Those of you who know me, know very well that I'm not the girly girl kind of person. I've always been the kind of female to hate all the fussing and faffing about. This also is reflected in what I wear.
I hate shopping - unless it is for books. I don't get what the fuss is all about - trying on clothes that don't fit properly and/or you have no intention/means to purchase is just annoying,frustrating and a complete and utter waste of time to me. I also happen to a One Pair Of Shoes kind of person. What this means is that you can find me wearing the same pair of shoes in all sorts of different occasions. I can't walk in heels - and I don't need heels anyway - at least locally. When I'm travelling, then yes - I might get to feel short. By Maltese standards though, I'm on the tall side at 1m69cm/ 5ft 6.5 inches.
One thing I have just realised though is this. I have had 3 new pairs of shoes over the past couple of years. They all were laced and worn on extremely significant occasions.
The above photo depicts the first pair. This photo was taken at Skindependence 2010 - on the 2nd of July to be exact. That was the moment I defied gravity. And by that, I mean I was suspended from 4 hooks that were pierced through the skin of my back. It was one of the best moments of my life - one of my greatest accomplishments [and I can't wait til I get to suspend again!].
The second pair was when I went to Manchester exactly a year ago. I got there on the 27th of January, 2011. I already went into detail about this in this previous blog, so I won't repeat myself.
Today,the 29th of January 2012, I find myself lacing up the 3rd pair just an hour or so before I leave for hospital, where I will be giving birth over the next couple of days. The fun fact about this is that an exact year ago, I was in Manchester and we were going to have a photo shoot in the morning. This was where it all began with Creature's 'father'. By 'father' I mean sperm donor. I won't go into the dynamics of how and why he is absent as I don't think it is fair for me to badmouth someone who has given me Creature. I refuse to be the kind of Single Parent to badmouth the ex - regardless of how justified it might be. Especially when it comes to doing so publicly.
I guess this is some sort of subconscious change I go through whenever a major change in my life's direction is about to be taken.
Them little sprogs are expensive. That is a known fact. So, why not spare yourself unnecessary expenses whilst you still can?
Toys are a necessity for Baby's learning process - however in this day and age where technology rules, even a simple newborn-friendly toy can cost an arm and a leg. We're all so focused on being up-to-date with the latest gadgets that we forget our childhood favourites were probably the most inexpensive toys of them all.
I've been looking up fun stuff to do, and inexpensive toys to acquire, whilst I still can. Here's a list of fun ideas for Baby and you!
Anything
Seriously. Look around you and choose a few items, then show them to Baby. Take your time and allow Baby to observe them properly, whilst you explain what the item is. Repetition at this stage is important, not boring. So don't despair if you don't really have a lot of Baby-safe things.
Baby him/herself
Having a sister 9 years younger than me means I've had daily exposure to a Baby already. One of my favourite memories from both my childhood and from interacting with my sister back then was simply playing tickling games, or pointing out different body parts, or peek-a-boo.
My mum still recalls quite fondly the hours we used to spend playing peek-a-boo back in the day. Only in my case, the words to accompany the game were "Open" and "Closed".
Songs and handplay are fun and will last for a good number of years, especially once Baby knows what the words mean.
Paper
It isn't just Micah who is featured in the above video that finds tearing up paper amusing. It seems to give babies a sense of satisfaction to create permanent change in such a simple manner.
This means one thing - keep all important paperwork out of Baby's reach.
Torches
Besides from being a convenient tool to have lying around, a torch can provide various sources of amusement. Babies can find it fascinating just to see the light going on and off, to begin with. Followed by chasing the light, and later on, playing with creating shadow puppets.
Boogie!
This is probably one of the cheapest source of amusement of them allCrank up the volume to your - that's yours and Baby's - favourite tunes and dance all over the place with Baby in your arms. As s/he grows older, the dancing will evolve in something s/he'll be able to do unassisted.
Travels
Most babies tend to like the whole travelling experience - so if you drive, sometimes all it takes to amuse your wee one is to go for a ride. If you, like me, don't drive, you can either ask someone to be the chauffeur or hop on a bus and make sure Baby can watch the changing scenery.
Also, a trip to the airport to watch planes take off and land can be quite amusing!
Boxes & Wrapping Paper
Sometimes people end up being disappointed when they give some expensive toy to Baby and s/he seems to be more interested in the wrapping paper and/or box it came in than the toy itself.
Wrapping paper is all colourful and provides different textures for Baby to be fascinated with. If you give a gift to a baby, make sure it is wrapped - that is probably the only time in a person's life where they'll truly appreciate the wrapping paper.
Boxes, or the other hand, are marvellous. They can provide endless hours of fun for children up until their late childhood years. After all, a box is rarely ever a box. It can be a hide-out, a ship, a car, a plane, a train, a house, a workshop bench, a shop counter and a million other fun things!
Canned Foods
To tie in with the above-mentioned boxes, once your child is older, they may enjoy playing Make Believe and pretend to be a shop keeper. I know it used to be one of my childhood favourites, much to my mum's desperation at seeing the larder being emptied, only to have to reshelve everything all over again once play-times were over and done with.
Building a fort
Be it a pillow fort, or a makeshift tent, this tends to be a childhood favourite with young children. I must admit I still love the idea myself up to this very day and age!
There are a lot more games that are inexpensive and fun - all you have to do is let your imagination run wild. If your imagination isn't as fertile, or you get stumped, a quick Google search will provide you with several ideas. In the meanwhile, you can clicky here for a never-ending list of ideas.
