Saturday 31 March 2012

Meal times

We're in a pretty good routine with meals at home - when she wakes for the day, I get her out of her night nappy and into day clothes (sometimes she'll lay in bed with me for a bit as I slooooooooooowly ease in to the day), then she has breakfast.

Over the day, I try to make sure she has morning tea, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner. She usually has a nap between breafkast and morning tea, and another nap between morning tea and lunch. Then afternoon tea and dinner are within the same awake time.

This does mean that sometimes she doesn't have lunch until 3pm.

She is getting a bit more consistent with bed time (although we disrupt the routine twice a week for family tea), but is not quite as consistent with  the wakeups during the night, nor the time she wakes up.

But. It is so much harder to manage when we are out and about. At home, we can sit and chill out over our lunch and dinner - they usually take 45 minutes or so. And depending on how she's reacting to different parts of the meal, I can quickly switch in our out different foods.

In some ways, it might be easier when she is older and we're able to communicate about what we're eating and when; rather than her sometimes having lots of different foods (and sometimes maybe not enough? She can't tell me!).

Friday 30 March 2012

Tumble time

The inevitable happened - the baby fell off the bed.

We were almost ready to leave for a wedding that started at 3pm, when the husband changed the baby for the last time. We were staying in a motel, so he placed a change mat on the bed, turned to get the nappies and then we heard the "THUD" and the "waaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH".

It was terrible.

She was really, really upset (understandably) but we were lucky she landed flat on her bed.

A quick call to our nurse friend confirmed that as long as she cried straight away, didn't have any noticeable bumps or marks, and wasn't favoring one leg or one arm, then she was probably okay. Typically, we were pretty rural, so we had no easy internet and no real knowledge of where the closest medical centre would have been.

The husband felt really terrible about it - out of shock, I believe the first thing he said was "there she goes" - perhaps he heard the cry and didn't realise what happened, or had figured it was inevitable. I promised him that if it hadn't been on his watch, it would have definitely been on mine.

And of course, we won't be leaving her up anywhere, ever again*.

(*although, when we came home from the wedding, I walked in to the room after him to see him placing her on the middle of the bed!)

Thursday 29 March 2012

Change mat

It is inevitable that the first time in mooooooooooonths that the baby decides to pee while you're in the middle of changing her nappy is when you're not at home, you left the portable change mat in the car, and she's laying on someone's carpet.

Nice.

Wednesday 28 March 2012

Development Check

I took the baby in for her 6-9 month development check yesterday - we could have done it earlier, but we wanted to wait until she was out of her harness (I had no idea what they would actually check).

All is going pretty well!

Her weight has slowed down - she hasn't really gained anything noticeable this month. When I asked if this was okay, the nurse commented that it was to be expected once they get more mobile. When I told her that I didn't think the baby was all that mobile, she pointed out that in the month since she has had her harness off, she has learnt how to roll both ways and scootch backwards - that's getting mobile. When I told family about this, they also pointed out how much more head and arm and leg moving she is doing as well.

She is in the 80th percentile for height, so she's getting good and tall.

While I was filling in one of the forms in the book, the nurse commented how fine she was being held by a 'stranger'. She also commented on how active she was, as the baby was pulling for her hair, her necklace, her glasses - whatever she could.

The book asked whether I had any concerns about the baby's preschool skills - when I commented that I didn't know what that meant, the nurse demonstrated drawing with a pen and then giving the pen to the baby - preschool skills are when they are curious and copy. The baby did a little line scribble, and the nurse commented that it's not usually applicable until they're 10 months or older. So, yay!

She said that the baby was quite strong - demonstrated through her commitment to stomach crunching and holding her head up when she was meant to be laying flat, and the way she likes to lift her back up off the mat so she is kind of like a baby rainbow. When they tested if she was weightbearing in her legs, she noticed that the baby likes to get up on her tiptoes first - so we should make sure we tilt her backwards a bit until she is on her heels, and make sure she doesn't try to grip with her toes.

When she made  a comment about sitting, I showed her how well she sits. The nurse did agree she was good, but did reinforce that tummy time is the most important thing - learning to crawl is more important than learning to sit.

So we have a bit of homework, but I think she's already doing better on her tummy and on her heels

It is pretty amazing to think that in the last month or so she has learnt to roll both ways, learnt to scootch backwards, gotten a whole lot better with her sitting, mastered more of the skills on her activity toy (she can lift the flap back and forth now), she spends much longer at tummy time, lifts her back off the mat, grew two more teeth, started chatting, started planking and started with 'bub bub bub'... it really has been a big month!

Tuesday 27 March 2012

Birthday

Today is my 30th birthday (ugh) and the baby gave me a wonderful gift - she slept from 9:30(ish) until just after 7am!!

We went out to dinner last night and she just would. not. sit. in. that. highchair. She was whingy and grabby and not all that hungry and generally acting the way she has for the past 48 hours as her teeth continue their reign on terror.

But I got a 6 hour block of sleep (hooray for waking at 6am in a panic that she hasn't made any noise, compared to doing the same at 3am, 4am, 5am etc) and I am really looking forward to the day where I can maybe get back up to 8 hours?!

Monday 26 March 2012

Sniffle

Oops.

We had friends over on Saturday for a party for my (and the husband's) upcoming birthday. While the weather was lovely and sunny, there was a cool wind. And I found out how easy it can be to lose that 'what is my baby doing/wearing/eating' focus when you're working you're 'what are these 50 people doing/needing/eating' focus. And now she has a runny nose.

I thought it was just linked to the teething, but she has had a few of those visible snot runs that you see on other babies and you think 'ugh, seriously? Clean up that kid!' and she's been grumpy and scrunching at her nose and ears and face... which is also a teething sign.

We ran the humidifier last night and we'll run it again tonight, just to try to help this move along.

And I'm going to need to stay more on top of what's going on with her next time we have a big gathering.

Sunday 25 March 2012

Bub bub bub

And so the milestones continue!

This morning, while sitting in her highchair, the baby got chatty: "Yah yah yah yah" she was saying, over and over.

I had seen a video in one of my online mothers groups, where the baby had just all of a sudden gotten really chatty, and started making the same noise out of nowhere.

I grabbed the husbands iPad to film it, but realised that I had a podcast playing that was pretty profanity-laden, so I paused the iPod and starting filming again.

The second time, the birds started tapping on their food tray, so she got distracted and wouldn't do it.

The third time, just as I hit record, she changed what she was saying to "bub bub bub". It was very clear!

Very exciting to see her picking up these new skills! On Friday, she also rolled from her belly to her back for the first time - she had done it on the couch with me on Thursday, but I wasn't sure if it was accidental, but she is doing it more purposefully now.

She also waves her arms most of the times that she says it, so I am also wondering if she is starting to pick up waving, or "bye bye"...?

The husband keeps thinking she says "dad dad", so I am going to have to up my "mum mum mum" while we're home this week!

Saturday 24 March 2012

Teeth

They came through! Yesterday!

Her top right tooth has broken through the skin, and her top left is halfway though.

I'm kind of glad that they are coming through in twos - hopefully it doesn't hurt twice as much?

I have had a few bites too - but it just seems she is testing them out (rather than really giving a hard bite!). I don't know what will happen if she really starts to chomp.....!!

Friday 23 March 2012

Sleep, sleep, sleep

We may have had a mini breakthrough with the sleeping. And I hate to type it out in case I am jinxing myself... but...

After reading the accounts of a few mums in my online group and their experience with sleep schools, I'd been thinking about how I could work up to trying some sort of 'cry it out' arrangement with the baby. The main things holding me back were that I didn't think I would be able to stomach her crying, and also that the husband wakes up to her quicker than I do - he would be more awake and awake longer if we left her, and he has to get up to go to work the next day.

On Tuesday night, the baby woke around midnight as per usual. We were on the couch and about to go to bed, but as I had both dogs on my lap, I asked the husband to go in and settle her. He only lasted a few minutes before he came out, claiming he was too tired and didn't have the patience to manage her. I sat by the cot for a few minutes, shushing her and patting her and trying to keep the dummy in her mouth, all to no avail.

So I left the room, shut her door, shut our door and sat on the bed.

The husband asked what my line of thinking was - what was the plan?

I didn't know. I just knew I was getting jack of getting up to her every four hours when I knew she could sleep longer than that.

Some of the sleep tactics that the ladies in the online group were following was to listen to their baby when they called out. Try to leave them as long as you can, until the point where they are really crying. When they are really crying, go in and settle them, do all that you need to without feeding them. Do this three times, and if it happens a fourth, then you give in and feed them. Some of these poor ladies have been waking every hour since their baby was born. I can't comprehend it.

I knew that the baby just wanted a hug when she woke up. I knew that when I did give in and feed her, it was a half-hearted feed on her behalf. I knew that at her age she only needs three milk feeds a day, and she is usually on four or five or six. I knew that when she was calling out at night, she wasn't really crying - I was getting there as quick as I was awake so as to limit disruption for the husband. I knew that she really ramped up when we went in to the room for her.

So, on Tuesday night, we left her. And she wouldn't have even called out for five minutes before she was asleep again - she never got to the point where she really cried.

At 3am in the morning, she called out once and woke me. But then nothing.

Then I woke at 4.30. And 6.00. And at 7.00 when the husband got up for work and I asked him to check on her (she was fine). And at 8.00 when she woke up and covered her with kisses and gave her a feed as a reward and told her what a good baby she was.

It was a similar story last night, though we got home later from family tea, so she didn't wake at 12, only at 3.30. And she called out longer, but again, she never got to the point of actually crying. Then she didn't wake until 9am (although I woke every half hour to hour from 3am onwards).

I really, Really, REALLY hopes this keeps up - I can't wait to see what I feel like once I have had a full nights sleep!!

Thursday 22 March 2012

To the floor

Yup. I am the mother who had to put her child on the floor of the grog shop because she was there by herself buying two cases for a birthday party on the weekend and the trolley didn't have baby seats.

Can't say it was my finest moment...

Wednesday 21 March 2012

Splash

On Monday, I went in to put down a deposit to get ducted gas heating installed in the house. I think our house is a cold house to start off with, plus with the baby wriggling up her cot each night, and no heating in her room, we decided that we would get it done.

We'd had the man come out to the house last week to check it out and give us a quote. I'm pretty sure he remembered us when we went in, as I was only just dressed (ie, not done my hair or teeth) and I was feeding the baby her breakfast, while the dogs ran around and jumped all over him (until I put her out). He had left me the forms to fill out and, of course, I hadn't touched them - so I was trying to fill in all my details while balancing the baby on the counter. She was all arms and legs - squiggling around, pulling my hair, chewing my wallet, reaching for the pen, trying to grab all the business cards.

And then she turned her head and vomited all over the counter.

And then carried on as she had before.

I probably heated up another 30 degrees and turned bright red. "I. am. so. sorry!!!" I kept apologising as I pulled the facewasher from my handbag and started trying to mop up this mess.

You gotta love the look of mopping up mucousy milk spew - turning the facewasher around and around, trying to find dry spots on it while containing it all - trying to stop putting new damp spots on the counter with each wipe.

And of course when I pulled out my credit card to pay, it was damp.

Urgh.

They called me up on Tuesday to ask me to come back in to sign the credit card authorisation - perhaps the salesman was more flustered than I thought, and he forgot to get me to sign the most important part of the form?

Either way, I picked up my dad on the drive in, and he sat with her in the car while I signed it this time.

Tuesday 20 March 2012

Close call

I've been trying to get the baby to keep herself entertained - to limit separation anxiety and to give her plenty of time to learn to roll and crawl and walk and explore. After she wakes from a nap, I change her nappy, give her either a snack or a meal, and then put her on her mat in our dining room.

She was laying around on the mat this afternoon, chewing on the edge of the mat after she scooted there (she still only scoots backwards, but she can spin on the spot). I was looking at the computer and saw her, so I got up to put her back in the middle of the mat.

As I picked her up and was putting her down, I heard a loud banging noise right behind me.

All of a sudden, one of our wedding photos fell off the wall (the hook stayed stuck to the paint and the paint peeled off the wall), and the photo hit hit a big glass vase that was on the hutch undeneath it, which knocked it off the hutch and on to the floor with a giant bang.

Right where the baby had been just seconds before.

I'm not sure what made me choose that moment to move her - she had probably been there for a while before I moved her.

The husband said that perhaps the vibrations from me walking over to her was what shook the picture off.

He said that in her life, there are going to be dozens of 'close calls'.

But I'm trying not to think about the fact that it would have caused her some serious damage - perhaps even killed her. The vase is thick and heavy and fell hard. It might have broken if it hit her, it might have not. Either way, it would have been terrible.

Scary stuff.

Monday 19 March 2012

Pull up

It was just after lunch yesterday afternoon that I commented in one of my online groups about how you constantly battle between feeling on top of this whole parenting thing and then feeling like you're doing it all totally wrong and are going to stuff up your baby.

Unfortunately, the response was that that feeling doesn't go away (yay!).

A lot of the other babies born the same month as the baby are doing a bunch of things - talking, rolling, crawling, walking, clapping, pointing, playing with toys... the baby's main quirks are things like shaking her head 'no' (not just at things which she should no to), inhaling her breath like she's won the lotto, clapping her hands like an alligator, blowing raspberries...

And then I looked over to where she was on the playmat (I'm trying to encourage her to play alone) to see her trying to pull herself up using the baby rocker (!). I did manage to get some footage for the husband (who was fishing all day, and told me that he thought he had seen her doing that on her cot), so the footage is mainly for me.

I have booked in a development test for next Tuesday (my birthday! eep!), so we'll see how she's going development wise (hopefully). I want to ask them about her sleep/waking (pretty consistently at midnight and 430 am) and she has had only two naps for the past few days (and only one on the day of the engagement party!) of 45 minutes or so. I wonder if she can't get in to the crawling position properly because of her muscles while she was in the harness?

But it's not worth stressing over until then.

Sunday 18 March 2012

New baby

The baby's beautiful cousin was in attendance at the engagement party last night - providing plenty of chances for reminiscing about the baby when she was younger, as well as some cuddle time.

It's such a cliche, to look at a new baby and be completely unable to remember your own being that small. But I was that person. Apart from the fact that I can remember that she used to only be as tall as my forearm, and because I have my favorite photo of her and the husband when she is only a few days old and I am physically reminded each day of how small she used to be.

Their crying is different. The cousin makes single cries, with a bit of a gap in between. I seem to remember the baby just giving loooooooooooooong cries with no break. Of couse, that could be my memory... the single little 'meeps' seemed easier to stomach, but there is a big difference between nursing a baby for 10 minutes at a party, and being the one sitting up with her at 4am when she hasn't stopped all day and night and you're so tired you feel physically ill.

The butt patting does seem to be a universal baby soother (hot tip courtesy of the husbands sister) - of course, much softer on the cousin than works with the baby, but it still worked its magic.

I was looking in to her little face, and hearing her little cry, and could feel her pulling up and straightening out, and I thought it was gas. But stuffed if I could remember what to do (we rub the baby's belly, but I know the cousin has an outie and I wasn't sure if it would be sore still?!) and I know that there's nothing that new mothers love more than having people tell them what their own baby is doing.

But I gotta tell you, there was that moment of 'perhaps it wouldn't be so bad to go through all this again'...

But all I can I say is that when the baby was three weeks old, I was out with her for the first time by myself (after getting out of bed at 3pm) and having a tantrum in a carpark. It was the first time in like a month I was in 'proper' clothes, and probably the first time in ages that I'd even done my hair.

There's no way in heck I could have stuck it out in a crowded house full of people until 11pm (with a husband getting merry and a stomach full of stitches)!!!

Saturday 17 March 2012

Kisses

The baby has been withholding her real kisses for a few days - I feel so pathetic, trying to bribe her in to giving me a kiss.

Tonight, at my youngest brothers engagement party, she gave my mum a kiss on the cheek, completely unprompted.

Hard to say who was more excited out of me and my mum!

Friday 16 March 2012

Singing

Since the baby came out of the harness, I've been giving her a bath every night that I can (that is, every night that we're not out for dinner somewhere).

We moved one of our iPod speaker things in to her room a while back, to try to play her some music on an afternoon when she wouldn't settle, so I use it to pump some music while I'm bathing her so I've got something to sing along to, but also so I can gauge how long we've been in the bathroom.

I was just going to post the lyrics to the song I start singing along to, but the lyrics are a bit sad and not really appropriate when you read them and don't know the song....


"Statued" - Adem

Watch the dark clouds bruising
Bellies flushed with water
They swell above your heads

Pull your coats around you
Feel the wind cut through them
Scraping at your bones

Hold her in the falling rain
Hold him like you’ve never done
Let this be a moment
That you won’t forget
That you won’t forget
That you won’t forget
All your life
‘til you die

Statued close together
A precious, tender moment
A solemn, sombre time

Hold her in the falling rain
Hold him like you’ve never done
Let this be a moment
That you won’t forget
That you won’t forget
That you won’t forget
All your life
‘til you die

The main reason I sing along to it is the last two verses... I thought I had already written (but I had only thought about) how it's so nice while she's so little and enjoys the bath. It's always a positive experience and fun to witness. And then, in a few years down the track, she's going to be the same girl in the same bath, but it's obviously not going to be a fun family experience that we share.

So I like to sing along to remind myself to enjoy these moments, to remember these things that she just won't. The way she kicks her legs out like a frog and then gasps when she gets water on her faces. How she does her shocked squeal when I add more water to the tub. Her little dimpled butt in the mirror once I've dried her off and am about to take her back to her room for her pyjamas.

Thursday 15 March 2012

Food

The baby has started to turn away packaged baby food.

Which is good, because 'real' food is better for her, but not so good when I need to give her food on the go.

I've been trying to put aside stuff from our dinner for her to eat the next day, as she eats sometime between 6 and 730, and the husband usually isn't home until 7 or later. But tonight we had burritos, and the flavour sachet was quite spicy, so I can't give her that. I have had a bit of a work around by adding rice or pasta to the satchet.

It's a bit of a balance - do I fulfill the role of mother first, and cook the family meal early enough for her to enjoy... do I fulfill the role of wife and not cook dinner until after the husband is home so that he doesn't eat cold/spoiled food for dinner each night....

I know when she's older that I want us all to eat as a family, but I don't know how that will happen - if we're working late so that we are able to have the days off to care for her, she won't be eating until 7.30-8pm...

Wednesday 14 March 2012

Rise and fall

One of the other nice things about our trip to Sydney the other day, was that Bon Iver was in many ways the soundtrack to my pregnancy. Well, the scary things about pregnancy.

It was amazing to see them perform at the Opera House. And I took the time while I was there to close my eyes and take the music in, to think about how far I've come since those moments in the car, before I had any idea exactly what and who I was growing inside me.

Of course, then the baby wakes at midnight and 4am and 6am and 630 and won't settle unless you feed her. And you finding yourself sitting on the carpet next to her cot in a tshirt and your underwear, trying to keep calm but failing, feeling yourself getting hotter and cranky and tireder, listening to this thing just yell and Yell and YELL at you for no reason. And you can go back there quite quickly.

But, generally, I choose to make that album the soundtrack to success. Tinged with some of that lingering sadness. But success.

Tuesday 13 March 2012

Overnight-ish

We drove to Sydney yesterday to see Bon Iver perform at the Opera House.

We were very lucky that my mum was able to come with us, to look after the baby and the baby's cousin while the concert was on.

We promised my SIL that she needn't worry too much - the baby should go down at 7pm, so my mum would be able to look after her newest granddaughter (just turned 2 weeks!) properly.

Of course, the baby didn't go down until 9.30.

But, her newest cousin was very well behaved and slept from 8pm-ish until after we were home!

My mum was pretty happy at handling her first solo-and-dual-baby babysitting session so well. And we're just so incredibly lucky that we are still able to do stuff like this with a baby in tow, rather than missing out on everything.

The baby ended up sleeping for an hour or so, twice on the drive up to Sydney and once on the drive back. She does travel well.

Monday 12 March 2012

Naps

The baby is still on 3 x 45 minute naps a day.

After we got up and had weetbix, she started rubbing her eyes and I put her back to bed.

"Are you sure she is tired?" asked the husband,  "she only just got up!".

"Yup!" I explained, "she always goes down after about an hour or so after she gets up. It's the one nap she always takes."

AHAHAHHAA.

Come 12.30, she STILL wasn't asleep.

There are times when you think you've got it all down, and then she swiftly reminds you just who is the puppetmaster.

Sunday 11 March 2012

Out we go

Last night I went to a friends 31st birthday drinks. It was about 20 minutes away, but I was just over an hour late, after feeding the baby and the husband and myself and the dogs and helping the husband get her off to bed.

As I was getting in to the car I was thinking about how annoying it must be for other people to have me be late for stuff like this, because there's steps and a process for putting her to bed. But then, I thought about how much more annoying it could be if I just didn't go to 'night' stuff at all because of the baby, so really I guess I'm ahead.

The other thing that held me up was finding something to wear.

I have a constant, ongoing struggle with the whole post-baby body thing. There are so many competing interests...

I'm 3kg more than I was at my lightest after the 12 week challenge last year. So I know I can be lighter. But I worry that if I cut my intake too quickly/harshly, I'm going to affect the quality and the quantity of milk for the baby - now that she's down to 3-4 feeds a day, I don't even know if it is more important or less important, as I can't really see how much she is drinking.

When I do cut it back, I get hungry. And it gets me thinking that I'm not eating enough to not affect the milk.

Typically, I get 2 x 4 hour stints a night, with a half hour of settling and/or feeding once or twice. Though last night I got 2.5 hours plus 2 hours + 1.5 hours + 45 minutes. Broken sleep isn't real sleep, so I get tired. And so I seek out fuel, which means I am more likley to eat crap. I could have a carrot or I could have a piece of toast - I know which is going to fuel me more. And comfort me more.

It's not all fat either. My arms aren't looking as terrible as they normally would at this weight. I have boob weight (yay?) which is always changing, depending on the number of feeds and times and the time of day. My weight has always shown in my belly. But looking at it (and I hate looking at it), I can't tell how much is fat, how much is stretched out skin, how much is loose muscle... how much is fixable, how much is not. How and when can I fix it?

I know that having a baby takes a pretty big physical toll on your body. I mean, you grow something (and a pretty complicated something at that!) from pretty much nothing. I'm no good at maths, but it's many multiplications of weight and size to grow from an egg in to a fully functioning, actual baby. It takes up room and nutrients and all sorts of hormones. My body works to produce more somethings from nothings in order to feed her to help her grow. Hormonally, all sorts of wacky stuff still carries on (shall we tear up at the slightest hint of someone being sweet? Shall we make our hair greasy and dry at the same time? Shall we find ourselves almost physically unable to watch the slightest hint of violence?). It's to be expected that things aren't what they used to be - there's a reason there is a recognisable silhouette of a mother, and there's a reason I am know starting to fit in to that.

I think that's why I prefer going out with the baby with me - at least then, people are likely  to be a little less judgy about the tigerslug skin wallet I'm packing on my belly.

Saturday 10 March 2012

First Aid

Thanks to one of the ladies in my mothers group, I attended a first aid course for babies and toddlers this morning.

I think I spent half of the session with my mouth hanging open.

There are just so many terrible things that can happen, so easily.

It's great to have more of an idea of what to do if terrible things were to happen - if I had spilt hot formula on the baby, would I have had the presence of mind to know to take off all her clothes? Would I actually remember that now (heaven forbid)?

Would I be able to stay collected enough to do CPR successfully? Would I focus enough to hold her eye open and under a running tap for 15 full minutes if she were to get poison in her eyes? Could I work out how to tourniquet her arm if he hand were nearly amputated?

Knowledge is power, but some of the things that I now 'know' could happen are absolutely terrifying.

Friday 9 March 2012

Nope

Another day, another no-tooth.

That said, it's not like she really 'needs' those teeth to come down - she can easily eat cheese sticks and steamed veg, and heaven knows I don't need her biting me any harder.

But the sooner it's through, the less likely I am to think that she's constantly teething!

Thursday 8 March 2012

More kisses - clap clap

In a week of 'new things', the baby had some more tricks up her sleeves.

Yesterday, I was giving her a hug and a kiss on the cheek. In a moment of inspiration, I said 'kisses for bubbah' and gave her a kiss, then said 'kisses for mummy' and jammed my cheek up near her mouth. And I got a sloppy little bite back! I nearly fell over I was so shocked! My reaction must have been pretty obvious to her too, as she cracked up as I thanked her over and over for her kisses. It was just so sweet!! It's my favourite game now - she doesn't do it every time, but it is just so lovely when she does kiss me back (a few times, I even get a 'mmm' at the same time).

Then, this afternoon, I spent some time showing her how to clap. Over and over again, from all angles, and all beats.

Well, she's got it!

Well, kind of.

It actually looks more like she's playing the cymbals - she's clapping up and downways, sliding her hands past each other, kind of like a directors clap board. But it's totally an intentional clap.

(This might explain why she woke up three times, furious, between 7.30 and 8.30 tonight. That, and I could be right this time in feeling the tip of a tooth coming through her top gum....)

Stand up Stand out

The scooting is getting a bit better, she's often on her belly at the top of the cot at the end of nap time, she'll spin around on the floor on her belly, and today I watched her slip forward in her flip out seat, on to her belly, and to the edge of the foam mat to chew on it.

I lay on the floor of her room with her this afternoon, trying to prompt her to move forward for her toys, but it wasn't really happening.

But what is happening is I have been building on a game that the husband was playing with her.

The other day, he was holding her on the floor so she was standing. This was a bit of a big thing as she hadn't been too keen to use her legs since coming out of the harness (the muscles must need time to rebuild, I'd say). But she was getting better and better at it.

On Tuesday, I was sitting on the bed with her, and she had a hold of my hands and was doing her rocking. So I called out 'one... two... three!' with each rock, then pulled her up in to a stand on 'three'.

She loved it!

We were playing all day - each time she had my fingers and would rock, I'd pull her up on the third.

So, while she will be behind babies of her age with physical development, I'm sure we'll get there in the end (and maybe not in the order she would have without the harness!).

Wednesday 7 March 2012

Dear Baby - Month #8

Dear baby,

Eight months!!! No way!!!! Craziness.

First things first - you finally got to come out of your harness. I'm so happy. I didn't realise how much it was weighing on me until it finally came off. And it's not like it was making you unhappy, it was just a relief.

You've come forward in more leaps and bounds. Because you're freer with your legs, you're enjoying tummy time more - you could spend ten minutes down on your belly, I reckon. You're sitting up really well (although we put you in a sit, you don't get there yourself) and you're starting to put more weight on your legs again. You get to have a bath most nights (each night apart from Mondays and Thursdays at this stage) and you love to sit in the water reaching for the toys, or lay on your back and kick your legs like a demented frog.

Your feeds have gotten further and fewer between - in fact, yesterday you fed at 4:30am, 1:30pm (at my suggestion), 5:30pm (at my suggestion) and 8pm, just before you went to sleep. You could well be down to three feeds a day - but that's no surprise really, based on how much you like to eat. I'm still wrapping my head around this - I don't need to rush so much if we're going somewhere during the day, because I don't need to factor in your three-hourly feeds, but then I do need to work hard to ensure I've got enough food packed for you to have three solid meals and your two snacks!

I've started trying to branch out with the foods I offer you, so you can learn not to just shove it all in to your mouth and try to swallow without chewing. You had spare rib on Monday night at my brothers house, and you made your Pa laugh, the way you crammed that rib bone in your mouth like you are a cannibal.

We (finally) got to meet your cousin too! So exciting. She is beautiful. Of course, you are beautiful too, but the two of you are like opposites already - she is petite, with a full head of hair and darker skin; you are chubby and fluffy and fair like your daddy. You're 7.5 months apart which seems like an age now, but it's not going to mean much for long. I'm so excited to picture the two of you together with us at family tea on Monday nights, running around together at family functions, playing and napping and giggling together as your aunt and I take turns in looking after the two of you.

That's right - because as of today, I've been informed I'll be returning to work from the 1st of August, working Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays. Pa will look after you on Mondays, I'll look after you on Tuesdays and Wednesdays (and your cousin will be with us for one of those days), your aunty and cousin will look after you on Thursdays, and Daddy will look after you on Fridays. I hope it's not too much change for you, and I have no idea how it's all going to play out. I am hoping that your easygoing and fairly sociable nature will work out with this, but there's also the part of me that freaks at the thought that it might be the one thing to change that. I just don't know. I've also got a call in to the childcare centre to see if they'll ever have space for you. It looked like a lovely place when we visited, and it will be good for you to hang with more babies, more often.

We might be signing up for swimming lessons soon too. Your daddy is deadset on this happening sooner rather than later, it will just be a matter of getting organised. If we were able to sleep all the way through the night, then I might not balk so much at commiting to be somewhere early on a Saturday morning (hint hint).

That said, I don't feel so bad at the moment. Your daddy very kindly let me sleep on Sunday, so I got 10 hours sleep (with wakeups at 4:30, 7:00 and 9:00), and I think that will keep me powered for a while! Yesterday you slept until 9:30, and I lay in bed in the quiet, thinking how 'wrong' it felt for it to be quiet so 'late'. Usually, I wake up to you mmbling to yourself - sometimes, you'll be on your belly! We're pretty lucky in that the only time you seem to really cry is when you wake up in the middle of the night - we don't get random screaming cries at any other time.

You are getting closer and closer to speaking. I still think that your first word will be 'Hello'. Of course, it was silly to encourage this, as it could be years before you work out how to make an 'l' noise, and I'll always worry that I've called it too soon. Your daddy and I spend a lot of time exagerating our speech to you, saying "hullo bubba!", "dadadadadada" and "mummummummum - we'll see how it goes. I know it will come all in it's own time. That said, I think you're starting to understand "ta" and "gently" - but that could just be wishful thinking.

 In the same way I can't wait to see what comes next, I am sad to see how quickly this time has flown. When I was bathing you this evening, it made me a bit sad to think about how there will be a time where you will lock yourself in the very same bathroom, probably surly (like all teenagers) and so protective of your space and time and self. But all that is yours is mine at the moment - your space and time and self are mine - and it's sad to think about how as you get older, we will get both closer and further apart.

I love you, baby girl.

*kisses!*

Tuesday 6 March 2012

Looking back

At the wedding on Saturday, I was chatting with two friends - one who has a son three weeks older than the baby, and one who has an almost two year old and a new eight week old.

We talked about babies all night - which I loved, because it's my main topic of conversation, and one I seem to have plenty to say about.

At one point, it was raised how we felt about how many kids we planned to have. One friend might be aiming for three, to be able to have both boys and girls; one would like three but will probably stop at two; and I commented that I had always said I wanted three, but then I actually fell pregnant and actually had a baby and then decided that two would be just fine.

One of my friends commented that since she had her baby, she just wants more. She just loves being a mother and just loves everything about it.

I commented that I would like another, but I just dread those first few months. I don't miss the tiredness, the getting to know the baby, the sort of cloud of despair that hangs over my memories of those first few months.

The other commented that she much preferred the first few months to the last few months of pregnancy. That she found that a lot harder than anything else.

It just goes to show how each person has a different experience.

Monday 5 March 2012

Sharing

The baby might have learnt some sharing. Which sounds odd, but I had read that at around this age, babies learn empathy (as well as separation anxiety!) and my dad had sent me a few articles which mentioned how at an early age, babies prefer those who are generous, and will do things to try to cheer others up.

This afternoon, the baby was in her highchair with a baby mum-mum biscuit. She loves to look down and around to see where the dogs are, and more often than not they will be loitering around under the seat (I noticed today that they seem to have learnt to cross to the other side of the room when she has a sippycup of water, as she loves to drop it on the floor).

I was in the kitchen, and noticed her waving it over the side of her seat, and smiling.

Then I heard *chomp*.....giggle.... *chomp*...giggle... *chomp*...

Then I realised that our bigger dog was half up on her back legs, chomping (gently) at the biscuit.

When I called out 'no no nononno!', the baby looked up at me with a massive grin, and stopped.

And then she put the biscuit in her mouth.

(urgh)

In a way though, it was win-win for everyone - I got the biscuit off her, the dogs got to eat the remainder of the biscuit, the baby got some laughs and I got to see this lovely little interaction.

My baby is becoming a person!

Sunday 4 March 2012

Feeding times

We went to lovely wedding last night, and the baby stayed with my husbands parents while we were out.

Because the wedding was over the other side of town and started early, I fed the baby at 430 when I dropped her off, and she went until we picked her up just after midnight without another feed.

Baby still isn't taking the formula that we're trying with her since she started biting me. Luckily it's only happened a few more times since I wrote about it, but it's still unpleasant. My parents tried it with her while they looked after her this morning (when I was getting my hair cut) and the husbands parents tried it at night, to no avail.

I just wanted to have it as a back up for when we go out to dinner or similar.

I'd asked the MACH nurse about it earlier in the week, and she said as long as the baby is eating solids and has water, she would be fine for the night. She suggested we include 'wet' foods for dinner, so we packed custard for her as part of her dinner.

The baby is on four or five meals a day - for example, she had a feed at midnight after the wedding last night, then 6am, then a half feed at 9am, a feed at 1.30, a feed at 5.30, and a feed just before bed at 7pm. The half feed and the one before bed are ones I initiated, rather than ones she called out for, so I could probably wind it back - the recomendation is 4 feeds at 6 months of age, 3 feed at 9 months of age, 2 feeds at 12 months of age. The baby is 8 months old on Wednesday, so I might try to get more consistent with which feeds to offer, and which not to. I might skip the one when she wakes up and see what happens....

Saturday 3 March 2012

Wailing

Unfortunately, the sleep regression is yet to stop.

Wednesday night, she woke again around midnight, and took half an hour to settle.

Thursday night, the husband popped her dummy in when she started, and she settled back until 6am.

Friday night - ugh. Friday night.

The husband was staying at a friends house, as part of the bridal party before the wedding today. At 11.30, she woke up with her loud crying that has become a habit. At 12.15, after several tries of picking her up to calm her and then putting her down, I removed myself from her room and went to the bathroom - there comes a point when all I feel is tense, and I've been known to stand in the middle of the room and just clap my hands together (as if that would do anything!!!) and that's when I know it's time to stop.

When I got out of the bathroom - silence.

She started up again 5 minutes later, but I monitored her crying. It sounded like whinging and calling out, then she would go back to sleep for a few mintues. And over time, it got louder and louder as she cried, even though it stopped, until it was after 1am and I could hear her screaming.

I had to sit in the rocker with her as her sobs died off, just to keep her calm. As soon as she was in my arms, she would curl up on her side and stroke my pyjamas as she drifted off to sleep.

I used this as an opportunity to message the husband (half-jokingly) that he was banned from sleepovers forever. He was sorry to hear it but suggested feeding her. I told him that I was trying to avoid it (as I don't want it to become habit) and that she didn't seem hungry - she just wanted a hug. Then I put her down.

And she woke up.

So I repeated it for fifteen minutes, and put her down on her side (which I know is a no-no, but it's how she seems to be sleeping now). And I finally got to sleep just before 2am.

The MACH nurse said that there are times when babies are just processing so much, they can't sleep. So it could be that having the harness off has made a big change for her - the husband noted that he thinks she is a lot more coordinated and interested in things now. And I can see how her shifting around on the floor is happening in a more coordinated way.

But I just want her to sleep.

Friday 2 March 2012

Kisses

The baby has a(nother) party trick - apart from shaking her head, she now 'kisses' on command.

It started out with her making funny faces and kind of kissing noises a few weeks ago. She'd look at you and then suck her bottom lip in to her mouth as far as she could, making her mouth almost look like a pointy little beak. Unintentionally, we started saying 'kisses' when she did it, and making kissing noises back. Not to teach her (the husband already makes all the usual father jokes about her never being allowed to have a boyfriend), but just because it was sweet to do it back.

I think that combining this with the husbands hobby of kissing the baby (and proclaiming 'KISSES!!!' as he does it) to make her laugh and laugh and laugh, has brought it on - now you can say it, and she'll do it.

It seems the more that it seems like when we trained the puppies, the more I realise how important repetition is to learning!

Thursday 1 March 2012

Scoot

Slowly but surely, the baby is on the move.

Since being harness free, she's a lot happier to participate in tummy time. We're talking stretches of like 10 minutes here! She's also started to push herself backwards. I noticed it on Tuesday when I had her down on the mat and realised she wasn't quite where I put her, but she's getting better and better at it.

I sit in front of her with toys to try to encourage her forwards, but I don't think she's quite got the understanding yet.

It's both exciting and scary at the same time!