P at 14 months

I think I'm going to have to open this post with something I say all the time..."Penny, you are AMAZING!" It's been awhile since my last post and so much has happened over the past few months. P is running around everywhere now and showing off in front of everyone. She was the first to walk in our mother's group and seems to be the most 'energetic' constantly keeping me on my toes as she gets into mischief every minute of the day!

P is now about 14.5 months old and is just a delight. Her little personality is always shining through and at the moment her favourite word is "wow". She still says daddy, mum, ta, bye, yucky and hi. No "mummy" yet... She loves to have little conversations and chortle away like the magpies outside. She also says "two" when counting '1,2,3' and "GO" when daddy say 'ready, set go!'

P has just recovered from a cold which also bought with it her first dose of conjunctivitis which wasn't very nice. She has been going to 'play school' on a Wednesday for three weeks now and it gives me a chance to catch up on sewing orders and help R if needed down at the factory. She seems to have settled in well though which is good. There were tears yesterday for the first time as I dropped her off and it was so sad to leave. Apparently she started playing with her little friend as soon as I had left though so that's good.

P has one nap a day lately generally for about 2.5 hours over lunch. She loves to have her bath before bed and still gets a bottle to send her off to sleep. I have been getting up for a bottle anywhere between 12-4am over the past few weeks but it's because she's been so unwell. I know it's a "no no" but it's a hell of a lot easier to just get up and do it rather than P get so distressed she doesn't go back to sleep (and FYI she has slept through the past 2 nights).

Climbing is a BIG thing at the moment too. She has mastered the art of climbing up onto our bed and sliding off. It has also resulted in the removal of ALL of the dining room chairs from the kitchen. She kept climbing up and onto the table and my worst nightmare would be for her to fall onto the slate tiles. So after spending weeks trying to reprimand her, use my 'upset' mummy face and voice, even a quick smack on the hand, it seemed the only solution was to get rid of the temptation.

P has just figured out how to move forward on her little motorbike/s and loves to help daddy build my craft room out the back. She sits there and empties the nail container and makes a grand old mess. She also loves to sweep! P has her own little broom and will sweep the patio as I hang the washing out. 

Penny Turns One

Where to start??? I have been a bit slack at keeping this up-to-date lately. P is zooming ahead in all areas - even walking!!! She is so amazing and has daddy and me gazing down on her with pride every day. P started walking a couple of weeks ago but she is truly off and running now. In fact, just over the course of the week of relatives staying with us she has become more confident in her walking (must be all that showing off!).

Her first birthday was wonderful. We invited all our friends and family and had a BBQ lunch after church last Sunday (18 July). Poor little P wasn't quite herself and had been vomiting for 24 hours beforehand but managed to be the life of the party and a true little hostess. We invited her little friend from mother's group too and she had a ball playing away with her new toys.

Nanny, Boppa, Grandma, Great Grandma, Aunty Lauren and Uncle Glen all traveled interstate to celebrate with us. Uncle Glen and Aunty Lauren and P's Godparents and gave her a very special book of Bible stories to hear through her childhood.

What a precious bundle of joy you are
Cute from head to toe
You melt our hearts with your sweetness
Everywhere you go
You're a very special gift
Descended from heaven above
The most perfect little angel
Sent for your family to love.

Little P monster has learnt how to bite!

Yes, that day has arrived. P bit me twice yesterday. Both times in the same spot on my shoulder as I lifted her out of the car! The first time I instantly reacted with a smack on the back (it really hurt me and caught me by surprise how naturally I smacked her) - didn't hurt her though, but the second time she received a very stern 'NO'!

Talk about developing a strong willed character at 10 months of age! I'm starting to see a little temper rise if P doesn't get her own way and it's so adorable I almost laugh! She'll hang her little head and start sobbing (which is clearly put on) and when I don't respond she just goes about her business!

We have moved house this weekend, just around the corner but still a big job. Uncle Glenny came down from Sydney which was a massive help. The new house is great, it's so much more roomier than O'Gradys and I feel excited as I walk into each room. P seems to have adapted quicker that the rest of us (me, hubby and cat) and loves to crawl around exploring and sitting on top of unopened boxes.

We're still not hearing any sign of "dad" yet but P's range of sounds is getting larger. Lots of "mum" and "bub".

Yesterday she would only sit in the child seat of the shopping trolley for a whole of 5 minutes then tried to escape. After trying to fight with her to remain seated I ended up pulling her out and standing her in the front of the trolley (which I think her Boppa taught her how to do in Cairns) and she was standing up there like a goddess on the front of a ship sailing out to sea! Squealing with delight at everyone walking past and earning admiration from the entire Carrum Downs elderly community.

Our holiday in Cairns to celebrate dad's 60th was great. It was so much fun seeing P play with her cousins and how much she interacted with them differently to the babies down here. She is really drawn to older kids and learns things so quickly! Alexis who is our neighbours 15 month old was visiting and opened a cupboard P had never noticed before. Now P opens the same cupboard every time she goes past - how observant she is!

We've noticed P can now stand on her own (sometimes leaning up against things) and not hold on to anything. No signs of walking just yet but her balance is increasing and she is growing more and more confident every day. And she's fast! One minute she's in one room and if you even blink she's at the other end of the house pulling my sewing machine apart and unwinding thread from bobbins! I'm loving every minute. She is amazing :)

Daddy's little girl...

P is almost 9 months old now and I don't know how life was before we had her. It's true when people say children bring more meaning and joy to your lives. I found this adorable poem and couldn't resist posting it - P really is daddy's little girl!

"She's just a darling little girl, as precious as a lamb,
She rules our home in many way that not another can.
She's in and out, and here and there, throughout our busy day,
And many times I stop my work because she wants to play.

She often has a special hug, the sweetest baby kiss,
And when just she and I are there I rate this treasured bliss.
But when her dad arrives at night, you'll find her in a whirl,
She hasn't time for Mother then, because she's Daddy's girl.

It's joy to see her laughing eyes, her happy baby smile,
'Tis then I know that all is well and life is worth the while,
So lovingly he'll pinch her nose or try to steal a curl
Just anything he does is right because she's Daddy's girl.

I often marvel at the charms that only dads possess,
Although I know within my heart she doesn't love me less.
We tuck her into bed at night, our one and only pearl
And 'cause I love her daddy too, I'm proud she's Daddy's girl."

8 months going on 1!

The past few weeks have seen some amazing milestones for little P. At our church camp in late Feb we saw P pull herself up to a standing position for the first time, followed by gaining the confidence to sit up straight without losing her balance. Just a fortnight ago another 2 teeth came through, both top front making a grand old total of 6! Now we are all blessed with amazing toothy grins and it's just adorable!

The two top teeth have probably caused the most discomfort yet. Poor P was waking up several time in the middle of the night for me to walk in and find her just sitting in her cot hanging her head and sobbing. It was such a horrible time for us all - but thankfully they didn't mess around and came through quickly.

SO now we've mastered the challenge of sitting, crawling AND standing up against the furniture. P now thinks she's the ants pants being able to hold one with one hand, bend down and pick up a toy and bring it up to the coffee table. Today P even climbed from the lounge up the top and was on the verge of toppling over with no fear as to what would happen (I was there the whole time so don't panic!)

The biggest difficulty now is that P just doesn't want to sleep - at all! It's like she knows she's missing out on something if the house isn't dead quiet and pitch black. And even then it's touch and go! We've started going down to the factory during the week and P has her naps in the port-a-cot upstairs but half the time she just sits there waiting for someone to come and check on her, and if you don't just 'sneak a peek' she's standing there at the door with a grin from ear to ear waiting for you!

One of the cutest things is that it's still SO hard to get a giggle out of P. Daddy manages a little laugh when he throws her around and goes to the extreme but we've discovered P has a liking to small animals! I had a stall at the Pearcedale Craft Market a couple of weekends ago and Robbie took her to the animal farm. It was priceless! P was almost wetting herself with delight at the funny looking chicken and the little yap yap dog and even the pony! We'll have to buy her a little puppy when she's a bit older. Now everywhere we go we're on the lookout for animals to introduce P to!

Being a mum is such a delight. I'm sure I thank God at least 10 times a day for every moment I get to spend with P. Even when she is crying she looks to me for comfort. It honestly melts your heart. Two beautiful girlfriends of mine have recently discovered they are pregnant and words cannot describe how their lives will change - and I really don't think any of it is negative, just full-on but in a good way that is all-consuming with love. And congratulations to our friends Ron & Laura who welcomed a son Rhys and Jo and Wardy with a beautiful daughter Rachel! They are little blessing forever and a day.

BTW - P has also developed daddy's restless leg... the girl cannot sit still. Even lying on the ground playing with her books the left leg is constantly on the move! Tap tap tap.... I'll have to seriously not let it drive me crazy like Robbie's do and just smile at God's sense of humour!

Up Up and Away!

Yesterday I walked into P's nursery and there she was standing up holding onto the cot railing... pround as punch with a smile spread from ear to ear! The last few weeks have marked a few milestones for my little sweetheart. We have started to have meat along with our veggies now and loving all solid meals. Generally P has a bottle anywhere between 5.30-8am then plays for about 1 1/2 hours then has a nap. Morning tea we have our first solid meal of the day which is normally rice cereal, custard with mashed banana or baby yoghurt. Another play and nap follows another bottle for lunch then after P's afternoon nap we have dinner at 6pm. Dinner time is a lot of fun and time is spent gobbling up a savoury meal followed by dessert while watching the clock tick and peering at the kitchen door just in case daddy comes home. After dinner we have a little play then it's bath time. After this P is generally exhausted from the days activities and after a nice lavender massage and warm bottle it's bed time.


P was 7 months this week. She still loves the water and we've even been to the pool a couple of times now. She has just started sitting confidently on her own with a lovely straight back. While we were at church camp last weekend P pulled herself up for the first time. Now just 7 days later she is pulling herself up on EVERYTHING she can reach and having a ball! This week has been a big week! Plus I'm sure we are in store for some new teeth to pop through shortly as poor P has been very upset and chewing everything she can get her hands on. Had to try some baby Panadol twice this week to try and take the edge off the pain for her - seems to be working.

What else is new?... she's just SO cute! did I mention that? Robbie and I can't believe how fast she is developing and learning new things. We're still trying hard to get P to say mummy and daddy but to no avail. We get lots of squeels that are pure delight and make me smile everytime I hear her little voice come through! What a dear little blessing she is to our lives!

It's all about what can go in the mouth!

Penny now has three teeth - I can't believe how fast they are all comming through! Everything is edible according to Penny. If it's within reach it will make for a good chew. This means mummy is forever picking up little 'things' on the carpet that are impossible to see.

She is such an amazing little girl. Her strength is increasing and she can now pull herself up onto her feet by simply hanging onto your hands. She's rolling (comando crawling) everywhere but is still a little unsure about the kitchen tiles and prefers to just slap the cool texture with her little palms instead.

I need to take her for her 6 month vaccinations this week which is always horrible. I'll go to the doctors surgery and get Jenny to give them instead of lining up with every man and his dog at the Carrum Downs community centre (we learnt that lesson at 6 weeks!).

Penny is pretty much sleeping 7-8 hours at night now which means I get a solid rest. She has been a bit unsettled with these teeth but is overly a really happy little bub. She is still squeeling and grunts a lot. I think she's just experimenting with noises she can make! She loves her baths too. I have her in the big bath now where I can sit on the step and watch. She has mastered the art of rolling from front to back without swallowing too much water!

She's not overly keen on daddy pouring water over her face and kicks and trashes about madly until she can see clearly again.

Boy we love her to bits. She's like a little ray of light in the world and she melts my heart. Even when she is clearly distressed I hurt with her. She had a horrible belly ache this morning and just laid in the loungeroom with her head facing down sobbing. But you know what? Being able to pick her up and comfort her is the most precious thing in the world. When she settles in my arms and feels protected I understand why my bond with my mum is so strong. Little children are so pretty amazing but mums are pretty special too.

Penny's First Tooth

Beautiful little Penny monster has just gotten her first tooth on Friday 1 January 2010. A tiny little lump with a small ulcer making the way. We're camping at Goulang Canoe Centre in our camper van with the best set up. Poor little thing has been crying and getting upset for periods of time. Little bit of Bonjella and baby Panadol just doesn't seem to cut it though. I've also made the switch to full-time bottle feeding on formula. It's a whole new world picking which powdered milk should replace something so natural.

I feel so disappointed. As though I have let my little girl down and that the special bond between us is no longer there. Apparently i'm just being silly but it breaks my heart nontheless. But as far as development goes, Penny is so impressive! Last night at the pub she was pulling herself along the table (technically crawling according to her daddy) and impressing the pants off her audience. She is bigger than her little cousins, who all have strengths in their own areas. Finlay (born 5 days before Penny) is an excellent stander and can pull herself up really well so we'll have to work on Penny's arm and leg strength. We are so blessed to have a large, healthy and happy family to enjoy life with. What a great start to the new year!