China girl
10 years ago
Monday, September 28, 2009
Snap: Late Summer Fun on the Beach
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Best Friends
Tara's best friend? That we can put in a six letter word: Carter. He's a sweet natured surfer dude, a bit older than Tara, a bit bigger than Tara (Tara: "No, I am bigger!") and as happy to play with Tara and the babies or the dolls house as Tara is to build bricks and roads and houses with him. When Carter is at the door, Tara comes running, shrieks with joy for longer than just a few seconds, and there may be hugs too (any direction she can grab a hold of him). That scenario would be the same whether she's not seen him for a while (days/weeks) or just hours, as since this week, and for the whole next year, they will meet each morning at nursery, and with a bit of luck on Saturday mornings for dance class as well. Carter all around... all a girl can wish for!
Taking their babies to Dr. Mummy. The silly babies just kept falling off the roof and eating... (what was it, Rebecca?)... something or other indigestible, despite Dr. Mummy's stern address to the young parents after the first incident (mustn't give out mini marshmallows for medicine again...).
Eating yummy ice cream with spoons in the garden, tapping their feet. Tara: strawberry, Carter: chocolate, Baby Sophia: too young for ice cream.*
Choosing toys - what shall we do next?
Of course, the biggest downside to such a hugely desireable playmate is the obvious: too many other girlfriends, too little time! An average of five other girls will enthusiastically wave him good-bye when he leaves nursery, and there's an older blonde in Broadstairs as well... Well, well, Tara has another older friend too: Zack. It's funny observing her with the two: She will delight in their company in equal measure but act totally different. With Carter, she is the Big Girl who makes tons of suggestions as to what's next, whereas with Zack (who sadly is four and unfortunately off to school now - a proper loss), she follows him around and does what he does. Zack runs, Tara runs. Zack hops one one leg, Tara hops on one leg - you get the drift.
I love seeing her with either, and marvel at the difference in my girl, but somehow it's with Carter and Tara that my motherly heart goes to mush, I swoon and coo, declare my delight at their interaction at half hour intervals, call for cameras and videos and go generally a bit soft in the head while trying to maintain an adult conversation with his lovely and interresting mum (it's gotta come from somewhere...), who must think I'm a bit of an imbecile. Ah, never mind.
Just for the record, of course, Mum and Dad still come under the Best Friends category as well!
Can we just be clear, Tara, that at Gracie's party only two loving mums went in the (large!) maize with their girls, and only one of them was rather pregnant (yours!), as you even wouldn't go in with Zack.
And, of course, when it comes to play time at home, there's a few things that only Papi will do, and do well. Quote: "Mami, I don't want to play with you, I want to play with Papi!"
That, of course, is before night time, when only mummy will do (and Papi gets kicked and howled at), or early morning at nursery, when mum is often quickly sent off to work ("And remember to bring me those sweeties!") cause Zack is there to hop off with, and Carter will soon come to play.
PS.: She also plays with the girls, I'm told.
* Must remember to ask the neighbours for the spoon back that the boy threw over the fence.
Taking their babies to Dr. Mummy. The silly babies just kept falling off the roof and eating... (what was it, Rebecca?)... something or other indigestible, despite Dr. Mummy's stern address to the young parents after the first incident (mustn't give out mini marshmallows for medicine again...).
Eating yummy ice cream with spoons in the garden, tapping their feet. Tara: strawberry, Carter: chocolate, Baby Sophia: too young for ice cream.*
Choosing toys - what shall we do next?Of course, the biggest downside to such a hugely desireable playmate is the obvious: too many other girlfriends, too little time! An average of five other girls will enthusiastically wave him good-bye when he leaves nursery, and there's an older blonde in Broadstairs as well... Well, well, Tara has another older friend too: Zack. It's funny observing her with the two: She will delight in their company in equal measure but act totally different. With Carter, she is the Big Girl who makes tons of suggestions as to what's next, whereas with Zack (who sadly is four and unfortunately off to school now - a proper loss), she follows him around and does what he does. Zack runs, Tara runs. Zack hops one one leg, Tara hops on one leg - you get the drift.
I love seeing her with either, and marvel at the difference in my girl, but somehow it's with Carter and Tara that my motherly heart goes to mush, I swoon and coo, declare my delight at their interaction at half hour intervals, call for cameras and videos and go generally a bit soft in the head while trying to maintain an adult conversation with his lovely and interresting mum (it's gotta come from somewhere...), who must think I'm a bit of an imbecile. Ah, never mind.
Just for the record, of course, Mum and Dad still come under the Best Friends category as well!
Can we just be clear, Tara, that at Gracie's party only two loving mums went in the (large!) maize with their girls, and only one of them was rather pregnant (yours!), as you even wouldn't go in with Zack.
And, of course, when it comes to play time at home, there's a few things that only Papi will do, and do well. Quote: "Mami, I don't want to play with you, I want to play with Papi!"
That, of course, is before night time, when only mummy will do (and Papi gets kicked and howled at), or early morning at nursery, when mum is often quickly sent off to work ("And remember to bring me those sweeties!") cause Zack is there to hop off with, and Carter will soon come to play.
PS.: She also plays with the girls, I'm told.
* Must remember to ask the neighbours for the spoon back that the boy threw over the fence.
Wednesday, September 09, 2009
Snap: Girl's Night In
Daddy got to go to the cinema with his friends to watch innocent aliens getting slaughtered. Tara and mummy get the better side of the deal: girly bath, juice instead of water and pizza for dinner (every piece of pineapple for Tara, just so we're clear) and permission to go to sleep in mum's bed. A proper treat... Although i'm not too sure about the two pieces of pizza walking about the table hand in hand conversing about trips to parks in london while leaving a tomatoey trails everywhere... Should we get Papi to clean up after us as a special part of his night-out deal? ;)
Friday, September 04, 2009
Courgie Boy
We have been into the garden again to harvest some of our crop, and we're so impressed with monster courgette number two that this time we both pose with it, and Tara has a nibble of its skin. Not only has this impressive fruit matched and exceeded courgette number one's measurements, but it has actually caught up with our own fast growing baby boy: 1285 grams. A perfect match with the statistical average that the midwife proclaims every time I see her.
So we pose. "Cheese!" Talking about weight gain and cheese, I've now put on some 11kg (by week 30), which is all I ever put on during the whole of the last pregnancy. It's a bit frustrating. Eating nothing but courgette for the next 2 months seems a feasible option, but luckily Tara dislikes the stuff, so she will do as my excuse.
Courgie boy, of course, is much loved by Tara. He gets a kiss and a cuddle in the morning and she is very careful with her big mummy "because you have our baby in your tummy." Like son, like mother... I'm feeling a bit like a massive courgette myself. Someone tell me - how do I train my big considerate girl to put my socks on me in the morning? And is this anything to do with Tara saying: "I don't like your attitude. I don't like your courgette"?
PS: Enough about courgettes. The third weighed 1900g and I've still not worked out what else to do with it. We'll go with The Smaller The Better for the rest of the season. And for baby's birth.
(24.08.)
So we pose. "Cheese!" Talking about weight gain and cheese, I've now put on some 11kg (by week 30), which is all I ever put on during the whole of the last pregnancy. It's a bit frustrating. Eating nothing but courgette for the next 2 months seems a feasible option, but luckily Tara dislikes the stuff, so she will do as my excuse.
Courgie boy, of course, is much loved by Tara. He gets a kiss and a cuddle in the morning and she is very careful with her big mummy "because you have our baby in your tummy." Like son, like mother... I'm feeling a bit like a massive courgette myself. Someone tell me - how do I train my big considerate girl to put my socks on me in the morning? And is this anything to do with Tara saying: "I don't like your attitude. I don't like your courgette"?
PS: Enough about courgettes. The third weighed 1900g and I've still not worked out what else to do with it. We'll go with The Smaller The Better for the rest of the season. And for baby's birth.
(24.08.)
Friday, August 28, 2009
Snap: Friday
This is one of the reasons I love Fridays. Tasty dinner, and all I have to do for it is precisely NOTHING HA HA HA!
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Birthday Girl
Birthday blog! A month late... (Brandy, your turn now!)
A week of celebrations, and not a day less, for this loveliest of little girls. Not to mention weeks of build up and happy-birthday-singing. Happy birthday to Tara. Happy birthday to Mummy. Happy birthday to Daddy. Happy birthday to Dolly. Happy birthday to crocodowel. Happy birthday to... you name it, Tara sings it.
So here goes. A birthday week in many pictures and few words.
26.7. Sunday. Family celebrations have been brought forward so we can party properly for a whole day, without any distraction, or any parent shooting off to work. (Good plan, will repeat.)
Cake? Who cares! Let me relight the candles and blow them out again (45 times, and again and some more during the week that follows).
Into the living room for all those lovely presents! Tara goes straight for the biggest (wrapped) one. It's not even from mum & dad ;-)
All unwrapped and rather happy.
Rounding off the day with an ice cream by the beach (sheltered from the wind round arandom corner and never mind the rubbish bag that also sought shelter before us).
27.7. Monday. Birthday! But all parents shoot off to work, and Tara is at nursery. She's allowed to bring prepacked cakes (home-made is forbidden) and lolli pops, and her friends sing for her.
Tuesday through to Saturday. Baby birthday muffins are demanded and eaten on the way home from nursery every day. Much singing. Much talk about the "Dora Explorer and Bob the Builder" cake that she pines for (WHY??!). Looming on the horizon: "My party at Play Bay, and all my friends will come!" Mummy packs party bags for 16 children, just to be on the safe side, and bakes cake, resolving tobe the perfect host and talk to every parent present (i.e. up to 20 mostly near-strangers and some strangers) in only two hours, while buying everyone tea/coffee/latte and being a reassuring presence to Tara at all times simultaneously. Heroic endeavour.
Let's not forget the time and effort Papi put into assembling the much loved small-girl trampoline!
2.8. Party day! Tara takes her dollies, greatly looking forward to it all, but is somewhat overwhelmed by the amount of presents, people and noise. She barely plays with anybody other than mum and dad, gets to see her cake fora whjole 30 seconds before it is carried off to be cut up (though some girls try very hard to be her best friend for the day, while others are even shyer) and only relaxes properly for the last half hour. And yet she remembers what a great party she has had, that everybody came, that she had exactly the cake she had wished for, and that she loved it all. Memory, ey?
All dressed up in her princess dress, and Baby Isabelle and Baby Sofia have come to party too.
Snack time with lots of friends (must remember to ask friend-on-left's mum for permission to blog daughter's picture...)
Flying high with daddy (same as above... nursery would be very cross if we just blogged other people's faces!)
It's eventually over. We tried for a trip to the beach with best friend Carter and his lot but the beach was infested with hover flies and ladybirds, and Tara was hysterical within ten minutes, and had to be carried off home. Nevertheless, she declared in the car "I did have a lovely time with Carter on the beach!"
At home, the parents crash first while Tara arranges and rearranges her multitude of birthday cards with great focus for at least an hour. My mother told me that she used to say the birthdays were worse than actually giving birth. I can see where she's coming from.
And finally, Tara is out as well. As are the babies. They all had a very long day too.
The next day Tara sings one last happy birthday song. "Happy birthday to... NOBODY." It's a bit of a relief really.
PS.: I have come to the conclusion that a two-friend-party at home would have been more age appropriate... but at least I've talked to 20 parents and have reaped one counter-invite straight on the day. Another party coming up - this time we're guests and don't do a thing!)
A week of celebrations, and not a day less, for this loveliest of little girls. Not to mention weeks of build up and happy-birthday-singing. Happy birthday to Tara. Happy birthday to Mummy. Happy birthday to Daddy. Happy birthday to Dolly. Happy birthday to crocodowel. Happy birthday to... you name it, Tara sings it.
So here goes. A birthday week in many pictures and few words.
26.7. Sunday. Family celebrations have been brought forward so we can party properly for a whole day, without any distraction, or any parent shooting off to work. (Good plan, will repeat.)
Cake? Who cares! Let me relight the candles and blow them out again (45 times, and again and some more during the week that follows).
Into the living room for all those lovely presents! Tara goes straight for the biggest (wrapped) one. It's not even from mum & dad ;-)
All unwrapped and rather happy.
Rounding off the day with an ice cream by the beach (sheltered from the wind round arandom corner and never mind the rubbish bag that also sought shelter before us).27.7. Monday. Birthday! But all parents shoot off to work, and Tara is at nursery. She's allowed to bring prepacked cakes (home-made is forbidden) and lolli pops, and her friends sing for her.
Tuesday through to Saturday. Baby birthday muffins are demanded and eaten on the way home from nursery every day. Much singing. Much talk about the "Dora Explorer and Bob the Builder" cake that she pines for (WHY??!). Looming on the horizon: "My party at Play Bay, and all my friends will come!" Mummy packs party bags for 16 children, just to be on the safe side, and bakes cake, resolving tobe the perfect host and talk to every parent present (i.e. up to 20 mostly near-strangers and some strangers) in only two hours, while buying everyone tea/coffee/latte and being a reassuring presence to Tara at all times simultaneously. Heroic endeavour.
Let's not forget the time and effort Papi put into assembling the much loved small-girl trampoline!2.8. Party day! Tara takes her dollies, greatly looking forward to it all, but is somewhat overwhelmed by the amount of presents, people and noise. She barely plays with anybody other than mum and dad, gets to see her cake fora whjole 30 seconds before it is carried off to be cut up (though some girls try very hard to be her best friend for the day, while others are even shyer) and only relaxes properly for the last half hour. And yet she remembers what a great party she has had, that everybody came, that she had exactly the cake she had wished for, and that she loved it all. Memory, ey?
All dressed up in her princess dress, and Baby Isabelle and Baby Sofia have come to party too.
Snack time with lots of friends (must remember to ask friend-on-left's mum for permission to blog daughter's picture...)
Flying high with daddy (same as above... nursery would be very cross if we just blogged other people's faces!)It's eventually over. We tried for a trip to the beach with best friend Carter and his lot but the beach was infested with hover flies and ladybirds, and Tara was hysterical within ten minutes, and had to be carried off home. Nevertheless, she declared in the car "I did have a lovely time with Carter on the beach!"
At home, the parents crash first while Tara arranges and rearranges her multitude of birthday cards with great focus for at least an hour. My mother told me that she used to say the birthdays were worse than actually giving birth. I can see where she's coming from.
And finally, Tara is out as well. As are the babies. They all had a very long day too.
The next day Tara sings one last happy birthday song. "Happy birthday to... NOBODY." It's a bit of a relief really.
PS.: I have come to the conclusion that a two-friend-party at home would have been more age appropriate... but at least I've talked to 20 parents and have reaped one counter-invite straight on the day. Another party coming up - this time we're guests and don't do a thing!)
Monday, August 17, 2009
Snap: Monster Courgette
Goodness me! The fifth zucchini I'm harvesting from the garden is an 800gram whopper, and officially...uh now i need to work out where in this pregnancy I actually am to compare average baby weight with garden fruit... only 400grams lighter than baby! Bummer - I was going to eat that thing for dinner tonight but despaired a bit of my (considerable!) abilities to eat quite that much after I had picked it. It should have stayed on another week or so, to see if it would have caught up with baby. Tara needs the weight lifting exercise more than I need the extra veg!
PS.: Starting week 30 in a few days and as of Saturday in love with this expensive pushchair.
