Martha at 15 months

We've been doing this diary for 15 months now, and for the first time since she was born our Martha was ill. She got Roseola, a common childhood illness, and though it was quite dramatic (103F fever and spots) it was over quickly. Below is what happened after the temperature disappeared:



She didn't seem too concerned by these spots, but didn't eat much at all during the following week and was quite subdued. However, since then she's been on eating catch-up, putting away large quantities of porridge, fruit, chicken, fish, bread and toast. In fact she seems to eat so much that it doesn't seem possible for it all to fit inside. Here is a picture of her in eating mode. Note the bib where items of food are stored until needed. Generally we leave her to sort out all the pieces of food as she wishes, and after a while most of the pieces have gone.



Also this month we went for her third trip to the UK. I was quite concerned by this trip because her jetlag on the last trip took 7 days to remove, so I instigated a "Jetlag Reduction Plan" a few days before we left. My thinking was that 8 hours of time change could be reduced if we changed our getting up time, so over 3 days we got up earlier until on the day we left we were up at 4am. This made for a tiring trip (it's a night flight on the way out) but it is anyway. Her first night back was disturbed, but she did sleep most of it, and the second was back to normal. We'll do the same procedure in reverse on the way home. I am considering writing a book or a website about this method of jetlag mitigation as I reckon there is money to be made out of it.

Here she is in SFO eating an apple. The airport here is excellent for kids by the way, being large, flat and mostly empty of people.

Playing ball with grandad


Shopping in Sainsbury's she was overcome with sleep


Four generations




This is Martha in her bed in the UK. This used to be my bed and has remained in the attic since Tim and I had finished with it - well over 30 years. Keeping things in attics is a bit of a Martin family trait as some readers might know. Old teeth marks are being supplemented by fresh ones.