Two trips around the sun...

You charge, as in run with a purpose....
-And then deliver a big open-mouthed kiss on my lips and nose
-At animals screeching, and often scare them in your enthusiasm
-Away from daddy when he's seeking a scrum

You love....
-Our cat Rico, though remember he is not a horse for riding
-Your mom and dad (you've started to tell us and we freeze frame those moments in our heads)
-Bumper, Morris and your bed-time crowd - it's growing so popular soon there won't be room in your bed for you

You chatter a lot, like your mama, and are strong-minded, again like your mama...
-"LLC do it.  No, this way, not that way."
-"Rico sit on LLC's lap."
-"Want cake mommy."  Want kiwi and more milk." How do you ask nicely?  "Pease?"

Your fascinated with the art of dressing and undressing....
-Zipping up your boots
-Pulling down your trousers
-Wearing my high heels and your dad's slippers

You enjoy....
-Examining my teeth
-Swimming in the bath and jumping in the pool
-Drumming on that shortbread tin to hard rock
-Coloring, painting, mess-making
-Dusting the house with a napkin or baby wipe
-Singing 'Jingle Bells', your 'ABCs' and 'Row Row Row Your Boat'
-Laying on the couch with the fleecey blanket for a cuddle
-Rubbing lotion on my bump
-Role play, as in making food, taking care of Baby Petal, parading with your own pocketbook
-Reading - this week's fav is "Good Night America" (USA!  USA!)

You don't enjoy....
-Sock fluff in the bath
-Being confined in a stroller. It is no longer your friend.

Every day you....
-Call for us first thing in the morning,come in bed for a cuddle and then kick us in the face
-Learn something new and surprise us
-Issue your orders
-Bid the turtle and fish photos goodnight after bath
-Choose your bed-time story.  Or five.
-Make our hearts swell with love, joy and pride - I never really knew it would be this good but now I do....

HAPPY 2ND BIRTHDAY LLC - XX

Late Night in Amsterdam

LLC started off 2012 with a few more imaginary stamps in her passport when we packed our bags and drove to The Netherlands for the PhD Conferral of my dear confidant, wedding photographer and friend TVC.  She's Dutch, and now she's a Doctor!

TVC's folks kindly offered us a room in their house just outside Amsterdam.  Kind, generous, and as experienced short-term foster care providers for babies and young toddlers, they welcomed us with open arms and we could not have asked for a more child-friendly and relaxing base.  LLC received scores of attention and food, discovered the joys of the iPad and made a great friend in TVC's sister D.  Chris and I were gifted a child-free outing to The Hague for some history (Peace Palace, home to the ICJ), art (Mauritshuis) and hot chocolate.  We also visited the interactive natural history Museum Naturalis in Leiden with LLC where she posed with a gorilla and clambered over rock and earth exhibits.

Then to top off all the excitement, LLC attended her first academic ceremony in the company and saving grace of raisins and partied until late in Amsterdam.  Not too shabby for an almost 2 year-old.

I really enjoyed catching up with TVC, her boyfriend, family and friends that I've gotten to know over the years.  LLC drank in the experience with her usual adaptability and interest in the new.  I've always said she is spirited, but with this phase of toddler-hood this spirit seems continually on the rise.  I'll leave you with this image.

It's after 9pm and we are in a bar in Amsterdam post PhD officiations.  LLC has had a long day of ceremonies and celebration and is full on couscous and apple pie but showing no signs of tiredness.  Chris and I turn our backs for only a moment and turn around to find her charging at TVC's boyfriend's grandma with wielding a balloon and roaring.  It's a friendly but aggressive roar and we need to move quickly to restrain her.  Fortunately grandma takes it in good spirits.  We choose that moment to bundle a protesting LLC into her stroller and break through the bar's buzz into the crisp January night.  It takes a 20 minute walk down and around one of the Central Canals for LLC to drop off.  Chris and I smile at her defiant lips, pursed in sleep and enjoy our quiet family moment. 

Then baby #2 starts to pummel me from within and I need to pee, so we dash back to the bar.

Danger Drumming

Just ignore the horrible throw, laundry and general mess....and enjoy the dangerous madness.  Yes, we are encouraging LLC to aim away from her face, and ours....

LLC Toot

From the shores of Long Island to the brown tides of the Thames, men are no different when it comes to pride in their bodily functions.  Why why why?  I don’t understand how a person could take such pride in the volume, stealth or noxiousness of what is quite natural but foul - the expulsion of intestinal gas.

And how can something so common but so best left in the toilet command such a raft of names:  gas, wind, fart, cut the cheese, trump, and now in our house, “toot.”  Because that is the newest addition to LLC’s burgeoning vocabulary and it’s thanks to her daddy, alongside her less developed social inhibitions.

Chris and LLC were camped out on the sofa when she happened to let one rip.  “LLC,” Chris declared proudly.  “You went toot!” And a new phrase, understanding and misplaced pride took root in our almost 2 year-old.

“LLC toot.  LLC toot,” she chirped, grinning.  And of course the phrase stuck.  It’s now right up there with her version of clock (“cock”) and treat (“tit”).   

What next?!

Snapshot from our neck of the woods

The last several weeks have passed in a blur – not a bad blur, but a blur all the same. I’m tired, and although we’ve been on the go and I’ve been travelling more than usual for work, this is mainly due to my penchant for going to bed at midnight, 1am and sometimes even later. I’d ask Chris to drag me up the stairs to bed but he’s just as bad as me in this department.

I don’t have time revel in this pregnancy as I did the first time around. I still subscribe to the weekly update emails, but I rarely a spare moment or feel compelled to read them. Pregnancy comes with less of the ‘wonder’ element. My main focus is keeping up with an active toddler! Here are some of our updates:

LLC: Dynamic, opinionated, feisty, affectionate with a rapidly expanding vocabulary and love of the ‘repeat after mama’ game. She’s really into dancing, drumming even though we don’t have a drum set (but with real drum sticks – totally dangerous) and singing ‘Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.’ Our fab friends from Devon just stayed for the weekend with their little toddler and the two girls managed to play and share together with a moderate amount of violence and paddies. Result!

Pregnancy: I’m now at 19 weeks and my bump is definitely bigger than it was at this point with LLC. Alice at More than Toast aptly says this is because the second time around your “abs are shot to shit,” or something like that and I think she’s on the money. Dressing has become a fun game, since many of my regular clothes no longer fit but my old maternity wear is mostly too baggy. It’s getting harder to flip over in bed from one side to the other without feeling like I might pull something and I’ve regularly felt the baby moving about for the last couple of weeks.

Exercise with Bump: Keeping fit is important to me, and issues aside, I plan to keep running until the weather gets too bad, or my bump obstructs my view of my feet! I’ve also re-started pregnancy yoga, which is some lovely, incense fuelled zen time for me. Having solely used yoga breathing as my method of pain relief for LLC, returning to this class was really important to me.

Halloween: American festivity runs through my veins, so I enjoy that Halloween has become more celebrated in the UK. Aside from retailers totally cashing in, I enjoy carving pumpkins and singing witch songs to LLC.  It's actually a great creative avenue for kids. We dressed her as pumpkin and she went to her first late-night costume party where she sampled an array of normal and spooky food and chased after balloons before crashing out on her nap-mat.

Work: Very busy. I don’t tend to discuss my job here on the blog but I benefit from working part-time for an employer that affords me lots of opportunity. Things are going well for me in this department though a side affect lately has been an aversion of the computer after hours, cutting in to my blog time and making me fall seriously behind on emails. Sigh.

So that’s life right now. Nothing riveting, but very full. Although I’ve been quite quiet on this blog lately I have lots I’d likely to write about here so hopefully I’ll re-find some sort of balance. Watch this space 

W...W...E....What?!

Hysterical laughter greets me at the door following my Sunday morning run.

Wow, all the fun happens around here when I’m out, I think as Chris greets me on the threshold.

“You have to check out LLC,” he grins, padding back in the direction of our living room.

What’s she got up to now, I muse, grabbing some water and trailing after. Maybe she’s upended the laundry basket and is rolling around in our clothes? Cue crescendo of laughter.

Maybe she’s got Rico our cat in a headlock, poor boy. Or possibly Chris has riled her up with one of the many “indoor” ball games they play? I brace myself for carnage. Cue high pitched hysterical fit of giggles.

Nothing prepares me for the sight I find. LLC’s toys remain in their box, giving the room an uncharacteristically calm and tidy aura for a Sunday morning. On the couch sit Chris and LLC, like possessed zealots, eyes animatedly fixed to the television. And there on the flat screen, two half-naked men are rolling around, hair streaming, punches flying, slam dunking each other across a wrestling ring. It’s WWE “Raw” or something like that, but why is it on my television and why is my daughter lapping it up?!

With that, LLC leaps up as one fighter pounds the other into the floor, all smiles, practically pumping her fist in an animated cheer. And I look at Chris like he’s crazy, and with a click of the remote put an end to the fun before LLC has any more time re-invent herself as a WWE wrestling champ.  I shudder at the thought.

Magic word confusion

LLC has forged her own version of the “magic word:” NO.

It comes out as “noooo,” and almost sounds like a yodel. It’s pretty cute, and because of this it can be easy to forget that she’s repeatedly shunning the affirmative and voicing her opposition, even when the answer clearly is yes!

Cue eye rub. “LLC, are you tired?” “NO!” Okay, I understand, she has already developed a love of being awake and not missing anything.

But then, cue dinner time, and LLC loves her food. “LLC, are you hungry? Let’s go get some dinner.” “NO!” Yet then she’ll reconsider and start using her “eat” sign.

Next cue really bad smell. “LLC, do you need your diaper changed?” “NO!” And then she’ll wander off in the direction of her changing mat.

I’m not sure where “yes” is hiding in her daily expanding vocabulary, but it hasn’t yet come out to play. I wondered if maybe I say no a lot, but I don’t think I do, since at our sing and sign class I also learned the sign for stop and I often use this instead of no when I want her to quit something. I’ve also been trying to respond to negative actions by responding with what a more appropriate positive action would be, as suggested to me in a previous post.

I guess through this phase of NO I must bear in mind the old adage that actions speak louder than words!

Bliss meets late night flight fandango

Hello again, I’m breaking my silence. Part of the reason for it was that last week Chris, LLC and I jetted off to Malta for a last minute break. This was our first week long family holiday of three to somewhere hot, but not too hot, we’re talking the low 30s C / high 80s/low 90s F.

And it was bliss. I rarely (if ever) swim in the sea or an outdoor pool in the UK without being cold. I get cold easily, but still. To play in the water, to make drip castles in the sand, to be generally sun kissed on a daily basis was something I’m not used to and really appreciated. And so did LLC.

I referred to my tips for taking a one-year old on a long haul flight (even though this was short haul) and unsurprisingly found that some of them weren’t applicable (no more boob on tap for take-off, no bulkhead seats on offer, etc), though armed with snacks and lightweight distractions, we had LLC happily playing on our laps.  She even sat for about half an hour in the small space by our feet on the floor. She likes small spaces. Amazingly she didn't ask to parade the cabin.  But I quickly saw what others indicated – flying with small children quickly evolves into a different ball game, even with the passing of months.

And once we arrived, LLC drank everything in and coped with the heat like a native. We made sure to bring her inside during the middle of each day for a nap and some down time, but aside from that, a UFV sun suit and hat from Konfidence and a healthy dose of sun cream each day, LLC was business as usual. Running around, exploring, splashing, chatting and people watching.

Used to city breaks and more active travelling, I felt a little strange being largely resort based though our aim for this trip was to chill out, which we did, and I can't fault the resort's convenience for a child. Everything was on our doorstep, it was easy to pop LLC upstairs for a midday nap, she could eat for free at certain times in a couple of the hotel's restaurants and we also managed to wheel her out asleep in her pushchair on the nights we went for a late dinner or evening drink. I’m not sure how much more mileage we’ll get out of that night transplant from bed to stroller and back trick, but it’s handy while it lasts! And to satisfy our want of exploring, we did rent a car and visited Mdina, Valetta, Saint Julians and much of the rugged, barren limestone that is Malta - I hadn't realised it must really be only about the size of the Isle of Wight.

Refreshed and happy, we boarded our 9:40pm flight home last night hoping LLC would conk right out. Hope springs eternal. Conk out? She freaked out! Overtired, she did not want to be strapped onto Chris or my lap for takeoff. (This highlighted to me that although she will be under 2 next time we fly to NY, we will really need to get LLC her own seat). We fortunately had an empty seat in between us she that she could claim once cruising, but oh, to get to that point. She went mental. Crying, gasping, gagging, flailing, gouging, arching. Forget the snacks and toys. She was past the point of no return. A “well meaning” flight attendant, who I’m sure didn’t have children, asked "didn’t have any toys to share with her?" Had she not noticed the book or teddy that just flew through the air when proffered?

Finally, once we were allowed to unclip LLC, she moved to her “own” seat but took about 2 hours of the 3 hour flight to settle.  She kept laying down, popping up, cuddling us, standing up on the seat, trying to climb on us, all the while clearly tired but the well lit cabin didn’t exactly scream sleep. Unlike the long haul red eye flights to NY, there was  no dimming of the cabin lights.

So would we do it again? Most definitely; I'm not a resort-only type of person who can spend all day by a pool but definitely enjoyed the change of pace and the convenience of it. Ideally I'd mix these types of holidays with more adverture/exploring ones, probably "harder" with children but still near and dear to our hearts (and hopefully LLC's if she gets a taste for them growing up).  The only thing I would reconsider is taking a short haul night flight home – after a long day we were all tired but the environment didn’t invite rest and I quickly found my zen state fading fast.  The forever learning curve continues.

Down Under

Hello down there in between my legs. No, I’m not being rude! I’ve just got a little person peeping through my not so pin-like pins in a manner that unsurprisingly brings back acute memories of giving birth. This is the new trend of the week in our household.

Yes, LLC likes to “hang out” in between my legs. If I lay in bed with my legs bent she’ll wriggle through them to say hello (thus the birth memories!) and give me a cuddle. Maybe this feels extra cozy to her?

She’s also started frequently crawling through my legs and back while I’m standing, or walking, or attempting to walk. It’s like I’m some type of mommy cave. She sees an opening, scuttles through and then pops her head out the other side, giggling up at me. Then she’s back out the other side.

For an extra bonus, if I happen to be wearing pants (sorry trousers) with a ties or drawstrings on them, she will pull at the strings and attempt to take me for a walk. This can get tricky, and has led to a few close call tripping incidents.

What strange habits are your children crafting this week?

Blink at your own risk

I’m sure every month I comment on how LLC is now really interacting with the world, increasing her understanding and expressing her desires. I may sound like a broken record, but every month I see her become more of her own person in all of these respects and while I should be used to the rapid development leaps by now, they still never cease to amaze me.

Lately she’s all about movement. After retiring her love of knee walking, LLC lingered with regular paced toddling before developing a penchant for running. And she is quick. All I need to do is take my eyes off her for a brief second, and she’s off in the other direction, picking up stones (what is it with small children and stones?!), giving our cat an overly enthusiastic stroke, clambering towards an unlocked park gate leading to a lake, gnawing a Bounty bar next to the supermarket check-out or befriending some diners at a table down the aisle.

And she loves her freedom and wants to walk. Or run. Most of the time. If I’m walking outside or through a shop with her, she doesn’t mind the stroller ride. But once we stop she gets a bit antsy, and once she’s been let loose, putting her back into the stroller has become a struggle. Seriously, she deserves an Oscar for the performances she puts on before I manage to strap her back in.

I’m not a fan of reigns. I can’t remember seeing as many children in the USA with them as I’ve seen here in the UK, but that could be because I didn’t take notice. I know they serve a purpose, and would do what they say on the tin, but they’re just a little too dog on a leash for me. I’d rather try to teach LLC about potential dangers and that she can’t run off at her every whim, but this will no doubt take time, get tiring and mean I have to kiss goodbye to more leisurely coffees or lunches that I’ve previously enjoyed while she sat happy as can be in her stroller or highchair.

We’ve recently had a mix of visitors with Chris’ parents staying for several days and our dear Aunt T visiting from Holland so I’ve had strength in numbers keeping up with LLC, but I’m expecting this next period to keep me on my toes, literally.

Unhappy Slappyll

It was early morning, and all warm and cuddly in our bed. LLC snuggled for a good 30 seconds (being generous) before starting to fidget and grunt.

LLC, here’s the bear, you can give him a cuddle. It’s still early so let’s have a little snooze.”

Cue loader grunts, bear chucked on the floor and a gradual crescendo of “Eh eh eh!”
So Chris reaches out through his fog of disrupted sleep and hands her his mobile phone. Mesmerized, this buys us about three precious minutes. And then Chris is jolted awake by a consistent rap rap rap on his face with the mobile phone.

LLC’s new thing is hitting, mixed in with the usual biting and swiping for good measure. It’s not a constant thing but happens when she is frustrated about something and can’t sufficiently express herself. And she doesn’t just hit others – she also slaps herself in the face!

When this goes down, I tell her to stop, explain that we don’t hit, ask her to say sorry if she’s taken a swipe at someone else. I then ask her what is wrong, or if I recognize the issue, I try to explain why she has to get strapped into her stroller, or why she can’t have her friend E’s apple after finishing off a bowl of pasta, a banana and a pear herself.

I want to kick this slapping thing in the bum, before she hurts herself or another child. And she does know “stop” and that we don’t endorse the slapping, yet it still comes out when she gets frustrated. Is she just testing us? If I keep trying to deter her, will it eventually take affect? What’s the right balance of discipline for a 16-month old?

Night Terrors

The high octave of her cry jolted us from sleep. I picture whispers in black and white; this sound surged in red hot color yet made me shiver at the same time. This was not the quiet cry of a sleepy bad dream, this was pure terror.

Our lethargy evaporated and we made for her crib where she sat shaking, face contorted fear, shrieking. We scooped her up, attempting to hold her close but she refused the comfort of our cuddle. As if possessed, she stared straight ahead, lips quivering and then parting into a scream every several seconds.

I waved my hand in front of her delicate, trembling face but she stared through it, eyes open though clearly not awake. Our hearts pounded with adrenaline, worry and fear. It was unsettling to see her in the trance of so gripping a nightmare. How to ward it off without startling her? Cue gentle back rubbing, shh shh shh sounds and soft murmurs of “It’s okay LLC.”

And then, her screams stopped as suddenly as they started. Her eyes re-focused on us and she smiled, and returned our cuddle. She soon went back to bed only to wake three hours later in a similar state, after which she spent the rest of the night in our bed sleeping soundly.

I’d class this, as they in the UK, as a night terror. I don’t think we use this term in the States but I’m not sure. But it was certainly a nightmare of the highest proportions.

Do children’s dreams derive from their experiences / perceptions? Did something happen during the day that unsettled LLC? I don’t know but I hope we don’t we don’t have to investigate this again anytime soon.

Have you ever had a run in with the night terrors?

A Very British Weekend

It’s been a very British weekend in our neck of the woods. Here’s what we got up to:

The Royal Wedding – Most on both sides of the Atlantic either watched it live or have seen the footage, talked about it, blogged about it, etc. Chris had to work during the big event and though I always planned to watch it, I didn’t realize how much of an emotional chord it would strike with me. Sitting in my living room admiring Westminster Abbey in all its blooming glory and the wave of well-wishers making their way to Buckingham Palace to pay tribute to William and Kate, I felt a real pride for the British and the Royal institution. Even LLC took some time out of moving her stuffed animals around on her animal train to show her respects. My other highlights:

• Harry taking many a cheeky glance over his shoulder at Kate as she made her way up the aisle
• The locally sourced flowers / greens / trees adorning Westminster Abbey – gorgeous
• The BBC presenter that commented that “William is a very good driver,” as he chauffeured Kate off down the Mall in the Aston Martin – I don’t know if driving slowly down the empty Mall is really a test of driving skills but he could practically walk on water at that point
• Seeing two young people seemingly truly in love, pomp and circumstance aside

Then came Saturday. When the sun comes out and the temperature hits about 12 C, Brits seem to do one of three things: to the beach, have a BBQ, have a picnic. We went with the picnic option with friends in Greenwich Park. It really wasn’t warm enough for my sundress but I ploughed ahead with it, still delusional from the warm spell that came over the Easter weekend but decidedly exited this past week. So we had sunshine tempered by a slight chill mixed with friends, a ball, yummy picnic treats and bubbles followed by a drink at The Trafalgar pub on the river. A delightful afternoon for all of the family – LLC particularly liked taking one bite out of each item of our picnic food and then discarding it, along with sticking her fist into the middle of a quiche.

Next, the cricket tour. Oh yes, cricket in action. You may know that Chris used to play cricket for a league team, which consumed the every Saturday for the best part of the year and left me a cricket widow! (Though I hasten to add that he stopped this of his own accord). Anyway, Chris still plays from time to time with a mainly touring team so off we all went to Norfolk to introduce LLC to the sport. Spectator enjoyment of cricket, to me, depends on having fine chat, fine wine and other general distractions to my disposal. We had even better this weekend with all of the above integrated into a family friendly weekend that involved just one game of cricket.

The tour kicked off with a delicious seafood lunch just beyond Cromer (at a crab house manned by a fine but fierce lady – if I could only do justice in painting a picture of her hunting down a wayward smoker on her premises, or shooing out customers who headed for their table too early....) followed by a paddle on the beach and then garden sports for all of the family on the grounds of the large Hall where we were all staying. There were a few other children in the mix with LLC, and she certainly had no shortage of adult attention either as she tucked into crabs, practiced her walking during a rounder’s game, waved to daddy on the cricket pitch and sat reading magazines with the ladies.

So overall a very British weekend, but also a very social weekend, which is something that is important to Chris and me.  We promised ourselves we would try to integrate LLC into activities that we enjoy and this weekend it really felt that we are finding this new life balance where adult activity continues, enhanced by the little one we have on board.  

What a smacker!

Kisses! Big, noisy, smacking kisses. That is newest treat that LLC has started dishing out this last week. She gives them, really puckering up her lips and planting one on our lips or cheek. She even blows them, with the same sound effects. It really is adorable.

It’s also a testament to how much she must understand, because she doesn’t just randomly give kisses, but also when I request them, which I’ve been doing a lot of now that she knows how. I guess we must kiss her a lot and that’s how she picked up on all this.

This led to a recent conversation with some of my NCT friends about kissing your kids on the lips. Do you do this or do you find it strange? Would the gender of your child affect your or your other half’s comfort level about kissing them on the lips?

Chris and I do kiss LLC on the lips – these little pecks of affection seem natural to me but I realize it’s not like this for everyone. Personally, I was brought up giving my parents a kiss so I don’t think this odd but if I wasn’t maybe I might think differently. Or maybe I wouldn’t be able to resist LLC’s little pucker.

Happy 1st Birthday LLC!

It’s hard to believe that at this time last year, after so much waiting, I was finally had a baby. Fast forward one year, and that baby is not so much a baby anymore.

Time does go by quickly. Sometimes I still look at LLC and can’t quite believe that she’s Chris and mine – that we made her – that’s still very amazing to me. What I do know without a doubt is that she has filled our lives with more happiness, challenge and love over this last year then we could ever have imagined.

She’s so cute at the moment, I want to freeze frame my memories of the now so that I never forget what my one year-old LLC is like. I asked my parents today if they could remember me at this stage and they said yes. I responded that now I understand how they love me.

So who is the one year-old LLC?

She’s feisty, determined and not easily deterred. She loves to bounce on her knees to music and wave her hands. She babbles a lot, often in crescendo style, so I don’t forget to listen. She has a good attention span and will spend half an hour moving wooden blocks in and out of a tub, or the seat of her toy car. She’s not walking yet but has been cruising around our furniture on her feet for awhile now – she recently stood once on her own for about 4 seconds. She loves Morris the Monkey and Bumper the Bunny and sleeps with them every night. She also loves books, animals (particularly our cat Rico) and eating food, even when it does not belong to her! (Last week she stole a rice cake off a little friend and devoured it). Today she ate pancakes with a fork for breakfast. She’s fairly adept with utensils, but I need to remind her that she can do herself damage with a fork if she’s not careful. She doesn’t like morning cuddles, having her face wiped, the baby whose eyes open and shut that she received for Christmas or being restrained by the straps of a highchair. She’s often independent but at the same time more noticeably attached to me than she used to be. She’s just learned how to kiss me back, and if in the right mood, will point out my nose, eyes and ears as requested. She’s my little ray of sunshine.

Happy 1st Birthday LLC!

Happy 1st Birthday LLC!