The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo: Addicted!

I know that a book is good if I carry it around the house with me, reading a page or even a paragraph at every opportunity! The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo has reached the lofty heights of being a carry-round book! From the moment that Henrik Vanger explained the mysterious disapperance of Harriet Vanger to Mikael Blomkvist I needed to know the answer... (Don't tell me! I want to find it out for myself...)

I have to admit that it took me 7 chapters to work out the numbering system at the beginning of each chapter! But I have cracked it now. :)

I have to give full credit to Reg Keeland, the translator. You wouldn't guess that it had been written in another language already!

Baby's First Skills: 4-5 months - An update

Zoë Grace and I have now been doing these activities for a few days, so I thought I'd give you an update! (She also turns 5 months on Tuesday so we'll be moving on to the next chapter...)

Talking (7 mins)

• Puff and blow - Zoë loves it when I blow on her tummy! I've been blowing raspberries and making her smile loads. (She's not yet managed a vocal giggle but the feeling is there.) This activity has also helped me learn the describe and demonstrate technique.
• Hubble bubble - We've had great fun playing with bubbles in the bath (well, I did anyway!) and I have bought her a pot of bubbles, but we haven't played with them yet. We can do that tomorrow.

Moving (20 mins)

• Bathtime fun - During bathtime and swimming lessons we have been practising kicking and splashing - it won't be long til she is able to do that herself!
• Floor flying - This activity was very amusing! Both of us lay on the floor on our tummies, arms out to the side and then lifted our heads to look at each other. We also tried lifting our legs (in a sky-diving shape). I could feel my tummy muscles working hard!
• Horsing around - Zoë has enjoyed sitting on my knees and pretending they're a horse! I do need to learn the nursery rhymes to go with this activity which will make it much more fun.

Hands (12 mins)

• Touch and feel - Not really explored this activity much, but we have read a few books with different textures and touchy-feely pages. Need to source some opposite textures.
• Bathtime fun - As above!
• Play bracelets - I was dubious about purchasing noisy bracelets and their usefulness, but gave in when I found a set in Tesco for not much money. Zoë has loved them! And they have really helped her to work out that she can make noises happen by moving her arms. So, all in all a good purchase. :)

Mind (12 mins)

• Yes and no - Not really done anything on this activity. I need to get my head round it more!
• Baby brain teaser - Not done this one either! I need to make some cards - will get on it tomorrow.
• Peep-bo - We've enjoyed playing this game and Zoë is getting used to the phrase "where's Mummy/Zoë?"

Friendliness (7 mins)

• Baby massage - We've done this a little bit, but I kept planning on doing it at bedtime and Zoë has been very tired so we've had to miss it out.
• Hands and fingers - I've had to teach myself Round and round the garden and Tommy thumb, but it's been really enjoyable.

After just a few days I have really enjoyed this book and am reassured that I am doing the right stuff with Zoë Grace. It's great to have ideas and activities to do with her on a one-to-one basis which are helping her develop as well. We are looking forward to finding out what our activities will be next month. :)

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo: Is the hype right?

Given that I have just finished two books in the last few days I thought I should update my list of books for you...

The Bible. I attempt to read this regularly so it will always be in my list of current books.

Soul Food for Mums by Lucinda van der Hart & Anna France-Williams

Having a Mary Spirit by Joanna Weaver

To this list I am adding The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Steig Larsson. I have somehow managed to avoid the books and the films until now, but I have decided to check out whether the 'more than 26 million' people who bought this book were right! I'm half-way through Chapter 1 and am enjoying it at the moment, so will continue on...

First-Time Mom: A friend's recommendation

This book was a present from a friend who'd found it invaluable when she was a first-time mom. As you can probably guess the book is written by an American, but as children are the same the world over this really wasn't a problem! (My friend is actually South African!)

The book goes from birth to toddlers and on to starting school, and is jam-packed with tips and hints and guidance based on experience. It is definitely a book which I will be re-reading as Zoë Grace grows up.

I want to share with you today 'A Child's Ten Commandments to Parents' as it really spoke to me. (I am planning on printing these out nicely and putting them up in Zoë Grace's room.)

'A Child's Ten Commandments to Parents'

1. My hands are small; please don't expect perfection whenever I make a bed, draw a picture, or throw a ball. My legs are short; please slow down so I can keep up with you.
2. My eyes have not seen the world as yours have; please let me explore safely; don't restrict me unnecessarily.
3. Housework will always be there. I am only little for such a short time - please take time to explain things to me about this wonderful world, and do so willingly.
4. My feelings are tender; please be sensitive to my needs; don't nag me all day long. (You wouldn't want to be nagged for you inquisitiveness.) Treat me as you would like to be treated.
5. I am a special gift from God; please treasure me as God intended you to do, holding me accountable for my actions, giving me guidelines to live by, and disciplining me in a loving manner.
6. I need your encouragement, but not your praise, to grow. Please go easy on the criticism; remember, you can criticize the things I do without criticizing me.
7. Please give me the freedom to make decisions concerning myself. Permit me to fail, so I can learn from my mistakes.
8. Please don't do things over for me. Somehow that makes me feel that my efforts don't quite measure up to your expectations. I know it's hard, but please don't compare me with my brother or sister.
9. Please don't be afraid to leave for a weekend together. Kids need vacations from parents, just as parents need vacations from kids. Besides, it's a great way to show us kids that your marriage is special.
10. Please take me to Sunday school and church regularly, setting a good example for me to follow. I enjoy learning more about God.

Call The Midwife: The Appendix

No! I don't mean the little bit of flesh which most people have cut out... I mean the section at the end of the book which is like bonus information!

In the case of Call The Midwife, I loved The Appendix! Entitled 'On the Difficulties of Writing the Cockney Dialect', I was in my linguistical element! There was talk of glottal stops, pronunciation, consonent changes, softening of fricatives, quadraphthongs and quinquaphthongs, as well as grammar, syntax, idioms and slang! (Wachoofinkovisen?!) Two of my favourite quotes in this chapter are:

Ve mos' worsestest fing wha: 'e ever done was more be:erer van 'er wickidness.

and

Ve doctor, 'e shpozhezh, vish fing wazh a washp shting azh wha: 'azh shwelled up loike.

Now that I have finished this book I have the pleasure and difficulty of chosing my next book. I always find this a tricky time... More often than not I will read a whole series as I get into the style, characters, time period etc. before moving on to something else. But I only have Call The Midwife at the moment and really can't afford to buy more books, especially when I have other ones that I need to read first! However, Shadows of the Workhouse will be going on my Amazon wishlist for a time in the future. As for now it is back to the bookcase - do I re-read an old favourite or do I risk reading something new?

Eats, shoots and leaves!

It has been a dark day... I have not managed to read a book at all today! It rarely happens and I will endeavour to rectify the situation before my eyes give in to sleep...

However, I have just proof-read 18 pages of a document for Steve (whilst watching The Apprentice and You're Hired). I am one of those strange people who actually enjoy grammar and finding errors and dubious punctuation.I enjoy it so much that it has been my job for the past 4 year!

I think this love of grammar was instilled in me by my mother from an early age. She used to return letters to the school covered in red pen indicating the necessary grammatical corrections - it was highly embarrassing at the time, but I think I would do the same with any letters that Zoë Grace will get!

Better go now so I get the chance to read a few pages before going to sleep...

Soul Food for Mums: God working in your child's life

(Zoë Grace is fast asleep under her play gym, so I thought I'd grab some valuable time to do some reading...) 

"It takes a whole village to raise a child." Igbo and Yoruba (Nigeria) Proverb

This proverb really struck me when I was reading this week's devotional (next week's starts on Thursday, so I'm still trying to catch up!). Zoë Grace needs more than just Steve and me (hard to stomach) to help her to grow into the woman God wants her to be: grandparents, aunts/uncles, cousins, siblings (maybe one day!), but also the community of God's people, the church. Our church is full of people of different ages, ethnicities, personalities and backgrounds, with different skills and gifts. Just think of the variety in her life if we allow them to help us raise her! (I'm not suggesting here that she's raised by community, but that we open up our lives to allow her to experience lots of different people!)

Delia v James

A few nights ago we were on our way to bed when an almighty crash jolted us into a panic... After checking that our little girl was asleep and ok, I sent Steve downstairs to investigate. (I am all for equality but think there are times when it's ok to be a timid woman ;) )

In the kitchen he found my pestle and mortar on the floor, along with a few other bits and pieces of the shelf. Delia Smith was having a fight with James Martin! And she nearly suceeded in pushing him to the floor and having the shelf all to herself. Girl power!

I'm enjoying looking through those recipe books again and planning menus (not that I'll actually get round to cooking most of the stuff). I would love to cook through an entire cookbook like in Julie and Julia; maybe one day I will, but at the moment I'm going for simple easy food...

Baby's First Skills: 4-5 months

In an attempt to avoid spending ridiculous amounts on money on classes and activities for Zoë Grace (which I'm sure she'll end up sleeping through), I invested £6.39 on a book (surprise surprise!). It is called Baby's First Skills: Help your baby learn through creative play by Dr Miriam Stoppard and had really good reviews on amazon.com.

Given that Zoë Grace is now 20 weeks/4 1/2 months, I have started the book mid-way through, but that doesn't seem to be a problem as it is easy to catch up on the key elements.

According to the summary Zoë Grace

"...is becoming aware of new and strange situations and is learning how to express her feelings. During this month she wants to learn and initiate, starts to concentrate hard, begins to control her hands and loves to join in games."

This does seem to be an accurate summary of our little girl! However, I am keen not to focus on detailed milestones and miss out on her own developmental steps. So, I am using this book carefully and going at Zoë Grace's pace, encouraging her when she lets me know she's ready. As well as reading this book I need to learn to 'read' her cues and signals.

Tomorrow I will start The Golden Hour of activities, including:
Talking (7 mins)

• Puff and blow
• Hubble bubble

Moving (20 mins)

• Bathtime fun
• Floor flying
• Horsing around

Hands (12 mins)

• Touch and feel
• Bathtime fun
• Play bracelets

Mind (12 mins)

• Yes and no
• Baby brain teaser
• Peep-bo

Friendliness (7 mins)

• Baby massage
• Hands and fingers

Will let you know how they go...

Soul Food for Mums: God with you through your child's suffering

I'm just catching up on my weekly devotional (as I missed last week) and am surprised (though probably shouldn't be) that the theme for this week is "God with you through your child's suffering!"

Zoë seems to be fit and healthy at the moment (thank God), though has lovely red cheeks from teething. However, I know of three babies who were all in hospital this week! I think God was wanting me to read this passage this week so I could encourage those who are going through tough times with their babies.

One of those babies is Nathan, who had major heart surgery. If you would like to follow his story and pray for his recovery, go to: http://www.facebook.com/?ref=tn_tnmn#!/groups/132061663571276/

Below is a extract of what I read; hope it inspires and encourages you.

Read Psalm 40:1-3

"I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the LORD."

Perhaps one of life's slimiest, muddiest pits is experienced when your child is unwell and suffering pain. I have longed for my babies to be able to be able to tell me exactly what is hurting, so that I don't have to play the guessing game of wondering what I should do to help them.

Psalm 40 affirms that when we cry out to God during difficult times he hears and comes to help us (v1). But when responding to a sick or teething baby, the practical can so very quickly overwhelm us, and we can forget to call out to our Father. Susie, mum of two, says, 'It's so easy to forget to pray in those situations. But prayer needs to be my first stop. That brings peace. I try to remind myself that my baby is in God's hands, and if I love and care for my baby, how much more so does God.'

Use Psalm 40:11&13 as a prayer for yourself and for your child. Use their name where the psalmist uses the word 'me'.

Call The Midwife: The importance of a foetus

Having watched the BBC adaptation when it was on in January and February, I was keen to read the original memoirs of Jennifer Worth, a 22 year old midwife based in London's East End in the 1950s.

And it hasn't disappointed! I have been caught up with the moving stories of love and tragedy, whilst at the same time being very very relieved that Zoë Grace was born in 2011 with all the medical advances which have happened in the last 60 years!!

Last week I had morning coffee with a lovely old lady from my church; she was a midwife in the 1950s but in Liverpool and the west of London. Zoë Grace and I spent a lovely couple of hours listening to her stories; one memory involved sitting on a houseboat for a night with a woman in labour followed by a breakfast cooked by the father-to-be before handing over to the next midwife.

One of my favourite ways to fall asleep is with my thumb in the middle of a book! That was how I fell asleep last night, having just read about the birth, and survival, of the premature baby of Len and Conchita Warren. The words that stuck in my mind are:

"Several times in those post-natal months I though of that dreadful night when he was born, and remembered Sister Julienne's words to me as I left. 'God be with you, my dear. I will pray for Conchita Warren and her unborn baby.' She had not just said that she would pray for Conchita. Nor had she assumed that the foetus would be born dead. She had said, with equal emphasis, that she would pray for the both. In fact, she prayed for us all."

Psalm 139 tells us how important a foetus is to God:

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.

Welcome!

This is my first foray into the world of blogging and I am quite excited by it. You may be wondering why I have chosen the name and what on earth a first time mum of a 4 month old baby could blog about, so let me explain...

 

Despite having the beautiful Zoë Grace, I am still an avid reader and currently have several books on the go. (Not as many as before, but still a few!) I thought it would be interesting (for me, maybe for you?) for me to share what I am reading and how it is impacting me.

 

So, at the moment I am reading the following books:

• The Bible. I attempt to read this regularly so it will always be in my list of current books
• Soul Food for Mums (by Lucinda van der Hart & Anna France-Williams)
• First Time Mom (by Dr. Kevin Leman)
• Call The Midwife (by Jennifer Worth)
• Having a Mary Spirit (by Joanna Weaver)

 

I'm sure my blogging with be sporadic, with me sharing things as I read them. :)

 

"No man can be called friendless who has God and the companionship of good books."  Elizabeth Barrett Browning