Belated happy birthdays to Alexandra and Patrick.
Thanks for the reminders about jabs - I completely forgot that I needed to book an appointment for those. Having completely abandoned visits to the HV I haven't been reminded that it was coming up.
I've had to relax slightly about her exploring. Rather than follow her round obsessively removing anything not specifically baby-friendly from her path I have decided that she can examine anything that isn't either boiling hot, sharp and pointy, alcoholic, or on fire. As a result we are both happier, although Boydog is spending much more of his time running away from her. Girldog continues to be Ff's best friend in the world, and today Ff said, 'Sedden' when she was bashing her on the head, which is pretty close to her actual name. (Still no closer to Mamma though, which I suppose proves where I am on her list of favourite people. Luckily for my ego, Boydog has a far less baby-friendly name, so I think she'll say Mamma before that. If she doesn't, I will be offering a small and ginger baby for adoption! )
Ewe it sounds like you've had a really rubbish week. I hope you get a chance to relax on the weekend and do something to take your mind off your DP's job situation. And a sandpit sounds like an awesome birthday present!
Bloke flies out next Sunday, so things are a bit strained at FfreckleFface towers at the moment. We both know that it is coming, so are veering between being overly nice to each other, because we don't want to argue before he goes, but then becoming hugely ad irrationally irritated with each other. I keep trying to get him to do stuff with Ff, because she is going to be massively different when he gets back, but he thinks I'm nagging him to help because I'm going to be on my own with her for four months. And there's the big unsayable, which we are both thinking but neither of us will say outloud - we know people who haven't come back when they have been away, but don't want to acknowledge that it could happen to us.
So all pretty rubbish really, but Ff is being a complete delight, which helps. I keep feeling sad that he is going to miss four months of her growing up, but then (probably completely selfishly) feel sad for myself at being stuck here on my own for four months, with two rottweilers and a one year old for company. Last time he went away for this long I was working full time, so was guaranteed adult conversation and company everyday, but this time it is going to be quite different. It sort of brings home how far away we are from our families here - there are very few people I can ask to babysit, mostly because people are understandably reluctant to be alone with the baby AND the dogs, and those that I can ask live 200 miles away on the other side of the bridge. But I'm moaning now, so I'm going to stop.
Ooh, we had our first proper comedy laugh this week. She laughs at stuff all the time, but this was the first time that she laughed at something on the tv that was intended to be funny. Iggle Piggle sneezed and fell over - Ff thought it was hilarious. It was lovely to watch, but I am now slightly concerned that we have bred a child with little empathy for others!
Have a lovely weekend.