Our favourite toysJuly 3, 2015

A post about ‘how to play with babies’ came up on my feed yesterday, and I was reminded how surprisingly difficult it can be to think of things to entertain a little one. Once Adam could sit it became easier, the play area on the floor or his high chair gives us rest-bite from the constant arms in the air, ‘pick me up please’ movement.

Everything, stop read that again, EVERYTHING, goes in his mouth at some point. He can’t crawl and yet loves to sweep things out of his reach, he wants to twist turn and examine anything he gets his hands on but usually loses interest after a minute or so. The best times are when mummy and daddy hold him, read a book, dance around the room, or best of all take him on an adventure outside.

Some toys capture his attention better than others. Last month I gathered all his favourites and gave them a little photo shoot, perhaps I’ll put them on the wall one day. Today it hit home that he’s really developed his hand eye coordination and his favourites are already starting to change. It came while I sat in the play area and watched him examine a long bootlace for 10 minutes. Pulling the lace through his hands and grabbing it from the floor totally enraptured him.

There is this odd urge to get him toys to move him on, to experience something new, to develop a new skill, to mark the passing of time… but equally there is a hint of sadness when he skims over things that he once seem to love. That ever changing, growing, emerging boy is coming from the tiny babe I once carried inside of me. One day all that will remain of those first favourite toys will be mere images. Even as I write this I think that is how it should be, we should not cling to the past but carry it forward, develop to new things, be open to new ideas. Our past teaches us deeply, but when our minds become closed it is a sad time indeed.

My biggest parenting lessonJune 24, 2015

Parenting was going to be fun… I had it all planned. I was stockpiling ideas and activities long before the little strip showed a baby was due. I knew I had many a parenting lesson to learn but that was half the adventure. I recognised ‘fun’ did not equate to easy, and that some moments may feel like ‘fun’ had never existed, but still I planned in shades of giggles. I read up about stockpiling, filling the closet and freezer, even found patterns for home made kids clothes.

Then it happened. I was holding a little effigy of ourselves, a baby of our own… and nothing fit. The first clothes dwarfed him, actually very little we had fit. The cloth nappies fell off, the feeding tops were clicked down for a pump and the little wooden rocking crib was too draughty. All the picture perfect scenario’s crumbled to parenting reality. The bar was raised, the pregnancy e-mails turned to ones about how I should have waited before the cord was cut and potty trained in the first weeks. Suddenly planning became serious and then it didn’t.

I quit planning and just dreamt,
concentrated on today and it’s needs… and found real joy in it.

Spring coming really brought it home – I have a beautiful snow suit he will never wear and outfits washed but once. Now I only buy clothes half a size bigger than he is at the time, toys he takes an interest in when we show him in the shop. I’ve sewn him a bib, frozen excess home made baby food, nothing big. It doesn’t mean we aren’t frugal, or immensely grateful for the hand me downs and gifts that fill the bottom drawer, but it does cut down on waste. If I fall in love with something in a shop we’re using it before the weeks out, knowing we needed it before it was paid for.. plus I get to fully ride out the ‘new stuff’ wave.

Laying the planning down wasn’t easy, but renaming it to dreams allowed me to stop thinking about tomorrow, really enjoy today and all the fun it may bring.

Last week (2)June 14, 2015

The weekend is upon us and looking back I can barely believe we are here already. So without further dilly dallying here are some things we’ve just loved this week!

This has been the week of establishing a new sleep pattern for us – Adam now sleeps for 2-3 hours in the middle of the day, and has another sleep in the early evening. It’s been wonderful for getting a bit of work done, but it’s also backfired occasionally and we end up with a grumpy sleep deprived child all day!

I’m loving my quiet times. I’m not partaking of the weekly church ritual right now and found myself yearning to hear a good sermon. Then I came across ‘A sermon for every Sunday‘ – these short lectionary based video sermons are just wonderful and exactly what I needed.

Adam is loving sitting and exploring. We have long enjoyed putting him in his pram top with a bundle of toys, but his increased stability and first attempts at moving made us decide it’s time for the floor too. Our floors are rather hard and cold so we created a play area. Turned out one packet was not enough and it was finally completed last night – after gluing the pop out pieces in place, in all 20 tiles!

This is the week of cut off t-shirts and fabric nappies. We even met someone selling fabric nappies in the centre on Friday evening and had a good chat about microfibre and bamboo! Vaguely related to the fabric is our pushchair’s mosquito cover. This odd looking net is brilliant. My arms have two huge swollen patches from mosquito’s and every time we leave the house I’m worried Adam will soon sport the same.

Finally, we’ve lived in this house for 2 years but with Adam coming along we’ve discovered our neighbours a few doors down. They also have a little one and we finally went over and sat in their garden this week. New friends are great to make and being so near is a blessing.