One thing I’m keen to do with Harry is get him interested in books at an early age.
For the last few months, Melissa has been busy buying all sorts of books and Harry has started to take notice of them, even if he does seem to be more interested in eating them than looking at them.
When he’s in the right mood, though, he will sit on my knee and listen while I read to him but these calm periods are pretty brief and normally conclude with Harry and me in a tug of war over the book.
I’ve also been trying to read Harry bedtime stories in the hope of calming him down before bedtime. I always used to look forward to a bedtime story when I was little and most experts say it’s good to get babies into a routine before they go to sleep at night.
Unfortunately, Harry obviously hasn’t heard any of these so-called experts and, even when I use my best BBC newsreader voice, he’s still gets too excited, bouncing around his cot and trying to snatch the book out of my hand.
I’ve tried different types of books; if My Favourite Truck is a bit too racy, how about Elmer the Elephant? No joy. We still end up with Harry standing up in his cot and chewing the rail in between shouts of excitement.
However, I’m determined not to give up. And at least reading Harry a bedtime story allows me to take a trip down memory lane with Thomas the Tank Engine.
Now I can’t wait until he’s old enough to have his own train set as well – then the fun will really start.
Friday 23 October 2009
Things that go bump in the night...
STRANGE scratching noises caused plenty of concern in the Wright household this week.
Thankfully, after a couple of days trying to solve the mystery, I managed to locate the source of the sound – Harry.
It all started last weekend. Harry was asleep in bed and Melissa and I were sat in the living room downstairs with the baby monitor on. Suddenly we heard this scratching noise, apparently coming from the monitor.
To start with, I though it was just interference on the monitor – this sometimes happens. However, the sound was so regular, I decided it couldn’t be interference.
Melissa was similarly mystified but the noise stopped a moment later. I crept upstairs to check Harry was ok and found him fast asleep, albeit upside down in his cot.
We thought no more about it until the following evening when the same thing happened. Again there was a scratching sound which lasted a couple of minutes before stopping, and again Harry was sound asleep when I went to check on him.
This time we were a little bit more concerned. I was worried there was a mouse loose in the house - it’s the right time of year for it after all and we have had problems in the past (when I say problems, I mean a mouse popping its head out of a hole in the floorboards to greet Melissa which, as you can probably imagine, she didn’t find particularly amusing).
But we finally solved the mystery the following evening. I was sat upstairs waiting for Harry to drop off after putting him down for the night. After a couple of minutes I heard the scratching sound coming from Harry’s room.
I raced into the room only to find Harry stood up at the foot of the cot, grinding his teeth on the wooden top rail. Apart from some marks on the cot, there was no harm done; in fact Harry seemed to be enjoying himself and wasn’t best pleased when I stopped him.
So the mystery was solved - and at least it wasn’t a mouse.
Thankfully, after a couple of days trying to solve the mystery, I managed to locate the source of the sound – Harry.
It all started last weekend. Harry was asleep in bed and Melissa and I were sat in the living room downstairs with the baby monitor on. Suddenly we heard this scratching noise, apparently coming from the monitor.
To start with, I though it was just interference on the monitor – this sometimes happens. However, the sound was so regular, I decided it couldn’t be interference.
Melissa was similarly mystified but the noise stopped a moment later. I crept upstairs to check Harry was ok and found him fast asleep, albeit upside down in his cot.
We thought no more about it until the following evening when the same thing happened. Again there was a scratching sound which lasted a couple of minutes before stopping, and again Harry was sound asleep when I went to check on him.
This time we were a little bit more concerned. I was worried there was a mouse loose in the house - it’s the right time of year for it after all and we have had problems in the past (when I say problems, I mean a mouse popping its head out of a hole in the floorboards to greet Melissa which, as you can probably imagine, she didn’t find particularly amusing).
But we finally solved the mystery the following evening. I was sat upstairs waiting for Harry to drop off after putting him down for the night. After a couple of minutes I heard the scratching sound coming from Harry’s room.
I raced into the room only to find Harry stood up at the foot of the cot, grinding his teeth on the wooden top rail. Apart from some marks on the cot, there was no harm done; in fact Harry seemed to be enjoying himself and wasn’t best pleased when I stopped him.
So the mystery was solved - and at least it wasn’t a mouse.
Sunday 11 October 2009
All change
We’ve just returned from holiday in Whitby, Yorkshire and, having spent a whole week with Harry, I just can’t believe how quickly he’s changing.
Things seem to have happened all of a sudden and, thankfully, my holiday was timed to perfection as I got to see them all.
Just before our break, Harry learnt to sit up – without falling over. Then he started to crawl properly. This was in the space of a couple of days.
And last week, for the first time, he learnt how to pull himself up into a standing position. Now he wants to stand all the time.
To begin with, we were helping him stand; now he pulls himself upright at every available opportunity. The first time he did it, he was in his cot. Melissa and I were sat watching television as he managed to grab the top rail and pull himself upright after a brief struggle.
It was an incredible moment, and Harry was obviously very pleased with himself at having managed this feat; so pleased, in fact, he fell flat on his face a moment later. Fortunately, it’s not put him off.
This development has coincided with him learning to wave and clap. He managed to charm a whole restaurant while we were on holiday by smiling and waving at everybody.
Harry’s also started to join in our conversations, making noises that sound like ‘dad’ and ‘hiya’.
I’m not sure he knows what they mean but it’s great to hear him nonetheless (Melissa’s putting a brave face on it, but I think she’s secretly gutted he hasn’t attempted ‘mum’ yet). If he’s not being paid enough attention, he shouts – loudly.
Anyway, he’s looking and behaving less and less like a baby and more and more like a little boy, with his own personality.
Watching him grow and develop is, quite simply, the most remarkable experience of my life.
Things seem to have happened all of a sudden and, thankfully, my holiday was timed to perfection as I got to see them all.
Just before our break, Harry learnt to sit up – without falling over. Then he started to crawl properly. This was in the space of a couple of days.
And last week, for the first time, he learnt how to pull himself up into a standing position. Now he wants to stand all the time.
To begin with, we were helping him stand; now he pulls himself upright at every available opportunity. The first time he did it, he was in his cot. Melissa and I were sat watching television as he managed to grab the top rail and pull himself upright after a brief struggle.
It was an incredible moment, and Harry was obviously very pleased with himself at having managed this feat; so pleased, in fact, he fell flat on his face a moment later. Fortunately, it’s not put him off.
This development has coincided with him learning to wave and clap. He managed to charm a whole restaurant while we were on holiday by smiling and waving at everybody.
Harry’s also started to join in our conversations, making noises that sound like ‘dad’ and ‘hiya’.
I’m not sure he knows what they mean but it’s great to hear him nonetheless (Melissa’s putting a brave face on it, but I think she’s secretly gutted he hasn’t attempted ‘mum’ yet). If he’s not being paid enough attention, he shouts – loudly.
Anyway, he’s looking and behaving less and less like a baby and more and more like a little boy, with his own personality.
Watching him grow and develop is, quite simply, the most remarkable experience of my life.
Thursday 8 October 2009
Meet Dougie the barn dancing dog...
As you will have noticed, the Leader is no longer an evening paper. This has obviously meant some serious changes to our hours – and consequently my time with Harry.
One of the main benefits for me has been the opportunity to spend some more time with Harry in a morning as I know leave for work at eight rather than half six.
This means I’m able to feed Harry his breakfast and play with him before setting off for work. It also gives Melissa the chance to get ready before I leave, something she really appreciates.
As I’ve written before, I love feeding Harry but, when his teeth are playing up, this can be a bit of nightmare – food everywhere (I’ve learned the hard way not to put my suit on when he’s eating) and plenty of shouting. Fortunately, Melissa has discovered a way to distract him – she puts his favourite CD on.
Unfortunately, this involves feeding him to the sound of ‘Dougie the barn-dancing dog’. While this is effective – Harry gets particularly excited when Dougie’s friend Billy Silly joins in – I end up humming the blasted tune all day.
Anyway, my later starts have also coincided with Harry starting to crawl properly, which has made them even more entertaining. Rather than shuffling backwards, Harry is now able to move forward with a fair degree of coordination.
Of course, he’s still learning and this means that, from time to time, he simply forgets how to crawl and falls flat on his face. Thankfully this doesn’t seem to deter him and he’s soon on his way again.
All this extra time in a morning does have a downside – apart from Dougie the barn-dancing dog of course. I now get to change one, sometimes two, dirty nappies. For some reason, Melissa’s delighted with my new working arrangements.
One of the main benefits for me has been the opportunity to spend some more time with Harry in a morning as I know leave for work at eight rather than half six.
This means I’m able to feed Harry his breakfast and play with him before setting off for work. It also gives Melissa the chance to get ready before I leave, something she really appreciates.
As I’ve written before, I love feeding Harry but, when his teeth are playing up, this can be a bit of nightmare – food everywhere (I’ve learned the hard way not to put my suit on when he’s eating) and plenty of shouting. Fortunately, Melissa has discovered a way to distract him – she puts his favourite CD on.
Unfortunately, this involves feeding him to the sound of ‘Dougie the barn-dancing dog’. While this is effective – Harry gets particularly excited when Dougie’s friend Billy Silly joins in – I end up humming the blasted tune all day.
Anyway, my later starts have also coincided with Harry starting to crawl properly, which has made them even more entertaining. Rather than shuffling backwards, Harry is now able to move forward with a fair degree of coordination.
Of course, he’s still learning and this means that, from time to time, he simply forgets how to crawl and falls flat on his face. Thankfully this doesn’t seem to deter him and he’s soon on his way again.
All this extra time in a morning does have a downside – apart from Dougie the barn-dancing dog of course. I now get to change one, sometimes two, dirty nappies. For some reason, Melissa’s delighted with my new working arrangements.
You can keep your DIY
Let's get a few things straight here. First, I don't like DIY. In fact, I only do it under duress. And what's worse than building flat-pack furniture is having to rebuild the thing a couple of weeks later.
Harry's cot was one such piece of flat pack furniture. The instructions, as usual, made no sense whatsoever and it took me the best part of a day to build. However, when it was finished, I was quite proud of my handywork; it felt sturdy, even though I had no idea how I’d managed to put the thing together.
That was nearly a year ago - Melissa was very organised and had me furnish Harry's room more than three months before he was due 'just in case'.
The thing is, the cot can be adjusted, lowering the mattress as the baby grows.
After being, how can I put this politely, reminded several times about the need to lower the cot in recent weeks, I finally gave in and subsequently spent several hours sweating and swearing before finally managing to take the cot apart.
Melissa, of course, was present throughout, always ready with a few words of advice such as ‘Have you tried it the other way?’
Anyway, eventually I managed to work it out. 'Shall I put the mattress down to the lowest level?' I asked. 'Not yet,' came the reply. 'We don't want him too low.'
Barely a week later, I returned home to find Melissa looking a bit sheepish. This is not a common occurrence. After some prompting, she admitted that earlier in the day, she'd put Harry in his cot, only to find, minutes later, he had managed to grab hold of the side of the cot and pull himself upright.
My delight at this exciting moment in Harry's development was tempered by the fact that this means I'm going to have to take the cot apart again. That’s certainly something I could do without.
Harry's cot was one such piece of flat pack furniture. The instructions, as usual, made no sense whatsoever and it took me the best part of a day to build. However, when it was finished, I was quite proud of my handywork; it felt sturdy, even though I had no idea how I’d managed to put the thing together.
That was nearly a year ago - Melissa was very organised and had me furnish Harry's room more than three months before he was due 'just in case'.
The thing is, the cot can be adjusted, lowering the mattress as the baby grows.
After being, how can I put this politely, reminded several times about the need to lower the cot in recent weeks, I finally gave in and subsequently spent several hours sweating and swearing before finally managing to take the cot apart.
Melissa, of course, was present throughout, always ready with a few words of advice such as ‘Have you tried it the other way?’
Anyway, eventually I managed to work it out. 'Shall I put the mattress down to the lowest level?' I asked. 'Not yet,' came the reply. 'We don't want him too low.'
Barely a week later, I returned home to find Melissa looking a bit sheepish. This is not a common occurrence. After some prompting, she admitted that earlier in the day, she'd put Harry in his cot, only to find, minutes later, he had managed to grab hold of the side of the cot and pull himself upright.
My delight at this exciting moment in Harry's development was tempered by the fact that this means I'm going to have to take the cot apart again. That’s certainly something I could do without.
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