Gremlin’s Fireside Chat

I had intended when I started out this blog to talk about more “professional” and technical things about life as an independent software developer contractor, but as my wife pointed out recently my blog is more of an adoration site about our daughter Maeve and her growing up. This is of course true, and I make no apologies for this turn of events. I just love being a father. I know its “not manly” and seems to go against modern “post feminist” thinking, but the truth is I love my daughter and feel no shame about showing it.

Well today we will be off to visit my mom and sister in Meath. Mom has just been released from hospital after a nasty chest infection – TBTG – and its time we made a visit. No doubt Maeve will show them her new verbal skills (more and longer sentences), her ability to put on her own shoes and something which has struck me as odd. Maeve has been trying to write. OK all kids like trying to scribble with a pen on any piece of paper (or surface) she can find. Maeve this week has obviously been writing along the lines of a note pad (just above like when you write) with squiggles small enough not to cross the line above and in groups with space between them. The squiggles are just that – no written words – but they obviously are Maeve’s attempts in that a lot of the “words” in the squiggles are circular joined up shapes and look like some foreign language if you did not know better. The other odd thing is she is writing all this in a right-to-left fashion. Don’t know what that means, but I do remember as a child when I was learning to “write proper” thinking that writing right-to-left was so much more natural and easier than left-to-right.

Okay its time to sign off and enjoy a love hot mug of coffee and a slice of meat loaf I made last night.

Maeve, as readers of this blog will know is a little charmer and smart. When I went to pick her up from the creche on Friday she insisted in carrying her own (and fairly heavy day bag); every time I tried to help she slapped my wrist with a curt “No Daddy”. Its nice to know she is such an independent little girl who warms my heart because everytime I collect her at the creche I hear her squeal with delight shouting “Daddy” as she runs over into my arms and wraps her arms around my neck and planting her cheek firmly against mine. Sometimes if I am really lucky she will grab my ears and pulls me close for a wet kiss on my cheeks – she has picked up this continental kissing of both cheeks from somewhere. Anyway I am content with life.

Here is a picture of Maeve at the creche in a Jacket we picked up in New York a couple of years ago and everyone seems to like – I have been stopped in the street and asked about it even.

Saturday, my wife being away on business, Maeve and I met up with Will in toen. Will was one of the grooms-man at my wedding, and although we talk fairly frequently – usually via IM – we have not met face-to-face for at least a year (maybe two); Will splits his living between Fermoy and Dublin, and whilst in Dublin its at the other end of the city from from us in Donabate. Yes, I KNOW that is NO EXCUSE but life is life and matching our schedules and children is well problematical at the best of times. I digress. We arranged to meet up in the excellent Yammamori Noodles in Dublin Maeve in tow. Will and I shared various parts of our meal with Maeve – who in copying me – insisted on using chop sticks. To both Will and my amazement she managed to use them – something that took me a while to master – although I will admit she used the chopsticks to impale the chicken fragments and carrots before moving to her mouth, Maeve did however use two chopsticks to “shovel” rice from the plate to her mouth. Not bad for a two year old. Here is a picture of Maeve just after she has shovelled some food into her mouth with the chopsticks.

It had to come. We both knew it; but we were hoping for a few more years before it manifested itself. Maeve has started singing the odd phrase from a song or two lately – words from the Corries “Skye boat song” or Petula Clarkes “Cannot live without your love”; but today we were watching “Ratatouille” the cartoon movie about a cuisine loving rat when Maeve said the ominous phrase – point to the main rat lead she said “Mickey Mouse”. Americanisation has started.

Its Christmas and the creche Maeve is at is very good. The day before yesterday (Wednesday) Father Christmas visited the creche and Maeve got a lovely present of a book of nursery rhymes – I know she loves it because she rarely puts it down. Anyway I digress. I started to sing in my rather poor singing voice some of rhymes to be joined in by Maeve; Not perfect, but the words and small phrases she does understand – as well as having a go at some new ones she does not know as well. I know that Maeve does know certain words because she repeats some words a number of times until she finds its closer to what I said than she originally uttered. Rarely a day goes by with Maeve learning a word or two. I noticed that she has learn’t to plan her actions somewhat because when she climbed up the kitchen steps (which have 2 steps) and she grabbed a bottle of apple-juice in one hand and some fruit in the other she placed one of them on the top step, stepped down and then moved it to the next step down.

Ok thats the good bit…. now one more “skill” thats not so nice. Maeve has learn’t to spit. I was holding my beer sitting on the sofa watching the TV when Maeve climbed onto the sofa and then lean’t over my beer glass and then started to spit into it; Fortunately she missed …. but I was shocked.

Maeve, like most children her age is coming along in leaps and bounds. There are many sights to be interesting in, concepts to be learned and the slippery complex task which is speech mastered. Maeve has shown definite progress in these area’s in acquiring new words and has started stringing simple sentences together along with showing understanding of simple instructions and expectations of other people.

A simple example would be Maeve in the last couple of days has picked up the words “Help” and “Tower” – the latter usually said when she is building a tower of large lego like bricks to impressive heights. This evening my Archos hand-held music/video/browser which Maeve likes to watch childrens movies on ran out of battery juice and needed recharging. Maeve came across and grabbed my hand and said “Help Me” in a clear voice; I said “and” to which she replied “Please”. She also likes to come over to me and throw her arms out and say “carry me”.

This week I have started to ask Maeve to put her toys away before she goes to bed. I say “Put away X” and normally she understands and moves the offending item from the floor to someplace like her toy box. Maeve also can understand and to correctly respond to questions like “where are your shoes”, “find your shoes”, “Find your bobo” (Bobo = feeding bottle or mug) and “go to bed”. Needless to say her favourite word is still “no” although other new words seem to be “socks” and “spoons” have started to appear (along with Panda,Lion, Elephant,Dog,Cat and Ben-10) and she shows the basics of counting (2-6) when she walks down the stairs.

Maeve as every is a happy loving daughter who loves to smile and has a ready dirty laugh.