Daddy's back for the weekend

I thought I'd show off some more of my new moves which I've developed with mummy and gran and grandad during the week.

Look at me! I pulled myself up without any help, and so quickly that daddy didn't have chance to put a flash on. I might deign to stand again for a longer period later on. Daddy seems to be very proud of me.


I have also continued my crawling and exploring - look where my cup ended up! I'd better go and get it...

The swings

We took Marisca out to the park at the weekend to try the swings. She LOVED it!

It will be a while before she outgrows the baby swings...

Some new things

Or at least, they're new since the last time I blogged, or they're the first time I've got them on camera, or maybe I just like thrn photos and wanted a title to put them under...

Firstly - clapping. Marisca now likes to clap your hands for you, and is getting the hang of clapping her own too.


Of course sometimes she misses! She's also started enjoying rattles a lot. Here is one which mummy made from a food pot and ball bearings. Well, they look like ball bearings although I suspect they're actually silver cake decoration balls.

Lastly - and definitely not new - pushing over towers!

Teeth

Marisca is cutting her first tooth. So far we have had three days of raised temperature, unhappy girl and lots of crying. So far we have a very small, sharp point sticking through her gums. We have spent most of today with her lying on our chests, either asleep or grumbling. Thank heavens for calpol! We'll post more when it's all over and normal Marisa service is resumed...

Crawling!

Oh yes, she's on the move... forwards, backwards and up on her knees on the furniture! The stair gates are now in place...

Passport time

We're applying for a passport for Marisca. I have to say, her mug shot looks a lot cuter than mine!

Eight months

This is a typical position for Marisca this month - under something. She's got the hang of getting up onto hands and knees, but then slides backwards rather than crawls forwards! I spend a lot of time rescuing her... she spends a lot of time getting frustrated as her toys seem to move away from her. More recently, she has also mastered the art of getting back into a sitting position from her tummy. Now she can slide, then sit, then slide, then sit and so on. Hopefully by next month she'll have added forward motion to the mix, although then my life could be more hectic!



Looking at photos, this one also shows a typical facial expression. Maybe this is Marisca's photo face?



Interestingly, the biggest change this month has been with me. A few months ago I couldn't think of going back to work as I couldn't believe that Marisca could survive without me. However, now she will happily go 4-6 hours between feeds, and will even take a bottle if I'm not around. Suddenly I can see time for myself being possible again! And now I want - and need - that. I love Marisca to bits and love being her Mum, but need time to be me as well. For various reasons I've extended my maternity leave to April, but am now jealous of my friends who are going back to work part time. Funny how life changes, isn't it?

Christmas in detail

The festive season is now officially over: Tim goes back to work tomorrow, and we took the tree down yesterday. It was great fun while it lasted, though - lovely to spend lots of time together as a family and with our extended family.

Here's the official family photo, from Christmas Day. Don't we all look happy?

My parents, aka Gran and Grandad, visited for Christmas day and helped Marisca unwrap her stocking presents:

Then we all tucked in to a lovely Christmas dinner. We're loving the baby-led weaning approach, as Marisca tucked into exactly the same food as us at the same time. No puree or spoon feeding in sight:

We rounded off Christmas with a visit to Tim's Mum and Dad, aka Gandma and Grandpa, who had alot of family staying or visiting. Thanks to Rachel, Marisca got a new outfit which matches Izzy's outfit. Stripes were obviously the order of the day for everyone:


It was lovely to spend time with so many of the family - and hand Marisca over for cuddles!