Baby language

I read somewhere that babies have different cries for their different needs.  I was a bit skeptical about this, but curious too.  So for the first month of his life, I have been listening to the Princeling’s vocalisations to see if I can associate different sounds with different requirements.

To my surprise, he does have different vocalisations, and they do seem to be tied to different demands.  I have observed 3 distinct “sets” of vocalisations, depending on whether he’s hungry, tired or just wants attention.

Hungry cries.

When the Princeling wants food, and wants it NOW, he makes a definite “L” vocalisation, a long, drawn-out wail without much variation in tone, something like “m’laaaaaaaa, m’laaaaaaaa”.  In between these cries, he will make sad little “hurrrr-hurrr” noises with his mouth pulled down.  The “m’laaaa” is very loud, and vibrates behind my earbones.

Tired cries

When he’s tired and needs comfort, the cries seem to be made further back in the throat, and sound more like “ne-yeaaaaa”.  There is definitely no “L” sound.  This “ne-yeaaaaa” is made up of two tones; the “ne” is higher than the “yeaaaa”.  When he’s working himself up, or settling down, he makes little “huh-huh-huh” noises, and his lower lip protrudes (very cute!).

Attention noises

He also has a very distinct “come HERE mother!” call.  It’s not a cry, more of an angry growl, a low “ruh-ruh, ruh-ruh” noise.  If you pick him up, these change to soft little “oo-oo” noises which are very soothing.  Is he rewarding me for picking him up?  I’m not sure if he can associate cause and effect at this age, so maybe it’s instinctive.

This is by no means a scientific study, but it’s been interesting.  I wouldn’t say it helps me with addressing his needs though, because they are pretty obvious most of the time.  He makes angry, distressed cries when I’m changing his nappy or dressing him, but I haven’t noticed a distinct sound or tone there yet – I don’t know if it’s because they are more complex, or whether he’s just using all his cries because it’s a non-specific upset for him.

I’ll be watching to see if he develops more cries as he gets older.

Arranging life around the Princeling

A new baby in the house really means a new life.  Gone are the self-indulgent days of spending hours writing, or drawing, or playing whichever MMORPG has taken our fancy.  Gone are the days of free spending, personal trainers, spontaneous road trips and fancy cooking.

All this has been replaced by hours in a chair in front of the television, breastfeeding and settling, or just holding the Princeling while he burbles away in his own world.  Before he arrived, I would rarely spend more than an hour or two a week in front of the TV; now I’m glued to it while attending to his needs.

Computer time is a precious half-hour snuck in while he’s napping, in between washing, cleaning and finding time to make a piece of toast.  Weight loss?  No problem.  I haven’t had a regular meal since he came home from the hospital.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not upset or bitter.  What I have lost has been more than made up in the occasional smile, in his sweet face, the scent of his hair, the fierce grip of his tiny hands.  No, I don’t miss it at all. It was my old life, and now I have a new one.

A life full of love, and wonder, and not a little fear.

First smile!

It was definitely a real smile! He’s done a few more since then, and they are gorgeous. They are still rare, but I treasure every one.

We’re settling into a routine, of sorts. When the Princeling came home, I would wake him up every 3 hours for a feed, on the dot. It was working, but I was exhausted.

One day I didn’t get up for his 3 hourly feed, and he slept right through. So I changed to feeding on demand. Oh, what a difference! Yes, his feeds are more irregular, but he has a couple of long sleeps which are wonderful. On any day I might get one 5 hour feed, a couple of 3 hours and one or two 2 hour feeds. The other benefit is that he is sucking much better – shorter feeds which is better for my nipples!

I’m actually getting enough time during the day to get back to the unpacking. This is definitely progress!

Did I mention he’s damn cute?

Milestones

The Princeling is one month old today.  He’s celebrating the day by sleeping like an angel, thereby allowing me to blog, drink tea and eat french toast.  Which is not as delicious as I remember it from when my grandmother used to make it.  I think it lacks lard.

Over the past 4 weeks, the Princeling has grown and developed so much, he’s hardly recognisable from the small, orange-tinted boy we brought home from the hospital.  He’s bigger, louder and his aim is getting better – so far he’s peed on me, Dear Man, the wall, the mirror, the box of huggies and his hair.  His vomits are getting bigger too – they can really cover some area now.

We’re still debating whether we have seen his first smile, or just a really expressive grimace.  It was damn cute though.

Destroying the environment, one nappy at a time

Pre-baby, when I was in blissful second trimester and the Dear Man could still fit his arms around me, we decided to go with cloth nappies, on the basis that it was significantly cheaper and a lot better for the environment. All of our parent friends advised against it; my cousin’s hubby advised us that “Huggies** are the ONLY nappy that will contain explosive poos”. Still we agreed that the environment and our finances came first; I would be home and therefore would have no trouble keeping up with all the extra washing.

That thunderous roaring in the background is all the mums out there laughing at our naivette.

Post-baby and we are still using disposable nappies, for two very good reasons; one, it’s damned convenient. I can barely keep up with the washing as it is, since the Princeling doesn’t sleep much during the day.

But the other reason is, well, take a look for yourself.

I guess he’ll grow into them…

Until then, I have to live with the little twinges of my conscience whenever I drop a disposable nappy in the bin.

** Note: not a product endorsement!

Only 17

The princeling is 17 days old today.  Only 17 days in the world.  It seems like he has been with us forever.

I can’t get enough of his sweet smell, his soft hair, his lovely dark eyes.  I love the contented little “nyuh nyuh” sounds he makes at the breast.  I love the rage when things are not being provided at a pace acceptable to the princeling – the red face, the screwed up eyes, the shaking fists.  Baby rage is beautiful.

I love it when I pick him up and he soothes instantly, and opens his eyes.  I don’t know what he sees, but I know he’s listening.

I can’t believe how completely he has become my world – how nothing is as important as he is.  How the days meld into feeding and changing and just holding him, gazing at his sweet face.