It may be time to retire the papasan and graduate to the exersaucer. This wonderfully padded hammock of a seat has had a damn good run. Indeed both of my children have now used it and loved it. Truly it has gone the distance as Mommy’s-little-helper.
Many of you have been around long enough to be the recipient of a baby when I say:
“Could you just hold the baby a second while I …pee, answer the phone, take the dinner out of the oven, put Normy in time-out, let Jack out, stir the chili, clip a hang nail, load the dirty dishes, tie my shoes, get the mail, fold these last two towels, pick my noes…
I think you get the idea.
However, when I’m the only one within earshot who’s over two feet tall, to whom do I turn? That’s right, my friend the papasan.
And boy, have I relied on this thing with Georgia. Not as much with Normy. When he was a baby I could simply lay him on a blanket when a short but necessary task had to be accomplished. In those days there was no rambunctious two-year old on the loose, ready at any moment to steam-roll his younger sibling or lob a toy at a small-unprotected head. There have been countless times I have placed Georgia on the other side of a baby-gate in the papasan to be able to leave them both unattended for a moment.
Yet, as you can see, it’s probably no longer safe to leave Georgia in this thing on the table… certainly not while I’m in an other room.
I’ve been hesitant to resurrect the exersaucer from the basement firstly, because I haven’t wanted to take the time to rid it of the layers of grime residual of two moves and a year in the cellar. Secondly, I always felt that I put Normy in it too early and too often. I’ve wondered if that is one of the reasons he always walks on his tip-toes. Yes, (mommy-guilt) it is surely my bad parenting and not his genetic predisposition to toe walking. It means nothing that Smoochy’s step-mom affectionately remembers him as “Little Tip-Tow Boy."
*sigh*
The other thing is, in the papasan, (safely set ON the kitchen table) Georgia can easily be apart of our nightly dinner together. This is the core of our family time with Smoochy working 12+ hour days and now rotating Saturdays (starting today!). She’s not quite ready for a high chair yet… although… on second thought, that might not be that far off.
Which brings me to the point of all of this! Just like her brother, my little Lady-kins is growing up fast. Why didn’t anyone tell me that the second child grows up so much faster than the first? (I wonder if that continues to be the case, or if somewhere after say your fourth kid it takes drastically longer for each consecutive child to grow. So that by the time you’ve had your eighth kid you start thinking “Holy crap! This one’s never going to grow up!”)
Anyhow, at five months and about 19 pounds Georgia has pretty much outgrown all her six-month clothes. She loves sucking on her toes (Normy couldn’t get his fee anywhere near his mouth!); smiling and cooing at her brother; gumming small stuffed animals and dolls to death; and blowing funny noises with her tongue. My favorite trick of her’s, is the way she’ll grab either side of my head and pull me in so that she can EAT MY FACE! Goodness, she is such a lip magnet! I spend all day covering her squishy self with hundreds of kisses. She’s slightly on the spastic side (Don’t know where she would have inherited that trait.) She’ll sit perched on my lap wildly flailing her legs and arms while chanting “He he he hay ha!” The whole while a huge gummy smile splits her face.
Plus, she is such a squealer and a screamer. Where as Normy grunted, Georgia makes these adorable girly squeaks. It is so flipping cute! She sleeps through the night in her own bed. She naps. She rolls over front to back and she smiles big as the moon when her brother comes into view. She plays quietly by herself, and sometimes even gets fussy when she just wants some alone time on a blanket with her toys.
Um… does it sound to you like I have the perfect baby?
Yea, I think so too.
However, when I’m the only one within earshot who’s over two feet tall, to whom do I turn? That’s right, my friend the papasan.
And boy, have I relied on this thing with Georgia. Not as much with Normy. When he was a baby I could simply lay him on a blanket when a short but necessary task had to be accomplished. In those days there was no rambunctious two-year old on the loose, ready at any moment to steam-roll his younger sibling or lob a toy at a small-unprotected head. There have been countless times I have placed Georgia on the other side of a baby-gate in the papasan to be able to leave them both unattended for a moment.
Yet, as you can see, it’s probably no longer safe to leave Georgia in this thing on the table… certainly not while I’m in an other room.
I’ve been hesitant to resurrect the exersaucer from the basement firstly, because I haven’t wanted to take the time to rid it of the layers of grime residual of two moves and a year in the cellar. Secondly, I always felt that I put Normy in it too early and too often. I’ve wondered if that is one of the reasons he always walks on his tip-toes. Yes, (mommy-guilt) it is surely my bad parenting and not his genetic predisposition to toe walking. It means nothing that Smoochy’s step-mom affectionately remembers him as “Little Tip-Tow Boy."
Yes, this is Normy, nearly 3 months old:
Standing on a phone book to better enjoy the saucer!
Awesome parenting!
*sigh*
The other thing is, in the papasan, (safely set ON the kitchen table) Georgia can easily be apart of our nightly dinner together. This is the core of our family time with Smoochy working 12+ hour days and now rotating Saturdays (starting today!). She’s not quite ready for a high chair yet… although… on second thought, that might not be that far off.
Which brings me to the point of all of this! Just like her brother, my little Lady-kins is growing up fast. Why didn’t anyone tell me that the second child grows up so much faster than the first? (I wonder if that continues to be the case, or if somewhere after say your fourth kid it takes drastically longer for each consecutive child to grow. So that by the time you’ve had your eighth kid you start thinking “Holy crap! This one’s never going to grow up!”)
Anyhow, at five months and about 19 pounds Georgia has pretty much outgrown all her six-month clothes. She loves sucking on her toes (Normy couldn’t get his fee anywhere near his mouth!); smiling and cooing at her brother; gumming small stuffed animals and dolls to death; and blowing funny noises with her tongue. My favorite trick of her’s, is the way she’ll grab either side of my head and pull me in so that she can EAT MY FACE! Goodness, she is such a lip magnet! I spend all day covering her squishy self with hundreds of kisses. She’s slightly on the spastic side (Don’t know where she would have inherited that trait.) She’ll sit perched on my lap wildly flailing her legs and arms while chanting “He he he hay ha!” The whole while a huge gummy smile splits her face.
Plus, she is such a squealer and a screamer. Where as Normy grunted, Georgia makes these adorable girly squeaks. It is so flipping cute! She sleeps through the night in her own bed. She naps. She rolls over front to back and she smiles big as the moon when her brother comes into view. She plays quietly by herself, and sometimes even gets fussy when she just wants some alone time on a blanket with her toys.
Um… does it sound to you like I have the perfect baby?
Yea, I think so too.
Does this mean she’s going to be a pain in the neck as a teenager?
Naaa! Not my precious little Pigarella!
7 comments:
Becca, she is absolutely beautiful!!I mean...no exaggeration at all.Those eyes are incredible.
As for Mr. Twinkle Toes. Jack does it too. All of the time and everywhere. I seriously don't think it's because you put him in the exersaucer too soon! But we are our worst critics!
Let's hope both our girls grow up to be nothing like us otherwise....we're screwed!
she is absolutly perfect... i miss her every day!! i cant wait to see you again... maybe next time both jacobs will be with you! love and miss you!!
Maureen
what girl isn't a pain in the neck as a teenager?.... Im pretty sure i am ... haha
much love and i miss you all so dearly.
love from top city.
aunt b
I thought that I had the perfect daughter until I saw what middle school did to her and it went down hill. Hang on to the moment, you will need it to remember that you really love her later when she screws up.
Granpy
Your baby girl is so precious!
Lila does the tip toe walking too, and I notice kids her age doing it all the time as well. It must be normal :).
Thank you for the beautiful pictures of our grandchildren!
aww your little georgia is too cute! Quick I need baby-biotics stat!
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