Daisy Suzanne Allen
Born Sunday 6th March 2011
10 to 12 months old
Her life: Birth ♥ Week 1 ♥ Weeks 2-3 ♥ Weeks 4-7 ♥ Weeks 8-13 ♥ Weeks 14-22 ♥ 5-7 months ♥ 7-8 months ♥ 8-10 months ♥ 1st Christmas ♥ 10-12 months ♥ 1st birthday party ♥ 12-15 months ♥ 15-18 months ♥ 18-21 months ♥ 21-24 months ♥ 2nd birthday ♥ 2-2½ years ♥ 2½-3 years ♥ 3rd birthday ♥ 3-3¼ years ♥ 3¼-3½ years ♥ 3½-3¾ years ♥ 3¾-4 years ♥ 4th birthday
In summary: Index ♥ From birth to four years old ♥ Four years old onwards
Special features: Daisy translator ♥ Daisy cookery ♥ Daisy phrases ♥ Golden Bear
Right, so she's 10 months old now, and a lot more mobile. Still not crawling, but she can drag herself forwards over short distances commando-style, shuffle backwards, twist around and, most impressively, move from all-fours to the sitting down position. One day last week Lynne went into the nursery in the morning to find Daisy sat up in the cot looking pretty darned pleased with herself. We still often lay the odd crash cushion down just in case she launches herself backwards, which she still has a habit of doing, particularly when tired.
You will notice that this room is swiftly becoming her own. This will only become steadily more so.
L'il blondie is getting quite a head of hair now, and it's starting to curl at the back, which is apparently like her mother's. Either historically or before it's corrected by the industrial straighteners. She is no explorer (er, yet - see a bit below) - she will happily sit in the same position reading and playing if she can reach enough things.
Food-wise, she is starting to have variants have what we have to supplement the organic jars. Recent examples include lasagne, turkey leftovers and sausage casserole. On top of that, she loves to munch on bread or cheese. The latter, in particular, we can tell that she is getting a real taste for. Which is just as well, since we both love the stuff. It's exactly as expected too, for the same reason. It's only the foodstuff she'll constantly put in her mouth until it's all gone - other items she will hold for a bit. She's had Lancashire and liked that, but also mature Cheddar. In the shot below, she's munching on a Philadelphia smeared crust, and making a right old mess of it too.
She loves seeing photos of herself or indeed a reflection of herself. Cleverly, she also knows to look elsewhere via the mirror, not just at herself. In fact, she's so camera-aware that she manages to pose using the mirror. She's using the baby book that Suze & Rick got her for Christmas.
Typically in a maelstrom of toys, looking at her mother, with tufty bits of hair sticking out from above her ears.
Give us a D for Daisy!
She very much loves her teddy book too, a present from Grandma Avis.
More updates as and when they occur. Given that the above photo was taken about an hour ago, you're bang up-to-date.
In the absence of food, she will munch her fingers, although this is mainly to try to counter teething pains.
Fast forward a couple of weeks (to the end of January) and my comments earlier about her being content to stay where she is put are now null and void. I finished a light-hearted but informative book on fatherhood recently and one of the things I took away from it was the phrase "everything is a phase". It's something that applies to the raising of babies. In the early days, we spent every evening desperately trying to get Daisy to stop crying, but to no avail, wondering how we could continue like this. But it was just a (colicky) phase. There have been other phases too.
The sitting still and playing nicely phase is now officially over - her crawling technique is slowly developing. She initially would get onto her hands and knees but then flop forward onto her belly when trying to move forwards, so developed her skills at crawling commando-style, as if manoeuvring herself under a rope net. (A few days later she can do some hands and knees moves, but then still flops onto her belly for greater speed after a few motions.)
Here she has wriggled over to the other side of the living room, pursuing one of her endless fascinations - the changing mat and box. Is that guilt, acknowledgement, or simply posing?
The sight of an open door and she is off like a shot. I only just had time to capture in this photo.
She paused in the hall, delirious with new-found experiences. If I remember rightly, she flipped herself round a number of times to sit in each direction to get a full survey of the room. She is increasingly gymnastic.
If there is one thing that can entice her back into the living room, it's the sight of my laptop. There is something in this next generation that they seem predisposed to utilise electronic gadgets. Daisy has already managed to load up Windows Media Centre, which I didn't even know existed. She delights in watching slideshows of herself. She knows the best buttons to press on the Sky+ remote, and always knows which way up that and my mobile phone should go.
She is also drawn to the roving baby bag (oh I don't know what to call it), which she loves to empty out onto the carpet. The little characters on the bag don't exactly discourage her. How can you be mad with The Dribbler? She looks so innocent, dammit. It's as if every one of these photos could be accompanied by the description: "What, me?"
The only way to keep her under control is to put her in a cell. She doesn't always like it but what can you do? She at least has a gigantic Minnie Mouse (a present off Aunty Katie) to keep her company (or scared witless - depends on your point of view).
Nearly 11 months old and her latest excursion has taken her into the kitchen, where she likes to sit there and watch us go about our business, or just to slap the floor to see what noise it makes (truly a drummer in the making). This particular exploration has not been without its casualties. A sock is missing. Lynne has pointed out that she is still in her PJs, but it is 9am on a Saturday. We don't run a dictatorship. Certainly not on Daddy & Daisy day.
Bringing her back in the living room and shutting the door is to no avail - she still wants out. She can't get out, though, being a lot lower down in the vertical plane than the handle.
As always, she can't resist the allure of being caught on camera. A big shout out to Daisy. This is one of her latest poses - sticking her hand in air. She also likes pointing, which conveniently her other hand is doing.
Despite the bad weather, Nana Sue and Aunty Katie brave the journey over on the Sunday, desperate to see their granddaughter/niece. Daisy, meanwhile, is curious as to the contents of the Mr Men box...
...so she has a proper peer in.
Other stuff she's doing... she knows who Mickey Mouse or the Mr Men are. If we say their names, she will point to them. She tries to sing along to Mickey Mouse's Hot Dog song (best you don't ask what that song actually is) - it's not a great attempt, but probably not the worst ever. Yesterday she picked up a carrier bag (danger!) but gave it to me when I asked for it (as well as the accompanying receipt). She tries some of the actions to Incy Wincy Spider (of which we now have two books, both with the tune played on the simple press of a button and both, hopefully, running out of batteries). And she still can't stand the sight of Jordan. Oh well.
Moving on, Daisy has started helping Lynne round the house. Here she (un)sorts my socks.
Daisy points at Lynne, accusing her, no doubt, of putting in an unnecessary hair clip.
This is the kind of thing that happens on Daddy & Daisy day whilst Lynne is Zumbaing. Whilst I was lying on the floor by her side, she would reach across and try to grab my glasses (which I generally only wear between waking and showering). I decided to try them on Daisy, who immediately went to remove them, but it looks like she is making an intellectual adjustment. This had me chuckling for quite some time and it is currently the wallpaper on Lynne's mobile phone.
Later that day, Nana Sue and Aunty Katie popped round to read for a mildly disinterested Daisy. It might have been this time or another time when Daisy finally accepted Jordan (i.e. she didn't cry), thus immediately invalidating my comments above.
A few days later and Lynne had taken Daisy up to see the grandparents in Haddington. As I wallowed in lonely self-pity (or did I play computer games, I can't remember), Lynne would occasionally send me photos of Daisy, who was loving the space of the Schofields' recently extended living room.
I also get a photo of my girls sent by Aunty Louise.
The following Saturday (yes, another Daddy & Daisy day so the camera comes out) and Daisy (wearing her obligatory 'I love Dad - he's my hero' top) receives late reports through her earpiece that Mummy is heading home.
Daisy loves the laptop, but she especially loves the laptop when it runs a slideshow of photos of her. She's all dressed up here, in readiness for a party at the twins' house...
...where she makes a couple of friends - if only they would sit still.
Here she is just chilling while the twins are read a story by Aunty Grace.
Like a big girl she sits at the kitchen table (albeit strapped in) awaiting her tea. When she could hear people leaving and saying "bye", she waved at them, even though they were in the other room.
She just can't help but look cute, eh.
I struggle to take photos of her on my phone as she guns for it straight away, eager to grab it from my hands. She looks rather evil.
She doesn't spend that much time in the other (living) room these days, but everyone needs some downtime, reading the paper, doing the crossword.
Another photo on my phone, taken just before the phone gets stolen from my grasp, and it gives a good glimpse of her four teeth, the bottom tightly aligned, the top two doing their own thing but with a little way yet to come. We suspect other teeth will be breaking through soon.
And that's that. There will be some photos of her 1st birthday party on soon, and then we move into her second year. And what a year it's been.