Waiting to be impressed
Took TJ for a walk to weigh him (he’s 6.1 kilos, so average – gaining weight very slowly, but still gaining it). I still find walking really difficult (although swimming is fine – and it’s swimming that actually causes weight loss, so go figure) so this was a big effort. TJ wasn’t feeling it. Ah well. I’ve done my exercise for today.
Sleep toy
The sheep TJ has been squashing into his face to help him settle is a gorgeous thing that I bought specifically for that purpose. . . BUT it has beans in it, which means it’s not super washable. A sleep toy needs to be:
Oh so washable
Oh so replaceable (unlike Louisette’s precious panda, which is no longer being made by that company)
Not too big (it’ll need to go in the nappy bag)
Easy for tiny hands to hold
Not so ugly mum hates its guts
I happened to have bought a “Shaun the Sheep” toy online that WAS washable (as well as everything else) for TJ for Christmas, so I made a strategic decision to see if I could shift TJ’s loyalty before it solidified. It seems to have worked (the towel seems more important, but a toy is useful for a pavlovian sleep response, given that the towels are constantly present). This was their initial meeting:
Still Exciting
TJ’s self-settling really does look like it’s a thing (although I need to replace his dummy about six times, that seems to be all he needs) – in fact he seems to sleep longer that way – but staying asleep remains an issue. So here he is on my lap for part two of the current nap. But at least he’s asleep. Hence the title.
High
Putting TJ in the high chair last night was a fail. Today was a rousing success. He lasted the entire meal happily, which meant both CJ and I could actually cut up our own meat with both hands. What thrills.
Poor tiny man in a giant chair.
Tiger?? Where?!?
Today was interesting (=not sarcasm=). I put this sheep in TJ’s cot a while ago because it’s small enough to be fairly safe, and is gently-coloured enough not to be too stimulating, and I felt it might comfort him to hold on to it with the hand I’m not holding as I settle him. So I was interested when he turned straight to it when I put him in the cot today, letting go of me. I took these photos. See if you can spot the moment he noticed I was photographing him.
TJ’s favourite toy is/are his towels (we call them “TJ Towels” rather than “Spew cloths”). People make cloths specially for babies – we have several. He doesn’t like them. He likes the towels.
I noticed he was putting the sheep across his eyes, so I cut one of his towels in half (to minimise suffocation risks) and gave it to him. Then I left. I came back when he cried and replaced his dummy, then left again – and he went to sleep. Later in the day, drunk on hope, I gave him the sheep and mini-towel again, and left. He fell asleep for an hour!
To put this in a little bit of perspective – with Louisette, we gradually weaned her off us to the point that we could sit in a chair and read a book while she settled to sleep. But at one year of age, that would take up to an hour and a half! At that point we did controlled crying, and after a week putting her to bed was virtually instant. It was the right strategy at the right time (and it’s all changed since, especially lately – she’s into the classic “Needs 48 stories and complicated bedding arrangements before she’ll consider lying down briefly” phase).
In other news – dress-ups. I bought the ears for Louisette today, delighted to have found some. TJ wearing them so well was a bonus.
Hall Markets
Today we went to the Hall Markets and Louisette RODE A HORSE and went on a merry-go-round and saw her friend and it was all hugely anticipated and hugely exciting.
This was TJ’s day:
This is why you don’t spend money on outings for babies – which we didn’t. It’s also why you go nuts when your kid is old enough to enjoy stuff like this:
And even more nuts when they can enjoy something that would even give an adult a thrill – like this:
Little Man at Work
Finally managed to catch a pic of TJ standing with just his hands held (ie he’s balancing better) rather than the more supportive under-the-arms mode (also demonstrated below). Realised later he was wearing a (drool and vomit-stained) singlet in front of a giant TV sports game at a club. Hmm.
Today we put together Louisette’s old high chair (avoiding possible jealously by having her help her Dad put it together – it worked great – and involving her in deciding where it belongs at the table). TJ seemed perfectly content in the chair for a really long time – he slouches, but not too badly. This might just mean we have a shot at both eating dinner two-handed at the same time. Realised later I’d taken one of those obnoxious all-in-white-on-a-white-background-with-white-furniture photo of the kids. Luckily the plastic teacup was red rather than pastel, or it would all be too weird.
I mentioned TJ’s been getting frustrated with tummy time lately. Instead of putting him on a mat (and getting down on the floor myself) today, I just leaned forwards to put him on his tummy directly in front of me – and it was natural to keep holding on around his chest, giving him the sense that he was holding himself up with straight arms. He has more strength in his arms than I expected, which encouraged me, and the whole experience reinvigorated him – so now he’s enthusiastic again. You can see him working on his arm strength in the first two pics, then wriggling/foot-pushing himself forwards to get the toy in the rest – and the belief and then satisfaction on his face. The key pic is the second in the long series – his legs are straight because he’s pushed out with them, and his arm is straight too because his arms have also moved to help him get to the toy.
Brushing his hair
Someday soon I might get my hair-cutting scissors out for TJ for the first time, since some bits of his hair are quite long and I’m not too sure about mullets/comb-overs, especially worn simultaneously. But it’ll be a long while before he looks like a girl, so maybe not.
Felicity Banks 