Being a baby is exhausting!!! Believe me, it is. A whole new world. So many new places.
So many new faces. And they all want to hold me and hug me and kiss me. It is really tiring... believe me.
That is why I try to sleep. but I need HELP. Otherwise I just cry. We, well, mummy, tried all kinds of things
and places. When we returned from hospital, I was only 2 days old (or young), we ended up sleeping on the floor, in my new
room. Mummy tried everything. But nothing seemed to work. Poor mummy! Everything is new for her as well.
Hopefully, she will learn... (soon!!!)
I have not managed to coordinate my eyes. That's why I look so funny many times.
All I do is eat, poo, sleep over and over again. I get my nappies REALLY dirty!!!
And, before I forget, Mummy keeps calling me Pavarotti when I cry. I have no idea who this is, but he must be somebody
very tiny and important like me... He must be.
making bubbles. It is really fun. And my brother is repeating what I say. So I guess he understands me.
What else? Yes, I have already been to a couple birthday parties. Parties are good and I am sure I
will even enjoy them a bit more when I am actually aloud to eat some of the food and not just look at it.
Let me tell you, it can be really frustrating watching people eating, especially when you don't
get any of the nice stuff you see -only milk!
October 2001 (1 month +)
I am colicky. That means, I am crying none stop all evening. Usually from 6 - 8pm.
That is why we go out for a walk, every day. I don't know, but it seems the only way,
I calm down and sleep a bit. ... and get fresh air as well which is not bad!!!
Now I am awake for a bit longer and play. My head is getting stronger and stronger and
I even lift my head when I am on my tummy. YES, I can do that.
The evening baths are great. The water is nice and warm and I 'swim' around like a little frog, my mummy says.
My new bouncy chair allows me to see the world from a new angle. I sit there for hours (?) and play with my
elephant and his crinkly ears. There is room for my fishy as well which I kick and kick and kick, so that it makes
he makes this wonderful noise again and again and again.
November 2001 (2 months +)
I am such a BIG smiler. My best and biggest smiles, however, I keep for mummy and daddy.
Mummy reads and tells me great stories and daddy sings to me. He has such a wonderful voice!!!
When I don't smile, I usually eat, or cry. Yes, I STILL have these colic attacks, unfortunately,
every evening. Yes, we STILL go out for walks.
I managed to sleep for 5 and a half hours (ONCE!!!). Fantastic, my mummy probably thought...!
I have to admit, it was good and I really don't know, WHY I haven't managed to do it more often.
Well, what else? Oh, I forgot to tell you that I workout regularly and I enjoy my little gym
with all the dangling animals. And daddy's fish which I use as a football. It makes a fantastic noise.
Yes, I really like noises!
My first word is 'GOO'. My mummy thinks it means MILK. Now I have a little doggie, whom they called GOO
so that they (mummy & daddy) don't foregt my very first word.
And something else before I forget. My eyes seem ok now. I don't cross them anymore.
My mummy worried so much. She worries all the time. WHY? I don't know. Anyway, I am fine!
December 2001 (3 months +)
The news: My colic attacks seem to be over. I am sure my Mummy and Daddy are glad!
However, I started sleeping less again which my Mummy wont enjoy very much... but what can I do?
I am HUNGRY. So, in week 15, I actually had my first little portion of rice! Not bad!
But why do I get so little? Anyway.
My hands seem to be quite useful. I can grab my toys and put them in my mouth.
My giraffe is delicious. And I help my Mummy when she is changing me. And, of course, I eat them (I mean my hands).
My vocabulary is getting bigger. I use quite a lot of words. But they only seem to mean something to me. WHY
don't they understand me? Maybe I should speak louder...
Also, I am on the move. In my bed for the moment. I have started exploring it... it is great fun, especially
at night when I suppose to be sleeping...
January 2002 (4 months +)
Well, I am still restless at night (during the day as well, of course...). Poor mummy!!!
BUT I try my best. 10 hours is my NEW sleep record! I did it when I was 18 weeks old. How wonderful it was!
My mummy actually woke up before I did... she could not believe that I was STILL asleep! ... and then, she
read this book... and started practicing the sleep training. Now I don't get any food anymore through the
night and I have to learn to fall asleep without her or it (milk). Oh, well. I guess she does it for me
and a bit for herself... and for daddy, for all of us.
I eat 3 meals a day already. I especially like fruits!!!
There is no luck with trying to get any potatoes in my mouth.
They just have NO taste... by themselves I mean. With vegetables, however, and a bit of meat they taste ok, I guess...
Click here if you would like to find out what I eat at the moment.
And, and, and I am turning over now. I did it a few times on my new butterfly playmat and on the air matress.
It is great fun when everything is going around and around...
February 2002 (5 months +)
Hi there!!! The news. Yes, I sleep better and longer now. And I don't get any milk anymore during the night (but you know
that already). However, I still wake up once or twice but manage to fall asleep again with a bit of help, sometimes even without.
I still enjoy my food. Mummy gives me new things to try all the time. I had spinach and corn and lentils
(I didn't like them... I mean the lentils - but maybe it was the onion that
my little nose couldn't stand) and plums and yoghurt with blueberries and raspberries!!!
What else? Oh, yes, my legs are getting stronger and stronger and I almost stand on my own. I know I have to learn to sit first, but
I am working on that too. I spend much more time now sitting and playing with my toys - in my
little boat (once my bed!!! ... check it out) I manage even to lift
my little gym. YES, I am getting strong arms as well!!! The spinach works, you see... And turning over
is no problem any more. I am MOBILE!!! Yes!!!
I am getting noisier all the time and speak sometimes non stop. What do I say? Well, at the moment I practice
the different noises I can make. It sounds really funny!!! I have to tell mummy to record me in action
and
present it here. Good idea!!!
Also, I discovered my feet. Finally! They are actually not too far away... mmm... and I can play with them.
I started already, of course! Yesterday, I found my ear. There must be another one somewhere... I noticed mummy and daddy
and everybody else have two.
March 2002 (6 months +)
Well, I sleep through NOW!!! Almost 12 hours. It is great. And I have so much energy in the morning.
Fantastic! Mummy and Daddy are pleased. You can imagine...
Sitting is no problem (yes ok, but when will I be able to walk???) and I also started feeding
myself. It is messy, very messy and I paint
not only my face but EVERYTHING else as well. It takes me hours and hours to get something down
my throat (I actually managed to eat a whole plum by myself!!! But I ruined my shirt...) I know, I have to be careful that
I don't choke!!! Mmm, tricky. And, by the way, I am getting more eclectic. I don't know why. Really, I used to eat whatever was on the menu
but now, I choose. Strange... Milk is still my favourite!!! Some things just never change...
But I LOVE cheese as well. And, and, and, I use my wonderful drinking cup!!! It is great. No baby bottle
for me anymore. I MUST be big!!!
Daddy could not help it and bought me my first LEGO!!! Mummy told me that Daddy plays also with lego.
I must be VERY big now, I guess.
By the way, chewing on telephone cables, the curly and the other one, is one of my new past times.
They are delicious... You should try them!!!
April 2002 (7 months +)
Hello again! Playing is getting more and more interesting. I learn new things all the time. At the moment
I am occupied in emptying things. My mummy puts all my toys in a large yellow bowl (in small boxes as well) and I find it very amuzing
to discover what is in there. Great fun! Great play! Also, we are now going to the swings... whenever the weather
allows. It is fantastic. I really enjoy it. Then again, she hides a small toy in a box and I have to find it. Eezy Peezy!
Making noises with my toys and with my mouth is also fab! And I
can read for hours. Turning the pages and looking at the big pictures gives me a lot of pleasure. I have some
great toys to pull and yes, I manage that as well now. Also, before I forget, I am able to hand my toys to
Mummy and Daddy. Mummy was so surprised when I gave her my little Pooh the other day.
We went to a couple of parties. I don't know, but at the moment I don't enjoy them very much. Strange, I know.
And, I am waving bye-bye now. When I first did it mummy was almost crying. But I was telling her that I will
do it. I guess, she was not listening...
About crawling now. At the beginning I managed it backwards. I lift my body but then I don't know exactly what to do. I
watched Daddy, who should me, but it did not help much. I worked on it, though -the forward crawling technique.
Day and night, in and out of my bed. EVERYWHERE and ALL THE TIME. ... and I got better. Now I can do it!!!
And nothing/nobody can stop me...
I am saying MAMA now and BABA (Greek for Daddy, in case you don't know) as well.
May 2002 (8 months +)
As soon as we returned from our first holiday with the big metal and plastic bird I did my very first crawling excursion to
Mummy and Daddy's bedroom and then suddenly a barrier appeared outside my room. Strange!!! Also, I manage to
sit up in my bed (and out of it). By the way, my mattress seems to be much lower now. Mmm... I guess
I know why...Yes, I stand up as well. It is really fun and I now do it all the time (first in my bed and then everywhere...).
I lost my interest for food. Strange, I know, I used to enjoy my meals... I guess I am too busy exploring...
Hopefully for everybody this phase will be over soon. Mummy discovered a few new feeding techniques. So I guess
I HAVE to eat and I do...
During the day I sleep very little. I told you, I am too busy!!! It is a busy job being a baby!!! I am so
extremely restless and hardly let Mummy do anything. Oh, well...
June 2002 (9 months +)
Thanassis the Explorer, here. I am just amazed how many new things I find all the time!!! How much stuff was
hidden for so many months!!! I am amazed. Now nothing stops me, of course... I open drawers, check behind
curtains,
underneath beds, in cupboards, etc. etc. And, of course, I empty everything. Where I have been, it looks like
a minefield. By the way, have you tried to eat paper? No? You don't know what you're missing.
It is
delicious... You know what I do? I just disappear in Mummy's and Daddy's bedroom, look briefly around,
discover
which paper is better than which, rip it up and stick it straight in my mouth!!! Yummy!
Also, I am very good at standing up. I just need to hold a little bit
on something and up I go. A piece of cake, so to speak...
I have my own reading corner now. Clever idea! There I can read whichever book I like. Great! And then, of course,
there are all Mummy's and Daddy's books. What a library I have. Did I tell you that I have my own library pass?
Yes, I do and we go regularly there.
A change is that I now enjoy being with other people. They look all so different and interesting. Also,
their houses are like adventure playgrounds to me. I have so much fun!!! The other day I almost ran over my
cousin Harry. I am so wild, like Mummy says... but then next time I saw him he scared me off and I was
crying like a baby.
Eating is boring if there is no play involved. That is why I refuse to open my mouth. Mummy and Daddy try their
best, but they still need to work on it to get better. Or am I getting more and more demanding each day?
No, it can't be my fault!!!
July 2002 (10 months +)
Yes, this is me when I wake up (these days...). ... and the scar on my cheek
is the result of one of my excursions into the BIG walk-in wardrobe... Anyway.
Speedy is back!!! I am soooo fast! Zoooooooom and off I go (I even zoom after dogs and cats).
I should register for the next Olympics... hmmm. Anyway.
A bit of history: First I was lying there like a little bundle. Then I started moving my arms and legs. I learned to
turn around and move on my bum. Backwards, of course. I guess it was easier... Then I found out about
crawling. It took me a while to manage it perfectly... My belly was very useful in the beginning. I moved
backwards and later forwards (always on my belly). And then (finally!!!) I dicovered that it is much
faster if I keep my belly up, in the air!!! Great. Now I can crawl and I am really fast!!! Are there
any crawling races around? Really, if you know, please tell me, ok?
Yes, I am doing my first steps by myself. I just hold on to my old gym and do it. Really easy and fun!
Actually I am amazed with myself. I thought it was quite difficult, walking I mean. All these months I was
watching Mummy and Daddy and people, how they do it, walking I mean, and I took all the data in
my growing brain and started processing. Then of course, I started secretly practising. And then, one
day when I knew I could do it, I showed it to Mummy. Then Mummy wanted to show it to Daddy. But I did not
want to do it then. But I did it anyway, a few minutes later, when the videocamera came out. I LOVE
cameras!!!
My ears catch the smallest sounds (I am also called RADAR!!!) and I can see the big metal birds now high in the sky. My eyes follow
other flying objects in the sky. Fantastic!!! And of course, I point at things now.
I still enjoy reading. My library is growing and growing. Good!!! Because I am a hungry bookeater... or bookworm or both!!!
Also I
know now how to put things into boxes, not just how to take them out. I hope that doesn't mean that I
have to tidy up my room before I go to bed... hmmm...
And, before I forget: I have some teeth now. Yes, the first 2 appeared together on the 23rd!!! Great, now I can
get through tougher stuff!!!
August 2002 (11 months +)
At the beginning of this month I went through a breakfast-phase. All I wanted was breakfast food,
all day, every day. What's wrong with that??? I thought it was an obvious choice... obviously not. It took them,
Mummy & Daddy, some time to realize... Anyway. I am now out of it and starting to eat savoury again. But
I still need to have something to do while I am eating, otherwise I get bored. Why is eating so boring???
My finger and the pointing business seems to be quite an effective communication tool. Now, finally, they
(Mummy & Daddy & the rest of the world) seem to understand what I have to say and show. Good!!! It was
about time, don't you think??? Of course my vocabulary is expanding in both languages, Greek and English. Also
I hear words from different languages floating in the air; German and French, I think, and Spanish. Maybe
I will turn into a multilingual dictionary when I grow up... Hmmm...
Also, throwing things around is fun, don't you think? And banging them on other things. Have I told you
that I already play some musical instruments? No? Sorry, I forgot. Anyway. Yes, I am playing the xylophone
and the drum and some kind of bell-instruments. What a composer I am. I guess I got some inspiration
from Classic FM that Mummy puts on for me to listen to all the time...
Cruising is becoming easier. Sometimes I even stand by myself. I mean without holding on to anything. Just like
that. My legs are getting stronger and stronger. I think I am just a few steps away from walking by myself.
And then nothing will stop me... Poor Mummy and Daddy!!!
I still spend a lot of time reading. Now I try to pick up some of the stuff I see on the pages.
I haven't managed yet... When Mummy asks me where something is on a page, for instance, a cat or a clock,
I find it straight away and I point to it. Then they always say 'bravo' or 'clever boy' or both. I guess
I am not doing so bad.
I am definitely a blanket case. Yes, when I am tired (not very often, I admit...) I grab my blanket and
Mummy understands (finally!!!) that I am desperate for some sleep. Yes, I usually (but NOT always) sleep 2 hours in the morning
and 1 in the afternoon. Not bad. I am exhausted from all my running around, exploring and
learning and playing and going to the swings and the shops etc.
