So, the child is 13 months

After she spooned her porridge into her mouth by herself, this morning, Linnea and I went to the bathroom to wash. I held the stairgates open, she walked ahead of me. She climbed onto her step in front of the sink; I loaded her toothbrush with paste and turned on the tap. She ran the tap over the toothbrush and brushed her teeth.

The whole thing was so incredibly grown-up I almost burst. She now strongly resists assistance with her toothbrushing, morning and night. We tend to try to get toothpaste on all the teeth and then leave her to it. She'd brush for hours if she was allowed.

We've just finished playing Clotheslines. This is where I string a string between two chairs and we hang small clean things on it with the sprung clothespegs. She finds clothespegs fascinating - they are so small and strong and complicated. Perhaps she senses a kindred spirit.

My new nursing dress didn't arrive in today's post. We got a leaflet saying it was at the sorting office because a tax payment of some amount is needed. So Rob went to the sorting office before starting work, and it wasn't there yet. That's unfair, if you ask me. I need to check it fits and looks ok for this wedding, because if it doesn't, I have to come up with Plan B, which involves *shudder* shopping. I don't really have anything that's fit to wear to my best friend's semi-formal daytime wedding.

Free washing machine

Indesit washer/dryer - it has a faulty heater, so will only do cold washes, or washes with intake from the main hot water supply. The repair would apparently cost about 60 quid for the part, plus labour, but it's possible that someone canny could fix it themselves. The people replacing it will take it away tomorrow afternoon unless you get here first. Please call Rob - direct work number 0870 493 6493. You can't call me, because I'm too ill to talk. This will have to be collected from Reading very very soon. A.

A bird in the bush

I have thrush. And the number one side-effect of my antibiotics is "difficulty breathing". My life, it is full of amusing ironies.

However, I had a lovely day. The washing machine man came and said we needed yet another new part - we've decided to stop spending money on the old one and get a new one with a guarantee for parts and labour. Then my friend from Barcelona came and invited us all to stay, any time we like - hurrah! I'm free all of September, I reckon - and admired the baby. Or at least interacted with her in a friendly way, anyway.

Tomorrow I will get my nursing dress. And Rob's parents will come for a visit. And we will compose a shopping list for next week's groceries.

On Tuesday I go back to the doctor and get the X-ray results. I hope I get to see the X-ray. That would be interesting. I hope it's otherwise boring.

My tonsils say Hi.