Kids are the best thing that have happened to me.
My children make my world go round.
I would do anything for my child.
Cherish every moment: they grow up so quick!
Go on, I'll give you a minute to step outside for a second and have a quick spit into the backyard. I just did.
But you know what: there are all so goddamn true.
Who'd have thought, aye? I always thought people who said that sort of crap had a few rocks in their head. And had absolutely no life whatsoever.
Perhaps that is true for me too.
But I don't care. The following is a gushing tribute to my beautiful daughter, Amélie, who is about to turn 18 months old. If your stomach is weak, please come back to this blog another time...
For today, I am just one of those mothers who wants to crap on relentlessly about their beautiful child.
How time flies!
It wasn't always that way, the 'time flying' thing. I reckon the first twelve weeks took almost three months...it felt that long! Actually, it really did feel like a very long time. Then suddenly, the counting of weeks morphed into months, and then you seem to chock them up at almost the same rate as before.
But some things still stay the same. At her eighteen month checkup her stats were:
- 25th percentile for weight
- 25th percentile for height
- 95th percentile for head circumference
Yes my child, you do not weigh very much for an 18month old..
A short brainy head (we hope) is what we have, and we have known this since she was two months old.
While I read a few pregnancy books and looked up websites to cross-check her progress for the first eight months, I do nothing of the sort now. Once the walking commenced, we didn't care what happened next. For me, I think that as long as she is walking, then that is normal enough. 'Winging it' has its bonuses, including development milestones that probably appear to us as more remarkable as those we would otherwise be waiting to happen.
Although we have recently been caught out. The last few days we couldn't work out why she was so miserable all the time and her sleep interrupted every hour or so. She couldn't possibly be that hyped up about the start of the Tour de France? Day nap time reduced significantly, food intake was minimal, and there was an even greater need to pick her up, put her down, pick her up again. She wanted everything and nothing at the same time. Crying at the drop of a hat. Literally.
Today I jumped online and put two and two together. The dribbling, the pink cheeks, the increasing tendency to stuff her hand in her mouth. And the talk from the MCH nurse last week when she said, 'oh, she only has 12 teeth?' Yep, the smart mother here has finally worked out that we have four more teeth on the way, and they are arriving in a rather unpleasant fashion.
But before our child turned into a dribbly sooky mess with emerging incisor fangs, I want to capture some of the more amazing things about her - now - before I blink and it all changes again.
The sense of humour
There is nothing funnier to hear than her rip into a hearty belly laugh at totally random stuff. I love it. Typically she will laugh at slapstick humour, which makes us act even more bizarrely in the hope we can triggle another belly rumbling laugh session. I know this is my kid, but it is the funniest shit ever.
Giggles
Ignoring the last few 'teething' days, she is a genuinely happy and laid back kid. We really are so lucky. She has a great nature about her. Bright eyes with a wicked twinkle in them. She is onto everything and loves to interact - on her terms of course. She isn't a show pony and she can get very shy, but when she is off and rolling, she is highly entertaining and a joy to watch. Don't all parents say that about their kids? I guess so, but somehow mine is better. Ha!!
I've been told this a million times: they mimic everything you do and say, so be careful around them....blah blah blah....
The mimicing has been going on for some time, probably starting with stuff like blowing onto hot food just like we would do, slapping the belly with force, and of course using the house phone, mobile phone and even my PDM (personal diabetes manager) as an electronic device. The kid is a natural with her text/screen interface action and she has quickly learnt how to scroll across and unlock both our phones (and we use different phone manufacturers).
Early days for a sports bra..
About six weeks ago I put her to bed with our usual routine: bath, teeth, hair, read a few books, then I put her in my arms and sing to her - usually that U2 ballad (Sleep, sleep tonight...and may your dreams be realised..) or Coldplay (That Yellow song, which I don't actually know the words so I just make it all up). Then I put her down, place 'Dolly' with her, and tuck her in with the favourite blanket. Then I will wipe her hair from her eyes (hairdressers please contact me anytime), give her a kiss and take off. With a routine like that you would be out to it in a second.
It was a total spinout to then catch her one night standing up in the cot, holding Dolly gently in her arms as if she was rocking her to sleep, and then place her down in the cot, covering her with the favourite blanket and tucking her in.
I never knew they did this, but it wasn't until a mother's group colleague mentioned her daughter doing the same stuff that I realised this was normal behaviour.
I wish I'd been able to capture it on camera!
Snuggled up with Dolly..
Words words words
This is the language time. Well, I think it is (refer to my lack of knowledge on milestones above). The vocabulary has crept up slowly. First it was simply 'Ma' and 'Da'.
Then, out of nowhere, came, 'apple'.
What? My child's first real word is a fruit? This can't be happening.
The explanations, once discovered, provided some comfort. Firstly, 'apple' is pretty easy for a kid to say. Try 'mandarin' - that's just too bloody hard. Secondly, it seems that 'apple' is what all the cool kids at child care refer to all types of fruit, including mandarin.
At our household, mandarins are currently in plentiful supply, but despite our best efforts we cannot get any response to even attempting this word. So we have adjusted to 'apple', and try to encourage use of 'banana' for, you know, bananas (which is interpreted as 'nana' but I think the link it more obvious here).
Other words at this point in time (which I am sure will change next week, so this is just to capture this for prosperity):
Bouy-yeah (Balloon)
Boo(k) (with a silent k) (Book)
Baaa (Bath)
Baa (Moo) (for some reason the sound of a cow is currently interpreted as a sheep)
Apple (Mandarin)
Nana (Banana)
Da (Dad)
Da (Duck)
Da? (That, as in, what is that?)
Dis? (This, as in, what is this?)
Mamoo(r) (Mum)
Shish (Fish)
Wawer (Flower)
Shoes (Shoes)
We have also taught her the sign language for 'water' and 'finished', which will probably come back to bite us later when she chooses the actions over learning the actual words.
Hugs
I can't get enough of the hugs. They are The. Best. Thing. Ever.
And ever since the miscarriage, I have taken to them with even greater intensity and focus than I ever could possibly imagine. They cover so much in such a sweet and simple action:
- They are a plea for forgiveness from me for going to work each day and being apart.
- They are a medical prescription to help deal with illness, or more recently, teething (which, to be honest, I love being able to provide that service no matter the time of night).
- They are just as good as an ice pack for falls.
- They are a source of protection for her when she is in a space where she feels uncomfortable, and she can bury herself into me and hide from the world.
- They are a simple sharing of a world of affection and love for each other.
- And they make me feel - selfishly - very important.
I read an article recently that said at age 12 children stop hugging their parents (okay, perhaps I read a developmental piece occasionally). It made me realise I have just ten and a half years of hugging left and I plan to make the most of every single opportunity.
The Smell
For a while last year, any friend with a newborn would receive a card from me where the cartoon on the front has a doc is in the delivery suite who is spraying a perfume bottle on the newborn, and says to the couple, 'this new baby smell should last six weeks'. The joke is (obviously) a reference to the 'new car smell' you can choose after you get your car washed..
I guess everyone has their own smell. And I love my daughter's. It hasn't worn off since birth; in fact it has gotten better. And it smells undeniably like her. It is in her clothes, in her hair, in her bed, and all over her skin.
The Moves
She has been a rocker for a long time now, noted by the workers at childcare, and loved by the nannies. As she first found her groove it was an upper body rockin style, but these days it is just the disco spin - if you could call it that! Every time she gets ready for a boogie her feet do a little excited shuffle...simply too excited to stand still until the music comes on..
The Moves
She has been a rocker for a long time now, noted by the workers at childcare, and loved by the nannies. As she first found her groove it was an upper body rockin style, but these days it is just the disco spin - if you could call it that! Every time she gets ready for a boogie her feet do a little excited shuffle...simply too excited to stand still until the music comes on..
Rumour has it, we are in a spin..
Books
She loves her books, and really can't get enough of them. Yah yah, like all kids. Shut up, okay? It is a good way for those who don't get to see her much (like family and friends) to break down the defensive barriers with a nice book 'ice breaker'.
If I can make a recommendation to a new parent out there, it is this: Sandra Boynton. Simply awesome books. If you can't find them in your local bookstore it is probably because I have already been there and bought the stock out.
Also enjoys non Sandra Boynton books too..
Pushing the boundaries
Wanting to climb: onto the couch, up the cupboards in the kitchen, up the bookshelf.
Reaching up to grab anything in reach on the bench.
Insisting she feed herself, regardless of the difficulty.
Throwing the food first before actually trying it.
Taking off in public areas, refusing to hold the hand and refusing to sit in the pram.
Yeah I know, these are all normal. And they all come with the challenge of patience. For the most part, I think we cope together as a team really well. And if this is the worst of it, then we have it super duper awesome!
Miss Independence
So, to my daughter:
Thank you for being so awesome, and thank you for deciding to join us. We are so grateful to have you in our lives. You are one very cool little creature and we love you to bits.
With some of the mother's group gals..
