Ava - 4 Months Old

Writing these posts month after month I always say that I can't believe how fast time is passing us by and how quickly she is growing and I'll say it again, what's going on?! Ava is now 4 months old and she's really coming into her own little character now and it's so lovely to watch her grow and learn as the weeks and months pass us by.

Character
She is such a sweet natured little girl, she's so happy and is always smiling. She loves to be talked and sung to, kissed, cuddled and snuggled. She's already like my little best friend, she's such a sweetheart. She's starting to find her voice, has a whole array of different noises and is her happiest when she's in my arms. 

Size
I haven't had her weighed for a while but I know she's gaining weight like a trooper, she's really thriving. She is wearing mainly 3-6 month clothes but some of it is small, other pieces have plenty of room so I think it depends on the fitting. I'm going to have to start buying 6-9 months in some clothing, already! I'm currently looking online at various websites for deals on sleep suits and the Jacamo promotion here looks great because I can keep her sizing up to date without spending more money that I need to. I can't believe how big she's getting, she's so long and has super chunky thighs and the sweetest little hamster cheeks. 

Health
She's has a little cough and cold on and off lately, thanks to her brother bringing home all the germs from nursery. She's been fine in herself though and has just got on with it, although she's had a little bit of calpol here and there. She had her second lot of injections a few weeks ago and thankfully had to side effects from them.

Feeding

We are still breastfeeding and everything is going really well, I'm so happy about our journey so far. I feed her on demand and she probably feeds about 10 times in 24 hours but I couldn't really put a number on it really as I don't keep track. The past week I've started to express milk here and there with my Medela Swing so then my partner can feed her in the evening too. So far it's been helping when it comes to settle her but I'll mention more about that below.

Sleeping
As mentioned above I recently started expressing my milk as I wanted to try something new at bedtime. Ava has only just started settling upstairs in the evening (before this she would only sleep when I went up to bed!) Now I take her up at 7pm, all dressed and ready for bed and I breastfeed her to sleep. I then sneak away and about 15 minutes later she will wake and my partner will take up a bottle of expressed milk and usually she will then go to sleep. This is the only way we can get her to settle without me there with her so for the moment we are going with it. She usually wakes twice in the night for a feed but I usually fall straight back to sleep with her. Naps are still hit and miss but we are making progress in that department too, I think! 

Milestones and new tricks
*She now laughs at funny things and not just when she's tickled. She's only recently started doing it so both Nick and I have to really try to make her laugh but Noah only has to jump up and down and she's in a fit of laughter.
*She can now reach and grab for things perfectly, without missing. She's a dab hand at bringing things to her mouth and can even put her dummy in herself.
*She's very vocal and has so many different noises and sounds that she can make. Her favourite at the moment is like a gurgling sound and one that sounds just like a telelphone ringing!
*She's not yet rolling over but when you put her on her belly for tummy time she's very strong and try's to push herself forward with her legs. It wouldn't surprise me if she learnt to crawl before she rolled but I hope she takes her time!
* She had her first bottle at last week and has just the one in the evening and it's my expressed milk, not formula. Some breastfeeding babies can be fussy when taking a bottle but Ava accepted the MAM bottle right away, the first type of bottle we tried!
* We bought her a jumperoo and she's learning how to bounce in it pretty quickly. 

Likes and dislikes
Ava loves to be held, cuddled and kissed. She's totally besotted with us all and thinks her brother is hilarious. She loves her bedtime feed when we snuggle up in bed together and I nurse her to sleep. She also likes books, songs, singing, slinky, sophie la girafe, musical toys, her bunny, muslin cloths, baby TV, Peppa Pig, trees, bath time, Mummy's bed, Daddy's beard, watching us eat. She doesn't like having her clothes changed, she hates it. She also doesn't like being in her car seat or in the car.

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Loving the outdoors

Now the weather is becoming milder and the sun is finally making an appearance we have loved getting outdoors and making the most of it. Wether it just be in our back yard, a walk to our local park or long walk around a nature reserve we love it. Noah loves to watch everything go by, especially the tree's. Little nature baby. I was sat on the park on Monday with my baby in my arms and the sun beaming down on us and it was bliss. I remember just thinking, this is the life! 

Have you been enjoying time out in the sun? How have you been spending it? 

I hope we are in for a lovely long Summer!

Photo's of Noah - 4 Months Old

Noah's new best friend

Move over Alfie bear there's a new toy in town! Scout!

I'm a sucker when it comes to buying treat's for Noah and I had my eye on Scout for a while. He is an interactive puppy from Leapfrog which plays songs, talks, laughs, plays music and much more. You can even personalise him to say your child's name, spell it out and use the name in songs. 

When I introduced Noah to Scout this week his eyes turned to saucers, he reached out, grabbed him and starting cooing and smiling at him. Too blooming cute! I love it now he is interacting with toys now, it's so incredible watching him learn new things everyday! 

Do you have any favourites when it comes to your child's toys? 

Weaning: First tastes

If you read the blog or follow me on twitter or facebook you will probably already know that Noah and I have just started our weaning journey. If you missed the post you can read it here. I felt very conflicted about it but felt that it was in Noah's best interests to start weaning at 4 months. I thought we would give it a go and if he wasn't ready I would stop. The way he has taken to solids has made me certain we have started at the right time. He is absolutely loving it. He will whinge if you don't have another spoonful ready by the time he has eaten the first. He also grabs the spoon, tries to feed himself and makes om nom nom noises. He really enjoys it!

I only intend on giving him baby rice, porridge, fruit and veg puree's for the next month or so. When we get to 6 months I am then going to switch to BLW and see how we get on. 

Noah's very first taste was plain baby rice, which didn't go down very well. He then tried porridge, which he devoured. His first fruit was pear and his first vegetable was carrot. 

So far Noah has tried;

Baby rice. 

Baby rice mixed with pear puree.

Baby porridge. 

Baby porridge mixed with pear puree.

Banana baby porridge.

Pear puree. 

Carrot puree. 

Banana puree (first time trying it this morning!) 

All puree's are homemade and very easy to make. Especially the pear puree! If using ripe pears all you need to do is wash them, peel them, blend them! So simply to make and it tastes amazing. It's no wonder it is Noah's favourite. 

I mix a bit of his milk into everything that he has tried so far. I know you can add cooled boiled water but I like to add his milk. As well as making it a bit more palatable it is also great to add as it warms up the puree a little if the milk is warm. It's also good to use if your puree is a little thick needs a little moisture. 

I intend on making fresh puree's and foods for him as often as I can. I have no problem using premade pouches and jars though and have a collection of different brands to try in our cupboard. With his first tastes I wanted to stick to fresh homemade puree's as I thought it would be easier on his stomach. 

What were your little one's first tastes? 

Baby Diary: 4 Months Old

Another month has passed us by Noah Nicholas. You are now a whopping 4 months old, no longer a tidgey baby but growing into a big boy. Every month I say how fast it has flown by and how much you have learnt and developed and I will say it again, because you have. I love you to bits.

Character

You are still such a character and are getting cheekier by the day! You are so silly and giddy yet serious and almost brooding. You are hilarious. My days are filled with constant gummy grins as everything I say to you gets a big smile in return. I will never grow old of those smiles. You are still a major Mummies boy and we love our days together but you are also besotted with your Daddy too.

Size

You haven't been weighed this month but you must be around the 15lb mark. You now wear 3-6m in everything and they fit you perfectly. Everyone comments on how big you are but to me and to the health visitors you are bang on what size you "should" be. In the last week or two I think you have really bulked up though so the next time you are measured and weighed I wouldn't be surprised if you have gone up a percentile or two. You aren't very chubby yet though, you have a long torso, legs and arms just like Mummy and Daddy.

Health

We've been fortunate again this month when it comes to your health. A few niggles here with constipation but nothing to write home about. Your last lot of injections weren't very pleasant though and you were out of sorts for a good week after them. We need to book you in for your next ones this week and I am dreading it. You would think it would get easier taking you but it doesn't, it gets harder. 

Feeding

I now make up 7oz bottles for you at every feed as you drink between 5oz or 7oz throughout the day. You aren't very consistent with how much you want at each feed so it is better for us just to make up the 7oz. You feed every 3 hours during the day. In the last week or two your love for your milk seems to have dwindled. You still have what you should but you don't seem to enjoy it as much. It's hard to explain but a Mummy knows. You have also begun paying a lot of attention to us when we eat, so much so that you will stop drinking your bottle to watch us eat. Last week when I was eating a pear you was watching me so closely that I showed you the pear. You then took it from my hand, pushed it onto your mouth and began gnawing and sucking on it. You absolutely loved it and actually complained when I took it off you. After a lot of deliberation after watching you on many occasions I decided to give you a little baby porridge here and there. You are only having a spoonful or two a day and you are still having plenty of milk so I don't see the harm in a little baby porridge. I know the recommended weaning age is now 6 months but not every baby is the same. If my baby is wanting to try food I am not going to not give him any because of what the guidelines say. This is my choice as a Mother. I shall be writing a post about this soon and will be blogging all about our journey. 

Sleep

You are such a good sleeper, at the moment! Last month you wouldn't settle until 11pm but this month you have brought it back even more and settle for 9pm or 10pm at the latest which is fab for my little night owl. You are still sleeping through and sleep on average 14 hours a night without waking for a feed. You do begin to fidget in bed around 6am once Daddy has got up for work but I bring you into bed with me. I know this is a bad habit but I enjoy being close to you. We recently moved you into your cot beside our bed. We had no issue whatsoever switching you from moses basket to cot. First night in the cot and you was out like a light, you are fabulous. 

Napping has gotten better this month too. Some days you still prefer to stay awake most of the day but some days you have frequent cat naps. It's such an improvement to how you were. Your favourite place to nap is in your pram and you have almost mastered self soothing. I didn't do any of the let your baby cry malarkey it is something that you have learnt yourself, with a little help from your dodo and comforter. I'm a firm believer that give your baby time and encouragement and they will master these things themselves, when they are ready.

Milestones

- You have mastered the head control! Finally! No more nodding baby. You are very strong posture wise. I sit you on my lap and you do try to hold yourself up with very little help from me. 

- Giggles! We've had a few giggles but you still aren't giving them freely. Your first distinctive laugh was when I tickled your armpit when undressing you. I almost burst into tears! If I try to make you laugh by tickling you it doesn't work. You only find it ticklish when we aren't trying to tickle you. It's almost like you can only laugh by mistake at the moment, if that makes sense? When we say or so something funny you open your mouth into the biggest grin ever and make sounds that resemble a laugh like "HA AH" like you are trying to. I am sure in a week or two you will be there! 

- Sleeping through. You still sleep through. It's a milestone I have to mention again because I know we are so lucky for you to be sleeping through already. 

- Playing with toys. You now don't only bash toys but can grab them, wave them about and bring them to your mouth. You love sitting in your pram or on my knee with a few toys on your lap. You especially love toys that crinkle. Your favourite toys have got to be your Logan the Lion, Feel me Fish and Sophie la Giraffee. 

- Recognition. You now know when your bottle is coming. As soon as we put the bib on you begin getting excited. Once you see the bottle the excitement amps up and you make the cutest mouth movements in anticipation. You also know the sound of the front door, when it opens you stop what you are doing and look for who is going to come through the door. You are such a clever little boy. 

- Touch. You have an adorable habit of grabbing out hands, pulling them to you and then you stroking our skin. It is a comforter to you and a comforter to us as parents. So endearing. 

- You can take your dummy out of your mouth and sometimes put it back in. You also grab hold of the bottle and shove it into your mouth. You can't feed yourself yet but we have switched to big bottles now so I think they are a little heavy for you. 

- Pulling. You now pull my hair at every chance you can get. I am contemplating cutting it all off. 

- Pram. You are no longer in your carrycot on the pram but in your big boy seat. You love your pram even more because of this and we love going on walks together with it. 

- Cot. You are no longer in your moses basket but in your cot beside me. You love the extra room and are content laying it in while awake. 

- Showers. You took your first ever shower last week. How? I hear you ask? We sit you in your bath seat which resembles a bouncer in the bath. I turn on the shower and make sure it is the correct temperature. I then gently wash you while you sit there. It's a lot quicker and you really enjoy it. 

Things you like

- Dummy. You love your dummy but we use it a lot less during the daytime now. Daytime is chat and play time. Dummy is for naps, screaming do's and just before bedtime. 

- TV. Still a TV addict. No matter what we do or show you your eyes always make their way back to the TV.

- Walks. When the weather is nice we go out for walks around the park. It's getting milder now so having a lot more days out. You would always be asleep by the time we got to the park but we have had two occasions where you have been awake and we've taken you out the pram to have a look around. You love being out and about. 

- Pram. You love your pram even more this month now we have put in the seat. You are parent facing for the moment but do love to stare at me so are happy with it for the time being. You love sitting in your pram playing with toys, you love to nap in it and go out for walks. A huge fan of the pram. 

- Changing mat. I don't know why I haven't mentioned this before but one of your favourite places to be is led on your changing mat. You can be having a major hissy fit and we only need to lay you on it and you are all smiles. I don't understand it but we are big fans of it too for this reason. 

- Kisses. Kisses on your cheeks and neck create the worlds biggest smiles and almost laughs. 

- Blankets. You are a major blanket lover. For warmth, comfort and even toys. It's a good job you love them so much because I have a dozen of them. 

- Nappy changes. You love having your nappy changed but it's hard to change you now as you wriggle about like mad when I am trying to get a clean nappy on you. You would prefer to be nappy free I think! 

- Sophie la Giraffe has joined the Noah Favourites list this month. You aren't chewing on her just yet but when you are crying all I need to do is give her a little squeak and you babble and smile away at her. 

- Showers. You love having quick showers in the mornings. 

- The car. Still a huge fan of Daddy's car. 

Things you don't like

- Sitting in the backseat alone. This sounds strange but sometimes I will sit in the front passenger seat of the car if we are going on short trips but recently I have noticed that you don't approve. When I do you will whinge until we stop the car and I sit beside you. Bless you. 

- Waiting for your milk. If you spots the bottle before it's anywhere near your mouth you will not be happy! I tend to hide it until we are ready to avoid the upset. 

- Jumperoo. We recently bought you your Jumperoo and you aren't sold on it just yet. You will entertain the idea for a few minutes but want to get out of it as soon as possible. Same with your Mama's and Papa's snug seat, you aren't a fan just yet. 

- Sneezes. I can't remember the last time I was able to sneeze freely. If I forget and sneeze you begin to cry hysterically. You hate sneezes, they really scare you. I always hold my nose if I feel a sneeze coming on. The things you do for your children!

You are one incredible little man Noah Nicholas and I am insanely proud of you. Love you so much baby boy.