You Get The Picture

So, a day later than normal, I’m posting my artwork. I think I’ll move the ‘start’ day for You Get The Picture because of everybody and their dog doing SatCap at Mammasaurus!
This week, I have a painting for your perusal – it’s one that’s been incorporated onto my thank-you cards for Christmas presents. Remember, any creation goes as far as linking up is concerned, as long as your little ones were the main contributor.

Saturday = Another Caption Day!

It’s Saturday! That can only mean one thing . . . #SatCap with Mammasaurus!  Give me a caption for this photo, you lovely people!  (Then have a look at some others here, if you fancy.)

Helping Toddlers Make Friends

I don’t have brothers or sisters yet, so Mummy and Daddy are keen for me to socialise with people my own age and make my own friends.  They think it’ll help my confidence and self-esteem, and improve my overall well-being.  Mummy is well aware how beneficial fulfilling friendships are so she wants me to have nice friends, too.

As with adult relationships though, toddler friendships can’t be forced.  Children learn from watching, so we need to spend time with other children to build our social skills. Mummy’s well aware of me learning from seeing  – I carry a handbag over my arm like she does, I dunk my bread in my soup like Daddy does.  I’m also copying what I hear now, so Daddy has to mind his language!

Now, the point of this story is about toddler friendships and an incident at the soft play place last week.  For a long time, babies play side by side, alone, rather than with each other, but now that we’ve become toddlers, my friends and I are starting to play together.  I love chasing and being chased, and the shrieks of laughter as we do laps around the sofa at a friend’s house is testimony to that.

I’m sure it’s really tempting for mummies to jump in and do things for us, but it’s important that you let us start to sort things out for ourselves.  How else will we learn, and find our own two feet to stand on?

So, there we were at the soft play.  I can be quite stand-offish to start with.  I like to survey the scene before I get stuck in, check out the lay of the land.  By the time I’d warmed up, I’d spotted a little girl I thought I might like to play with, or at least show some affection to.  She was roughly the same age as me, perhaps a little younger.  I followed her around for a bit, after all, no-one appreciates someone being too forward!  When the time was right, I launched my cuddle.  So far, so good.  She didn’t cry, she didn’t wriggle, I thought it was ok.  I gave her another one.  Same thing.  By the third time, I was hoping for a little reciprocation, but instead I was prised off her by her over-protective mother who came charging across the room to her daughter’s ‘rescue.’

Talk about a sledgehammer to crack a nut!  Now, I’ll admit, if I were a hulking great rugby player charging down the wing at high speed, you might accuse me of a high tackle, but there was certainly not that reaction from the tackle-ee.  She was sitting inside a car, I was standing beside it, so I could only wrap my arms around her neck.  I promise I was gentle!

In my opinion, the mother totally over-reacted; the child was not struggling, not crying, not seeming the least bit distressed.  Better surely to have let the girl sort it out for herself, if she needed to?  Teach her to have a voice, stand up for herself.  I hadn’t done anything aggressive, but if I had, it might just have been that I was trying to communicate – we toddlers are just learning, so don’t always realise that hitting or pushing might not be the best way to get someone to play a game. That’s where it might be appropriate for you grown-ups to step in, but to channel that ‘energy’ towards a more positive interaction.  That way, we learn what’s wrong, but also how to do it right next time. 

CB x

You Get The Picture - It's Back!

I know Christmas is officially over for another year and Twelfth Night has passed now however you count it, but because I gave this meme a rest over the festive period, I didn’t get a chance to show you my angel. Here she is. She was my Christmas card to Mummy and Daddy.

So, what have you got for me this week?
CB x

Hapy New Year!

Happy New Year, everyone!  I hope you and your families all enjoyed the festivities.  Our Christmas was pretty quiet after all Mummy’s build-up because we were all ill.  Santa came though, and he brought he lots of lovely things.  I had wonderful gifts from everyone – one very lucky baby!

New Year was good, too.  We went away with two of Mummy’s friends and their families, so I’ve had friends to play with all week.  We’ve made beautiful play-doh models, coloured-in with wax crayons, splashed in puddles, and played hide-and-seek.  Mummy even told us how to play Sardines, just to spice things up a little.  Such fun!

With all this talk of a new year, it seems like a good chance to have a look back over the last year and look ahead to what’s to come in 2012.

So, in brief summary of my year, I’ll cast my mind back to last January.  This time last year, I started nursery.  It was my first big step towards independence, and I’ve loved almost every minute of it; the first few days weren’t much good, but Mummy took longer to settle in that me.  I met my boyfriend there J

I’ve learned to crawl, then to walk, and now I’m running all over the place.  My love of shoes grows stronger every day, and I discovered handbags in 2011, too.  My inner diva is being nurtured and I think I could teach some of you a thing or two about tantrums already!  And I started blogging. Almost a year ago.

My friends and I have all had our first birthday parties (more lovely presents!)  Summer seemed to last forever.  Now, I’m getting the idea that grown-ups in this country love to talk about the weather, and generally how bad it is, so to avoid any “What summer?” comments, I’ll point out that we have photographic evidence of me playing in my paddling pool as early as April, and still in October.  That must be a good summer in anyone’s books.

I saw my first fireworks, my first carnival, and I met Santa again (twice).  So, 2012 has a lot to live up to.  As is customary at this time of year, I’ve pulled together a few resolutions of my own:

1.     I’m going to master the potty.  After the initial 'poo success,' it’s all been a bit, er, how shall I put it – hit and miss, with the emphasis on the miss.  I don’t like feeling wet or dirty.

2.     My words are going to become a bit more comprehensible, and I might even start joining them up!

3.     I’m going to spring clean my house and get it ready for summer, which could be as early as April again.

4.     We’re all going on holiday.  Together.  Officially, that decision has STILL not been taken, but I want to go abroad.  My horizons need broadening.

5.     I’m going to give Hairy Dog a bit of a break.  I think he had enough poking, pulling and body-slamming in 2011 to last a lifetime.

Have a good one!

CB x