Thursday, April 14, 2022

Things to remember from parenting Phoebe

 At two weeks:


Sheer elation after delivering you, couldn't believe that I'd done it vaginally and that you were actually here after being so worried.


Finding out you were a girl and being relieved as we hadn't had any boy names!


Everything coming back to me about feeding and sleeping and changing nappies. 


Getting to come home very quickly because of Covid and your granny and grandpa being here to welcome you.


Your big sister Lydia being so excited to meet you, wanting to hold you right away, saying " I love you, you're so little, you're so cute" , wanting to try and carry you, change your nappies, helping me try and feed you, so proud of being a big sister.


Your little turtle head and neck, trying to lift your own head, so strong, looking out at us through one half open eye 


Your grunts and squeaks, the sheep like maa noise when you cry.


Lydia calling you "Pheebs" or "Pheeb"


Moving slowly like a sloth in treacle


 First smile 4 September


At 5 weeks:

Holding on to my clothes when you feed.


Batting my breasts between your fists to make it the right shape to feed from


Saying "a goo" when smiling


Slept through 15 sept


7 weeks

All calm and wide eyed at first swimming lesson, happily going under the water


Talking back to us and smiling, with lots of goos 


8 weeks, lots if chats whikst you sit in your bouncy chair. Grinning for Lydia when she comes to entertain you by leaning over and tickling you with her curls


9 weeks recognising Lydia and bring very happy to see her. 


Story time with daddy, at bedtime, how good he is with you


13 weeks, 'knitting' your blanket or muslin.


First laugh playing shaky hands with mummy Tuesday 9 Nov


When I pick you up at night for the dream feed, you are lying with your hands by your ears, keeping them there whilst I pick you up.


Grandpa Bear, my Dad, spending ages sitting on the floor talking to you whilst you're on your playmat, trying to get you to smile.


16 weeks

Giving you your morning kisses, lots of kisses on each cheek, or nomming your cheeks, making you smile and blissfully close your eyes and sometimes even laugh


4 months


Watching daddy read you a story, you trying to turn the pages, all bundled up cosy in your sleeping bag


Lying on the floor together with our legs in the air playing whilst you burble and smile


21 weeks

26 Dec, rolled onto side for first time


Positively vibrating with excitement when people are playing with you


Your huge wide mouthed gummy smiles of joy 


Reaching out to touch my face. Stopping feeding to grin up and me and purr with happiness.


5 months


Just about sitting unaided

12 Jan rolled over back to front

Making cooing noises like a pigeon


Sitting up to the kitchen table in the highchair with a pile of toys in front of you, chewing your narwhal vigorously and reaching for the next toy as you knock one on the floor, whilst watching all the action in the kitchen excitedly


Beaming up at me whilst strapped on my front in the carrier, cooing and laughing at the trees


Loving Friday night disco night, laughing and singing whilst I dance you around on my hip, watching the coloured lights on the ceiling


Sitting in your highchair at Wickens Wednesday dinner waving your arms as you babble 'mamamamama' almost as if your were conducting the dinner party conversation

Holding the tail of the plait in my hair as you feed.

Making happy faces at me in the dark whilst feeding when you should be asleep

Charming waiters and shop assistants by being so happy


Huge belly laughs for Lydia

Looking just like glitter granny


Making very confused faces when eating for the first time


Holding your own hands like a great thinker


Sitting up strongly from 6 months onwards


7 months and flapping your arms and bouncing on your bottom trying to move to get to things, launching yourself forward and rocking back and forth, one single crawl forward then flop


Growling with joy like a little bear, shouting with joy when you see other babies or people talk to you, with your huge gummy smile


Tipping your head on one side when playing like you're acting coy, copying if other people do it


Protesting loudly if you're sat up to a table and other people are eating but there's no food for you


Very slowly signing milk sporadically at 7 months


Making concerned 'mumumum' sounds if you're hungry or wet, or if we leave the roo


7.5 months starting to clap hands


Happy to sit on the floor bashing toy pans together, making a big noise as I do house work around you


Leaning out of a cuddle stretching out arms if you want to go to someone n


8 months, crawling backwards and getting stuck under the so


The utter intimacy of you sleeping on me after you finish your bedtime feed, your little hand resting on my chest, the rise and fall of your breath, the huff when you sigh in your slee


Starting to cuddle us back.









More things to remember from parenting Lydia

17 months:
Granny and mummy taking about the snacks in the boot of the car, you start looking in your Welly boots for them.

Getting the step stool and dragging it up to the kitchen counter so you can teach the butter dish and help your self to chunks of butter with your finger

18 months saying: "bye bye bye" instead of bye-bye.

Staying "Grandad Sleep". Every time grandad was napping when we visited him in France.

20 months: 

caring for your baby doll making beds for her and patting her, carefully spreading out the blankets so they are perfectly flat. ep-pant for elephant. 

Saying "O-kay" all the time instead of yes

Stopping breastfeeding to say "hey" during Jingle Bells 

Saying "Farmer Christmas" for Father Christmas

Saying "Fairy Liii- gghts" . And saying 'more' when you see them. And wow and pretty

22 Months:  saying "Hello Moon, Hello Venus Hello stars" when looking in the sky. 

23 months:
favourite foods of pomegranate and olives. 
Saying "Little person" instead of girl or boy when playing with toys. 
"Dank oo"  

24 months
" The phone is singing" when the phone rings.
Wanting to do things 'togebba' together.

Lydia just having an afternoon bath. Asked for 'champagne on mummy' she meant shampoo... 😂

25 months: 
Calling cockle shells "clapping shells"
Saying "Oh my goodness" And "how exciting"
Playing runaway run together and walking backward beep

First story:  "there's red dinosaur, it's playing hide and seek, it's in on my fingers, it's eating them hungry dinosaur eating strawberries"

Putting all my hairpins in your piece of bread and declaring them candles in a birthday cake

2 years 6 months:

I'm a dancerina

It's a bouncerine

My hair is like a tunnel mummy ( ringlet)

Using "actually" and "I expect" in sentences

Patting your back when giving you a cuddle.

Cuddling mummy and daddy 'togebba'

Last breastfeed feed Sunday 25 October 2020

'Bears go grrr and cuddles'

2 years 9 months

"It's all ankley" for its all wrinkly
 'Ahoy Misshapes' when playing pirates

2 years 10 months

Starting up give complements
"I think I did that another week"
Aren't we the pair" when all dressed up to go out
Having a dance off at the Friday night family disco

3 years old I'm Elsa, you're Anna, Daddy's Kristoff, and you need to have two babies, one to be sven and two to olaf

Saying Hello Baby and cuddling my bump

Asking Granny and Grandpa if you could go on a walk with them on your own, and leave mummy and daddy at their house.

Farm sensory for pharmacy

Asking "can I see your nipples?" To auntie Ellie.

Telling uncle Andy to be careful not to drop a glass as you might cut someone and they might die!

I'm the picker, mummy's the milker and daddy's the cuddler for the new baby. (Picker of clothes)

The electrician man (politician?) On the radio says we can go in people's houses again

3 years 4 months: after big school, you're a grown-up and you go to work. I want to be a tree cutter downer for my work ( tree surgeon? )

Cinderella cheese for mozerella cheese

Cutting own fringe and trying to glue the hair back on at the back

Asking Daddy to draw a picture of herself holding Phoebe in golden syrup on her porridge

Wants to be a car fixer - person who mends cars (mechanic)

 rubbing your cheek on Phoebe's hair and cheeks 'like you do mummy, she's so soft'

Telling granny all her preschool children could live here so she could stay and not go home

Tickling Phoebe with your hair to entertain her or giving her your knuckle to suck to test if she's hungry

My lip is healing down

Why is there a statue of a postman ( lord Mountbatten statue in town)

Look at my electric bottom for sliding down the stairs

3 years 11 months
The sun is leaking

Being so loving to Phoebe, wanting to hold her all the time

Grandpa we've got your tea ready, I carried your spoon.

Granny I want to keep you at my house.

I always want to go on the left side because I begin with a L

Your excitement at going on the boats on Scilly

Playing fancy cafe at bedtime, asking daddy very seriously what he wants to order, we've got sausage rolls and sandwiches. And for your wife?