Brazenmom

When babies are ill mommies are the best medicine. I am blessed with a healthy baby who is rarely ill. She had a dodgy week in August and that’s it really. But November has made up for a sick-free year, with an unpleasant cold that ended up being Roseola (aka fake measles), a vomitous stomach bug, a weird red eye that displayed no symptoms of an eye infection… and then a couple of new molars (are babies supposed to cut molars before the are 1?) to top things off.

I say “poor Amelia” with much gusto and then I say “poor me” with even more. One of the toughest things as a parent is to watch your child ill, uncomfortable and in pain, and know that there is relatively little that you can do about it other than offer plenty of kisses and cuddles, and not let the whinging drive you dilly. Read the rest of this entry »

One of the coolest things in Amelia’s rather sparse toy box is a maracas with a beautiful face pained on it. I spotted it in Covent Garden’s Octopus shop a while back and Molly Maracas has been Amelia’s friend for the last eight months. Molly has kept Amelia company in Italy and Holland and forms an integral part of my one-year-old’s playtime in her London home. When Amelia notices Molly her little face lights up and beams with a happy smile. And, of course, Molly will always hold a special place in my heart because it was one of the first objects her little fingers learnt to grasp – the sentimental musings of a mushy mommy. I give myself permission.

Amelia is a pointer. She points at everything. Why? Because I point at everything. I point out cars, flowers, pictures, pigeons… anything that I think that she would be interested in looking at. And then I tell her about it. So now, in parrot fashion, my year-old-daughter has started pointing at objects and her raised fingure is usually accompanied by a curious “Hmph?”

At home, on Amelia’s bookshelf, is a really large map book. The book contains pictures of all seven continents and on the continents are smaller pictures, which are accompanied by an explanatory key. When Amelia and I look at the book together I often point out different pictures to her – the picture of Big Ben signifying London is a favourite because I tell her about where she was born and about the great city in which she lives. Read the rest of this entry »

Care Bears: Lucky Day is so retro that it defines the meaning of retro. Why have I chosen to review this specific Care Bears book? Because it is the only one I own. I scouted it out at a Charity shop and paid a staggering 49p for a trip down memory lane.

As a toddler growing up in the ’80s, I definitely watched Care Bears on television but I didn’t have any Care Bears books. So now that I have my own daughter I get to relive my childhood through her – the possibilities are endless.

Care Bears: Lucky Day is a cute story about a teddybears’ picnic. The pictures are cartoonishly cute and the message is cute. In other words, not a genius work of children’s fiction but it is a Care Bears book and so can be forgiven for a bit of sentimentality. Read the rest of this entry »

Prior to falling pregnant, I had no idea that my life and my body would become so interesting to strangers. As well as fending off people who wanted to touch my bump, I had to endure well-intentioned but sometimes crazy advice, and listen to opinions on the baby’s sex.

Here’s a word of advice: no pregnant woman wants to hear the word ‘big’ in relation to her body. Try “Look how big you’re getting!” on a pregnant woman and see how long it takes before you find an axe embedded in your skull. (Raging hormones and stupid comments should mean she can get off by pleading temporary insanity.) Read the rest of this entry »

Here’s what I would like to know: is baby sign just a ‘cool trend’ that emerged after Robert De Niro taught his grandson baby sign in Meet The Fockers, or is it actually a useful communication tool? A couple of mums I know rave about the brilliance of baby sign and yet for some reason I can’t picture myself getting into the whole baby sign thing. I recently read an article, published in The Guardian, by Alex Horne, father of 16-month-old Tom, who discusses whether baby sign is the new baby talk – and I found it really enlightening. Read the rest of this entry »

My daughter does so many funny things in a day but there are some little gems of delight that just have to be shared. At nearly a year old, Amelia is an excellent mimic. She will watch what I say and do with great intent and at some stage during the day, out of the corner of my eye; I will see Amelia rehashing what I have previously shown her. Amelia, at the moment, considers herself a great hairstylist. Her techniques are revolutionary and she has graciously allowed me to reveal three of her top styling tips. Read the rest of this entry »

Today my monthly fix was calling me. So I chucked my baby girl in the sling and blitzed off to the shop to purchase the Metal Hammer magazine. On our little fix-acquiring adventure, Amelia wooed all and sundry. My little lovely batted her baby blues at the little old man queuing in front of us, and he was mesmerised. She then grabbed the fluffy woollen jersey belonging to a little old lady sitting next to us at the bus stop, and little old lady was enchanted. To up the tally of ‘old people smiles’, Amelia waved at an old lady on the bus, who then beamed hypnotically for the rest of the journey. My daughter is a little ray of sunshine who can make even the sternest of faces buckle under the formation of a smile.

You may notice a common thread in the above description; ‘old people’. Old people love my baby. But I don’t think that it’s just my baby. Old people, or to be politically correct, ‘the elderly’ seem to love all babies. Read the rest of this entry »

Smelly Bill reminds me of a one of my brother’s childhood friends. My bro told me that one day when he was visiting this friend, said friend’s mom asked him to have a bath and friend replied “but mom, I swam last week.” For my brother, who wasn’t a big fan of bathing, to notice that this lack of cleanliness was a tad out of the ordinary… well, it says a great deal.

Every time I pick up Daniel Postgate’s Smelly Bill Stinks Again I can’t help but chuckle to myself as I remember the boy who bathed in the pool. Smelly Bill Stinks Again is the hilarious story of a stinky dog: Read the rest of this entry »

We took my 11-month-old daughter to the zoo a couple of weeks ago and it was brilliant fun. I recommend it to any parent. Amelia may be a baby but she loved the animals and the different smells and noises that envelope the zoo enclosures. We got up close and personal with a giraffe, ogled a tarantula, flitted around with some beautiful butterflies and gaped as the King of the Jungle released his mighty predatory roar. But none impressed my daughter as did the monkeys. Read the rest of this entry »