Play Time

Little Dude recently acquired a music table. It's one of those toys that drives you crazy after a while, but he really enjoys it. He prefers the buttons that play music than those that teach him the ABC. I don't blame him to be honest!

My husband and I have recently been discussing what to buy him for his 1st birthday. The subject of toy that he can push came up. I'm all for it, but can't help feeling a little disheartened. My little guy will be walking very soon and I'm totally unprepared.

The slightest hint of him growing and adding new skills to his repertoire sends me into emotional overdrive. Did I blink and miss a year? My husband doesn't understand it. He's so excited that Little Dude is becoming more interactive, I don't think he realises just how much I loved those first couple of months full to bursting with snuggles that didn't involve him trying to escape my arms. Don't get me wrong - if it is at all possible, I love my Little Man more than ever. I love watching him play, laugh and learn. But I miss that newborn feeling.

I never realised that my son turning one would have such a huge impact on me.

Birthday blues

Little Dude is turning one next month, so naturally we have decided to have a small party to celebrate. After finding the perfect invitation and sending it online, I feel like I've been punched in the gut. My little guy is nearly one and I have no idea where this year has gone. It feels like yesterday when I held him in my arms for the first time. Now he's walking around the furniture and playing patty-cake with me.

If I hear one more person say "next thing you know, he'll be asking you for your car keys" I'm going to scream. Not only because it's annoying, but because I feel like the time is slipping away and I have no idea where it's going.

Still, I love watching him learn and develop. I love catching glimpses of his little personality. I love that he is now able to crawl over to me and climb into my arms for snuggles. I guess it's all just a part of growing up - not just for a kid, but for a Mama too.

All That Jazz

We've never had a problem with getting our son to sleep. He takes after his mother in that respect - I have a very good relationship with my pillow. But recently, he's been fighting sleep and refuses to be put in his crib.

We tried everything in the book. Fed him, changed him, bathed him, read to him, checked to make sure he didn't have a fever, rocked him, sat with him and eventually left him to cry it out. But he kept crying it out and we kept going back in to his room to check he was OK and that there was nothing we'd missed. By the time he'd eventually fall asleep in my arms, it would be 11.30pm.

My husband has an I-pod. I admit I've never owned one, but they're wonderful little gadgets! He has all kinds of music stored on it from R&B to Punk Rock. He also has a lot of Jazz.

Since it has now been two weeks since the three of us have had a decent night sleep, we thought we'd experiment with playing the little dude Jazz while he falls asleep. Normally when he hears music (he adores Beyonce) he looks around to see where the party's at. But the soft sounds of Miles Davis tinkling from the little gadget in the corner of his room send him drifting of to sleep very nicely!

Note to self: Never give up. There is always a solution to a problem, it's just that some take less time to work out than others.