Junior's cup collection

When Junior was born, we started reading the long lists of must-haves for babies and parents. Some of them seemed essential - nappies, clothes, buggy - and others, not so much - Diaper Genie. We made it a goal not to buy more stuff than we needed, and to buy multifunctional things where possible (a cot that turns into a bed, for example).


To a large extent, we have succeeded, but S pointed out the other day that Junior's cup collection runneth over (if you'll excuse the pun). I thought I'd chronicle the evolution of his drinking equipment and skills before relegating some of the lesser-used vessels to storage.


1. Bottles

Philips Avent bottle and trainer


Before Junior was born, I intended to try breastfeeding, but I bought some bottles to have on hand in case we needed to give him formula. I managed to breastfeed exclusively for the first five weeks; then we began supplementing with formula. Junior did not have any trouble adjusting to his bottle. In fact, he started holding it around ten weeks, and by sixteen weeks he was drinking by himself - quite a popular (and envied!) party trick among the playgroup set. I gave him the trainer attachment around six months when I was ready to move him onto sippy cups. Oddly, he didn't take to it - but he was fine with a proper sippy cup.


2. Free flow sippy cups

Tommee Tippee First Cup and First Beaker


There is some debate over the types of sippy cup: free flow or spill-proof. The received wisdom says that spill-proof cups are bad for growing teeth, but I have yet to read or hear any compelling evidence for this - please feel free to set me straight in the comments. That said, Junior seems to prefer his free flow Tommee Tippee cup with handles for water, although he will accept the beaker if it is offered. He does not like drinking milk from these, however.


3. Spill-proof sippy cups

anywayupcup Cow and Bird cups


I found out about anywayupcups from @SonyaCisco's review here: http://www.rocknrollmum.com/2012/07/moo-cool-as.html
I was still trying to introduce milk in a sippy cup, and the cow cup seemed like a good bet. I ordered one cow cup and one bird cup. Sadly, Junior never managed to drink more than a few sips of milk from the cow cup, and the only disadvantage of the cup is that it is not see-through (I had become somewhat obsessed with knowing exactly how many ml's of liquid he was taking when we introduced formula). He also prefers water in the bird cup (which is see-through). For now, I leave the cow cup in his cot with some water so that he can take a drink overnight if he needs it. He does not use it often, but knows it is there.


4. Straw cup

Nuby insulated flip it

My nephew uses straw cups, so I thought this might be a good alternative for Junior. He loves to play with it, but has not yet managed to suck hard enough to get any liquid from it. I'm putting this one in storage and waiting until he's bigger to reintroduce it.


5. 360 cup

anywayupcup 360 Junior cup

When I ordered the cow and bird cups, there was a delay in production and the bird cup did not come immediately. After a few months, I wrote to the company and asked if I could have a 360 cup instead. Junior had shown interest in drinking directly from our glasses and tea mugs, so I thought he might be ready (if young) for one of these. Like the straw cup, he loves playing with this cup, but does not manage to drink much from it yet. I'll reintroduce it in a few months when he has more control.

A last word about anywayupcup: once the bird cups were back in production, they sent me not just one, but TWO bird cups! I had already received the 360 cup as a replacement, so I was not expecting anything further. I gave one to another mummy blogger whose daughter is starting to eat solids now. I hope she likes it. Two thumbs up for anywayupcup - great customer service! Thank you again...


6. Sigg water bottle

Sigg toddler cup

Our most recent discovery has been Junior's Sigg cup. When we were in Barcelona, he preferred drinking straight from our sports-cap Evian bottles, rather than using his sippy cups. Two friends recommended trying a Sigg bottle with a toddler top - it's perfect! He will drink a whole bottle of milk from it. In fact, at seventeen months we got him off the Avent bottles completely; he now drinks water from his sippy cups, and milk from the Sigg. He loves the design and turns it around to look at each animal. I also had it engraved with his name for no extra charge (see here: engraving)


In conclusion
I started giving Junior cups almost one year ago, and it is interesting to see which ones have worked and which have not. He seems to understand the mechanics of drinking with no coaching, but has more success with some shapes and nozzles than others. I did not expect the Sigg cup to be such an automatic winner, but he took to it with no hesitation. I will still try the straw cup and 360 cup when I think he's ready for the next level, but I'm happy with his Sigg/sippy combination for now.

And the best news: he has stopped breastfeeding on his own! At the start, I hoped to reach one year. The first few months were long and painful, but we hit our stride around seven months. At twelve months, I started pulling back but he still relied on it, especially overnight. I never imagined I'd still be breastfeeding at seventeen months - and apparently, neither did he. We had cut back to one feed in 24 hours, then it stretched to 48 hours, and then several days passed and he has not needed a feed. He seems perfectly fine and so am I.


About the brands
I do a lot of research before buying things for Junior, partly from other mums, partly online, partly in shops. I am happy with the brands I have chosen, but I'm sure Junior would have done just as well with different ones. None of the companies I have mentioned asked for a review, but I'm happy enough with their products to promote them. Feel free to use this post for reference - I know it's hard to find good information out there! - but trust your own instincts in the end. Like all mums, I'm hardly an expert...!

happy in my skin

For Christmas, my lovely in-laws gave me a voucher for a massage, and I used it over the weekend. The spa was not one I would have normally chosen - it was more of a posh gym that offered treatments - but that's what makes gifts like this fun. I had the opportunity to spend an afternoon in a part of London I rarely go to, at a spa I didn't know existed.


Upon arrival, I was asked to complete a confidential health questionnaire. No big deal. But several of the questions seemed odd. Out of place. Unnecessary.


What is your main concern?
I wasn't particularly concerned about anything. I was there to relax and refresh. So I wrote "relaxation".


If there was one thing you could change about your body, what would it be?
Hang on, I'm just here for a massage. What are you planning to do to me?!


How would you like to feel today after your treatment?
Ummm, see question 1.


I didn't spend very long answering the questions, but they stayed on my mind. After I had finished registering, I had about 45 minutes to spare before the massage so I went for a swim in the pool. If I had had any doubts about the gym/spa, they were confirmed: I am not their target demographic. Most of the members looked to be attractive twenty-something singles. Men with six-pack abs giving their muscles a rest in the jacuzzi. Women in bikinis using the sauna. Even when I was a single twenty-something, I didn't dare wear a bikini - I avoided bathing suits as a matter of course.


In my early thirties, I finally developed a healthy body image. I knew that I'd never be skinny (at least, not without more diet and exercise than I was ever likely to manage and sustain), and I accepted it. I knew I'd never be 5'10". I knew my curly hair would never hang straight without professional assistance. And I decided that this was all fine. Real women have curves. Real women go grey before forty. Real women have imperfect breasts. And real men appreciate real women (and have their own body issues, too).


So I became happy in my skin. I had a healthy pregnancy. My body has changed - things have shifted and stretched, but to be fair, I had stretch marks before pregnancy. I wear them with pride. War wounds, if you will.


Back to question 2. I answered, "quite happy in my skin, thank you". But the more I thought about it, the more it bothered me that they even asked. What message does that send to their normal members? Why are their members so body-conscious, so self-conscious, that they want to change their bodies so dramatically?


Outside - outside my little world, outside the spa - there has been a recent backlash relating to a stupid comment made by the CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch. You can read about it elsewhere. Suffice it to say, I'm not A&F's target demographic, even if I were skinny/rich enough to shop there. I've never been drawn to their clothes, which is just as well since I'd never fit into them.


But presumably there is some overlap between those particular gym members, and A&F customers. Presumably quite a lot of the women - and men - push themselves at the gym so that they can wear trendy, "cool" clothes. And while I'd like to think that they're confident, well-adjusted people, I'd bet that there are parts of their bodies they'd like to change. Bigger pecs, smaller waists. Maybe in extreme cases, cosmetic surgery for a nose job or more shapely boobs. Questions and comments like this perpetuate a culture obsessed with perfection, defined as skinny, tall, tanned, primped, preened. SIGH.


As for me, I enjoyed the massage. I did leave feeling relaxed. I didn't worry about showing my big thighs in my swimsuit. Would I want to change anything about my body? YES - I have always wanted to be taller! But can I change that? Not without a magic wand or fairy godmother. So for now, I'm happy in my skin, with my greying hair and forty-year old eyes that now need reading glasses. I don't/won't shop at A&F. I should do more exercise and eat better, but not in order to fit someone else's idea of beauty.


And that's all fine.

barcelona

We spent a lovely long weekend in Barcelona for our seventh anniversary. Junior was (mostly) a great traveller - he ate, played, chased every pigeon, befriended several dogs ('woof woof!'), and ate and played some more. We managed to see the major tourist sites while running behind him and returning all the toys he took off other children.






strawberries in the market









la rambla del mar



funicular de montjuïc



museu nacional d'art de catalunya



park güell









planning the day's itinerary



"what do you mean, 'share'?"



casa battló



la sagrada família











The weather was perfect, the food was delicious, and it was remarkably easy to get around - even with a baby buggy. We were swept to the front of queues and given accés preferential. Junior made friends everywhere and I got to practice my (very rusty) Spanish. ¡Muy bien!

16 months

So much has happened in the last four months. Junior started walking properly between his birthday and New Year's, and I have been struggling to keep up with him!


After the excitement of birthday parties and cakes, we spent Christmas in Ossett. Unfortunately, Junior caught the norovirus and was ill for ten days. In the spirit of sharing, he gave it to his Granddad on Christmas Eve. Not quite the family holiday we had all been planning, but we still managed to enjoy each other's company.





Sadly, norovirus was just the first of a series of maladies: we have all suffered from an interminable cold. Junior and I developed conjunctivitis and throat infections. Junior had several rashes, one of which was diagnosed as Hand Foot and Mouth Disease (one week off nursery), one was an allergic reaction to amoxicillin (just like Mummy), and the most recent one has been chicken pox (another week off). Junior is generally a good patient, but he hates medicine. We have been adding it to water, milk or juice, but he seems to know when his drinks are laced and instinctively avoids them.





On the days when he is feeling well and has a good appetite, he has been self-feeding with fierce determination. His grip and aim are improving, and most of the food makes it to his mouth. So far we have been lucky that he is not a picky eater. He has surprised us on more than one occasion with the things he will gobble: porridge, steak, corn on the cob, tiramisu, spicy kidney beans, caramelised onions, tuna with mayo. In fact, there are not many things he won't eat, but he is not keen on yogurt for some reason.








He is discovering his artistic side and also displaying quite good manual dexterity. He seems to have good understanding of The Way Things Work: he only needs to see someone do something once before figuring out how to do it himself.





He has been reading books (although I still don't trust him with normal pages, so he's relegated to the land of board books until he can stop tearing every piece of paper within reach). He remembers the stories and has been able to make associations between characters/animals and similar toys (e.g. his rabbit puppet is now Nicholas the Bunny). He sings Row Row Row Your Boat, complete with crocodile puppet (ahhh!)


Junior's vocabulary is also increasing. His words include

• Duck/quack
• Chick (used for all chickens and birds)
• Woof woof
• Moooo!
• Bob (our goldfish)
• Shoe
• Banana ('nana')
• Buh-bye (with wave)
• Choo-choo (for train, but also 'choo' for Cheerio, and once 'ca-choo' when I sneezed)
• Bubble
• Thank you - this one changes each time but often sounds like 'duck do'

Of course, he has much more to say than this, but most of it is still unintelligible - more's the pity. He has intense phone conversations with himself and anyone kind enough to play along. He plays games on my iPad and stares at the TV whenever it is on. He fell in love with the driving game at Eddie Catz, and I wonder if (when) we will need to start limiting his screen time. So far he has been good about enforcing his own limits, and his interest in pens and other objects relieves my worries that he will never appreciate simpler/older technology.





A few months ago, I used these words to describe Junior, and they still apply: keen, independent, energetic, rambunctious, adventuresome, nonstop. He is still borderline aggressive with other children (when will the bully become the bullied?) and he didn't wait long to start throwing toddler tantrums, but he is also surprisingly good at following directions and understanding limits. Of course, just because he understands that he shouldn't climb on the coffee table doesn't mean that he agrees not to do it - I vacillate between being a Helicopter Parent, following him everywhere to keep him out of trouble, and being a Permissive Parent, letting him get away with things when it's easier not to argue. He tends to be charming enough that most people forgive his transgressions (taking things that don't belong to him, talking loudly, running wild). I'm glad that he is not self-conscious yet; secretly I admire him for being so unapologetically true to himself. I hope he can develop these qualities without becoming self-centered or mean.





His last big milestone has been sleeping. He is getting more consistent about napping, and he is good at going to sleep at night - most nights he falls straight asleep with little protest. We just need to get him to sleep through the night more often. He still tends to wake up at least once per night. He has not given up breastfeeding yet, although he is taking less and less. Tracking his/my sleep cycles on my Fitbit has yet to reveal a pattern, but he is improving over time. Like all things, he'll get there in his own time, in his own way.

35 wishes

This is a special post for my sister. I put it on her birthday blog, but had some trouble with the formatting, so here is a better version. Enjoy!

***

Dear Big Al,

It's Feb 22, 2013. Seven years have passed since my first birthday blog for you.

SEVEN YEARS.

It's a big birthday for you. You were still in your twenties when I started this blog. You're halfway through your thirties now. Wow!

You were married when I started this blog. Now you have an MBA. And a condo. And a new job. AND A SON.

Seven years doesn't feel like much when you reach adulthood. Work takes over, and one year melts into the next. Age differences don't matter much. You still drive the same car and listen (mostly) to the same music.

Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose.

And yet, so much has changed. Seven years ago, iPhones didn't exist. Neither did iPads. We weren't on Facebook (was anyone over the age of 18?) and we didn't follow anyone on Twitter. We didn't read e-books, and Kindle was a verb, not a product. Michael Jackson and Steve Jobs were still alive. No black man had ever been President of the United States. Amazing that these things are all normal now.

So, how should we celebrate your 35th birthday?

We could sip cocktails on a warm tropical island...

We could eat dim sum in Hong Kong...

We could have mezze for lunch in Istanbul...

When P and K are bigger, we will take them to Legoland and Harry Potter World (because we're still kids at heart, too).

But what I would really like to do is offer you 35 wishes.

1. I wish you a happy birthday

2. I wish you many happy returns

3. I wish you cake. And wine.

4. I wish you long-lasting health

5. I wish you laughter

6. I wish you never go grey

7. I wish the Giants win the World Series every year

8. I wish you gourmet meals

9. And I wish you the occasional junk food indulgence

10. I wish you win the lottery

11. But I wish you don't let the money go to your head

12. I wish you a large house with a garden and a garage and a swimming pool

13. And a guest room for your sister and her family

14. I wish you exciting travels

15. I wish you beautiful sunrises and clear, moonlit nights

16. I wish you peace and calm

17. I wish you continued curiosity and accumulated wisdom

18. I wish your wildest dreams come true (vote for Pedro!)

19. I wish you music and your own personal soundtrack

20. I wish you always experience kindness and never experience pain

21. I wish you long hours of uninterrupted sleep

22. I wish you lovely new clothes

23. And a closetful of new shoes

24. I wish you flowers and chocolate

25. I wish you success by whatever measure you choose

26. I wish you joy

27. I wish you all good things

28. I wish you adventures

29. I wish you will always know how loved you are

30. I wish you donuts

31. I wish you fun

32. I wish you never have to sit through a film as dreadful as Sex and the City 2

33. I wish you cool cars and amazing gadgets (iPhone 5!)

34. I wish I hadn't tried to think of 35 wishes

But most of all...

35. I wish you lived closer so that I could give you a big hug

I'm looking forward to spending time with you in France this summer. C'est dommage que j'ai oublié tout mon français... It was fun having a secret language when we were younger.

I hope you have a great birthday. I'm sad that I can't be in sunny California to celebrate with you, but at least we have the webcam to share smiles and a little peek into each other's lives. Talk soon!

Love from your big sis

Forty.

I had a lovely birthday. I woke up to the sound of Junior clapping his hands on the monitor, and he continued to be in a good mood all day.






The weather was mild, so we went to Wandle Park.

















We continued our house hunt; talked to family on the webcam; ate Japanese curry for dinner. To the outside observer it might sound like any other day, but it's true that the simple pleasures are the best. I got to spend the day laughing with my two favo(u)rite men, and forty feels pretty good so far.

Happy 1st Birthday!

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Happy birthday, Junior!

You have come so far in your first year. You're walking, clapping, waving, eating, chirping, laughing, pointing, chewing, drooling, bouncing, splashing, sleeping, and generally letting your likes and dislikes ('no, no, no!') be known. I'm so happy that I have been able to spend this year with you. Looking forward to watching you grow more as you enter your toddler phase. Enjoy your special day!

Love, Mum