Routines are good

Naina's bed time routine has settled a lot since Perth.

6:30pm: Dinner
7pm: Talk to dada in Perth.
7:02:03 pm: Stop talking to dada in Perth
7:03pm: Run downstairs to join Deepti
8pm: Return back upstairs.
8:30pm: Complete bottle of milk, running around, jumping on bed, reading The Very Hungry Caterpillar for the fourth time (it's still a great book), In the Night Garden and a hindi phrase book, get into baby sleeping bag and lights off.
8:40pm: Asleep.

So it takes two hours after dinner to sleep. Naina's not an early riser, its usually around 8am before she wakes. So her bed time suits. Especially last two nights. Exhaustion amongst parents is striking. We may have beaten N to sleep tonight. Ahem. We fell asleep before she did.

Mostly, things are seemingly fitting in place. Language, slowly improving. Even little bits of witty dialogue.

Deepti: (Singing her own little nursery rhyme, whilst N is in bed)
N: Mum, mum, stop this please.

First words of adolescent protest, 10 years early. At least that's what it sounded like. A similar phrase appeared tonight. She seems to understand Hindi well enough but English is her preferred language. Except for a few key words - finished (cut-tham), water (paani), going (jaana), drinking (peena), good (accha) - it's all in English or with an Australian accent.

Tonight she decided that the sound FAK was funny and would repeat it for 3 minute stretches. Visible discomfort for me. Kind of too close for comfort. Hope she's grown out of it by birthday party time.

Routines, better. Bath time, bed time, seem to be going off with less hitches since Perth. There's still occasional uncontrollable crying when waking, during the day, but far less night wakings. Sleeping in a sleeping bag seems to be making her more rested and less malcontent and miserable during the day. The first night with a sleeping bag she played with it before being zipped up, and fell asleep quickly after lights went off. No more playing with it, but no (major) protests with it being used since. Though she was like Maggie Simpson the first night, insisting on running around whilst wearing it. She's learned its futile.

No reports of belting other kids, so far. Hamish copped one in Perth, that seems to be the last in a while. Biting is back, but pinching seems to be out of favour this week. Dramatic abducted by King Kong screams when forced to change a nappy, stop playing, wear shoes continue unabated. Followed by attempted slaps.

Meal times, easier. Self-feeding coordinated (at times). Eating chilli pickle is still in favour. Happier in a high chair the whole meal (no pinning down to eat anymore). Previously, Deepti had to pin N down to avoid loutish dinner time behaviour. If no pinning down (e.g. restuarant) lots of chasing up and down the street outside restaurant.

Loutish behaviour deserves its own post.