Speech issue continues

In the past few weeks I've put together a video of Emily for a friend of Sue's and a friend of my mum's to have a look at and give us some feedback.

We've got some of that feedback and now we need to overcome Emily's "expressive delay" in her speech and also try to ensure that she creates multi-syllabic words or sounds as well.

For most people, a lot of life's developments come naturally - eating, walking, speaking, toilet training - and you just assume that when a child is ready, it'll happen. It's a royal pain in the ass when it doesn't however. Thankfully, in this day and age there's help for almost everything that we take for granted that a child may not do. I can only imagine the help we'd get if Emily had been born 100 years before.

So, while we wait for the NHS to get off their asses and allow us to see a specialist, we've received some really good help and feedback from two continents in our continued efforts to bring Emily's development in line with other children her age.

Lovely Lavender Toddler

Emily in the lavender fields.

We went to the local lavender field today for a bike ride and to have a look.

While we were there we saw LOADS of Japanese people (either tourists or local students) taking LOADS of photos.

We let Emily run around the rows of lavender to get rid of some of her pent up toddler energy, and we were all having a good time.

One of the students, with a camera lense as long as Emily is tall, asked if he could take a picture of her. After about 10-15 pictures and letting me have a look he told me, in broken English, that she was a "very beautiful baby" - something we already know.

I can't help feeling, however, that Emily's photo is soon to grace the front of a box of toddler cereal in Japan.

In the night garden live!

Image by greedoe via Flickr

Finally bit the bullet and bought some tickets to see In The Night Garden Live tonight.
It's on at the O2 in some specially sorted tent.
There's been some issues with the show in that EVERYONE has to buy a ticket... and all tickets are the same price. Some 300 lb wide-boy is the same price as a 6 month old babe in arms... apparently this is to keep prices low.
I really have no idea what to expect, but if we're going to be treated to 10 minutes of story with enough filler to make a stack of sandwiches, I'll be mightily annoyed at what I spent my £60 on.
I've got my bets that the show is going to make Emily's day, if not year, and when you're a parent, that's really all that matters.

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Pillow? No no.

Now that Em's a toddler, we're looking at moving her out of her "childhood" crib and into a bed. To get her ready for the transition, I've been letting her fall asleep in the parental bed. This has included her lying on a pillow. The look on her face of child-ecstasy as she falls into the pillow is incredible.

So... thinks dad putting two and two together in a vein attempt to equal four... maybe if we put a pillow in Em's cot she'd be happier going to bed.

One night I went to bed, putting the pillow under her head and marvelling at my thoughtfulness, mentally writing my dad of the year award as I walked, rather pleased with myself, back to bed.

Then I did some searching on Google which prompted me to jump out of bed, rip the pillow out of her bed and mentally scold myself for being the largest dufus in the world.

What did I find? The long and the short of it is - toddlers don't need a pillow and to prove how much they don't need one, they can die from SIDS if they sleep with one.

I quote from one of the happier posts I found:

Pillows

Pillows could be dangerous for babies.

- They can cause suffocation, either by the baby turning face down and burying his face in the pillow or by getting his head under the pillow. This is rare.

- Babies do not need a pillow to sleep comfortably.

- Do not use pillows until the child moves from the cot into a normal bed, usually at 2 to 3 years. Even then pillows are not essential, but children usually want to have one to be like everyone else. Once our shoulders are wider than our heads, most of us sleep more comfortably with a pillow.

- Young children should start with a flattish and fairly firm pillow. Older children usually choose the type and size they prefer. The type of filling does not matter unless there is an allergy problem.

To tell the truth, I didn't really get beyond the first half of the first point before my better judgement felt that it was easier to explain to Emily why she couldn't have a pillow than to explain to Sue why we have a dead child.

I think the hunt for a bed is still on, but I walk the pillow line with sweaty palm and dread in my heart.

Emily the misery

I know better. I keep telling myself that.

Do NOT go to a supermarket with Emily. Bad things will happen.

Why I didn't heed my own advice last night was a mix of optimism and stupidity. My faith in Emily to not create merry hell was repaid by her actually creating the most merry HELL I have ever had the joy to witness from her.

There was shaking, screaming, tears... the works. This has been the first time in a LONG time that I really wanted to give a good hiding. I understand how parents can lose their cool with their kids on shopping trips.

I also told myself that she's usually placid and only cocks a strop when there's a good reason - hungry, tired, thirsty, etc. I got the feeling that the real underlying problem was I wouldn't let her run around the shop. I let her go a couple of times and she was off like a bullet. There's only so fast I can push a trolley through the shop.

The fun didn't stop when we left Sainsbury's however. Emily managed to maintain her happy disposition through dinner, mixing the bland flavour of her chicken korma with the salty bitterness of her toddler tears.

After that it was bath time and this usually illicits tears regardless of previous emotional state and again Emily did not disappoint. By this time, however, the footie was on and mummy was home so she got to taste some of the flavour of the child I call Grizzelda.

Emily IS usually placid and I can't place my finger on exactly why she was such a misery last night. I can only assume it was a mix of things - tired, hungry, me not letting her run riot. I just need to ensure that food shopping is done at the right time or else bribe her with treats to keep her still.

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