Christmas. This year I get it!

Last year I didn't really know what Christmas was all about, but this year I soon got the hang of it. I now know what a present is, and can say 'choc-lit' and 'Iiiii-geam'.

We stayed at our house for Christmas and Gar and Gaa came to stay for four days, then Nanna and Gaa came for a couple of days after that, so it was all very exciting and I seemed to have presents every day for about a week!

I loved opening all the presents. Not just my own, of course. I helped with everyone's. Once Mumma explained what to do, I would just do it while saying 'ip, ip' which obviously means 'rip'.

Here is me opening the first present:




And here is me looking a bit jaded after all that unwrapping.


But I loved all my presents. One of my favourites was this pretty sparkly dress. It is too big for me at the moment, but I will grow into it and it will be my party dress. When I opened it I said 'ooh!' and then decided that was a good thing to say whenever I opened something, so every time I ripped a present open I said 'ooh!' in an excited voice, then quickly put the gift onto my pile and moved onto the next thing. Because unwrapping is the best thing really.



And I didn't see why I should stop at my own presents, so when Dadda opened this hat from Mumma, I decided it went perfectly with my dress.



But Christmas was just so much fun, you cansee how much here when I was far too excited to even pose for a picture.



Another of my best presents, which I play with every day, was from Great Aunt Lilian and Great Uncle Ray. They got me this fab teaset. I love it. I can say 'hot tea' and 'cup tea' and 'teapot' and 'spoon' so I make everyone cups of tea all the time. I usually like to drink them myself but sometimes I let the people have them, especially if it is Dadda.

Here I am playing with it with Gar.



I totally love Gar. She is my favourite person after Mumma, Dadda and Ni-hee (Mumma's friend Nikki but I can't say the letter k yet). I made Gar play with me ALL the time, and ordered her to sit on the floor all over the house to play games with me.

Mumma kept telling her to say no and sit on a chair, but she didn't. So we had loads of fun. Here we are with me in my highchair when I had asked for Gar to feed me. Yes, I know I can feed myself but it's not as much fun as getting Gar to do it.



And here I am after that meal, covered in choc-lit. I like choc-lit. It's tasty but I'm not allowed it very often.



On Boxing Day, Mumma and Dadda gave me my present from them - a bike! It is in cow print and really cool. I love it.



Another of my best presents was a pram for my toys. Nanna and Gaa gave it to me. This is me with Nanna playing with it.



But mostly I loved everyone reading me books all the time, like this time with Nanna and Gaa.



So, that was Christmas! Super-fun!

New Year, new me!

I've not been very good at writing in my blog lately, because there is so much happening in real life I can't find the time, but I thought I should update it a bit now.

I am now 17 months, and Dadda says I am a 'proper little girl' now. I am walking and running everywhere, and really enjoy walking into town with Mumma. People think I would get tired, but I don't really, as long as we have some breaks. It takes us 20 minutes in the pram, and 45 minutes if we walk, so just popping to Waitrose takes us over two hours, but it is so much fun!

I like to stop and look at things regularly, maybe a leaf, or a cat, or some grass. I do like brightly coloured rubbish like sweet wrappers, but Mumma says I can't pick them up, only leaves, stones or sticks.

Ooh! Sticks! I love sticks! It is super-fun to collect sticks on our walks. Sometimes I pick them up and carry them for ages, sometimes I throw them down after a few steps, and sometimes I just examine them very carefully before putting them back down, but it is always fun.

And Waitrose is fun too. Mumma often lets me walk round the shop while she uses the pram as a trolley, and so I get to run around and pick things off shelves. She never seems to want to buy the things that I pick though. Last time we went I wanted some tomatoes, some carrots, some apples and some dog food puches and tins, but Mumma said we had carrots and apples, and that we don't have a dog. Spoilsport.

So I am a really good walker now. I also have new shoes! I used to have what they call Cruisers, for babies who are almost walking but also doing some crawling. And then my feet didn't grow so Mumma said I had to keep those. They were OK, but they had rubbery toes so sometimes made me trip over, and they were babyish.

But Mumma took me to be measured this week and my feet had grown a whole size! I am now a 3.5F and I got some lovely black patent T-bar shoes with flowers on and, get this, FLASHING LIGHTS in the heels.

Mumma didn't want the flashing lights but they can't be turned off, so I am all sparkly-disco when I walk.

As well as walking, I also do lots of talking. Mumma looked it up on the internet and says that I talk at the rate of an average two to two-and-a-half-year-old. Wevs. I just like doing it. My friend Ashton talks as much as I do, but some of my friends don't even say Mama yet so we are all different. I think talking is my 'thing'.

As well as loads of words (well over 80 now Mumma reckons) I have started to put them together, so I can say 'pick up dadda' and 'night night Mumma' and 'sit there' and 'sit down' and 'more cheese' (very useful, that one).

Mumma used to write them all down but says she has given up as there are too many. I try and learn at least two words a day, usually more. The other day I learned 'coot' and 'squirrel' and my friend Harry's name.

I have loads of teeth now too. My 'missing' toothe came through the other day and I have my last two eye teeth coming as well, so there are only the last four molars to come. We all hate teeth coming because it makes me cross and ill and I sleep really badly, but hopefully it will be over soon.

I have moved on with my favourite toys now as well. I used to love my stacking cups but I don't play with them at all now.

I love my peg jigsaw which Gar (Grandma) taught me to do, and I absolutely love books. Mumma gets me new ones from Oxfam Bookshop quite often and I get very attached to them. My top one right now is called Slobcat and I take it everywhere with me.

So that is me. Oh yes. I also really really love picking my outfit every day. Once we have put it on I stand back and smooth it down and say 'ooh' then I go and look in the mirror. Mumma worries that I am becoming too vain but I just like to take pride in my appearance.Nothing wrong with that!