Changes

My experience with EC continues to be a bit of a roller coaster. DS is now six months old and has started solids, and he has definitely changed his elimination patterns, but the good news is that I have now actually learned his signals for #2. I think that prior to the last three weeks, I wasn't so much watching for DS's cues as I was timing his needs. I would hold him over the toilet when he woke up, and after he ate. But after he started solids, he was going #2 more frequently, but with less regularity, so I was missing most of the day's later BMs. This was when I realized that I was just counting on the normal schedule of his bowels and not on actually communicating with him. Last week I had a really good few days, and I was thinking, "Wow. We've really got this thing down." Then Saturday I missed every elimination. It isn't a huge deal mess-wise, because I am currently using "disposable" diapers, which I keep trying to talk myself out of using. He outgrew his cloth diapers, so I'm just too lazy to pick a new batch of cloth diapers, and I keep thinking I'm going to try out gPants, but I'd have to get them shipped, and in a way, it feels ridiculous to ship eco-friendly diapers halfway around the world so that I can save Mother Earth. So instead I just waffle and feel guilty with every diaper I throw away. Maybe the guilt will drive me to full-time EC.

But back to the communication (or lack thereof). I then read Jane Brody's column about talking to your child instead of looking at your cell phone or iPod.

The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association urges parents to reinforce communication efforts by looking at the baby and imitating vocalizations, laughter and facial expressions.

“Talk while you are doing things,” the association suggests. “Talk about where you are going, what you will do once you get there, and who and what you’ll see.”

You might say things like, “Now we’re going to put on your socks,” “We’re going in the car to see Grandma,” or, “When we get to the playground, I’ll push you on the swing.”

Reading this, I felt another twinge of guilt, because although sometimes I do find myself fighting the urge to check email when DS is awake, my real challenge is finding a way to talk to DS about the things we are doing. As the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (Is this a real organization? Who do they represent? Everyone who speaks, uses language or hears? I guess it makes a potentially huge membership pool.) recommends, it's as easy as just giving a travelogue or pointing out things in the house. But I hear myself doing that and it sounds so unnatural. "There's a book, there's your toy, that's blue ..." I am trying to get over my weird fear/shyness, but it's difficult. I think that's why I like EC, it's more like listening to your baby instead of being the one in charge of the talk. And now that I think about it, DS is really a rather vocal little child. He loves to talk and will babble on and on while I give him baths and get him dressed. Maybe he doesn't need me to talk to him because he's already figured out that I'm a good listener. ;)

Photo from Seth W. via Flickr, used through Creative Commons License