Despatches from a mother who started late (and is running to catch up)

Standing start

This morning J erupted into our bedroom. "Are you awake enough for this morning's big news?" he began. Without waiting for an answer he rushed on: "She can stand up! Almost on her own!" J's vitality first-thing can sometimes overwhelm me but on this occasion I knew I had an edge.

This was old news. She stood up on her own yesterday while he was at work. If I'd been properly awake I might even have indulged in a look of knowing superiority. As it was, he'd been looking after her since we heard "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" coming from the musical Whoozit in her room at 6.30am and I needed my first cup of tea of the day, so I didn't feel able to say too much.

After triumph, disaster.

K practised standing for most of the day, giving me smiles as she did so that suggested she wasn't entirely oblivious to my maternal pride in her achievements. Then, around teatime, as she was wobbling next to the coffee table, she took her hands off the table, lost her balance and toppled backwards, cutting her lip on the table edge. She screamed and wailed.

I swept her up in my arms, wiped the blood from her lip and paced around the flat. Granny assumed emergency tea-making duties. All of us had tears in our eyes. Despite all my resolutions that today was the day I would stop breastfeeding, I let her feed for 20 minutes to try and comfort her.

Tonight at supper J and I discussed where we could find foam padding for the coffee table. The tone of the conversation was muted and co-operative. Surprisingly enough, neither of us made any attempt at one-upmanship.

Posted 22 March 2007 20:40

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