You can call me da da if you like...

Ever since my daughter could utter the word, she has always referred to both myself and Gavin as da,da. To begin with it was funny, after a few more months it became mildly amusing, a few more months later and it is now ever so slightly annoying and frustrating. If one more person looks at me sympathetically, whilst trying to reassure me that it's because 'da,da' is such an easy word, I'll scream. Never mind the fact that my daughter has an ever increasing vocabulary that includes the words 'tickle, tickle'.

You see my daughter can say ma,ma, I have heard her. She walks around the house repeatedly murmuring to herself da,da...ma,ma...nana...ba,ba. And if you point to a photo of me she will immediately utter the words 'ma,ma'. However she still refers to me as da,da when calling for me, when saying goodbye or goodnight. And no matter how many times myself, Gavin, my mother, Gavin's mother or any other array of family members respond with 'no Emily MA, MA' she still just smiles that cheeky grin and with a twinkle in her eye opens her mouth and utters 'ahhh......... da,da'.

Only 17 months old and already a comedian...

Tantrums and tears

Emily is now 16½ months old and has recently aquired a new word in her ever expanding vocabulary. The word is 'no' and she is not afraid to use it, all the time, all day every day in fact and it would seem she understands very well in what context this word can be used. And in a strangely conincidial turn of events it would seem that when mummy uses the same word on her, it no longer has the same effect as it once did. 


Oh dear! 


People are forever telling me how much she looks like her daddy. This is very true, apart from the eyes (which are definitely mine) she is almost a daddy double. However she may look like Gavin but when it comes to her personality that's me...all me. Her temper, her hot hotheadedness, her stubbornness, her sensitivity. I can foresee plenty of tantrums and tears ahead of us and that will just be me! My mother and I had a very similar relationship, when I was young, growing up, throughout my childhood and into my adolescence!! huh...well at least we get on now.

Extremely dangerous. Keep out of reach of children.

"Fifi and the flowers grow, Fifi forget me not, Fifi it's a lovely day, Fifi, Fifi grows."
 Well someone was working hard when they sat down to write that little ditty weren't they!

Children toy's are the bane of any parents existence. The person/people that design them take some of the most innane, annoying, repeative music and put them into toys. Toys with bright colours and flashing lights that are designed to entice children into playing with them and repeatly pressing that button, again and again and again and again until you can't bear it anymore! "I can't do I tell you, I cannot listen to that terrible electronic version of 'Old Macdonald' any longer." you scream as you race across the room, rip the toy from your unsuspecting child's hand and launch it through the open window...oh no that's just me then?! No in reality my choice of solution is much simplier, turn it off. Because that is the one, redeaming feature of these toys, it is the toy manufactuers saving grace, the OFF switch.

So when a friend of mine recently came for a visit, having just made a visit to the grandparents to celebrate his son's 1st birthday. His partner turns to me, fake smile plastered to her face, a hint of sarcasm in her voice and tells me,

"James parents have bought Jacob a huge child-size toy train, that moves on it own, plays music and makes lots of interesting sounds" to which I reply
"Oh how lovely, hours of fun!"
"hummm yes, fun, right...oh and guess what?"  
"What?"
"There's no OFF switch!"
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO"