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.