My Clever Little Girl!

9 months, 4 weeks & 1 day into Daddyhood

Two things…

1. She seems to be starting colour-association! Most mornings we give her a banana for breakfast (of which she might eat about a third, given that it is directly following her first booby-feed of the day, but she does so enjoy watching me peel it, then bashing two bits together, while I and/or Jo say “Banana!” or “’Nana!” and she (if she feels like it that day) also says “’Nana!”)… then recently when we walked through a field full of yellow crops (of some sort), she continually and repeatedly said “’Nana!”… and it only occurred to Jo a couple of days later that she was probably associated the yellow of the crops with the yellow of a banana! We have also since passed a couple of other yellow (or “’nana-coloured”) things before her, which have elicited a similar response, but we are yet to conduct a more conclusive experiment regarding such.

2. She seems to be recognising similarities! – i.e. when two things are the same or very similar (e.g. two bits of a banana – see above), she will bash them together! Yesterday she did it with two broccoli florets… She has also done it with stacking rings and maracas…

My clever little girl!

She…

9 months, 3 weeks & 1 day into Daddyhood

…has started dragging herself into a sitting position in the middle of the night, then crying most pitifully, because she can’t then figure out how to lie down again, until one of us goes in and finds her sitting, with a most pitiful look on her face, in the corner of her cot… thus instantly dissolving the feelings of exhaustion-induced frustration and replacing them with guilt… until she does it again!

* * *

…but thankfully last night was a sleep-through night!

When…

9 months, 3 weeks & 1 day into Daddyhood

…do you stop taking a step back from reality and saying…

My God, I’m a dad!

…?

The Night Garden Revisited

9 months, 1 week & 4 days into Daddyhood

My daughter and I have rediscovered In the Night Garden! Which is to say that I used to watch it with her whilst getting her ready for bed, but then “we” went off it (i.e. I realised that I was probably enjoying it more than her, and being quite a long programme for little’uns (half an hour), I didn’t want to be accused (by my other half or whoever) of forcing her to watch it)… and we stopped watching it for a while. That was a few months ago. Now, at nearly nine-and-a-half months old, Talise seems to “get” it more!

I discovered this on Sunday evening. Twas on the same day that, in the morning, we all went to a carboot sale, I spotted a set of small In the Night Garden books, didn’t buy ‘em, because I only wanted the Makka Pakka one, and the man wouldn’t split the set – even when he reduced the price of the set from £1 to 50p (I still have some niggling regrets about this decision)… but when I left the carboot, a seed had been sown, and at five-to-six that evening, when I was changing her and wanting to keep her quiet and, more pertinently, still (the necessity for “stillness” being something fellow parents of nine-month-olds will understand in this context), I thought, let’s just see what’s on the box, so I did, and wouldn’t you know it? In the Night Garden was about to start! So it did… and I did the changing of the nappy… but I thought, after an appropriate amount of cleaning was achieved, that it would be nice for her to just lie there for a bit, all bare-skinned, in the warmth of the fire, and watch a bit of telly… and how she loved it!

She giggled at Upsy Daisy!

She babbled to the Tombliboo’s!

She got excited when it seemed that, finally, the Pontipines would catch the Ninky Nonk!

 

And when it was all over, she rolled over and gave me that look of… what shall we do next, dad?

I am sure that clever little girl of mine understands far more than she is letting on…

Happy 9 Month Birthday to my Tally-Wally!

Is it Appropriate for a Man to be Militant about Breastfeeding?

 9 months into Daddyhood

Perhaps “Militant” is not an entirely appropriate term. However… the more I discover (which interprets as, “the more info Jo puts my way…”), the more strongly I feel about this issue. But let me firstly get one thing clear…

My issue is not with parents who choose to bottle-feed their babies!

Well, not entirely. Or not centrally. Applying a benefit of the doubt approach, I will start from the premise that no one makes such a decision lightly, and that the issue is with The System – primarily the ABM (Artificial Baby Milk) manufacturers and the sections of the medical profession who promote the use of formula, or at least who don’t promote the health benefits of breastfeeding enough. Now this blog entry is not going to be full of references and links and what-have-you, so don’t expect a highly literate, academic-type piece… see this as pretty much a splurge of my feelings on the matter, based on bits and pieces I have read, mine/Jo’s personal experience and so on. So…

Splurging away…!

POINT#1: human breast milk gives a baby, at least up until the age of 6 months, all the nutrients they need. All the nutrients. So why do some medical professionals and other self-proclaimed “experts” persist in “suggesting” that if a baby is not sleeping as much as he might be, he might be hungry (needing formula, baby rice, etc, “top-ups”), or he may be thirsty, requiring extra drinks of water? A breastfed baby needs nothing but breast milk!

POINT#2: also in relation to the above, why is it “suggested” that all babies, including breastfed ones, might need vitamin supplements? Human breast milk has all the vitamins a baby needs!

POINT#3: regardless of whether or not a mother chooses, for practical reasons, to feed her baby formula (from birth or later, partially or 100%, or whatever), why is society and the medical profession so afraid to tell the truth that breast milk is substantially healthier than formula – and that, in fact, feeding your baby formula can actually be potentially dangerous, leading to a higher likelihood of various illnesses and ailments…? Breastfeeding is not a “lifestyle choice”! It is giving your baby the best possible start in life!

POINT#4: the general conception is (it certainly was for me, pre-baby) that society (at least Modern Western Society) is far more liberal and accepting of breastfeeding than in previous generations. My present conception is… that this is not the case! It has only just been made illegal in the UK for cafés, restaurants, etc, to ask that a woman does not breastfeed on the premises. It is still seen as “a bit weird” and “hippy-ish.” My baby’s mother is a confident, outgoing person, but she still often has to make a conscious effort to not “feel funny” or “watched” when breastfeeding in public. Breastfeeding is the most natural thing in the world, and it is one of the most loving and caring thing you can do for your baby!

POINT#5: why are ABM manufacturers not forced to put highly visible and honest health warnings on their products? In a democratic society, it is our right to make choices, but it is our right to make informed choices!

I could go on… but I’m still not sure how appropriate it is for a man to be “militant” about breastfeeding…

Tearing Newspapers!

 8 months, 4 weeks & 2 days into Daddyhood

She loves it!

It sends her in fits of giggles!

And then she has a go herself!

And when she succeeds in tearing a piece, the satisfaction on her face is just a joy to behold!

Another Landmark!

 8 months, 4 weeks & 2 days into Daddyhood

They’re coming thick and fast! Landmarks, that is…

Last night The Gorgeous One slept through! By which I mean to say that our Tally-Wally slept between 1915h and 0615h without once waking for a feed! She did have a bit of a snuffle and a grumble at about 0100h, but she then settled herself back to bobo’s and didn’t say, “Excuse me, booby time!” until more than an hour after I got up!

The observant amongst you will realise that this means I got up before 0515h. This is true. I did, in fact, get up at 0505h – and even then, only after I had been lying there for over half an hour, waiting for Talise and/or a reasonable time of the morning to declare their presence. On a “normal” morning, my alarm is set for 0600h, although my body tends to naturally wake me and hence I arise at about 0540h – no doubt realising that for myself and also, in all likelihood, The Gorgeous One to be woken by an alarm would not be a preferable state of affairs. This is pretty early, considering I don’t have to be at work until 0800h/0830h, but it does mean I generally get a bit of quiet morning me-time before Tally-Wally awakes and the house becomes, shall we say, somewhat enlivened. And considering we’re generally in bed by 9pm these days, it does still mean I get a decent amount of sleep. This morning, though… I was ready to “get going” at 0430h! After an unbroken 7.5 hours sleep! Well pretty much unbroken – I did at least get to remain in bed in a half-awake state when TGO woke us, then went back to sleep, at 1-ish!

Now all we have to do is remember exactly what kind of day she had yesterday, in order to precisely emulate such…

Landmarks #3: First Word! (sort of)

 8 months, 4 weeks & 1 day into Daddyhood

I’m not daft. I realise that my baby’s first utterances are/will be pretty much just the practising of sounds/syllables. But when after her first feed on the morning of Easter Sunday (being Sunday the 12th of April 2009), she looked at me, smiled and said, “Dah-dee”… how could I fail to go all funny and fluttery inside?

(PS. I’m so glad I’ve knocked that postlet about poo off the top of this blog… )

(PPS. see also Landmarks and Landmarks #2)

Those of Weak Stomachs, Avert Your Noses…

8 months, 1 week & 2 days into Daddyhood

Is it too weird of me to notice that mine and Talise’s poo seems to be smelling similar…?