Stop the presses. Hold the phones. Contact those in charge. Wee Daftie slept for 8 hours straight last night. 8pm til 4:30am. She has not done that in months. For the past maybe 3-4 months, there has been one thing after another to interrupt her sleep. Teething, rolling, crawling, babbling, standing. Any block of sleep is welcome and most of the time, I don’t mind the lack of sleep on my part as she’s never up for long. It’s lovely for her though to get a good night’s rest. Long may it last. (It won’t)

My day began with a small human headbutting me on the cheek, impatient to get up and start our day. It was 6:30am. Do you ever look at someone and think, “I like you. But. At the same time, I really don’t.” Yeah that. It’s lovely that she’s so happy to see me in the morning. It would be nicer at 8am. 

Music class first thing for us today. It does seem silly to take her to a music class at such a young age but, aside from being fun for us, it has definitely helped with things like hand eye coordination, tracking, socialising, picking up and moving objects. We did have lovely moment where my usually unhuggy baby had a kiss and cuddle interaction with one of the other babies. Super unlike her. Super adorable. 

After class, we went to have lunch with two of my favourites. One of my Mammy Mates and her gorgeous, gorgeous girl. We ended up in a cafe at the soft play at Ocean Terminal. It was fantastic to see her and catch up. It’s also really lovely to spend time with other mammies in super noisy, baby and toddler filled environments. There’s a freedom in the noise. And there will always be a baby making more noise than yours. Fact. 

Walked some of the way home and smashed the steps today. It is definitely easier getting the steps…eh…Stepped on days when I have lots to do. They just sort of rack themselves up. 

Proud Mammy moment. Wee Daftie has worked out how her munchkin cup works! Actual water actually drunk by her own actual hands. 

But still no vitamin drops. 

Glorious day of spring sun today made walking super easy. I had some errands to run so I decided to head out to coincide with Daftie’s morning nap again. The plan (what was I saying before about making plans?) was to get a bus to Ocean Terminal, do my bits and pieces and walk back. Easy.

Missed not one, but two buses so started walking thinking I’d pick up another bus on the way. It was when buses three and four passed that I decided to walk all the way there. Easy. Ish. 

I really enjoy using my sling. It was the one thing that I really wanted to do as a Mammy. I was, and still am, pretty content to wing most of what we do to help Wee Daftie have a happy existence but for some reason, I was quite insistent on using a sling. My wonderful parents bought me my first Caboo and I have since replaced that one with Caboo Two. This one I can carry Daftie on my back! 

We put her in it for the first time when she was just nine days old. This was also the first time I ventured outdoors after having her. The walk from the hospital to the car to take her home doesn’t count. We laced the sling up incorrectly, I walked like John Wayne and our 5 minute walk stole the life out of me but I knew that my instincts to carry her this way were right for us. 

I love how she can look around, I love how close and safe she feels in it, I love how it calms her when she’s upset, I like how I can be hands free and it is definitely easier on buses. It can limit how much I can carry that isn’t her and it can be super warm but I have just learned to wear less. *Wolf whistling ensues*

What I absolutely don’t like is the term “baby wearing”. I am not wearing my baby. She is not an accessory, no matter how cute she is. (Very) 

Thanks to my gigantic wander, my steps were hit nice and early on so we were able to have a lazy late afternoon and evening. 

Daftie is definitely getting braver with her standing. She is pulling herself up at any and every given opportunity. I definitely don’t want to wish her lovely babiness away but when I see her do something new it gets me so excited to imagine what will happen next! 

Practice makes perfect! 

Happy International Women’s Day! I have known a lot of women in my time and I am so blessed with the plethora of amazing ladies I know and love, to be inspired by, to look up to. My Mammy and my sisters, my wonderful Auntie Mione, my Mad Aunt Hil (now to be known as Graunty Hil as grandaunt to Wee Daftie) are all such incredible humans and I have no words to express just how fantastic they are. I have an amazing network of gals in Edinburgh, whom I’ve known pre Daftie, who offer such invaluable support when I am going through my semi-single parenting times. 

The ladies I’d like to herald today are the new pals I’ve made since becoming a Mammy. There are a number of girls (women?) that I have had the pleasure meeting and knowing thanks only to the fact we have all had babies in the past year. I have not known any of these people a full year yet but I already cannot imagine not having them in my life.

It is thanks to one of this diamonds that I am walking my steps and writing these words. One of my precious Mammy Mates was diagnosed with breast cancer, not 6 months after having her beautiful baby girl. Sucks, right? I think she is incredible. Her spirit is amazing. Her attitude is fierce and she is fighting. I wanted to do something… Anything to show love and support for her. So here is where we are. And I am so proud of her for being so strong and inspiring.

The greatest thing about my Mammy Mates is that I honestly don’t know where I would have met them otherwise. I didn’t grow up near any of them, we didn’t go to school together, I live about as far away as I can from a lot of them. I absolutely adore the sorority I’ve found. 

Quite a lazy walking day, today. Just a bit over the 10,000, spread over two walks. 

Just out of curiosity? Fly tipping is like cow tipping, right? Just on a more intricate level? Right? Right. 

Daftie is a baffling small human. She has never been a particularly good day sleeper, despite our better attempts. Two naps of about 45mins each is the norm, 1 hour if she’s feeling ker-azy. And the naps usually occur around the same time. Today? She didn’t fancy her morning nap at all but did want to have a lovely 1 & 3/4 hour nap after lunch. Every time I think we have her sussed, she goes and does something new. 

Watch her sleep through the night tonight. *Cue hysterical laughter* (She won’t)

If I were to name today’s post something other than “Day Seven” it would be “My Baby is a Weirdo”. She tried to settle herself down to sleep tonight by lying on the side of her cot. Not on her side in the cot. On the wood. Her gorgeous chunky legs in the cot, bending her body into a z shape and resting her head on the wood. 

What have I created? 

Bedtime has become trickier these past few weeks. Bless her. She learned to roll from her back to her front when she was 3 months old but didn’t work out crawling for a good four months after that. Now that she has learned to crawl, it is all she does. It is wonderful and I am so proud. She seems proud, and content and happy. And loves to practice. And practice. (And practice) The “problem” is now twofold. One, she likes to try out her movements in her cot and two, it’s like she has a checklist and is now moving on to the next item. Pulling herself up. So I’m currently battling a climbing moron, chasing a sleep-crawling baby up and down her cot, and soothing a confused Daftie when she wakes herself up, thanks to excessive midnight manoeuvres. 

Even though she has been waking more than she used to and I am breathtakingly tired, I genuinely just feed bad for her. Even though she has woken herself up more than once in an hour by rolling onto her tummy, she is far too confused to feel anything but empathy. And a modicum of disdainful eye-rolling. 

I only just scraped through the steps today as it was a necessary dealing with domesticity day. I had food that needed cooked, a delivery arriving, washing to do, so the majority of my walking was done in the flat. We did get out for a walk around the block though. Oh and there was a good deal of chasing Daftie done too. Sorry. That should read Chasing Daftie as she was the one doing the chasing…

Vitamin drops finally given! 

I may be getting the hang of this.

Big Human is in Aberdeen this week with work so it’s semi-single parenting time again. It also means I need to get my steps in during the day with a small human strapped to my chest. Working the core for the win! 

With this in mind, I do take a lot of steps naturally, but walking wearing Daftie does take more effort. It’ll be two small walks a day this week. 

First one today was to coincide with her morning nap. We went down to the small, stony beach behind the yacht club. Before she fell asleep, we looked at the waves and tried to find a small rock pool (failed) I also tried to explain how waves worked. Something to do with the moon…She trailed off, mimicking the trailing off she did earlier. 

I’ve always been proud of my fount of useless knowledge. Polar bears? Left handed. I am very proud of my working knowledge of wine, whisky and food and I have always been a really good ability to learn by doing. I am also a minor expert in a the art of baby led weaning (I’ll spare you the details of that one) thanks to all the reading I’ve done in preparation for Daftie. What has only just occurred to me is that even though I am the one learning, I also need to be the one teaching. I mean, my own Mammy knows everything. For as long as I can remember, if I had a question, I knew she would have the answer. I still stand by that. My Uncle Norman used always insist on being in Mammy’s team for Trivial Pursuit. 

I am not sure I am ready to be that for Daftie. Let’s hope she only ever asks me questions I know. “Smallest distillery? Edradour” “That’s right, Raja did win season three of Drag Race” “Well, the fiber in whole-wheat flour fills little tummies up faster meaning that they may not get all the nutrients from the rest of the meal. So, technically, plain white bread is better” 

We’ll be fine.

Second walk was a cheeky plan of getting off the bus early, on the way back from a baby class. Managed to smash my 10,000 steps by 3pm today. Delightful. 

Daftie has started pulling herself up into a standing position…And not just in the cot anymore. She actually did it on the step at the sliding door and while trying to climb me. Which is amazing. 

Still no vitamin drops for the baby. 

Have a treat. A second photo and both our faces. Boom. 

A trip to Falkirk to visit Wee Daftie’s Granny and Auntie meant that the bulk of my walking was done post Daftie Bedtime again. Another good night for it. Where we live, my humans and I, is by a lovely bit of harbour. The walk along to the massive asda, along the lower Granton Road, is one of my favourites. When Daftie was much littler, and still suffering through the dreaded witching hour, we used to walk along that road together before her bedtime. You’d usually just see me, Daftie and a pack of dog walkers.

I’ve set myself this goal of 10,000 steps a day to raise money for charity but it has also gotten me thinking a lot about goals, in particular, milestones. 

My girl is a bundle of energy. She crawls, she squirms, she randomly flails, she rolls. Everything she does now is a milestone. And has been from her very first day. The first one being, and I am very serious, was whether or not she’d had a dirty nappy. That was all we, me and the midwives I mean not the whole town, could talk about. The midwife I told, when the horrible tar-like meconium finally arrived, was genuinely pleased for us. (Nappy chat features high on my surprising list of “New Mammy Conversation Topics”, by the way. I am guilty of bringing it up and knowing too much about baby poop) I was genuinely pleased for us. Then I had to clean it. I was genuinely less pleased.

Milestones are funny as they don’t really mean anything. Every baby is different and will learn in their own time. I don’t compare as it will do no good but I am fascinated by baby development so enjoy seeing roughly when she hits hers. Rolling was a fun one. Crawling was excellent. Her first two teeth were a relief, more than anything else. Pulling herself up, as she is testing the waters with now, is getting interesting. When she does it in her cot, it is equally amazing and terrifying. It’s a strange and intense mix of complete pride and panic inducing fear. She’ll be strapping on the climbing gear and taking herself to the massive indoor climbing centre in Ratho before we know it! 

Now imagine same idiot, but standing. That was bedtime tonight. No vitamin drops were administered today. Bad Mammy. 

Sailed past my 10,000 steps today and learned that I can walk 7,000 in one and a quarter hours if I really want to. 

Had a vaguely lazy day today, involving a trip to B&Q to price wallpaper, so postponed any actual walking til post Daftie Bedtime again. No rain tonight so managed a good lump of steps. It was one of those lovely cool, clear, slightly soggy nights. Perfect for walking at a decent pace, Fallout Boy bellowing in my ears. 

Without getting awkward and sentimental, there’s not much I miss from my pre-Daftie life. Okay so I drink less, I sleep less, I plan more, I eat more, spontaneity has waned a bit. I buy fewer shoes (for me), I go on less frequent spending sprees (for me). The one thing that I can honestly say I miss though is listening to my music while walking. Strange, right? 
Music has always been super important to me and I definitely want to instill some of that in Wee Daftie. I would rather have music on than the TV. The weirdo that she is, really enjoys me singing to her. (I am not the singer in my family, mind. My Mammy and my middle sister have lovely voices. I am, as my music teacher told me, “a useful singer”.) So it’s not like I have suddenly turned off my tunes and exist more quietly. (Yes yes. I can hear the guffaws. Quiet? Me?) I just don’t do it on the go anymore. Not a bad thing but it is something I miss. 

Tonight’s escapade meant that I could walk – to Morrison’s – with intent and purpose, with my big can earphones on. It was glorious. I may have been singing aloud. That was less so. 

Today was another success of just over 10,000. Tomorrow, I am bringing both my humans, Big and Small, for a big walk. The wrist tracking device…Well, the tracking device on my wrist, is a much better way for me to work out the distance walked. Especially after we realised that everytime I sat down, I was resetting the clip pedometer. Whoops.

A bit late, but this was our World Book Day effort. Look at her stupid face. Isn’t it the greatest? 

The best laid plans…

Today started as it normally does. Wee Daftie making some noise too early in the morning, Mammy dragging her into bed for a cuddle, only to be bashed in the face 20 minutes later, wanting to get up. Then Mammy discovers a rash and ends up going to the doctor and not music class, thus reorganising her whole day. Whoops.

Good news. Doctor isn’t worried. Bad news. Doctor has no idea what rash is. Oh well. Bloods taken, will find out in a week! 

Ended up walking around Fort Kinard instead of my planned baby music class and big walk home. Big Human suggested it as it would a) take my mind off things and b) we could find a pedometer that I can have on my person the whole time. The whole carrying my phone in my pocket has not been working well. I either forget to put it in my pocket or I have no pockets. Both are problematic. 

I now have a thing on my wrist. And I shouldn’t have an issue forgetting that. My wrist I mean. 

Another bout of showers scuppered my post Daftie Bedtime walk in the Granton night air so finished off my steps in the kitchen today. I could go walking in the rain but if there is a drier option, I’ll take it! 

Daftie was in good form today. We had our untraditional tradition of a Friday night Skype chat with Nana so both she and Papa got to witness the forward propelling motion that is a crawling Daftie. Learning to crawl has been really great for her. She seems more content. Like she realises she has actually achieved something. The attempts to climb out of her cot, however. Well. That’s another story. 

Thanks to the victory laps of the kitchen, it was just a little over 10,000 steps again when I finally sat down. 3 for 3 though. Tomorrow I shall make no plans for then they can’t be scuppered. 

And people wonder why I call her daft. Who else can manage to kick off one shoe and one sock in the car. Bless. Her. 

Just to clarify, I am the gross spotty one. Not Daftie. She is as blemish free and glorious as ever! 

Some Small Human, who shall remain nameless, decided to wake up a good hour before I was ready. So I managed and alarming 316 steps before her morning nap. This was achieved literally just walking about the flat, doing laundry, making breakfast, laughing a Wee Daftie covered in blackberries. Oh good news about blackberries. She loves them. Bad news. Meal time resembles a murder scene once she’s done. Pretty Vampiric. 

Ongoing joke with my Big Human and I is the fact we keep forgetting to give her some vitamin drops. We both genuinely believe that her diet is good and varied but we want to do everything we can to help, right? That’s a part of being a parent. That and inflicting your musical tastes on them. She *will* like Fall Out Boy. Yeah. So at breakfast time I forgot again. Still, two more meals to go today to forget again. I mean remember. 

Just over the 10,000 steps again today. I reckon I would have massively surpassed it, had it not have been for the minor showers in the afternoon. That converted my longer walk, into a shorter one with lots of dancing about the kitchen with Daftie instead. Which, luckily for me and Cancer Research, counts as steps! 

No vitamin drops were administered today. I am a terrible mother. 

I count today as a success. Tomorrow I have a lovely long walk planned after Monkey Music tomorrow morning. Fingers crossed for sun! 

Today’s dinner, sans extra drops. 

Today I began my Walking All Over Cancer fundraising for Cancer Research. 

First thing this morning, I went to download a pedometer to my phone to help track my progress. I use the word progress loosely. Thinking it was going to be a bit of a minefield, I braced myself to read up on the different apps, look at ratings, tips…Only to discover I already have Google fit installed. So I went with that! Lazy? I prefer the term “time efficient”. So with that set up, we started our day. 

It was the usual Wednesday of a trip to baby sensory and then some errands, including a stop to see Uncle Steve at work. I’m almost at the end of my 9 months paid maternity. Which means another 3 months before I contemplate going back to my other job. Keeping Daftie alive is the main gig now. So far, so good. Though she does keep removing her shoes and trying to eat them. 

End tally of steps today was only a little over 10,000 but I didn’t do any official walks and I didn’t count the 20 minutes of crawling about the kitchen with Daftie. Oh and I kept forgetting to carry my phone with me in the house. That may help. 

Today was a success. Tomorrow? Will be just as good, spending it with this idiot.