Doesn't time fly?

It may still be cold, although the snow (for us at least) has not returned , but I must have turned around for a second because February is already upon us.  My resolution to update this blog more regularly has failed in the first month.  I will however make amends by posting lots of photos of Éowyn.  I trust that will make up for the hiatus.

It is probably fair to say that the reason that the blog isn’t getting updated as often as it should is that we are settling into a routine.  I work, Lucinda works and when we both work Éowyn goes to Jo, her childminder.  Éowyn is also much more demanding (in a nice way) on our time when you are looking after her.  No longer are you guaranteed two naps during the day which would allow you to have a little ‘me’ time.  Hence when she goes to sleep at night you finally get a chance to do the little jobs that you have wanted to do all day but never got the chance so some things miss out.  This blog being one of them.

I think I have said at every stage of Éowyn’s development that ‘I’ve enjoy this stage better than the last.’ So it is no surprise that I am saying it again.   But I thoroughly enjoy every day that I spend with her.  She is developing new skills everyday and is so much fun.  Although I do not think that we are too far away from the temper tantrum stage.  She already turns the waterworks on when she wants something that you are denying her and will quite often refuse her dinner and you have to resort to forcing that first mouthful through her flailing arms.  (However once she realises that the first mouthful is something that she likes then she quickly gobbles down the rest).  Unless of course she is in one of those moods that means only she can feed herself and woe betide anyone that denies her that right.

That paints a very negative picture and one that is somewhat contrary to the start of that previous paragraph.  She really isn’t all that bad at all.  In fact I think that we are quite lucky.  Most of the time she is very well behaved.  She enjoys playing with her, far too many, toys.  She pays very little attention to the telly (which is good) except when she picks up the remote control and changes the channel.  Usually followed with a ‘Uh-Oh’ and quickly handing the remote back to you.  She loves to read and will spend hours sitting on your lap making you read one of her many books to her.  I think I know the 10 Friendly Fish and the Gruffalo backwards.

She also picks up things incredibly quickly and not just things that you teach her.  We now make her walk from our house to the car parked in the street.  It is a walk of 50 metres at most, but a good stretch for her.  Last Friday she was walking to the car as usual, but insisted on carrying Lucinda’s big bunch of keys.  As she approached the car I jokingly said ‘Come on, you have to unlock the car for us.’ more as prelude to taking the keys off her than anything else.  But she stood there, flicked through the keys until she came across the car key.  Pointed it at the car (the correct car in a line of cars) and pressed the unlock button on the remote central locking.  Lucinda and I looked at each other as if to say have you taught her that, when Éowyn simply handed me the keys and went and stood at the rear door waiting to be picked up and sat in her car seat.  She obviously, must have watched us do it and locked it away for future use.  What else has she watched us do that she is saving until the moment is ripe?

Although the weather has been cold, it is has been quite dry this weekend, so we took full advantage and headed to Savill Garden, in Virginia Water part of Windsor Great Park.  There is a small adventure playground and we thought that it was about time that we introduced Éowyn to it.  Again we made her walk from the car, which is a long way when you only have little legs.  She thoroughly enjoyed the playground, even if she was a little on the young side for much of it.  She especially enjoyed the swings and got upset when we took her out of it and she had to go back for a second go.  Before we set back off for the warmth of the Bagnall home we made he walk a little into the park.  She spent the whole time pointing at the many dogs (Virginia Water is the place that many people walk their dogs at a weekend) and saying ‘Woof Woof’.  Very proud of her, but I think that you may have got that from this entry already.

However, enough of me waxing lyrical over my daughter here is the real reason many of you are here, the latest photos and I did promise more that the usual to make up for the lack of entries.

Peace and Love

Baggie