Week 18
Paddington is now actually 4 months! Woohoo! And he seems to have had a bit of a growth spurt this week to celebrate. He has delicious chunky thighs with those yummy rolls at the top, a nice plump belly, some serious baby guns and such a lot of gorgeous blonde hair coming through now. He has also stretched again and seems to be all legs at the moment! He feels like a sturdy little unit too, no longer a little skinny, fragile baby, but a proper robust little baby boy.
Here's what week 18 looked like.
1. I'm watching you.
His new fascination is watching me eat or drink. I often have a snack, glass of water or my lunch/dinner when we are having a breastfeed, and he has started noticing the food or glass I am bringing up to my mouth, which makes him stop what he's doing to have a proper look and smile at me. He sometimes starts to chat a bit then too and watch me chew or swallow with a look of wonder before going back to his feed. He has tried to grab a slice of pizza from my hands when he has been sat in my lap too so he is definitely becoming more aware and interested in food which is great. We are a couple of months off weaning yet but I want him to have a healthy interest in food and associate it with happiness and calmness so I think we are off to a good start.
2. Passing comments - at last, some good ones!
A lady at our baby sensory class made my day when she commented that Pads is the spitting image of me. She said we had the same piercing blue eyes and he clearly had my facial shape. I felt myself swell with pride at this, one heck of a compliment there as I think my son is the most beautiful thing ever created. Of course!
We also had another two fab comments from strangers this week - about time after all those busy body smart arse ones we are used to getting - so thanks to the lady with her son who stopped us on a miserable, windy day to congratulate us on our 'great hats, both of you!' - and she was spot on, we do have great hats (mine a bright pink bobble hat, Pads a hedgehog knitted hat with eyes and a nose).
Then at swimming, a lovely lady commended me on Padster's outfit and the 'lovely bright colours' he was sporting, then commented that he was 'so well behaved, alert and happy' and asked what my secret was!!! Ha! I wish I knew! Felt good to have someone tell us we were doing a great job though without specifically saying those words, but we certainly looked like we had it all under control which is something! (If only she knew!). Keep these lovely comments coming people.
3. No sleep = brainy baby. Or something.
I heard someone say that tricky sleepers are more intelligent babies, which is why they keep waking up as they are developing and learning so much and need to process and practice more often. Of course its probably complete b.s, but when I'm awake for the 4th time in the night with my little bear, it offers a little comfort that it's just because my boy is so clever. Clearly Pads is an absolute genius in the making.
In all seriousness though, I do think he has been making some big developmental leaps over the past couple of weeks, which would explain the increased night wakings. He has really been putting some time and effort into his rolling and has almost figured out how to go from his back all the way to his front (front to back he has been nailing for a while now). In tummy time, he loves to roll to the left usually, onto his back, and has also been trying to raise his bum and move his legs - uh oh, the precursor to the crawl I fear!
He is also practising trying to blow a raspberry back at me with great conviction. Early this week, for the first time, he started trying to mimic me every time I blew a raspberry at him. He can't do the tongue and blow combo yet, but he can make the sound with his lips as he blows out air, so he is very nearly there. See, clever boy. Surely Einstein was an early raspberry blower too?!!!
His chatter patter has stepped up a gear too and he has started playing with his vowel sounds more and making 'vvvvv' and 'ffff' noises which are new to him. He has also been experimenting with volume I reckon and loves a big old shout and screech, as well as a quiet babble to himself or his toys.
4. Little dunker.
We started our swimming course this week and he is beginning to enjoy it I think. He actually giggled and grinned at me when we were doing the swim section and started kicking his legs about which was so good to see. He didn't cry when he was dunked under the water this time either and gave me a gorgeous smile just before he went under. He started getting a bit cold in the last 5 minutes of the session again so needed more cuddles to share my body heat but all in all, I would say he had a good time and he is definitely picking up the idea of what to do in the water.
As for the changing room challenge, we bossed it this time as we were much better prepared. I would totally recommend taking a plastic covered foam change mat, as it was so easy to just pop him on as soon as we got there for me to change without him rolling off, then get him ready on it, and it squished down into the locker just fine, then when we came out of the pool, I popped him on the change mat again and removed all his wet kit and the drenched towel I'd bundled him in poolside, and quickly wrapped him in a new fresh dry towel to dry him faster and more efficiently. Then I could dress him speedily and leave him on the mat knowing he wouldn't roll onto the wet floor, while I sorted myself out. I also recommend taking a big bag for life carrier to shove all the wet stuff in to worry about later. Swimming and changing aced this week. Oh and we met a lovely lady with her little girl who used to live a few doors down from us on our old road in London - it's a small world isn't it?!
5. Touching my face.
This is Pads latest game. He likes to do it when we wake in the morning (or to wake me up!) and after a feed especially. He delights in reaching out to touch my mouth and my lips and loves it when I pretend nibble his fingers and make exaggerated wide mouthed facial expressions.
He has also started trying to pop his fingers up my nose which is less cute, and occasionally in my eye. I guess he is busy figuring out what faces are and what all the sticking-out-bits on them do. It's fun to be a part of his exploration and man I love the way he gazes up at me. It's quite something to wake up to - those gorgeous big baby blues attentively scouring my face, arms outstretched to begin some face play. I bloody love it. (A bonus of co-sleeping to wake up next to my Padster every morning).
6. Sleep...
Just when we thought it was already bad enough, we had 2 of the worst nights yet and in succession, which is always great. Paddington just didn't want to go to sleep in the first place, though he was clearly completely knackered. He kept dropping off, so I'd think 'fab, here we go', then somewhere between 4- 10 minutes later, he'd start crying out loud, but still with his eyes shut so I didn't know if he was really awake or not. The crying would last too long and be quite strong, like he was in pain or really upset by something to just be a mid-sleep cry, so I'd have to pick him up and start the settling process all over again and put him down to sleep, only for this to happen up to four times in a row, when I would then need to feed him again to get him to settle. And then he would only sleep for 1.5 hours maximum before waking and crying, and needing soothing/feeding/cuddling etc... and so on and so on, deep into the night and early morning.
I found myself rocking him and singing, rather half heartedly by this point, at who knows what hour, with my eyes literally dropping shut every time I tried to open them and I felt like I was going to fall asleep standing up even if he wasn't. This too must pass. Please. And soon!
This is a very trying time. I can handle a small amount of sleep, it's the constantly interrupted stop-start sleep that is really tough. We didn't know how good we had it back in those days when he slept
for an average of 4-6 hours straight! In one uninterrupted block. I miss those days.
Anything is possible with a block of sleep. (There was a timely sleep article in the news this week where researchers have 'discovered' that the worst kind of sleep you can get is the constantly interrupted kind, i.e being a parent sleep. It's better to have a short sleep like 3 or 4 hours straight a night and no more, than to keep being woken up after a short burst of sleep over the course of a night. I could've saved them the research money and told them that. Apparently you are more likely to get depressed, have weight issues, fall ill easier and get stressed with this stop-start sleep pattern. Brilliant.)
On another associated note, does anyone else find the evenings really tricky to time? I have been finding that me eating dinner keeps getting in the way, and I still have to go to bed when Paddington does (note I don't say go to sleep when he sleeps, as I am finding it increasingly difficult to fall asleep now as I know he will be awake again soon. In fact, I am probably getting the least amount of sleep I have ever had at the moment, and this has become the norm over the past couple of weeks) as a) I need to feed him in bed, as that's always been part of our bed routine and is a trigger to make him sleepy, and then I have to try to get him to actual sleep, and then be near to settle him back down when he inevitably keeps waking, so it's just easier if I go to bed at the same time, and b) his first chunk of sleep has always been his longest - until the last 2 nights! - so if I don't get that as well, then I can end up only getting a couple of hours of really interrupted sleep overall, so those first few asleep hours of his are crucial for my survival too!
We used to have a routine that was bathing him when Jon gets home from work, (notably, and another tricky factor in our evening routine, we have to pick Jon up from the station every night, so we have been waiting to do the bedtime routine until after we got back, to try not to disrupt Pads by putting him in the car after we'd put all the work in getting him relaxed), getting him in his sleepy suit, then popping him on for a feed downstairs while I fed too, then going up to try and get him to sleep with some reading and soothing, but he tends to just wake up and need more feeds and then not get to sleep until hours later now. Possibly because me having dinner after his bath was disturbing the time slot that he wanted to go to sleep in, so we tried us eating first while he fed but he was usually a bit cranky so I would end up gobbling my dinner and getting indigestion, then going up for a bath, massage and to bed, but this always seems to result in him getting to bed much later - especially if Jon's train runs late, which invariably it does - so he would be over-tired and therefore, yup, unable to sleep for ages and in need of more feeds (see a pattern here?!). It definitely seems that me having to eat dinner is the cause of none of these systems working! Dammit, why do I need to eat?!
So I tried switching it all earlier for a few days this week and letting Jon take the car to get himself to and from the station, so we don't have to factor that in our timings (it does leave us stranded on the lane on those days as there is no such thing as public transport this far out in the country!, but hey ho, nothing is ever easy is it?! and we can at least still get out for a walk). I ate first, on my tod, at around 5.30pm (which is so early for me that I'm not even that hungry - is this the secret to postnatal weight loss?!!), then bath and massage and in bed for an evening feed well before 7pm. And I'm now turning off the dim lamp we have been using at night and just popping on a low night light, so the room is much darker, to see if that helps send sleep signals to his brain.
The earlier routine seemed to work a bit better as its not too late to bed for the little man and he was less cranky and not overtired, but sadly, it means I can't eat with Jon and still doesn't guarantee that Pads will be asleep much earlier than the other routines, just that I may spend longer, with less crying from him admittedly, trying to get him to sleep! It is early days on the new early plan though so going to keep going with it for a while and hope for the best! It's so bloody tricky to get it right isn't it?! Sleep you are a slippery bastard.
7. Breastfeeding peer support training.
I am really enjoying this course and hope I can put it to good use in helping, or rather empowering other women on their breastfeeding journey, in the future. We discussed the main things to offer support to new mums being attachment (or latch), and positioning (how you hold the baby). For attachment, there is a useful acronym to help remember what to look out for: CHINS.
Close - keep the baby's body tight in against yours so you are both touching - body contact is really important in any breastfeeding position
Head - ensure the baby's head can move freely and you don't have your hand or arm on it restricting the movement, which is a very common habit to get into for comfort but could be affecting the latch
Inline - check the baby's head and body are inline, so not twisted. It is very tricky to eat properly with your head turned (try it!) so make sure the baby's head is straight for better access to the nipple
Nose to nipple - before the baby latches, line their nose up to your nipple as this will ensure that they tip their head back and latch on correctly - not too high or too low.
Sustainability - make sure you and the baby are comfortable as you may be feeding for a while so grab any cushions, supports, drinks, snacks etc... before you start.
Pads went to the crèche again almost for the full hour and a half, but 15 minutes before the end of the session, my gorgeous little boy was brought into the room by one of the nursery assistants as he had been crying and giving off hunger cues bless him, so I gave him a feed there and then to a chorus of coos and 'aahhs' from the other ladies as he was looking particularly cute.
The course leader asked if everyone could observe our feed and if she could use me as a demo to explain what to look out for which I agreed to, and luckily, we both played our parts beautifully. It just happened to be a textbook biological feed - Pads latch was spot on, his position was good and I had managed to sit nice and tall in the chair 'like a page 3 model' (as the lactation legend that is Carol Walton had taught me!). I am not sure we could do the position as well again if we tried, and it certainly doesn't always go this well, so it felt pretty good to be used as a good example of correct attachment and positioning for once. My, we have come a long way on our breastfeeding journey, which is exactly why I want to be there for other new mums so they can stick at it with confidence.
8. Rockabye baby.
We discovered the most amazing baby music: gorgeous instrumental lullaby covers of my absolute favourite band in the whole wide world - Pearl Jam, and they are brilliant. Honestly, I wasn't expecting much but I think they are lovely and it was so relaxing to be able to sing along and serenade my little boy with the songs I have loved for years. The best bit though, is Pads actually really seemed to enjoy them too and they did chill him out and helped him unwind before bath and bed. We have since realised there is a whole range of these Rockabye Baby CDs from Jay Z to Aerosmith, Eminem to Madonna, and even Queens of the Stone Age (but no Beastie Boys yet, come on, what is up with that?!), so we have treated ourselves to a couple more (Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Bruce Springsteen and Green Day since you asked), as these are now going to become part of our evening wind down routine - for both of us!
9. Work it baby work it.
I attempted to kickstart some sort of keep fit (or should that be get fit?!) routine by working out with Padster. We did lunges and squats with me holding Paddington and lifting him up, which he found pretty exciting, and then some side twists and little press ups, and a plank with him on the floor and me hovering over him, which again, he thought was great fun, but his favourite move was sitting on my tummy facing me while I lay on my back and did pelvic tilts and the bridge position. This got actual chuckles from the little man as I raised him up and down on my tum. It was actually really good fun for both of us and didn't feel like a chore for me, but I definitely felt like I had had a workout after, so am hoping I keep this up at least twice a week. Got to try and get rid of this mum tum somehow, but easier said than done right?!!
10. The Welsh castles challenge continued.
We explored Usk castle this week, and I can't believe that I have never been there before! It's a really cool, spooky, ruined castle in someone's (rather large) back garden basically. Well worth a gander if you are in the neighbourhood, with some stunning views over the whole town. I took Pads in the ergo baby front facing position, as this is how we roll these days, and he really loves facing out so he can see the world and chatters along quite merrily while I give him a running commentary of what he's seeing and what we're doing.
11. Up, up and away!
I must make a special shout out to my lovely friend, nct buddy and fellow new mum/blogger Carys' fab new venture into handmade baby leggings and bibs. (How you find the time to make such gorgeous and fun baby clothes whilst being a mum to Paddington's buddy, the awesome Jude, is an inspiration!) Pads loves his cool leggings and bib (see below for proof!) and looks super cute in them so thank you for making them for him. Go on over to the Up.children page on FB and have a nose people, some really funky designs on there. Just a shame you don't make them in adult sizes!!!
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