Six weeks of summer: Week 4, a week away

By Published On: August 24th, 2015

During my summer break from work, I have been spending some […]

During my summer break from work, I have been spending some quality time with my little man, and although I’m very grateful my profession allows this to happen, I forgot that I’m actually blessed for it. After speaking with friends about my last post (in which I was talking about my anxiety of leaving Ben in daycare), I learned that some people I know have had to do what I’m about to when their babies were a lot younger than 9 months old. My dear friend Gemma is an example of this. She had to put her little one into daycare from 7 weeks, so she could finish her degree. So she was not only stressed about leaving her baby, but she had the added pressure of studying, too.
I forget how lucky I’ve been sometimes to not have to worry about more things. So thank you to those who spoke with me; it has helped ease my mind a little.
brigtin fmily holidayHowever, this week isn’t a recap on last besides what I have just said. This week I want to tell you about our week away that we’ve just had with my partner’s parents in sunny Brighton.
And boy oh boy has it been a busy one for Ben!
We were really lucky in that my in-laws treated us to this break, and we’re very grateful because it was beautiful. We stayed in a small cottage situated six miles outside of Brighton in the countryside, where there were ancient woodlands we could explore and see all manner of wildlife. We switched off our phones (as they barely worked anyway) and enjoyed a week in which it was about not really doing a lot besides being together.
I’ve enjoyed my time with Ben, but enjoy it even more when mummy is there, too. He gets the best of everything that way. With the added bonus of grandparents being around, the benefit is massively noticed, for as I’ve said it’s been a busy week for the little man with noticeably three things happening …
The first one is not massive really—it was a new tooth popped out, taking his total to three along the bottom and one at the top so far. The best thing about it is that it popped out without hurting him as there has been no signs of discomfort, which is pretty cool.
The second is he has learned to clap and has been clapping everything since, which, of course having a background in performing has gone down very well with me. It’s not every day you get applauded for walking into a room. The only problem is he has also been waving at us, too, when we say hello. And now he’s confused the two gestures, so we are all getting claps when we say hi. (Of course I’ve been saying hi even more to soak up the applause. Although no bouquets of flowers yet!)
Finally, during this week of relaxing and a bit of shopping in Brighton town centre, which is coastal and beautiful, Ben did something that now means we as parents need eyes on the backs of our heads. Yep, you guessed it: He crawled. It’s something that’s been developing for a while. (A few weeks ago I wrote about how he was moving backwards.) Now, however, his little arms and legs have worked out the sequence, and he is moving forward. The first time he painted a face that was a mix between a lot of concentration and pride at what was doing.
I have no doubt that some of this learning to clap and crawl at the same time is just coincidence, but I also have no doubt that the week away and the constant stimulation from others that aren’t mummy and daddy has also helped. This knowledge also helps with my worry about him going to a childminder, for if he can learn to do this in a week, how much benefit will come from permanent term time childcare?
I guess that question will be answered very soon.