Hello Mudduh Hello Fadduh: ILX Rolling Parenting Thread

It is so nice to have Edith back to normal after her various minor illnesses. Long may it last.

Sleep routine is good, but it all tends to fall apart at the slightest interruption, such as minor illness or visiting grandparents (they must rock), and then it's back to square one. What can you do? They want rocking and you can rock them, so you rock them.

Ha ha, until you give up and go downstairs in a huff, who am I kidding?

Dude, keep in mind that in the beginning you can not spoil a baby. I think up until six months a baby can't be spoiled. So let Teeny rock her cute baby. :-)

A couple of weeks ago, we decided: let's try a few nights of you-gotta-do-it-on-your-own-kid. So now we put him in pajamas, read him a story, sing him a song, give him a kiss, set him in his crib, turn out the light and walk out. First night: 20 minutes of screaming, which rent our brains asunder! Second night: 25 minutes of yowling, after which we came into his room and he was asleep sitting up with his arms and legs through the bars of the crib, breaking our hearts! Third night: 20 minutes of screeching, which made us feel like the worst parents in the world! Fourth night and thereafter: maybe 30 seconds of yelping, and then zzz. When he wakes up in the middle of the night, we still bring him into our bed; as long as he's nursing, that makes sense.

Libraries: Portland's library system is awesome. Two weeks after he was born, we got a package from Multnomah County Library: a board-book copy of "Goodnight Moon," as a present from the library system, and an application for his first library card. I want to start taking him to baby-book-time every week.

All of you with infants have read "The Happiest Baby on the Block" and have your Velcro swaddling blankets and/or tight-swaddling technique down, right? It really, really, REALLY works.

It ain't easy.

D, that's interesting. I've read about libraries that sound out these emerging literacy carepackets to newborns, but this is the first time I've heard about it actually happening. Do they have a baby lapsit program? Our library waits till they are 1 for the "Little One-Ders" Story Time.

but, you know, i probably rock our kid to sleep once or twice a week. i guess it's indulgent, but the thing is i like it too. it's a very satisfying, protective feeling. and i figure there's some finite number of times i'll be able to rock him to sleep, so i might as well enjoy it while i can. i doubt it's doing anyone any harm.

This is very true - I completely adore all the neighbourhood babies to the extent of knowing their names and not their parents', knowing their foibles and illnesses and oddities but not knowing their parents' professions. We went to a joint 1st-birthday party yesterday for Ava and Finlay and I was completely in my element; rather than talk to the adults about property prices or holidays I was scrabbling about on the floor with Ruby, Dominick, Harry, Calum et al. An occasion like this does rather bring home the fact that Ava is a tiny creature; she's one of only two girls in her peer group and is one of the younger ones (the age range of this crowd is 10-15 months) but still she seems like a real shortarse. Not surprising given her parents are five-three and five-six but we should probably check her on the chart sometime (it's been months since we did a length [or, now, height] measurement).

Compared to her chums, Ava is more likely to wander off independently into another room (some of them aren't walking), more likely to examine an object in great, exhaustive detail before chucking it on the floor, but less likely (indeed, just not yet able) to stack blocks or put things inside other things in a constructive way. Ruby is the star of the bunch - she moves like a dancer and is the most articulate babbler. Dom is the sweetest, shyest boy; he reminds me of PJM's Edith in her mellow moments.

When's the next party?

Same kid

and his brother

Tucker again. That's what leaving them at the beach for a few years will do.

Nigel again. In all the current photos I have of him he's either giving the finger, smoking a joint, or wrapped around a blonde. Sigh.

the head control makes him look like such a little man.

Joel

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v165/noodle_vague/han.jpg

Hannah

Then they start talking and it's all "Poo" and "Teletubbies".

Lo, I would assume the Downs your baby might have, isn't that heavy (or however you would say it) because otherwise they would have noticed it at birth, no?

God, sleep deprivation has made my English CRAP. :-(

Latest illness: bacterial conjunctivitis.

BUT...

Today is Edith's last day at the nursery. Hooray!

Apparently she hides her food under the table in the hope that they will think she's eaten it. I think this is remarkable in an 11 month old baby. I hope she grows up to be a successful con artist and launders some money my way. (Note, this is quite a step-up from my previous ambition for her: chimney sweep.)

I'm not sure I should be, but I am.

A birthday outfit for a Feb 14 baby:

http://static.flickr.com/19/100963310_120159f3d9.jpg

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y161/MarkGrout/AAGuitrock.jpg
Amber and Alice, Feb 26th 2006

Mark, I hope my Ophelia will be as coolio as yours!!!

http://static.flickr.com/38/103358156_c77ef4b837.jpg?v=0

My little icebear! :-)