Dew and dandelions

The hot weather has finally broken and it rained last night. This morning everywhere is fresh and damp, and while it's still not cold enough that you need a coat, it's not warm enough to be out in just a t-shirt either.

I remember a lot of mornings like this growing up back in Great Gidding. Cool and welcome after a run of hot days. I wonder when Audrey will reach the stage where she will remember things.

She's walking so confidently lately, we've just about reached the stage where unless we have lots of heavy things or we're out for so long she's likely to need a nap, it's easier to leave the buggy behind. More and more I'm seeing this:

Her running off ahead while I dawdle behind, fussing about with the camera.

I'm seeing it more and more at the various play groups we go to as well, she plays more with the other children, she rushes off with her big, toothy, gappy grin and joins in the fun.

Of course, every few minutes she still stops and scans the room until she finds me. Her eyes lock with mine: there you are. And she grins and for a few seconds I feel like the most important person in the whole world. Before she's off again.

She's been a little under the weather lately, a bit snuffly about the nose and weepy about the eyes. I'm not sure if it's hay fever or a little summer cold, or possibly a reaction to her jags last week. Either way, her spirits still seem high which is the main thing, even if her sleep is a bit all over the place (somewhat of an understatement - let's just say I'm so tired that I took her up to bed last night, lay down beside her for a moment, and fell fast asleep there until I was woken up by a sad snuffly baby in the middle of the night).

Cool things Audrey has mastered lately:

-drinking with a straw
-the signs for "rain" and "flower"
-asking for water
-tidying up her crayons into the crayon tin
-stacking the plastic stacking cups

Cool things Audrey is working on:

-running
-walking up and down steps like a grown up (rather than the climbing/bum shuffle she's been doing previously)
-signing "please" (she already does thank you)
-throwing, kicking and pushing a football

Our trips to the park lately are made so much fun by Audrey's new found knack for waving at everybody we pass (I defy anyone not to smile and/or wave back, it is the cutest thing you ever saw) and by her loudly proclaiming any bird we might see a "DUCK!" and quacking at it enthusiastically while it stares on in confusion. We do sometimes see ducks in the park, because of the stream, but honestly the "ducks" Audrey sees are much more likely to be bewildered pigeons.

I'm hoping the weather stays this mild and fresh. It's so much easier to get out and stay out for long periods of time when there's not too much extreme hot or cold. The local gardens are all absolutely beautiful today - I'm a useless gardener myself, but I love to see other people's gardens in bloom. Of course, the wild flowers are equally lovely.

Oh Audrey. This time of your life is so exciting. There are great things up ahead.

Audrey in sunshine

The weather continues to be bright and hot, and we're practicing lots of weather related signs and words with Audrey - sky, warm, sun, blue, cloud. We're looking at the green grass and the blue sky, we're listening to the water in the stream and copying the birds cawing.

The other day while tidying up Audrey's things I found an empty lemonade bottle full of crayons. Little girl has been practicing her posting!

Speaking of posting things - we have a litter of baby rabbits staying with us just now which we're fostering for the shelter where I work. They are three weeks old and utterly adorable. Audrey just loves posting things  into their cage, she gives them all her very best things. We frequently look in the cage and see crayons, headbands, rice cakes and even, on one occasion, my mobile phone, nestled amongst the hay.

We get her involved in helping to care for and feed them. She helps to clean the cage and she gently strokes them. She puts chopped up pieces of carrot and cabbage into their cage. She's so very helpful.

Even on the days when we have a lot to do and we're dashing from place to place, I try to take the time to let her practice walking and to get some fresh air. It's as simple as walking through the park instead of taking the bus.

She teaches me so much - like how to stop and appreciate the things I see every day and take for granted.

I've never filled up my days as much as I do now, never squeezed so much out of every minute. Some times it feels hectic, and I wish I could slow it all down. But mostly I'm grateful for how rich and full my life is right now.

People always ask me how I'm finding motherhood, and I don't have the words to tell them how much I'm enjoying it. I love being a mother. I love it so much I'm sure it sounds unrealistic - because yes it's tough, yes I have grumps sometimes and no time for knitting and a backlog of housework. But I still love it so much it aches.

Now I have a sleeping toddler in my arms and a pile of laundry the approximate size of the Andes, so I'll finish this post here. Go enjoy the last bit of weekend sunshine!

Make the best

Well, we've had a gorgeous few days of sunshine and outings. Audrey has been so enjoying the adventures we've been on.

On Tuesday morning she had her jags, and was very sad about that. To make it up to her, we went into town to meet with our friend Ros for lunch. As you can see, Audrey was wearing her very special top and hair clip from Uncle Drew and Aunty Karen, and her beautiful shoes from Aunty Kate.

And her super awesome backpack, full of Lamby and her toy keys and a little tub of dry fruit.

At lunch Audrey tasted some chicken wrap, some fish and some mushy peas (which she did NOT like!).

After lunch we visited the National Gallery and looked at the beautiful paintings. The gallery is library-quiet, so I was a little nervous that Audrey would be very loud and distracting for people, but she seemed to get the idea that this was a quiet place, and the people we saw had nothing but smiles for her anyway.

She was more interested in the sky lights than the paintings, for the most part, although she woofed at a few of the paintings with dogs in. We saw some paintings with nursing mothers in which I showed her, I'm not sure if she took it in much though. She was quite interested in the sculptures.

One of the side rooms had a cold marble floor which Audrey LOVED, she got down on her belly and commando crawled along on the slippy surface for ages. I think it was how cold/slippy the floor was, but she found it the most fun ever.

SO many people commented on her pretty shoes.

Afterwards we went for a walk along the back of Princes Street Gardens, by the railway lines. It was a beautiful, secluded little walk way, and very exciting to watch the trains whooshing past beneath us.

We parked ourselves beneath a tree in the shade and played for a while there.

I try to be quite intentional with my parenting - I have a very clear idea of the kind of mum I want to be. Over the last few days I've been feeling quite stressed out and emotional, and sometimes that makes me snappy and impatient. That's NOT the mama I want to be, it's not the mama I am, and it's been good to take some time to be joyful each day, to just be with my daughter in the sunshine, to re-commit to being the parent I want to be.

Thank you, Ros, for taking these beautiful pictures of me and Audrey. I know I'll treasure them forever.

Ros is the best kind of friend for hanging out in parks with.

When getting her jags Audrey was given the special toddler bookbug bag, a free bag full of books and crayons and colouring paper that children are given at one year old in Scotland from the Scottish Book Trust.

Audrey LOVED walking around with her crayons and paper and finding just the right place to sit and do her drawing. Finding just exactly the right spot to draw is very important. She also loved showing her drawings to passers by.

And then we set off home. Audrey fell fast asleep in the buggy - it was a long day.

We're really enjoying this summer, folks.