EV is at the aquarium

There's so much I could write about EV right now, seeing as the blog has been offline for 3 weeks...

Pushchairs, vanity, toys, poorly tummies, baby play cafes, ball pools....

But all in good time. For now, I will return to what feels like a recurring theme in EV's blog - Water. And fish.

I took EV to the aquarium today. No, not because I have an obsession with teaching her about water and swimming and fish and secretly want her to grow up to be a deep sea diver. But because the UK's largest Aquarium just so happens to be 15 minutes from my house and it was my friend's last week of maternity leave so we had a baby outing.

It was good fun. A bit on the pricey side at £15, but we got a whole day for that. There were all kinds of fish ,reptiles, amphibians and even otters. Typically though, you never can predict what babies will be enraptured by - EV saw and touched some particularly enthralling rocks.

She was also enchanted by the low level tanks where the huge fish swam right up to her and, when she was getting sleepy, she lay back in her push chair (yes we have a pushchair now - I'll fill you in later) sucking her thumb and staring up at the rays and sharks swimming over her in the aqua tunnel. All in all a successful day.

EV is still here!

Sorry we haven't posted for so long. This is partly because EV has been a little bit poorly sick. This made her very clingy to mum for a week or so, hence I haven't been able to put her down long enough to blog. But EV is, thankfully, all better now and the prolonged absense is also partly due to my just not bothering to switch on my computer.

Sorry. We are back.

EV is scratching stuff

Just to see what sound it makes under her fingernails.

Denim: "Scratch"

Bed clothes: "Scritch"
Velcro: "S-c-r-at-ch"
Ribbed cushions on the sofa: "Scr-scr-scr-scr-scr-"
Ribbons: "..."
High chair tray: "Zts-zts-ztssss"
Mummy's neck: "OWW!"

EV is wearing hair clips

What a pretty little girl. At least people will have a higher probability of guessing her gender now. I don't know why but even top to toe pink keeps some people guessing.

EV has lost her trademark Elvis quiff. The long section of hair, straight down the middle, at the front, which she has had since birth. But I couldn't bring myself to cut it into a fringe so instead I bought her some pretty, polka dot, mini clips, from accessorise. Now she can wear it clipped off her face instead of in her eyes. It's clipped to one side, I might add, not vertically, cartoon style! It's very chique, honest.

EV is shouting at strangers

In the opticians. In the street. In the clinic.

EV has connected shouting "AAa!" (very loudly) at strangers with them paying her lots of attention and talking back to her. It must be her first attempt at a greeting. She even looked quite perplexed as we were walking through the busy city centre and many of the objects of her vocal attentions refused to return the compliment!

EV is never full

Overnight, EV has doubled her appetite!
Could it be to do with no longer having a night feed? (She slept through again last night, but not Tuesday night.)
Could she be having a growth spurt? She is very sleepy, having lots of long naps.
This morning at breakfast she put away 1 weatabix with full cream milk, 1 banana and a trial sized packet of baby cereal (I had to make something quick as she was almost crying after finishing off her usual breakfast.) That'd fill me up any day. Yesteday, at lunch, she finished off 50% more food than usual (about 80g)and ate almost the same again in fruit and yoghurt.
Looks like I'm going to be making a lot more baby food from here on in.

EV is not where I left her

EV can move. Not very far, she has moved about a foot a few times now. First time, she was lying on her back and wriggled backwards up her cot. Today, she has somehow moved, whilst sitting on her bottom.

The only trouble is she can only move backwards. This must be really frustrating for her. Both times she moved today, she was after getting a toy that was out of reach, only to find herself even further away from it! I was doing the washing up at the time, so I didn't catch her in motion. Possibly, she moved at such a snails pace I wouldn't have noticed!

EV slept all night - and then some!

Hoorah!!

After just two agonising nights of refusing to feed EV or get her out of her cot in the night, last night EV slept right through. And, more to the point, so did I! I feel great! I can't gloat too much because it could well be a fluke. I had prepared myself for a long battle. Even just one night of solid sleep, however, has made all the difference to me.

I don't know if the same can be said for EV. Having got up at 6.20 for a feed, nappy change and a short play, she was ready to sleep again by 7.30 and slept for another two hours. She's since been quite clingy this morning and has now gone down for her second nap.

I wonder if the napping/clingyness and sleeping through are related? Maybe she's just really tired? We'll have to wait and see but, for now, I'm making the most of it!

EV is playing footsie under the table

Took EV out with a couple of freinds and babies today. SHe took particular interest in one little boy as they constantly reached for one anothers hands. He, being a few weeks older and more co-ordinated, was feeling her feet with his foot out of the side of his high chair. EV was obviously quite delighted at this as she proceeded to grab at his toes. (Presumably to suck them??)

EV is all fingers and thumbs

EV has started to pick things up between her finger and thumb, not just by grabbing at it with her fist. This is a very useful skill for feeding herself, something she would prefer to do herself, with lots of mess, thanks Mum. She also had a good go at 'pinching' the diamond out of my engagement ring!