Just the two of us...

E is back to work again,  so for two days a week Dizzy and I are now hanging out. Two weeks in and it's going fine,  I take D for her singing and nursery rhymes down at the local Sure Start Tuesday, then bundle her up into the pushchair and take her out into the world. I'll admit it, I stick the telly on for her too - and it's not always edifying viewing. The channel of choice as for all under fives is Ceebeebies, a mix of the worthy (like Let's Play), the rewarding (like Rastamouse) and the downright sinister (Pennywise.. I mean Mr Tumble). I've found myself keying into the vibe of conversations on Mumsnet: for instance, should the presenter girl with half an arm cover it up instead of leaving it for impressionable young minds to view? Does Andy look like the long lost son of Fatima Whitbread? 

      Mostly however, my idle imagination settles on certain shows or personalities, and gives them a little tweak for my amusement. For instance Dr Ranj gives diagnoses to puppets who are under the weather after listening to their symptoms. It's pretty innocuous stuff, food poisoning, urinary infections and the like. How about something more exotic? 'Buboes and a fever of over 102 degrees? That'll be bubonic plague, Penny!' Would Dr Ranj be so genial dispensing out that kind of diagnosis do you think? 

      Ceebeebies is a godsend. Diz cannot take her eyes of it at times, so it serves a purpose when needed. Still, there are certain moments when aspects of the unsettling do come up... or maybe I'm just reading too much into things? I'll leave you with a pic of Mr Maker about to ambush someone parked on a quiet country road and let the decision be yours.

Two tales from the sharp end of nappy changing.

And you thought a three year old sneezing on you was bad enough...

So I'm changing this girl's nappy. I open it up and lo and behold! There's a whole lot of poo there - thick and almost camo green in colour. Trouble is, the wipes I have don't seem to be enough. I scrabble round for a fresh pack and am unable to open it due to the thick blue plastic gloves I'm wearing. 'I've got to get these off', I muse, 'as most fingers have probably been exposed to toddler poo I'll take a gamble with my pinky finger'. I carefully put my gloved right hand finger between my teeth and gently remove my glove.  A split second later it hits me, a yeasty tang and the realisation that maybe that glove wasn't as clean as I'd hoped...

The thing with nappies is, you never know what you're getting. Take for instance the other day, I grabbed a girl to change her nappy, she was in good spirits but was a little pongy so I didnt expect much drama. Pulling off her tights I was in for a real shock, it was watery diarrhoea of the most noxious order. On her tights, jeans, up her back, on her feet. Everywhere. As I worked to clear up the mess a fuggy cloud enveloped me, but all I could do was start breathing through my mouth and carry on. I'll never forget finding a fragment of carrot on the nappy mat as I was clearing up afterwards. 

When it comes to the adventures of pre-schooler digestion I think I've seen it all now...

A.

....ONE!!!!

And little D reaches her first birthday!

We had a family get-together after work on the 28th where I watched Diz consume a slice of chocolate cake the size of her own face. Lovely to watch the transition from spotless, calm baby to writhing, choc speckled feral creature. When we put her in the bath to wash it all of she smelt of chocolate and had saucer sized eyes like a bushbaby. I think she enjoyed it!

Sunday was the party at Nana's. Where there was Auntie Astrid, cousin Ella and (more importantly) more cake and a birthday balloon. D has already twigged that the singing of 'Happy Birthday' to someone is a Very Good Thing. She grinned broadly as we presented her with cake number 2, complete with candle. Meanwhile the balloon is the gift which keeps on giving, even now she sometimes glances up at it and smiles to herself. I had this dim and distant memory that balloons=fun and watching Diz's happiness and fascination as she plays with it, has unlocked that memory again.