I'm stuffed.

Stuffed up with a cold, that is. Today has felt like wading chest-high through treacle. And even though I managed about an hour's sleep this afternoon while Isabelle napped and Tamsin watched Mary Poppins, I feel like I could go straight to bed now, but I won't 'cos that's what I did last night. Humph. I hate losing my evenings.

Anyway, despite that we've done quite a bit of reading practice. It is pretty much all child-led, as Tamsin is just totally enjoying decoding words now. Several times each day she is picking up books and either trying to read them herself, or asking me to read her a story but then constantly pointing to words she can read, repeating phrases after me while studying them carefully, or choosing phrases she wants to read while I read the rest. It is all going in at exactly her own speed and she is making steady but sure progress. I explain phonics rules and exceptions to them as and when we come across them, for example this morning I was showing her how 'oo' could be pronounced as in 'kangaroo' or as in 'book'. I am really enjoying going through this process with her, and seeing how it all develops. How sad it would be to have delegated this to a school!

We've also covered socialising, by looking after a friend's 2-year old this morning, who Tamsin gets on very well with, and art/craft by doing some glass painting this afternoon.

I keep meaning to record, mostly just for my own benefit, Isabelle's speech at the moment. It is very limited, but so far she can clearly say 'Mama' (apparently aimed at anybody she loves!), see-saw, ta, 'peeeee' for Poppy (the dog), and shush. I also think she was saying 'down' this evening when she wanted to get out of her high-chair, and for the past week or so she's sounded for all the world like she's counting 'five, six, seven, eight...' although I can hardly believe it can be so. Bill has noticed it too.

It's blooming hard work, this motherhood thing, but I love it!