Parents turn parrots

If you were to eavesdrop at our front door, you would hear endless repetitions of one or two phrases - as though we had an especially enthusiastic pet parrot that had just learned some new lines.

"I'm Pa. You're Sonny." " I'm Mum. You're Sonny." "You're Sonny, I'm Pa and this is Mum".

This goes on all day, at meal sessions, during bath times and as random eruptions.

Yes, we're the guilty party here, and yes, we're just a little insecure. According to some of the literature we've read, a two-month-old baby should be able to clearly identify his parents and even smile in response. Well, Sonny sailed through the two-month mark last week. But he's not really showing a great deal of responsiveness. And the occasional smiles he's offered up remain intermittent and non-directed (so that our post on the topic, weeks ago, still summarises the state of play).

Consequently, after being rather blase early on and speaking of letting things "take their natural course", we've decided that it can't hurt to give nature a little nudge. Apart from shoving colourful objects up Sonny's nose to stimulate him, waving rattles and breaking out the cloth books, we keep returning to the matter of his recognising us. Surely the young fella owes us a little baby-style acknowledgement by now, for all the sleepless nights and cossetting sessions. But we're reasonable people; we know repetition is crucial... ergo, the many "I'm Pa, I'm Mum, you're Sonny" iterations.

Is it working? Well, he does seem to zero in on Mum as the go-to milk dispenser (but that's a whole other matter, about which we'll soon blog). He clings to us readily enough and likes to snooze nestled under our necks. In fact, he's become rather fussy about it, and will demand service rather imperiously.

To be honest, after insisting that he acknowledge us, perhaps we're about to get too much of a good thing...