Further uses for arms

I have written before about how Max appears to develop before our very eyes and the pace shows no signs of abating.  At the moment he is working on his fine motor skills.  Frankly these have been embarrassing up until very recently.

At Mini-Music he has steadfastly refused to open his fists for clapping.  While others have been clapping and smiling he has been drooling and sitting with fists clenched on his knees.  He has not been able to grasp any of his toys without a lot of help and has kicked rather than grasped with his hands.  As I said, really embarrassing.  His parents have been hiding their faces in shame and the moniker 'very advanced' has been slipping away from him.

All of that has changed in the last week or so.  He has leapt forward with manual dexterity and it is worth reporting on.  Over the last few weeks he has started to clench, grasp and grab with his left hand and slap and push with his right.  He can even flick images on an iphone, though he quickly looses interest and we expect that he is holding out for the iphone 5.  His left hand can hold rattles, rings, toys, fingers, and put all of them into his mouth.  He can shake his play gym and he can even, when in a good mood grasp his bottle.

His right hand used to just flap up and down uselessly but now he lashes out with unerring accuracy.  He can push his bottle away when he has had enough.  He can hit all of the rattles on his play chair, he can smack his knees with delight, at the right times and at the same time as smiling and laughing.  So the icing on the cake came when he opened his fists at mini-music and while he didn't quite clap, he didn't actively resist.  Well he is only four months old.  He has also developed an affinity for one of the songs that they sing in Mini-Music.  It's called 'Forwards and Backwards' and it calms him instantly.  He can be crying and screaming and he will stop when he hears this song.  It use to take a lot more work, now its just one song, making the Mini-Music worth every penny and a lot more!  He can also shake the rattle properly now, not in beat, or even when there is music playing but progress is progress.


Two other items of note swimming and babysitting.  While on holiday in a hotel it was the turn of a local Primary school teacher who we contacted through an agency.   The role of a Babysitter is long established and both Ciara and I have babysat in our day.  But how would it work in a single room?  There was no downstairs to move to or kitchen to raid.  The lady was a pro.  She breezed in, took one look at Max, they smiled at each other and she turned to us, so much as to say 'off you go'.  The only question she had was 'where is the internet connection?'  We came back three hours later to a happy sleeping baby.

Another non-typical set up was last Saturday.  Grandad flew solo and looked after Max for the whole evening.  He walked up and down with him on his shoulder, he peered in at the cot and listened very closely for the proof of life.  His dedication was admirable and his unflappableness remarkable.  Max enjoyed the whole experience and slept very well.  He has been consistently good for babysitters.  Though in fairness they have been very good for him.  From Ennis, Dublin and Cork they have all been professionals.  They have not brought their boyfriends around, they have not smoked drugs, they have not eaten all the food in the fridge and they have looked after our little man wonderfully!



On holiday I also got a chance to swim with Max.  It was amazing.  He has no fear of water and will swim (supported) on his back and front.  He even goes under water and his face is delightful.  He scrunches his mouth into a pout and closes his eyes so tight that it looks like he is bowing a massive bassoon or contemplating a particularly difficult bowel motion.  Ciara has done fantastic work with Max and he knows his floating from his swimming and his gripping the side of the pool from his diving in.  Key lessons.  He was very popular in the pool, one small girl with a pair of floating arm-bands bigger than her head came up to me and asked very sweetly could she play with Max.  She explained that she like babies and that she liked swimming and saw no reason why she couldn't marry the two likes.  When I explained that Max was a bit tired and had to go, I could see her look of skepticism and disbelief.  Here was another adult telling her things she couldn't do.  Max then solved the problem of breaking a small girl's trust by rubbing his eyes and yawning.  I had plausible deniability and he did sleep long and hard that afternoon - almost all the way through his visit to Fota Wildlife Park.