Walking Not Dreaming

I see from Paul's blog that Heather is walking! (and she's two months younger than Callum) And here I was all set to announce with trumpet fanfare that Callum has been walking this week. So it is true, boys are slower than girls at walking. All and sundry have repeated this folk wisdom to me. Therefore it must be true... (I don't get it, because at the same time, folk wisdom is that boys are more advanced than girls at physical stuff like climbing.)

He's actually been capable of walking for quite some time, but just too comfortable with having my hands there helping him. So getting him to walk on his own has required a bit of trickery on our part until the small steps increased to multiple steps and from there suddenly this week he's started walking the length of our house (albeit not a very big house).

Yay! No more endless laps of the living room and kitchen for me!

Punching News

We have a winner – Anya informed me last night at bedtime, “Today was Punching Day, and I won!” I asked her who else played. “Claudia…” she said, “Claudia and I punched each other, like this --” and alternated punching her fists straight out in passably good boxing technique, better than some of my fellow kickboxing students! (I wonder how Claudia felt about that?) I then doubled over her pillow against my front, and encouraged her to punch it, which she loved.

Punching Day

“Dad,” she interrupts our conversation on the way home in the car. “Dad, I have something exciting to tell you.” (We’ve told her many times that she needs to wait her turn to talk.) “Yes? What is it Anya?” “We’re going to have a Punching Day tomorrow!” “What’s Punching Day?” “Punching Day is when we all punch each other until we fall down. Then whoever wins gets a prize!” (A long pause as we imagine a Kindercraft-wide punch-up.) “What?!”

The concept was clarified this morning as David asked, “Anya, could you tell me about Punching Day again? Will everyone at Kindercraft punch everyone else?” (We smirk at each other.) “No, it’s at Mama’s gym!” (The light dawns… she’s made this up out of what I told her about my Saturday morning kickboxing class!)

One More Good Reason to Be a Parent

“Mum, mum,” gasping with laughter as I tickle her, “stop, stop, stop,” squirming and wriggling, “stop that business,” and as I start laughing at her turn of phrase, giggling harder, “settle down mum!”

There’s nothing quite like laughing with your kid!