Life is starting to return to a new kind of normal. Two kids instead of one means that the days are even longer, and there’s even less free time on offer, which is making it a bit tricky for Dad to get his college reading done. Still, we’re getting lots of help from family, and Huff is going along well.
Normally she gets around in body-suits, but on occasion we dress her up in something prettier. Mostly for church so far.
She’s getting more interested in what’s going on around her – she can turn her head to look at the TV if it’s on, and when placed on her tummy, she has a bit of a go at doing push-ups. Well, one push-up.
It’s amazing how quickly her face is changing – she’s already starting to develop features that are distinct from her big brother.
This week has seen us make a lot of trips to the park. Several of them have been with Bandit. He really likes Puff – here he is trying to play with him while on the swings. We don’t have footage of the way he throws now, but he’s starting to get the hang of it!
On Thursday, Dad and Puff headed to Kindermusik. It was a beautiful sunny day, but nonetheless, Puff felt like wearing his mittens.
It was worth getting a photo of what it’s like when we give him a phone to play with while we’re still trying to get some extra sleep. It doesn’t usually work, but it’s fun to watch him be swept up in what’s happening there.
On Saturday, Dad and Puff drove in to Redfern to go – again – to Eveleigh markets. We zoomed around there, then headed across town to a cafe, then headed back home for lunch. It was great to spend the time with him. Really. It’s hard to unplug sometimes: to switch off the podcasts and the emails and the tweets and just be present with him, but that’s been my big challenge to attempt this week (and into the future).
One of the things we picked up at the markets was some buttermilk, and so Puff persuaded the Grandragon to make pancakes for breakfast. He did a great job helping her pour and mix everything. Dad’s increasingly trying to get Puff involved in little, safe, kitchen tasks so that he can be better involved in family life, and for the most part it’s working.
One of his favourite diversions, oddly, is a book he calls “Mummy’s book” – a little phonebook we picked up somewhere. He loves it for its letters, numbers, and pictures, and will happily sit “reading” it for much longer than you might expect.
The key theme of this week, though, has been Bandit: his constant companion. Not sure how well he’ll cope when it’s time for Bandit to go home!
As ever, time will tell.