Jubilee!

Good evening everyone.

More interesting than tennis!

It's been quite a celebratory month - Jubilee, Wimbledon and my own personal triumphs...

My Jubilee started on Friday with a trip to Speech and Language Therapy.  Mum collected me in a bit of a flap having legged (or tubed) it from work after doing her morning list, she hailed a taxi to get me and her to my appointment and we made it just in time. Phew.  I had a lovely time playing with lots of toys and Mum answered lots of questions about my birth, my time in hospital and what I was able to do and say now.  At the end of my appointment, we were told I was very good at paying attention to adults and toys but that I was behind in my word use and comprehension.  This may have something to so with the fact that I'm also behind in my mobility too.  I can't get up and explore like others my age (now 14 months corrected) and that is delaying other aspects of my development.  It seems it's all linked together and all important.  Mum was not surprised but it is a bit upsetting to keep hearing that I'm not 'normal' and that I continue to need additional help.  Both M+D know that I am doing brilliantly in comparison with what they were told to expect way back when I was in hospital and when I had my MRI scan but it is still hard to hear it from specialists.

I've got feet in my book and on me!

We had 2 Jubilee barbeques.  Dad went a bit bonkers with bunting and flags in the garden and made it look very pretty.  I said hello to our guests and then went to bed.  I heard the words Pimms and fizz mentioned and our neighbours' pork chops were complemented highly on Friday and Fred's ribs were complemented highly on Saturday too.  Both sets of my Godparents came round to say hello.  And one set stayed for breakfast on Sunday too which was lovely as I got to play with their daughters.  They selected all my noisiest toys and helped me play with them.  I think the parents found it a bit difficult to hear.  Well, it's not my fault they're getting on a bit and their hearing isn't as good as it used to be! 

At lunchtime on Sunday, M+D and I went for a walk to Lambeth Bridge, where we waited with loads of other people (well, actually I sat on Dad's shoulders for a while, them Mum held me for a bit, then Dad held me for a bit then I sat on Dad's shoulders again) for around 3 hours to watch lots of boats go past.  One boat in particular was very big and had a little woman in a white hat on it.  Everyone cheered and waved flags when it went past.  Apparently it was Brenda and Phil.  Of course, I'd met Brenda before at the Polo but it seems she was too busy to wave to me personally this time.
Despite it being June, it was chilly so we pottered along to The Black Dog in Vauxhall for a spot of food and were not disappointed with a fabulous hog roast with the best crackling ever!

Boing boing

M+D keep giving me new toys to play with. I suspect this is something to do with the 'development specialist' saying I should be playing differently. "Piffle" I say - complete nonsense.
So they gave me gorgeous wooden blocks (thank you to Alicja, Emily and Piotr) and Daddy kept stacking them; and I've had fun banging them together. They gave me hoops with beads in (thank you Granny W) and Mum showed me how to put them back on the post they came on; and I banged them together. And so they gave me random shapes, and Mummy kept joining them together to make a snake - which really annoyed me; and I banged them together. And then they gave me special shapes and a box with a lid you could post them through, and they both kept showing me where the square and the triangle went; and I banged them together.
And I want to know... what is wrong with just banging toys together. I like the noise they make, and it keeps me happy. My parents should just chill out, that's my view!

As part of getting ready for my meeting the Queen, M+D have taught me a new trick. They say "hip, hip" and as we all go "hurray" I stick my arms up as high as I can get them. Well my lovely team at the nursery love this. So whenever someone comes into our room they say "hip, hip" and I do my little hurray wave and everyone laughs. You have to keep your public happy, that's what I say.

Hip hip - whatever!!

And now for two little things before two big ones:
Mum and Dad have finally caught me out with the beaker. I've done my best to keep using a bottle at home but they've managed to work out I can use a beaker - so I'm experiencing a little 'tough love' right now.

Rumbled

And I had my longest ever visit without my parents. They went off to see Don Giovanni at Garsington (and very smart they looked too, dressed as penguins for some reason). I went to see lovely Marlene and Roger who took super-good care of me for nearly ten hours - and I had fun for all of it, so huge thanks.

And in bigger news:
Another wedding! This time for Katie and Blake. Katie was one of my early babysitters but has now moved to Northampton. Which was where we went for a simply lovely do. There were dozens and dozens of children and lots of Simon's colleagues from the hospital - I had a super time. I did lots of dancing on Dad's shoulders watching Mummy who'd drunk lots of special grown-up 'bubbly milk'. Fun for everybody. Huge congratulations to the whole Dunkley clan.

Not the real Mr and Mrs Dunkley!

And my biggest news of all:
I can move!!!!!
I have learned how to bottom shuffle. Many thanks to aunty Julia who gave me some 'wiggly worms'. These are utterly delicious sweeties. And M+D are very good at using them as a bribe to get me to shuffle over. And over the course of June I've got quicker and quicker. I've also learned how to turn, usually without falling over, when I want to go somewhere else. I have had a few goes at crawling but I'm clearly doing something wrong as I seem to get further and further away from whatever has interested me. This tends to make me very cross indeed!

I still haven't mastered sitting up from lying down yet so M+D can still leave me and find me in the same place but I'm practising and practising so I'll keep you posted!!

Love to all,
Arthur x