Christmas Is Coming

Christmas is coming and it is time to update you on a child's Christmas in Wales. Theia is doing well and the hospital checks state that some tissue is growing on her heart. We will wait and see what the next checks bring. Theia is now walking a few steps and moving very quickly using her trusty steed, Stan the dog on wheels. She is showered with love as always by the boys and Poppy. Theia has now developed a keen love of Celtic music and has her own little dance and wiggle. Christmas will be fun as she shares it with us for the second time. She loves the fairy lights and decorations. He sweet du jour is Milky Bar.

We had a photo session with her at the studio but she was a little distracted by the lights. We are looking forward to the light coming back after the Winter solstice so that we can take some walks. We have had some lovely cards and messages from friends around the world so thank you all. Christmas pics to follow.

Theia's Autumn Ramble

Been a while since I posted about Theia. We have been busy as her grandparents have been quite ill. Lots of visiting hospitals and helping out at home. Theia helped cheer them up. The summer fizzled out with only a few warm days towards the end. We didn't get to go to the beach much this year. Theia is now standing up on her own and her legs are getting much stronger. We had to fit a stair gate. Oh the joys of fatherhood. I well remember going through all this with our first child Poppy. Theia is desperately trying to talk. She is really interested in the Montessori materials on the shelves. The boys still dote on her and follow her around asking to hold her. We are looking forward to our first Christmas with Theia and we will all be very excited just watching the Queen bee enjoying herself. I have uploaded some new albums to Facebook. Catch you soon.

West Wales Times: A Village Tour

West Wales Times: A Village Tour

With Ayako

Ayako Visits

Did I mention Theia's birthday. She was 1 on the 29th of August. We had a lovely party with grandparents and other family. Theia enjoyed herself and finished the day covered in chocolate cake.

Theia is named after the Greek Godess of light and the sister of Hyperion. Summer seems to be over and our long walks and sunbathing in the garden have come to an end. Autumn is approaching so we are getting out Theia's autumn collection of clothes. She is now standing comfortably and beginning to form first words. Theia has developed a lovely character and is still very responsive going to other people. Theia had a visit from our friend Ayako, all the way from Japan. As soon as Ayako walked in through the door, Theia went to her and gave her a big hug. Theia has had a little illness and high temperature but we are happy to say that she is now over that. Check back soon for more of Theia's updates.

Time Flies

Wow! Where did that month go to? Theia has had a busy time of it in August. Loads of walks around the area in her buggy or on her trike. She is trying so hard to stand on her own. Walking with help but moving very fast on her hands and knees. Theia is now climbing the stairs from bottom to top. She has also learned how to blow kisses, wave bye bye and when asked she will close her eyes or make faces. She is also singing along to music in her own way. The other children are still very much around her al the time and are a great help to us. Hard to believe that Theia is one year old in a few days time. We are planning a little tea party for her. Some more photos to upload soon. Thanks for checking in.

Mum's Birthday

A day out at the beach for Mum's 40th birthday. We went to the Gower and had a tour around all the beaches. We had some lovely food in Caswell Bay. Dad even had one beer in Llangenith at his favourite pub. Elks and Noah had lots of pop and ice cream and I had Cous Cous for the first time. We were all very tired on the way home and I fell asleep. I missed the Penclawdd ponies sticking their heads in Dad's car for a nose. I am nearly 1 year old now. For my birthday we will probably go to the beach again for a BBQ. Thanks for stopping by and keeping up with my life. See you soon Theia X

Summer Heat

Very hot weather has meant lots of play outside for Theia. We threw together a natty way of shading her using a bedsheet and a washing line. We also bought a great sunshade for her stroller from DIONO. It actually covers her whole body when in the stroller. Theia loves to splash in the paddling pool or a bucket for that matter. She is using a lot more expressive sounds and mimics a few of our sounds. The main development as always is the dexterity of the hands followed by gross motor function. She is standing and walking with help. She can now feed herself using a spoon and she can regulate her drink using a beaker. The fact that she has three adoring older siblings helps us a lot. They take her for walks, play with her, feed her and even change her. Theia is approaching 1 year of age on August 29th. We are looking forward to presenting many more of the Montessori materials to her.

Birthday Party

Busy schedule for Theia. Attended the 80th birthday party of Stella Griffiths. Been visiting Tadcu and Grandpa as they have been unwell. Theia has had her regular checks with the midwife and all is well. We continue to go for walks around the block. Theia has become much more steady on her feet and prefers to try and stand now. She also has some top teeth coming through. Yesterday she said 'Da Da; for the first time and she also said 'Hiya'. Still very sociable and fun. Better sleep patterns and trying out different foods.

Menace At Work

Theia is moving around a lot more. She is very tactile and gentle. Getting more confident on her feet and developing a great sense of humour. Theia loves her food and has been fed largely a vegetarian diet. She loves being taken around the village in her buggy and seeing all the sites. Sleep patterns are becoming more regular and sleeping for longer. We believe that taking her out in the fresh air aids this. We go out in all weathers and the buggy is well equipped for sun, rain or whatever the elements throw at us.We will soon be placing some of the Montessori materials in the room for her to explore.

Cool Summer

Theia has been enjoying the sunshine. Keeping cool in her favourite place 'The Bath'. We have been putting her outside to sleep in the fresh air and she seems to sleep for a lot longer. Plenty of shade in the garden and there is a lovely breeze too.
 

My Brother

Theia asleep after a long day. Her brother Elkanah is holding her. Theia is now sitting up comfortably, crawling competently and she is pulling herself up to stand. She is also taking a few steps with help. She has begun mouthing more sounds and her fine motor control is excellent. 

Theia is eating really well. We tend to feed her mainly organic food and use a lot of fresh fruit and veg, which is steamed. She also like to drink organic juice and good old fashioned tap water. 

It is hard to believe that she will soon be 1 year old. That year has flown by. I hope you continue to check in on her progress as we start to use some of the Montessori materials with her. 

Standing

Theia is now pulling herself up to stand. She has definite words like Mama and baba and is also making lots of other verbal sounds in response to people. She has a lovely sense of humour and laughs a lot at little games we play. She is eating solids and has already developed a sweet tooth. More teeth are coming through and causing her pain. She is still breast fed and has never had a dummy. Her sleeping patterns are good. 

New Pics

 A couple of recent images of our lovely girl with Mum and Dad.

Three Wise Ladies

A visit for Theia from three ladies. With these wise heads around she is sure to be kept on the straight and narrow. We all had a lovely lunch of Bretton crepes filled with laver bread, prawns, smoked salmon, lobster and caviar.

Theia took centre stage as usual. She is approaching 9 months old now and is a solid little girl. She is sitting up confidently and eating well. We have seen that she already has a sense of humour and enjoys playing games. 

Little Miss Muffett's Day Out

Peepo

 A day in the garden in the sunshine. Loads to see and do. Theia enjoyed seeing bubbles being blown and the little birds feeding. The boys entertained her as usual pushing here around in the buggy. We all had lunch out  on the patio and even managed to sort out the riverbank and some painting. Spring really has arrived and it is so nice just to get out and have some fresh air. We noticed that Theia sleeps much better having been outside. Next major event is a trip to the swimming pool for her first swimming lesson.

A little to bright

Brotherly Love

If I can just, ah, no, not quite.

So this is what lions do. 

Santa's Helper in Spring?

 OK so it is a bit early for Christmas but the hat was just to tempting. Theia is sitting up confidently now and just about crawling but still trying to do headstands.

Today Theia spotted the squirrel in the garden for the first time and chuckled as he jumped from branch to branch. She now has about four teeth coming through and it is still painful.

Theia is eating solids now and her favourite seems to be sweet potato with banana a close second. The weather is improving so we can start going for longer walks.

This year is special as it is Mum's 40th and Poppy's 18th so it will be a day on the beach and a lovely BBQ

Not much more to report but we will keep you posted.

Just Another Day At The Office

 

Another day for Theia. A new hat from Nana and sitting up on her own. Busy day on the road for our girl visiting grandparents. A rare jaunt into Ammanford with Dad for a nose around the market. Some gems in there. A quick pit stop at the bakers and juggling Theia with a chicken bake. Should be an early night I reckon. 

The Great Boo Boo Robbery

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The room looks different somehow

More progress as Theia learns to crawl on all fours. Up until now she has been trying to crawl with her head on the floor and standing on her feet. The next few weeks will see her really getting skilled at movement so we will begin to make the environment Theia friendly. Hope you enjoy the story board.

Computer Hacker Already

Theia has taken to operating a basic computer type gadget. You have to tap the pad to get the thing to make any sound. Theia is crawling to the pad and using her hand to tap the pad. She listens to he song or story then taps again. Luck? Fluke? or is she destined to use the I.T. long before many of us did? I wonder how many more babies are exposed to computers. I have seen a number of videos on YouTube showing babies using iPads. I have to say that despite the presence of the computer she does spend most of her time eating Rabbie Burns the rabbit, Percy pig, Jiffy the giraffe and Zebby the zebra. Oh and in between that there is always booboo and porridge.

Llanelli Stage

Theia on an outing to her Dad's home town of Llanelli. Won't be long before she is enjoying cockles at the market.

Le Tour

April 9th and Theia embarks on her first tricycle ride. Around the house into the garden and then finally stopping for a photo shoot at the finish line. Tour De France here she comes.

A NEW THING ARRIVES IN THE GARDEN

What are those boys doing? We were being observed by a tiny child with big eyes. The swing was being organised and two brothers were busily trying to strap a tyre to the straps. After a couple of attempts on a dodgy stepladder it was ready for testing.

Theia was busy watching proceedings and smiling at us through the window. The boys can't play for much longer than a few minutes without looking over to Theia and smiling.

The garden is going to be a lovely place for her to play when the weather improves. Having said that the mothers of children in Scandinavia place their children out in the lowest temperatures. Inuit children play freely jumping from ice floe to ice floe. Perhaps we have become too over protective in the west.

We continue to sing and read stories to Theia (no TV) and she is responding very well. We watch as she tries to mouth sounds replicating our movements. Theia is sitting up independently now but still slightly wobbly. She was 7 months old today (1 year and 6 months if you count from conception).

Teeth

Those teeth are causing pain. Theia is very good but now and then the pain sets her off and she bites as hard as she can on her hand. Her attempts to crawl are quite funny to watch. At the moment she has her head on the floor and then she brings her feet up so that her legs are fully extended. It s more like a handstand position than a crawl.

Her vocal noises are changing and there is more variety in the sounds she is making. The changes are so slight at this stage but then it explodes. Montessori observed this and wrote about it. What we are observing is the child's absorbent mind at work.

The Absorbent mind is an unconscious, creative and non-selective process by which the brain takes in everything from the environment, takes it in like a sponge, forming neural pathways and connections.  The brain in the post-natal period is purposely not neurologically fixed so that each child can adapt to the needs dictated by his environment.  This not only allows for variation in behavior but also for change and creativity.  Infants are born into different environments, different cultures all over the world and the Absorbent Mind allows them to adapt to their “time, place and group”. It is a process from which the child grows and the culture that the child is born into is perpetuated.  It is a fundamental mechanism for survival.

YouTube

Hey, I'm on YouTube at Theia Evans

Pasg Hapus - Happy Easter No Theia did not make the bonnet but many children around the world would have made an Easter Bonnet. Theia is teething at the moment so everything she picks up gets put in her mouth. It does look painful as she contorts her body when the pain comes. As adults we do not suffer the same pain threshold. Little is known of that pain during teething. It could be excruciating but they have no way of telling us other than crying. We use a teether which can be placed in the fridge to cool the gel inside.We have never used any of the oral gels or creams because we know how sensitive their digestive systems are at this stage. Theia is being breast fed and will continue to do so until the time is right. All our children have been breast fed and they have never really suffered any chronic illnesses or complaints of the skin, etc. Theia was a large baby at birth weighing 9lb 7ozs. It was a difficult labour for Angharad. When Theia arrived she was alert and all the children were there to greet her. The last 6 months has flown by and I should have documented her progress. I did take some pictures and I will try and enter the memories in subsequent posts. The aim of this blog is to provide a running record of her development but also for Theia to look back on as an early life diary. Developmental milestones at this stage are that Theia is sitting up on her own but is slightly wobbly. She has said her first words and she is already playing games like peek a boo. Theia communicates with us by shouting out when we are not near especially if she has a dirty nappy. Theia has bonded with the other children and will go to all of them for long periods and play. Her sleep patterns are good only waking now and then for a feed or if the teething is an issue. Her first teeth are about to come through. Theia has already shown an interest in what is on the computer screen. She also has a little pad she can press to get songs and stories and she has begin to press those pads. She has a playmat with some rails above. We attached some items to the rails and one of them made a sound when it was moved. We noticed that Theia positioned herself so that her feet were on the rails. She would then kick the rails with her feet to get the sounds. We moved her to see if she would reposition herself and she did. Theia is beginning to crawl now. She can roll over a couple of times. Interestingly her first movements were on her back. She would move along the floor on her back. She is also holding out her arms when you go to pick her up. Theia is also beginning to eat solids. She is being weaned on organic fruit porridge. That is it for now. I will upload the previous 6 months photos to slideshow. Many thanks for stopping by.