Memories of Ruth
When Ruth was just born, i was really happy with the lot i was given, after the initial shock, of course. after about 10 weeks, it was great. She smiled. She slept. She fed well and she liked sitting in other peoples' arms as well as mine.
I thought it was wonderful watching her grow, get smarter.. look at me adoringly. Lift up her arms when she wanted to be carried. She walked at one year, said things like 'mama', 'dada', 'see you!' and 'uh oh!' at that time. She understood NO and always stopped in her tracks when i said it. She was competent at the stairs, going up and down, and i would call to her from upstairs and she would crawl up to me from the downstairs play area. She was sorted.
An experienced friend told me it would get even better. She said the best things about kids are the funny things they do and say when they are older.
Here are some experiences:
1) A year ago (2.5 years old) we are sitting in the car, for another LONG hour and a half journey from Hackney to Wimbledon. 'Mummy, London is so.. far away'.
We had just moved form Oz, where car journeys we took were only 10 minutes.
2) One afternoon after nursery. "mummy, i had an accident'. Me: WHAT??! where how?'. 'It was last night. i changed out of my clothes and cleaned the floor up'. 'Where are the dirty clothes??' 'In the laundry hamper'. True enough, there they were, and the bathroom floor was spotless.
3) *when throwing a tantrum for a few minutes*
Me: Ok... that's enough now. let's breathe and calm down.
Ruth : actually breathes deeply with me (like in yoga) and calms down.
4) This morning (she's 3 and 3 quarters now), i woke up early and was taking a shower. Suddenly, the lights in my bathroom went on. That was Ruth, who recently got tall enough to reach the switches. I expected her to be in my room, waiting for me. In fact, after my hair dried, i walked downstairs to find the living room lights on and her, at the kitchen table, painting. She had helped herself to her craft scissors and was cutting out pictures of cats and rabbits i had drawn for her years ago, and managed to open the watercolours and fill her glass with water to wet her brush.
'Good morning mummy!'
5) Me: Darling, tonight i want you to sleep by yourself and not come into my bed
Ruth: Ok
and she doesn't.
6) When she does come for cuddles at night from a nightmare, she gets kicked out of bed if she fidgets after 3 strikes. Now, she just cuddles for a bit, and then leaves to go to her own bed
7) (this is a bad experience) Baby eoin is fast asleep. When i put her to bed at night, she feels awake. After a while, i hear little chirps and squeaks from Baby Eoin. I walk into the room and find her inside his cot, standing over her baby and pulling at his grobag. Eoin is smiling and chirping at her.
'ARGH!!! why did you wake baby eoin up?! He's sick!!!! He needs sleep!'
Ruth 'But i want him'.
I thought it was wonderful watching her grow, get smarter.. look at me adoringly. Lift up her arms when she wanted to be carried. She walked at one year, said things like 'mama', 'dada', 'see you!' and 'uh oh!' at that time. She understood NO and always stopped in her tracks when i said it. She was competent at the stairs, going up and down, and i would call to her from upstairs and she would crawl up to me from the downstairs play area. She was sorted.
An experienced friend told me it would get even better. She said the best things about kids are the funny things they do and say when they are older.
Here are some experiences:
1) A year ago (2.5 years old) we are sitting in the car, for another LONG hour and a half journey from Hackney to Wimbledon. 'Mummy, London is so.. far away'.
We had just moved form Oz, where car journeys we took were only 10 minutes.
2) One afternoon after nursery. "mummy, i had an accident'. Me: WHAT??! where how?'. 'It was last night. i changed out of my clothes and cleaned the floor up'. 'Where are the dirty clothes??' 'In the laundry hamper'. True enough, there they were, and the bathroom floor was spotless.
3) *when throwing a tantrum for a few minutes*
Me: Ok... that's enough now. let's breathe and calm down.
Ruth : actually breathes deeply with me (like in yoga) and calms down.
4) This morning (she's 3 and 3 quarters now), i woke up early and was taking a shower. Suddenly, the lights in my bathroom went on. That was Ruth, who recently got tall enough to reach the switches. I expected her to be in my room, waiting for me. In fact, after my hair dried, i walked downstairs to find the living room lights on and her, at the kitchen table, painting. She had helped herself to her craft scissors and was cutting out pictures of cats and rabbits i had drawn for her years ago, and managed to open the watercolours and fill her glass with water to wet her brush.
'Good morning mummy!'
5) Me: Darling, tonight i want you to sleep by yourself and not come into my bed
Ruth: Ok
and she doesn't.
6) When she does come for cuddles at night from a nightmare, she gets kicked out of bed if she fidgets after 3 strikes. Now, she just cuddles for a bit, and then leaves to go to her own bed
7) (this is a bad experience) Baby eoin is fast asleep. When i put her to bed at night, she feels awake. After a while, i hear little chirps and squeaks from Baby Eoin. I walk into the room and find her inside his cot, standing over her baby and pulling at his grobag. Eoin is smiling and chirping at her.
'ARGH!!! why did you wake baby eoin up?! He's sick!!!! He needs sleep!'
Ruth 'But i want him'.