Phase One: Complete

As some of you may already know, Emily moved into her new room over the weekend. It's not entirely finished - the curtains are still in Malta where I sent them to get done "cheaply". Two months later they were finally ready, and then my little sister - whom I'd been counting on to bring up the curtains - had to cancel her visit. It now looks like they will get here next month with more visitors from Malta. The irony is that the entire room was designed around the fabric we chose for the curtains, and yet they will be the last thing in place. Best laid plans and all that.

There were a few more hiccups along the way but the room really is looking lovely now. I'll only post a little hint of what it looks like as I'd like to wait until those curtains are in before I take proper pictures.



Emily's first reaction upon seeing it was "happy, happy" while she jumped in her cot with a look of giddy excitement on her face.

I think she likes it.

Toothbrush Party

Emily had her first visit to the dentist last week. Nothing's wrong of course, but according to her red book, babies should have visited a dentist by the time they are one. We were already running a few months late. So I made an appointment with my dentist and off we went.

I was slightly nervous - Emily's not usually very cooperative when it comes to showing off her teeth. Personally, I've sworn off trying to feel for new teeth as my fingers keep getting violently bitten every time I try, it didn't take me long to have enough of the torture.

But once we were in, she was too busy taking in all the shiny and interesting-looking gadgets in the clinic to bother much. She cooperated perfectly and the dentist was happy to report her teeth are all fine and there are twelve of them. She got a sticker - which she tried to eat - and off we went.

Since then, Emily has been FAR more cooperative about brushing her teeth. I'd almost entirely given up brushing them for her as it only ended in a melt-down. She simply wouldn't let me do it, and the last thing I wanted to do was make her hate brushing her teeth. So we turned it into a game. I'd hand her her toothbrush to mostly chew on while I brushed my teeth too and sang and made funny faces as I did it, which she found hilarious, and soon brushing our teeth became fun. When David is around at weekends, he'll sometimes join in too. A tooth-brushing party, if you will.

But since going to the dentist, she'll let me brush her teeth! She still gets some chewing time, but I then take over and she opens her mouth wide and goes "aaah" and they get a good scrubbing. I'm slightly flabbergasted at the way it so suddenly changed, and I'm sure the novelty won't last too much longer, but while it does last I'm not complaining in the least!

Growing Up

Last week I (finally) finished putting together Emily's first year photobook. (I put it off for three months. It only took me three days to compile. Silly me for procrastinating.) It was as I was doing this that it really began to hit home: my daughter is growing up. She's no longer a baby, despite me still referring to her as one. She's very much a toddler, well on her way to being a proper little girl.

I look at these two photos side by side, and can't quite get over the difference...



Yes, Hamley bear is huge. I am still almost as taken aback by him everytime I lay eyes on him now as I was when my colleague walked in to the bar, carrying him, where we were having farewell drinks for me on my last day of my first ever job in London. Such great memories. And he wears the t-shirt to prove it.

But I digress.




Emily is growing up fast. We have little conversations now, even if I can't quite follow half of what she's telling me. She says "thank you" and "please". She darn well knows what she wants - apart from when she's tired. And then I know she wants a nap.



At bedtime, she loves climbing up the stairs herself, but has to stop at the photographs on the bookshelf to point out people and say who they are. She loves us reading books to her, and she especially now loves lift-the-flap books. Even if it's because she likes tearing off the flaps "by mistake."



She will now nod - very slowly and carefully - when she wants to say yes. And she wants to eat out of a bowl. With a fork, which she will then pick food off with her hands to transfer into her mouth. She'll then lick the bowl clean(ish). And she can't have breakfast without the radio on.



She's my little peanut!

Wordless Wednesday: Tunnel Vision

Sneak Peek

Walls are pink and birdy/leafy stickers are up!



I took Emily in to see the stickers and she had the exact reaction I'd hoped for. She looked up in wonder and fascination. The plan is for her cotbed to go under the larger treebranch so the fact that she liked it so much made me immensely happy. I wanted to give her something pretty to look at when she wakes up (in an attempt to possibly keep her quiet for longer in the morning!!)