, as we had to go and catch the metro to be home for Alice's nap. It was really busy and everyone seemed to be really enjoying themselves.


You can't really see, but this is Jenny, Alice's lovey thingy. It's a giraffe and we called it Jenny. She calls it "deddy". When she's not walking around with Ellie the Elephant (the white one in the pretty face post) she's walking around with Jenny. Jenny also goes to bed with her and every now and again with lie on the floor with her and give her a snuggly cuddle.

See she's not tantruming all the time.

Wibbly Wobble Alice

This is Alice last November, just before turning 8 months old. She did this for about a couple of weeks and then stopped doing it. So caught it on video just in time, before she stopped doing it. Now she loves to watch herself doing this. She laughs and laughs. It is so funny to watch her watching herself.

What a pretty face

This is Alice playing with her toy elephant, Ellie. She cuddles all her stuffed toys and walks around with them having a snuggly cuddle and making very beautiful soft "ahhhh" noises.

Then, she turns into this!!!!! With no warning at all, she becomes Mr Hyde.


My technique is to try to distract her into something else, which does tend to work, but today I wanted to take some photos to share with the world. I know, no thanks is necessary!!!

I think when you're raising (or is that trying to ignore) toddlers, you really have to keep a sense of humour or I think you would just lose the plot!!! As you can see from previous posts she is a sweet heart most of the time, but we do have to deal with this side of her too.

When do the tantrums start to subside?

Animals and Climbing

Put this wee video together as an amalgamation of what she's been doing over the past few days. Dog is "fff" and Rabbit is her pushing her tongue against her teeth. We didn't get it on video but elephant is her thrusting her arm in the air like the trunk!!!

She started climbing up on to the chair a couple of weeks ago and is making it look so easy these days. She did, at one point, try to get down forwards and fell off, since then has been getting down backwards again. Very sensible!!!