Ah, Jamie asleep. It feels like we used to have more pictures like this... actually we did, but that's largely because as he gets older, Jamie gets even better at doing his sleep in one go in his own room, and isn't often having to find that extra hour in our bed before my PA arrives and we properly start the morning.
10/52 2017
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11/52 2017
When putting pictures of Jamie online I've tried to be mindful of his future self, and have set a number of "rules" such as not posting naked pictures, or pictures of him unhappy. Teenage Jamie should, in my opinion, be able to look at the public record of his childhood and shrug, or at worst, have a minor cringe - he shouldn't feel teased, shamed, or violated.
Which is a long winded way of reassuring everyone that in this week's photo he's not actually unhappy.
He asked to go in this swing. He's been in it before. I was expecting him to lie down and giggle as it swung. Instead he sat bolt upright, with beautiful poise and this look of really intense concentration. I've no idea what he was processing in that brain of his.
Which is a long winded way of reassuring everyone that in this week's photo he's not actually unhappy.
He asked to go in this swing. He's been in it before. I was expecting him to lie down and giggle as it swung. Instead he sat bolt upright, with beautiful poise and this look of really intense concentration. I've no idea what he was processing in that brain of his.
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12/52 2017
This week's photo was taken at a rather lovely playground in Stratford upon Avon.
The equipment is wonderful, the surface is accessible, and it's worth the drive - but what made it magical this week is the bit in the background, just behind the brightly coloured house Jamie is playing in.
Yes, it's a real-life digger, or "DIG-DIG" as Jamie calls them. I suppose they must have been about to install a new piece of play equipment or something, because it was digging away right inside the playground. He thought it was amazing and had to stop and stare at it every time he went over to a different toy.
The equipment is wonderful, the surface is accessible, and it's worth the drive - but what made it magical this week is the bit in the background, just behind the brightly coloured house Jamie is playing in.
Yes, it's a real-life digger, or "DIG-DIG" as Jamie calls them. I suppose they must have been about to install a new piece of play equipment or something, because it was digging away right inside the playground. He thought it was amazing and had to stop and stare at it every time he went over to a different toy.
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13/52 2017
Daddy and Jamie, going on a little adventure. We live not too far from Chesterton Windmill, and for years it's been a place Steve likes to go and take pictures. I can't get up there - impossible to walk and rather too off-road for my wheels - but with Jamie in his bright yellow raincoat, it's easy to spot them while I wait with the car.
Jamie enjoys sitting in the parrot position but I think he impressed Steve with how much of the distance he was able to walk. The biggest problem is convincing him to stay on the path!
Jamie enjoys sitting in the parrot position but I think he impressed Steve with how much of the distance he was able to walk. The biggest problem is convincing him to stay on the path!
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14/52 2017
This week, we were on holiday in Cornwall, and Jamie had his first ever trip to the beach.
Warwickshire is landlocked and a beach day trip would be no small undertaking. Jamie's experience of sand so far has been small sandpits full of kids, and a sand/water play table in our yard. So having a large area of sand all to himself was a joy.
Not, however, a joy in which I participated. Steve took this picture. I was tucked up in a nearby spa, having three whole hours completely OFF. No household chores to get on with. No trying to get as much as possible done before putting the mummy hat back on. No attempting to relax while knowing that at any moment a plaintive "mama! mama!" will bring things to an abrupt halt. Just a chance to unwind in the knowledge that although I could be contacted via the spa in a "get your clothes on and rush to the hospital" way, I wouldn't be interrupted for feeds, nappies, grumps, teething, tiredness, or boredom. It was the first time in 18 months and it was lovely.
Warwickshire is landlocked and a beach day trip would be no small undertaking. Jamie's experience of sand so far has been small sandpits full of kids, and a sand/water play table in our yard. So having a large area of sand all to himself was a joy.
Not, however, a joy in which I participated. Steve took this picture. I was tucked up in a nearby spa, having three whole hours completely OFF. No household chores to get on with. No trying to get as much as possible done before putting the mummy hat back on. No attempting to relax while knowing that at any moment a plaintive "mama! mama!" will bring things to an abrupt halt. Just a chance to unwind in the knowledge that although I could be contacted via the spa in a "get your clothes on and rush to the hospital" way, I wouldn't be interrupted for feeds, nappies, grumps, teething, tiredness, or boredom. It was the first time in 18 months and it was lovely.
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15/52 2017
This week's picture skims the wire for being "this week" as it was taken last weekend on the day of wonderful sunshine. But I love it and I really wanted it to be part of this record.
The hat was purchased on holiday, on the day of the trip to the beach. If you ask Jamie where a hat goes he will proudly clasp his hands to his head, while saying something that might be "hat" or might be "head" but is certainly in the right ballpark. However there's a difference between understanding that a hat goes on your head, and actually keeping one there. Winter hats are fine, but I think he finds it hard to see the point of a summer hat. What with the vast increase in his mobility I think assisting Hat Management may have to be added to my PAs job description.
The hat was purchased on holiday, on the day of the trip to the beach. If you ask Jamie where a hat goes he will proudly clasp his hands to his head, while saying something that might be "hat" or might be "head" but is certainly in the right ballpark. However there's a difference between understanding that a hat goes on your head, and actually keeping one there. Winter hats are fine, but I think he finds it hard to see the point of a summer hat. What with the vast increase in his mobility I think assisting Hat Management may have to be added to my PAs job description.
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16/52 2017
Perhaps an unusual picture this week. A friend asked how we go about cleaning Jamie's teeth and I felt it wouldn't be inappropriate to include it as a snapshot of everyday life in Jamie's photo record.
We started cleaning Jamie's teeth as soon as the first ones appeared. At the time, he couldn't stand unaided - and even now, although he stands well, he's not tall enough to lean over the bathroom sink even with a stepstool. We don't have a bathroom counter he can sit on, and there's no way I can stand and hold him.
This is our solution. The chair is a cheap plastic booster seat designed to be strapped to a dining chair - the sort of thing you might take on holiday or to grandparents' houses when a full-size high chair isn't available and/or would take up too much room. It's stable enough to be safe sitting on the floor, has enough of a harness that the child would at least take a few moments to escape (call no thing childproof), and is lightweight enough that it can be very easily picked up and moved.
I put a muslin cloth around Jamie's neck and then prepare both our toothbrushes, and we clean our teeth together, me kneeling or sitting on the bathroom floor facing him so that he can copy. After a while we swap hands - I hold his toothbrush in his mouth and give his teeth a last quick once-over, and he holds my toothbrush in my mouth and moves it around.
Then I rinse the toothbrushes and we use them to brush away the excess toothpaste. We do this a couple of times. Jamie mostly just dribbles it out onto the cloth - I'm not sure he's old enough to understand swilling and spitting a mouthful of water into the sink.
I think the thing I like most about this is that it gives me a chance to clean my own teeth!
We started cleaning Jamie's teeth as soon as the first ones appeared. At the time, he couldn't stand unaided - and even now, although he stands well, he's not tall enough to lean over the bathroom sink even with a stepstool. We don't have a bathroom counter he can sit on, and there's no way I can stand and hold him.
This is our solution. The chair is a cheap plastic booster seat designed to be strapped to a dining chair - the sort of thing you might take on holiday or to grandparents' houses when a full-size high chair isn't available and/or would take up too much room. It's stable enough to be safe sitting on the floor, has enough of a harness that the child would at least take a few moments to escape (call no thing childproof), and is lightweight enough that it can be very easily picked up and moved.
I put a muslin cloth around Jamie's neck and then prepare both our toothbrushes, and we clean our teeth together, me kneeling or sitting on the bathroom floor facing him so that he can copy. After a while we swap hands - I hold his toothbrush in his mouth and give his teeth a last quick once-over, and he holds my toothbrush in my mouth and moves it around.
Then I rinse the toothbrushes and we use them to brush away the excess toothpaste. We do this a couple of times. Jamie mostly just dribbles it out onto the cloth - I'm not sure he's old enough to understand swilling and spitting a mouthful of water into the sink.
I think the thing I like most about this is that it gives me a chance to clean my own teeth!
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17/52 2017
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18/52 2017
This week (ok, last week, I know) is Jamie doing Art.
He definitely makes the connection now between dragging a felt tip or crayon across some paper and a line appearing. I'm not sure he's realised that he can control the direction, and there's a 50-50 chance of him trying to use the wrong end of the felt tip, but the basic idea is there.
He definitely makes the connection now between dragging a felt tip or crayon across some paper and a line appearing. I'm not sure he's realised that he can control the direction, and there's a 50-50 chance of him trying to use the wrong end of the felt tip, but the basic idea is there.
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19/52 2017
Before Jamie, and before me, the great love of Steve's life was his motorbike.
It no longer gets the TLC it should, but after a certain length of time in the garage it's a roadworthy vehicle once more and this weekend Steve got to do the last little bit of tinkering to get it ready to take him to and from work. Plus, he finally got to sit Jamie on it.
It no longer gets the TLC it should, but after a certain length of time in the garage it's a roadworthy vehicle once more and this weekend Steve got to do the last little bit of tinkering to get it ready to take him to and from work. Plus, he finally got to sit Jamie on it.
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20/52 2017
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21/52 2017
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22/52 2017
Last week saw us travelling east for a funeral - and also to see friends and family.
Of course neither of these reasons makes much sense to Jamie, so we told him we were going hunting for dig-digs (his word that encompasses all commercial, industrial, agricultural and construction vehicles, although he also has subcategories).
This picture marks what Jamie probably considered the highlight of the trip: sitting in a Little Chef on the A14. Or in his world, getting to watch a never-ending stream of dig-digs and be given food at the same time.
Of course neither of these reasons makes much sense to Jamie, so we told him we were going hunting for dig-digs (his word that encompasses all commercial, industrial, agricultural and construction vehicles, although he also has subcategories).
This picture marks what Jamie probably considered the highlight of the trip: sitting in a Little Chef on the A14. Or in his world, getting to watch a never-ending stream of dig-digs and be given food at the same time.
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23/52 2017
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24/52 2017
Week 24
12 - 18 June
Jamie's confidence and physical ability are continuing to expand, which is an absolute joy to watch. Admittedly his attempt at this cargo net was not entirely successful in terms of getting to the top. The difficulty is a philosophical one; instead of tackling it incrementally and climbing one row at a time, he wants to make a single big step of about three rows and then feels frustrated that he doesn't have the leverage to bring the rest of his body up. As soon as he wraps his head around the theory, he'll be away.
12 - 18 June
Jamie's confidence and physical ability are continuing to expand, which is an absolute joy to watch. Admittedly his attempt at this cargo net was not entirely successful in terms of getting to the top. The difficulty is a philosophical one; instead of tackling it incrementally and climbing one row at a time, he wants to make a single big step of about three rows and then feels frustrated that he doesn't have the leverage to bring the rest of his body up. As soon as he wraps his head around the theory, he'll be away.
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25/52 2017
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26/52 2017
Week 26
26 June - 02 July
Jamie is still quite the bookworm and the highlight of any shopping trip is the run around Waterstones. Sometimes he spots a beloved favourite from his own collection, and we have to explain that his copy is still at home. The negotiations required to get him to hand over his chosen New Book for scanning at the counter are delicate to say the least. And the idea of waiting until we own a book before thrusting it at daddy demanding "read!" is just silly - what are parents for?
26 June - 02 July
Jamie is still quite the bookworm and the highlight of any shopping trip is the run around Waterstones. Sometimes he spots a beloved favourite from his own collection, and we have to explain that his copy is still at home. The negotiations required to get him to hand over his chosen New Book for scanning at the counter are delicate to say the least. And the idea of waiting until we own a book before thrusting it at daddy demanding "read!" is just silly - what are parents for?
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27/52 2017
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28/52 2017
Week 28
10 - 17 July
I know I'm very late. I miss one week and then catching up is always such a daunting task. But the year is not over yet, so let's see if I can catch up.
I've chosen this picture partly because Jamie is So! Big! standing on his steps to clean his teeth, partly because I love his bathrobe, but mostly because it's a good picture of his baby curls at the back of his head.
10 - 17 July
I know I'm very late. I miss one week and then catching up is always such a daunting task. But the year is not over yet, so let's see if I can catch up.
I've chosen this picture partly because Jamie is So! Big! standing on his steps to clean his teeth, partly because I love his bathrobe, but mostly because it's a good picture of his baby curls at the back of his head.
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29/52 2017
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