Hope learned the ‘sleeping bunnies’ song at playgroup … it has totally stuffed up bed times … if I now say, “shhhh” she looks up and says excitedly, “hop hop hop”!
She has also sussed that to put her finger up to her lips and say, “sssssss” will make me smile and also means be quiet Mummy. She has used this new influencing technique twice so far to great effect.
The other day I was pushing her in the pram, around the park. Singing happily, with her clapping, and then I loudly launched into rousing rendition of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, she put her head on one side, furrowed her little brow, and put her finger to her lips, “Mummi, sssssssss”. I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry … clearly my singing was not what she wanted at that point so I stopped!! She smiled and we carried on our way to the swings, in companionable silence, me feeling a little deflated and her looking quite pleased with herself!!
Last night we drove back from her Godsister’s 2nd birthday party in London and she dozed off in the car, tired out from playing in the paddling pool, from bouncing on a trampoline and from a huge slice of chocolate cake. We got home and I carried her upstairs, she woke up on the 4th stair so we went in to say good night to her precious Granby. The played for a few minutes and then Hope demanded, “mulk mummi”, so I fed her and suddenly she wriggled away and said, “down”. I put her on the floor and she lay in the sleeping bunnies pose … I expected her to jump up a few seconds later shouting “hop hop hop”, she didn’t. Hope turned her head toward her Granby and I and put her fingers to her lips, she smiled and she said, “sssssssss” and promptly fell asleep! I waited a few minutes for the hop up and the exuberant bouncing, it didn’t come, I carried her into our room and put her in her little bed and she stayed asleep until 6am this morning when she woke, and woke me, shouting, “hop hop hop”.
