Wallking

Zoe is definately walking now, with purpose and direction, although it can get pretty wobbly. This is a big 'step forward' from the short stumble she has been doing during the last couple of weeks. Today, she started coming up from sitting to standing without the aid of furniture or toys - I'm amazed at how quickly she's acquiring new skills and lots of confidence. I've read that once babies reach this stage, they become dogged in their quest to improve their walking skills, forsaking all toys and playthings. It is true that she has been pushing her red ride on car, and anything else that will move, like washing baskets and large books, around and across the loungeroom for a couple of weeks now, so that was maybe the beginning of this fascination. She's also quite keen on climbing up steps and sitting on her car.

Another feature of the 'new' Zoe, perhaps associated with her 'quiet, determined' temperament, are the tantrums she is thowing - tears and screams - when she gets bored or is unhappy with a situation. At feeding time she combines this with throwing the spoons and food on the floor, which makes this three-times-a-day ritual quite challenging for Mum. I've calculated that I have washed that high chair tray a minimum of 180 times already, and I'm guessing there's at least another 12 months of this to go. Joy.

Sleeping confessions - Part II

The cot sleeping trial went reasonably well last night, in that Zoe resettled in the cot after each waking/feed. And although I did miss night time cuddles with my little possum, I guess I did have a more settled sleep myself, particularly between the 230am feed and Ewan's alarm going off for work before 6am.

This morning's sleep was a bit more problematic. I tried to follow the 'lie baby down 15 times then leave her for 20 minutes or as long as you can stand to hear her yelling' recommendation. Problem is, she worked herself into a sweaty lather pretty quickly, rather than the intermittent yelling and chatting of last night. But I persevered, and, after an hour of lying her down when she stood, holding my hand on her back and a few out of the cot cuddling sessions, she fell asleep in my arms. Which was very cute even if it is very 'naughty'. This took an hour. I'm wondering how the afternoon sleep with go.

Good news from here is that it is raining, which is lovely for the new garden we planted out yesterday, and long overdue. Makes for nice sleeping weather too.

Sleeping confessions

Our sleeping arrangements have been a tad unconventional since Zoe's birth. I guess we've been doing what works for us, which of late, has been Zoe going to sleep strapped into her pram [don't tell DOCS, but this has been so that she can't throw herself out], then coming into bed with Ewan and I or, even more recently, into a separate bed in her room with me.

This works for a baby, but not for an almost-one-year-old-almost-toddler. So today we put the cot back up, grit our teeth and put Zoe down in the cot. And it worked! Okay, she's only been asleep for 15 minutes, and she yelled for the first 10 minutes after being put down, but I feel better knowing that this technique might work [its not controlled crying, something else from a book called Save Our Sleep], and it is the first 1/2 hour of the night, but at least she is safe, and can move around during the night without me worrying that she'll crawl off the end of the bed. That said, there's still the two or three night feeds to come, and I haven't really decided how or if I'll deal with those.

First steps

Zoe has been 'cruising' for several weeks now, but in the last few days has had the courage and encouragement to let go of furniture and the push cart. Mostly she balances on the spot, flapping her arms or clapping, but today she took 3 small steps before collapsing with excitement. It is very exciting for Mummy too.

Fun with Nisbet

Zoe has this month met her Grandma and Grandpa, who have come across from Scotland for a visit, along with Aunty Sheona and Uncle Ronnie. Nine Nisbets flew to Sydney a fortnight ago for Uncle Donald and Aunty Litsa's Scottish-Arab wedding, which was a hoot. Today, another gaggle of us met at Brunswick Pub for lunch. Yesterday we visited the very beautiful Tweed Regional Gallery, shown here in the photo of Zoe with Uncle Ronnie. Zoe has been zooming around the house pushing her ride on car, turning it around when she runs into walls and furniture. AS and UR have also been coaching her to stand and clap, a task that she has taken to surpisingly well. Looks like she is not too far away from walking.

Wish you were here with us Aunty Julie!