What on earth am I going to buy Peggy for her first birthday and Christmas? Yes, yes, it is a while away yet, but Phil and I usually lay-by everything during the EOFY sales so that we can it all off slowly... Having babies born in November and January, either side of Christmas, can get a little costly if you are not prepared.
I already have a few books put away, and I bought them each a set of those wooden Russian dolls that fit one inside the other... Can't recall the technical name. Oti's are soldiers, Peggy's are fairly run-of-the-mill. I also came across these cool wooden fairytale masks. I got one each of those - Goldilocks on one side, Baby (?) Bear on the other, and a Red Riding Hood/Wolf one too. I think we'll have fun with those for years to come.
We are looking at getting a trampoline for the two of them, as well as an IKEA kitchen. We'll get them both some Duplo to add to the growing mountain... It is without a doubt the most used and appreciated item in this house. But then what? Otis has a range of possibilities at his disposal - a remote control car, a gardening set, power tools, a scooter, water pistols... The section of the toy stores aimed at females is pink upon pink upon Barbie upon doll upon Barbie upon doll.
I don't have an issue with dolls per se - I think they are great. They promote nurturing behaviour and allow for plenty of imaginative play. Otis has a few and loves them, and I am proud of the fact that we have supported him in taking an interest in them. But Peggy already has so many! She was inundated with them at birth, and they look set to keep coming.
There is very little else marketed at girls,and I find it so disappointing. Luckily Peggy has all of Otis' toys to enjoy. And I will be going out of my way to find something of the non-doll variety to give to her when she turns 1. I would love some tips... If anybody is out there reading this, please advise me!
We will probably purchase a trike for her... I haven't looked at what is available for that age group yet, but I hope that the girly ones are actually functional and don't require the user to ride side-saddle!! I wouldn't be at all surprised. Girly toys don't appear to encourage active play.
On a more positive note, Otis and I have discovered a most excellent book - Jobs People Do, published by Usborne Books. It is brilliant. Lovely to look at, with photos of Fimo figurines going about their daily work. Lots of beautifully detailed explanations of uniforms and equipment. Endearing storylines, and plenty of non-stereotypical casting of women in roles that are traditionally masculine - there is Doctor Daisy, Vet Vicky, and a couple of female firefighters. There is also a plethora of races represented. And a male nurse!! I am just so impressed by this book, and Otis never tires of it. I recommend for toddlers two and up.
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
A bit of a random gush...
These kids of mine, my goodness, they are beautiful beings. Yes, yes, I know, I am their mother, my sole purpose is to boost them up and make them feel like the most special people on the planet, even if they are really only average. But I really, truly do believe that Phil and I have thus far made exceptionally good-looking babies. Hopefully we will continue to do so, once or twice more in the future (next baby is definitely at least three years away, I guarantee it). We were talking about this just the other day – how awful it would be if our next baby were ugly, and people reacted to it with surprise upon realising that such an unfortunate looking person was related to the rather stunning Otis and Peggy. Yes, it would be bad, but there are obviously much worse things that could happen, and I’d rather not go there…
But it is really more than skin-deep beauty that I am talking about. I mean the shining joy in Otis’ eyes when he sees me walk through the door after a day at work, the higher-than-normal note of his voice, the tightness of our hug. It is in the way he kisses his new cousin Indigo, with a mixture of reverence and excitement. She can’t offer him much yet in the way of fun or companionship, but he loves her anyway. It’s in his very serious “I’m sorry Peggy” after accidentally bowling her over in a fit of enthusiastic adoration.
My boy has such a capacity for love. I have no idea what he will do with his life, whether he will be academically talented or sporty or creative, but I am sure that he will have wonderful relationships with people because he is just so pure of heart. My neighbour once said to me, “Otis has a big heart”. She’s right. I always think of him and feel a little heave in my chest when I listen to Lisa Mitchell sing:
“Livin’ in that chest is a big, big heart, the one I’ve known from the very start…”
And Peggy. Wow, her determined spirit is something to behold. Already crawling efficiently at 6 months, she can do so much with that tiny body of hers. And her giggle – music to my ears. After a hellish night, she wakes up happy, gurgling, that little face – so extreme and singular it looks to have been rendered by a cartoon artist – is all smiles.
But it is really more than skin-deep beauty that I am talking about. I mean the shining joy in Otis’ eyes when he sees me walk through the door after a day at work, the higher-than-normal note of his voice, the tightness of our hug. It is in the way he kisses his new cousin Indigo, with a mixture of reverence and excitement. She can’t offer him much yet in the way of fun or companionship, but he loves her anyway. It’s in his very serious “I’m sorry Peggy” after accidentally bowling her over in a fit of enthusiastic adoration.
My boy has such a capacity for love. I have no idea what he will do with his life, whether he will be academically talented or sporty or creative, but I am sure that he will have wonderful relationships with people because he is just so pure of heart. My neighbour once said to me, “Otis has a big heart”. She’s right. I always think of him and feel a little heave in my chest when I listen to Lisa Mitchell sing:
“Livin’ in that chest is a big, big heart, the one I’ve known from the very start…”
And Peggy. Wow, her determined spirit is something to behold. Already crawling efficiently at 6 months, she can do so much with that tiny body of hers. And her giggle – music to my ears. After a hellish night, she wakes up happy, gurgling, that little face – so extreme and singular it looks to have been rendered by a cartoon artist – is all smiles.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Tresillian... I caved in and called.
I am not a fan of parenting hotlines. I can't quite explain why - there is just something off to me about calling a stranger on the phone and finding out from them what it is that your child needs. But then, I understand desperation, I certainly do...
My reservations also relate to my feelings about controlled crying. I wouldn't ignore an adult who was crying, let alone my own precious, defenceless baby girl. Not an option in this household.
Anyway, Peggy has been carrying on for hours during the night. We do the Cot vs Co-sleeping dance - in, out, in, out. She knows when I am placing her back into the cot, even when she is fast asleep. The minute I change the configuration of my arms, she starts to arch and moan and the tears flow.
She is self-settling wonderfully during the day - not even the tiniest of whinges. And sleeping well, at least one 2 hour nap and then another one or two shorter naps. In the evening I feed her down and then she wakes about 4 hours later, and won't calm without me offering the boob. And then... Hours, literally hours, of carry on.
So I laid it all out on Tresillian's Messenger Mums service, after being on hold to them on my bloody mobile for 4o minutes! And you know what the nurse told me? That Peggy wants me all to herself and feels as if night time is the only opportunity for that, because Otis takes up so much of my time. Can I get some help with him and spend more one-on-one time with her? Well... No. Not when I already enlist the help of her grandmothers twice a week so that I can work and thus we can eat.
I feel worse than I did before! I should have followed my instincts!
I am feeling resigned to the fact that we will be co-sleeping for much of the night for now. It's not the worst thing in the world, having a warm baby folded up in your arms on a cold night.
My reservations also relate to my feelings about controlled crying. I wouldn't ignore an adult who was crying, let alone my own precious, defenceless baby girl. Not an option in this household.
Anyway, Peggy has been carrying on for hours during the night. We do the Cot vs Co-sleeping dance - in, out, in, out. She knows when I am placing her back into the cot, even when she is fast asleep. The minute I change the configuration of my arms, she starts to arch and moan and the tears flow.
She is self-settling wonderfully during the day - not even the tiniest of whinges. And sleeping well, at least one 2 hour nap and then another one or two shorter naps. In the evening I feed her down and then she wakes about 4 hours later, and won't calm without me offering the boob. And then... Hours, literally hours, of carry on.
So I laid it all out on Tresillian's Messenger Mums service, after being on hold to them on my bloody mobile for 4o minutes! And you know what the nurse told me? That Peggy wants me all to herself and feels as if night time is the only opportunity for that, because Otis takes up so much of my time. Can I get some help with him and spend more one-on-one time with her? Well... No. Not when I already enlist the help of her grandmothers twice a week so that I can work and thus we can eat.
I feel worse than I did before! I should have followed my instincts!
I am feeling resigned to the fact that we will be co-sleeping for much of the night for now. It's not the worst thing in the world, having a warm baby folded up in your arms on a cold night.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
The crazy crawling Whirly Girl...
Peggy is now commando-ing all over the place. I am so shocked at how early she started to mobilise. Her dear big brother did not manage to start pulling himself along until he was 9 months old... I recall Phil doing "crawl training" with him, trying to entice him into action with toys and treats, silently and shamefully bemoaning his ineptitude. He got there, of course, and 9 months is still well within the realms of normal, but he was certainly a little on the slow side. In fact, he was a little bit behind when it came to nearly all the physical milestones. I never cared, I am no athlete, and I have always placed more emphasis on his speech and creativity.
So you can understand my surprise when Girly Whirly started screeching in frustration when a toy or forbidden non-toy item was placed just out of her reach, at only 5 months of age. And then she started to pull herself along. There was grunting and gasping, a bit of sweat along the brow, and, slowly, but surely she got there, millimetreby millimetre.
She's fairly adept at it now. Sometimes does a slow shuffle, sometimes a large, lunging leap. Just today she's started to rise up on all fours. I think "proper" crawling is only days or weeks away.
6 months on Sunday! My beautiful, wilful Whirly Girl. I love you my darling.
So you can understand my surprise when Girly Whirly started screeching in frustration when a toy or forbidden non-toy item was placed just out of her reach, at only 5 months of age. And then she started to pull herself along. There was grunting and gasping, a bit of sweat along the brow, and, slowly, but surely she got there, millimetreby millimetre.
She's fairly adept at it now. Sometimes does a slow shuffle, sometimes a large, lunging leap. Just today she's started to rise up on all fours. I think "proper" crawling is only days or weeks away.
6 months on Sunday! My beautiful, wilful Whirly Girl. I love you my darling.
Friday, April 23, 2010
My top ten "can't live without" baby and toddler items...
Just thought I’d share this. There are a million lists like this around, but mine is obviously entirely impartial (no-one is paying me to market their products!), so perhaps a little more trustworthy. Please feel free to reply with a few of your own.
1. Medela Harmony Manual Breast Pump (used in conjunction with Swisspers breastmilk storage bags)
2. Bonds Wondersuits
3. That’s Not My Truck/Bunny/Baby/Dolly/Dragon etc etc books
4. Duplo
5. Baby Einstein Play Mat
6. Greenkids nappies
7. ABC Kids (OK, not so much an item, but a product of sorts)
8. Coles Smartbuy wipes
9. Fisher-Price Soothe and Glow Seahorse
10. Stretch jersey cotton wraps
Will return to annotate this list when I get the time.
1. Medela Harmony Manual Breast Pump (used in conjunction with Swisspers breastmilk storage bags)
2. Bonds Wondersuits
3. That’s Not My Truck/Bunny/Baby/Dolly/Dragon etc etc books
4. Duplo
5. Baby Einstein Play Mat
6. Greenkids nappies
7. ABC Kids (OK, not so much an item, but a product of sorts)
8. Coles Smartbuy wipes
9. Fisher-Price Soothe and Glow Seahorse
10. Stretch jersey cotton wraps
Will return to annotate this list when I get the time.
Monday, April 12, 2010
Otis the Builder
Otis has never really had an obsessive attachment to anything (other than me, and his dummy, of course). No blanky, no preferred stuffed toy, no special outfit. A few times I tried to push various toys and encourage him to develop an attachment... I was thinking if he fell in love with Simon his knitted lion, for instance, then maybe he wouldn't scream out for me upon waking for even a split second, or wouldn't need to pull on my now very dry and sore elbow skin whilst falling asleep.
That's all changed! He is now officially in a relationship with the $4 tool kit Phil and I bought him for Christmas. It goes everywhere with him, and has been added to, gradually. It came with a power drill (the most favoured of the tools, due to its battery operation), a hammer, pliers, a spanner, and a wrench. We added a second hammer, and a tape measure. Sometimes it also contains a dummy (surely Bob the Builder doen't leave home without his?), a mobile phone (a display model that flips open, much loved by O) and a plastic knife (he loves "cutting"... things, but sometimes also his sister).
The actual tool kit is bright yellow and clips together, like an old-school lunch box, and has a name label that he likes to spell out for us ("Name! O-T-S!").
And, as it appears, my dream came true... Once he developed an attachment to an inanimate object, he stopped pulling at my elbow whilst falling asleep. I don't know that the two are connected though. He's just becoming more independant by the day. He plays alone for lengthy periods, with imaginary characters, dealing with a host of dramas that would put Summer Bay to shame. He fights monsters, fires, cooks meals, swims, drives, writes letters and posts them. He needs me less. And wouldn't you know it? Just putting this out there, "on paper", has me shedding a few quiet tears.
Today he and Phil have gone on what I imagine will be the first of many boy's trips away. They left this morning, and have gone down to Canberra for a night. Phil wanted to see an exhibition at the Gallery, and he's decided to also throw in a visit to the dinosaur museum and a trip to the movies. They really don't need me!!
That's all changed! He is now officially in a relationship with the $4 tool kit Phil and I bought him for Christmas. It goes everywhere with him, and has been added to, gradually. It came with a power drill (the most favoured of the tools, due to its battery operation), a hammer, pliers, a spanner, and a wrench. We added a second hammer, and a tape measure. Sometimes it also contains a dummy (surely Bob the Builder doen't leave home without his?), a mobile phone (a display model that flips open, much loved by O) and a plastic knife (he loves "cutting"... things, but sometimes also his sister).
The actual tool kit is bright yellow and clips together, like an old-school lunch box, and has a name label that he likes to spell out for us ("Name! O-T-S!").
And, as it appears, my dream came true... Once he developed an attachment to an inanimate object, he stopped pulling at my elbow whilst falling asleep. I don't know that the two are connected though. He's just becoming more independant by the day. He plays alone for lengthy periods, with imaginary characters, dealing with a host of dramas that would put Summer Bay to shame. He fights monsters, fires, cooks meals, swims, drives, writes letters and posts them. He needs me less. And wouldn't you know it? Just putting this out there, "on paper", has me shedding a few quiet tears.
Today he and Phil have gone on what I imagine will be the first of many boy's trips away. They left this morning, and have gone down to Canberra for a night. Phil wanted to see an exhibition at the Gallery, and he's decided to also throw in a visit to the dinosaur museum and a trip to the movies. They really don't need me!!
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Bits and pieces...
I've been really unwell with a cold-flu-whatever and keep forgetting to come in here and jot down the latest... This is just a collection of information I want to record, there is no real theme to this post.
Peggy is - I dread to use the word "advanced" - but she really does seem ahead of the game... She's certainly developing physically much more quickly than Otis did. She rolled front to back at 9 weeks, and then back to front right on 4 months. At 4 1/2 months she is SITTING unaided for short bursts of time. She appears to be a very, very determined little person. She'll fight and fight until whatever sparkly, bright, exciting item she has spied is finally in her grasp.
65cm long at 4 1/2 months, 6.8kg. A bizarre head of hair that only a mother could love - brown and wavy on the tips, short and white underneath, not much on the sides of her head (unfortunately giving away the fact that I sleep her on her side in a very non-compliant fashion). Eyes that looks brown indoors and blue in the sunshine. LONG eyelashes. Elegant fingers, odd toes that have the teeniest little toenails.
She is feeding 4 hourly now, around the clock. Last night she only had a few sucks at her second night feed, so I am thinking I may start trying to discourage that one... I'll let her go until 6 months, and then perhaps put a stop to the second night feed altogether.
Having only two sleeps most days now, each of between 40 mins and 2 1/2hours in length.
Eating up a storm... Loves pumpkin, avocado and banana, not so fussed on stewed fruits of Farex though (who can blame her re the latter).
Nicknames: Peggle/Piggle (Phil), Girly, Girly-Whirl, Whirly, Pegarina, Peggabush, Peggabushy, Bushel (Me, Oti... He copies whatever nickname I happen to use).
OK... My Oat-Boy.
He's 14.2kg at 26 months. 91cm or so (hard to get an accurate measurement). Obsessed with tools. Likes to be called Bob (as in builder). A nightmare to get to sleep in the evenings, but once down isn't heard from until morning. Very affectionate, particularly to Peggy... In fact, he appears to have transferred his obsession with me... He's Peggy's number one fan.
Loves to play imaginary games. All sorts of inanimate objects become people in his mind. Blocks, leaves, stones, shampoo bottles. He adores playing with Duplo, his sand and water play table, his tool kit. Loves to draw and use play dough. Loves cooking with Mum. Loves TV!! Play School is still number one. Winnie the Pooh, The Little Mermaid, Peter Rabbit and Finding Nemo are his preferred DVDs. Enjoys singing, especially The Motorbike Song. Loves diggers and motorbikes. Loves riding his trike. Loves his Ernest and Celestine books. Has just started enjoying borrowing books from the library.
Speaking in full sentences now... Although sometimes not easy to interpret if the dreaded dummy is in his mouth. "I love you Mum" is the single most wonderful thing I have ever had the pleasure to hear. It keeps my spirits lifted for days at a time.
Peggy is - I dread to use the word "advanced" - but she really does seem ahead of the game... She's certainly developing physically much more quickly than Otis did. She rolled front to back at 9 weeks, and then back to front right on 4 months. At 4 1/2 months she is SITTING unaided for short bursts of time. She appears to be a very, very determined little person. She'll fight and fight until whatever sparkly, bright, exciting item she has spied is finally in her grasp.
65cm long at 4 1/2 months, 6.8kg. A bizarre head of hair that only a mother could love - brown and wavy on the tips, short and white underneath, not much on the sides of her head (unfortunately giving away the fact that I sleep her on her side in a very non-compliant fashion). Eyes that looks brown indoors and blue in the sunshine. LONG eyelashes. Elegant fingers, odd toes that have the teeniest little toenails.
She is feeding 4 hourly now, around the clock. Last night she only had a few sucks at her second night feed, so I am thinking I may start trying to discourage that one... I'll let her go until 6 months, and then perhaps put a stop to the second night feed altogether.
Having only two sleeps most days now, each of between 40 mins and 2 1/2hours in length.
Eating up a storm... Loves pumpkin, avocado and banana, not so fussed on stewed fruits of Farex though (who can blame her re the latter).
Nicknames: Peggle/Piggle (Phil), Girly, Girly-Whirl, Whirly, Pegarina, Peggabush, Peggabushy, Bushel (Me, Oti... He copies whatever nickname I happen to use).
OK... My Oat-Boy.
He's 14.2kg at 26 months. 91cm or so (hard to get an accurate measurement). Obsessed with tools. Likes to be called Bob (as in builder). A nightmare to get to sleep in the evenings, but once down isn't heard from until morning. Very affectionate, particularly to Peggy... In fact, he appears to have transferred his obsession with me... He's Peggy's number one fan.
Loves to play imaginary games. All sorts of inanimate objects become people in his mind. Blocks, leaves, stones, shampoo bottles. He adores playing with Duplo, his sand and water play table, his tool kit. Loves to draw and use play dough. Loves cooking with Mum. Loves TV!! Play School is still number one. Winnie the Pooh, The Little Mermaid, Peter Rabbit and Finding Nemo are his preferred DVDs. Enjoys singing, especially The Motorbike Song. Loves diggers and motorbikes. Loves riding his trike. Loves his Ernest and Celestine books. Has just started enjoying borrowing books from the library.
Speaking in full sentences now... Although sometimes not easy to interpret if the dreaded dummy is in his mouth. "I love you Mum" is the single most wonderful thing I have ever had the pleasure to hear. It keeps my spirits lifted for days at a time.
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