I must say I think I have a bit of a complex... well I probably have several, but I am referring to one type of complex in particular. I will call this complex the “Can’t-Stand-Anything-Missing-From-The-Set” Complex. I’m sure some of you would be able to emphathise. I’ve had this complex for years, but today, it seems like all the sets are out to get me...

I’m packing away the blocks. There are 48 blocks. They all fit perfectly in their box so I know if they are all there or not. I get to the top layer and all is going well. I glance around at the left over blocks. My head tells me something is not right and soon my fears are realised... 

There is a block missing. 

I breathe deeply and assess the playroom. It could be under that toy. I look and it’s not there. Remain calm. I keep looking under toys until I have to assume it is not in this room. I will have to keep looking for it throughout the day. And no matter what else enters my head during the afternoon, I will still remember that I haven’t yet found the block. 

There are also other similar issues occurring today. I have a set of 30 connector pen textas. Rascal likes to pull them apart and I was letting her do that earlier this morning. Just now, I put them all back together. There are only 29 and I have looked everywhere for the other but to no avail!

And so goes the story of my putting-away time. 16 parts to the toy train. Check. 6 books in the Nursery Rhyme set, 4 pairs of animals in the Noah’s ark set + Noah himself of course. Check. 4 cups, large and small plates, knives, forks, spoons, cups and mugs in the toy dish set. Oh no, there are still some missing! There is 1 fork, 2 large plates and a cup missing.  I will have to address this sometime soon...

The only solution to this problem is to buy nothing in sets. I need to just buy one of everything. But this will never happen, so I will have to resign myself to always being worried when there is one thing missing!


Libby :)

What are your qualifications? Do you have the prerequisites for the job? As mothers, there are many roles we now fulfill and this will be added to as our children increase in age and number! Let's explore some of the roles that are required for babies, toddlers and young children below: 

Food Fabricator: We are in charge of either producing or creating food. Whether it be making breastmilk, shaking up a bottle of formula, chopping up finger food, blitzing pumpkin into a perfect puree or using all your upper body strength to mash a potato, we are the ones who are responsible for it. And that never ends, no matter how far into their twenties they get (though hopefully they can mash their own food by then!)

Comfort Creator: We are also responsible for making sure our children are positioned in a level of comfort that would rival any royal ruler. They have to be just the right temperature, have the right amount of padding underneath them, have just the right amount of breeze blowing on them, just the right number of stuffed toys within reach. Their tummy has to be at just the right fullness level with their body at ideal hydration. Everything has to be just right and we are supposed to be experts in this area.

Excellent Entertainer: We are required to have a wide repertoire of extremely exciting acts. These acts need to utilise normal, everyday items and be available at the drop of a hat. The repertoire also needs to evolve and change to adjust to the child’s interests, age and boredom level. With this prerequisite, mums are also required to throw any hint of self-respect, dignity (although that’s long since gone) and stage fright out the window. You will be performing in public for the rest of your life, so get over it and embrace it!

Desperate Distracter: We need to have the ability to find a safe, exciting and new distraction that is more interesting than the unsafe, destructive and annoying thing that the child wishes to do. This is one of the most difficult prerequisites because it requires the mum to think on her feet 24/7, full night’s sleep or not! The added difficulty in this prerequisite is that when we have had limited sleep, the child seems to be even more likely to go for the activities that are dangerous or destructive! So these occasions are when we are required to be at our quickest and sharpest. A challenge indeed! 

Waste Wiper: One of the most repetitive prerequisites is the art of removing stinky, smeared poo from the bottoms of our children. This would be fine if all children laid perfectly still as we performed this service, but most toddlers do not appreciate the act of removing waste from their bottoms. Mums need to have advanced agility and dexterity to master this skill whilst also ensuring that the surrounding walls, carpet, tiles, parents and other parts of the child remain (relatively) poo free. 

Continuous Cleaner: Mums are required to provide clean places for children to make dirty again. If crumbs, mashed banana or partially digested bread land on the floor, it is the mother’s job to remove it at the end of the meal, so that during the next meal, there is space for the child to put more rejected food. If the toys are all spread around the playroom, it is the mother’s job to pack them up at the end of the day so that, within 2.4 minutes of the child starting to play the next morning, they can be all back where they started! This concept applies to basically all parts of cleaning. 


Clothing Connoisseur: In the job description of a mother, this one becomes one of the most life-controlling elements. We must be continually focused on each and every member of the family having respectable, appropriate and clean clothing, of the approximate right size, to wear. We must be an expert in the domestic art of placing clothes in the washing machine, carrying the basket to the preferred hanging location, hanging them out, waiting an appropriate time to allow sufficient drying, taking them off the preferred hanging line, carrying them back inside, folding them into piles and putting them away. Some lucky clothes may be ironed, but most can be folded in such a way that this is not required. For some of us, all of this must be done whilst one or more “helpers” are present, ensuring that the task takes up far more of your precious time than it ever should!

There are many more prerequisites that we are required to have when facing up to the job of being mother, but remember that in all these tasks, we are providing an upbringing for our children that will help shape the people they are one day. After all, we chose this for ourselves! Let’s laugh about it and embrace the job with the most prerequisites! 

Libby :)

As I approach Rascal's first birthday, I have been looking back over the pregnancy diary I kept while I was carrying her. I thought I would share it with you, week by week! Here goes:

Week 5

Found out today I am pregnant!  Was extremely excited!  I did the pregnancy test randomly at about 6 am and burst in on my sleeping husband yelling “It’s positive!  It’s positive!”  He jolted out of sleep and screamed “What’s positive?!” To which I responded loudly, “The pregnancy test!” We are naming it “Little One” for now. We decided to tell one very close friend who is also a midwife and she burst into tears!  Went to the GP and had a blood test which showed a good strong HCG reading. Very excited!

Week 6

I can’t believe it but I can’t fit into any button up pants. I thought that was meant to happen later with my first! And I can already feel a hard lump about the size of a plum above my pubic bone.... I’m not sure I should be able to feel that yet!  Let’s hope I’m not having twins!  Went to the GP for full bloods and the HCG is rising sharply!  Good sign! Also I am feeling icky everyday.  Aversions to many foods and smells.  The kitchen hasn’t been cleaned for days but I’m not doing it and Hubby has declared he isn’t if I’m not! So we are at a stand off!

Week 7

Went for a dating scan today. Good to see a little blob on the screen with a steady strong heartbeat. Still doesn’t look like a baby, though, so I guess we’ll have to wait for the 12 week scan! Best of all, though, there’s only one baby in there! Still consistent sickness feeling but still no vomiting thank God! Mum might be coming down to help with our move (we are moving at the end of the year to a new town), so it will be interesting to see how I keep this from her as we’ve decided to tell everyone at 12 weeks.

Week 8

It feels strange this week having nothing to look at or see.  We had blood tests for the first 2 weeks and then the scan, but this week there is no assurance!  It is ok though.  We feel like we need to tell our employer for next year, as we have had a call to a country school. But I vow and declare that I’m not telling our employer until we have told our parents. So we decide to tell our parents!  Mine have guests at their house and need to keep their reactions close to their chest!  But talking to them later, we find out they really are excited. Hubby’s mum is also over the moon but wishes we weren’t moving now! At least I won’t need to keep it from Mum when she comes now! Someone I know asked if congratulations were in order, but I got them off the scent. I’m starting to look pregnant!  Ahhhhh!

Week 9

One of my best friends gets suspicious so I tell her and she is over the moon! She also bursts into tears. This is becoming a theme! Mum arrives and is super excited!  It is lovely to share all this with her. Stomach is still not happy and it is hard to find things to eat – but I have to keep it full or the nausea is worse.  Also at work, one of my colleagues guessed that I was pregnant and I went beetroot red and didn’t say anything at first, so now someone else knows.  I must say it’s a bit nerve racking thinking about how many people keep finding out and how many people will need to be told if something goes wrong but I need to not think about that! 

Week 10

I still feel sick but it’s bearable. Went to a Year 12 formal with my husband, who teaches at a highschool.  Couldn’t find any formal dresses to wear except one really formal one. But it was a bit obvious that I have a bit of a bump. One of Hubby’s colleagues asked if I was pregnant and he laughed it off.  But it is becoming obvious..... Ahhhh!

Week 11

Hubby’s birthday was this week and I surprised him with lots of presents and a dinner out with the parents! He loved it all, I think!  There is only 1 week til I get to have a scan!  I rang up and booked it in.  I can’t wait to start telling people soon!

Week 12

The scan was booked for 9 am on Monday. The school I work for has an excursion to a local indoor pool, so I said I’d meet them there as I have in the past, and my principal fell for it! I have been determined to keep it from her as she believes she is a guru in picking pregnancies. Anyway I had the scan and I have one word for it: AMAZING!  I wasn’t expecting the detail!  I wasn’t expecting the movement! I was constantly saying “ohhhhh!”  “Ooooooo.” It was sooooo cute!  I was in love instantly! Had an immense amount of fun telling everyone!  No one knew!  FUN FUN FUN!  I told my class and they were SOOOO excited but disappointed that I won’t be there to show them the baby as I’m moving away.  I promised pictures sent to the school. It is also the last week of school so I got lots of pressies from kids and their parents after the principal announced it at the Presentation Night. I didn’t expect so many presents so soon!

Week 13

I’m still having fun telling people that don’t know! Also, my mum and other close friends organised a baby shower for me as I am moving away and they won’t get a chance to throw one later. It was fun with games and pressies! I have heaps of baby presents now, which I wasn’t expecting at all! There are enough to fill a large plastic tub. There was lots of packing up this week at both school and home. The removalist truck came and took our stuff to our new town and we moved to my mum-in-law’s house as she’s away on an overseas trip.

Week 14

This week is a relaxing one! We went away with our closest friends and had a lovely time shopping for more maternity wear! I can’t take anything pressing on my belly at the moment. At church they had a special prayer for us as we move away and announced that we are “expecting” even though I have told most people. I was surprised that over 20 people came up and said they had not known!  Quite incredible as I have not been keeping it a secret.

Week 15

Have had some uterus cramps – like period pain – this week and read that it is another growth spurt for the uterus. I may be able to start feeling the baby move soon, which should be fun!  Will have to wait and see! Enjoyable Christmas and shopping this week. Was fun! Interesting to think what next Christmas will be like.... I’ll have a six-month old!

Week 16

The big move is happening this week. Travelled across the country with bub on board. Thank goodness for my special seatbelt seat which makes the seatbelt go almost between my legs instead of across my belly. It made the long trip very comfortable. Have some suspicions that I may be feeling the baby move but not sure yet... I read one website that said “if you think you’re feeling the baby, you probably are” so hopefully I am!


 

I believe that God gives every child the mother they need to become the best they can be in the world. No two mums are the same and this is exactly how God intended it because no two children are the same! 

As a mother, I aim to constantly provide for the needs of my little Rascal, both short-term and long-term. This means that Rascal always gets what she needs short-term. She gets what she wants short-term only when it doesn’t affect what she needs long-term. For example, if she wants a drink of my juice, I will not allow her to have any because long-term, that will affect the way her body uses energy and she will crave more and more sugar, not to mention her teeth, etc! But if she wants to play with my scarf or some other safe thing, there is no reason why she cannot do that and it will make her happy, so I will let her.

I also believe that humans need a sense of routine, something familiar. Not rigid in any way, but rather I believe that Rascal needs a flexible routine. That has been my aim from the start. Coming from a Primary Teaching background where every day is outlined in a barely changing timetable, I never questioned whether or not I would have a routine. I just knew I would. And I have had since the very first day home.  I am a routine person, so in the beginning of motherhood, I had to make a conscious effort to not worry if the routine wasn’t followed exactly. I have a friend who once told me to focus on the aim of what you are trying to do; for example – you are trying to feed your baby. She is crying because her teeth are hurting when she sucks. So you express your milk into a bottle and attach a soft teat. Baby eats. Job done. It doesn’t matter that you had to follow different steps that would not be in the ideal routine, it just matters that the baby was fed, which was the original aim. 

Obviously, it would be wonderful if everything could always go to plan, but we mothers know that this doesn’t always happen. For some children it may be a rare occurrence to follow the routine. For others, it may be the norm. I found I just needed to be open to coming up with a new idea when the ideal one didn’t work that day. Fortunately for me, Rascal is usually up with the routine. But if she isn’t, we tweak it until it works. I have come to love the challenge of working out a new routine when the other one isn’t working anymore. I also love then explaining this routine to anyone who will listen, though that doesn’t seem to be too many people!  Our routine has become an ever-evolving work-in-progress that has adjusted to Rascal’s changing needs and maturity. It has worked beautifully for my daughter and I. I look forward to coming up with more routines as she reaches one year old and beyond.

My motherhood creed is, then, to let God show me the kind of mum I need to be for Rascal. I want to provide a stable environment where she is loved and cared for in both the short-term and long-term.  I want to meet the challenges of motherhood with determination and stability, with flexibility and creativity. And I want to have fun and learn lots while doing it!


Libby :)

I found out at 28 weeks that my little “Rascal” was breech. They said that she’d most likely turn around, but to just keep in the back of my mind that it was a possibility I’d need a caesarean. My instant reaction was one of horror and determination. There would be no circumstances where I would have a caesarean! I am a strong woman and I will push her out regardless!

But as the weeks rolled on and I did my research, listened at pre-natal classes and came to the conclusion that the safest solution would be to have a caesarean if bub remained breech. To make it more complicated, she was frank breech, meaning her legs were straight up with her feet in her face. It would be like trying to push out a wedge. It wasn’t fair of me to risk her life and my own health by insisting I have a natural birth. I had time to make myself ok with a caesar. As each check up came and went, and Rascal was still happy sitting up in my uterus, I actually began to like the idea of having a planned caesarean.  I reached 36 weeks and she was still breech. They tried to turn her with an ECV but she didn’t want to, and to be honest, at that point, I would have almost been disappointed if she had! I was completely at peace with my decision to have a caesarean. At 37 weeks I went in for a routine check up with the obstetrician and she jumped online to book in my caesar. There was no availability for 39 weeks, so she booked it for 38 weeks, which was the next week!

I had not been expecting that at all and I was excited and stunned in one emotion! I walked out of the car in a daze and rang my husband, who was excited that we knew the date. I went to the car and pushed the unlocking button but nothing happened. I pushed it a few more times and then tried to get in with the key itself before I realised it wasn’t my car. I hadn’t parked here! I was so frazzled, I was trying to break into someone else’s car! In my defense it was the same make, model and colour as mine, but funny none the less!

I was still working as a primary teacher at this stage so I worked for the rest of the week as planned and then went on maternity leave. Both my parents and my husband’s mum arrived a few days before the date. I called the hospital the day before and confirmed that everything was good to go. I rang a close friend and told her that I was having bub the next day. She was over the moon!

The day dawned. I had slept well and felt calm and excited all at once. We got up and got ready. I straightened my hair so I’d look ok for after-birth photos. We had to be at the hospital at 12 noon so we left about 11.45 am and casually arrived. My husband and I came in our car and the parents came a few hours later to wait, or should I say pace, in the waiting room. We were put in a joint room to wait for surgery prep. It was a public hospital as there was no other option where I lived. While I went to surgery, though, my family moved all our stuff out into a private room.

We were wheeled towards theatre and I can’t remember feeling worried. I was just willing time to move forward because I knew I would meet my daughter today!  I remember being surprised at the amount of people in the room and wondering if they were all there for this surgery. As it turned out, they were! I walked over to the surgery table and sat up. They were taping things to me and I leaned forward to have the spinal put in. It took literally forever. I remember asking my midwife if the guy knew what he was doing or if he was a student. She assured me that he knew what he was doing but it didn’t give me any relief because it literally took about 15 minutes. Once the anesthetic was in and working, they called my husband in. He came and sat near me and they started straight away. I said to the chief anesthetist that I could feel something and she assured me that unless I felt like screaming in pain, it was nothing as they had already done all the cuts. I was like, ok then!

Over the next few minutes, I had the weirdest sensations and feelings flowing through my body. Pressure like you wouldn’t believe, pulling and tugging to the point where my whole body was moving. The anesthetist said it was because she was breech and there was nothing to hold onto! No handle on her bottom! Just before I thought the weirdness would get to me and I would start to holler hysterically, they pulled out my little lady. They dropped the sheet and we had our first look at the little lady. My first thought was, “Yay! It’s really a girl!” because they never give 100% confirmation. My second thought was “How in the world did she fit in there!”  She looked far too big for my medium sized bump!

She was taken to a little table and Daddy went with her. We had been warned that her legs might be stuck up around her face due to the frank breech position she had been in but my husband looked over and mouthed, “her legs are down!” So much for that! She made no noise for what seemed like forever, but Daddy also assured me she was breathing and moving around. When she finally did decide to shed a few tears, I also burst into tears with relief because, for about a minute, I couldn’t see what was going on and wasn’t sure if she was ok.  She didn’t cry for long and they wrapped her up and brought her over to me. I gazed at her in a dazed way and looked up at my husband. “She’s very cute,” I remember saying in amazement. I’m not sure what kind of monster I was expecting but obviously that was amazing to me! We sat there gazing at her and watching as she peeked out one eye, assessing the weird world she now found herself in. We discussed whether the name we had picked suited her and decided it did. They stitched me up and Daddy went on ahead with Rascal to wait in recovery.

I came out and got to hold her properly for the first time without my hands tied to a table! The midwife asked me if I wanted to try and feed her and I eagerly answered in the affirmative. As she was positioning Rascal towards my breast, she was explaining to me that most babies don’t know what they are doing and to be patient with her. Mid sentence, Rascal decided she had had enough of being placed in front of her dinner and not given any, so lunged forward madly, latched perfectly and started sucking to her hearts content. The midwife was stunned and said “this one obviously does know!”

At this stage we didn’t realise how much time had gone by. The poor grandparents were sitting in the waiting room and had been for hours. They had no idea if everything was going well or not. It came time to leave recovery and head back to my room. We passed the waiting room on the way to my room and I waved at Mum and Dad, while my husband went in to tell them it was a girl and what her name was.  They gave us another half an hour to settle then came in to see her. When I look at the clock in the background of photos, the poor things waited for literally 4 hours. I didn’t realise it took that long!

Rascal continued to eat well. I developed mild stinging of the nipples and expressed for a few feeds on two occasions while in hospital. This prevented further damage and I was able to continue to feed with no problems after leaving hospital. 

The only negative thing about my time in hospital was one night with a particular midwife that shouldn’t be a midwife! She was very negative about my ability to be a mother and provide for my baby, basically saying I was doing nothing right. Fortunately I am a confident person so, although it shook me initially (it was 3 am and I had been a mother for two days), it only took a few kind words from a different, lovely midwife to make me feel fine again. I saw the mean midwife several days later on a different shift and she looked away guiltily so I think she must have known she was out of line!

My days in hospital were fantastic as my awesome parents and lovely mum-in-law were able to come in every day. They would come in after breakfast and take Rascal in her little cot for a walk to a sitting room. I would sleep for a few hours and then they would bring her back to be fed. The afternoon we would all hang out together or Daddy would just stay to spend time with us. I stayed for five days and was ready to go home to my beautifully cleaned and organised house. I had fun settling in with all the stuff we had bought for Rascal when she was an unknown entity.

Overall, I had a very positive experience bringing Rascal into the world. It wasn’t how imagined at the start of my pregnancy but I was happy with it and even more happy with the outcome. I do not feel, in any way, that I have been robbed of a “proper” experience and believe I made the right decision for myself and my daughter. In the future, I would try to have a VBAC but if I can’t for any reason I will be happy to have another caesarean. I’m just happy that I have an adorable daughter to love and cherish!


Libby :)

People often say that life is a bit of ‘give’ and a bit of ‘take.’  I disagree.  I would say that life is all ‘give’ and ‘take.’  I say this because, at the moment, my eleven and a half month old “Rascal” is constantly giving me things and taking them back.  It’s the latest thing...

She hands me a block or any other toy, looks into my eyes and smiles, then quickly takes it back in case I was planning to run away with it.  She sits eating her biscuits and pieces of pear at lunch. I must look hungry or forlorn because she feels the need to give them to me (after she has sucked on them and mooshed them) but is shocked if I eat them, and quickly reaches to snatch them back and into her mouth. She rips my sunglasses off my face and gives them back, only to take them straight away again. She does it with my hair too – though that is harder to give back (even though she tries to reattach it!) The most precious thing she gives is her dummy. She loves her dummy and she generously shares it with me on a regular basis. On the premise, of course, that I give it straight back!

There are some things that I am happy to have taken and given back. Kisses are one of these. She takes my kisses and gets this serious look on her face, like she just knows she’s received something special. In slow motion, she moves her face closer, until it connects with mine. Then she smooshes her whole face on mine and that is her kiss. It is adorable!

It’s funny to see an immature form of sharing emerging from her sponge-like brain. She shares... but to a point. I will share it with you only if I get it straight back.  I am looking forward to following her development to when she will share happily with others, even if they don’t give it back straight away, or ever. 

Children are given to us so that we can teach them to grow into wonderful people. They ‘take’ all they can from us – absorbing it for later. But they don’t only take. More often than not, they teach us to become better than we are. They give back to us tenfold what we have given to them. I’m already seeing that in the short eleven and a half months I have had as a mother. I am seriously looking forward to the years ahead in my parenting journey of give and take.

Libby :)

This morning, Rascal was in an exploratory mood. This is not anything out of the ordinary lately, but it was particularly so this morning. She was going in and out of various rooms of the house and I was going along closing the doors I didn’t want her in. She came back to the main living area and sat down to play. This only lasted a few minutes and she was off again, this time heading for her bedroom. There wasn’t much in there that was unsafe, so I relaxed in my computer chair and kept researching for her upcoming birthday party. 

Occasionally, I would walk over to the edge of the living area and peek into her room to see what she was doing. The first time I looked she was playing with a doll from her basket of stuffed toys. The second time she was leafing through a book. The third time I checked in response to a strange noise I heard from the room. When I walked over to her bedroom door to work out what the noise was, she smiled cheekily at me, reached over and closed the door in my face. 

I was equally shocked and amused! Here is this, not-quite-one-year-old, already trying to keep me out of her room! If she’s at this level now, imagine what she’ll be like when she’s five... or eight... or fourteen! 

Libby :)

Rascal was about 7 months old when I decided to start teaching her tricks. Yes I know it sounds like I’m teaching a puppy but it’s actually quite a similar process at this age!  I can’t remember all the ones we have done, but here are the ones that have stuck in my memory.

First was knocking down towers. She embraced this trick with all the excitement and determination she could. I would build a tower and she would lean over and knock it down. It got to the point where I would put one block in place to start thinking about building a tower and she would smash it, even though the tower didn’t yet exist! When crawling started, she would come from all ends of the globe to smash any tower I had made and it wasn’t restricted to my towers. She smashed the towers of kid’s friends as well, much to their frustration!

Next was waving. I would wave at her every time I saw her. She would look at me with confusion, sure that her mother had completely lost her mind this time. She thought it was just me initially, so dismissed it as a crazy motherly quirk, but after I convinced Daddy to participate, she thought it might have some merit. It took a couple of days, but eventually she decided to see what would happen and she waved back. I reacted with such exuberance and praise that she continued to wave... at absolutely everything!  

She would wave when someone came into the room, which was appropriate. She happily waved on Skype to the grandparents, much to their delight. She would wave when we went to the door whether someone was there or not. When we walked past a door, she would wave at it in case someone was there. She would wave at her toys, her teddy, her window, photos in frames. Even a plastic bag blowing in the breeze was reason enough to wave! We have a little heater with two knobs (eyes), a button in the middle (nose) and a curved light (mouth), and she reserves her most fervent waves for this object. 

I had already moved on to bigger and better things and was demonstrating clapping hands.  I started clapping constantly and it wasn’t long before she, too, was clapping hands. She was more appropriate at the hand clapping and would clap along to songs and clap on command, much to the delight of the grandparents again!

We then moved on to a sort of warbling sound that is made by making a sound and flicking the bottom lip. She loved this one and would do it constantly. I noticed, though, that the wave was starting to appear less and less. It was like she was only able to hold a certain number of tricks in her “Trick Bank” at any given time! 

There have been many others, but the one we are currently working on is blowing kisses. She just doesn’t see the point of this one! She watches me with a look of mild toleration when I show it to her and blow kisses to Nana on Skype. I’ll be interested to see how long it takes, but I might have to convince Daddy to start blowing kisses. Then she might decide I’m not going mad after all!

Libby :)

Life was good.  Ten month old “Rascal” played contentedly in a safe place on the floor, surrounded by her favourite toys. I sat a few metres away folding washing. As the piles of washing grew in perfect towers, always folded in thirds, of course, I smiled with satisfaction. I finished folding the washing and went to put it away. I could hear Rascal singing and talking contentedly. When I came back, she was still sitting there, exactly where I’d left her. I visited the bathroom, as you do, and Rascal sat on the bedroom carpet, amused as I played peek-a-boo from my perch. Later, in the kitchen, she happily sat and played with various kitchen utensils as I moved freely about, chopping veggies, switching on the oven and putting pots of water on to boil. As I watched her, I thought about how great life was. Only one thought interrupted my bliss...

She was ten months old... and not crawling. And, honestly, I was starting to get a bit worried. What was wrong with her? All her friends were long since crawling or at least doing their own hilarious versions of crawling! And yet, all my little angel could do was roll and sit and lean. I had even taken to crawling around myself at times, in the hope of transferring the skill to her somehow. I tried to quell the rising panic. What if she never learned to crawl?!

Sunday dawned crisp and sunny about two weeks later. Mummy and Daddy were in the living area. Ten and a half month old Rascal wanted her water bottle. She crawled over and got it. SHE CRAWLED! Mummy and Daddy saw it! There may have been tears of happiness. We Skyped both sets of grandparents for a demonstration. I texted numerous friends. I was seriously excited! I watched proudly as she became more confident, gaining speed and distance.

Then one day I was in the bathroom, doing something that had always involved only me, when Rascal crawled in, pulled herself up on my bare leg and tried to see what I was doing. I told her “No, Darling. Yucky...” but that only made her more interested. This theme continued throughout the day. I started folding washing. Rascal, who had been playing contentedly at the other end of the room, decided this was more interesting.  I tried to rescue my perfectly folded, in thirds of course, piles of washing but I just wasn’t fast enough. She grabbed a leftover pile in each hand and smashed them with a grin of pure mischief.

Later, I was in the kitchen preparing dinner as I usually did. Rascal crawled into the room and darted across the kitchen, a gleam in her eye. I realised almost too late that she was headed for a pile of swept up debris from the kitchen and dining room. She’d seen one of her biscuits and wanted to eat it. “Noooooooo!” I squealed, causing her to pause mid nibble. I quickly grabbed the dustpan and brush to clean it up. That was only the beginning. I intercepted her reaching into the bin to grab an empty can. I stopped her from jamming her fingers in the bottom drawer. I prevented a near-burning incident with the oven, several times. It just went on and on. Finally it was time for her afternoon nap and I breathed a sigh of relief! 

Now, in my spare time, I think back to the good old days when she sat peacefully in one spot, my washing piles undisturbed, her life not flashing before her eyes every time she enters the kitchen! I wonder, now, why I ever wanted her to so desperately crawl! But one thing for sure, it certainly adds a different focus to life, a kind of mad struggle to be one step ahead!

Libby :)