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Mark development diary
Everyone thinks I was born on 11th July 2006. Actually it all happened about 9 months earlier.
Nobody said anything to me... when I got really bored I decided I had to tell Mom. So I did. On
15th November Mom did one of those tests and I made a little pee onto it.
Mom was very happy... She was telling me that she had to tell this to some guy she called daddy...
If you ask me I didn't know who this guy was but if she said so...
Mom did as she had promised... the guy was ecstatic... that must have been a good sign...
They said they won't tell anyone else until Christmas... I didn't know there were others that
had to be told and what this Christmas business was all about.
At this Christmas thingy, there were all these other screams I heard faintly... must have been
a hell of a party... but there all these touches on Mom's tummy... I didn't quite get why this
was supposed to be fun but mommy said it is all right...
Mom and the dad guy then started talking to me every day... they called me blueberry... they
said I was as big as a blueberry... I couldn't check but they were right before so agreeing to
that wasn't too big a risk...
Apparently they couldn't decide on a name... had a long list of boy's name and only 2 for
girl... at least this is what they said... what is a boy?
Anyway, on 14th February we went for an ultrasound check... see, I'm learning this terminology
quickly, huh?
There I gracefully showed them my little thing... I felt sorry for them all trying to figure
out about the boy and girl thing. Can you imagine, they even asked me when I want to show them
what I am... this was the only thing I had at hand... is this what they were after?
Seems it was as the talk about girl was finished afterwards... but they found another fun
game... names.
I was kicking for Oliver on some week 20 - Mom got real happy about the kicking... but ah,
they didn't understand it... they got all scientific... used a pendulum whatever that is and
from there on they called me Mark
You know I liked the daddy guy. Mom was telling me he was talking to me and caressing Mom's
tummy... this I felt and we started a little play... whenever he touched mommy's tummy I
went there to be closer. Later I discovered these long things I had and started kicking
when he was around... Mom sometimes asked me to be a bit more careful... she said I was
moving a lot...
You know is it funny. There was always something new they worried about... when the space
around me got really tight - don't ask me what happened - anyway, there was the new talk
about that I didn't turn and that in week 36 I already should have... so what, my head was
at the top and feet at the bottom... isn't that how it is supposed to be?
Well, then some girl Hajna told them to put a really loud ticking thing to mommy's tummy
so I could hear it... it had a very nice soothing ticking... I must admit I got obsessed,
wanted to grab this thing even though the space was really tight by now...
But you never give up said the daddy guy so I kept on trying...
It must have worked. I think on week 38 I was completely upside down... why this was so
important I never found out... but mom and dad were grateful
When I couldn't stand being closed in, came another shock. Mommy's tummy started squeezing
me... it was in the evening at about 11pm... I know because mom was already asleep and
only I was up playing... Mom didn't seem to bother until 2 in the morning when she
finally realized something had to be done...
They later told me the contractions - whatever, adult talk again - were totally different
from what they were told they would be... well, it wasn't too important for me so why
bother?
And then, at 5 in the morning, all the water around me just disappeared... I mean I have
never seen something like this before... it was gone, bumm. Mom said we now need to
hurry...
So we went to some place she called hospital... by the time we got there my place as I
knew it before was gone... then mom sat in something warm... was probably a bathtub...
then she got out - I didn't understand much of what was going on, everything out of
the normal daily routine - and she said she wanted to sit on a ball... when she did,
she felt better - trust me I could tell
When mommy started pushing at 9am I wasn't even surprised any longer...I mean the
way the day was going this was gonna be a biggie. Something was certainly going on...
Then came a not very nice part and I lost sight of everything... like in a tunnel,
and then suddenly there was light... they told me later this was at 10:18 and that
this was a quick birth... well, if you ask me I don't really want to do it again
but it was all right once...
It turned out I was also born on the due date... something the daddy guy was
proud about...
When I was out of mommy, finally I could rest... and there was no pressure... you
know I started to like it... people came to visit, everyone very happy to see
me... I mean, who wouldn't love being the centre of attention? Grandparents were
there and held me in their hands... I realized adults were pretty big... sometimes
frightening, you know
During the first few weeks I was always hungry... I tried to tell them but they
just didn't get it... they thought I had something called colic but they had no
clue... how could I tell them... so I tried on and on and I think I finally got
through to them on 20th July when they realized I was just hungry... there was
also a girl who said the same... but I think it was me really... after that
things got better... I had more to eat.
So, more food but still... all this new life, all the people around, the light...
I was constantly trying to tell mom and dad that this isn't appropriate so I cried
and cried and cried for 4 weeks...
When Mom realized she had to give me more to eat I thought better eat now as much
as I can before they take it away again...
I ate every 2-3 hours for at least an hour and a half each time... I think Mom
was getting a little tired of me...
Bathing was actually great - er, actually, after Dad realized I liked it face
forward and down, on my tummy, to get into the water... I mean, do all adults
take this long to understand what we want?
Anyhow, I really liked the bathing afterwards... became my favorite thingy of
the day... There was a little mess with the tub which Mom and Dad bought... it
was one of these fitting the body shape but it didn't work at first... I was
smaller... so this midwife girl, Hajna recommended them that they try putting
me in the sink... and you know this was great... I had the chrome tap close to
me and shining and all when I was bathing... cool...
Mom and Dad wanted me to sleep a lot. I mean ok, I could understand for the night
when it was all dark so nothing to see... but during the day? Well, beats me...
I tried to tell them that this is no good and that I wanted to play and have
fun and be with them but it didn't work out...
After a while Mom figured something out and she made a "bed" of some sort from
mattresses in the big bathtub and put me down to sleep there... It was pitch
black darkness in there so she tricked me... this worked for a while but as I
got cleverer I realized this can't be so she started ssshhing me for a long
time... oh, nice sounds I remembered from earlier in mommy's tummy...
Is your Mom also so creative... mine is amazing... after a while she just left
the hairdryer on instead of ssshhing, even later she recorded the sound of the
hairdryer and left a cassette on for me to fall asleep...
On the 11th week, Mom decided it was time for a little discipline for me so she
put me on a routine... and, surprised as I was, I learned quite quickly how to
fall asleep on my own... no sushing...
By the 5th week I managed to grin like the adults... they called it smiling...
These adults are cool, they were always looking at me, talking to me... I liked
this... I thought if this is life, hell, this is pretty good...I also liked to
talk to them... at first, there was no sound but from the third week I could
make some small sounds...
There was one thing that really bothered me though, I mean it made my heart
sink... Dad always left for weeks. I am a small baby and I can't remember for
such a long time, so I always had to get acquainted with him anew... I remember
after the first trip he had when he came home I decided I didn't like him... so
I paid no attention to him whatsoever... ok, I could do this for a day but I
kind of like the guy so after a day I said to myself, what the hell, give
him your smile...
After ten weeks, Mom and Dad and Granny brought me to Kiev. There I had a much
bigger room and the whole apartment was huge... I didn't find my way for a while...
At home in Budapest I could always see one of them... but brother, in Kiev, this
was tough getting used to...
In Kiev I had what Mom called a "gym" - something that had toys on it and I could
lie on my back and enjoy the view and play... This was cool, I learned to reach
for things when I was 12 weeks old... I turned on my left side at week 15, to the
right the next week... Mom and Dad were so proud of me when I did these new
things... I found it good, too, getting more independent, not always having to
wait for them to turn me around...
I will unlikely become a vegetarian, though... they tried the pacifier but I mean
it's plastic... what really got me going was sucking on my own thumb or on
Daddy's... By the time I was 3 months old, I was properly and proudly sucking my
thumb...
Mom and Dad were always saying I'll be as active as Dad... I don't know how
active he was but I did like moving about... you know when you look at things
for more than a few seconds, what's the big deal... I get bored quickly so I
need to do something else... ain't that how it is for you?
For example, when they would take me for a ride in the big jeep, the purpose
is driving... and fast if possible, right... so every time the car stopped
I told them this was no good... why do you need traffic lights?
Mom told me we would be flying back to Budapest early December... Dad was a
bit sad... he said he wanted to see me every day and he hoped I would
remember him when he gets home for Christmas... ah, this Christmas thing
again... never mind... so I wanted to impress him so that he's got something
to talk about at work. What should I give him though? I mean I was a little
baby... what can I do to get his attention?
And then I found it... I turned onto my tummy on 3rd December. At first I
could only do it on my right side (at least Mom and Dad said it was the
right side - not that it mattered a lot but they were all excited and wrote
down everything... you know how these parents act weird sometimes?)
Dad was filled with pride. A day later I showed him how I can put my foot
in my mouth... he said I was eating finger food... hey, this was fun? This
is how you need to do it: you lie down on your back and lift both of your
legs, really high up and then... you grab one of them, whichever is closer
and pull them to your mouth... I can tell you this is fun...
Now that I could turn to my tummy I had another problem: how to turn back?
You know, it's cool to be on the tummy and everything but really you can
hardly see anything... Mom and Dad said they wouldn't help me turn back...
did I offend them with something or what? Never heard them say this before...
must tell you, bro, I was a bit disappointed... Dad came with the "don't
give up" speech again so, well, I tried... At first it was tough and believe
me I tried to talk them into turning me around but they wouldn't bulk...
Then on 9th December I managed to turn back, yahooo...
Then we flew home with Mom... didn't see Dad for quite a while... honestly
I tried to remember him but it was very difficult...
He arrived home on 22nd December... made me happy... so happy in fact that
I decided it was time to read a magazine so I sat up for the first time in
Mommy's lap... I couldn't hold it for long but man, this was exciting...
something new I could do... I thought if I progress this fast I might
move in with a girlfriend within a year or so... who needs more
motivation?
By 1st February I was sitting like a happy bunny, no Mom, no Dad, no
nothing, just me and sitting... no wonder Mom gave me a bib that said
I'm a babe magnet...
Hey mate, I didn't tell you about eating for a while. You know what
happened? On 18th December Mom gave me something she called apple... she
said it was yummy... I shivered with cold... dude, have you ever tried
that? At first it felt so sour I couldn't eat it any more... told Mom
not to play those jokes on me again... as you can imagine, she didn't
give up... she found some other apples which were much sweeter... from
then on, I liked eating solids...
Well, Christmas was good fun... Dad brought a real tree into the
apartment... didn't leave much space, it was so huge... they put lights
on it and lots of shiny stuff... seemed fun for about 5 minutes but they
just went on and on... whatever, adults?!
After Christmas we traveled a lot to some place Mom and Dad and Granny
called Austria... there was supposed to be snow (as if I knew what
that is...) but there wasn't any... Well, it was all fine except for
the nights... this was the 4th place I had to get used to since I was
born...I said enough, enough now... I told them every night that this
is not OK. I wanted to go home and be in my own bed... they didn't get
it. We stayed for a whole week, can you imagine?
They were hoping I would sleep through the nights as I already did that
once at the 29th December before this mysterious Austria trip... yeah,
right, as if I would give them this pleasure...
In February, we all flew back to Kiev and I was back into my giant
room... then, on 23rd February I slept through the night and I sleep
through every night since then...
Cheers,
M...
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