One of the kids in nursery has what... Eek! Run for the hills!

There I was feeling myself having arrived at T's school gates bang on time after having a good run through the park and streets of London despite the pouring rain. As usual one of the teachers was standing to meet us arriving parents at the gates with a smile; 'he's had a great day', she said to me as I walked by and have become accustomed to and expect. I walked to the door and heard T's name being called out to notify him of my arrival. At the same time, one of the teachers thrust a paper in my hand. I did not think anything out of the ordinary about the paper I was handed; it was usual for them to hand out a school newsletter every Friday after school since T started. Nevertheless, being the curious individual that I am, I took a quick glance at the paper, unlike all the other parents around who just folded theirs and put it in their pockets.

Shock horror, it said there is a case of head lice in the nursery and all the kids might have been exposed and need to have their hair checked with a lice comb ASAP. Forget feeling myself, I felt dirty and itchy all over instantly. Of all the stuff that T could pick up from nursery, a lice infection was one of those that I really dreaded. I scooped him up instantly and we headed to the pharmacy; never mind that it was almost 4PM and I was hungry having had a run and not having eaten lunch yet. Forget just buying a comb, I bought a comb and a lice shampoo because the last thing I wanted was to get home, check his hair, find lice and then have to run back out to get the treatment, if he doesn't have lice, we will save it just in case or use it this time as preventative measure.

Anyway, I checked his hair and I found nothing phew! It is times like this I wish I could just wrap him up in cotton wool but I don't wanna turn him into a recluse or a scaredy cat so what can one do? Boy the perils of nursery LOL. I hope this is the end of this and there won't be more cases like it in future because I just can't deal!

The first alphabet he wrote himself

And T’s first self-penned alphabet is... the letter X! He writes it on his teeth brushing chart twice a day by himself now.

Only Shea nut butter will do

My partner and I swear by Shea nut butter for T's skin. Not the kind you buy in store, the kind that is straight from Burkina Faso in it's pure concentrated hard buttery form. The benefits of having family live in Sub-Saharan Africa eh! Melted and blended together with a little Almond and Coconut oil, it leaves T's skin glowing and supple without the oily sheen; a result we could never quite achieve with petroleum jelly, baby oil or baby lotion. But that is not the best part, Shea nut oil is well known in many parts of Africa (and indeed the rest of the world) for its medicinal properties- I remember rubbing it in its purest form on my Mum's back as a teen whenever she complained of back ache; and it is really cheap and lasts too if you are lucky enough to know and receive visitors from Sub-Saharan Africa that is- just tell them to pick up some for you from the market back there when they are coming. Click here if you wish to know more about Shea nut butter. I would definitely recommend it to anyone especially if you or your child is prone to dry skin, heat rash or eczema.

Shorts

In anticipation of the hot weather, I put shorts on T today so when he started tugging and pulling at it wondering why it stopped at his knees instead of his ankles, it made me laugh. After a brief explanation about what shorts are, he jumped off the bed, strolled causally to the mirror and giggled loudly at the sight before him. It was hilarious to watch!

Hair so long

Wow! Looking at it all curled up en mass I didn't realise it was this long.

Papa made him a hat

I think he likes it!

Awww… My little Einstein wants to be like his daddy

People often express shock when I tell them T has been sitting on the potty potty training since he was sixteen months. I didn't do anything special to make him; he picked up his potty one morning, set it down in front of a mirror, sat on it and starting mumbling- pee pee. Not one to miss an opportunity, I quickly made it part of his bath routine and every time he sat on his potty I went and sat opposite him on the toilet too. It was all going so well until yesterday when to my shock he absolutely refused to sit on his potty, not even when I placed it in his favorite place, in front of the mirror. Instead he kept pointing towards the direction of the toilet. Getting a little frustrated because I was running very late to take him out, I skipped the potty and moved on to his bath.
This morning while I was taking a well-earned break from toddler duty on the sofa, my partner came in and told me that when T was told to go sit on his potty, he simply walked past it, went to the toilet and requested to be sat on it. It made sense immediately. T has made a correlation between his potty and the toilet and just like he wants to be like his daddy in every other aspect, this wasn't going to be different- he has to go like daddy goes! It means for me,  I will either have to go and buy myself an adult potty or start sitting him on the toilet (just like I do )from now onward.

Leg Warmers

With the over-hyped cold front termed ‘the Beast from the East’ by the UK media bearing rapdily on us, I rely on these cute leg warmers to keep T protected against the cold. They do not only keep him warm and cozy, they keep him looking bang on trend and very stylish too. They come in six different colours and design themes and are available for purchase at various online retailers

Hair Moisturizer heaven

Finding the right products to use on one’s baby can be a bit of a nightmare so when you stumble upon that one that actually works a treat, it is a huge relief. For T’s hair, I love African Pride Shea Butter Miracle Bouncy Curls Pudding. It is easy to work with and always leaves his curls tight and bouncy with no slickly residue.