Ok, it's not on his own initiative, but by diligent teaching from both parents, we've finally got the Monkey to request us to kiss his injuries better. And frankly, it gives us the opportunity to get a quick cuddle - all it takes is a surreptitious smack to the back of the head, and he comes barreling towards us, demanding "tiss! tiss?!?".
Alright, alright, I was joking about the smacking. HOWEVER - as I recently found out - he's not averse to a little bit of self 'harm' in order to get the required attention. The other night he inspected his elbows, and finding them both bruise and graze free, he drummed them on the table-top, then demanded they both be 'tissed'. This little performance was repeated a few times until we all grew bored of it (yes, sad to say that at the moment, he tires before we do!).
Just as a language aside (ahem), the Monkey is currently substituting alveolar stops for velar stops, so we get "twose" not "close", "tiss" not "kiss", "twime" not "climb", etc etc. Except for the word "drink" or "drinking", in which case the pattern is reversed: "gwink" or "gwinking". He's also producing quite a few 3-word utterances, usually cobbled together from something an adult has just said - so I might say "Let's go downstairs to see Daddy!", and I'll hear back "go down-stairs daddy?". As of about 4 weeks ago, he started with regularisation errors. These are really cool, as they're what happens when a child actually forms a rule of a language, and then over-applies it (something really easy to do in English!). So the Monkey has been working on plurals, and we're getting a lot of "sheeps" and "foots" and "feets" at the moment. He will imitate correctly just after he hears the right form, but I love catching his own rule-set in action.
Thanks - in no small part - to his mother's increasing laziness, he's spent rather more time on the iPad than I'm entirely happy with. And the only way I can assuage my guilt, is to try to make sure that I have plenty of 'educational' stuff on there for him. I have to say, I am impressed by the number of baby-centric apps that have been produced! Many of them are great quality, and at $1.50 a pop, it's not a big spend for a few hours of entertainment. I attribute his familiarity with alphabet letters and numbers largely to his iPad exposure - I certainly haven't been grilling him with flashcards, and in fact I was a little taken aback when I realised just how many letters/numbers he could name.
As to number 2 (the poor chap really doesn't get much of a look-in), he's growing, and using my internal organs as a punching bag. It's a bit of a challenge looking after a toddler and growing a baby at the same time, and I feel like I rather do let down the Monkey on that front. I take him for the occasional walk, but he really likes being tossed about vigorously, and I'm just not up to it! Well, only about another 6 weeks of baking, and hopefully the grub will be evicted. I'm a little nervous as to how the Monkey's going to react. I have tried to prime him by pointing to my stomach and saying "Here's your baby brother!", but only yesterday he pointed to his own stomach and said "baby brother!", so I don't think he's quite got the gist of it. Oh well, we'll see. The midwife has given us a spot of advice - she said that a travel cot was a good way to let the baby sleep in the room where all the action is - it'll prevent the Monkey from (accidentally or otherwise) falling on top of him, and it means that I don't have to corral off an area and keep them totally separate. It sounds pretty good actually, so I'm going to have to go portacot shopping soon!
Thursday, June 14, 2012
Saturday, April 7, 2012
The Language Sponge
Recently the Monkey skinned his knee. At the time it wasn't painful enough to elicit a reaction, but when he caught a glimpse of the graze in the shower that night, he produced an extremely credible (and high-pitched) "ouch!!". It was repeated every time he saw his injury over the next few days.
It was a bit confusing as we hadn't really used the term much at home. Previously if a graze or a bruise has been spotted, we've said things like "Oooh, you have a graze!", or something like that.
Anyway, we were sitting down watching some nature doco or other, when a porcupine appeared on the screen. I named it for him (as is my wont these days), when he suddenly started up on his "ouch!! ouch!!" routine. The only porcupine he's been exposed to is some African legend book about how the warthog got his warts (by running face-first into porcupine's quills, the daft sod). I asked him if he wanted to read the book, and he trotted off, and fetched it back, and sure enough on the page where warthog becomes intimately acquainted with porcupine, there was a large "Ouch!" in the text. We hadn't read the book for about 2/3 weeks, but as far as I can tell, this is probably the most likely source for the knee 'ouch!' as well.
I was quite stunned to find that out. I mean, I'd hardly credited the Monkey with being able to recall the morning's events after he'd had his midday nap, and now I have to assume that things are actually sticking in his wee mind.
He's turning into a little parrot as well. Everything you say, you can expect to hear back, in its entirety (though maybe slightly garbled in the translation), or just some key words. I suppose this is the point where we're really going to have to start watching our language!
It was a bit confusing as we hadn't really used the term much at home. Previously if a graze or a bruise has been spotted, we've said things like "Oooh, you have a graze!", or something like that.
Anyway, we were sitting down watching some nature doco or other, when a porcupine appeared on the screen. I named it for him (as is my wont these days), when he suddenly started up on his "ouch!! ouch!!" routine. The only porcupine he's been exposed to is some African legend book about how the warthog got his warts (by running face-first into porcupine's quills, the daft sod). I asked him if he wanted to read the book, and he trotted off, and fetched it back, and sure enough on the page where warthog becomes intimately acquainted with porcupine, there was a large "Ouch!" in the text. We hadn't read the book for about 2/3 weeks, but as far as I can tell, this is probably the most likely source for the knee 'ouch!' as well.
I was quite stunned to find that out. I mean, I'd hardly credited the Monkey with being able to recall the morning's events after he'd had his midday nap, and now I have to assume that things are actually sticking in his wee mind.
He's turning into a little parrot as well. Everything you say, you can expect to hear back, in its entirety (though maybe slightly garbled in the translation), or just some key words. I suppose this is the point where we're really going to have to start watching our language!
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Cute Overload!
Okay - firstly, I'm not talking about cuddly kitten pictures, but - yep, you guessed it - my adorable first-born. And okay, I'm hardly the first parent to be struck by the abominable cuteness of small toddler-hood, but this one I just had to share.
So the Monkey was trying on hats. He found some crazy purple and black three-pronged jester hat from my old work days (one of those things they give away as it's a sales pitch for a company). And once it was safely on, he rushed off, muttering "takul, takul!". This, I was to learn, means "crocodile". He brought back the crocodile hand-puppet and with unmistakeable gesturing, let me know I was to put it on. Fine. So I did. He then proceeded - keep in mind the over-size jester's hat slipping over his eyes - to look around the room, and name things for the crocodile.
"Tar!" he said.
"Guitar" growled the crocodile. The Monkey nodded in satisfaction, and took stock again of his surroundings.
"Wis" he said, spotting a picture.
"Fish", said the crocodile. The Monkey grinned - what a clever croc!
"Pee-ay-day" he said challengingly, after a moment's thought.
"Playdough!", said the crocodile (who'd been watching carefully).
And so on, and so on. The Monkey very happily educated the crocodile on all the items he could see, including a lot of pictures that appeared on the computer screensaver. The crocodile was only stumped once at something like "Tass". In the end, without being able to take a stab at the item, he was reduced to copying the sounds, which didn't seem to impress the Monkey - he did try repeating it another time, but Croc was just too stupid.
Maybe next time...
So the Monkey was trying on hats. He found some crazy purple and black three-pronged jester hat from my old work days (one of those things they give away as it's a sales pitch for a company). And once it was safely on, he rushed off, muttering "takul, takul!". This, I was to learn, means "crocodile". He brought back the crocodile hand-puppet and with unmistakeable gesturing, let me know I was to put it on. Fine. So I did. He then proceeded - keep in mind the over-size jester's hat slipping over his eyes - to look around the room, and name things for the crocodile.
"Tar!" he said.
"Guitar" growled the crocodile. The Monkey nodded in satisfaction, and took stock again of his surroundings.
"Wis" he said, spotting a picture.
"Fish", said the crocodile. The Monkey grinned - what a clever croc!
"Pee-ay-day" he said challengingly, after a moment's thought.
"Playdough!", said the crocodile (who'd been watching carefully).
And so on, and so on. The Monkey very happily educated the crocodile on all the items he could see, including a lot of pictures that appeared on the computer screensaver. The crocodile was only stumped once at something like "Tass". In the end, without being able to take a stab at the item, he was reduced to copying the sounds, which didn't seem to impress the Monkey - he did try repeating it another time, but Croc was just too stupid.
Maybe next time...
Sunday, March 25, 2012
An Autumnal Update
Long gaps between posts just mean that I end up with huge novellas, as I try to document everything in one post. Maybe one day I'll actually fix that.
As it is, here's an attempt at a quick summary:
Pregnancy: Now at about 24 weeks. No chromosomal abnormalities, and it's another boy. Possibly with a club foot, so for the moment is going by the nickname 'Byron'. I don't have a lot of time to whinge about how I feel with this one as the Monkey certainly doesn't give me the luxury to wallow. Selfish little git!
The Monkey: Ah, but he's a funny little chap.
Language run-down first: We have multisyllabic words - hurrah! Apple is now actually (finally!) 'apple'!. Sultanas are 'tana', iPad is 'ipad' (surprised that last one took so long to produce, given its level of importance in his life).
We also have final consonants: 'bussss', 'bik' (biscuit), 'bed' (bread), 'cot', 'hot', and so forth. He's also starting to put two word sentences together - mostly adjective + noun ('big car', 'red car'), and sometimes verb + noun ('bite apple', 'kick cat').
It's funny that he can produce the [s] beautifully at the end of syllables, but not at the start. F'rinstance 'sun' is now produced as 'hun' or 'hum'. In fact, this seems to go for almost every fricative, which means that "sun", "fan", "van" and "sam" are all pretty identical, and can only be distinguished with the help of context.
I'm also interested in his intonation patterns. When I chat to him about his life's most important pursuit, I use the following stress: "Yes.. that's a RED car!". He, on the other hand, reverses the stress: "red CAR!". He's certainly not imitating me, but I wonder if it's meaningful. Could be that he just emphasises the bit he thinks is most important. Could be a simple effect of vowel 'openness'. Who knows. Of passing interest, anyway.
General behaviour: The tantrums are starting. So far, I think we've only had 2 really classic ones. He doesn't throw himself to the ground (yet!), but he runs into a corner, and doubles over red-faced, screaming his anger and frustration to the world. One was over a cup (I wouldn't give it to him full of water). I can't remember what the other one was about. And of course, we get plenty of mini-tanties, but I don't think they count unless the screaming goes on for more than 5 minutes (feels like forever at the time!)
He's starting to play with other kids, but not in a huge setting - usually when there's just one or two visiting. Any more, and I think he gets a bit overwhelmed.
He's a bit of a stickler for routines. At bedtime, he likes to bring a small fleet of cars from the living room to the bedroom - perhaps in an effort to convince himself it's still not quite bedtime? Anyway, after the book's been read, he then becomes mad keen for everything to be put away. This means that the vehicles must all be placed on top of the low shelves where his books are - and he gets quite upset if a car is just left on the floor. I've made the mistake of not spotting one, and had to listen to the sad little voice saying "away? AWAY?!?" miserably through the monitor.
He's physically affectionate, if not really cuddly, per se. He'll plonk himself down on a lap by preference, or come and sit next to you on the sofa, but doesn't really ask for hugs, or even give any when requested. Unfortunately for him, both his parents are inclined to hug him, so his life must be a bit fraught, as he wonders where the next affection attack is coming from.
I could go on and on, but I think I'll leave any other little stories for another post (ho ho ho).
As it is, here's an attempt at a quick summary:
Pregnancy: Now at about 24 weeks. No chromosomal abnormalities, and it's another boy. Possibly with a club foot, so for the moment is going by the nickname 'Byron'. I don't have a lot of time to whinge about how I feel with this one as the Monkey certainly doesn't give me the luxury to wallow. Selfish little git!
The Monkey: Ah, but he's a funny little chap.
Language run-down first: We have multisyllabic words - hurrah! Apple is now actually (finally!) 'apple'!. Sultanas are 'tana', iPad is 'ipad' (surprised that last one took so long to produce, given its level of importance in his life).
We also have final consonants: 'bussss', 'bik' (biscuit), 'bed' (bread), 'cot', 'hot', and so forth. He's also starting to put two word sentences together - mostly adjective + noun ('big car', 'red car'), and sometimes verb + noun ('bite apple', 'kick cat').
It's funny that he can produce the [s] beautifully at the end of syllables, but not at the start. F'rinstance 'sun' is now produced as 'hun' or 'hum'. In fact, this seems to go for almost every fricative, which means that "sun", "fan", "van" and "sam" are all pretty identical, and can only be distinguished with the help of context.
I'm also interested in his intonation patterns. When I chat to him about his life's most important pursuit, I use the following stress: "Yes.. that's a RED car!". He, on the other hand, reverses the stress: "red CAR!". He's certainly not imitating me, but I wonder if it's meaningful. Could be that he just emphasises the bit he thinks is most important. Could be a simple effect of vowel 'openness'. Who knows. Of passing interest, anyway.
General behaviour: The tantrums are starting. So far, I think we've only had 2 really classic ones. He doesn't throw himself to the ground (yet!), but he runs into a corner, and doubles over red-faced, screaming his anger and frustration to the world. One was over a cup (I wouldn't give it to him full of water). I can't remember what the other one was about. And of course, we get plenty of mini-tanties, but I don't think they count unless the screaming goes on for more than 5 minutes (feels like forever at the time!)
He's starting to play with other kids, but not in a huge setting - usually when there's just one or two visiting. Any more, and I think he gets a bit overwhelmed.
He's a bit of a stickler for routines. At bedtime, he likes to bring a small fleet of cars from the living room to the bedroom - perhaps in an effort to convince himself it's still not quite bedtime? Anyway, after the book's been read, he then becomes mad keen for everything to be put away. This means that the vehicles must all be placed on top of the low shelves where his books are - and he gets quite upset if a car is just left on the floor. I've made the mistake of not spotting one, and had to listen to the sad little voice saying "away? AWAY?!?" miserably through the monitor.
He's physically affectionate, if not really cuddly, per se. He'll plonk himself down on a lap by preference, or come and sit next to you on the sofa, but doesn't really ask for hugs, or even give any when requested. Unfortunately for him, both his parents are inclined to hug him, so his life must be a bit fraught, as he wonders where the next affection attack is coming from.
I could go on and on, but I think I'll leave any other little stories for another post (ho ho ho).
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Time flies ... When you're pregnant AGAIN.
Didn't I say I wouldn't do this again? Didn't I? Didn't I *specifically* write down the gruesome details of pregnancy so that they'd stick in my mind and prevent any stupid decisions of going down the path of bloated, nauseous, ginormousness ever EVER again??
Seems that I don't listen to me, either.
I'm at just about 15 weeks, and the sickness has mostly tailed off, so yay for that. What really surprised me was the unexpected fertility of my body after four years of not wanting to know. Seems like those weird round growths in the ovaries actually have a function after all. Huh! Who'da thunk it?
Anyway, I'm not going to harp on about it too much, as this is my second pregnancy in the last 6 months, the previous one ending in a miscarriage at 12 weeks, which was an experience - and not one I'd really like to repeat. Tomorrow I'm having an amniocentesis to make sure everything's ok - but to be honest, right now I'm just keen to have another look at the ultrasound and make sure that the little heartbeat is still going strong.
But the Monkey! I really should write some updates, as without them I'm inclined to forget that the little fella IS actually making some progress! I don't know how other parents feel, but at every stage in his life, I feel that it's been that way FOR-EV-AH, and it's going to stay that way FOR-EV-AH, and I do lose sight of the fact that he is inching his way to becoming (I hope!) a fully functioning human bean!
His language is really coming on. I think he has excellent language comprehension (and no, I'm not boasting of any superior-for-age abilities - frankly, I have no idea of the language comprehension of other kids his age - but I'm just impressed by how much he does appear to understand without overt teaching). He'll follow simple instructions, mostly when he feels like it:
His language production is certainly better than it was - we have moved away from "dah" as the single utterance, and we now have a few different ones. The problem is that I think he has quite a sizeable spoken vocabulary now, but a very limited set of sounds and syllable structures, that we're almost back to the "dah" stage where I need a lot of context to understand what he's saying.
I apologise here - I'm a linguistic nerd, so I'm going to be boringly pedantic at this point. So - he only speaks in monosyllables, and the structure of those syllables is almost exclusively C (consonant) + V (vowel). His consonants predominantly are [p t d k m n h w z ʔ], and his vowels [i e æ a u ə].
So, if he says [wa], it could mean "water" or "flower", depending. If he says [pi], it could be "pea", "bee", "biscuit", or "bread". You can understand that I might be a little nervous when he tries to hand me something while saying [pi]! His strategy seems to be to take the first syllable of the word, and fit it to a CV structure with the sounds he has, regardless of the stress of the syllable - though I have noticed one recent change - "banana" has stopped being [bə], and started being [na], which suggests that syllable stress might be starting to play a part in his choice. I've only heard a couple of words where he attempts a consonant at the end of the syllable: "juice" (often [duz]), and words like "hat" and "heart" [hæʔ] or [haʔ].
Anyway, I have no idea why he has decided that a monosyllabic CV vocab is the way to go, but he has. We try all sorts of implied correction: "[æ]!" he says, and "yes .. that's an APPLE", we say back.
He'll even imitate directly:
"Say 'a'"
"[æ]"
"Say 'pul'"
"[pu]"
"Say 'aPPLE'"
"[æ]!"
At some point, he's going to get multi-syllabic words, and you can bet I'm going to celebrate that day! :)
As to everything else not language related - he shows signs of taking after both his parents. He loves the ipad, and he loves books. He's quite shy when there are large groups of children, and tends to stand back and watch, waiting until the coast is clear before he'll have a go. He doesn't often fight for possession of something - if another kiddie takes something he wants, he'll either watch them making triumphantly off with it with a slightly puzzled expression, or else (if he REALLY wants it), he'll come crying to me. He's reasonably physically fearless (happy to climb up the slide), and doesn't startle too easily. Because he's been at home with us all his life, he still gets anxious when either mum or dad leave, though he's been looked after at home by grandparents a few times, and seems to settle down quite well, as long as the parents are out of view. I think he really thrives on routine as well - and we've been SOOOOO lucky with his sleeping, as he gets in bed awake, and has no trouble getting to sleep and staying asleep. What a champ!
As to food .. Well, he's probably no more picky than any other 18 month old. He will eat almost any kind of fruit (though for some reason, he detests cherries, which is a shame, as they're particularly delicious this summer). Bread, yes (plain, or with some kind of spread), salty biscuits & rice crackers (he would eat sweet biscuits no doubt, but he rarely gets the opportunity), cheese, milk, orange juice, meat (SUCH a little carnivore!), but not keen on many veggies. Peas are a huge hit, and I give him some in a bowl as a snack, and he'll eat broccoli when liberally seasoned with garlic and anchovy. Spinach (silverbeet) soup goes down a treat, but anything else is a bit of a battle. He doesn't like carrot, corn, cucumber or capsicum. Not a fan of tomato. Had a brief flirtation with beetroot, but appears to have gone off it now. Will eat things like pumpkin and sweet potato (and lentils, and a whole lot of other things actually), if mushed up in a curry-flavoured soup. Which is what I make when a) I'm feeling that his veggie intake is a little low, and b) I don't feel like puking into the soup pot. Which means he hasn't had a good veggie soup in months now.
Sigh.
Cheese makes everything better, right?
Seems that I don't listen to me, either.
I'm at just about 15 weeks, and the sickness has mostly tailed off, so yay for that. What really surprised me was the unexpected fertility of my body after four years of not wanting to know. Seems like those weird round growths in the ovaries actually have a function after all. Huh! Who'da thunk it?
Anyway, I'm not going to harp on about it too much, as this is my second pregnancy in the last 6 months, the previous one ending in a miscarriage at 12 weeks, which was an experience - and not one I'd really like to repeat. Tomorrow I'm having an amniocentesis to make sure everything's ok - but to be honest, right now I'm just keen to have another look at the ultrasound and make sure that the little heartbeat is still going strong.
But the Monkey! I really should write some updates, as without them I'm inclined to forget that the little fella IS actually making some progress! I don't know how other parents feel, but at every stage in his life, I feel that it's been that way FOR-EV-AH, and it's going to stay that way FOR-EV-AH, and I do lose sight of the fact that he is inching his way to becoming (I hope!) a fully functioning human bean!
His language is really coming on. I think he has excellent language comprehension (and no, I'm not boasting of any superior-for-age abilities - frankly, I have no idea of the language comprehension of other kids his age - but I'm just impressed by how much he does appear to understand without overt teaching). He'll follow simple instructions, mostly when he feels like it:
- "Pick up your cornflakes" (yes, because he likes to put things in containers)
- "DON'T pull the cat's tail again!" (no, because .. because .. just because)
His language production is certainly better than it was - we have moved away from "dah" as the single utterance, and we now have a few different ones. The problem is that I think he has quite a sizeable spoken vocabulary now, but a very limited set of sounds and syllable structures, that we're almost back to the "dah" stage where I need a lot of context to understand what he's saying.
I apologise here - I'm a linguistic nerd, so I'm going to be boringly pedantic at this point. So - he only speaks in monosyllables, and the structure of those syllables is almost exclusively C (consonant) + V (vowel). His consonants predominantly are [p t d k m n h w z ʔ], and his vowels [i e æ a u ə].
So, if he says [wa], it could mean "water" or "flower", depending. If he says [pi], it could be "pea", "bee", "biscuit", or "bread". You can understand that I might be a little nervous when he tries to hand me something while saying [pi]! His strategy seems to be to take the first syllable of the word, and fit it to a CV structure with the sounds he has, regardless of the stress of the syllable - though I have noticed one recent change - "banana" has stopped being [bə], and started being [na], which suggests that syllable stress might be starting to play a part in his choice. I've only heard a couple of words where he attempts a consonant at the end of the syllable: "juice" (often [duz]), and words like "hat" and "heart" [hæʔ] or [haʔ].
Anyway, I have no idea why he has decided that a monosyllabic CV vocab is the way to go, but he has. We try all sorts of implied correction: "[æ]!" he says, and "yes .. that's an APPLE", we say back.
He'll even imitate directly:
"Say 'a'"
"[æ]"
"Say 'pul'"
"[pu]"
"Say 'aPPLE'"
"[æ]!"
At some point, he's going to get multi-syllabic words, and you can bet I'm going to celebrate that day! :)
As to everything else not language related - he shows signs of taking after both his parents. He loves the ipad, and he loves books. He's quite shy when there are large groups of children, and tends to stand back and watch, waiting until the coast is clear before he'll have a go. He doesn't often fight for possession of something - if another kiddie takes something he wants, he'll either watch them making triumphantly off with it with a slightly puzzled expression, or else (if he REALLY wants it), he'll come crying to me. He's reasonably physically fearless (happy to climb up the slide), and doesn't startle too easily. Because he's been at home with us all his life, he still gets anxious when either mum or dad leave, though he's been looked after at home by grandparents a few times, and seems to settle down quite well, as long as the parents are out of view. I think he really thrives on routine as well - and we've been SOOOOO lucky with his sleeping, as he gets in bed awake, and has no trouble getting to sleep and staying asleep. What a champ!
As to food .. Well, he's probably no more picky than any other 18 month old. He will eat almost any kind of fruit (though for some reason, he detests cherries, which is a shame, as they're particularly delicious this summer). Bread, yes (plain, or with some kind of spread), salty biscuits & rice crackers (he would eat sweet biscuits no doubt, but he rarely gets the opportunity), cheese, milk, orange juice, meat (SUCH a little carnivore!), but not keen on many veggies. Peas are a huge hit, and I give him some in a bowl as a snack, and he'll eat broccoli when liberally seasoned with garlic and anchovy. Spinach (silverbeet) soup goes down a treat, but anything else is a bit of a battle. He doesn't like carrot, corn, cucumber or capsicum. Not a fan of tomato. Had a brief flirtation with beetroot, but appears to have gone off it now. Will eat things like pumpkin and sweet potato (and lentils, and a whole lot of other things actually), if mushed up in a curry-flavoured soup. Which is what I make when a) I'm feeling that his veggie intake is a little low, and b) I don't feel like puking into the soup pot. Which means he hasn't had a good veggie soup in months now.
Sigh.
Cheese makes everything better, right?
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Banana is NOT a hair product.
So - for the first time in the Monkey's life, we've actually washed him down with a soap-based product (normally a washcloth and enough warm water produce the desired results). You can probably guess the reason.
I suppose it was my fault. I'd given the Monkey some banana to nosh on after his lunch, and at some point he got a tiny little piece stuck on his 'free' hand. At one point he wiped this hand in his hair, and I said - stupidly, in retrospect - "Are you wiping banana in your hair?". Well, he took that as a cue to apply the half-banana segment in his other hand to his head - as if it were an eraser, and his hair was a stubborn pencil-drawn thatch. My reaction was somewhere between horror and amusement. Yeah, I know, novice mother - because it was all that he was hoping for and more. After that, every time he managed to catch my eye, the banana-head-rubbing was repeated with a huge grin. Eventually I confiscated the fruit, as it became clear that it wasn't going to morph back into an edible product as far as he was concerned - and to be honest, as far as I was concerned either.
Banana is damn sticky, that's all I can say!
I suppose it was my fault. I'd given the Monkey some banana to nosh on after his lunch, and at some point he got a tiny little piece stuck on his 'free' hand. At one point he wiped this hand in his hair, and I said - stupidly, in retrospect - "Are you wiping banana in your hair?". Well, he took that as a cue to apply the half-banana segment in his other hand to his head - as if it were an eraser, and his hair was a stubborn pencil-drawn thatch. My reaction was somewhere between horror and amusement. Yeah, I know, novice mother - because it was all that he was hoping for and more. After that, every time he managed to catch my eye, the banana-head-rubbing was repeated with a huge grin. Eventually I confiscated the fruit, as it became clear that it wasn't going to morph back into an edible product as far as he was concerned - and to be honest, as far as I was concerned either.
Banana is damn sticky, that's all I can say!
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
The Hair Apparent
I've mentioned before that I'm not a fan of going to the hairdresser's. And I can quite happily ignore the state of my own hair for a fair while. When it comes to the Monkey, however, I need to be a little more attentive. After his brief spate of near baldness, he's developed a lovely thick mop - with some interesting characteristics all of its own. He's inherited my tendency to have cowlicks - both front and back. And added to that is his cool double-crown: one at the back in the normal place, and one at the front, a sort of mirror image of his cowlick.
Anyway, his hair grows reasonably fast, so in no time at all I'm faced with the neccesity of trimming it
I'm afraid I balk at taking him to a hairdresser for a couple of reasons.
1. I'm too cheap. I don't see the point in lashing out $20 (or whatever it costs) to have a stylist chop the Monkey's locks. It's not like he'll get teased by 2 yr old bullies at playgroup or anything.
2. I don't think it's fair to inflict the Monkey's attitude to haircuts on an unsuspecting hairdresser (or any other salon patrons). I think he may have inherited some of my dislike of the haircut experience, as he HOWLS during any haircuts I've been brave enough to give him. I really think he's carrying on a bit unnecessarily - after all, it's not like I cut his ear OFF that last time.
So, I just do it myself. The first time I tried was abysmal - I chased him around the room, trying to pin him between my knees while randomly snipping at his (dry) hair with - lets face it - probably rather blunt scissors. The result was ... interesting. Avante garde, perhaps. I decided that perhaps help was to be found online - as indeed it was. Isn't the internet a wonderful resource? It seems that noone was willing to show how to cut the hair of a screaming and flailing unco-operative toddler, but I did pick up a few tips.
Pin them down in some way: high chair, person with baby on the lap, velcro suit and a patch of suitably fuzzy sofa. It doesn't really matter, as long as you can access their head from all angles (unless you like mullets, in which case, feel free to pin them with their back against the wall, and also be prepared to pay for years of psychotherapy).
Distraction, distraction, distraction! I use the television shamelessly - and morsels of honey toast, but whatever works for you - if they're paying more attention to the novel stimuli and less to the fact that there are interesting and sharp (hopefully) scissors within grabbing range, then you're doing well.
If your immobilisation plus distraction method winds up something like this:
then I'd suggest that you might perhaps want to tone it down a notch or two. Just sayin'.
After this I guess it comes down to the cooperativeness of your victim, and your stylistic tendencies. Even with maximal distraction, the Monkey is quite resistant to hair grooming.
There's a lot of vigorous head-waving - which, as you may appreciate, makes me a little loathe to approach closely with a sharp implement.
My strategy thus far has just been to grab a small hank of hair between my first two fingers, and apply the scissors to the bits of hair that stick out. So generally, he gets the one-finger width haircut, though it's in no way consistent or even or any of the other things that you might expect if you were paying for a service.
But it IS shorter.
When he starts coming home from playgroup with nappy wedgies, I might reconsider my current MO.
Anyway, his hair grows reasonably fast, so in no time at all I'm faced with the neccesity of trimming it
1. I'm too cheap. I don't see the point in lashing out $20 (or whatever it costs) to have a stylist chop the Monkey's locks. It's not like he'll get teased by 2 yr old bullies at playgroup or anything.
2. I don't think it's fair to inflict the Monkey's attitude to haircuts on an unsuspecting hairdresser (or any other salon patrons). I think he may have inherited some of my dislike of the haircut experience, as he HOWLS during any haircuts I've been brave enough to give him. I really think he's carrying on a bit unnecessarily - after all, it's not like I cut his ear OFF that last time.
So, I just do it myself. The first time I tried was abysmal - I chased him around the room, trying to pin him between my knees while randomly snipping at his (dry) hair with - lets face it - probably rather blunt scissors. The result was ... interesting. Avante garde, perhaps. I decided that perhaps help was to be found online - as indeed it was. Isn't the internet a wonderful resource? It seems that noone was willing to show how to cut the hair of a screaming and flailing unco-operative toddler, but I did pick up a few tips.
Pin them down in some way: high chair, person with baby on the lap, velcro suit and a patch of suitably fuzzy sofa. It doesn't really matter, as long as you can access their head from all angles (unless you like mullets, in which case, feel free to pin them with their back against the wall, and also be prepared to pay for years of psychotherapy).
Distraction, distraction, distraction! I use the television shamelessly - and morsels of honey toast, but whatever works for you - if they're paying more attention to the novel stimuli and less to the fact that there are interesting and sharp (hopefully) scissors within grabbing range, then you're doing well.
If your immobilisation plus distraction method winds up something like this:
After this I guess it comes down to the cooperativeness of your victim, and your stylistic tendencies. Even with maximal distraction, the Monkey is quite resistant to hair grooming.
My strategy thus far has just been to grab a small hank of hair between my first two fingers, and apply the scissors to the bits of hair that stick out. So generally, he gets the one-finger width haircut, though it's in no way consistent or even or any of the other things that you might expect if you were paying for a service.
But it IS shorter.
When he starts coming home from playgroup with nappy wedgies, I might reconsider my current MO.
Saturday, October 29, 2011
First words?!
I know I've implied that the Monkey has already spoken his first word (and doesn't he make "dah!" do a lot of work??), but really, for truly really this time, I think we might have a genuine, actual first word.
It is .. (drumroll please!) ... "dzzzzzzzz" or sometimes "thzzzzzzzz" /ðzzzzz/ for you linguini types.
The Google translate page for Monkey > English was down, but Hubs was on the ball. Houston, we have "juice". I repeat, we have "juice"!
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Mimicry
Lately, it seems that the Monkey has been a bit keener to imitate us. We can now get him to make a greater range of sounds than his favourite "dah!" simply by making the noises at him. We say "beebee!" and he does his best. We say "maamaa" and so does he. It's interesting at this point to see that while he can confidently point to a whole bunch of pictures, and while he can imitate a limited set of sounds, he doesn't yet have the idea of bringing these two concepts together and actually using the different sounds to identify different objects.
I think this is probably almost as frustrating for him as it is for me, as he stands pointing up at the bookcase. "Dah!", he says. I look up. "You want a book?" I pull one out and hand it to him. "Nanana!" he says, waving his hand impatiently, then points again. "Dah!", a little more insistently. "The ribbons?". Again, I'm rejected with "Na"s and more hand waving. Several "Dah"s later, and he's almost on the verge of tears, before I finally realise (through a process of elimination) that it was the crayons he was after all long. I suspect he thinks I'm being purposefully obtuse - and as much as I'd rather not have crayon decorations all over the walls, I promise that this doesn't factor into my lack of Monkey language understanding.
Anyway - we have put his new found penchant for mimicry to a good purpose at meal times. He's not too fussy an eater, for which I'm thankful, but he's much keener to eat food he sees us putting away. The other night, Hubs was picking up broccoli florets, and biting the heads off the trees, so to speak. The Monkey watched this procedure for a little while before reaching out to our plates and whining to have his own broccoli tree to play with. So we obliged.
Well, I think in the end there were little bits of broccoli all through everything, but he did seem very pleased with his destruction of the foliage, and that's all that matters, right?
I think this is probably almost as frustrating for him as it is for me, as he stands pointing up at the bookcase. "Dah!", he says. I look up. "You want a book?" I pull one out and hand it to him. "Nanana!" he says, waving his hand impatiently, then points again. "Dah!", a little more insistently. "The ribbons?". Again, I'm rejected with "Na"s and more hand waving. Several "Dah"s later, and he's almost on the verge of tears, before I finally realise (through a process of elimination) that it was the crayons he was after all long. I suspect he thinks I'm being purposefully obtuse - and as much as I'd rather not have crayon decorations all over the walls, I promise that this doesn't factor into my lack of Monkey language understanding.
Anyway - we have put his new found penchant for mimicry to a good purpose at meal times. He's not too fussy an eater, for which I'm thankful, but he's much keener to eat food he sees us putting away. The other night, Hubs was picking up broccoli florets, and biting the heads off the trees, so to speak. The Monkey watched this procedure for a little while before reaching out to our plates and whining to have his own broccoli tree to play with. So we obliged.
Well, I think in the end there were little bits of broccoli all through everything, but he did seem very pleased with his destruction of the foliage, and that's all that matters, right?
Saturday, October 15, 2011
A day in the life at the zoo
It's been a while between posts, and much has happened. So much, that I shan't really bother to recount more than just the highlights .. Soooooo ..
The monkey is now officially a bipedal creature. It started around the end of July (at about 13 months), was consolidated in the first week of August, and after a short period of preferring to crawl rather than walk, he now walks everywhere - provided "everywhere" is "some place outside" where he can get his hands on leaves, earthmould, twigs, and random bits of dog poo. He's also a very keen hand-holder. At first, I thought this was due to a lack of confidence in his new style of perambulation, but I now figure that he just wants to ensure that an attentive parent is on hand at all times to "ooh" and "aah" at his latest accomplishment. The hand-holding also means we don't need to resort to the leash. Not that I mind using one, but he's not particularly cooperative - particularly when I don't want to go in a direction he does (middle of road, muddy ditch, into neighbourhood houses). At these points, he shows all the cooperativeness of a tethered cat.
He has 6 teeth now - top 4 incisors, and bottom 2. As yet, he uses these almost exclusively for food. He has only - so far as I can tell - accidentally bitten into living flesh, but it doesn't make it any less painful, I can tell you!
He can understand quite a few words now. Really useful ones, I might add, like "rhinoceros" (which I had to spell-check), "giraffe", and "tortoise" (notice a theme?). But he still doesn't produce anything recognisable. Whether it's due to an immature vocal tract or sheer bloody-mindedness, I couldn't say. Either way, we are finding new and exciting ways to interpret "dah!" (cat, star, door, daddy, ipad, phone, lights, mandarin... the list goes on!).
What else do you talk about regarding babies? Oh yeah, sleep. Well, in that department we have been lucky. Exceedingly lucky. SUPREMELY lucky. So far, at least. He's been a great sleeper - and in the last couple of months, we've been putting him in his cot wide awake for naps and bed, and he goes down like a lamb. Did I mention luckiness?? I'm certainly not putting it down to any rigorous sleep-training habits on our part - we went totally against all the literature, and he still worked it out. Hooooo-boy. Lucky, lucky, lucky.
There are days when I feel like a champion mother: I'm inspired to entertain him with walks or playing in the garden, or going for a swim, or splashing in the kitchen sink, or - I feel I've really made it as a SAHM here - squashing about some home-made playdough. Those are also the times when I've managed to feed him to my satisfaction - a breakfast of weetbix and fruit of various kinds, a lunch of home-made broccoli soup and fish patties, snacks of fruit & yoghurt and rice-cakes, and enough of whatever we happen to have for dinner. Those are the days I feel like supermum, and sadly, they seem to eventuate maybe once a month. Perhaps once a fortnight if I'm really lucky.
The more standard days go like this: It rains, so we're trapped inside. The Monkey is feeling frisky and chases the cats, trying to pull out their fur (sometimes getting a clobber for his trouble), or throwing things at them, producing supersonic ear-drum-rattling shrieks all the while. I follow the Monkey alternating between bellowing at him to leave the cats alone, and trying to distract him with some other activity. He brings me several books - I read about the first 2 pages of each before he runs off to fetch the next. I check my watch every 10 minutes wishing that it was his naptime. When it's time to eat, he systematically rejects any food which he's previously yummed down, either by throwing it on the floor, or by extruding it from his mouth so it lands with a nice sclop! in his lap. Occasionally if he's self-feeding, I'll think he's doing really well as the food disappears from the tray, only to find that he's been burying it under his bottom or between his legs. When you're buying a high-chair, I implore you to think just how easy it will be to clean after meals like this. The little sod will also choose these days to wake up early from his naps, ensuring that we have an extra long afternoon of the both of us going stir-crazy bored till dinner-time (forget about actually MAKING dinner - if I leave his side to go into the kitchen on one of these days, he'll stand at the gate red-faced and howling, and producing great resentful fat tears as if to show me just what a terrible mother I am). Man. Those are the days when I am exceedingly happy when his bedtime finally rolls around!
Did I mention how lucky we are that he sleeps so well? It surely is his saving grace on days like these.
Saturday, July 2, 2011
Don't Feed the Monkey!
The advantage of being a stay-at-home mum (which, to all intents and purposes I am, at the moment) is that you - theoretically - have time. Gallons of time. Oodles of time. A plethora of seconds, and indeed, sometimes minutes!
Anyway, like a good mum, I have decided to put some of this precious extra time into food. You know, nutritous, home-cooked, so full of whole-meal flour it's indistinguishable from horse chaff. Each thing I make, I present to the Monkey with a small fanfare, and await his reaction. They are something like as follows:
lasagna (special low-salt variety, with formula bechamel): frantic arm-waving to fend off incoming spoon. Upon distraction (a sudden loud shriek from mother tends to result in freezing and open-mouthed gormless expression), spoonful of food was watered down with large amount of drool, and extruded. Baby 1, Mum 0
fruity muffins (no sugar, LOTS of fruit): I actually thought these were quite tasty, plenty of grated apple and currants meant they were really sweet enough. But apparently far too moist. Poked about with finger for 10 minutes, then tossed overbard. Baby 2, Mum 0
apple-oat biscuits: I can't blame him with these. They turned out soft, rather than crunchy (as I'd hoped), and tasted far too mealy and oaty to me. And they bounced nicely. Baby 3, Mum 0
banana bread: First part of my attempt to make rusks - thought I'd leave some of the original loaf un-rusked to see if he'd take to it. He took it, and experimented with its aerodynamic properties. Baby 4, Mum 0
banana bread rusks: Second part of the rusk experiment. Slices of banana bread dried till hard and crisp. Again, pretty tasty as far as I'm concerned, but probably a reasonably full set of teeth required for proper consumption. To his credit, he did actually attempt to gnaw the edge of a piece before deciding I was playing a practical joke with him, and ... yup, you guessed it. Baby 5, Mum 0
pumpkin & cheese scones: Given up on sweet snacks, thought maybe his tastes ran to the savoury. He likes cheese. He eats pumpkin without too much of a fight. He loves bread... so, I thought I might be in with a chance, here. They turned out a luminous orange - like something scraped off the bottom of one of the Chernobyl reactors. He spent a large amount of time dissecting a scone into its component crumbs, sending each crumb sailing into carpet oblivion - although, given the colour of the carpet, and the colour of the crumbs, not nearly oblivion enough for his mother. Baby 6, Mum 0
Tomorrow, we're feeding him McDonald's!
Anyway, like a good mum, I have decided to put some of this precious extra time into food. You know, nutritous, home-cooked, so full of whole-meal flour it's indistinguishable from horse chaff. Each thing I make, I present to the Monkey with a small fanfare, and await his reaction. They are something like as follows:
lasagna (special low-salt variety, with formula bechamel): frantic arm-waving to fend off incoming spoon. Upon distraction (a sudden loud shriek from mother tends to result in freezing and open-mouthed gormless expression), spoonful of food was watered down with large amount of drool, and extruded. Baby 1, Mum 0
fruity muffins (no sugar, LOTS of fruit): I actually thought these were quite tasty, plenty of grated apple and currants meant they were really sweet enough. But apparently far too moist. Poked about with finger for 10 minutes, then tossed overbard. Baby 2, Mum 0
apple-oat biscuits: I can't blame him with these. They turned out soft, rather than crunchy (as I'd hoped), and tasted far too mealy and oaty to me. And they bounced nicely. Baby 3, Mum 0
banana bread: First part of my attempt to make rusks - thought I'd leave some of the original loaf un-rusked to see if he'd take to it. He took it, and experimented with its aerodynamic properties. Baby 4, Mum 0
banana bread rusks: Second part of the rusk experiment. Slices of banana bread dried till hard and crisp. Again, pretty tasty as far as I'm concerned, but probably a reasonably full set of teeth required for proper consumption. To his credit, he did actually attempt to gnaw the edge of a piece before deciding I was playing a practical joke with him, and ... yup, you guessed it. Baby 5, Mum 0
pumpkin & cheese scones: Given up on sweet snacks, thought maybe his tastes ran to the savoury. He likes cheese. He eats pumpkin without too much of a fight. He loves bread... so, I thought I might be in with a chance, here. They turned out a luminous orange - like something scraped off the bottom of one of the Chernobyl reactors. He spent a large amount of time dissecting a scone into its component crumbs, sending each crumb sailing into carpet oblivion - although, given the colour of the carpet, and the colour of the crumbs, not nearly oblivion enough for his mother. Baby 6, Mum 0
Tomorrow, we're feeding him McDonald's!
Sunday, June 19, 2011
W-w-w- .. almost one!
Crikey. There were times I never thought we'd make it this far. But tomorrow, the Monkey turns a whole one, and his parents will celebrate their one-year anniversary of parenthood with copious amounts of champagne and cake . AFTER he's in bed, of course!
I have been keeping notes on Monkey development, but somehow never found time to publish. Part of this was due to the fact that I wanted to draw daft MS-paint pics for the blog entries, but the all-new-baby-safe computer position means no mouse any more (PLUS I have to stand to use the computer!). YOU try drawing recognisable pictures with a computer nipple - go on, I dare ya!
So to recap most of May:
We all came down with the hideous stomach virus. Some of us lost 4kg (fortunately not the Monkey!). If you're looking for a sure-fire way to shed the last of your pregnancy kilos, I can't recommend a more brutally effective solution.
As to milestones of various kinds:
Physical: the Monkey is still very much a crawler and a cruiser, but in the last couple of weeks, he has started his first fumbling steps. We're members of a toy library here, so I checked out a walker, to see if he'd be into it. Turns out he is! He can get to his feet using the walker, and then push off in a straight line until he runs up against an obstacle. Unfortunately, he still hasn't reached the level of sophistication you get in those toy cars which can reverse and power off in another direction. He just keeps shoving forward until he face-plants into both the walker and the obstruction. I'm assuming there's a learning process at work here.
Verbal: No real recognisable first words as yet. Plenty of "da-da-de-di" type noises, which Hubs is certain means "Daddy". Fine. But then they also mean "Mummy", and "Cat", and "Ceiling", and "Light switch". What he DOES do, is make his attempt at a "miaow" noise when he sees either of the cats, or when he recognises a cat in a book. He also roars for anything vaguely resembling a lion. And I *do* mean vague. Apparently he roared at a plate with a doily on it the other day. You can see his point. Kinda. He also seems to use "ma-ma-maa" to mean "I want". If there's something he desperately yearns for that he can't get, it's all "mamamamaaaaa" in a suitably waily tone. If he's just being chatty and conversing, or labelling random things in a good-natured way, then we hear "de-di-da-da", plus untranscribable nasal snufflings, snortings, and wet splurtings.
Cognitive: Books are no longer just for eating!! Yay! Not that there's any pressure on him or anything ....
Anyway, now it's hard to tear him away from them, and our dressing routing in the evening goes: "Nappy first .. no darling - nappy before book. Yes, just hold still, and THEN we can read it .. Ok .. (insert book 1 here). Pyjama bottoms now. Look, don't flip about like that, it makes it all go much slower .. just sit STILL please .. (insert book 2 here) .. Ok, yes, we can have another book, but your top first, ok? BOTH arms in, thank you. No, we have to button it first - yes, ALL the buttons ... etc etc .. " Yes, I could be much harder, but hey. I kinda like reading to him.
Anyway, there's plenty more in my notes, but those are all the essentials. With any luck I'll get back on track with posts. Hmmm.
I have been keeping notes on Monkey development, but somehow never found time to publish. Part of this was due to the fact that I wanted to draw daft MS-paint pics for the blog entries, but the all-new-baby-safe computer position means no mouse any more (PLUS I have to stand to use the computer!). YOU try drawing recognisable pictures with a computer nipple - go on, I dare ya!
So to recap most of May:
We all came down with the hideous stomach virus. Some of us lost 4kg (fortunately not the Monkey!). If you're looking for a sure-fire way to shed the last of your pregnancy kilos, I can't recommend a more brutally effective solution.
As to milestones of various kinds:
Physical: the Monkey is still very much a crawler and a cruiser, but in the last couple of weeks, he has started his first fumbling steps. We're members of a toy library here, so I checked out a walker, to see if he'd be into it. Turns out he is! He can get to his feet using the walker, and then push off in a straight line until he runs up against an obstacle. Unfortunately, he still hasn't reached the level of sophistication you get in those toy cars which can reverse and power off in another direction. He just keeps shoving forward until he face-plants into both the walker and the obstruction. I'm assuming there's a learning process at work here.
Verbal: No real recognisable first words as yet. Plenty of "da-da-de-di" type noises, which Hubs is certain means "Daddy". Fine. But then they also mean "Mummy", and "Cat", and "Ceiling", and "Light switch". What he DOES do, is make his attempt at a "miaow" noise when he sees either of the cats, or when he recognises a cat in a book. He also roars for anything vaguely resembling a lion. And I *do* mean vague. Apparently he roared at a plate with a doily on it the other day. You can see his point. Kinda. He also seems to use "ma-ma-maa" to mean "I want". If there's something he desperately yearns for that he can't get, it's all "mamamamaaaaa" in a suitably waily tone. If he's just being chatty and conversing, or labelling random things in a good-natured way, then we hear "de-di-da-da", plus untranscribable nasal snufflings, snortings, and wet splurtings.
Cognitive: Books are no longer just for eating!! Yay! Not that there's any pressure on him or anything ....
Anyway, now it's hard to tear him away from them, and our dressing routing in the evening goes: "Nappy first .. no darling - nappy before book. Yes, just hold still, and THEN we can read it .. Ok .. (insert book 1 here). Pyjama bottoms now. Look, don't flip about like that, it makes it all go much slower .. just sit STILL please .. (insert book 2 here) .. Ok, yes, we can have another book, but your top first, ok? BOTH arms in, thank you. No, we have to button it first - yes, ALL the buttons ... etc etc .. " Yes, I could be much harder, but hey. I kinda like reading to him.
Anyway, there's plenty more in my notes, but those are all the essentials. With any luck I'll get back on track with posts. Hmmm.
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Sick and Tired!
We've had another milestone from the Monkey today. His first stomach virus. Oh. Yay.
The results so far (and at the time of writing, it's not even past 11am!): The bed sheets must be burned. My pyjamas must be burned. Large patches of carpet in the living room must be burned (or at least thoroughly disinfected).
I am continually amazed that something so small can (repeatedly!) regurgitate so much! The biggest challenge of the morning has been to provide the necessary comfort without soaking up too much of the Monkey's output. He would make a beeline for me when - I suppose - he started to feel a little uncomfortable. The first couple of times, I wasn't quick enough to work out the pattern of events, with the inevitable result being .. well .. inevitable. By the third ejection, I had a basin at the ready, and while it wasn't entirely splash-free (YOU try holding a 9 month old over a basin when all he wants is a cuddle!), at least the vast majority was contained.
*sigh*
Anyway, the support system here is pretty good, and a nurse has given me a list of things I need to do to keep him hydrated, etc, so I'm rather hoping that a) this is an extremely short-lived stomach virus, and b) I don't get it before he's kicked it. Or even better: c) I don't get it AT ALL!
Apart from this, things haven't changed remarkably from the last post. He crawls, he cruises. Very occasionally, he lets go and stands for a second unsupported before he has an SSM (Sudden Sitdown Malfunction). The notable changes have been more on the cognitive side. For the last week or so, he's worked out a couple of things.
1. He can put things in boxes
2. He can take things out of boxes
3. He can make mummy sing along with his silly musical snail toy
I've also seen him directly mimic someone - clapping, mostly - but this is still pretty rare. If we make 'ba-ba' noises at him, he just watches us quizzically, but certainly doesn't see the need to make the sounds himself. In fact, he doesn't really make much in the way of speech noise - most of his noises are sort of nasal grunts, sort of a "gloonggloong" noise, interspersed with the occasional "a-da!" or "rararawa"
He seems to be a lot more interactive - holding out his saliva-coated blocks as if to say "Go on, YOU have a chew, too!". He seems to understand "no!" and "uh-uh!" (yes, sadly we use these words far too frequently), though whether he obeys them or not is another matter. He also appears extremely intrigued by my layers of clothing. He'll stand by my chair, lifting up my jacket and top until he gets to some bare flesh, at which point he squeals with joy, and digs his fingers into folds. Nothing to make you more conscious of your muffin-tops than an inquisitive 9 month old!
I suppose the biggest milestone this month is actually mine. Until now, I don't think I'd quite grasped just how hard the transition from selfish to selfless was going to be. And nothing makes you realise the extent of your selfishness like a demanding dependant 24/7. Normally after a stressful day at work, I'd charge home, prostrate myself on a sofa, and decant the best part of a bottle of merlot into my gullet, pausing at brief intervals to insert a chocolate biscuit. Nowadays - if I'm lucky enough to have a work to escape to - I come home and take over Monkey-minding duties from a frazzled Hubs. If work is stressful, tough! If bills pile up, tough! If there's not enough time to make a nutritious meal for myself, tough! I now can appreciate just how much parents have to suck it up - particularly if they want to shield their beloved offspring from life's harsh realities.
The results so far (and at the time of writing, it's not even past 11am!): The bed sheets must be burned. My pyjamas must be burned. Large patches of carpet in the living room must be burned (or at least thoroughly disinfected).
I am continually amazed that something so small can (repeatedly!) regurgitate so much! The biggest challenge of the morning has been to provide the necessary comfort without soaking up too much of the Monkey's output. He would make a beeline for me when - I suppose - he started to feel a little uncomfortable. The first couple of times, I wasn't quick enough to work out the pattern of events, with the inevitable result being .. well .. inevitable. By the third ejection, I had a basin at the ready, and while it wasn't entirely splash-free (YOU try holding a 9 month old over a basin when all he wants is a cuddle!), at least the vast majority was contained.
*sigh*
Anyway, the support system here is pretty good, and a nurse has given me a list of things I need to do to keep him hydrated, etc, so I'm rather hoping that a) this is an extremely short-lived stomach virus, and b) I don't get it before he's kicked it. Or even better: c) I don't get it AT ALL!
Apart from this, things haven't changed remarkably from the last post. He crawls, he cruises. Very occasionally, he lets go and stands for a second unsupported before he has an SSM (Sudden Sitdown Malfunction). The notable changes have been more on the cognitive side. For the last week or so, he's worked out a couple of things.
1. He can put things in boxes
2. He can take things out of boxes
3. He can make mummy sing along with his silly musical snail toy
I've also seen him directly mimic someone - clapping, mostly - but this is still pretty rare. If we make 'ba-ba' noises at him, he just watches us quizzically, but certainly doesn't see the need to make the sounds himself. In fact, he doesn't really make much in the way of speech noise - most of his noises are sort of nasal grunts, sort of a "gloonggloong" noise, interspersed with the occasional "a-da!" or "rararawa"
He seems to be a lot more interactive - holding out his saliva-coated blocks as if to say "Go on, YOU have a chew, too!". He seems to understand "no!" and "uh-uh!" (yes, sadly we use these words far too frequently), though whether he obeys them or not is another matter. He also appears extremely intrigued by my layers of clothing. He'll stand by my chair, lifting up my jacket and top until he gets to some bare flesh, at which point he squeals with joy, and digs his fingers into folds. Nothing to make you more conscious of your muffin-tops than an inquisitive 9 month old!
I suppose the biggest milestone this month is actually mine. Until now, I don't think I'd quite grasped just how hard the transition from selfish to selfless was going to be. And nothing makes you realise the extent of your selfishness like a demanding dependant 24/7. Normally after a stressful day at work, I'd charge home, prostrate myself on a sofa, and decant the best part of a bottle of merlot into my gullet, pausing at brief intervals to insert a chocolate biscuit. Nowadays - if I'm lucky enough to have a work to escape to - I come home and take over Monkey-minding duties from a frazzled Hubs. If work is stressful, tough! If bills pile up, tough! If there's not enough time to make a nutritious meal for myself, tough! I now can appreciate just how much parents have to suck it up - particularly if they want to shield their beloved offspring from life's harsh realities.
Friday, March 11, 2011
Mobility Madness!
Yes, it's been a long time since I last posted, not because nothing has been happening in the Planet of the Monkey, but a lot of work suddenly landed on my plate and every time I sat down at my computer it was to be productive OR ELSE!
And while that was quite nice, it also means that I am very far behind with Monkey updates, because such a lot has been happening!
This will give you a fairly good idea of where we're at right now:
Yup, the Monkey has achieved verticality! And yup, he is extraordinarily happy in this state. He is also crawling about, traditional style - hands and knees. I can't remember exactly the moment it began - but the progression was funny to watch: he started off rocking on all fours in place. Then lifting up a leg for long periods of time, like a dog with a bladder problem. Then managing to move his arms and legs with the result that he travelled slowly backwards. Finally, after a few tantalising steps, the process clicked and he was off. The whole thing probably took him about 5 days to work out, at the end of which he was able to crawl while obviously focusing very hard on each limb as he moved it, and was still inclined to drop into his commando creep if he wanted to get anywhere fast. Over the last few days though, he's started to find his rhythm and occasionally even moves two limbs at once!
About a week and a half ago, he performed his first unassisted pull-to-stand on a chair, and now can happily pull himself on virtually anything. This makes him ecstatic and the cats nervous, as they're no longer safe on their sofa perches. We've also had to take our baby-proofing to the next level. He's just able to get his fingers over the top of the dining table, which means that anything sticking over the edge is fair game as far as he's concerned.
'Cruising' is the sport du jour - and it's been very interesting watching him getting his sense of balance. He can now make it between the sofa and his play pen, which involves switching his grip, stepping, and transferring his weight. Easy for us, but quite a concept for the Monkey! Unfortunately, this manoeuver brings him right up close to the stereo controls. Hello Volume Knob!! He's also worked out how to get down from his standing position, which is probably the latest development. Initially the only way down was by imitating a felled tree (if felled trees screeched and wailed for a good 15 minutes). But now he has a couple of methods. One I call the 'bottom bump', and the other is a very careful method of leaning forward and bending at the knees and ending up in a crawl position. This second method takes about half an hour, though, as he keeps changing his mind.
Last note before I sign off to tend the little guy (who is burbling in his cot). He's getting not one, but two(!) lower front teeth. He is about to learn that biting is NOT GOOD.
And while that was quite nice, it also means that I am very far behind with Monkey updates, because such a lot has been happening!
This will give you a fairly good idea of where we're at right now:
Yup, the Monkey has achieved verticality! And yup, he is extraordinarily happy in this state. He is also crawling about, traditional style - hands and knees. I can't remember exactly the moment it began - but the progression was funny to watch: he started off rocking on all fours in place. Then lifting up a leg for long periods of time, like a dog with a bladder problem. Then managing to move his arms and legs with the result that he travelled slowly backwards. Finally, after a few tantalising steps, the process clicked and he was off. The whole thing probably took him about 5 days to work out, at the end of which he was able to crawl while obviously focusing very hard on each limb as he moved it, and was still inclined to drop into his commando creep if he wanted to get anywhere fast. Over the last few days though, he's started to find his rhythm and occasionally even moves two limbs at once!
About a week and a half ago, he performed his first unassisted pull-to-stand on a chair, and now can happily pull himself on virtually anything. This makes him ecstatic and the cats nervous, as they're no longer safe on their sofa perches. We've also had to take our baby-proofing to the next level. He's just able to get his fingers over the top of the dining table, which means that anything sticking over the edge is fair game as far as he's concerned.
'Cruising' is the sport du jour - and it's been very interesting watching him getting his sense of balance. He can now make it between the sofa and his play pen, which involves switching his grip, stepping, and transferring his weight. Easy for us, but quite a concept for the Monkey! Unfortunately, this manoeuver brings him right up close to the stereo controls. Hello Volume Knob!! He's also worked out how to get down from his standing position, which is probably the latest development. Initially the only way down was by imitating a felled tree (if felled trees screeched and wailed for a good 15 minutes). But now he has a couple of methods. One I call the 'bottom bump', and the other is a very careful method of leaning forward and bending at the knees and ending up in a crawl position. This second method takes about half an hour, though, as he keeps changing his mind.
Last note before I sign off to tend the little guy (who is burbling in his cot). He's getting not one, but two(!) lower front teeth. He is about to learn that biting is NOT GOOD.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
A day of firsts
Looks like the Monkey is commemorating the start of February (and his 7 month and 12 day anniversary) by finally attaining forward movement. Not for him the classic crawl, but rather the sniper wriggling through the underbrush on his belly - if your average sniper carried a neon orange plastic cup clenched between his teeth, rather than a high-powered rifle slung on his back, the comparison would be exact. Needless to say, much of my time today has been devoted to frantically baby-proofing the living area.
This morning, he stealthily crept up on one of our cats, although by 'stealthily', I actually mean 'accompanied by squawks which grew in pitch and volume as he neared his target'. I considered heading him off at the pass, then decided that now was as good a time as any for them both to learn. He grabbed the fluffy pelt he'd been admiring for so long. She screeched, turned about, and smacked him on the face. To my surprise, there was nary a cry from his end, so I thought she's just given him a pat. Turns out, she'd caught him with a shallow scratch - but I think he was so stoked having attained a good handful of cat hair that he just didn't register the blow. Anyway, he has a lovely piratical scar down his cheek to show for it.
One more first was at yesterday's playgroup meeting. The Monkey had his eye on the Divine Miss J, and spent a good deal of time staring soulfully at her as she lay next to him. At some point, he worked up the courage, rolled over, and saluted the young lady with all the respect her station - flat on her back, legs akimbo - demanded. I'm not sure whether his advances were returned enthusiastically or not, but when they broke apart, both parties seemed well-satisfied. It would have been quite romantic, had he not been caught licking the head of the young gentleman on his other side scant minutes earlier.
This morning, he stealthily crept up on one of our cats, although by 'stealthily', I actually mean 'accompanied by squawks which grew in pitch and volume as he neared his target'. I considered heading him off at the pass, then decided that now was as good a time as any for them both to learn. He grabbed the fluffy pelt he'd been admiring for so long. She screeched, turned about, and smacked him on the face. To my surprise, there was nary a cry from his end, so I thought she's just given him a pat. Turns out, she'd caught him with a shallow scratch - but I think he was so stoked having attained a good handful of cat hair that he just didn't register the blow. Anyway, he has a lovely piratical scar down his cheek to show for it.
One more first was at yesterday's playgroup meeting. The Monkey had his eye on the Divine Miss J, and spent a good deal of time staring soulfully at her as she lay next to him. At some point, he worked up the courage, rolled over, and saluted the young lady with all the respect her station - flat on her back, legs akimbo - demanded. I'm not sure whether his advances were returned enthusiastically or not, but when they broke apart, both parties seemed well-satisfied. It would have been quite romantic, had he not been caught licking the head of the young gentleman on his other side scant minutes earlier.
Friday, January 28, 2011
A la carte
I know it's off topic - but I'll start with a quick locomotion update. Firstly, the Frog is SO mobile now, rolling and squirming everywhere, that I've decided that he's allowed a new nickname. Something that reflects his new evolutionary status as a grabby, tool-usey, climby entity. So I think from now on, it'll be the Monkey.
And the Monkey is VERY close to crawling. It's funny to watch him rise up on all fours, rock a little in place, straighten his legs, bend them and transfer his weight from one leg to another, even - on a couple of occasions - pull both his knees forward. But the concept of the crawl as a method of forward movement still eludes him. Both his parents watch his calisthenics routine with bated breath: Will this be the moment?! What about now?! As far as the Monkey is concerned, he's just stretching his hamstrings a bit, exercising his legs, doing some push-ups, and has no idea about what's in store once he figures it out. Or DOES he?
After the gabbling he did at Christmas, he basically clammed up - except for some uvular trilling which he would do for half hour stretches. He'd lie on his back and gargle cheerfully, trying out variations in pitch and volume. Oh and clicking. He LOVED to click - mostly the "tsk tsk" type of noise, but occasionally the 'tock tock' one as well (for the linguists, I'm talking about alveolar and retroflex clicks ;) ). However, in the last 2 days, he's re-discovered his babbling - lots of 'mama', 'wawa', 'baba' noises, and every variant in-between.
But, I digress. On to today's topic. All about food. The Monkey now eats breakfast and dinner regularly (we still give him formula throughout the day, though I'm thinking that moving on to some kind of lunch might not be a bad idea). After my first brief foray into baby-lead weaning, I had a freak-out when he bit off a huge chunk of carrot (cooked, I hasten to add), and I sat there watching him anxiously to see what he'd do with it. In the end, the suspense of 'will he/won't he' was far too much for me, so I've gone back to spoon-feeding him various mushes. It's a lot cleaner this way as well, once I taught the Monkey to keep his grabby hands out of the way. I read the literature, bought the various non-allergenic veggies, pureed them, stuck them in ice-cube trays and froze them, with the idea that I could throw together a quick meal with a cube of this, and a cube of that.
If you've had a child any time in the last 5 years or so, no doubt you'll have been inundated with information on which foods should be avoided, and which are ok with respect to allergic reactions. Well, we had all that, and then we read this article - which states (if you can't be bothered to read it), that delaying weaning your child until 6 months (well, exclusively breast-feeding them, in fact), might increase incidences of iron deficiency, allergic responses to things like nuts, and coeliac disease in later life. Really, you can't win!
So, we decided to feed the Monkey peanut butter, and interestedly watched the reaction ...
Given that this is the reaction we get after introducing any new food, we weren't particularly concerned. And indeed the Monkey was fine after being dosed with peanuts on successive nights. We've also fed him scrambled eggs (whites and all!), and no adverse reactions. Some might feel we're being a little cavalier towards the health of our first-born, but I contend that if you slavishly follow ANY literature, you'll no doubt find that you were wrong all along anyway, so you may as well take what information you can (peanuts CAN cause allergic reactions), and then go about your business as you feel comfortable.
Anyway, I was just going to finish up with some of the more eclectic food mixes the Monkey has had, due to parental inventiveness (Hubs) or laziness (me).
All I have to say is: don't knock 'em till you've tried 'em!
And the Monkey is VERY close to crawling. It's funny to watch him rise up on all fours, rock a little in place, straighten his legs, bend them and transfer his weight from one leg to another, even - on a couple of occasions - pull both his knees forward. But the concept of the crawl as a method of forward movement still eludes him. Both his parents watch his calisthenics routine with bated breath: Will this be the moment?! What about now?! As far as the Monkey is concerned, he's just stretching his hamstrings a bit, exercising his legs, doing some push-ups, and has no idea about what's in store once he figures it out. Or DOES he?
After the gabbling he did at Christmas, he basically clammed up - except for some uvular trilling which he would do for half hour stretches. He'd lie on his back and gargle cheerfully, trying out variations in pitch and volume. Oh and clicking. He LOVED to click - mostly the "tsk tsk" type of noise, but occasionally the 'tock tock' one as well (for the linguists, I'm talking about alveolar and retroflex clicks ;) ). However, in the last 2 days, he's re-discovered his babbling - lots of 'mama', 'wawa', 'baba' noises, and every variant in-between.
But, I digress. On to today's topic. All about food. The Monkey now eats breakfast and dinner regularly (we still give him formula throughout the day, though I'm thinking that moving on to some kind of lunch might not be a bad idea). After my first brief foray into baby-lead weaning, I had a freak-out when he bit off a huge chunk of carrot (cooked, I hasten to add), and I sat there watching him anxiously to see what he'd do with it. In the end, the suspense of 'will he/won't he' was far too much for me, so I've gone back to spoon-feeding him various mushes. It's a lot cleaner this way as well, once I taught the Monkey to keep his grabby hands out of the way. I read the literature, bought the various non-allergenic veggies, pureed them, stuck them in ice-cube trays and froze them, with the idea that I could throw together a quick meal with a cube of this, and a cube of that.
If you've had a child any time in the last 5 years or so, no doubt you'll have been inundated with information on which foods should be avoided, and which are ok with respect to allergic reactions. Well, we had all that, and then we read this article - which states (if you can't be bothered to read it), that delaying weaning your child until 6 months (well, exclusively breast-feeding them, in fact), might increase incidences of iron deficiency, allergic responses to things like nuts, and coeliac disease in later life. Really, you can't win!
So, we decided to feed the Monkey peanut butter, and interestedly watched the reaction ...
Given that this is the reaction we get after introducing any new food, we weren't particularly concerned. And indeed the Monkey was fine after being dosed with peanuts on successive nights. We've also fed him scrambled eggs (whites and all!), and no adverse reactions. Some might feel we're being a little cavalier towards the health of our first-born, but I contend that if you slavishly follow ANY literature, you'll no doubt find that you were wrong all along anyway, so you may as well take what information you can (peanuts CAN cause allergic reactions), and then go about your business as you feel comfortable.
Anyway, I was just going to finish up with some of the more eclectic food mixes the Monkey has had, due to parental inventiveness (Hubs) or laziness (me).
- banana, cinnamon and vanilla
- spinach, tomato, pumpkin, avocado and garam masala
- sweet potato, banana, nutmeg
- avocado and banana
- bolognese (inc lamb, onion, garlic, carrot, tomato), and applesauce
All I have to say is: don't knock 'em till you've tried 'em!
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Do the Locomotion ...
Not a lot has been happening in the Frog world - or if it has, it's just far too subtle a change for his mother to notice. I thought I would document his locomotory progress though, as he's starting to get about a little bit.
The Frog is a happy little roller now, voluntarily flipping front to back or back to front as the mood takes him. Today he was playing with a small red wooden ball, and once he'd slobbered all over said ball, he found it quite a challenge to hold onto. The slippery little sucker would shoot out of his hands like a bar of well-lathered soap, and roll ...ooh... maybe 50cms across the floor. Then there would be a marathon of squirming where the Frog would stretch, lean, and grunt, and stretch a little bit more, before working out that he would actually have to move to collect his prize toy. The Frog's take on moving isn't a model of efficiency. As far as I can see, he uses one of two strategies. Both involve being tummy-down.
Strategy one is where he pushes his chest off the floor with both hands. This appears to inch him slightly away from the target zone.
In strategy two, he gets his legs under him, and pushes. This seems closer to the mark, except that while he's doing this, his arms are just flopping on the floor like limp herrings - so all this seems to accomplish is ploughing his face into the floor.
Astonishingly, however, using both these methods, and a bit more flip-flopping, the Frog is usually able to attain his target (unless it's rolled under the sofa). Just demonstrates where a bit of tenacity and/or bloody-mindedness will get you. That's m'boy!
The Frog is a happy little roller now, voluntarily flipping front to back or back to front as the mood takes him. Today he was playing with a small red wooden ball, and once he'd slobbered all over said ball, he found it quite a challenge to hold onto. The slippery little sucker would shoot out of his hands like a bar of well-lathered soap, and roll ...ooh... maybe 50cms across the floor. Then there would be a marathon of squirming where the Frog would stretch, lean, and grunt, and stretch a little bit more, before working out that he would actually have to move to collect his prize toy. The Frog's take on moving isn't a model of efficiency. As far as I can see, he uses one of two strategies. Both involve being tummy-down.
Strategy one is where he pushes his chest off the floor with both hands. This appears to inch him slightly away from the target zone.
In strategy two, he gets his legs under him, and pushes. This seems closer to the mark, except that while he's doing this, his arms are just flopping on the floor like limp herrings - so all this seems to accomplish is ploughing his face into the floor.
Astonishingly, however, using both these methods, and a bit more flip-flopping, the Frog is usually able to attain his target (unless it's rolled under the sofa). Just demonstrates where a bit of tenacity and/or bloody-mindedness will get you. That's m'boy!
Monday, January 3, 2011
Attachment parenting
I'm not sure whether it's better to read too much or read too little about pregnancy/birth/parenting. On the one hand, I suppose you can be forewarned as to what's in store for you. On the other, you can read so many conflicting opinions that you just wind up tying yourself into knots.
Hubs is definitely a reader. It doesn't help very much when he researches a topic exhaustively, then solemnly tells me "Don't look it up, it'll just make you feel worse". Jeeeeez. There's the one way I'm guaranteed to go and read something. Hmmmm. Now I'm wondering if he's a master of reverse psychology...
So we read up on attachment parenting. The basic gist is that you don't leave your baby to cry, and you keep them reasonably close. And the reasoning behind it all is that if your baby is secure in the knowledge that mum and dad are always there to deal with hunger/dirty nappy/general ennui, then they will become Securely Attached, and hence less likely to become anxious when you're not around.
Well, since returning from our overseas sojourn (the Frog's first plane trip, in which he behaved himself admirably!), we have worked out that the Frog hasn't been following up on his part of the bargain.
Every time we put him down and walk just two paces away, he immediately starts up a distressed bellowing that rattles the window panes. Don't get me wrong, I like to think that the little guy likes my company, but it is exhausting when he does nothing but cry and grizzle when you want to make a cup of tea, go to the loo, do some basic house tidy, etc, etc. And the problem with the ongoing crying, is that I get very wound up about it. Not to the point of snapping and drop-kicking the little blighter along the hall, but I to tend to grizzle loudly along with him "Waaa! Waaa!! Yes, let's all ROAR together, SHALL WE?!" Yesterday I got completely fed up, and just socked him in his pack with the idea of going out for a walk - which would hopefully have the double whammy of me burning off some of my frustration with exercise, and him getting some sleep. Of course, as soon as I'd buckled him in, he dropped off into a deep sleep. I managed to winkle him out of the pack and into his cot without him waking up, and actually got some work done. Bing! Score 1 for mum!
BUT - it's not all dire news. Other Frog updates since last post:
Babbling. Definitely happening now - probably started in earnest a couple of days after Christmas. He makes 'b' sounds and 'd' sounds mostly: "bababa" and "dadada". I've also heard 'w', and 'g', plus he still makes his crazy uvular trill (or gargles) - though that's mostly when lying on his back, so I reckon it's partially due to the tongue dropping back in his mouth a little.
LURVES to stand. Try to stick him down on the floor to sit, and he locks his legs at the knees and thrusts his hips forward like Elvis. No way is he gonna sit! He can also bend and straighten his knees while being held in a standing position, which is reasonably new, and shows that he can actually take the weight on his legs, rather than just locking out all his joints. Still absolutely no ability to get himself to sit/stand on his own steam, though he's now happily rolling front to back, and back to front at will.
Once on his front, he can now push himself up fairly strongly so his arms are straight. This tends to have the effect of inching him backwards, and this maneuver, along with his rolling means that he's getting more mobile, even if he's not really locomoting in any meaningful way. I DO need to keep an eye on him though - at one point he managed to wedge himself between the sofa, and one of the arches of his jungle gym, so that his neck was pressing against the arch. I don't think it was very serious - but he was making little grunting noises, and when I looked down, his face was a rather disturbing darkish colour, so I hauled him upright quick-smart, and moved things around so it couldn't happen again.
The Frog's personality is also gradually emerging. I think I'm going to peg him as a bit of a thrill seeker. He likes being startled, and laughs uproariously at any and all 'boo' games - the louder and more sudden, the better as far as he's concerned. Time to start looking for one of those spring-loaded snakes in a can, I suppose...
Hubs is definitely a reader. It doesn't help very much when he researches a topic exhaustively, then solemnly tells me "Don't look it up, it'll just make you feel worse". Jeeeeez. There's the one way I'm guaranteed to go and read something. Hmmmm. Now I'm wondering if he's a master of reverse psychology...
So we read up on attachment parenting. The basic gist is that you don't leave your baby to cry, and you keep them reasonably close. And the reasoning behind it all is that if your baby is secure in the knowledge that mum and dad are always there to deal with hunger/dirty nappy/general ennui, then they will become Securely Attached, and hence less likely to become anxious when you're not around.
Well, since returning from our overseas sojourn (the Frog's first plane trip, in which he behaved himself admirably!), we have worked out that the Frog hasn't been following up on his part of the bargain.
Every time we put him down and walk just two paces away, he immediately starts up a distressed bellowing that rattles the window panes. Don't get me wrong, I like to think that the little guy likes my company, but it is exhausting when he does nothing but cry and grizzle when you want to make a cup of tea, go to the loo, do some basic house tidy, etc, etc. And the problem with the ongoing crying, is that I get very wound up about it. Not to the point of snapping and drop-kicking the little blighter along the hall, but I to tend to grizzle loudly along with him "Waaa! Waaa!! Yes, let's all ROAR together, SHALL WE?!" Yesterday I got completely fed up, and just socked him in his pack with the idea of going out for a walk - which would hopefully have the double whammy of me burning off some of my frustration with exercise, and him getting some sleep. Of course, as soon as I'd buckled him in, he dropped off into a deep sleep. I managed to winkle him out of the pack and into his cot without him waking up, and actually got some work done. Bing! Score 1 for mum!
BUT - it's not all dire news. Other Frog updates since last post:
Babbling. Definitely happening now - probably started in earnest a couple of days after Christmas. He makes 'b' sounds and 'd' sounds mostly: "bababa" and "dadada". I've also heard 'w', and 'g', plus he still makes his crazy uvular trill (or gargles) - though that's mostly when lying on his back, so I reckon it's partially due to the tongue dropping back in his mouth a little.
LURVES to stand. Try to stick him down on the floor to sit, and he locks his legs at the knees and thrusts his hips forward like Elvis. No way is he gonna sit! He can also bend and straighten his knees while being held in a standing position, which is reasonably new, and shows that he can actually take the weight on his legs, rather than just locking out all his joints. Still absolutely no ability to get himself to sit/stand on his own steam, though he's now happily rolling front to back, and back to front at will.
Once on his front, he can now push himself up fairly strongly so his arms are straight. This tends to have the effect of inching him backwards, and this maneuver, along with his rolling means that he's getting more mobile, even if he's not really locomoting in any meaningful way. I DO need to keep an eye on him though - at one point he managed to wedge himself between the sofa, and one of the arches of his jungle gym, so that his neck was pressing against the arch. I don't think it was very serious - but he was making little grunting noises, and when I looked down, his face was a rather disturbing darkish colour, so I hauled him upright quick-smart, and moved things around so it couldn't happen again.
The Frog's personality is also gradually emerging. I think I'm going to peg him as a bit of a thrill seeker. He likes being startled, and laughs uproariously at any and all 'boo' games - the louder and more sudden, the better as far as he's concerned. Time to start looking for one of those spring-loaded snakes in a can, I suppose...
Monday, December 20, 2010
Goodbye 2010
I think this will be my last blog post for the year, as I'm heading orf overseas for family festivities, and people tend to get offended when you only tear yourself away from your laptop to briefly wolf down two helpings of bread sauce and turkey, before returning to sketch your entire family in MS Paint as bug-eyed potato-people.
So just a quickie then, as I still need to pack.
The Frog is at the stage where he seems to be developing a new trick every day. He very much prefers to be left sitting up in the middle of the floor, where he can survey his grounds in a lordly manner - occasionally picking up a nearby peon (read teddy bear), chewing it thoughtfully for a while before tossing it aside in favour of something a little less, shall we say, fluffy.
He does go on his tummy. By choice. At about 5am in the morning. And then HOWLS because he's suddenly forgotten how to turn over onto his back again. Needless to say, these days of early risings do NOT impress me. He finds himself doing extra tummy-time as penance. But I'm heartless. "NO BUM-SHUFFLERS in THIS house!", I say, and plonk him down on his front while I put his breakfast together. But once he's stopped grizzling, and puts his mind to the task at hand (namely covering all nearby objects in a viscous layer of slime), he's actually getting a little better at the whole tummy-time thing. He can push his entire upper body off the floor, and once or twice, I swear I saw him angle his legs so that his weight was taken just a little bit on his knees.
He is still immensely grabby, and to my secret delight, has found Hubs' ears (Hubs has chuckled a little TOO often at the sight of the Frog's hands clasped lovingly around a hank of my hair). We now have a new appreciation for Superman's adoptive parents.
Anyway. That's it from me - must make sure I remember all essentials, like in-flight podcasts, and sound- muffling headphones. Every man for himself in the dog-eat-dog world of plane travel!
So just a quickie then, as I still need to pack.
The Frog is at the stage where he seems to be developing a new trick every day. He very much prefers to be left sitting up in the middle of the floor, where he can survey his grounds in a lordly manner - occasionally picking up a nearby peon (read teddy bear), chewing it thoughtfully for a while before tossing it aside in favour of something a little less, shall we say, fluffy.
He does go on his tummy. By choice. At about 5am in the morning. And then HOWLS because he's suddenly forgotten how to turn over onto his back again. Needless to say, these days of early risings do NOT impress me. He finds himself doing extra tummy-time as penance. But I'm heartless. "NO BUM-SHUFFLERS in THIS house!", I say, and plonk him down on his front while I put his breakfast together. But once he's stopped grizzling, and puts his mind to the task at hand (namely covering all nearby objects in a viscous layer of slime), he's actually getting a little better at the whole tummy-time thing. He can push his entire upper body off the floor, and once or twice, I swear I saw him angle his legs so that his weight was taken just a little bit on his knees.
He is still immensely grabby, and to my secret delight, has found Hubs' ears (Hubs has chuckled a little TOO often at the sight of the Frog's hands clasped lovingly around a hank of my hair). We now have a new appreciation for Superman's adoptive parents.
Anyway. That's it from me - must make sure I remember all essentials, like in-flight podcasts, and sound- muffling headphones. Every man for himself in the dog-eat-dog world of plane travel!
Monday, December 13, 2010
Baby wearing
I know I said glibly in another post that I was the only baby-wearer in my city. Well, I may have exaggerated. Just a tiny bit. Anyway, there still are so few of us that I feel like high-fiving everyone I come across who has an infant strapped to their body.
And I would, except that I have the feeling the scenario would play out a lot more like:
And I would quickly become known as the Local Lunatic, and all people with baby carrying devices would cross the road when they saw me coming. So I don't. But I want you all to know that secretly, deep inside, whenever I see you with your baby carrier, I think "High FIVE!!!!"
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