on the wall, who's the fairest baby of them all?
One of the biggest challenges of staying at home with an infant is coming up with things to do with them each day. Since she isn't in daycare, I feel it's important she gets plenty of opportunities to interact with other babies. And, frankly, getting out of the house keeps me sane as well.
In the city of Chicago there is plenty for kids to do. If you feel like paying hand over fist. As I've mentioned before, we signed up for a music class. That meets once per week. It was pricey, but I think she enjoyed it, as did I, so it was worth the expense. But, we can't afford to do a class every day. Fortunately, there are lots of other moms in the same boat. It's just a matter of meeting them.
I found a group of mom's in my neighborhood with babies all the same age, and we meet up once a week at each others homes. Yesterday, we went to a home that hadn't been baby proofed. At all. So the mom's of the crawlers (myself included) were darting from one side of the room to the next to play defense. It was exhausting. I placed Evie directly in the center of the room, amidst all the other babies, hoping that would distract her. I watched as she sat on her knees, and suddenly bent down to start licking the carpet! Sick!! I went to quickly grab her up, and she looked at me with such surprise. What had she done wrong? I realized then why it was she was licking the carpet. There was a baby mirror beneath her. She was kissing herself.
Give this child a reflective surface, and she'll stay occupied for hours. Okay, maybe not hours, but at least ten minutes. Vanity? Or, just happy to see a friendly face? Who knows. But, it never fails. If we're out and she's acting restless, I can plop her next to a window and suddenly she's happy as can be. I used to think she was watching the outside world, but now I've come to realize she's infatuated with that lovely baby she sees. Of course I find my own daughter beautiful. Any parent does. But, is it normal for the baby to find herself equally gorgeous? Hopefully this is a phase that will eventually pass. It's not going to go over well if she's still staring at herself or kissing mirrors come middle or high school. I suppose Will and I aren't helping matters any. Every time we pass a mirror while carrying her, we point to her reflection and wave or smile. Sometimes we sing songs and dance. She LOVES it. It's fun to watch her get such a kick out of it. Perhaps it's time we find a new game...
One of the biggest challenges of staying at home with an infant is coming up with things to do with them each day. Since she isn't in daycare, I feel it's important she gets plenty of opportunities to interact with other babies. And, frankly, getting out of the house keeps me sane as well.
In the city of Chicago there is plenty for kids to do. If you feel like paying hand over fist. As I've mentioned before, we signed up for a music class. That meets once per week. It was pricey, but I think she enjoyed it, as did I, so it was worth the expense. But, we can't afford to do a class every day. Fortunately, there are lots of other moms in the same boat. It's just a matter of meeting them.
I found a group of mom's in my neighborhood with babies all the same age, and we meet up once a week at each others homes. Yesterday, we went to a home that hadn't been baby proofed. At all. So the mom's of the crawlers (myself included) were darting from one side of the room to the next to play defense. It was exhausting. I placed Evie directly in the center of the room, amidst all the other babies, hoping that would distract her. I watched as she sat on her knees, and suddenly bent down to start licking the carpet! Sick!! I went to quickly grab her up, and she looked at me with such surprise. What had she done wrong? I realized then why it was she was licking the carpet. There was a baby mirror beneath her. She was kissing herself.
Give this child a reflective surface, and she'll stay occupied for hours. Okay, maybe not hours, but at least ten minutes. Vanity? Or, just happy to see a friendly face? Who knows. But, it never fails. If we're out and she's acting restless, I can plop her next to a window and suddenly she's happy as can be. I used to think she was watching the outside world, but now I've come to realize she's infatuated with that lovely baby she sees. Of course I find my own daughter beautiful. Any parent does. But, is it normal for the baby to find herself equally gorgeous? Hopefully this is a phase that will eventually pass. It's not going to go over well if she's still staring at herself or kissing mirrors come middle or high school. I suppose Will and I aren't helping matters any. Every time we pass a mirror while carrying her, we point to her reflection and wave or smile. Sometimes we sing songs and dance. She LOVES it. It's fun to watch her get such a kick out of it. Perhaps it's time we find a new game...
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