07 - 13 August
An English summer has to include a certain amount of rain, but to a boy with a bright yellow raincoat and dinosaur wellies, that's not going to stop him poking the world with a stick.
Friday, November 03, 2017
32/52 2017
Week 32
07 - 13 August
An English summer has to include a certain amount of rain, but to a boy with a bright yellow raincoat and dinosaur wellies, that's not going to stop him poking the world with a stick.
07 - 13 August
An English summer has to include a certain amount of rain, but to a boy with a bright yellow raincoat and dinosaur wellies, that's not going to stop him poking the world with a stick.
31/52 2017
Week 31
31 July - 06 August
At the beginning of August Jamie had his first haircut. We went to a small local hairdresser who specialises in toddlers and also autistic children - very relaxed, very calm, very much working around the child's needs. It went incredibly well. I'm half tempted to ask the guy to cut my hair!
We got a certificate and the baby curls in a little baggie. I was warned that it might feel sad but really it was just another proud growing-up moment. The only thing I miss is being able to fiddle with the curls during a feed!
31 July - 06 August
At the beginning of August Jamie had his first haircut. We went to a small local hairdresser who specialises in toddlers and also autistic children - very relaxed, very calm, very much working around the child's needs. It went incredibly well. I'm half tempted to ask the guy to cut my hair!
We got a certificate and the baby curls in a little baggie. I was warned that it might feel sad but really it was just another proud growing-up moment. The only thing I miss is being able to fiddle with the curls during a feed!
30/52 2017
Week 30
24 - 30 July
In common with many toddlers his age, Jamie likes to play with stones. I had to lay down a rule that gravel/pebble driveways are Out Of Bounds but nevertheless we keep accruing these cairns of Interesting Stones.
24 - 30 July
In common with many toddlers his age, Jamie likes to play with stones. I had to lay down a rule that gravel/pebble driveways are Out Of Bounds but nevertheless we keep accruing these cairns of Interesting Stones.
29/52 2017
Week 29
17 - 23 July
We visited quite a few parks and playgrounds over the summer. This is one of our favourites, in Stratford upon Avon. Jamie is still developing the ability and confidence for climbing, but sandpits and Things That Twiddle are always acceptable!
17 - 23 July
We visited quite a few parks and playgrounds over the summer. This is one of our favourites, in Stratford upon Avon. Jamie is still developing the ability and confidence for climbing, but sandpits and Things That Twiddle are always acceptable!
28/52 2017
Week 28
10 - 17 July
I know I'm very late. I miss one week and then catching up is always such a daunting task. But the year is not over yet, so let's see if I can catch up.
I've chosen this picture partly because Jamie is So! Big! standing on his steps to clean his teeth, partly because I love his bathrobe, but mostly because it's a good picture of his baby curls at the back of his head.
10 - 17 July
I know I'm very late. I miss one week and then catching up is always such a daunting task. But the year is not over yet, so let's see if I can catch up.
I've chosen this picture partly because Jamie is So! Big! standing on his steps to clean his teeth, partly because I love his bathrobe, but mostly because it's a good picture of his baby curls at the back of his head.
Wednesday, July 12, 2017
27/52 2017
Week 27
03 - 09 July
A compare and contrast this week. Here is Jamie last July, one year ago, sitting in a laundry basket.
And here he is in July this year, in the same laundry basket:
03 - 09 July
A compare and contrast this week. Here is Jamie last July, one year ago, sitting in a laundry basket.
And here he is in July this year, in the same laundry basket:
Tuesday, July 11, 2017
26/52 2017
Week 26
26 June - 02 July
Jamie is still quite the bookworm and the highlight of any shopping trip is the run around Waterstones. Sometimes he spots a beloved favourite from his own collection, and we have to explain that his copy is still at home. The negotiations required to get him to hand over his chosen New Book for scanning at the counter are delicate to say the least. And the idea of waiting until we own a book before thrusting it at daddy demanding "read!" is just silly - what are parents for?
26 June - 02 July
Jamie is still quite the bookworm and the highlight of any shopping trip is the run around Waterstones. Sometimes he spots a beloved favourite from his own collection, and we have to explain that his copy is still at home. The negotiations required to get him to hand over his chosen New Book for scanning at the counter are delicate to say the least. And the idea of waiting until we own a book before thrusting it at daddy demanding "read!" is just silly - what are parents for?
25/52 2017
Week 25
19 - 25 June
At Burton Dasset, climbing a steep hill with the aid of daddy. He probably would have managed on his own, but we didn't quite have the confidence to let him scamper freely. It won't be long now, though.
19 - 25 June
At Burton Dasset, climbing a steep hill with the aid of daddy. He probably would have managed on his own, but we didn't quite have the confidence to let him scamper freely. It won't be long now, though.
Sunday, June 25, 2017
24/52 2017
Week 24
12 - 18 June
Jamie's confidence and physical ability are continuing to expand, which is an absolute joy to watch. Admittedly his attempt at this cargo net was not entirely successful in terms of getting to the top. The difficulty is a philosophical one; instead of tackling it incrementally and climbing one row at a time, he wants to make a single big step of about three rows and then feels frustrated that he doesn't have the leverage to bring the rest of his body up. As soon as he wraps his head around the theory, he'll be away.
12 - 18 June
Jamie's confidence and physical ability are continuing to expand, which is an absolute joy to watch. Admittedly his attempt at this cargo net was not entirely successful in terms of getting to the top. The difficulty is a philosophical one; instead of tackling it incrementally and climbing one row at a time, he wants to make a single big step of about three rows and then feels frustrated that he doesn't have the leverage to bring the rest of his body up. As soon as he wraps his head around the theory, he'll be away.
23/52 2017
Week 23
5 - 11 June
One of the last pictures of Jamie wearing a one-piece sleepsuit, as this summer we are shifting up to Actual Pyjamas. He's chewing on his hand because his teeth are bothering him at the moment (only four more molars to go!) but he's still cheerful.
5 - 11 June
One of the last pictures of Jamie wearing a one-piece sleepsuit, as this summer we are shifting up to Actual Pyjamas. He's chewing on his hand because his teeth are bothering him at the moment (only four more molars to go!) but he's still cheerful.
Thursday, June 08, 2017
22/52 2017
Last week saw us travelling east for a funeral - and also to see friends and family.
Of course neither of these reasons makes much sense to Jamie, so we told him we were going hunting for dig-digs (his word that encompasses all commercial, industrial, agricultural and construction vehicles, although he also has subcategories).
This picture marks what Jamie probably considered the highlight of the trip: sitting in a Little Chef on the A14. Or in his world, getting to watch a never-ending stream of dig-digs and be given food at the same time.
Of course neither of these reasons makes much sense to Jamie, so we told him we were going hunting for dig-digs (his word that encompasses all commercial, industrial, agricultural and construction vehicles, although he also has subcategories).
This picture marks what Jamie probably considered the highlight of the trip: sitting in a Little Chef on the A14. Or in his world, getting to watch a never-ending stream of dig-digs and be given food at the same time.
Wednesday, May 31, 2017
21/52 2017
Last week saw Jamie's first barbecue party.
He had a terrific time running around, and we got home with neither sunburn nor food poisoning, so it was a success... better than that though, it was actually quite relaxing. Of course it was at someone else's house and that always helps.
He had a terrific time running around, and we got home with neither sunburn nor food poisoning, so it was a success... better than that though, it was actually quite relaxing. Of course it was at someone else's house and that always helps.
Wednesday, May 24, 2017
Monday, May 15, 2017
19/52 2017
Before Jamie, and before me, the great love of Steve's life was his motorbike.
It no longer gets the TLC it should, but after a certain length of time in the garage it's a roadworthy vehicle once more and this weekend Steve got to do the last little bit of tinkering to get it ready to take him to and from work. Plus, he finally got to sit Jamie on it.
It no longer gets the TLC it should, but after a certain length of time in the garage it's a roadworthy vehicle once more and this weekend Steve got to do the last little bit of tinkering to get it ready to take him to and from work. Plus, he finally got to sit Jamie on it.
Thursday, May 11, 2017
18/52 2017
This week (ok, last week, I know) is Jamie doing Art.
He definitely makes the connection now between dragging a felt tip or crayon across some paper and a line appearing. I'm not sure he's realised that he can control the direction, and there's a 50-50 chance of him trying to use the wrong end of the felt tip, but the basic idea is there.
He definitely makes the connection now between dragging a felt tip or crayon across some paper and a line appearing. I'm not sure he's realised that he can control the direction, and there's a 50-50 chance of him trying to use the wrong end of the felt tip, but the basic idea is there.
Wednesday, May 03, 2017
17/52 2017
This bunny was in the Easter box from my mum, and Jamie seems to have really taken to it.
He likes carrying it, cuddling it, feeding it (thankfully only the plastic play food) and periodically heaving it over the edge of the playpen with an air of "you can be free, my friend!"
He likes carrying it, cuddling it, feeding it (thankfully only the plastic play food) and periodically heaving it over the edge of the playpen with an air of "you can be free, my friend!"
Monday, April 24, 2017
16/52 2017
Perhaps an unusual picture this week. A friend asked how we go about cleaning Jamie's teeth and I felt it wouldn't be inappropriate to include it as a snapshot of everyday life in Jamie's photo record.
We started cleaning Jamie's teeth as soon as the first ones appeared. At the time, he couldn't stand unaided - and even now, although he stands well, he's not tall enough to lean over the bathroom sink even with a stepstool. We don't have a bathroom counter he can sit on, and there's no way I can stand and hold him.
This is our solution. The chair is a cheap plastic booster seat designed to be strapped to a dining chair - the sort of thing you might take on holiday or to grandparents' houses when a full-size high chair isn't available and/or would take up too much room. It's stable enough to be safe sitting on the floor, has enough of a harness that the child would at least take a few moments to escape (call no thing childproof), and is lightweight enough that it can be very easily picked up and moved.
I put a muslin cloth around Jamie's neck and then prepare both our toothbrushes, and we clean our teeth together, me kneeling or sitting on the bathroom floor facing him so that he can copy. After a while we swap hands - I hold his toothbrush in his mouth and give his teeth a last quick once-over, and he holds my toothbrush in my mouth and moves it around.
Then I rinse the toothbrushes and we use them to brush away the excess toothpaste. We do this a couple of times. Jamie mostly just dribbles it out onto the cloth - I'm not sure he's old enough to understand swilling and spitting a mouthful of water into the sink.
I think the thing I like most about this is that it gives me a chance to clean my own teeth!
We started cleaning Jamie's teeth as soon as the first ones appeared. At the time, he couldn't stand unaided - and even now, although he stands well, he's not tall enough to lean over the bathroom sink even with a stepstool. We don't have a bathroom counter he can sit on, and there's no way I can stand and hold him.
This is our solution. The chair is a cheap plastic booster seat designed to be strapped to a dining chair - the sort of thing you might take on holiday or to grandparents' houses when a full-size high chair isn't available and/or would take up too much room. It's stable enough to be safe sitting on the floor, has enough of a harness that the child would at least take a few moments to escape (call no thing childproof), and is lightweight enough that it can be very easily picked up and moved.
I put a muslin cloth around Jamie's neck and then prepare both our toothbrushes, and we clean our teeth together, me kneeling or sitting on the bathroom floor facing him so that he can copy. After a while we swap hands - I hold his toothbrush in his mouth and give his teeth a last quick once-over, and he holds my toothbrush in my mouth and moves it around.
Then I rinse the toothbrushes and we use them to brush away the excess toothpaste. We do this a couple of times. Jamie mostly just dribbles it out onto the cloth - I'm not sure he's old enough to understand swilling and spitting a mouthful of water into the sink.
I think the thing I like most about this is that it gives me a chance to clean my own teeth!
Sunday, April 16, 2017
15/52 2017
This week's picture skims the wire for being "this week" as it was taken last weekend on the day of wonderful sunshine. But I love it and I really wanted it to be part of this record.
The hat was purchased on holiday, on the day of the trip to the beach. If you ask Jamie where a hat goes he will proudly clasp his hands to his head, while saying something that might be "hat" or might be "head" but is certainly in the right ballpark. However there's a difference between understanding that a hat goes on your head, and actually keeping one there. Winter hats are fine, but I think he finds it hard to see the point of a summer hat. What with the vast increase in his mobility I think assisting Hat Management may have to be added to my PAs job description.
The hat was purchased on holiday, on the day of the trip to the beach. If you ask Jamie where a hat goes he will proudly clasp his hands to his head, while saying something that might be "hat" or might be "head" but is certainly in the right ballpark. However there's a difference between understanding that a hat goes on your head, and actually keeping one there. Winter hats are fine, but I think he finds it hard to see the point of a summer hat. What with the vast increase in his mobility I think assisting Hat Management may have to be added to my PAs job description.
Saturday, April 08, 2017
14/52 2017
This week, we were on holiday in Cornwall, and Jamie had his first ever trip to the beach.
Warwickshire is landlocked and a beach day trip would be no small undertaking. Jamie's experience of sand so far has been small sandpits full of kids, and a sand/water play table in our yard. So having a large area of sand all to himself was a joy.
Not, however, a joy in which I participated. Steve took this picture. I was tucked up in a nearby spa, having three whole hours completely OFF. No household chores to get on with. No trying to get as much as possible done before putting the mummy hat back on. No attempting to relax while knowing that at any moment a plaintive "mama! mama!" will bring things to an abrupt halt. Just a chance to unwind in the knowledge that although I could be contacted via the spa in a "get your clothes on and rush to the hospital" way, I wouldn't be interrupted for feeds, nappies, grumps, teething, tiredness, or boredom. It was the first time in 18 months and it was lovely.
Warwickshire is landlocked and a beach day trip would be no small undertaking. Jamie's experience of sand so far has been small sandpits full of kids, and a sand/water play table in our yard. So having a large area of sand all to himself was a joy.
Not, however, a joy in which I participated. Steve took this picture. I was tucked up in a nearby spa, having three whole hours completely OFF. No household chores to get on with. No trying to get as much as possible done before putting the mummy hat back on. No attempting to relax while knowing that at any moment a plaintive "mama! mama!" will bring things to an abrupt halt. Just a chance to unwind in the knowledge that although I could be contacted via the spa in a "get your clothes on and rush to the hospital" way, I wouldn't be interrupted for feeds, nappies, grumps, teething, tiredness, or boredom. It was the first time in 18 months and it was lovely.
13/52 2017
Daddy and Jamie, going on a little adventure. We live not too far from Chesterton Windmill, and for years it's been a place Steve likes to go and take pictures. I can't get up there - impossible to walk and rather too off-road for my wheels - but with Jamie in his bright yellow raincoat, it's easy to spot them while I wait with the car.
Jamie enjoys sitting in the parrot position but I think he impressed Steve with how much of the distance he was able to walk. The biggest problem is convincing him to stay on the path!
Jamie enjoys sitting in the parrot position but I think he impressed Steve with how much of the distance he was able to walk. The biggest problem is convincing him to stay on the path!
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