A lot has happened in the last week....
We've had a lot of crying. Separation anxiety is at it's height! And lucky old me, it's only me that he wants. I blogged last year about Isla being a Daddy's girl and my OH reminded me recently that I did say that I wanted a Mummy's boy. Well, I'm not saying that I'd like to retract that but let's just say it's getting a bit too much. I can't even step more than a foot away from the boy without howls of distress. It's like a siren and it gets louder and louder. I'm pretty sure that Isla did a little bit of this, but definitely not to this extent.
We did an experiment a couple of times, just to check if there was actually anything wrong with him. It went like this. I'm in the room, right next to him, Noah is all calm and collected. I move away from him. Howling commences. I must add that he can still see me, I haven't gone anywhere far! The OH picks him up, this is still not good enough. He is sobbing, uncontrollably, snot pouring from his nostrils. I come back into the acceptable distance I'm allowed away from him (an inch) and he visibly calms a bit, but still howls. I take him from the OH and all crying ends and almost a jubilant look can be detected as he snuggles up to me as if to say, 'YES! I got what I wanted in the end!'.
It's draining and has gone on my pro's list for going back to work (another post in progress to address that!). I hope he stops it soon and I get my happy contented boy back, however I also think it is linked to the appearance of a tooth. At last. I really hoped that we'd have a few teeth done and dusted by now, so that on my return to work I only had about another 12 teeth to arrive and sleepless nights would be fewer. But no, he's decided to follow in his sister's footsteps and get his first one at 8 months like her. I don't have to worry about him needing them for eating though. He's storming through solids, with even the nursery admitting to me last week that they forgot to puree his food and he was eating rather large sized pieces of pasta for lunch! Go Noah!
Another milestone we ticked off the list this week is crawling. Now this is a double edged sword. Brilliant because it's a step towards me not having to carry around a 25lb baby everywhere I go (yes, he really is that heavy!) but not brilliant because he'll be getting into EVERYTHING! Ashamedly, this another one of my pro's for going back to work....someone else will deal with this while I'm at the office! Seriously though I do love it. I love seeing him grow and it does feel that between 6 months and 8 months a lot has happened. He's no longer a sicky baby, we don't have to change our clothes (mine too!) a million times due to reflux. He's also full of personality now. I love the interaction between him and Isla (well not all of it), he's always watching her and checking out what she's doing and she has become more interested in him too. However I do think I need to get Isla's hair cut a bit shorter as he is forever making a grab for it which results in lots of tears. The funny thing is that while she is crying her eyes out, he is laughing like Nan (you know the Catherine Tate character?), really cackling.
He is the hungriest baby ever still. I am slightly worried by the fact that most nights he has a late feed and then will still quite often wake in the night for milk too. I wondered if this was a habit but to be honest I don't think I could persuade him not to have milk if I tried as he goes completely mad until he gets it. I pity the neighbours, because he ROARS, although they swear that they never hear him. I know all babies are different and there can't possibly be a hard fast rule on how much food they should eat at each meal, but I do find it hard to judge how much I should be serving up to him when weaning and the very fact he wakes in the night for milk could mean I'm not giving him enough solids I guess? Any feedback on that welcome!
As I mentioned before I'm due back to work soon and the closer it gets the more it actually breaks my heart, he's really made this family complete and I couldn't imagine life without him. So on that note I'll sign off. More on my big baby's progress soon.
I've blogged about Natureshop before here and when they asked me to pick something else from their gorgeous organic 'nature inspired' baby range, I had to go for this cosy Nature Baby winter sleeping cocoon.
The blue and white stripes look so cool on Noah, and the other benefit is that he's not wearing another one of his sister's flowery or pink sleeping bags for a change!
The inner of this sleeping bag is 100% Merino Wool, which is an insulating fibre which absorbs body moisture and allows for maximum airflow. It means Noah will stay all cosy and warm but will not run the risk of overheating. This particular sleeping bag also features a seat belt slot, so baby can be transported without taking them out of the sleeping bag. There are also two zips running round the sleeping bag making it easier to do those night time nappy changes. It comes in a cute, matching drawstring bag.
And if you go over to Natureshop at the moment there is a massive 50% off loads of their baby items. Go on then, go......!
We were sent the Nature Baby Sleeping Cocoon free of charge.
I'm not a cannibal but he's just so scrummy I could eat him sometimes!
Umm, I've just noticed that I seem to be favouring one child, and here I go again! Tomorrow will be an Isla day!
This challenge is getting the better of me, but anyhow, here's my big boy at 6 months, sitting up nicely! Got to admit that he's still a bit wobbly and I wouldn't let him out of my sight sitting like this yet (his face and the carpet would get to know each other quite well if I did that!) but he's loving his new perspective on the world. Today he also had his first settling in session at nursery - with me cramping his style. Tomorrow he will be without mummy for 2 whole hours!
We're well into weaning now. I'm slightly wishing we hadn't gone for pink when we got Isla a high chair and if this photo showed a bit more you'd also see him using Isla's old pink cup and pink spoons!
The last dedicated Noah post was at 7 weeks. I can't believe how we've got to 6 months this quickly but life is just so busy with 2 children.
I have to say that the first 4 months with Noah were actually quite easy on reflection. He slotted in so easily and I had a lot of help from our mum's and Isla goes to nursery 2.5 days so I hadn't felt too swamped with having Isla and Noah to look after all the time on my own. I'm very lucky to have such supportive family and since having Noah I really have a lot of respect for mums who do it single handed or those who don't have family on the doorstep.
Since 4 months though my darling boy has really taken to the early mornings. I think he may have been doing this pre 4 months, but it's only in the last 2 months that it's really starting to grind me down. He regularly wakes around 5am (at worst could be 4.30am or at best could be 5.15am) and unless I jump into bed on the dot of 10pm I feel terrible in the morning, especially if he's also been awake in the night. I'm not handling it all that well and I've been pretty miserable in the mornings, regularly in floods of tears as my OH heads off to work at 5.30am. Pretty much my mood improves as I get a cup of tea and then when Isla gets up at around 7 I've become more human. The more I get told that this won't go on forever the more fed up I get. I KNOW it won't go on forever, I mean when he's 15 I'll be crow barring him out of bed I'm sure but at the moment, I feel like SH1T.
I also know that things could be worse, I get told this a lot too and when that happens I feel bad for bemoaning my lot, after all I have two healthy children - what more could I want? When you feel hard done by on the sleep front it really can make you think irrationally and get easily stressed over things. Well I do anyway. The littlest things really grate and minor comments from the OH can cause me to get a bit shouty. I've also found that my periods have really affected my mood more than they ever did pre-kids. I mean I used to get a bit moody but now for days before it arrives i feel rubbish - I say all the usual things - I'm fat, I haven't got any nice clothes, my skin looks awful, this house is too messy, wish we had a bigger house, wish we had a better car, repeat to fade.... This list goes on and on and as I go into a downward spiral. My brain becomes over loaded and I feel like I have too much to think about.
So that's me. What about him? Well he's into rolling over and over and over. He's eating like he's eaten all his life, there won't be any leftovers with him around. He's a lot more whiny than Isla ever used to be (he doesn't have a dummy - not for want of trying!) and is far more into mummy than she was. If he's being held by someone else he will always want to be with me if I'm in the room and he can hear my voice. It's nice to be loved but I can see how boys are a lot clingier to mummy than girls and when I go back to work in 3 months I see him being more upset about it than Isla was. Two of his favourite things (after me of course!) are Isla and Bobcat (sorry Daddy!). He follows both of them round the room, his eyes gleaming with excitement whenever they are near. I love this. It makes me feel so happy as it feels like he has fitted in so brilliantly with Isla. He stands in his activity station and Isla pretends he is the shopkeeper and she 'buys' things from him. Of course he doesn't have the faintest idea what she's on about but smiles and really loves it.
He still continues to be a 'beefy' baby, he's only 6 months, weighs 24lb and is in some 9 - 12 month clothing already. He's been a bit of a sicky baby - regular pukes after milk and had really terrible painful wind in the early days, so I'm hoping with the weaning will come less of the puking.
We had a fabulous photo shoot recently and this was my favourite photo of Isla and Noah together. They really are beautiful children, I know I'm biased but they are and I'm so proud of them and hope that they continue to thrive and make me feel like my heart could burst.
Photo's by Sarah Jones
I love a bobble hat I do! I got this one from Sweetheart Knits. Noah must have a really big head though as it is a little bit snug and on putting it on Isla it seems his head isn't too far off the size of hers and she's 2 years older!!! Still looks a cutie in it though!
