Some pictures, at last.

I can't sleep. I've been sleeping really badly for a few weeks now. I'm not sure whether it's pregnancy bladder or my total, frustrated, angry unhappiness about my situation at work or my 'time of the year' sore throat come cough come cold that's on the brink of a fully fledged invasion that's doing it. Probably all three. Whatever it is, it sucks.


So it's 3am (Sartre's 'il est trois heures' obviously applying equally in the dead of the night) and I've already beeen awake for 2 hours. So I've given in, gone and had a heartmelting look at the Sleeping Beauty that is Jam-beans and thought it was a good time to finally post some pics of her, unsurprisingly, at the zoo. She's just so gorgeous!

When is the first word?

Think Jambeans said her first word a few days ago, not counting 'mama' and 'dada' which she says discriminately now, tho' not consistently discriminately, if that makes any sense.

Her first word was "bubbub" for "bubbles" when we were having a bubble fest on the sofa, which she said over and over and over, but only when the bubbles were out and floating around, and not after we put them away. The reason I'm not 100% sure it's her first word is she could have been saying other things for ages that are words to her but I've been too thick to notice. But "bubbub" was definitely "bubbles." Clever little Jambeans.

We tried to get her repeat the proud moment next day when bf was there, but to no avail. Not sure I'll ever learn that babies and performing seals are two different things.

Copying and cognition

We've had a lovely weekend. Took Jasmine swimming for the first time in ages. She passed the water on face, jumping in, going under and getting hair wet challenges with great gusto but as suspected is very reluctant and nervous on her back. In general though she absolutely loved it and squealed with delight for half an hour, putting huge grins on Mummy and Daddy's faces too.

Jambeans has started copying in earnest. It's so adorable. So far we've been focusing on 'heads, shoulders, knees and toes' but the copying is noticeable in just about everything that we do.

She's also making good progress in self-feeding and is fairly competent at shovelling food onto a spoon and getting it to her mouth. But she does get very stroppy about it - once she's got a hold of her spoon, and your spoon and the spare spoon that's it - she ain't releasing her grasp for love nor money. she's got about 15 plastic spoons but we still run out of them every day.

The best thing though is that we have lots more indicators that she understands words and language. Bf has started asking her 'Jasmine, are you hungry?' and she either nods or shakes her head quite vigorously. Ditto when she yelps or reaches for something and we ask her if she wants the cup, or the muslin or whatever, we get a nod or shake, 20-questions style-y. She can also point to her own nose and hair when we say 'where's your nose?' etc. and will pick up the right toy when we ask 'where's the pig?' so we're steadily working our way through parts of the body, farmyard animals and all the other things central to toddler world.

misery loves bloggery

dear whoever forgive me for i have sinned. it's been about 3 weeks since my last entry...

why oh why is it always the shite times that draw me to the keyboard? i could, for example, have written something last week when jambeans' nose stopped running and she was on brilliant form, and the sun came out and it was gloriously hot, and we went to steve and jessica's for lunch and auntie jessica took beautiful photos of everyone (except the one where i've got about 3 chins) uncle steve did roly poly's for jasmine and made her squeal with delight.

or i could have mentioned how nicky and i had a fab day at work last friday organising our team's magical mystery challenge as we leave our beloved london office for watford and the local asda.

or 2 days ago when i got a pink pass (outlaw in town so i got cover) and jessica and i went and pampered ourselves at the dorchester, which was ay-may-zing, then we had haircuts and i went and bought lots of clothes that are scrummy and actually fit my growing bump, and in the evening the bf took me out for a lovely meal, and it's only the second meal out we have had on our own since jambeans was born and the first one didn't really count so it was extra special and scrummy and lovey-dovey.

but instead i'm compelled to moan in type about the shitest day from shiteland i have had today. jasmine has conjunctivitis again, and after a minor row with the bf about who should stay at home and look after her today (my view - definitely his turn after i took time out of work a few weeks ago even though it completely screwed my week up) he asked his mum to stay on for an extra day (got the benefit of a willing and doting babysitter but... well, you know what) so he could do his meeting in the morning and come home this afternoon, which he did, and i managed to get away early from a tough day at work, where serious weirdness has happened (more later) and when i got home jambeans screamed blue murder (plus iGoo, snot, tears, writhing, more snot, more tears, inconsolable wailing and did i mention the earth shattering screaming?) for 90 minutes and i thought, after half hearted attempts to feed her and get her to sleep, that it was a tantrum, and i should just ignore ignore ignore, but turned out to be real, actual pain and discomfort soothed only by bf actually trying to do something to help, and giving her some ibuprofen, a chocolate biscuit and a cuddle on the sofa when she fell asleep, leaving us seriously stressed out and, for my part at least, GUILTY guilty guilty that i didn't try harder to make it better, and at the back of my mind all the time i'm turning, turning, turning over this weirdness that has happened at work, where two people that i used to manage, so worked with very closely, have outed themselves as a couple, and the chap has left his partner of quite a few years (wife of 2 years) and 5 year old daughter and 18 month old son so he can be with the chap-esse, and they are both very professional at work and i have a lot of time for them and i know nothing of their home lives, or whether they have been very unhappy in their previous situations, or whether it's the right thing or not for all involved and in my head i KNOW that i should be dispassionate and non-judgemental but in reality i just feel very upset about a situation that has absolutely nothing to do with me, and that's making today particularly shite because it's an emotion that i do not understand at all why i am feeling it.

and steve and jessica are going to hong kong because steve has got a job, and even though it really is the most fantastic news i am simply gutted they are going.