And So I Don't Forget...

Amelia: 28 Weeks

When Mike and I say we have a kid that is never still, we're not joking! Her toddler years are going to be exhausting!

And, I couldn't resist including another couple this week. My little cutie. :)

Amelia: 27 Weeks

Her foot a blur of motion, grabbing anything in reach, sitting up just a little bit wobbly, watching intently, that's my little girl right now. 

And I couldn't not include this photo of Milly and my aunty. Just look at that smile! 

Amelia: 6 Months Old

At 6 months old Amelia is:

• A happy, cheerful baby. She gives the biggest smiles and has a cutely weird little laugh.
• Constantly moving. She wriggles and squirms around, when she's in our arms, being feed, on the floor, she just never stops moving. In her cot, if she's had trouble sleeping, she might end up sideways, head to toe or have her feet sticking out the bars. 
• Rolling front to back and back to front with ease. Between the squirming and the rolling, if we step away for minute she might not be where we left her anymore.   
• Trying to crawl. Milly doesn't gain much distance yet but gosh she's motivated. She'll pull up her little legs and push and push, often flipping herself over onto her back instead.   
• Sitting up. She's wobbly and doesn't last for long without support, better when concentrating on a toy, but it's sitting.
• Getting stuck under the couch. If she turns her head sideways she can just fit under, so every day she rolls her way to the couch, wriggles some part of her body under it but then can't work out how to get out.       
• Eating 3 meals a day, mainly of soft, mushy food as she still struggles a little on more solid things like pasta. You know when she's hungry because she'll sit there in her little chair, leaning forward with arms wide apart. Towards the end of the meal, or if she isn't so fond of the food, she'll try and grab the spoon to feed herself. If we're eating she will sit there watching us, like 'Umm...hello! I have a mouth here too!' 
• Reaching for everything, often trying to put them in her mouth. Mum and I were at a cafe the other day, Milly sitting on my knee. I'd pushed my dinner plate to the centre of the table but Milly still managed to lean forward and grab the plate, dragging it towards her. Remote controls, my phone, anything on the table, she'll be squirming around trying to reach it.   

• Sleeping through the night. Well, she was until about a week ago. Her feeding picked up so I'm thinking (hoping!!!) this is just a growth spurt and we'll be back there again soon. 
• Generally napping twice a day. She'll have a morning nap of 1 and a half to 2 hours and an afternoon nap of around the same. Her first awake period is about 90 minutes, 2 hours between the naps then she'll be awake from about 3 or 4pm til bedtime at 7.
• Going to sleep on her side. When we place her in her cot she'll roll over onto her side and curl up with her dummy. When she was younger if you put her down and she turned her head to the side you knew you had a good chance she'd fall right off to sleep and it's amazing to see this preference develop.
• Very alert. This is something that we hear from people all the time, friends and strangers. She'll be perched up in our arms, looking around, taking everything in. 
• Still uncertain about other people holding her, with immediate tears on some occasions and she'll be happily patting their face on others. She is easier to distract her now though when she's getting a little upset; clapping is my favourite diversion. 
• Very vocal, but mainly when she's relaxed and at home. Out and about she's more commonly looking around intently. 
• Loves being sung to and, if grumpy, it often calms her. Playing 'This little piggy goes to market...' on her toes seems to be her current favourite. 
• Smacking her lips for the 'mwah' noise. (Not the kissing one, when you pull your lips in.) She continues to blow raspberries like a champ, 
• Giving hi fives and waving. She'll put up her hand for a hi five but she needs to be in the right mood for what we're generously calling a wave. We're giving looks of cheers and encouragement though so there'll be a big smile on her face.
• Playing peek-a-boo. She'll hold fabric up in front of her face then pull it down, looking for my big 'There's Milly!' reaction.
• Taking swimming lessons. There was lots of grizzling last lesson as she was in desperate need of a longer nap but she's actually doing really well, holding her breathe for the quick submersions we've done so far.  
• A bit of a Daddy's girl as she's incredibly distracted if he's in the room and gives him the biggest smiles. Since she was sick with the nasty cold a couple weeks ago, he's even managed to get her asleep in his arms a few times.  
• Changing and learning so quickly. Mike often comments that she's a different baby from last week.

I am:

• So very ready for her sleep to settle down into a rhythm again. I know we've had it comparatively easy - she is still a good sleeper, way better than I was as a baby - but it's hard to gain consistency only to lose it again. Last night she ended up in our bed when she wouldn't settle after a 3:30am feed. When it becomes a more often than not pattern I'll know I have a problem but for the moment I'll snuggle her in, hold her hand, suffer a few pats to face and we'll both get some more sleep. 
• Aiming to get out with the pram for a walk most days. This should get easier with the weather warming up soon.
• Struggling to find a rhythm to my week. Now that Milly is a bit older we're starting to have a few more weekly commitments however Mike's roster is an 8 day cycle and his days off change each week. It makes it that bit harder to establish a pattern, balance how we factor in Mike's roster and when I should ignore it. 
• Amazed at this little person I created. I read online this week something to the effect that a baby is the calm in the storm every when they are the storm. Some days are easy, some are hard, but she only has to smile at me to be reminded life is pretty damn wonderful.  

Amelia: Five Months Old

At 5 months old Amelia is:

• Still too small. Her pediatrician said she has a big head, then looked at Mike and I and said that's okay because we have big heads too. Ah, thanks Doctor! No, she said, that's good. Big head means big brain. ;) Actually, it is a good sign. When a baby isn't getting enough nutrition their weight is impacted first, then length, then head size. We're getting some blood tests done next month, hopefully to rule out things like food intolerance, thyroid issues, mal-absorption. I'm not worrying about it though, I think we just have a petite baby. She's tall and skinny.
• Constantly active, wriggling and squirming away. Constantly. Even the pediatrician commented; she burns a lot of calories.
• Rolling from front to back with ease. It finally, finally clicked for her. 
• Not guaranteed to be in the position you left her. She'll scoot around on her butt, sometimes turning the full 180 degrees. 
• Refusing to drink from a bottle. We probably need to try again but the last time we did she started screaming before it even got to her mouth. She was NOT a fan! Milly likes her sippy cup though, although we're more at the dribble it down our chin stage. 

• Not a fan of eggs. She loves trying anything off our plates though (Mum and Dad's food is much more exciting than her own) and the other day Milly even ate tiny bits of a fairly spicy salami.
• Being fed chips, carbs and buttery vegetables, under direction from her pediatrician, in an attempt to fatten her up.   
• A happy baby.
• Loving to make noise. She chats with us - the more comfortable she is in a situation the chattier she will be - but is also interested in noises and can be very distracted when feeding. She sneezed the other day and looked so very proud of herself. 
• Loving toys that makes noise. Sometimes her Mum and Dad aren't so fond. 
• Blowing bubbles and raspberries. That seemed incredibly cute until she started spitting her medication back out at us!

• Sleeping from 7pm to about 4:30-5am when she wakes for a feed, then hopefully goes back to bed to sleep until 7am. Officially, that is considered through the night! It was a sudden change after waking sometime between 1:30am and 2am consistent for weeks. 
• Having a longer morning nap, somewhere from 90 minutes through to 2 and a half hours, but all others naps have generally just been 30 minutes sleep cycle. I can see that her afternoon nap is slowly starting to get a longer though and, as I type this, she's just reached an hour long for this afternoon nap. She still sleeps fine in the car or pram, although we do tend to cover her to minimise distractions.
• Doing much better with other people. I joke that we short circuited her brain at my sisters' 30th birthday party, but she really has been so much more relaxed since. Previously there'd been times she cried if someone so much as smiled at her. Now that's all generally fine and she is just uncertain sometimes if people try and hold her. 
• Getting stopped and admired at all sorts of places. 
• Growing hair. 
• Drooling. There is a serious drool situation.
• Helps with nappy changes by putting up her legs. She has also started playing with her feet during nappy changes and that really isn't so helpful. 

This post was drafted on 27 July, when Milly was 5 months and 1 week old.

I'll be back shortly (ha!) with a new update because today my baby reached 6 months of age. Seriously, how did that happen?!

Amelia: 21 Weeks Old

Is it just me, or does she look like a big kid sitting up there?! I'm really not ready for my little baby to grow up! Milly isn't sitting up on her own yet, although by the look of that photo it will not be long now.

Day in the Life: April 26 2016

Another Day in the Life project is documented and in the album.

I love, love, love that I'm recording these details. Already, just 10 weeks later, life with Milly feels so different. Less unfathomable crying, happy to entertain herself, sleeping in her cot, with a pattern developing to our days. It's only really reading this page that I'm reminded how far we've already come. And look at the little face, just lying there on the mat for tummy time. Put her down like that nowadays and she'll try and wiggle and squirm her way forwards!

I took my cue from my previous Day in the Life project, The Rhythm of our Day, when Milly was just 3 weeks old and used the same methods of recording and structure to the layout. The title is an embossed piece from an Ali Edward's kit that says 'it's the little things.' The patterned paper is from this 6x6 paper pad. 

It may not be scintillating journaling but it's honest, complete with leftover pumpkin soup marks and emergency outfit changes. :) 

12:25 AM – Awake for a feed. 13 minutes total; 6 minutes on the left side and 7 minutes on the right. 12:46 AM – Back in her bassinet, asleep. 6:56 AM – Little miss is awake, having slept 6 hours and 10 minutes. That’s her longest night time sleep yet!  Feeding for 14 minutes total; 13 on the left and only 1 minute on the right. 7:20 AM – A text message to Mike who is working a morning shift, ‘Assuming I didn’t sleep though her cries, she slept 6 hours! 12:30 Wake up and just before 7.’ He replied, ‘Awesome! Sleeping bag win!!’  7:24 AM – Changing nappy, getting her out of her sleepsuit and singing some nursery rhymes. An outfit change was required due to a little leakage. This girl does seriously wet nappies. 7:35 AM – Major grumpiness and I’m not really sure why. 7:37 AM – Reading some books. 7:53 AM – She’s all swaddled, ready for sleep. I think it’s time for a nap but Milly doesn’t really seem tired so I’m not sure this is going to take. I put her down, stroke her face for a little bit and I’ve just rolled off the bed to creep out of the room without being seen. 8:02 AM – Making myself Hot Cross Buns for breakfast. 8:04 AM – Sneaking a peek at little miss and she is almost asleep, with only one visit for some face strokes needed. 8:34 AM – Another sneak peek. She’s been asleep for about 30 minutes so I’ll take the baby monitor and jump in the shower. Hearing phantom baby cries again. 8:55 AM - Sitting quietly on the bed, in the middle of getting dressed, as little one has gotten wriggly and I’m hoping she’ll doze off again. 9:03 AM - Still here, just playing with my phone. She's had an hours sleep so that may be enough, but she hasn't grizzled yet. 9:09 AM – Attempting a dummy return. A few grizzles while dozy, but I came back in to a wide-awake cry. 9:13 AM – Milly is awake, having slept for 1 hour 9 minutes. Picking up the little girl and greeted with smiles, which is the best.  Nappy check first up. 9:24 AM – Having tummy time. 9:33 AM – Grumpiness, so I get ready for a feed. I don’t know if breast refusal is the actual term but that’s been happening for the last week or so, with Milly grizzling before she’ll settle down to feed. Note to self: check the mark on her head before the doctor’s appointment. Looks like a bruise but pretty sure it’s left over pumpkin soup. 9:43 AM – After lots of crying and grizzling, she is finally feeding. I tried a few different positions but she was just grumpy.  Feeding for 10 minutes on the right side. 10:00 AM – She might still be hungry but I’ve given up for now because she’s just a bit too tired and screamy. Putting her in the bouncer because we need to get ready for Mothers’ Group. 10:14 AM – Got a couple things done quickly before little one started grizzling. Turning the music on the bouncer back on and dashing to the toilet. 10:16 AM – Upset baby again so I’m putting her in the capsule as it’s almost time to go. Hoping the nappy bag is fully stocked because that was the next thing on my list to do. 10:30 AM – At Mothers’ Group and Milly is still wide awake, calm though. 10:40 AM - Attempted the baby massage but now asleep in my arms. 11:17 AM – Awake, having slept 37 minutes. 11:39 AM – And asleep again. 12:27 PM – Awake, having slept for 48 minutes. 12:57 PM – Home again. Carry her inside before dashing to the toilet. 1:08 PM – Changed her nappy, just incredibly wet, and now I’m working on feeding her. Still been some screaming so I’m trying a dummy switcheroo, suggested during Mothers’ Group. 1:37 PM – Using the dummy trick worked wonderfully and she was straight on, both sides. Has fed for about 20 minutes now and is still going, but quite dozy. 1:40 PM – Burping. She’s definitely ready for another sleep. 1:42 PM – Dummy is in. Putting her in the bassinette, tuck in a blanket, a few strokes of her face and then walking away. Turn on the monitor. The house never seems as creaky as when I’m trying to get the little one to sleep. 1:43 PM – Making myself some toast for lunch. 1:55 PM – Putting Milly in the bouncer so I can finish lunch. Went in and attempted to resettle her 3 times before deciding she didn’t look tired, so rolled the bassinette out into the lounge room to give that a try. 2:27 PM – Falls asleep in car on the way to paediatrician’s appointment. 2:32 PM – Discovering the back seat of the car is not conducive to emergency nappy and outfit changes. 2:36 PM - Sitting down waiting for Dr. 3:10 PM – Carrying a sleeping baby, complete with floppy head, back to the car. Have texted Mike the results of her appointment; her hips are fine and she has put on enough weight! 3:27 PM – Arriving back home. 3:40 PM – Sitting on the couch with little one in the hopes she’ll doze off to sleep. I have washed my hands and feel like everything in the nappy bag needs disinfecting. She’s had a nappy change and I’ve put cream on her underarms, such a terrible mother feeling when the doctor discovered little sore patches. 3:47 PM – Mike’s home. 4:14 PM – Mike is having a nap in bed and Milly is napping on my chest. 4:30 PM – Attempting to transfer little one to the bassinet. Hopefully she’ll go back to sleep. 5:13 PM – Watching TV and half-heartedly doing some household chores in the ad breaks. Little miss is sleeping peacefully in the bassinet. 5:47 PM – Spending a few minutes in my scrap room, checking out some blogs, printing photos for a layout. 5:58 PM – Waking up both my people. We need to feed the little one and get going if I’m going to make my Gravity Float appointment. She has slept 1 hour 49 minutes. 6:03 PM – Barely awake but she’s feeding, 9 minutes on the right side. 6:32 PM – Asleep again, in the car. 6:41 PM – Transferring her onto the stroller after arriving in Thornbury. 6:47 PM – Getting ready for my float in the pod, having said goodbye to Mike and Milly. 8:10 PM – Joining Mike and a sleeping little miss at the Welcome to Thornbury food truck spot. We laugh that I got better at floating! 8:41 PM – Finished my burger and enjoying a chocolate, sugar and lemon crepe. An order mix up, but yummy! 9:14 PM – Home again. The girl slept through and hopefully we’ll get her down again easy. 9:21 PM – Awake, having slept for 2 hours 49 minutes. 9:25 PM – Mike has changed her nappy and outfit too, due to a delay in getting the new nappy on. 9:26 PM – Feeding for 16 minutes, 9 minutes on left and 7 minutes on right. 9:38 PM – Snuggling as I watch TV. 9:48 PM – Remembered she needed to have her reflux tablet and Vitamin D drops. Trying to feed her some more to wash it down. 10:04 PM – Having put her in the bassinet wearing her sleepsuit, wheeling little one into the bedroom. 10:11 PM – Kettle’s boiling and Mike is making me a cup of tea. 10:22 PM – And she’s asleep. 11:08 PM – I’m heading to bed. The girl gave a few whimpers but she went down easy. For the record, she slept for 7 hours 31 minutes. Wonderful! But unfortunately, not soon repeated.  

Amelia: 20 Weeks Old

I had a minor meltdown this morning when Mike pointed out Milly was now 20 weeks old. Somehow 20 weeks seems so much older than 19!

The little one discovered her feet this week, which makes nappy changes more interesting, and she's rolling from her back to side to try and reach things. She's wriggly and active, loves to have a chat and is growing up way too fast! 

Adorable Cuteness

I have an apology to make. How could I not have shared these photos of adorable cuteness before now?! 

They were taken by Ashli K Photography back when Milly was only 3 weeks old.

How cute she is! So small. I'm biased but deservedly so I reckon. I mean, just look at that little smile. Heart melting.   

Amelia: 3 Months Old

At 3 months and 3 weeks old Amelia is:

• Called Milly by Mike and I. I use Amelia sometimes, but really have to stop and think about it.
• Still not putting on enough weight. Only 4.67kg at her last weight-in, she has dropped to the 1st percentile level for her age. She has consistently put on weight, just at about half the rate we'd like. It's at the cause for monitoring stage, but not alarm.
• Not a great feeder. We have moved beyond her screaming at every feed (thankfully!!) and I don't think it stresses her now like it did for a while, but she just doesn't seem to enjoy having a full tummy. Lots of suck, suck, off, suck, suck, off. and 5 minutes of actual feeding is a reasonably long feed for her. Maybe it's a holdover from the reflux, which she is on medication for. We've started offering a top-up bottle of formula at bedtime (she's still predominantly breastfed) but she doesn't really dig into that either.       
• Going to be starting solids at 16 weeks of age. It's on the early side of normal but hopefully helps with both weight gain and reflux. (Spoiler alert, because it's now a couple weeks since starting this post, Milly began solids a few days ago and did great. Not so fond of rice cereal but was lunging for the spoonfuls of sweet potato. She seems to be feeding for quite a bit longer now too, so positive all round!)   
• A major Mummy's girl. She's happy to smile at people but if they come too close, or heaven forbid hold her, there can be some serious tears. She's keener on her Dad than she was a few weeks ago but when she's grumpy Milly only wants her Mum. She has big grins for Mike and I swear she looks for him sometimes, is happy to play and be entertained by him but he can't get her to sleep or settle her down if she's really unhappy.  
• Awake for about an hour and a half at a time now, sleeping roughly 14 hours in 24, and turning red at her eyebrows seems to be the best indication of being tired. Without much intention on our part she's developed a distinct bedtime about 5:30pm, with a last nighttime feed at 9:30/10pm (I'd wake her up if she didn't) then sometimes sleeping through till about 5am when she's ready to start the day. It's not been terrible if she'll go back to sleep for another couple hours after a feed and play, but some days it's a 30 minute nap and she's good to go again. We're just starting to fiddle with times and routines to see what works best.     

• Grasping and grabbing for toys. She can hold things in both hands now and actually interacts with toys. Her favourite so far seems to be Owly, a comfort blanket with interesting bits to chew on.
• Kicking like crazy. In the bouncer or at an activity gym she loves to kick away and make noise and if she is happy there's a good chance her legs are flying too.
• Sleeping in a little sleeping bag because no blanket will remain in place for a nap with those legs.  
• Putting everything in her mouth, which can be cause for frustration when she can't manage it. She enjoys a good gnaw on fingers, her own and mine both.    
• Loves her dummy, although we've been working on limiting use to sleep time, feeding (because she used to be so distressed feeding we've got a swapsies dummy for boob pattern happening) and major grumps in public. Mike and I have probably gotten more enjoyment than we should out of watching her try to put the dummy back in her mouth after she's pulled it out.   
• Strong. She loves to sit up and stand up, holding onto our fingers for support. There's a cute little wobble to her but she's fully weight-bearing on those little legs. 
• Not a fan of tummy time or clothes going over her head. We've got limited opportunities for both before there is tears. She hasn't worked out how to roll from front to back yet and gets frustrated. Helping her over isn't appreciated either. (Why do I already get the feeling her toddler years are going to be de-light-ful?!) 
• Calmed down by being on the change mat where we often sing songs and nursery rhymes, preferably with actions. Row, Row, Row Your Boat and Open, Shut Them are probably our current favourites. 
• Enjoying being ticked under the chin and stroked along the jaw. 
• Sleeping most commonly with hands tucked behind her head, just like her Dad does. It's adorably sweet. 
• Liking being out and about where she'll look around wide-eyed. She sleeps well in hustle and bustle, although we cover the pram or car capsule with a wrap to get her to dose off. If it's during her nighttime she's generally easy to transfer from capsule to bassinet asleep but during the day returning home from a walk, just the cessation of movement, is enough to wake her up.   
• Being raised by app. Someone in my mothers group first used the term and it made me laugh because I'm doing the exact same thing. Feeds and naps are all tracked in the Sprout Baby app and I'd have no idea what was going on without it. 
• Not napping well in bassinet and often ends up in our bed in the early morning. While I know it's not ideal (although I am comfortable with the safety precautions we're taking) it seems like a choice between a 30-45 minute nap in the bassinet or 90 minutes to 3 hours in with us. If I pick her tired level correctly she is normally quite easy to get asleep in my arms and will sleep away there a couple hours but staying asleep anywhere else needs some work.   
• Screechy. She has discovered her voice and loves to make her dinosaur noises. Although many are happy sounds, there's definitely particular screeches for 'I want my dummy' and 'I want attention/entertain me!'
• Fascinated by trees and enjoys looking out windows. On one occasion, at the worst of her feeding refusal, I resorted to standing at the glass door so she could look out the window behind me as she fed. Walking around the house so she could look out all the windows was one of the ways Mike found to keep her happy and engaged.
• Wearing 000 clothing (with the odd large 0000 size thrown in) but is already too long for many footed onsies in that size.   

 I am:

• Wondering how people raised babies in the time before smart phones. I genuinely can't imagine how different it would be. My phone is entertainment, information and reassurance, social engagement, camera and video camera and the way I keep track. (I was tempted to include 'my brain' on that list.)  
• So reliant on her going to sleep in her bassinet of an evening. The odd evening when I just can't seem to get her to stay asleep (and she is generally very good) I really struggle as that's my chance do everything I want to and need to. Because she's so Mummy-dependent I don't really get time away for her during the day.  
• Really enjoying my maternity leave and can't believe I'm 5 months down already. I will admit there's moments I feel frustrated or trapped but it's all situational - I'm stuck in this chair with a baby who is taking forever to feed and I want to get my lunch and I can't! - but life feels pretty rosy and wonderful. Even when she wakes me up ridiculously early in the morning it's hard not to smile back when Milly's so happy to see me, beaming away. As my friend Nicole said, it's a good thing they're cute otherwise you might throw them out the window. (Doting mother to 6 month old April by the way.)
• Eating two breakfasts most mornings. When my day begins at 5, one just isn't going to cut it!  

In 5 Minutes Before Bed

It's been a long day.

Little miss wasn't particularly troublesome, beyond waking up and/or crying every single time I tried to place her down in the bassinet this evening. She is high intensity at the moment - a major Mummy's girl who takes only short naps and wants constant entertainment - which is fine when she begins her nighttime sleep around 6pm. I can have dinner and a couple hours free before her 9:30/10pm feed and my bedtime.

When she will not sleep anywhere but my arms all evening - I finally got her down at 10:45pm - it makes accomplishing anything all but impossible and for one very long day. 

Oh yeah, she also threw up all over me. The joys of motherhood. Good thing she's a cute little munchkin!