Era
Picture
What was she doing?
Selected highlights
(March 2011)
Being reluctant to join the outside world
Born at 2.45pm weighing 7lb 11oz
A protest poo
Wondering what was going on
"Young Daisy had decided to venture into uncharted territory with a comforting hand by the side of her face."
"She's SO tiny! But she does look comfortable and contented. Ah those halcyon days."
(March 2011)
Spending nights in our room
A lot of sleeping in a pink Moses basket
Following through whilst in Matt's arms
Ignoring the bee on her play mat
Going very floppy ("flotbot") after a feed
"I don't know what Daisy dreams about, but here she seems to be operating an imaginary bow and arrow."
"We tried her on the play mat for a bit. She didn't really appreciate the weird dangling creatures. Probably a bit young yet."
"It all goes in the special Daisy logbook, anyway. Two days old: ignores bee. Three days old: continues to ignore bee."
(March 2011)
Taking first trip out in pram
Developing a tiny mullet
Scratching her face
Reclining in the recliner
Wearing tiny shoes
"As Paul B put it Driving Miss Daisy or, rather, the long-awaited sequel Wheeling Miss Daisy: This Time It's Parental."
"'What else does she like to do?' Louise was heard to ask. Eat, poo, stare, sleep. That's pretty much it."
"Occasionally, a bit of daddy magic is required, as Daisy seems to fall asleep in my arms. Whilst apparently giving the finger."
(April 2011)
Being rocked to sleep in the car seat
First food shopping trip, in trolley
Passively enjoying Mother's Day
Meeting Great Nana Betty
Trying out the baby carrier
Giving dangling toys a whack
"Here the indie rock music has worked wonders, much more so than the insect dangling off the seat handle."
"Daisy also asked me to cook Lynne (although she said "mummy" not "Lynne", naturally) savoury French toast with bacon."
"Daisy has a wonderful array of sleeping poses, with her arms seemingly defying gravity. Here, she's all gone a bit Tommy Cooper."
(May 2011)
Kicking the jungle mat struts
Sitting in the corner of the sofa
Pushing herself along on the changing table
Rocking the auto-rocking chair
Watching Test match cricket
Slamming down both legs
"Here Lynne tries a ridiculous looking summer hat on Daisy, which she does manage to pull off (not in the removal sense)."
"It would be remiss of me not to mention her auto-rocking chair, a very good investment. She certainly seems happy enough with it anyway."
"From the angle of her face, and the intensity of her eyes, I am pretty sure she is watching TV right now."
(June/July 2011)
Sucking her thumb
Picking up and chewing stuff
Trying out the playpen
Enjoying Daddy & Daisy day
Half-rolling on the play mat
Reading books
Test-driving the iCandy pushchair
"In a striking blue outfit, complete with obligatory daisies, Daisy keenly watches the TV in full control of the Sky remote. Well maybe not full."
"Daisy's self-discovery of her thumb as a comfort has been very helpful in enabling her to get some shut-eye."
"Back in Haddington, Daisy tried out her... well... big inflatable rabbit-headed thing, whilst wearing a bib. She wasn't entirely sure what to make of it."
(August/September 2011)
Eating puréed food in the highchair
Sitting tentatively in the Jumparoo
Loving the orange monkey
Battling with a broadsheet
Having her first holiday (in Llandudno)
Rolling on to her tummy
"Now that she has reached five months old, we decide to start her on solids. I say solids, but it's little more than a paste or purée."
"I take her through the little animal book set (by which I mean that the books are little, not the animals)."
"Her excitement at bagsying the double bed in the Penrhynside cottage is palpable."
(October 2011)
Taking swimming lessons
Sitting in the donut
Flipping onto her front and back again
Rotating whilst in the cot
Jumping in the Jumparoo
Soaking in the inflatable duck bath
Teething (one tooth makes a bid for freedom)
Sitting up without support (but precariously)
"She still had a routine involving sitting in the corner of the sofa, watching TV, playing with her new musical instruments and waiting for her milk to be ready."
"She has now become extremely interesting in mobile phones and TV remotes. I try to take her photo and, while she poses nicely, she tries to grab for it."
"Sometimes she will lose a bit of balance and her legs will shoot up, either in vain or in a successful effort to stop her falling back. Just in case, I have placed cushions at first slip, wicketkeeper and leg slip."
(November 2011 to January 2012)
Knocking down the cup tower
Displaying two bottom teeth
Sitting in the shopping trolley
Waving
Chattering gibberish
Playing peek-a-boo
Sort-of-crawling backwards
"Lynne got mischievous with Daisy's hair when rubbing in shampoo, so much so that it all went a bit Jack Nicholson. Heeeere's Daisy!"
"She loves to chatter away, especially when she's just been put to bed - it's like her own little Late Review of the day."
"She spends too much time reading to bother about crawling."
"She can get on to all fours but isn't sure what to do next. In can sometimes end like this - a lurch forward onto her face."
(Christmas 2011)
Dressing like one of Santa's little helpers
Not being interested in opening presents
Enjoying her first Christmas Day
Mastering her first laptop
"We didn't get her too much knowing that (i) she wouldn't appreciate it and (ii) everyone else would be exceedingly generous and give her lots of presents. That proved to be the case."
"When we sat eating our turkey meal, she sat merrily playing amidst a sea of toys and cushions."
(January to March 2012)
Sitting up in the cot
Initially not really exploring that much
Getting into cheese
Commando crawling
Pointing
Acquiring another two teeth (at the top)
"She loves to munch on bread or cheese. The latter, in particular, we can tell that she is getting a real taste for."
"The sitting still and playing nicely phase is now officially over - her crawling technique is slowly developing."
"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?'"
(March 2012)
Seeing lots (and lots) of friends and family
Enjoying Great Nana Betty's clapping
Being passed around to all and sundry
Trying to unwrap a huge number of presents
"In the end, 61 (!) people joined the three of us in celebrating Daisy's 1st birthday, with our reasonably spacious downstairs being swamped by people."
"It was pointed out to me that Mickey Mouse had fallen into disrepute, turning to alcoholism."
"And finally, to give an idea of just how generous people were, I arranged the presents for one big shot."
(March to June 2012)
Playing in the garden
Messing around with the girls next door
Balancing on the rocker
Getting used to pub lunches
Scribbling with crayons
Saying "dada", "mama", "hi" and "bye"
Visiting Chester Zoo
Pulling herself to her feet on the sofa
Munching on fruit and veg
"Whilst taking photos, I am stalked by a predator in the grass who has a predilection for electronic gizmos, even at a young age."
"In one of those 'why didn't we test it in the shop before buying it for her' moments, the vocals are a gratingly loud upper class gentleman barking such statements as "let's go on a learning journey"."
"Daisy and Uncle Matt had a bit of fun on returning home, the former munching on her plastic cheese sandwich, the latter crawling manically around the living room and sitting in the ball pool. (Yes, I got that right.)"
(June to September 2012)
Being cycled round Center Parcs
Putting stickers all over herself
Standing up unsupported
Climbing up stairs
Making different animal noises
Point to body parts on request
Walking with assistance
Having baths in the big bath
"Back home at the end of July and there aren't many pads around which Daisy hasn't scrawled all over (er, drawn artfully on)."
"She is also honing her ability to say the word "no" (as before combined with shaking her head) seemingly saying it without discrimination, i.e. to pretty much any question you ask her (apart from things like "do you want some cheese?", obviously)."
"A tired Daisy without her Hello Kitty toy is not someone you want to face."
(September to December 2012)
Sitting on the beach in Torquay
Finally walking (at the Barlows')
Visiting her dad at work
Getting her first pair of shoes
Munching on apples and pears
Going on the swing at the park without crying
Playing her drum to the Arctic Monkeys
Messing around with Aunty Katie's kittens
"A few days later and we headed for Daisy's third proper holiday, in Torquay, where Daisy played on a beach for the first time, and ruddy loved it."
"She clearly thrived in front of a crowd, trying repeatedly to get up on her feet and seemingly getting enjoyment from falling over. Given we had waited so long for her to walk, there was mild hysteria as she pottered on her own."
"Slowly her walking repertoire expanded, from 4 steps to 20 steps, then able to turn corners, pause and rotate, each time making us hold our breath as she wobbled past sharp edges and doorways."
(December 2012 to March 2013)
Expanding her own personal vocabulary
Running around the house
Chipping one of her front teeth
Putting up the Christmas tree
Starting Kids Allowed nursery (Cheadle)
Cooking brownies and scones
Playing in her Wendy house
Helping me plant seeds in the greenhouse
"All things are now categorised as either a baby ("baba"), mummy ("mama") or daddy ("dada")"
"A week later and, with Lynne away at a spa for 24 hours, it was time to cook the brownies that the Giles's kindly got Daisy for Christmas."
"Having helped me plant some lettuce seeds the previous week, I sensed Daisy was keen to get in on the compost action once more. She spent quite a lot of time simply transferring compost from one container to the next."
(March 2013)
Munching chocolate cake messily
Opening presents in a measured fashion
Pretending to work in a supermarket
Visiting Blue Planet aquarium
Messing around with Play-Doh
"She wasn't fervent in her present opening, as was also the case at Christmas, preferring to open and then experience each present first."
"It turned out to be a popular toy, complete with Open All Hours-style exploding cash drawer and mildly amplified microphone for supermarket-wide announcements."
"As the vehicle started lurching and Madness ("House Of Fun") blared out of the speakers, her eagerness rapidly gave way to tears of fear, and she was quickly removed."
(March to September 2013)
Painting
Mimicking sign language on TV
Trying to build sandcastles at the beach
Play acting as a doctor
Playing in her sandpit in the back garden
Holidaying in the Aberfeldy lodges
Trampolining
Vastly improving her vocabulary
Harvesting peas and potatoes
Making pizza
"She was prolific, churning out masterpieces as if she was just randomly daubing paint on pieces of paper. We were hopeful they would go for substantial amounts of money."
"The Sunday saw a trip to the Heaton Moor Festival, scene of some Zumba action last year. Daisy and Aunty Katie took a trip on the Circular Express, destination: nowhere."
"Elevenses on nice weekend mornings normally involves harvesting some peas from the vegetable patch and eating them. Daisy can get through a good 10-15 pods on a good day - she loves them."
(September 2013 to March 2014)
Cooking prolifically
Drawing people
Sitting at the table for teatime
Uttering comedy phrases
Opening her first advent calendar
Using the toilet (with booster seat)
Playing hopskotch
Using her first tablet (InnoTab 3)
Switching to a new bedroom with a proper bed
Watching a 3D film at the cinema
"A regular tactic involved something along the lines of "two more Peppa Pigs, and then I go to bed, okay?", with emphasis on the very last syllable for extra comedy value."
"Daisy loves a good bowl of tomato soup, although it's not clear whether that is based on consuming it or smearing it all over her face."
"Here is Daisy's new bedroom, carpeted and wallpapered (just on one wall, feature wall fans). Daisy has contrived to make near endless fun by naming all the colours in the repeating stripe pattern."
(March 2014)
Munching croissant
Making Play-Doh ice-cream
Having a birthday buffet with the Allens
Eagerly attacking a Minion cake
Having a joint birthday party with Hannah at Reddish Vale Farm
Milking a pretend cow
"But what birthday isn't complete without a game of Old MacDonald Lotto? Well, most of them, otherwise it would get a bit repetitive."
"The arrival of Kate came as quite a shock. As far as we could recall, we had not sent out invitations for fancy dress attendance. But that didn't stop Kate coming as Puss in Boots."
(March to June 2014)
Sleeping in very unusual positions
Pretending to drive our car
Walking down the stairs
Watering the vegetable patch
Riding on a bus with her dad
Pulling a curtain rail off the wall
Celebrating the arrival of her baby brother
Washing the cars (plastic and real)
Going on a couple of Easter Egg hunts
Ten-pin bowling
"As Gregory's inevitable induction day approached, what was probably not needed for Lynne to remain relaxed and stress-free was for Daisy to pull down one of the long curtains in the living room."
"So, there we were, coasting along in Daisy's life, when suddenly there was a new arrival in her life. This was her first time seeing Gregory."
"During the May Day bank holiday weekend, we had a visit from the Brunger-Roes and the Gileseses, with Daisy seemingly fleeing the great big Giles monster."
(June to September 2014)
Picking fresh peas
Chilling in the sun-kissed garden
Playing Mario Kart on the Wii
Holidaying in Mochdre (North Wales)
Having her chipped front tooth out
Getting her first tooth fairy delivery
Swimming by herself with armbands
Getting obsessed with Frozen
Starting her first day at nursery school
Taking her first proper swimming lesson
"It's towards the end of June and Daisy is very happy with the bumper(ish) harvest of peas, dwarf French beans, potatoes, raspberries and blackcurrants."
"I introduced Daisy to the wonders of Mario Kart on the Wii. She spent most of the time driving into the wall, but we all have to start somewhere."
"It's the 5th of August and I have the day off while our brave young soldier goes off with Lynne to Stepping Hill to have her tooth removed under general anaesthetic."
(September to December 2014)
Writing out her name unassisted
Trying out all the stuff at the local park
Playing table football at the Moorings
Lying with Gregory on her bed
Shooting pool at Eddie's and Helen's
Pushing Gregory for a walk
Staying at her first firework display
Playing football at the park
Doing a Liam Gallagher impression
"It's probably about this time when I considered slipping away, with Aunty Katie reading Daisy a story or letting her play on a game, and Nana Sue keeping an eye on Gregory."
"After a mini-meltdown from Daisy (pretty standard these days), promise of duck feeding had us head down to the basin and canal, but there were sadly none to be found. Still, it was a very pleasant afternoon."
"A nice glimpse into the playing style of Daisy Allen. She has put all the Despicable Me characters on to their own individual pieces of white notepaper. I have no idea what for."
(December 2014 to March 2015)
Looking after Golden Bear
Skiing on Wii Fit
Singing in her school nativity play
Wearing her Elsa dress like a second skin
Having a buffet curry at Nawaab
Going to gymnastics class
Building a snowman
Bashing her head at school
Having a bath with her brother and cousin
"I took the afternoon off to go to Daisy's nativity play with Lynne and Gregory. The nursery class were the ones at the back, all wearing animal face masks and providing the backing singing. The reception class paraded in front."
"She is now a strong favourite to take the school injury report champion 2014/15 having developed a healthy lead. All this is making her choice of Humpty Dumpty earlier a little self-referential."
(March 2015)
Visiting the Museum of Science and Industry
Playing on the Percussion Pipes
Eating a birthday tea at Frankie and Benny'.
Having a birthday party at Run of the Mill
Singing (or miming) along with a lookalike Elsa
Topping her own pizza
Trampolining
"Back to the present opening, Daisy unfortunately had been given a Minnie Mouse set. Alas, it was upside down so we would have to send it back."
"For her birthday, we headed to Manchester so that Daisy could demonstrate just how small the Beetham Tower really is."
"Whilst Daisy appears to be singing here, I think she was basically miming. Still, it looked convincing."
"Daisy's pizza topping style was unique, with a strip of cheese in the middle surrounded by two strips of ham."