I love this video. It's Leila enjoying herself completely, and then when the music stops she shows (a) how much she wants to dance again and (b) how much she wants that one particular song...!
Thursday, 24 April 2014
Requesting and dancing to Layla
Over the past week Leila has become absolutely addicted to dancing to one song - Layla by Derek And The Dominoes. It's the song that she literally jumps about to - she achieved her first 2-footed take-off while throwing herself around to this!
I love this video. It's Leila enjoying herself completely, and then when the music stops she shows (a) how much she wants to dance again and (b) how much she wants that one particular song...!
I love this video. It's Leila enjoying herself completely, and then when the music stops she shows (a) how much she wants to dance again and (b) how much she wants that one particular song...!
Monday, 21 April 2014
Leila at 18-months!
We just can't believe that our little girl is now a year-and-a-half old! She is doing so many things now that make her grown up and the 'baby days' feel so far behind us now.
It feels like Leila has been walking for ages. She likes to walk on tip-toes sometimes and she can nearly run at times too. Leila is getting very adept at climbing onto the sofa (we have set up the sofas in the back room so that they form a little 'climbing zone' for her to play on and she just loves toppling from one chair into the other!), and she can climb up/down single stairs on her own without needing any support if they are the right height. She enjoys going in the lift, but given the opportunity will climb the two flights of stairs to the apartment using the banister. Leila can nearly jump; there have been a few occasions when she has got both feet off the ground and these have all been when Scotty is playing 'Layla' which has become her 'jumping song' that she insists on being played constantly when she is in the mood.
Leila is a great eater and everyone comments on how well she feeds herself and how much she eats! She uses her fork and spoon every meal (although sometimes resorts to fingers!), and recently she started drinking from a regular cup at the table herself too. There isn't much mess at meal time now (even when we have couscous salad!) but she still wears her big crumb-catcher bib. Her favourite foods include broccoli still, but she can be picky depending on how she feels that day. Some meals she'll have as many meatballs or chicken as we do, and other days all she'll want is pasta or 'po-ta!' aka potato. She enjoys her fruit too and always manages to get a free banana from the banana man on the corner (whether we are buying bananas or not - cheeky!)
We thought we were nearly over our diet worries as we gradually introduced milk products into her diet and over Easter she was able to have cooked milk products, but then we felt we were having a bit of poo trouble again so cut back. We're reintroducing cheese again and will move onto yogurt soon we hope.
We are understanding more and more of what she is saying, and are pretty confident that she understands pretty much everything we say too. For example we were talking when we got home one day and I mentioned to Ella that I might take her to the shop later. Leila overheard and immediately started saying 'shh, shh' and went to where we keep the shoes to show that she was ready to go out!
Leila has only some words, but has a lot of sounds. Her speciality is animal sounds (meaw, woof, moo, quack etc) with some great additions (fish are 'blub blub blub' and giraffe is 'tut tut' aka 'too tall' from the Dear Zoo book/song!). Her first two syllable word was 'bid-ya' for the bikya man who comes by the apartment everyday. When she hears him calling she runs to the window saying 'bid-ya' She does this too when she hears the Aywa Lemon man ('mon mon') or the ding ding of the gas man ('ga ga'). When she is thirsty Leila makes a sucking sound and of course she can say 'mo' when she wants more of something.
Leila loves going outside. She enjoys walking outside with us, as well as taking it all in from her buggy. We don't use the slings any more as I can't wear them (with my bulging belly) and her walking is getting so good. If we are going a long distance we sometimes book a car or just jump in a taxi. Without a car seat Leila is very good at sitting on our laps with the belt around us both.
Leila still loves reading and at times will sit and 'read' to herself (she is getting very good at intonation to show emotion) but prefers us to read to her still. She enjoys sweeping with her broom (espeically sweeping under the carpet!) or taking her toys around the apartment in her mini buggy. Sometimes she is able to play on her own, but she prefers doing things together which makes the days very full-on for us at home.
We've not needed to do any real disciplining yet. Thank goodness and I think this is going to be something that both of us will find hard with our little girl. We often have to tell her 'no - yuck' when she tries to eat/lick something that is dirty, like the arm of the garden chair or the sole of her shoes. Her only naughty habit is trying to put her feet up on the table during meal times. At the moment this isn't too bad, but I'm sure there is worse to come. She can sometimes throw a mini-tantrum and we're trying to work out how best to deal with these. They tend to happen when she cannot get her way (the main culprit often being we need to finish with a gadget/computer), and again I'm sure that we have a lot worse to come!
It feels like Leila has been walking for ages. She likes to walk on tip-toes sometimes and she can nearly run at times too. Leila is getting very adept at climbing onto the sofa (we have set up the sofas in the back room so that they form a little 'climbing zone' for her to play on and she just loves toppling from one chair into the other!), and she can climb up/down single stairs on her own without needing any support if they are the right height. She enjoys going in the lift, but given the opportunity will climb the two flights of stairs to the apartment using the banister. Leila can nearly jump; there have been a few occasions when she has got both feet off the ground and these have all been when Scotty is playing 'Layla' which has become her 'jumping song' that she insists on being played constantly when she is in the mood.
Leila is a great eater and everyone comments on how well she feeds herself and how much she eats! She uses her fork and spoon every meal (although sometimes resorts to fingers!), and recently she started drinking from a regular cup at the table herself too. There isn't much mess at meal time now (even when we have couscous salad!) but she still wears her big crumb-catcher bib. Her favourite foods include broccoli still, but she can be picky depending on how she feels that day. Some meals she'll have as many meatballs or chicken as we do, and other days all she'll want is pasta or 'po-ta!' aka potato. She enjoys her fruit too and always manages to get a free banana from the banana man on the corner (whether we are buying bananas or not - cheeky!)
We thought we were nearly over our diet worries as we gradually introduced milk products into her diet and over Easter she was able to have cooked milk products, but then we felt we were having a bit of poo trouble again so cut back. We're reintroducing cheese again and will move onto yogurt soon we hope.
We are understanding more and more of what she is saying, and are pretty confident that she understands pretty much everything we say too. For example we were talking when we got home one day and I mentioned to Ella that I might take her to the shop later. Leila overheard and immediately started saying 'shh, shh' and went to where we keep the shoes to show that she was ready to go out!
Leila has only some words, but has a lot of sounds. Her speciality is animal sounds (meaw, woof, moo, quack etc) with some great additions (fish are 'blub blub blub' and giraffe is 'tut tut' aka 'too tall' from the Dear Zoo book/song!). Her first two syllable word was 'bid-ya' for the bikya man who comes by the apartment everyday. When she hears him calling she runs to the window saying 'bid-ya' She does this too when she hears the Aywa Lemon man ('mon mon') or the ding ding of the gas man ('ga ga'). When she is thirsty Leila makes a sucking sound and of course she can say 'mo' when she wants more of something.
Leila loves going outside. She enjoys walking outside with us, as well as taking it all in from her buggy. We don't use the slings any more as I can't wear them (with my bulging belly) and her walking is getting so good. If we are going a long distance we sometimes book a car or just jump in a taxi. Without a car seat Leila is very good at sitting on our laps with the belt around us both.
Leila still loves reading and at times will sit and 'read' to herself (she is getting very good at intonation to show emotion) but prefers us to read to her still. She enjoys sweeping with her broom (espeically sweeping under the carpet!) or taking her toys around the apartment in her mini buggy. Sometimes she is able to play on her own, but she prefers doing things together which makes the days very full-on for us at home.
We've not needed to do any real disciplining yet. Thank goodness and I think this is going to be something that both of us will find hard with our little girl. We often have to tell her 'no - yuck' when she tries to eat/lick something that is dirty, like the arm of the garden chair or the sole of her shoes. Her only naughty habit is trying to put her feet up on the table during meal times. At the moment this isn't too bad, but I'm sure there is worse to come. She can sometimes throw a mini-tantrum and we're trying to work out how best to deal with these. They tend to happen when she cannot get her way (the main culprit often being we need to finish with a gadget/computer), and again I'm sure that we have a lot worse to come!
Sunday, 20 April 2014
This week we have mainly been... Loving it!
We have done a lot lot more this week than just visit McDonalds, but they are a firm fixture on the road to/from Manchester airport and (most importantly) they have free balloons!
Saturday, 19 April 2014
Playing in the climbing frame at Oscars in the UK
There's an old cinema in Sleaford that's been converted into a strange bar/restaurant/nightclub place. We went there at Christmas and saw this giant soft-play climbing frame, but Leila wasn't big enough to go on it. However, we visited again at Easter and she LOVED it. Their breakfast deal was superb - lots of play time for Leila, and a coffee and sausage sandwich for us. Everyone was happy :)
Friday, 11 April 2014
Saturday, 22 March 2014
This week we have mainly been....getting through it
The last seven days have been crazy for us and really really hard work. Work has been hard (it's the whole school production next week), but it's home and health that have been harder.
On Friday we had a lovely morning out at Beanos where we could grab a coffee and croissant and Leila could have a run around and play on their play equipment. It all started to go wrong though when we got home and Leila got grouchy as she was hungry/tired before lunch, so we were trying to make lunch whilst holding her. She didn't eat much, but neither did Scott as he was suddenly feeling rotten and in fact needed to go to bed for the rest of the day. He tried to surface at dinner time and bath time, but just felt so sick he couldn't do it. We're putting it down to a dodgy coffee/croissant, but it laid him up in bed for the whole day and made him really very sick. Not nice at all for Scotty, or little Leila who kept saying 'Daaa ssshhhhh' which is her way of saying that Scott's sleeping.
Then Saturday was a busy day for me as Scott was at school and we decided to try a variation on our routine to try and get Leila to nap better in the day and sleep better in the mornings. We tried moving lunch earlier (to 11.30) so that she can eat and then nap straight after, rather than getting tired around 11am but needing to wait until after 12 for lunch and then after 1 for a nap etc. The change didn't work today as she only had a short nap despite our efforts and so was tired and grouchy most of the day.
Sunday was work for us both and Leila was good once I got home but a sudden cluster of events meant that dinner didn't really work out (Ella left, Scott arrive and dinner was on the table all within 5 minutes so Little Miss was a little overwhlemed). So much for trying a later dinner to see if it's an empty tummy that means Leila wakes after 10 hours sleep!
On Monday I was home in the afternoon with Leila and noticed that she had a bit of a temperature so gave her a bit of Calpol (which thankfully she didn't refuse) and managed to get her to take a bit of Neurofen at bedtime too. Scott was exhausted this evening from long days at work and sleepless nights/mornings.
It was Tuesday though that things started to get really tough because Leila's temperature went through the roof. It seemed just a little higher than normal in the afternoon, but at bedtime she was really hot to touch and so we gave her Calpol again, put the AC on in her room and dressed her in a cool sleeping bag in the hope that this would help. She woke at 10pm and her temperature read over 40C which was a little scary, but we managed to give her a bit more medicine and get her down to sleep again.
The following morning her temperature was still there, but not as scarily high, so we spent the day at home and in Degla, taking Calpol and cuddles and naps. Leila didn't want to be put down or left alone at all, poor thing, but we got through the day and another evening of high temp. Very tiring for us both and still another day to go before the weekend.
Thursday was again a day at home with a lower temp than previous, but still raised. This was a toughest day for me, as Wednesday had really taken it out of me and I was feeling a cold coming on. By the afternoon Leila's temperature was nearly back to normal and at bedtime it was fine (and she didn't want to have the Calpol we offered) and once Scott got home she was in a really good mood too.
Friday and what do we wake up to - but the beginnings of a rash, so we figure out that the culprit this week is probably roseola. Saturday and the rash has worsened in the morning, but by the afternoon is calmer. The main thing for us is that it isn't bothering her and her temp, eating and drinking are back to normal. She's still very cuddly and clingy to me, which we think is a hangover from feeling so rotten. But now to try and persevere with our sleeping/eating routines and see if they help her get the sleep that she needs in the day and at night.
On Friday we had a lovely morning out at Beanos where we could grab a coffee and croissant and Leila could have a run around and play on their play equipment. It all started to go wrong though when we got home and Leila got grouchy as she was hungry/tired before lunch, so we were trying to make lunch whilst holding her. She didn't eat much, but neither did Scott as he was suddenly feeling rotten and in fact needed to go to bed for the rest of the day. He tried to surface at dinner time and bath time, but just felt so sick he couldn't do it. We're putting it down to a dodgy coffee/croissant, but it laid him up in bed for the whole day and made him really very sick. Not nice at all for Scotty, or little Leila who kept saying 'Daaa ssshhhhh' which is her way of saying that Scott's sleeping.
Then Saturday was a busy day for me as Scott was at school and we decided to try a variation on our routine to try and get Leila to nap better in the day and sleep better in the mornings. We tried moving lunch earlier (to 11.30) so that she can eat and then nap straight after, rather than getting tired around 11am but needing to wait until after 12 for lunch and then after 1 for a nap etc. The change didn't work today as she only had a short nap despite our efforts and so was tired and grouchy most of the day.
Sunday was work for us both and Leila was good once I got home but a sudden cluster of events meant that dinner didn't really work out (Ella left, Scott arrive and dinner was on the table all within 5 minutes so Little Miss was a little overwhlemed). So much for trying a later dinner to see if it's an empty tummy that means Leila wakes after 10 hours sleep!
On Monday I was home in the afternoon with Leila and noticed that she had a bit of a temperature so gave her a bit of Calpol (which thankfully she didn't refuse) and managed to get her to take a bit of Neurofen at bedtime too. Scott was exhausted this evening from long days at work and sleepless nights/mornings.
It was Tuesday though that things started to get really tough because Leila's temperature went through the roof. It seemed just a little higher than normal in the afternoon, but at bedtime she was really hot to touch and so we gave her Calpol again, put the AC on in her room and dressed her in a cool sleeping bag in the hope that this would help. She woke at 10pm and her temperature read over 40C which was a little scary, but we managed to give her a bit more medicine and get her down to sleep again.
The following morning her temperature was still there, but not as scarily high, so we spent the day at home and in Degla, taking Calpol and cuddles and naps. Leila didn't want to be put down or left alone at all, poor thing, but we got through the day and another evening of high temp. Very tiring for us both and still another day to go before the weekend.
Thursday was again a day at home with a lower temp than previous, but still raised. This was a toughest day for me, as Wednesday had really taken it out of me and I was feeling a cold coming on. By the afternoon Leila's temperature was nearly back to normal and at bedtime it was fine (and she didn't want to have the Calpol we offered) and once Scott got home she was in a really good mood too.
Friday and what do we wake up to - but the beginnings of a rash, so we figure out that the culprit this week is probably roseola. Saturday and the rash has worsened in the morning, but by the afternoon is calmer. The main thing for us is that it isn't bothering her and her temp, eating and drinking are back to normal. She's still very cuddly and clingy to me, which we think is a hangover from feeling so rotten. But now to try and persevere with our sleeping/eating routines and see if they help her get the sleep that she needs in the day and at night.
Monday, 17 March 2014
Playing on the CAC climbing frame
This climbing frame is meant to be for members of CAC only, but nobody ever seems to use it. Fortunately the security guard likes Leila, so Alice gets to take her there to play!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)