My Muddy Puzzler

When I was pregnant with Muddy Girl 3, I was in a bit of denial, I kind of sailed through in a haze of work and two busy Muddy Girls, thinking I'll deal with it when the baby arrives. Even once my maternity leave started I didn't think too much about how I was going to cope, I just assumed I would have to. Somehow I did, it helped that she was a dream baby, slept, ate, giggled and everything was easy, she just fitted in. Then she turned One and man oh man did she change! It was like she realised 'I have to stand up for myself or I'm not going to get anywhere or anything'! Our Muddy Girl 3 has a VERY strong will, she will set her mind to a task and make sure nothing stands in her way.

I have started calling her my Muddy Puzzler, partly because I am still puzzled as to how she went from the MOST easy going baby to the MOST headstrong of my Muddy Tribe, but mainly because of her love for all things Puzzle. It started with 2 piece puzzles, she would sit there and put them together, then pull them apart and start over. Then she moved onto the wooden shape puzzles, and she would do them over and over. Her next puzzle mastered was the Tupperware Shape-O (a favourite of mine from when I was a kid). Then we moved onto floor puzzles, and gradually the pieces are getting smaller and the puzzles are getting bigger, with more pieces.

Nana has a lovely collection of puzzles and over the week that we've been here Muddy Puzzler has done and redone the entire collection multiple times. We have been able to distract her with trips to the park, putting up the Christmas Tree, watching the buses, reading books and doing a small amount of craft, but she will always come back to the puzzles and has barely touched any of the other toys.

It's an interesting process to watch her complete a puzzle, she seems to have this knack of picking up a piece and knowing just where it goes, or laying her hand on just the right piece. It probably comes back to Muddy Hubby's systematic mathematical brain, as she just logically works through it. Definitely different to me, who flaps a bit and gets a bit vague at times! It's been really lovely to just spend some one on one time with My Muddy Puzzler and tomorrow we get to go home to My Muddy Hubby, Muddy Preschooler and Muddy Girl 2 - HOORAY!

Working away on yet another puzzle

All Finished

Always a smile

Never misses an opportunity for a swing, especially when her big sisters aren't around to push her off

Exploring



Climbing up high, as much as I encouraged her not to!