Vacuuming With a Baby on My Hip

August 10, 2010

We picked up 2 more beautiful babies on Saturday; 15 months and 4 months old. Another short-term placement. This time I am prepared emotionally to give them back, but am swimming in satisfaction with having them here for the week! A tiny baby and a toddler. They are precious, tiny beings.


Any baby that can't walk is puzzling to me. I don't know what to do with them. You see, I admire independence. I am a pretty independent person in the sense that I like to have my freedom. Babies who walk are given the freedom to explore their world within the parameters of the caregiver. At this moment the 15 month old is walking on the couch and smiling, indicating she thinks it's pretty cool that she's not confined to a sitting chair like her sister is at this moment. She can move about as she wishes within the safety of our baby proofed home. I like that she can entertain herself and am finding I actually prefer the walking baby to the immobile baby.


In any case, it is my job to ensure that the immobile baby gets the proper stimulation throughout the day; back time, tummy time, sitting in a bouncer facing her towards a window to watch the trees, holding her, talking to her and carrying her around. This particular baby is so happy and easy to please, when the fussing begins you just have to find the right need to be met. She had been fed, changed, and had plenty of activity, yet she was still fussing. As soon as I picked her up and started carrying her around, she stopped fussing and was content. But I still had vacuuming to do. One of those cool papooses to carry baby around in would have been great at that moment!

I've always been told I had child bearing hips. I put baby on my protruding left hip where her bum rested perfectly and put her arms over my left arm. At first I wasn't sure how to really do this. I usually would use my left arm to get the cord out of the way. This is where the other limbs came in. I used my leg to do what my occupied arm would usually do, vacuumed the rooms, got a left arm work out, and made baby happy, fulfilling her desire for human contact and a change of scenery.


I actually felt a sense of accomplishment! For the last 2.5 years I have wondered, while doing household chores, "how am I going to clean with a baby?" Maybe my child bearing hips can't bear children, but they sure can prop 'em! It is a very satisfying feeling to figure out how to give the immobile baby the mobility she desires and how to get my household duties done as well! With that said, I will be getting one of those papooses for the next baby!