Remember when I wrote about the ‘calm before the storm’ just a few short weeks ago? Well, it looks like the storm is beginning to brew as evidenced by the toys scattered around our house as though a hurricane just passed through! Not only is Mariah improving her crawling, sitting, and standing skills, but she is also apparently working towards a degree in mischief. At 7 and a half months old, she decided that she was old enough to climb the stairs, so she’s been practicing that whenever mommy turns her head. She has discovered that our drawers and cupboards are filled with colorful and exciting new things – most of which she shouldn’t be playing with. Despite having a toybox full of age-appropriate fun, Mariah prefers to pull all of our books out from the shelves, unfold entire laundry baskets, and her all-time favourite – eat paper from the recycling bin! She demonstrates her love for a good challenge by using our dining set as a crawling maze. Somehow she manages not to bump her head on chair legs, but makes up for it by falling down often when she’s trying to reach things she shouldn’t (like our fireplace or laptop). I try scolding her with a firm ‘No’ but she misinterprets it as a game and usually smiles while she continues breaking all the rules. Needless to say, babyproofing is on the top of our priority list at the moment.
We were beginning to worry that we had a fussy eater on our hands when she began pursing her lips and turning her face each time the spoon came near. But we have realized that Mariah simply doesn’t like baby-foods nor being spoon-fed. She will gladly finish half a banana for breakfast if you just set it in front of her and allow her to eat like a big girl (but one who makes a complete mess of herself). Mariah also prefers to eat what mommy and daddy are eating, so we’re trying to make healthy and flavourful things we can all enjoy – last week she even had rice, dal (curried lentils) & fish for dinner! Now before you post a comment about choking hazards or foods to avoid – don’t panic, I’ve done my research. Many new parents are now choosing to implement ‘baby-led weaning’ (i.e. allowing your baby to explore and eat minced or finger foods independently rather than being spoon-fed purees). In fact, I even attended a presentation by our hospital network that explains the pendulum has returned to minimizing purees and instead encouraging your baby to progressively eat whatever you’re eating by 1.
Mariah’s other miscellaneous monkey business includes her strong dislike for clothing. She gets very upset when we try to dress her and tries her hardest to re-direct her limbs out of sleeves and pantlegs. In fact, Mariah even resists diaper changes. Instead of lying flat for optimal changing conditions, she constantly twists herself onto her stomach and tries to flee the scene as if she thought cleaning her poop was not a sufficiently stimulating task for me!
Now – I know what you must be thinking “at least she’s old enough to sleep through the night so you’re well-rested”, right? Wrong! When most babies were busy learning how to sleep through the night around 4 months old, Mariah must have skipped that class and attended “how to become a worse and worse sleeper” instead. My goal was to have her in her crib by the end of Ivan’s summer holidays, but since we can’t keep up her with demands through our exhaustion – she’s managed to sneak back into our bed for most of the night. Whereas she used to sleep 3-5 hours at a time as a newborn, she has spent the last few months waking up every hour or two to nurse or just cause ruckus. In fact, last night she sat up to chat and bang on our heads. And when I asked Ivan what time it was, he growled “2 in the morning!” (I laughed and asked him whether the ‘in the morning’ part was really necessary). And instead of taking hour and a half naps like other babies her age, she is usually standing up in her crib calling for us after half an hour.
But as our families often remind us – apparently this is all pay-back. Ivan and I were both arguably the most mischievious kids in our families…so if you do the math, Mariah’s genes are a perfect recipe for monkey business. And just like my last entry – despite my sarcastic undertone, please know that we wouldn’t want Mariah any other way! She keeps us on our toes but also keeps us entertained and smiling. I’ve never met a more active baby and curious baby, but lucky for Mariah, I’ve also never met a cuter baby so it’s virtually impossible to get mad at her.
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