Jolly good company

A few weeks ago I muttered the words 'I'm not enjoying Isobel that much'. I'd had a groundhog week (yes, only a week!), the sun had been shining and I was picturing happy young folk sitting by the river with a nice cold glass of Chablis in their hands wandering home when it go too cold to sit outside anymore.

And what was I doing? I was doing the the same thing I do EVERY day I was going home to pick up my little girl. I felt trapped and I was mourning my loss of freedom. (Just typing these words makes me sad all over again.)

But you know what? As soon as I'd said it and gone through all the emotion I'd been trying to deny, things got miraculously better.

I don't know if Isobel was frustrated by not being able to walk, or if we were just feeding off each other's negative emotion, but I have to say my walking and not-really-yet-talking little girl has become the best company ever.

She wanders around the house bringing me presents with a 'Ta', she cuddles, she kisses, she plays and she likes to sit beside me.

You and me girl, we are going to go far.

A nice sit down

As Isobel is busy perfecting the art of walking, she is also beginning to appreciate the benefits of a little sit down.

Bless her, let's face it her legs aren't that long and so in baby miles the distance around the sitting room, dining room and kitchen must be of marathon type proportions, it's certainly a longer event than the 800 metres.

Not to mention the effort involved with getting up again every time she falls over.


See it's exhausting... (how grown up does she look in this picture?!)

Funny little thing

One week on and she's not a baby anymore

Isobel is now a fully fledged toddler, I'm threading the needle to sew on her walking badge as we speak.

In so many ways it's been a a very busy week. We have been to the Isle of Wight and come back with the following pieces of information:

Isobel can walk and walk and walk. She can even turn 360 degrees without falling down.

Bruises are easily come by but also relatively easy to go if you plaster them with Arnica and have very young skin. Scratches from playing peekaboo with a fence might be slightly more persistent.

Poor little girl suffers from car sickness, something we have discovered the hard way; I have washed the car seat twice in two days.

Isobel's feet have grown from a 3F to a 31/2G, and I had to order her shoes from Internet.

We have five new words: Bubbles - bubboos, again - gain, grandma - gamma, banana - nana, and my aunt is convinced she said Angela. (Yes, I have had a few more mummies too)

We have a book called 'Is this my nose' and I found Isobel sitting on the floor reading it and pointing to all the correct face parts - well if she were a Picasso painting.

Ice cream cones and key lime pie ice cream have been mastered. Yes, we had a 'hut day' at the seaside.

And most importantly of all, Isobel has spent time with her family, including her godmother.

Needless to say we had a lot to tell PD when we got back.

I cannot believe what a difference a week makes, I'm glad I didn't miss a minute of it.

Confidence Update

Galvanised my post yesterday morning, I ventured into the long wet grass of my garden and peddled.

I didn't fall off, but as my garden is only 30 feet long I pretty much got to practice stopping and starting. But, thanks to PD's presence, in the evening I cycled around the block a few times and even ventured along the main road to the station.

I didn't fall off even when I fearlessly turned right onto a main road, but as I still struggle to look over my shoulder or to signal I wussed-out at the junction and wheeled across the crossing. Hey, it's a start.

Meanwhile, Isobel spent the day toddling around the house, as she had by the end of the day acquired 3 facial bruises I think we are about even.

It's just a question of confidence

I've just realised that Isobel and I are both going through the same mini crisis at the moment - and it's all about confidence (albeit in the face of grave physical danger).

As I wobble on my bike, she wobbles on her feet. Just as I can get from A to B on a bike but as yet choose not to go too far, she can easily take 8 steps yet chooses not to take more. Just as I have a DD to help me...

She has me!

Actually it's more true for Isobel, she generally chooses to only walk in my presence, not at nursery and not for her PD. She will do it in front of them and even let her fairy godfather get in on the coaching act at the weekend, but just as long as I was there.

As confidence is one of the things I really want my daughter to have, something I struggle with, I guess I have to get on my bike and ride.

My, that thought makes a mighty fine pair of stabilisers.