Me and my girls

I must say, I love my job. I'm an Early Years Practitioner (more commonly known as a nursery nurse) in a primary school. I have 13 weeks holiday a year which I very much enjoy! But its not just the holidays. I love working with children. And no, I do not 'play all day'. I graduate with a Foundation Degree in Early Childhood Studies next summer and will be topped up to a full degree a year later. Then there's just the small matter of a PGCE and I'm good to go into teaching! It's definitely tough working and studying with two young children, which is why I love those holidays so much. But enough about me...

 

Heidi

'There was a little girl,
who had a little curl.
Right in the  middle of her forehead.
When she was good,
she was very, very good.
And when she was bad, she was horrid!'

Yep. That sums up my Heidi perfectly! Thankfully, the majority of the time, Heidi is an absolute delight.
She has the most incredible imagination at two years old and the vocabulary to match. She is certainly a chatterbox! She loves anything small world. I often find her playing with her 'peoples' (ELC HappyLand collection) or dolls house or both. At one point, Batman, Iggle Piggle and a giraffe were quite happily enjoying a picnic together. Heidi loves snails and slugs just as much as she loves princesses and tiaras.

After a day at Twycross Zoo, Heidi chose a lovely grey squishy rat from the gift shop. Yes, a rat. I don't remember seeing any rats. Lots of adorable baby monkeys and even a baby elephant! But no rats. She loves books, writing, drawing and painting. However, she has never been that fond of messy/sensory play. I tried gloop numerous times but decided it was just a waste of corn flour. She wouldn't touch it!

Heidi's best friend is Dolly. Blanket is a close second but Dolly goes EVERYWHERE. It's safe to say Dolly has seen better days. People have tried to buy her new ones to replace 'that horrible thing' but whether she's upset, tired, excited or up to no good, it's Dolly she wants. When she cracked her head open on a plant pot a couple of weeks ago 'Where's Dolly?!' was one of my first thoughts.

Heidi is funny, affectionate, sociable and very clever. She also has tantrums, throws toys, screams and holds her breath when upset. Overall, just you're average 2 year old.


Harriet

Harriet was our little surprise delivery on the bedroom floor. We knew we were having a baby of course, but I just imagined it being in a hospital surrounded by midwives and with a bit more pain relief than two paracetamols. It was the most amazing experience of my life and we are definitely having a homebirth next time. A planned homebirth!

At 15 weeks old, Harriet's personality is just beginning to shine through. She's bonny and squishy and smiley and has a hint of red hair. She has strong legs and wriggles a lot, although rolling over is still a work in progress! Her cooing and babbling greets me each morning. She's definitely going to be a chatterbox like her sister!

I wish I had more to share about Harriet but she's still pretty much in the eat-sleep-poo phase. I'm sure there will be much more to follow!

Alison x