Impromptu Performance

It’s been nearly eight months since Emily was born, and in that time she has amassed an enviable collection of toys – from squashy cuddly things which are good for chewing and throwing to hi-tech toys which bleep and whistle and make all manner of noise.

And it’s the latter which baffle me – not least their ability to start making a noise all by themselves. I have lost count of the number of times I’ve picked up Laugh n’Learn Puppy once little girl is in bed only to have it start singing and chattering of its own accord (due to its super-sensitive controls).

The trouble is, of course, not only does it burst into song at the slightest touch, it does it at the most inopportune moments. Puppy is one of Emily’s favourite toys and as such it always accompanies her when I am at work and she spends the day at grandma’s place.

Yet I have lost count of the number of times I’ve carted it down the stairs to the car, only to treat all our neighbours to a medley of Head Shoulders Knees And Toes, The ABC Song and other kiddie classics  on the way down – simply because the lightest movement is likely to set it off. Once it even carried on once it was locked in the boot of the car, leaving Emily to stare around, wondering what had happened to her pal.

Her toy radio, something else she loves, also has a habit of revealing its musical content when it’s picked up and put away at the end of the day – and once our cleaner got a surprise when she moved it out of the way of the vacuum cleaner, only for it to respond accordingly with a tune or two. And this evening I moved my legs further under the table, only to feel a vibrating movement. Further investigation revealed that I had accidentally pressed the ‘on’ switch on Emily’s bouncy chair with my feet.

Perhaps most alarming, however, is the way in which Baby Tad has been behaving lately. After months of staring at it in wonder, Emily has decided she loves Tad and it is a frequent visitor to her cot when she is in there during the day.

Yet there have been a number of incidents recently when I have been in the lounge with her, only to hear Tad singing in her room (despite there being no-one in there to press the on switch). How this happens, I have no idea. But given my previous conviction that Tad is a little on the scary side, I’m not sure I want to know.