The Popsters First Weekend Away and 1970s Safety Videos

This weekend, starting Friday, Jon went away on a stag weekend - and he took the car.  Whilst he was drinking himself into a stupor, clay pigeon shooting, (should you really mix alcohol and guns?), playing X-box and whatever else it is boys get up to on Stag-Do's there was no way I was going to stay home alone with a baby that had been particularly grumpy earlier on in the week.  That meant we had to escape to my mum & dad's house in Maidstone.

My mum drove to pick me up Friday lunchtime and we loaded a ridiculous amount of luggage and "stuff" into her small Fiesta.  Amazingly we did get it all in.  Poppy, who had been brilliantly behaved all morning decided to start screaming as loud as possible when we put her into her hat and coat and into her car seat.  Then we discovered that despite being able to get a small suitcase, a very large pram frame, a play mat with a big blue head and a couple of bags with toys into the car, we couldn't actually get the Popster in.  The seat belt in the back seat of a Fiesta is not long enough to stretch around a babies car seat.  Don't forget this discovery was all happening as Poppy exercised her lungs.  "Don't panic mum, we can put her in the front seat.  Do you have an airbag on the passenger seat and if so do you know how to turn it off?".  My mum: "I don't have a clue".  We're not a couple of dumb blondes though, (no offense to the numerous blondes I know, (although not many are "actual" blondes!)), and we quickly managed to deduce that the only airbag in the car was for the driver.  The Popster was still screaming at this point, which helped speed up the technical musings.  Off we go to Maidstone!!!  The Popster was obviously very excited by this as by the time we got to the end of the road she had stopped screaming and had gone to sleep.

The rest of the weekend Poppy decided she would confirm the theory I came up with last week, (see previous blog post), and was brilliantly behaved.  Here is the evidence:

1.  She smiled numerous times at numerous people, (including me!!), at various times of the day, (as opposed to her usual 1st thing in the morning and that's all your getting).

2.  She slept at night.  I put her down to sleep with no problems at all at her bedtime and she then slept through to 2am.  She then only woke at 5am and then 8.30am.

3.  She played lots and then rubbed her eyes to let me know she was tired and went down for naps.

4.  She talked lots, including actual words!!

She was so much fun! 

I should maybe explain the last piece of evidence.  When I say she talked lots, I mean that in the sense she sounded like Charley the Cat from those 1970's safety videos we used to see as kids.  Do you know the ones I mean?  Watch this if you don't:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oDu7yYHxZr0

She sounds just like him.  However, on Saturday she took on a whole new voice.  She was sitting with her Auntie Mandi and her two cousins, Robert and Isabelle, were also with her.  Her grandparents and I also witnessed this.  Mandi was saying hello to her and had repeated it a few times.  Immediately after she said "hello" for the 3rd or 4th time, the Popster replied with "ello".  It was a bit of a rough east end accent, but the best way to describe it is to say she sounded just like that dog that says "sausages"!!  It was hilarious!!  She honestly did say "ello".  I wonder what she was thinking when everyone laughed?  She smiled as we all fell about laughing and Mandi tried to get her to say it again, but clearly the moment had passed as she then stretched out her body and tried to escape Mandi's hold.  I've said hello, now I want to go and play at knocking over blocks!

Do you think that was just a fluke?  No, my daughter is a genius!!  On Sunday she was tired so I was taking her up to bed.  On the way, I thought we would check out the mirror to see if that baby was still there - it was.  It was then that I started to say "Sleepy Poppy, sleepy Poppy".  And do you know what she said back?  No, it wasn't "ello" and neither was it "sleepy".  She said "Appy".  She really did.  I expect to be having full conversations with her by the end of the month.

So basically, what I'm saying is, the growth spurt I had to endure at the start of the week was well worth it.  It has resulted in Poppy being much more alert, much more smiley, she has learnt to grasp things and as a consequence is much more interested in her toys and she learnt to talk!!  We love the new improved Popster!!  Bring on the next growth spurt!!