3 under 3: Making memories

Amy Condon is a mum to 3 kids, who are all under 3! Yes, you heard us right. Each week she tells us all about the ups and downs of bringing up 3 children so close in age. This week Amy talks about how her 1-year-old daughter is learning to communicate...

'Babies are loud, aren't they? I mean, really, really loud. As M approaches her 1st birthday (how is that possible?) she's picking up words at an incredible rate, but also doing a lot of 'jargoning'. She talks to us so intently sometimes, I wonder if it's just me not catching on. Maybe hers is a real language. Either way, as well as making the maximum number of sounds, she seems to believe that volume is the key to communication. I suppose if I was competing to be heard over 2 boisterous toddlers, I'd probably shout a lot too. I do actually shout a lot, now I think about it. So maybe she has a point. But M seems to really delight in loudness. I mean, really revel in it.

'As well as dropping her bowl, cup, plate and anything else she can get her hands on off her high chair, seemingly just so she can shout, 'bang, bang!' at it, she's also taken to shouting, 'baaaahh, baaahh!' at increasing volume and laughing at her own cleverness. I do love how she's developed into a real bundle of personality, but I'm not sure how much more my ears can take.

'I've been struggling to remember if the twins were quite this vocal. When she was about 5 months old, G did go through a cat-being-strangled shrieking phase, but it was mercifully short-lived, and I really don't remember them being this loud. But can my memory be trusted? I mean, when I try to recall morning sickness, all I can muster is that I felt a bit nauseous for a few weeks. And labour wasn't really that sore, was it? I mean, I know I sobbed and screamed and begged for an epidural after 6 hours of constant agony, but I was probably just overreacting... I guess my brain has been pretty good at filtering out the bad things.

'2nd time round, a few things about motherhood that I really should have remembered have actually managed to take me by surprise. The sleep deprivation was brutal, but nowhere near as bad as with the twins. So why wasn't I prepared? And it was only when I was moving M into the twins' room at 6 months that the memories of the tears (all mine) when the twins had made the same move came flooding back to me. And now the noise.

'I had 2 nearly 1-year-olds last time round. I probably walked around with cushions over my ears. But I can't remember. Which leaves me wondering what surprises M's second year will have in store.

'I know 'mum-nesia' is one of nature's tricks to fool you into thinking having more kids is a good idea, but it also makes life a little more interesting. When I was expecting M, I worried that I wouldn't enjoy her as much, that the fact it wasn't all new would leave something lacking. But she's her own little person and each new development has been just as exciting as it was with the twins. I've adored every minute of M's first year. Well, that's the way I remember it anyway...'

Is your baby learning to talk? What can they say? Tell us about it in our comments section below.

Amy's other blog posts...

• Amy's next blog - 3 under 3: Separated at birth
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• Amy's previous blog - 3 under 3: The terrible twos
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• All of Amy's blogs