A List

Well this post is inspired by Linda Margaret.

10 Things You Didn't Know About Harriet

1. She LOVES to suck
Ok you can keep your filthy minds out of this one. Harriet is absolutely a numero uno, spot-on comfort sucker. She has been since about four weeks of age when she started shoving her fist into her mouth and slurping all over it - she doesn't hold back and it sure can wake you from a deep sleep! So despite being adamant that we would never give her a dummy she changed our minds and now has a dummy to help settle her during the day. She is never allowed it to go to sleep with at night and it just doesn't seem to bother her - she crashes without any problems whatsoever. The main reason for the night embargo is so that we don't have to keep waking to pop the thing back in when she drops it out of her mouth (ie: essentially for lazy reasons).

2. She screams like a banshee for an hour every night
This is most commonly between 6 and 7pm - rather unfortunate timing if you're trying to watch Neighbours. There is just nothing you can do to console her, poor poppet. She screams so loudly that you can only speak to the person holding her if you shout and if you aren't within sight then you can forget about conversing. This is, however, an improvement on what used to be a nightly 2-3hr screaming match.

3. On her left eyelid she has veins that make out a distinct '2'
It's true! Rather than being 'the one', it looks as if Harriet has been chosen as back-up. The veins have been noticeable from about the first week and at first I thought they might fade away or change, but they're still there. It's cool, like being branded. But what does it mean? She's destined to always be the sidekick? To never come first? A shelf full of red coloured ribbons rather than blue?

4. Speaking of bodily issues, she has a small birthmark on her back
It's a very small strawberry splotch. When I first saw it she was about 4wks old! In our defence it was very cold when she first came home and we kept her rugged up. And when you wash her it's not like you turn her over to check out that her back is clean! Come one, it's a valid defence.

5. She is LONG!
If anyone every had any doubts that a vegetarian breastfed baby may not hold her own in the physical development stakes, Harriet is here to prove you wrong! At 9.5wks she weighs 6.3kgs but even more than that she is just bigger than other babies her age (and older!). She also has really well developed features.

6. The talking has already started
In the past week Harry has really given the vocal cords a workout, learning heaps of new vocalisation sounds and gurgling away happily to herself when we're not with her (which isn't very often admittedly). When she is getting changed or just lying in our arms she looks up and begins chatting away and waits her turn in the conversation - I speak then shep speaks, it's very orderly.

7. When she's about to do a poo, her eyebrows go pink
True! She loves to grunt through her poos and really pushes them out with explosive force! But the telltale sign is that her eyebrows start to go pink just when the really loud "THFFPPTT" rips through and then her biggest smile bursts through. Ah, I'm so proud of this poo monster.

8. She flatly refuses to smile for the camera
Harry will be smiling away, giggling and doing the bigest gummy laugh, her face wreathed with laughter. As soon as we try to sneak a camera out, be it next to her face at her feet or on the other side of the room, she stops. Looks at the camera. Becomes very serious. Loses the smiling face. Damn her.

9. She LOVES driving in the car
She can be screaming the house down but as soon as we bring out the car capsule she starts doing her smaller cries...we put her in the capsule and the cries stop...we place the capsule in the car and she starts looking around as though the world is anew...start driving the car and she's fast asleep within five minutes! It's the sure fire way to calm the little monkey.

10. Having a shower or spa is fantastic fun
Well actually I don't know about fun so much because she is a strange child. When she goes into the shower with Papa Jimbo she just stares out into space as though she's in a gentle reverie. No real smiling or laughing but absolute wonderment.