Week 13 - jewellery, jabs and Jon
I haven't really been wearing any jewellery other than earrings since Pads came along, as my usual necklaces are very fine with small pendants on them, so I have been worried about him choking on them or/and pulling them off and breaking them, so have only worn them a handful of times. This makes me sad as I love a good necklace.
However, I just discovered two (pretty similar in style and price to be honest) ranges of breastfeeding and teething jewellery that are actually not only safe and sturdy enough for him to grab, yank and chew on, but that also look really cool and colourful for me to wear, so I treated myself to 1 piece from an Aussie company called Fox and Finn, and another from an American company called Mama and Little.
They are both made from large BPA free, food grade, silicon beads on thick silk rope that is safety knotted between each bead, so they shouldn't come loose or break off, but if they do it will only be one bead and not the whole lot at once, and you can even wash them in the dishwasher to keep them sanitised and put them in the fridge for when Pads starts properly teething and needs something cool to chew on. How cool is that! It's a gift for both of us!
You wouldn't even know they were a practical baby friendly item either as the designs are really lovely and chunky, and so far Pads seems to approve, as his roaming fingers now have something safe and fun to grab during a feed or when we are having hugs. And I am getting less chest scratches as a result - boom! I went for a coral and grey large round and geometric beaded double necklace from Fox and Finn (see pic above) and a long mint green, cream and grey number with different sized and shaped beads from Mama and Little. This is mum fashion I totally approve of, and I have already ordered more as gifts for my mum-to-be mates, as I would've loved to receive a useful and gorgeous gift like this for mum, as well as something for the baby.
2. Stop sticking pins in my son!
Pads had his 2nd round of jabs on Wednesday and he was not happy about them bless him. He had the 2nd rotavirus oral solution first and had such an unimpressed expression on his face as the lady administered it to him via a mouth dropper. He kept looking at me as if to say 'this is not milk! Why are you giving me this?!', but after a few dribbles over both of us he gave me a big smile though so that was ok. I managed to get the sticky stuff all over my hands however, in an attempt to wipe it from his chin and stop it running all over his clothes, which was apparently a no-no and I got a ticking off from the health visitor and told to wash my hands immediately or I'd be on the loo all week. Oops. Am so used to getting my hands stuck in to wipe up anything these days - dribble, vom, poop etc.. - I didn't think that I was handling a live vaccine. * Top tip for babies first jabs that I wish I had done: put a bib on your baby before they get their jabs, then you can take it off when its covered in the sticky vaccine and wash it separately so as not to spread the vaccine around.
Then came the big 5 jab and the meningitis c jab, he cried real tears for both and let out big cries of shock and pain and his little face went the colour of beetroot love him. Not nice for a little baby to go through but that's it for another month now and better to be protected than not.
Then followed a day of lots of feeds, sleeping on me and extra cwtches. He kept waking up and whimpering for a few seconds, before going back to sleep after I stroked his head and told him everything was OK, possibly because of an upset tummy with all those nasty vaccinations swirling around him and maybe also because his legs were sore from the jabs, and he was a bit fussier/sloppier when feeding too with so much going on in his system, and kept falling asleep easily at the boob.
I just hugged him all day and wanted to make everything as calm, safe and full of love for him as possible. I definitely felt very 'mama bear' protector towards my little bear cub.
3. Jon is back for good- farewell London you have served us well.
So that's it. Jon has finished working in London in the weeks and our little family is finally all back together! Hooray!
He starts his new job in Bristol in a week which will be a bit of a commute still but at least he will be home every evening and with us throughout the nights for moral (albeit snoring and asleep) support!
It feels very final that our London lives are now over. We had a blast living there for about a decade and there are things I do definitely miss about the great city (eating out and being all over the latest restaurant openings mainly, as well as the flower markets and the London skyline at night and early in the morning, and our fab friends who still live there of course) but there are a lot of things I do not miss as well (the tube, too many people rushing around, the cost of everything, the dirty pigeons and how it always takes an hour to get anywhere!).
London you were brilliant and we will be back often to visit you and our lovely London based friends, but now we officially begin our new Welsh chapter together with earnest.
4. Head-holding 'hench'man.
We did some tummy time at our Daisy Foundation Tinies class this week and Pads aced his head holding skills. He pushed his head and neck up to look around at all the other babies in a sort of mini push-up style, with no problem at all and made me feel very proud, as the other babies were all struggling a bit to raise their heads for more than a second or two at a time. I think the biological feeding position has definitely helped him have to learn to support his own head weight and he has always been very strong in his neck. (I am pretty sure he was also showing off a bit as he was next to a lovely lady baby who he kept staring at in class, so he was probably just showing her how hench he is! ;)
5. Where did all that lovely sleep go!?!!
We had been enjoying a sort of routine that Pads had slipped into when it came to night time sleep: falling asleep between 8-10pm for a 5-7 hour block then up for a feed around 2-4am, depending on when he had fallen asleep in the first place, and then sometimes, but not always, up again around 5am for another feed. He was sleeping pretty well at night I thought and I was getting used to this as our system and found it very manageable as long as I went to sleep when he did as much as possible. Then suddenly this week it's all gone to pot and he's thrown away his lovely sleep pattern!
It started with him falling asleep at 5.45pm one day, before I'd had my tea or gone to pick his dad up from working on the cottage so I couldn't go to sleep with him, this then meant he was awake and alert at midnight, so I fed him and he went off for another 50 minutes sleep and then kept waking up and needing a feed or settling back to sleep, for every 50 minutes after that until morning. He wasn't self soothing back to sleep as he has been and feeds weren't making him sleep for long blocks as they usually do.
Needless to say with this lack of sleep throughout the night, the next day he was super grizzly (as was I, as I am now out of practice for this stop start sleep pattern!), and he was sick a lot after his day feeds during his winding sessions which is not like him, so I do wonder if he was a bit under the weather perhaps or teething, causing the interrupted sleep pattern? (This was all before his jabs so not related to them).
The next night he went to sleep around 8pm so I thought we might be back to our former glory, but then he kept waking again for a total of 4 feeds throughout the night and at 4am he was awake gurgling, playfully shrieking, staring at the ceiling in wonder and stretching, and generally not looking like someone who was going to go back to sleep anytime soon. And he didn't. (Though he kept yawning which was annoying!). I've heard about the 4 month sleep regression but surely not the 3 and a bit month regression?! Keeping me on my toes again Padster.
After his jabs, he was even worse, not sleeping for longer than 2-3 hour blocks at night and then having really long and fussy feeds and needing a LOT more winding afterwards (he is a right little trumpet at the moment too!), and then just being awake and a bit grizzly in the wee small hours. I am getting to see that 2am -5.30am window far too frequently again, like in the very early days. I miss our sleep - come back!
After his jabs, he was even worse, not sleeping for longer than 2-3 hour blocks at night and then having really long and fussy feeds and needing a LOT more winding afterwards (he is a right little trumpet at the moment too!), and then just being awake and a bit grizzly in the wee small hours. I am getting to see that 2am -5.30am window far too frequently again, like in the very early days. I miss our sleep - come back!
6. TMI but...Kid and play, remember them?
You know, the name I gave my little back door buddies as inspired my the lovely Lindsey?!!? (Sorry for those with a delicate disposition but these things need to be talked about!) Well they started to ease up and I thought they were on their way to being gone, then bam! This week the piles are back with a vengeance. This is cruel. It could be down to me having too much fibre, white bread, berries and potatoes in my diet apparently, as this is what I had upped my intake of to help with the situation initially, but now I suspect they may be prolonging the problem. Also it could be due to me still not drinking enough fluids in the day, I am trying to honestly!, and not getting enough exercise. So now I am going to get physical starting with more buggy workouts on our walks and some baby-wearing yoga at home. Let's hope these changes will help, as this cannot go on!
7. The double live poop show!
I thought last week's live poo incident was funny enough (and a one off!), well this week he upped his game. After generously filling his nappy with poop, I started cleaning him up as usual, only for him to do another live poo onto my waiting water wipe and a couple of cotton pads I had managed to grab as soon as I saw what was happening. I had it all under control and felt very smug to have contained it all without it going everywhere. I turned to pop the soiled bits and pieces in the bin and turned back to find him doing another live poo onto the changing mat (perhaps it's the fresh air and freedom of having his bits out that make him so relaxed?!!) that was beginning to spread out towards his clothes and the towel underneath his torso! I grabbed more cotton pads and tried my best to get what I could on them but this was a big load and it spilled off onto the t-shirt he was wearing and onto the towel. Dammit! Once again Pads had a cheeky look of relief and amusement on his face, as if he had done this on purpose to test my skills of speed and dexterity. We did have to have an outfit change, but all in all, I think I handled a sticky situation very well. I am pleased that this week's, and last week's, poop shows have happened at home so far though, please don't do this at a baby class Pads!
2 days after his jabs we had the most explosive, and impressive, poo-nami incident yet. It was around 5am and we had just had our early morning feed and I was stood up winding him in the dark, when he did a loud fart that smelt pretty pongy. I didn't feel any wet come through but thought I'd check his nappy just in case as the smell was something else. Lucky I did, as I discovered poo all the way up his back as far as his neck of all places - how it can travel that far I do not know! It was all over him and his sleepy suit, and very little actually in the nappy itself! Typical. I did however marvel at the lovely yellow shade of the poo though! I did make me think it may be time to go up a nappy size finally as I don't think the size 1's are containing his loads anymore, though they still fit his waist and thighs!
2 days after his jabs we had the most explosive, and impressive, poo-nami incident yet. It was around 5am and we had just had our early morning feed and I was stood up winding him in the dark, when he did a loud fart that smelt pretty pongy. I didn't feel any wet come through but thought I'd check his nappy just in case as the smell was something else. Lucky I did, as I discovered poo all the way up his back as far as his neck of all places - how it can travel that far I do not know! It was all over him and his sleepy suit, and very little actually in the nappy itself! Typical. I did however marvel at the lovely yellow shade of the poo though! I did make me think it may be time to go up a nappy size finally as I don't think the size 1's are containing his loads anymore, though they still fit his waist and thighs!
8. Our Welsh castles challenge.
It came to my attention in the first few weeks of having Paddington that he had experienced a fair few outings at the glorious castles and historical buildings South Wales has to offer within his first fortnight, as I found them pleasant places to take him for some fresh air that weren't too crowded if I needed to breastfeed/he started crying etc (interestingly, he has never cried at a Welsh castle - yet!), so I have decided to set us a random challenge to take him to as many castles in and around our area (so Monmouthshire, Powys and Glamorgan), and the odd other historical building of interest!, as possible before he is 6 months old. For no real reason other than they are lovely places to visit and I may as well make the most of my mat leave and get further out and about.
This was inspired by a visit this week to Caldicot castle, a place I spent a lot of time in my youth visiting my Nan (not at the castle, she wasn't a Princess or anything - well, she was to me!), where we had a lovely walk and a couple of feeds in the car overlooking the turrets.
So far he has been to White Castle, Raglan Castle, Abergavenny Castle, Skenfrith Castle, Caldicot Castle and Llantony Priory. So we need to fit in Cardiff Castle, Usk Castle, Monmouth Castle, Brecon Castle, Tretower Castle, Crickhowell Castle, Caerphilly Castle and Tintern Abbey I reckon to complete our random set! (Have I missed any?!)
Maternity leave is a wonderful thing and feeling like a happy tourist in your own backyard is great fun. I look forward to showing Pads the pics of his early explorations when he is older.
It came to my attention in the first few weeks of having Paddington that he had experienced a fair few outings at the glorious castles and historical buildings South Wales has to offer within his first fortnight, as I found them pleasant places to take him for some fresh air that weren't too crowded if I needed to breastfeed/he started crying etc (interestingly, he has never cried at a Welsh castle - yet!), so I have decided to set us a random challenge to take him to as many castles in and around our area (so Monmouthshire, Powys and Glamorgan), and the odd other historical building of interest!, as possible before he is 6 months old. For no real reason other than they are lovely places to visit and I may as well make the most of my mat leave and get further out and about.
This was inspired by a visit this week to Caldicot castle, a place I spent a lot of time in my youth visiting my Nan (not at the castle, she wasn't a Princess or anything - well, she was to me!), where we had a lovely walk and a couple of feeds in the car overlooking the turrets.
So far he has been to White Castle, Raglan Castle, Abergavenny Castle, Skenfrith Castle, Caldicot Castle and Llantony Priory. So we need to fit in Cardiff Castle, Usk Castle, Monmouth Castle, Brecon Castle, Tretower Castle, Crickhowell Castle, Caerphilly Castle and Tintern Abbey I reckon to complete our random set! (Have I missed any?!)
Maternity leave is a wonderful thing and feeling like a happy tourist in your own backyard is great fun. I look forward to showing Pads the pics of his early explorations when he is older.
9. Social baby.
We accompanied Grandma T to the local village hall coffee morning and Pads became the star of the show. As soon as we entered, we had a gaggle of ladies, of a certain age, queuing up to coo and aah over my little boy, and before I knew it, he was being passed around a circle of grandmothers and was giving them all gorgeous wide smiles and little gurgles. He knows how to work a crowd, and he is very good with the ladies already!
It was a full-on experience to meet so many new people at once, even for me!, and to have so many new faces staring into his, but he handled it brilliantly and was such a happy, sociable baby.
After a good half an hour of being cuddled and cooed at by strangers however, he did let me know he had had enough and went to grizzly town, but only for a couple of minutes before zonking out into a deep, peaceful sleep in my arms for almost 2 hours bless him! Exhausting stuff working a room! I didn't have a carrier or buggy with me as had only planned to pop in with him so say hi, so we ended up going for a fresh, country walk with him all bundled up in his cute new fleecey duffle coat with me carrying him in my arms as I didn't want to wake him. He is heavier than he looks over a long period so I definitely felt the workout in my arms and back the next day - note to self, always take something to carry your baby in if you pop out as carrying him for hours in your arms is hard work!
10. Mouthing off.
Pads and I have a new fun game that probably makes me look like I have finally lost it when we do it out in public, but who cares?! He loves to watch my mouth and attempt to imitate, or to just delight in, the funny expressions I'm pulling. He loves a raspberry blown at him (a classic), or when I make fish faces and noises at him, another fav to watch is my vibrating lips, or just general gurning (I am an excellent gurner, even if I do say so myself and wondered when this skill would come in to its own), and his ultimate fav, watching me eat and chew exaggeratedly. It feels great to make him gurgle and smile with glee with such a simple thing as moving my mouth in different ways, and he just loves it. It pays to have a funny face after all!
***
Unlucky for some, week 13 has been a good one generally, though I will be very pleased when he has his last jabs for a while in a month's time (after that he doesn't have to have any more until he is a year old, woohoo!), as they really put him out of sorts and mess with our little routine.
Pads is a real character now; chatty, lively, happy and so much fun to be around, and its so lovely to see him interact happily with other people, am hoping he keeps that up as its a great skill to have. Paddington, you, my son, are awesome. Keep up the good work!
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