So Where Were We

The days seem to go so quickly and days turn into weeks… Since our visit to the hospital Vera has also had her first ever hair cut, I had to call it going to the hair doctor, in order for her to sit still. But she was ever so good and sat in my lap! We’ve just taken 5-7 centimeters or so off the length, so that it’s easier to wash and brush. We’ve also had some wonderful visits to the Peak District and really enjoy having these places so close. The weekend before last we had a lovely visit by Fiona, Dan and the gorgeous Robbie, marred only by Vera getting stung by a wasp! On that Sunday we went to the nearby Abbeydale mini railway and enjoyed a train ride in the scorching autumn sun - £1 for the ride, what a bargain! Then we went on a big train to Hathersage (10 mins or so) where we walked around and enjoyed a coffee and juice in the sun. This weekend just gone, we took the bus into the town centre, takes 15 minutes or so. Parts of Sheffield are fairly rough and ugly and others are surprisingly nice. There’s been a lot of re-generation money spent on the city centre with parks, the Wintergarden, museums, squares and fountains. We spent some time in the Peace garden, which, as it is next to the town hall, was full of newlywed couples taking photos, so lovely in the sunshine! They also had an outdoor screen for families to watch animated films. Vera is settling in well at nursery, but some mornings she is a bit hesitant to walk into the breakfast room. Most of the children are older than her and it is still a new environment. But after that she throws herself into all the activities, including drama, dancing, messy play, playing outside and is making friends. She is always happy when I come to collect her, so that makes me happy. She is a very funny little girl! Since the IKEA incident, she has been practicing saying her full name and states that she is Vera Collins and she is “two ears” old – at this stage she points to her two ears. Mark is Daddy Collis, but I’m not allowed to be a Collins. I guess the concept of a shared surname is a lot to take in! She loves singing and we sing her favorite “Happy Birthday” a lot. We sing for Vera, Mark and then for Ana, Mark and Ariane. Ariance has made such an impression on Vera even though it was many weeks since we met her. Most days she will point out a building or a house which belongs to Ariane! If I say something like “when we get home Vera, we can have a snack” she will reply “Don’t worry mamma, don’t you worry” . Her latest thing is to pretend to whistle. We will whistle and she will mimic the sound with a high pitched tone/sound, very funny. She’s recently become a proper Peppa Pig addict and loves watching it on TV and reading books about Peppa. We’re also s lucky when it comes to bed time (I knock on woods as I write this as I don’t want to jinx it!). She’ll have a bath around seven then go downstairs in her pyjamas and drink “new lelle” (warm milk in a new cow mug). Then, around 7:30, she usually declares “I need to go to sleep” and we take her upstairs, brush teeth, read a book and then just say night night. On the odd occasion when she doesn’t declare it’s bed time, we’ll just say, time to go to bed now Vera and she’ll say, ok, gives Mark a kiss and walks upstairs shouting come on mamma, come on! We’re very lucky and hopefully it will continue!