Wednesday 3 November 2010

Y3 - 34/365: So, About That Bubble Wrap...?


It has been exceptionally damp and windy today outside, which meant we were caged indoors...again. I see this being the theme for the next 5 or so months so I decided a nice, warm bowl of tomato soup with some lightly buttered bread to dip in would taste quite nice...and so did Ryan. If there is anything I have learned it's that I am under unwritten baby-contract to provide him with something to eat while I am eating as well -- otherwise he stares at me with guilt-inducing eyes until I cave. This means that since we often share a meal or he eats a small portion of my own, I end up eating better in the long run.

Score!

We're advancing a bit in our Baby-Led Weaning journey as he now takes calculated small bites of things and properly chews/noms them before swallowing and going on to take another bite. Then, when he's thirsty he will reach for his sippy, grab the handles, put it to his mouth and tip it back for a sip -- or gulp. Matt and I are very pleased that he shows great initiative to do things like this on his own and we believe it's mostly due to giving him the opportunity and just allowing him to get on with things.

You may notice in the photo (above) a "nice" purplish bruise above the tiny terror's left eye -- ah, the joys of learning to walk, right seasoned parents?

The good news is that he can now walk from the bay window on one side of the room and baby/stagger-step his way all the way to the telly on the other end!! The bad news? Sometimes avoiding a collision when he tumbles is inevitable. This bruise was the result of hitting the bottom wooden bit on the end of the sofa, and I was even standing right there -- which meant I felt awful.

He started to lose balance and I just wasn't quick enough. He cried immediately, but only for a short while and moaned his newest phrase "mumumumum." Then as soon as he lifted his teary head from my shoulder I could see a small goose egg that was pink and quickly turning purple. I got a cold glass of water and a flannel to hold against it to keep the swelling down while I nursed him a bit to calm him.

He fell asleep straight away, which worried me because I always understood that you weren't to let a child sleep right after bumping their head in case they had a concussion. I consulted Dr. Google and the NHS website and learned that on the contrary (for infants/toddlers at least) that if the fall was no more than the height of the child (i.e. not off a bed or caused by a car accident) it was best to allow them to sleep for a bit and to just keep an eye on their behaviour for the next 48 hours.

Sure enough, he was awake an hour and a half later and back to toddling around the room and being his usual squeaky self. In fact...


...once Daddy was home to play, the swelling had gone down completely and the bruise had already started to fade!

Until next time...

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