Graduation already?

We graduated from baby massage today. We have a laminated certificate for our 6 week course. This notion of graduating is ridiculous but baby massage has been a lovely thing to do with Tilly.

Initially I was dreading it, the time was awkward, 1.30 in the afternoon, it either clashes with sleep or feeding. When the course started I was still deeply embarrassed by Tilly’s behaviour whenever we were out, it is only recently that she has started to get a bit better. She used to be so grizzly, crotchy and scream a lot. Other mums would sit with their beautifully dressed well behaved daughters whilst Tilly and I both looked dishevelled and I tried desperately to get her to shush. For 5 of the 6 lessons she has been great and surprisingly, better than most during the massage. We still have the most trouble getting dressed, particularly her arms.

Tilly is fascinated by other people, during the massage all the other babies have laid quietly on their backs facing their mums. We all sit in a circle, mums facing inwards, babies on mats in front of us. If no one else is talking Tilly will look at me, but if a conversation is happening, she is craning her neck back and wriggling onto her side to see the person talking. She is just so nosey. During the massage we have to turn our babies over to massage their backs, so they lie on their tummies. Every other baby hates this but for Tilly it seems like heaven as finally she can see everyone properly. Whilst her peers all start crying she has her neck up and once again fascinated by the ‘show’.

So I suppose we’ll stick the laminated certificate up in her room. We’ve already signed up for Rhythm Babies in the autumn, another SureStart activity.