Bug = 2 years 6 months
Bub = 8 months 1 day

Both of the following tricks are the sort of thing that happen once, and you think it was just a fluke, but Ada has done them enough now that I’m sure they’re deliberate behaviours on her part. Neither is 100% reliable, but then what child’s behaviour – or adult’s, for that matter! – is?

Kisses

Ada has learned to “kiss”, and I don’t know if it’s a family thing or if it’s all babies, but her kisses are big, sloppy, open-mouthed affairs just like Linus’s were when he first learned the important life skill.

When I say “give me a kiss” and make the kissy noise, Ada shuts her eyes (she’s so romantic!), opens her mouth WIDE, and leans towards my face to get some action.

Where’s the Baby?

Ada’s other new trick is peekaboo. When Ada is lying on her tummy – preferably on a soft surface she can bury her head in – we say “Where’s the baby?”, repeat as needed, and when she lifts her head we say “THERE she is!”, and we get a big baby beam. What makes us think that she’s playing a deliberate part in the game is that she holds her head down for longer than we’d expect (she’s hiding!), plus she looks at us very expectantly when she lifts her head.

Bug = 2 years 5 months
Bub = 7 months 27 days

I wanted to write down what he said not because it was particularly funny, but because I was impressed by the length of sentence and the various concepts it encompassed, like grammar, imagination, role-playing and time.

The other day, Linus was playing with his little friend SSO, who was spending the morning with us while her Mum RH was away running errands. SSO was lying down on the floor, so I said to the kids “Oh, are you guys sleeping?”. Linus replied:

“No, SSO will crawl, and when RH comes back, she said… [corrects the tense] she will say ‘Are you a baby Sage?’.”

Bug = 2 years 5 months
Bub = 7 months 27 days

Flapping Wrists

For months, Ada has had a move that’s all her own – she waggles her hands up and down at the wrist. She does it with empty hands or with a toy in her hands, and it’s very cute.

Rolling

Ada has long been a pro at “falling” forwards onto her tummy, and even falling forwards onto her back (I don’t really know how that works, but it does – she must flip partway through!). This is her main way of moving around (slight as it is). And now, since this past weekend, she seems able to roll from front to back whenever she wants.

Foxy

When Ada was born, our friend TJ gave her a very cute fox hand-puppet. It’s been hiding away in Linus’s toybox since then, but the other night at bedtime it was lying around and we gave it to Ada. The results were unbelievable! Our Ada – who is normally quite deadpan when “playing” with her toys – shook the life out of the fox, jiggled around with it on the bed, and squealed at it. Who knew there was such a thing as babynip?!

Bug = 2 years 5 months
Bub = 7 months 26 days

Five days ago I got a new (second-hand) baby carrier, and it’s great. I trialled a friend’s Didymos for a few weeks before deciding to spend the big bucks on getting my own, and in the six days I’ve had it it’s already proven its worth.

I’ve bought a blue Storchenwiege sling, which is a long piece of fabric (4.2m by 65cm) that you tie in various ways depending on where and how you want to carry the baby. It’s similar to the Puku Pouch that I already have (and love!). However, as slingbabies.co.nz says:

Stretchy wraps are not recommended for back carries, despite what the sellers might say.  They are not as wide as woven wraps, and not supportive enough once babies are past the 6-10 month age and able to push away from you.

The Puku Pouch

I highly recommend the Puku Pouch for carrying a baby facing inwards (often sleeping) on your front, it’s been fantastic for me and Ada. I’ve been able to go out and about without worrying about her missing out on sleep. However my use of it has been declining as Ada has become more mobile and interested in the world around her, and also as she is needing less and less sleep. She can quite happily sit on the floor for most of a coffee group, playing with toys, watching adults chat, and dodging toddlers.

The Backpack

Now I want to be able to carry Ada on my back, not so much when I’m out but more when I’m at home doing chores around the house. I’ve been doing it for a while with my backpack, but it’s not perfect – its big frame means that I often bump into things (including poor Linus’s head!!), I have trouble fitting into some spaces, and twisting and bending can be awkward because the rigid frame digs into me. I think the backpack may well be the best carrier if I was going on a long walk, but it’s not the best thing for baby-wearing mobility around the house.

The Wrap

The new wrap has been great. Ada is snug and happy in it on my back, and she falls asleep easily. The first night I wore her she slept for about an hour and a half. I won’t pretend it’s 100% comfortable, but I’ll try to be vigilant with my posture, and so far the pressure on my shoulders has been causing more discomfort (not too much) than any muscles. In fact, I think the sling may be good for my posture – having Ada up high on my back pulls me upright at the shoulders, unlike the backpack which I felt made me hunch forward a little.

Shopping Heaven!

Today was another fabulous first – a shopping trip. And I don’t mean boring old groceries, but an actual trip to a mall! This is a rare treat for me these days: shopping is hard work with a toddler, and even with a baby you have a pram or a baby in your arms/sling on your front to manoeuvre around. There’s little pleasure in a shopping trip with children.

But today, while Linus was with Nana, I ventured out with Ada, got her up onto my back in the car park, and spent a delightful 40 minutes wandering and browsing and contemplating my purchases. I don’t think I’ve shopped like that for the past three years!! And Ada didn’t make a peep, she just enjoyed the ride then fell asleep. Bliss!

Bug = 2 years 5 months
Bub = 7 months 24 days

My best friend RH has a two-year-old a couple of weeks older than Linus, and nap-times interfere greatly with our attempts to get together. Linus goes down for his nap at around 12noon, while SSO goes to sleep at around 1:30pm. Social engagements are therefore planned around who needs to sleep where and when. Plus there’s now an extra baby in both families, although these young ones are fairly flexible and still sleep on their mummies while out and about.

RH and I realised last week that, with both our toddlers sleeping in beds and going down for their naps fairly easily, we could potentially “nap” the kids at each other’s houses. So today – RH’s birthday, incidentally – we decided to spend the whole day together, with the kids playing, eating, bathing, and sleeping together.

At 1:15pm SSO was put into her bed, and Linus went into the trundle bed beside her. Linus was quiet and ready to sleep, but SSO unfortunately was a bit put out and cried and called for her Mummy a lot. But eventually she calmed down and started chatting to Linus. At one point I overheard Linus singing “This Little Piggy Went to Market” to SSO; another time when I peeked in Linus had his hand up on SSO’s bed and was holding her hand (awww, cute!).

Finally at about 3:00pm Linus went to sleep, and with a bit of help from (Linus’s) Nana, SSO went to sleep ten minutes later. They slept until just before 4:00pm – a short nap for both of them, but better than nothing.

So things didn’t go perfectly, but it certainly wasn’t a disaster and we’ll definitely give it another go if it means we can spend some time together with two – or even more! – of our four children asleep. Gosh, we might even get to finish a conversation or two!!