Dylan gets the giggles

Dylan Boy - gets the giggles.



Not sure why he's laughing so manically. Maybe he is celebrating the emergence of his first tooth. It hasn't stopped his crying though, so we reckon they will all come in very quick succession.

Like Father like son

I've been thinking about language recently. Just how do you first learn to talk? I mean, when I listen to Aimee chat away, it's a wonder to realise that nearly 99 percent of what she says now, is proper talking. But how does someone so young acquire language? I mean it's not like we sit there and say, OK aimee, today's new word is, erm, no, you can;t understand me can you?
Somehow, the baby and toddler brain just naturally deconstructs everything he or she hears and over a very short period of time, begins to realise how sentances are constructed and what words mean. It's all down to repetition I suppose. Oh, and lots of TV. I know, TV is bad and should not be a substitute nanny. But Aimee just loves Peppa Pig right now. It's the only way we can get her to eat and pee - often at the same time.
Darnit, we'll do better with Dylan, promise.
Speaking of whom. The heavenly angel is now officially the demon child. He screams, and screams, and screams and screams, etc etc etc. Now with added volume. We think strongly that it is his teeth as you can feel ALL of them poking under the gums now (not just the front ones). Although, as yet, they are shy of emerging. God, we hope they do soon, just for our sanity and our hearing. And another thing. He won't drink from the bottle even though we've tried FOUR different brands and a dozen different style teats. He just licks it and blows raspberries. Hmm, I think he knows a lot more than he is able to say.

Girls versus Boys

Before Dylan was born, we thought it would be interesting to see what the guide books say about the experience of raising two little kids was. Most books just talked about jealousy management tactics and gleefully advised that no two kids are the same. Hell yeah, I would agree with that.

Already Dylan is showing strong mannerisms that are a world apart from how Aimee was when she was 5 months old. Like the fact that he wants to eat everything you eat. He'll strain and reach and grab and demand everything that you put in your mouth. Aimee was never interested and still is a food fuss pot, eschewing almost anything new. The baby Aimee would look at a new toy with interest. Turning it over and inspecting, maybe putting it in her mouth. Dylan boy bashes, and bangs and chews and bites and smashes. Aimee would be happy if you put her down on the ground and walked away. Dylan screams if you even lost eye contact. Aimee hates my singing and guitar playing. Dylan is soothed by it. Both were early smilers. I think Dylan has caught to the smile and youet a smile back trick earlier. Aimee was a struggle to breast eed. Dylan much les so, but he refuses the bottle so far, whereas it was never a problem with Aimee.

And so on...there are too numerous differences between the two monkeys. Ones thing is for certain with both though. Together, they make mean combination for us to deal with. When bot kickoff with screaming and crying, it's a very stressful time for all. But when they are both sweet, it is lovely.

Faces

Aimee is getting pretty good at drawing faces now. Thanks to her easy wipe scribbler pad.
It won't be long before she starts producing the classic children's drawing of the family members as stick men.
I think it is decided amongst me and Cat that Dylan is getting harder to look after the older he gets. The once promising easy going laid back baby has transformed into a never-happy constantly fidgeting, cry if you leave me alone for one nano second, baby. I mean he will really scream blue murder if you put him on the floor just to tend to something and when you return he will grin the biggest grin.
We think the biggest issue with him is his unemerged teeth. they burn away like daggers in his gums. And he lets us know it!
the other problems we think he gets annoyed with are - hunger, due to not being able to feed long enough before the pain of the teething gums gets in the way. Then there is the constipation, yep, days and days of no poo ever since we started him on baby rice. As of today, he will be five days without the poo. That's gotta bug him as it would us adults. then there is boredom. With the attention span of a gnat, Dylan will do something, like try to crawl or bite a toy, but gets bored within 2 minutes and scream.
So there you go, life as a five month old is pretty hard going.

Dreaming of a white Springtime

Try to remember when you first saw snow? I mean real snow. Not snow in books, or film or snow shakers. Real snow. This weekend little Aimee finally got the chance to muck around in the white stuff. Of course she knew what it was because of all the picture books and she has seen it before from the window, but we never went out in the snow before. This time, we zipped her up in her all in one snow suit and went out to a patch of grass outdoors.
Her first instinct was to smell the snow. Yes smell it. Then she wanted to feel it and get her hands cold. It was all so wonderful to her. Especially making footprints.
If you this is all very unremarkable, then realise the time of the year – it is April!
We’re all looking forward to the heatwave in December.