I can't get enough of this Pikler triangle climbing set.
Baby C loves it, too! It's big, especially in our relatively small and cluttered apartment, but it's so worth keeping it set up.
At about a year old, Baby C mostly uses it for cruising, which is awesome for developing her walking skills. Her balance has improved a lot, especially since she discovered the ramp slides back and forth along the bars a few inches and she can shove and pull it to make it clatter!
It also makes a nice cave/crawlspace. I often find her toys under there. She got "stuck" the first couple times she tried crawling through, but now she's a pro. I can't wait for the day she discovers she can drape a blanket over it for a fort!
Rarely, she climbs up the arch and onto the ramp, and she's climbed a couple rungs up the triangle once or twice. She's still working it out, but I'm very excited to see her gain more confidence with it as she grows. Just in the time since Christmas when we gave it to her, she's developed a bunch of new skills thanks to playing with, around, and on it.
This isn't an advertisement, by the way, I just fucking love this thing and I wish I'd had one as a kid!
I think that's the core of how GK and I parent, really - what we needed or wanted as kids. I want to homeschool her and fill her world with imaginative play and fun experiences because that's all I wanted. I won't speak for GK and his childhood, but I can attest that he feels similarly, albeit about slightly different things.
It's healing. I know having a child isn't supposed to be about you, it's supposed to be entirely about them, but I think that's unrealistic. I think it's good, to live vicariously through my daughter, because I'm filling her world with love and joy and I'm finding it much easier to fill my own world with love and joy because of that, which makes it easier to do it for her. It's a self-perpetuating cycle.
I still have PPD. That hasn't changed. I still have the rage, and the feelings of isolation and anxiety. Some of that is external, because money and politics etc never go away, but a lot of it is internal. It's lighter than it was before, though. I feel more motivated to fix the things that are stressing me out.
It's hard to remember anything else when Baby C is asleep on top of me and her tiny warm hand is touching my face. I had more to say but I lost it. I need to rest soon anyways, because tomorrow is a full day of play and chores (and maybe some work). I got myself a spin mop for my birthday earlier this month and I can't describe how excited I am to give it a try :)
