Bug = 1 year 8 months 12 days
Bub = due in 74 days

With a birth coming up in a couple of months, we’ve been craving a family holiday, but organising it around busy work schedules (especially when one of us is soon to leave work on parental leave) was all too overwhelming.

So when the opportunity arose to stay at Bob’s parents’ place while they spent a long weekend with Andi in Christchurch, we jumped at the chance. The price was right; the house was relatively child-proofed already; we could come home each day to feed our cats and dump some dirty nappies; and being away from home meant no housework or gardening or DIY to consider doing (and then feel bad for not doing!).

Thankfully the weather this weekend was spectacular (after what’s mostly been a dismal October), so while our evenings were spent watching DVDs (I recommend The Matador), our days were spent out and about making the most of the sunshine.

Home Birth Picnic

On Sunday, the Dunedin Home Birth Association had its annual picnic. I’ve been a member of the association for a few months*, but I’d never made it along to any events, so I decided a picnic would be a nice, social introduction to some of the people involved.

The event was held at Woodhaugh Gardens beside the paddling pool, and I blindly ignored the organiser’s emailed advice regarding towels and togs and changes of clothes. Bug enjoyed walking around the pool at first, then graduated to frequent squatting to get things out of the pool and throw them back in. (If you haven’t tried squatting every four seconds to stop your toddler falling into a pool when you’re nearly 7 months pregnant, I don’t recommend it. Then again, perhaps it was a good birth preparation exercise?) After supervising him intently for 20 minutes, Daddy and I gave up and decided to sit on our picnic rug, have some lunch, and keep an eye on our paddling son to make sure he hadn’t drowned. (We took turns rotating his clothes and shoes so they’d dry before we had to leave.)
Bug seemed to enjoy himself more this way, and it was lovely (as always) to watch him do his own thing without any interference from the grown-ups.

We all enjoyed the picnic immensely. We met up with people I already knew (from La Leche League and the Rudolf Steiner playgroup) as well as meeting some new people. I’m very keen now to organise a similar event for our La Leche League group. The venue is great (when the weather co-operates), but the best aspect was the chance for all the daddies to meet each other (which never happens in the normal course of La Leche League meetings). Bob talked to at least two other dads for quite a while about various parenting- and birth-related topics.

Mahinerangi and Waipori

Today Bob decided to take his family out for a Sunday drive. (Yes, it was Monday, but that’s the best day to do a Sunday drive, there’s less traffic and no fighting other people for the best picnic spot!)

We went to Lake Mahinerangi, where Bob tried (to no avail) to find a dam he remembered from his younger days. After a strange little drive into Waipori – a township of sorts – we went for a short bush walk to Crystal Falls. I suspect the falls were quite impressive. Unfortunately the foliage was even more impressive, and we could barely see a hint of any falling water. Nice walk but!

A little further down the narrow, unsealed, twisty road we stopped beside the river for a picnic lunch (on our brand new super-duper picnic rug, a very worthwhile investment!).

When we arrived back in civilisation, we stopped at Lake Waihola to have ice-creams (Mummy and Daddy, still enjoying the blissful couple of years before Bug knows what lollies and ice-creams are all about) and throw gravel onto a slide for 20 minutes (Bug). We then headed back to the in-laws hoping to have a family nap (turns out Bug wasn’t keen), then pack and head back home.

The Cat Is Out Of The Bag

The other news this weekend is that after a few months of managing to remain (willingly and determinedly) ignorant of her new grandchild’s sex, Granny has found out that she’s expecting a granddaughter, thanks to a slip of the tongue from Aunty Andi.

Bug = 1 year 8 months 6 days
Bub = due in 80 days

Hello, Daddy here once again. I just wanted to share a few things that Bug has been doing lately because they’ve been really cute.

Showing Off

Bug just loves showing off – if you dress him smartly, put a hat on his head, put his arms in mummy’s stripy socks or wash his face and hands/brush his teeth he just loves to go running through the house to find mummy or daddy and point out what he’s doing. Normally this is accompanied by a big grin, and if he’s showing you his hands he then points out with his classic “ooooh” lips the various scratches and wee healing scabs he has after a run in with the cat (he deserves 50 times more than he gets, Squee is so tolerant!)

Saying ‘No’

Fortunately for us I don’t think Bug has started using the word ‘No’ in a contrary way. Instead he uses it in a very matter-of-fact way when you ask him a question. For example, if you ask him if he would like to share his drink with the cat he’ll look at you and shake his head and say ‘No’. If you ask him if the world is prepared to suffer a multi-decade global winter caused by a meteor strike he’ll look at you, shake his head and say ‘No’.

We’re encouraging the use of “Yes” as well to give a balance and he seems to be happy to repeat the word but I haven’t heard him use it as a response to a question yet.

Me vs. You

Us grown-ups take it for granted that we know how to use words in context, however Bug is still to learn this. For now, when he points at a photo containing extended family members he is able to name most people, but when it comes to himself he points and says “you”. Of course, the right answer in context is “me”, and when prompted he will quickly say “meeee”. Incidentally, any word ending in “eeee” is a million times cuter than any word that doesn’t when uttered by a 20 month old (especially the word “dad-deeeee”!)

Signs

Mummy commented earlier that as Bug’s ability to communicate has been enhanced by the use of sign language and there’s a couple more signs that he’s taken to almost immediately. These are the sign for “orange” (squeezing your fist beside your cheek, wrist facing outward) which he combines with actually saying the word, and “phone” (not sure if this is “official” but he holds his hand up to his head when the phone rings). He’s definitely using the “drink” sign now as well.

Bug = 1 year 7 months 28 days
Bub = due in 88 days

Over the past few weeks, the blissful second trimester has come to an end. My third trimester has begun. I have heartburn most days now, although thankfully it’s not lasting all day (yet).

Sleeping is also starting to get less comfortable, and I’m starting to need pillows propping me up in various positions around my body.

My organs are squished up into an unnaturally small space, which not only aggravates the heartburn, but makes breathing more difficult. (Although the complete lack of exercise for six months might make some contribution to that.)

But the worst thing of all is that I WANT MY BABY! I want to cuddle and feed and soothe and carry and show off my beautiful baby girl, and I have to wait an eternal three months!

Bug = 1 year 7 months 18 days
Bub = due in 98 days

It really feels to all of us that the past couple of weeks have seen a major step in Bug’s ability to communicate with us.

The two major new developments are that he often repeats back words we say without prompting, and he has started using a number of signs.

Repeating Words

• After “Twinkle twinkle little star… etc… Like a diamond in the sky” Bug will repeat “sky“;
• When we read (in Slinky Malinki) “He heaved them until he’d carried them home to his…“, Bug will fill in the word “house” (he’s actually been doing this one for quite a while);
• Often we’ll say “Let’s go to the car” and Bug will repeat “car“;
• When we say we’re going to get his bib, Bug will repeat “bib“;
• He likes to talk about the “moon“.

And the cutest thing… When Bob goes to brush Bug’s teeth, he starts by getting his own toothbrush and asking “Is this one yours?”. Bug shakes his head and says “Nooo“. (I can’t describe the tone in words, but it’s adorable!) Then he gets out Mummy’s toothbrush and says “Is this one yours?”. “Nooo”. So he gets out Bug’s little toothbrush and asks “Is this one yours?” and Bug exclaims “Oooohhhhhh!!”.

Signs

Bug has used the sign for “finished” or “all gone” for a long time now. He doesn’t always use it in exactly the right context, but he uses it a lot. It’s mainly used at mealtimes, but quite a while ago I started using it on Bug when threw a tantrum.

I’d wait quietly while he squirmed and screamed, and when he paused for breath I’d sign (and say) “finished?”. He’d almost always stop his tantrum, smile, and sign “finished” back to me. It’s a cute trick, but it’s also a good demonstration of how offering babies signs to express themselves can help to dissipate their frustrations.

The signs he has started to use this week are:

• Help
• More
• Duck (/quack)
• Face (/wash face)
• Teeth (/clean teeth)
• Eat
• Book
• Drink (maybe, not sure about this one)
• Down (Bug may well have made this sign up, I don’t remember using it much, but its meaning is unmistakable, i.e. he points repeatedly down at the ground)

Note that these signs are almost always accompanied by the word itself, which is how you’re meant to use them to him.

Other signs I try to use and that he might pick up soon are:

• Thank you (yeah, right!)
• Milk (this is probably the first and most consistent sign I’ve used, but given the lack of milk lately it might have missed its opportunity!)
• Orange
• Phone
• Shoes

He’s picking these up so fast now that we urgently need to learn some more to “feed” him. I might look up the signs for:

• Apple
• Sandwich
• Banana
• Cheese
• Cat
• Dog
• Monkey
• Cow (I hope it’s not the same as “milk”!)
• lots of other animals!
• Door/doorbell
• Inside/outside
• Bib

No Point?

Some people have suggested that now he’s almost talking, there’s no point in using signs any more. I can see where they’re coming from, but:

• why deny a child the opportunity to learn a second language?;
• learning probably happens much better and faster the younger you are, why not make the most of it?;
• Bug’s communication skills aren’t going to be perfected for many years, so there are probably some times when verbal communication will suit his needs better, and others when sign communication will suit his needs better: better communication = less frustration = happier kid = happier ME!;
• it will be pretty cool if our whole family can communicate with each other through windows!

To learn more about baby sign language in New Zealand, visit the Baby Talk site.