Wee Wee Mammy!

I think it’s time for a brief Nabeela update- she has advanced so much in her life in these last few weeks it’s taken my breath away!

After her two-year-milestone growth spurt- which lasted several days and involved feeding lots off me, eating little solid food, extra naps and a smidge of frustration (from her)- we now have a bigger baby, both in body and mind. It looks like it’s time for us to rummage through the charity shops for some new clothes for her. I’m disappointed about this actually; I was hoping to have made her several staples that would see her through for longer by now, but alas this hasn’t been possible.

Here’s a rundown of her most recent sayings.

‘Mammy and daddy go on an aeroplane to Bali’ (Nabeela seems to be implied in this)! I’m fascinated by the impression Bali obviously had on her. Nearly every day we hear about us going to Bali and she often talks about the hotel room, the swimming pool and, of course, the plane.

Whenever she sees a plane she now points to it and exclaims ‘like Pee-pee’- who is the grandfather she has never met. I love that, although she has never met him, she is at least aware of him and what he does (he’s a pilot). When she does meet him (hopefully soon) she will be able to put a person to the name and enjoy the encounter more because of it.

Proving her inherent independence, Bee can often be heard telling us that she wants to ‘do it see-self’ (by herself in other words). When this is for something she isn’t able to do yet, I tell her I’ll help and she seems to accept this with no qualms. Her independence has also stretched to saying bye to us and walking off on her own, whilst insisting she wants to go by herself! Hence the method of saying I’ll help.

As regards to our Elimination Communication (EC) with Nabeela, we think we may be on the cusp of graduation. We realised the other day that we had not had a ‘miss’ for several days. Instead- now she is able to- she tells us every time she needs a ‘wee-wee’ or ‘poopey’. Since then we have had a few misses, but she is very aware of when she has gone in her pants or the floor and will proudly point it out to us.

For anyone unaware of what EC is here’s an explanation. By communicating with your baby it is possible (as many traditional societies know) to know when your child needs to go to the toilet. Very young babies will display various signs that they need to eliminate and it is up to the parent to figure out these signs and be aware of them. Then you can take them to the potty or toilet or grass. As they get older and become vocal, babies can begin to tell you when they need to go. By the time they are Nabeela’s age many will be able to toddle off alone to the potty or a bit of grass or tell you so you can take them.

It always makes me smile to see her face when she realises she needs a wee when we are at home. She’ll mention ‘wee-wee’ out loud, wander off to the grass, lift her clothes with an expression of concentration and watch as she does one. This is usually followed by telling me she did a ‘wee-wee on the gwass.’

The things people dump

With a cocoon of heavy clouds wrapped around us all day, the sky threatened stormy weather. When it did finally burst, thunder growled overhead, lightening lit the gloomy sky and stepping outside was akin to having a bucket thrown over you. So, where is this supposed uncomfortably hot weather?

Each time the thunder roared Nabeela looked at me with disconcerted eyes and asked, “Whas that?” in her cute accent. Eventually she was answering herself with the words, “A stooorm!”

Amidst the rain, pelting down on Brucey van and obscuring our vision, I spotted an upturned pram in the middle of a path. Now, we have recently decided that it may be a good idea to get a pram. So Ryan grabbed it and we spent the next few minutes in the rain trying to figure out why someone had dumped it. It is in good condition, apart from the minor problem of being unable to fold it up.

Nabeela is too heavy for me to carry her for long in my arms, so unless she stays in the sling (which she won’t unless she’s napping or feeding) or decides to walk rather than wander off in a different direction, I often find I don’t get very far when I’m doing ‘town stuff’.  So for these occasions we thought about heading to a charity shop for a pram. But it turns out we didn’t need to- as we found one free!

Somehow it feels wrong to admit this. These years of having her close to my heart and able to share in the wonders of life, rather than being relegated to the side-lines (in a pram), leaves me feeling somewhat guilty for now having one! Nabeela doesn’t share these sentiments however- I think because we have never forced her into anything like a pram or high chair- she loves clambering in and considers it a fun toy to play on. So I’m going to have to get used to it!

A Special Day

I’m awed by the fact that it has been two years since I gave birth to our special little girl. All those months have sped by, filled with love and wonder. I am thankful everyday for her, but I made sure I made the extra effort to tell her just how much she has transformed me, today. She may not have understood much of it, but I know she understands those warm feelings and always she enjoys a good hug!

It was a do-whatever-Nabeela-wants-day today. We woke early and after singing Happy Birthday (where she joined in) we asked her what she wanted to do. She may only be two, but already she understands much of what we say and, anyway, we may have given her a few choices to help her out! We ate a cooked breakfast of home-made bread, veg and sausages (don’t fret they were vegan) and she scoffed the sausage, leaving the rest. Typical Nabeela style.

The rest of the day was spent doing our usual fun things, like going to the library, reading and eating. We even went to see an age-appropriate film (all about things we don’t believe in- Christmas and Santa, but it was that or nothing). She slept for most of it and spent the rest of it staring through her lop-sided 3D glasses and looking faintly bemused.

Unfortunately Nabeela has caught a bug of some sort (from a little girl who she adored and has just left the Park) and the rest of the day was spent rushing from potty to Mammy. She is currently asleep in my arms. The heat is emanating off her.