The First Smile

The moment you see the positive line on your pregnancy test is when all the milestones begin and they don't ever seem to end. There's always the next milestone to look forward to and every one of them is just as important and as special as the last.

When I was pregnant I read and heard every bit of advise under the sun, from what to use on babies bum through to how to swaddle and so on. I felt like my head was going to explode with all this information thrown at me and I naively felt prepared but once he arrived I thought what do I do now?!

In those first few weeks I second guessed every tiny little thing that I did and I was constantly on google making sure I was doing everything the "right" way. I was continuously doubting myself and if I could turn back the clock now I would go back and tell myself "relax, you're doing fine!"

It was as if Noah wanted to tell me that exact same sentiment because just before he turned 6 weeks old he gave me the biggest smile and I'll never ever forget it. I couldn't even if I tried cause I even managed to get it on video and I'm so thankful that I did. You can hear it in my voice how much that moment and that milestone meant to me and it's one of my favourite memories, ever.

So Mummy's and Daddy's if you ever feel like I did and sometimes still do just know that it's perfectly normal and it's just us striving to be the best parent we canbe. Believe in yourself and follow your instincts and I promise you'll get that confirmation too in your little ones smile.

- This post is my entry to the Tots100/Waterwipes Challenge. 

Babies and their milestones

As a Mum you are always worried about something or other when it comes to your baby. Noah is almost 9 months old now and is not really showing an interest in crawling. He will hold himself in the crawl position and sometimes rock but that is as far as we are. I see babies younger than him crawling and some even cruising and in the back of my mind I can't help but think shouldn't he be doing this by now? That being said I know babies do things in their own time and there isn't a "right time" for them to achieve their milestones. He is happy enough to sit their playing and I don't have to worry chase him about just yet!

While he is a little slower when it comes to mobility he sure makes up for it mentally, he is so quick! He seems to be learning something new everyday and he can now; clap, wave, dance, kiss and cuddle. Which he will do if you show him or even ask him to. He can say mama, mam, dada, dad and hiya. He knows what the words; juice, milk, bottle, mama, dada, dodo, light, trees, sky, dog mean and will look directly at them if you ask where they are. He's a clever cookie. 

I've read that babies tend to focus on one area to learn first before they move onto the other and that is the case with Noah. I think we will be a while until we are crawling but I think when he does learn then that will be it and cruising won't be soon after!

At what age did your baby sit, crawl, cruise and walk? At what age did they say their first word? 

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. 

Baby Diary: 3 Months Old

How on earth are you 3 months old already Noah? I can't believe it. You seem to learn a new trick everyday now and you are really coming into your own. You are amazing! 

Character

You are becoming so cheeky and giddy but you also know your own mind and are so strong willed. You have such a big character for someone so little, it's incredible watching your personality develop. You are still a Mummy's boy, which I love. Our bond just seems to grow and grow each day. You love Daddy too and it's so endearing watching you spot him and smile as he comes in from work.

Size

You were weighed last week and was 13lb 11oz! Big boy! You have almost doubled your birth weight and have a healthy and steady weight gain. I can really feel your weight now. Most 0-3 baby grows are too small for you now but 0-3 vests and trousers still fit. The issue with the baby grows are that they just aren't long enough on the arms, legs and feet. So bit of a dilemma at the minute whether just to pack away all your 0-3 and bring out your 3-6 wardrobe which is waiting for you. Or go through all the 0-3 and see which still fits. I don't want to be washing and sorting through two different sizes as although I know which is which Daddy won't when he comes to dress you. I was putting off moving you into 3-6m for as long as possible cause it's a bittersweet feeling. I'm going to have a sort through everything in the next few days. 

Health
Other than the occasional trapped wind and runny nappies you have been great. Recently the trapped wind and belly ache has reared it's ugly head again. You get such bad trapped wind that you end up hysterical but nothing a bit of gripe water, cooled boiled water and a tummy rub doesn't fix. You have been great after all your injections too really. You have been very clingy after them but we have always given you calpol just incase.

Feeding

You still absolutely love your milk! When you are feeding people always comment on how much you are enjoying it and that they have never seen a baby guzzle like it! We did switch onto hungry baby milk and it agreed with you but after a few weeks of consideration we switched back to regular Cow and Gate so we have hungry baby milk to move onto further down the line if you need it. Otherwise we would of had to move onto solids early if milk wasn't satisfying you anymore. You now drink 5oz every 3 hours during the day and have 6oz at bedtime which usually sets you through the night.

Sleep

Your sleep has so improved this month! You still won't settle until late though, sometimes 11pm, sometimes midnight. You now take frequent naps throughout the day which is brilliant because it makes you a much more content baby. You do have the occasional days where you think napping is a waste of time. We have also cracked the moses basket situation and you are more than happy enough to sleep in it through the night. You usually sleep for inbetween 12-14 hours a night. Most of the time without a bottle and most of the time I have to pull you in bed with me in the morning as you do enjoy a cuddle. As you are settling so late on you do sleep until around 11am so we are trying out best to get our times better. It's a work in progress. You are getting better and better though. I think we will be moving you into your cot in the next week or two. 

Milestones

- You are getting there with your head control now. You can be wobbly when you can't be bothered but other than that you are great. 

- You are almost there with laughing. There have been times we have thought was that a laugh!? I think in the next couple of weeks we will have a giggler on our hands. 

- Sleeping through. You now sleep through! Although you don't settle till late on you can go 12 hours without waking for a feed. My little man loves his sleep. 

- Playing with toys. When on your play gym you now reach for the toys. You can grab, pull, twirl, hit at the dangling toys. If you place a toy on your lab you will try to grab it and bring it up to your mouth. It's still hit and miss but more often than not you can get a hold of it. 

- Hands. You have really discovered your hands this month. You are forever chewing on them or have a few fingers in your gob. Which makes you a very dribbly baby. 

- You can grab your dummy and pull it out of your mouth now and you think you are so clever when you do! 

- You have realised that shouting and being vocal gets our attention. If you are led down on your changing mat or play gym and we nip into the kitchen to grab a cup of coffee or put a wash on you will shout for us. Literally shout. 

Things you like

- Your dummy. We try to have you without it during the day but whenever you get sleepy or upset you want it. When we put it in your mouth you make an mmm om nom noise like it's the best thing ever. Uh oh. 

- TV. You are even more of a tele addict this month. In the mornings we will sit down together and watch This Morning while I feed you your bottle and I sip on a coffee. Our little morning routine. You often get bored with your play gym and end up watching the TV instead. 

- Going out. You love being out and about getting fresh air. I find if we have a day in the house you tend to be a lot crankier and hard work. Even a quick brisk walk around our area does wonders for you. I hope the weather picks up in the following few weeks so then we can have more walks. 

- Pram. You like laying in your pram and being pushed up and down in the house. Which sometimes works for getting you to nap (which is often difficult.) 

- Logan the Lion. We bought another toy from Lamaze this month and I chose Logan the Lion for you which was a great move by Mummy because Daddy wanted to get you the Robot. You are obsessed with him and love chewing on the purple star that is dangling from his paws. Lamaze is fantastic.

- Snuggling in my arms. I am so happy that you still love being snuggled up. Your favourite place is in my arms with your head snuggled into my chest. I am loving every second while you still like it. 

- Blankets - You love blankets whether they are knitted, fleecey, woolly, muslin. You not only like to snuggle up in one when napping but you like to play with them too. 

- Changing mat. You are so content just laying on it kicking about or watching what Mummy and Daddy are doing.

- Nappy changes. So strange but you love having your nappy changed and often smile and babble all the way through it. 

- Nappy free time. You love having no nappy on and usually wee all over the place which you find highly amusing but we like to give you some time to kick about with no nappy on. 

- Your projector mobile. Your Nanny bought you this for Christmas and you love to lay in your cot watching the mobile spin around. It's not good for nap time though as you usually become so focused on the movement that it ends up waking you up. 

- Being carried. You sometimes get cranky when we are sat down with you and prefer for us to walk you around the house. Which can be difficult because at the moment we are living in a tiny bungalow and with all your bits around it is like an obstacle course. 

Things you don't like

- Tummy time. We try every day but every day you cry and want to be put back on your back.

- Naps. We do occasionally struggle to get you to take naps during the day. You do sleep well through the night so we can't really complain but because you don't like to nap you can become crabby throughout the day. We have to try really hard to get you to nap and then when you do fall asleep you only cat nap for a maximum of 30 minutes. 

- Early mornings. If I try to wake you up as it's getting late you usually whine. You are like a teenager in a babies body! 

- Getting dressed. You still really hate being dressed and normally protest. 

I don't know where the time is going. Before I know it you will be a year old, it's so frightening! We love you so much Noah Nicholas.