Wednesday 3 September 2014

L is for Laughter

Laughter... I really do think it's the best medicine there is. The day that I first heard Ellie laugh was magical. It was just a little chuckle while we were playing, but I froze for a moment and when I looked at her, she was just all lit up with pure joy. I actually have an audio recording on my phone of one of her first laughs. It cracks me up even now. I was making kissing noises and kissing her toes and tummy and she lost the plot. She was laughing her baby laugh so hard that she was snorting at the same time. It's adorable!
 
As her mama, I love finding the things that make her laugh. Now, she chuckles with glee at lots of things.

  • She loves tickles. Both being tickled, and "tickling" you. More often than not her tickles are actually pokes and pinches, but she is trying and so I laugh for her because I know the intention is there. We are also staying strong with teaching boundaries and are careful to stop or be stopped if the word is given.
  • She loves texture. Blankets and jackets and soft teddy bears rubbed on her cheek are delightful.
  • Great delight is also taken in blowing raspberries onto my belly and talking to her "brovver". 
  • She is so active. She loves going to the park and swinging, using the slides and throwing herself around. She loves playing catch, dancing to something with a beat (Pharrell's 'Happy' is a constant winner). She will also come to you and ask to be swung around, flung upside down or carried for a piggy back ride. She loves hide and seek and peekaboo, especially when she thinks she is getting the better of you and you can't find or see her. All of these things produce gorgeous giggles (mostly minus the snorts these days).
 
I also think that laughter is healing and definitely helps break up some of the stress that parenting can bring. Especially in the early days of motherhood (oh how I try not to think of those too much, especially with Attila so close now), things just happen, and if you don't laugh at yourself, you might end up crying. Here are a couple of my pearlers:
  • Wrangling new born Ellie and I into fresh clean outfits, then having her simultaneously throw up on me and create a poopsplosion that her nappy and outfit couldn't contain. Realising that the shirt I was wearing had to be removed over my head and was now covered with excretion from each end...
  • Sleep deprived and home alone with Ellie after Mr Fork had exhausted his paternity leave. She wouldn't stop crying. After trying everything, I wrapped her against me and she finally slept, but all attempts to lay her down were futile. I ate lunch standing up, swaying from side to side with toast crumbs raining down on to her bald-ish little head, laughing like a loon. Mr Fork came home to find me still pacing manically around the house, Ellie sleeping quietly and innocently.
  • Finally getting some much needed shuteye, only to hear Mr Fork scream with what I can only describe as horror, and yell for assistance. Dash into the nursery to see him (and half the room including the rug) coated with poop. Obviously Ellie was not done and when he'd lifted her to change the nappy over, she'd taken advantage of the angle and let loose. Oh the horror.
Then there's the things that Ellie does both intentionally and unintentionally that make us laugh, such as:
  • The way she calls her dressing gown 'kitty' (it's a hello kitty one). And she can't quite pronounce kitty so it sounds a bit rude.
  • When she does something naughty and realises I'm unhappy with her - she'll throw herself at me shouting "Sowwy! Cuddle!" then clasp me in a toddler death grip. It's all I can do not to smother her with kisses but instead accept her apology with dignity.
What has made you laugh lately?

4 comments:

  1. Oh gosh, those early motherhood moments terrify me! I'm so glad you can laugh at them - as you say, you really have to in order to hold on to sanity. The other times sound like they'd help make up for the tough moments too.

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    1. Thank you! I tell everybody that it's the hardest job I've ever had... but also the best and more rewarding.

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  2. I know that toddler death grip. It's hilarious in itself. Yesterday I had rather a lot of them combined with intense kisses all over my face. (Yes, there was a lot of love being felt obviously.)

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    1. I love toddler kisses. We have just moved from kissing with tongue (licking really) to something more closely resembling a kiss, accompanied by loud smacking MUAHHHHHH noises. Every kiss is precious though.

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