Compare and contrast

One of the golden rules of parenting is don't compare your child to others.  It's a sanity keeper.  Erin will come home from Baby Sing or Wiggle and Rhyme and start saying what other baby's around Aidan's age are doing.  My answer is always the same: 'Remember what Jim said?  Don't compare.'

But I now realise this is more difficult than I thought.

Yesterday, we went to a leaving picnic for some friends who are going back to Australia.  It was a fun family affair, with a few small babies and toddlers around.  It was also the first time I'd been in an environment with a few children of a similar age to Aidan.  I came home and all I could say was the 7 month old was sitting up, he liked to be on his tummy, and did you see him almost crawl?  My evening was consumed in thought about what Aidan was and wasn't doing.

Even when Erin said 'don't compare', I couldn't help myself.

Monkey business

Aidan doesn't have brothers and sisters to roughhouse with.  But he does have Mr Monkey. 

This time Aidan wins.

But here's the rematch.

Mum fun

I got home on Thursday and opened the door to what you're about to see.

That was after a grumpy day from Aidan.   I later learned that Erin was willing to do whatever it took to get a few smiles.  Little didn't she know she was going to get chuckles.

Boxhill revisited

I was supposed to write up more about Spain tonight but saw that I hadn't ever posted this.

He loves talking to his mamma.

Spanish trip

Aidan went to Spain this weekend.  He's no fan of Ryan Air but loved staying at Simon's mum and dad's place.

He kept nagging us to take him for a dip in the water.

He loved it.

And got adventurous with dad.

He even had fun out of the pool.

Toes, teeth and tantrums

I went away this weekend on a stag do to a music festival.  Before I went, Aidan was a young baby who grabbed at things he wanted to eat including glasses, grass and his toys.  It didn't include his toes.  Now it does.

Every day I was away something new happened.  Erin sent me text updates.  On Friday he turned pages of books over.  On Saturday he realised his mum existed when she'd left the room. He screamed the house down in the arms of stranger.  On Sunday  he learned how to pull something over his eyes when the sun annoyed him.  And he rolled over but didn't like being on his front.

His teething issues continue.  We asked friends of ours whose two children have gone through this what their remedy was.  The mum said that they braved it out and didn't use anything.  But when she left the room her husband said that he and the children's grandparents tried everything.  We're now going with the second approach.  Today we've tried teething gel, Nelson's teething granules, a refrigerated Mr Happy teething ring, major silliness for distraction, his favourite teddy's face, his fingers, our fingers and his bottle.  All this to keep the Grizzle Monster at bay.

Spec-tacular Aidan

On the trip,  Aidan and I had a moment together.  I'll let the pictures tell the story.

Day tripping

Last weekend we went to Wandsworth Common and saw the trains going by.  Today we were on one of those trains whizzing off to Box Hill.

Lazing in the countryside.

And leaving the city behind was great.

We went up and down some hills then rested and played.

Then mum and dad ate at a country pub.  Aidan ate his teddy.

Miles of smiles

Aidan has a new favourite toy.  It used to be his mobile.  And Mr Frog.  But now it's any old cloth he can grab and pull towards him.  He'll either eat it or put it on his face and take ages to pull, tug and (as is often the case) miss it, until it's off him.  Then he puts it back again.  If he was noisy while watching Mr Flying Lion chase Mr Flying Rabbit, he's now turning the level up a notch. 

He's developing a little fun personality now too.  Erin took him to Baby Massage last week and he didn't stop looking around at who he could smile at.  He eventually caught the eye of Daisy.  What a flirt. Then Erin brought him to have lunch with me yesterday as I was working at our office near Borough Market. After we ate we took him up to see some of my colleagues and he didn't stop goo-ing and gah-ing at them (they did the same back - and they should know better).  

You've got to love him.

As you can see, he's also a dribbler.  Not like Maradonna yet.  Like a baby, I suppose.  His hands always have to go in his mouth (as does everything else).  And he's had a few nights in a row on a couple of separate occasions over the last few weeks when hasn't slept well at all.  We think it's all to do with teething, but when will the little shiny whities appear?

The needle

'Are you ready for this?' Erin said. 'He might not calm down for twenty minutes or so.'

My heart leapt a little but I smiled and nodded and took Aidan off for the last of his first batch of injections.

The nurse talked me through what Aidan would be having, which I can't tell you what it was.  Couldn't have told you straight after she told me either because all I was thinking about was that the little cheeky chappy in the buggy next to me was going to be a screaming mess of gore when she'd done with him and it was for me to pick up the pieces.

She told me that he'd have two injections in one leg and one in the other.  

The first went in.  There was a pause before Aidan's face screwed up, turned purple and let out an almighty roaring scream.  I quickly turned him round for the next one with the nurse nodding to say yes, let's get on with it.  His screaming didn't get worse.  It couldn't.  

Then I turned him round for the last one, only to be told he needed it the same leg as the second.  I'm sure this didn't help and by the end Aidan had three bloody spots on his legs and a dad with three bloody spots on his best shirt.  He still wasn't pleased.  But his crying subsided when the nurse got out a toy which made lots of noise.  

He wasn't crying for twenty minutes. It was more like twenty seconds. But it's only now, three days later, when I've just about got over the whole business.

Fitter happier

Having been to Baby Massage and Baby Yoga recently Aidan gets a good workout.

A new friend

Aidan has begun to grab things.  It started with him slowly drawing his hands together then bringing them into his mouth.  Now he does the same movement but brings anything in his way to his mouth. He even tried his when his mobile was a little too low over him the other day. When he grabbed Mr Flying Monkey, Aidan yelped as he flew off.  He tried the same with Mr Flying Lion and Mr Flying Rabbit.  He was not impressed.

His favourite toy is now Mr Frog. He doesn't fly away.

Hey Beth, where did you get the frog?  We might need to get a spare just in case this one goes missing.

Before and after

I got my yellow T -shirt out this weekend.  Erin got her camera out as she did 4 months ago.

Thankfully this time there was no yellow baby.

Honestly, they are both Aidan.