Let Me Entertain You

Oops, wrote this in August but was waiting to add photos. Still not done the photo adding but here you go..... (please note, this post was written before the previous one but the heart attack section is definitely relevant)


We've been going through quite an exciting developement time with both the girls just now and it's made me realise that some things are just as exciting the second time around. However, I do now understand why my parents have less photos of me than Debbie (I'll make sure I let Chloe know at regular intervals that she isn't adopted though!)

I had begun to worry early on that Chloe wasn't going to get any of the huge excitement that Naomi got as we would be used to everything. However, I hadn't allowed for
a) how bad my memory is ie. I can't remember when anything is due to happen so it's usually a surprise
b) differences in character, Chloe does things with a different flare to Naomi
c) I'm a mum and am allowed to get excited when my child say 'B' or waves/spasms an arm, even if it's just a fluke
d) how bad my memory.....ok, cheap joke

The other thing I had worried about was wishing Chloe's life away. With Naomi I didn't tend to wish for the next stage as I didn't know what it was so was content with where she was (usually preferring it to where she had been but that's debatable on the whole potty training issue). However, with Chloe it seemed to be a constant 'I can't wait till....
* she has head support
* she sleeps through
* her arms are a little less delicate
* she sleeps through
* she can sit up by herself
* she sleeps through
* she can sit up unaided
* she sleeps through

What I found though is that I did stop thinking ahead so much once she could sit up. I put this down to this being my favourite stage. Whereas most women are supposed to like the new born stage and most men are supposed to like the talking or leaving home stage I seemed to be a 'baby sitting but not moving' type of mum (aka lazy mum). This could be because of the many bonuses to sitting up. They're easier to dress and feed and they can entertain themselves more with toys, they make an ideal target for a big sister to push over and they don't move.

These last couple of months have been particularly exciting though as we've had many 'firsts' for Chloe:
* 2 front teeth
* crawling backwards
* sitting up by herself
* crawling forwards
* pulling herself up to standing
* cruising the furniture
* climbing the stairs

I maybe shouldn't have put the crawling backwards stage in as that is one I particularly hate as she just gets frustrated and upset when the place she is aiming gets further away. The rest I've been really enjoying, especially seeing the sense of achievement on her face, she just grins so much while she's shuffling around the front room.

It got me thinking 'is the sitting up stage really my favourite?' and I think the answer is no. I think the reason I like it so much is because it has become a marker for me as the point when they start taking a more obvious interest in life and making choices. Once they are sitting they can choose which toy to play with/throw away. Once they are crawling they can choose which out of reach toy to play with. Once they are cruising they can choose where to hang out. Once they are climbing stairs they can choose when to give you a heart attack. Once they are walking they can show who is the flavour of the minute and who's not.

Noami is not to be outdone. While Chloe is changing lots physically, Naomi is changing vocally. She is managing more and more sentances and even asked me a question where I didn't have to fill in any gaps. In the last couple of weeks her favourite question has become 'what you doing?' followed by 'why?'. This replaces 'me do it' so not a bad trade really. You have to do things sneakily and quickly in our house if you don't want a 2 year old helping. Her new question does mean I now have a new favourite question 'what do you think I'm doing'. She does at least have the decency to pretend to think before saying 'I not know' or 'I not know that one'.


She's also quite the bossy big sister and is very quick to tell Chloe off for trying to play with her potty or go down stairs. I think the first time Chloe falls down stairs Naomi is probably going to be as upset as Chloe is. (update: she wasn't actually that bothered)