Fifty Blogs Later

It’s a year since I wrote my first Granny Smith blog! Fifty blogs later, those warm elephant socks that I wrote about are now worn by Teddy and Daisy only uses baby signing when she’s really tired. We continue to use the local library regularly but now Daisy enjoys looking through the story boxes to make her own selection. When I visit her, it’s a new pleasure to be asked by Daisy to read her stories and share books with her.

Daisy’s bedtime routine has changed now that she sleeps in a bed, has a duvet and a pillow and chooses which of cuddly toys she wants in her bed alongside her. The toy pram and buggy are still popular and Daisy has mastered going round corners and avoiding people’s ankles – mostly!

This week Daisy shovelled compost as she helped Mummy to plant bulbs into pots. More messy play continues through mud club and play on the builders tray outside in the garden. She’s a bit of an outdoors girl, investigating in the park and enjoying running in the open spaces.

The cooking activities that Daisy enjoys in the kitchen like helping Mummy prepare vegetables or buttering toast or icing Daddy’s birthday cake are all reflected in her imaginary play with her kitchen and her tea parties for her teddies. Last week I watched Daisy search for her small tea towel so that she could take something ‘hot’ out of her play oven.

At some point each day Daisy will pull out her building bricks, wooden blocks and track. She has started laying the wooden train track herself, making the noises of the trains and animals as she recreates some of her favourite stories.

Now Daisy chatters, sings her favourite nursery rhymes as she plays, she listens attentively to readily soaks up vocabulary and expressions from the world around her. Last week she joined in with the current train announcement “See it. Say it. Sorted”!

During the past year we’ve seen the rapid changes in Daisy’s physical skills, walking, running, kicking, manipulating. Suddenly Daisy is two and already this year is proving to be the year that her cognitive skills flourish as she makes connections.

Through songs, chat, play and some tv shows, Daisy is learning the names of colours, is counting up to ten and is beginning to count back from ten to one. She uses the language of numbers to express herself “One more please Mummy” which shows that she is now understanding how we daily use numbers. Daisy has continued to use ‘Daddy, Mummy and Baby’ to differentiate sizes and she lined up three different sized snowman decorations for me in the shop last week.

Be it first thing in the morning or at bedtime, whenever there’s a ‘spare’ moment, one of the greatest joys of being one of Daisy’s grandparents is being able to have a conversation with her. In the past month we’ve noticed that Daisy has started to talk in the first person and talk about ‘my bed, my teddies; it’s mine’ instead of the third person, ‘Daisy’s teddy’ etc. We’re making sure that when we talk to Daisy, we’re setting an example by actively using the first person ‘Shall I help you’ rather than ‘Shall Granny help you’…

In the year, I’ve continued to knit for Daisy. I made that green chunky jacket (bulb photograph) for her second birthday and I’m currently working on a cardigan; target date – Christmas!

Although Daisy is our only grandchild, her parents have ensured that she spends time with other small children and one of the biggest changes in recent months is to watch Daisy become aware of other children. Daisy likes the company of other children whether they are older or younger and we see her starting to mimic what the other children are doing.

Granny Smith Says

I’m looking forward to another year, recording more of Daisy’s experiences, play ideas, our crafting together and all the rest that comes from being a grandparent.