Monday 19 August 2013

Bringing up baby: update 18 August 2013

Life has been so full.

Mainly due to lots of pressure at work.

Atilla is thriving and maturing and still a wonder to be with. He is so playful. There's been so many memories I want to capture. In no particular order:

  • His running is still a bit like a speeded up black&white movie; jerky, abrupt, and fast. It gets him where he wants to be.
  • His hidden security retreat - under the large wooden dining/filing table. He goes there to hide from exiting the house, or when he feels wronged. 
  • His sensitivity, when he feels wronged. His mouth has a sad trembling mou, his eyes express his hurt feelings, and he looks defenceless. He bravely makes the best of a bad situation, and distracts his hurt feelings by doing something else.
  • His sleeping posture. He looks so relaxed, with his arms out flung, or hands under his head. Closed eyes, lips slightly parted. Breathing so peacefully.
  • His singing. He has his version of Old Macdonald. The most noticeable refrain is "eieio" chanted without discrimination to the tune. There's another song I don't recognise - it involves hand gestures symbolising fishes swimming, hands going to the mouth in an 'Oh no!', and something else in the sequence which I can't recall just now. He also sings Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.
  • He attempts to vacuum the carpet. He knows it requires a handheld device which makes a lot of noise. He knows the device needs to be switched on, and off. He knows the device belongs to Adults. He attempts to vacuum the carpet with my hair-dryer. Cute.
  • His babbling. He is talking to us, but we can't really make out the words. We can usually understand his intent though.
  • His interest in dinosaurs. He asks Daddy to draw dinosaurs. Daddy is very good at drawing recognisable dinosaurs.
  • Teaching him responsibility. I asked him to clear and tidy the table so we could have breakfast. He counter-proposed that I ought to clear the table. I said I was getting breakfast, and he needed to clear the table so we could eat. He descended his steps and cleared and tidied the table. What a brilliant boy!
  • His remembering our times at the swimming pool, including picnic lunch. We kept talking about going swimming, and his contribution was to haul the picnic mat to be packed into the car.
  • His enjoyment of swinging on the playground swings. He can sit there contentedly, being pushed, for over an hour.
  • His enjoyment of food. When he eats so happily there is no spillage to clean up.
  • He plays with Polar Bear and Koala Bear and Giraffe. He looks after his Caillou doll, and gives it baths, and sits him tenderly on the blue-and-pink soft toy horse with reins.
  • Holding hands with him as we walk along - in home, to the playground, in car parks, exploring.
  • His every attempt to become independent. His latest is to wipe his own butt after pooping on the loo. (I get very fussy in case he misses, and the shit gets on his hands.)
  • His cuddles and hugs. 

Friday 2 August 2013

Bringing up baby: what Atilla thinks as 'Mummy'

Around two years ago I received my ipad. Around two years ago I downloaded the Baby Signs app. Tilly took to it quite happily, and always focused on this flash card:
"Hello"
Or at least, this little character. It was his favourite. I wondered whether it was because she also had dark hair and brown eyes.

This year, 13 July 2013, about 19 months after we first met her, Atilla smiled at me and pointed to her: "Mummy". 

It seems he thought she was me as a little girl!