You spend 9 months getting to know your baby before they are born as well as watching the changes happening to your body. Then there is the labour and birth, if you are lucky it is quick and drama free. After bringing your little darling into the world, you begin the real work of learning how to keep them happy and what parenting is really like.
You watch as your baby grows. The firsts are now being logged: first smile, first word, first tooth etc. You ‘oohhh’ and ‘ahhh’ at the antics of your adorable, dribbling child and congratulate yourself on bringing such an angel into the world. Does this sound right to you?
Several months pass, usually filled with feeds, dirty nappies and ear splitting screams from an inconsolable infant. Your baby is on the move and learning more and more about the world around them. They start shoving everything in sight into their mouths and grabbing at anything that takes their fancy, often with disregard for how it affects the object or person.
Now comes the fun part- that sweet and innocent, sweet smelling baby learning how to really push the boundaries. It might start as an innocent game of them slapping your chest or arm, just to see what sound it makes. From there, it progresses to scratching your face, grabbing jewellery and generally proving that they are no angel after all.
Yes, currently my 6 1/2 month old is learning how to ‘hurt’ mummy. She is scratching, pulling and mauling my face, chest, arms and jewellery. From an innocent and very sweet baby, she has turned into a one baby torture team. I am bruised from the pinching, scratched from the raking and generally exhausted from repeatedly saying ‘no’.
After 4 kids, you would think I’d have finally found away to avoid this with #5, but apparently not so. Her cheeky smile doesn’t help either, and it takes all my energy to be stern and not laugh, and she knows it!
Where has my sweet, innocent, helpless little angel gone? Is this going to be an indicator of what is to come in the next few years? And how do I keep a straight face while growling at her? Please, tell me what you think- my brain is on strike after her latest attempt to yank my hair off my head.
Treasure your babies as they grow into little monsters far too quickly!
arna 