Photoblog

As one of her birthday presents I bought Zoë some 'Gellibath'. I told her it was bubblebath - although it didn't bubble at all it turned the bathwater to jelly (a bit like wallpaper paste I suppose). She sat in the bath with surprise whilst the water turned solid and absolutely loved it! She loved it so much she didn't want to get out, in fact she only got out after I added 'Powder B' which turned the jelly back to water.

It's great being a dad (sometimes!)

Zoë was excited from the minute she woke up! "It's Halloween Daddy" she said and indeed it was. I took Zo to her Mums at 2:00 along with some things to play with and her costume - a mermaid princess as she liked to call it - so that Nino could take her to the Halloween party at the garden centre in Mossley in the evening. I got a call in the afternoon from Nino to say that Zo was missing me so would I come to the garden centre too - I did and all went well for a while









Zoë had a great time for an hour playing hide and seek and having her face painted and then, as food was being served for those who wanted it, we went off to the pub for a J2O, a beer and a large glass of wine for Nino.

Part 1

Zoë was very excited to get up today as you'd expect. I brought her into the living room were she was faced with a bag of presents from me for her birthday. I'd wanted the presents to be beteen her mum and myself but Nino decided, after originally offering to do the party bags for Zo's party on Saturday, that she'd rather get her a present herself. The reason she gave for changing her mind about the party bags was that she didn't want to buy gifts for "my friends children". It doesn't matter that these children are Zoë's friends, friends that she sees and plays with regularly, it's only important to Nino that they're "my friends children". Anyway, I got all the party bag fillings from the Man Utd and Man City superstores at their respective grounds so at least that's out of the way.

Breakfast was forgotten as Zoë opened her presents. A Peppa Pig house and roundabout, her name in painted wooden letters and a box of ... that turns bathwater to goo! I told her it was bubble bath so that it'll be a surprise when she has a bath.

Part 2

Nino came at 12:00 so we could take Zoë for a birthday lunch at the Junction. It went well as I just avoided saying anything to Nino and concentrated on Zo. I was really surprised though that Nino hadn't got Zoë a birthday present - especially as she'd not wanted the Peppa Pig stuff to be between us. When I asked her why she'd not brought her present she said it was too big. Then she said she'd not got it yet. I asked what it was and after a pause whilst she considered not telling me (as usual) she told me it was a Doll's House. I guess she's chosen this as she knows I plan to make one for Zo when she's a little older - and, of course, I've given her a Peppa Pig house for her birthday today!

Part 3

Suzanne gave Zoë her present when she got back from school - a Manchester United kit with her name on the back of the shirt. Zoë put it on straight away and announced that "she was never going to take it off, ever!" Then she asked "where are the boots? There are no boots!" but once she put her trainers on she was more than satisfied with the way it looked.

Jon came home and gave Zoë her present - a Fisher Price digital camera! Zoë was absolutely delighted, jumping around in excitement and immediately taking photos of everything! Here are some of her first photographs - pretty good for a three year old! Still she is a photographer's daughter

We were just getting ready to go out for tapas at the Clarence when Nino called to say she wasn't working that night and could she come with us. So, she came with us. It was OK, no problems just more expense as she didn't pay for her meal - just as she didn't even offer anything when we went for lunch. Fortunately Jon and I paid between us so it wasn't so bad.

Zoë had a great time at Emma's party at Cheeky Chimps. Apart from Maria, Isabella's mum, none of the Delph Tots mums who Nino has poisoned against me were there so all went well. We had to slide and climb, jump around in the balls and generally bounce around before party food and singing Happy Birthday. Zoë enjoyed it all!

We all went to the duck race in Delph today, me, Zo and Nino. Zoë loves the brass band and messing about by the river so it was a great day for her. Nino was her manipulative, normal self but I think even Zo is starting to ignore what she says!

We've been making all the preparations for Zoë's birthday party as it's only 3 days away now - and partying with Zoë friends too. Face paints from ebay (which I've enjoyed practicing with as you can see) and the stones and worms for Zoë's worm cake have arrived - and the cake is being baked by the bakers in Uppermill ready for me to decorate on tuesday. Zoë and I went out shopping this morning for all the other paraphanalia we need for her party on wednesday, besides the tablecloths, bowls, cups, balloons and party favours were the bubble machines and of course, a new outfit and boots for Zo.

We ended up rushing back this afternoon so as not to be late for Zoë's friend Joseph's party at Cheeky Chimps.

We had a great weekend at Centre Parcs at Whinfell forest in the Lake district a couple of weeks ago - Zoë loved it!

When we arrived we were greeted by a pair of ducks and a couple of young rabbits on the grass outside our apartment waiting to see what we had to feed them with. This was really exciting for Zoë as she's not had any 'close' contact with rabbits before - except for 'Max and Ruby' on the tv of course, her favourite programme. She was almost as excited by the 'trailer bikes' that many people were using to tow their young children behind them as they cycled around the forest. We, unfortunately for Zo, didn't need one as we were so centrally placed. Our apartment was on the lakeside across from the swimming and restaurant complex so everthing was within very easy walking distance.

We were lazing around in the bedroom playing with Zoë enjoying our day off when she heard jingling bells outside and ran to the window asking to be lifted up to see what it was. Looking out of the window, we saw it was the Morris Men striding into the village.

Zoë is really growing up fast. She'll be 18 months old in a week or so and already she amazes me with her talking, her curiosity and her insatiable desire to learn - everything, as fast as she can!

Zoë's attention span is very short, so I guess she has to do a lot of different things at once, otherwise she'd get bored. But I'm surprised how much she manages to absorb - even whilst she's doing something else. She'll watch TV, be 'reading' a book, chase the cat, fart, pee, pooh, chat, point out the window at the birds (or more likely, the rain) all in the space of a minute - and somehow manage to tell me which of the Fimbles is on TV at that moment, what they're doing, etc, etc.

Whilst all this is going on, she's improving her vocabulary by around 7 words per day, learning to count, walking, running, trying new foods and tastes - and generally growing up fast. This, of course, makes it very difficult being a dad as I'm forgetting at least 7 words (or more) a day!

Zoë seems to be experimenting a lot at the moment - with water :-/

She's not bothered about drinking it, she just wants to pour it from one cup into another and back again - and again, and again! Eventually there is none left - it's all over the table or the floor - then it's "more, more, waht, WAHT, MORE!" She seems completely fascinated by it.

I think this is an important part of her development. She's learning about the world around her - solids, liquids, gases, volumes, displacement. In fact a 16 month old girl's first physics lesson with a little cause and effect thrown in too.

This kind of sensory learning is fun for Zoë - although a little messy. Nino took her out when it was snowing recently, when the snow was quite thick, for a new experience. Zoë of course thought it was bubbles, like in the bath, but enjoyed the snow too. You can read Nino's blog entry here.

Theres' a good article about sensory learning at babyzone.com

It's strange, after not going out for so long I've been out three times in the last couple of weeks!

I took Nino and Zoë out for dinner on Valentines day to the 'Top house' in Dobcross it was a really nice evening and night. Nino has a great entry 'Valentines Day' on her blog. Zoë really enjoyed it too as you'll see from the photo. I think she feels quite at home, sat at the bar of a pub. I'm not sure if this is a good or a bad thing.

One of the best things about being a dad - about being Zoë's dad at least - is the pleasure she gets when you understand what she wants and then do it.

Nino had gone out, her mood very low, and Zoë was watching 'cbeebies' the BBCs childrens channel on TV. We'd finished watching 'Big cook, Little cook' and then, between programs, some sheep came on. "BAAAAAA AAA" said Zoë and "BAAAAAAA" she continued to say after they'd gone until I realized and said "Shall we go and see the sheep?" She couldn't contain her excitement and I felt a glow of pleasure at the level on which we were connecting.

Nino had a bubble bath the other night and Zoë was so intrigued she kept saying 'bub-bol over and over again. I don't think she'd ever seen so many bubbles before. So I bought her some 'Matey' last night and she had her first bubble bath this morning.

It looks like she enjoyed it.

Zoë entertained herself this morning after breakfast in the bedroom by dressing up in her Mum's clothes! She woke up during the night last night too - holding up her dressing gown for me to put on her before she'd go back to sleep. Half an hour later she was awake again, this time holding up one of the big red socks (which she calls 'Yacks') that she likes to sleep in. It had come off - or more likely she'd taken it off so I would come up to put it back on. What she's wearing seems to have become important to her.

Little Zoë is 'Wheels on the Bus' mad so I bought her one of her own for Christmas. I got it on eBay 'New but unboxed' half price, quite a bargain I thought.

It arrived in good time, I put some batteries in and soon it was speeding across the living room floor singing 'the wheels on the bus go round and round'. Zoë would love it.