Snap!

First-born daughter, and her first-born daughter's first-born daughter in Canterbury. Tara leads, cause off to find the ducks we are!

Friends (U.K.)

Things can get a little boring without company (or with just Mother for best friends). So it's a good job we made some friends, double deal style. Mummies for mummy, and kiddos for Tara.

Caden (4) and Carter (2 1/2). Big boys, aaah! Potty trained/training, cat managing skills, and advanced English language skills. Role models! *Sigh* It's so good chasing their cats with them!

Et voila, "Baby" Tash! Tara's minor by five months, with heaps and heaps of lovely toys to explore, even though Tara might be a little less skilled at sharing her own babies when needs be... *sigh*. Now, who taught who that rolling about the beach is great fun? Don't remember. Either inspired tired genius.


On the non-UK front, a new baby joins us today!

1-11-1-1

Just because her age is such a pretty figure, here's a picture too. Also, we record the day of the first scraped knee, and the rediscovery of chocolate (and that's AFTER whatever treat she's already had on that picture! In the glbal scheme of things, that should well make up for a scraped knee...)

1-11-1

Today Tara is 1 year, 11 months, and 1 week old.
Today we've been to the beach in the early morning, o play in the sand, collect one shell, shovel warm sand onto legs and feet, and try to "Mamma, fangen!" the seagulls.
Today Tara wow'ed my by saying "Mummy put your legs down!" when she wanted me to sit differently, and "Super, Mama!" when I did. She also spoke Spanish ("No toooocas!" - don't touch) and German: "Meine süße Baby Kacha (Tara) essen Joghurt" (MY sweet Baby Tara eat yogurt). She's one hot linguist!
Today I took her to nursery again and did not scratch the car.
Today we watched "Die Fisches" (aka Finding Nemo), as Tara wanted "Fernsehn an!" (TV on!) but "No Tarlielola!"
Today Tara helped peel her peas for dinner but didn't want to eat them and demanded "Tokolade!" instead.
Today we nearly finalised our summer holiday plans with Oma and Opa, and cancelled the hotel reservation for the GBP198 per night room (yes, in Ramsgate! One of those situations you get yourself into without knowing what the charges will be and then feel the only graceful way out is making a reservation knowing you'll cancel it asap, yes?)
Today hard working Jose came home a scandalous hour late, was served a hamburger upon demand, and then got to spend two hours sleeping. Only fair.
Today Mummy kissed Tara good night in the bath because, she told her, she had to go downstairs and clean the kitchen (as if!), promised banana toast with grated chocolate for breakfast and told her how much she looked forward to cuddling her at night.
Today Jose sang Tara to sleep with "Happy Birthday", Tara's favourite song at the moment. She sings it too, "Happidaistu", and loves baking Happidaistu-Kuchen (cake) from play-dough.
Today Mummy filled in a job application for the part time position of librarian at a language specialist grammar school that teaches German and Spanish (and French but so what); fingers crossed for this most appealing of all part-time Thanet jobs.
Today, Tara's been an absolute joy to spend time with, and I'll report that incident with the nappy cream in a separate entry.

It's been a good day.

That Incident with the Nappy Cream

Turned my back for a few minutes to go upstairs and get dressed. My oh my, was she proud of the... good use... skillful application... erm... maybe one day she'll be able to tell me exactly what it was she was so proud of?
The stair-gates looked about the same as dolly's head, which is open to interpretation, but possibly indicative of the onset of boredom, as it was the stair gates that separated Tara (and the nappy cream) from mummy (and the clean stairs, and the clean upstairs).
Ah, the pride of having achieved something truly outstanding!

(Note to Other Mothers: The stuff is best wiped off with a cloth; soap and water only complicate matters. Regards, This Mother.)

Mummy Taxi

Tara on the inaugural ride in The Mummy Taxi

Monday, 30.6.2008. The week starts off with blazing sunshine, and after weeks of just talking about wanting to do it, Jose can finally be convinced that the days of cycling to work have come. He sets out, and I am handed the car keys so I may better deliver the nursery shuttling services. So far, I've driven myself, I've driven my family (with Jose being a worse co-pilot than me a pilot), and mostly I've driven not-at-all, especially recently.

Mummy: ready, steady, go. Tara and special guest, Kuschelbaby (so named by Tara): Say cheese! "Teeeese!"

First ride, swell. Deliver child, eject child, return car home, swell.
Reverse park car. Bad maneuvering. Scratch front right, scratch middle right. Ouch.

Next day, dad on bike, repeat exercise. And I mean repeat. Drive, deliver, return, reverse (DIFFERENT ANGLE!), SCRATCH. Left back.

Two days. Two nursery runs, THREE big fat scratches. Oh ye pretty red car!

Tara seems to happy enough. She also seems to think she belongs in the driver seat.
Well... maybe...

Four days of driving Tara, and no additional scratches. I've gone really careful. Also, turned into a strategical driver who calculates routes so as not to have to reverse, or reverse park. I might take some extra lessons in maneuvering, I think. With a proper specialist. Or with Jose. Or with Tara. We'll see.

Schokolade (Muffin Scenario III)

"Tara, was ist denn das in deinem Mund? Hast du etwa SCHOKOLADE?!" (What is that in your mouth? Could it be CHOCOLATE?)
"Papa geben." (Daddy give.)

Now, who is the better parent?!