It seems like a lot has changed (again?!) for Leila this month. Our daily (and evening) routine is very different from what it used to be and she is growing into a little person now.
Sleeping
Last month sleeping was not so great, as Leila was up loads in the night and would only go back to sleep if she was fed. After a few really tough nights (and a constant strong will on our part) we are now at the point where Leila will fall asleep herself if we put her into her bed when she is tired. This is pretty huge for us! She still needs to wake in the night to eat, but this is normally once some time between 1 - 3am and then she wakes in the morning around 5 - 6am. Although a lie in would be nice (!) it's lovely to get Leila up and for her to spend some time with Scotty before school.
This change in falling asleep has also meant that we are now able to put Leila down in her cot for naps. This is beyond huge for us, as before this I was taking three walks a day for Leila to sleep in the sling (each walk being at least an hour for her to have a half-hour nap). Her nap time is between 35-45 minutes three times a day (sometimes sneaking an extra fourth one in in the buggy at the end of the day if she has napped early!). There have been a few times that she has managed a 90 minute nap which has been amazing for getting things done around the house!
Leila can sleep in the sling or the buggy if she is tired - like on the way home from Baby Group - but to stay asleep she needs to keep moving so we use these options if we are on the go.
Tabibi
We had another poop incident that worried us this month which has led to quite a few changes. We found blood in Leila's poop and so took samples to the lab and the doc. After lots of too-ing and fro-ing with the lab (her mucous levels were off the scale according to one sample, but then were normal according to the next one) and the doc, he diagnosed a likely milk intolerance for Leila. It might seem odd that an intolerance is being diagnosed five months in (!), but the doc had suggested it as a possibility some time ago. At the time I did cut back on the amount of dairy I was having and switched to soy milk, but now I have gone entirely dairy-free in my diet (and after an omelet one evening, I am now need to limit eggs to once a week too). We think this has made a change in her poop and it seems to have made a change in her too as she is generally happy (although this could just be a coincidence). She is still 'sicky' sometimes after a feed, but we are trying to pin this down using a food diary for me and a poop/sicky diary for her!
Feeding
Leila is getting better at feeding 'properly' and waiting between feeds rather than 'snacking'. She still struggles to feed at Baby Group or if there are any other distractions like me talking.
Feeding for me though has become more of a challenge! There have been two big challenges with going dairy-free. The first being that a lot of my standard snacks/lunches involved dairy, and the second being that we have to cook everything from scratch rather than ordering in! It's been good for the amount of fruit and veg that I am eating, but cooking has been a bit of a challenge because my free time during the day has been taking up with marking this month. Thank goodness we didn't have anyone bring us out easter eggs - that might have driven me over the edge!
All of the other babies her age at Baby Group have started solids this month, but we haven't done yet. This is partially because we have been waiting for her to sit up on her own as we would like to do Baby Led Weaning, and partially because the doc has been monitoring her progress each week on my new diet. We're the only ones at Baby Group who aren't doing purees, but we're happy to give this BLW idea a go as it seems fun and friends have said that it leads to less-fussy eaters.
Playing
Leila has really changed in her playing this month, with the major thing being that last week she began to sit up by herself. It's really great to be able to sit with her for 'play time' and it feels so much more interactive compared to her lying down. Although we use the playmat with arches still for lying on her back, she spends half her time on it sitting up and playing with the toys dangling at eye-height.
Now that Leila can sit up she wants to do it all the time (!) and so when she is on her back she is always pulling her head forward and holding her arms out for you to help her up. When she is in her bouncer this translates to pulling herself forward using the toys for leverage. Although we still use it sometimes she really is too big for it now and so we decided to get the next stage toy for her... a walker/activity-station! It is a rather dear import from Mothercare, but we know that it will be good and will last a fair while and we have got all other 'big' items second handout here, so spending a bit more isn't a problem. She seems to enjoy it but hasn't quite figured out all the toys on it yet.
Leila really loves it when Scott plays the guitar and so every evening they have 'music time'. This includes Bohemian Rhapsody - a favourite from when she was just weeks old - some Tom Paxon songs that Scott remembers having a tape of when he was little and one of our own creations: the Captain Calamari song.
We are buying lots more books now and are gradually developing a little collection. Leila mainly likes to eat the books and so we have been buying thick card books for her that will survive a little chewing. She has recently learnt to turn the pages in a book and is fascinated by the fact that it is different on both sides of the page - this means we don't actually read the book, but end up turning the same page back and forth for about five minutes!
Leila has started to hug us now when we hold her and it's great to have her wrap her arms around our necks. When Scotty comes home from work if I am holding her then she will look at him and smile and then will turn away and put her head into my shoulder in a coy way, before turning back to see him with an even bigger grin!
Leila's eyes are still blue and everyone always comments on how beautiful and big they are. She just loves to stare silently and watch everything that is going on around her. Although she can babble, Leila is often quiet. Sometimes though, when she is in the right mood, she will become really high pitched and will shriek with joy! Leila's hair has started to grow too and she has some (relatively) long whispy bits on her crown. It's coming through blonde and as it grows she is gradually loosing her worn 'bald' patches. The strawberry birth mark on her chest is starting to break up and is less raised now. It will still bhere for a good few years we expect, but it's amazing that it has started to go down already.
Sleeping
Last month sleeping was not so great, as Leila was up loads in the night and would only go back to sleep if she was fed. After a few really tough nights (and a constant strong will on our part) we are now at the point where Leila will fall asleep herself if we put her into her bed when she is tired. This is pretty huge for us! She still needs to wake in the night to eat, but this is normally once some time between 1 - 3am and then she wakes in the morning around 5 - 6am. Although a lie in would be nice (!) it's lovely to get Leila up and for her to spend some time with Scotty before school.
This change in falling asleep has also meant that we are now able to put Leila down in her cot for naps. This is beyond huge for us, as before this I was taking three walks a day for Leila to sleep in the sling (each walk being at least an hour for her to have a half-hour nap). Her nap time is between 35-45 minutes three times a day (sometimes sneaking an extra fourth one in in the buggy at the end of the day if she has napped early!). There have been a few times that she has managed a 90 minute nap which has been amazing for getting things done around the house!
Leila can sleep in the sling or the buggy if she is tired - like on the way home from Baby Group - but to stay asleep she needs to keep moving so we use these options if we are on the go.
Tabibi
We had another poop incident that worried us this month which has led to quite a few changes. We found blood in Leila's poop and so took samples to the lab and the doc. After lots of too-ing and fro-ing with the lab (her mucous levels were off the scale according to one sample, but then were normal according to the next one) and the doc, he diagnosed a likely milk intolerance for Leila. It might seem odd that an intolerance is being diagnosed five months in (!), but the doc had suggested it as a possibility some time ago. At the time I did cut back on the amount of dairy I was having and switched to soy milk, but now I have gone entirely dairy-free in my diet (and after an omelet one evening, I am now need to limit eggs to once a week too). We think this has made a change in her poop and it seems to have made a change in her too as she is generally happy (although this could just be a coincidence). She is still 'sicky' sometimes after a feed, but we are trying to pin this down using a food diary for me and a poop/sicky diary for her!
Feeding
Leila is getting better at feeding 'properly' and waiting between feeds rather than 'snacking'. She still struggles to feed at Baby Group or if there are any other distractions like me talking.
Feeding for me though has become more of a challenge! There have been two big challenges with going dairy-free. The first being that a lot of my standard snacks/lunches involved dairy, and the second being that we have to cook everything from scratch rather than ordering in! It's been good for the amount of fruit and veg that I am eating, but cooking has been a bit of a challenge because my free time during the day has been taking up with marking this month. Thank goodness we didn't have anyone bring us out easter eggs - that might have driven me over the edge!
All of the other babies her age at Baby Group have started solids this month, but we haven't done yet. This is partially because we have been waiting for her to sit up on her own as we would like to do Baby Led Weaning, and partially because the doc has been monitoring her progress each week on my new diet. We're the only ones at Baby Group who aren't doing purees, but we're happy to give this BLW idea a go as it seems fun and friends have said that it leads to less-fussy eaters.
Playing
Leila has really changed in her playing this month, with the major thing being that last week she began to sit up by herself. It's really great to be able to sit with her for 'play time' and it feels so much more interactive compared to her lying down. Although we use the playmat with arches still for lying on her back, she spends half her time on it sitting up and playing with the toys dangling at eye-height.
Now that Leila can sit up she wants to do it all the time (!) and so when she is on her back she is always pulling her head forward and holding her arms out for you to help her up. When she is in her bouncer this translates to pulling herself forward using the toys for leverage. Although we still use it sometimes she really is too big for it now and so we decided to get the next stage toy for her... a walker/activity-station! It is a rather dear import from Mothercare, but we know that it will be good and will last a fair while and we have got all other 'big' items second handout here, so spending a bit more isn't a problem. She seems to enjoy it but hasn't quite figured out all the toys on it yet.
Leila really loves it when Scott plays the guitar and so every evening they have 'music time'. This includes Bohemian Rhapsody - a favourite from when she was just weeks old - some Tom Paxon songs that Scott remembers having a tape of when he was little and one of our own creations: the Captain Calamari song.
We are buying lots more books now and are gradually developing a little collection. Leila mainly likes to eat the books and so we have been buying thick card books for her that will survive a little chewing. She has recently learnt to turn the pages in a book and is fascinated by the fact that it is different on both sides of the page - this means we don't actually read the book, but end up turning the same page back and forth for about five minutes!
Leila has started to hug us now when we hold her and it's great to have her wrap her arms around our necks. When Scotty comes home from work if I am holding her then she will look at him and smile and then will turn away and put her head into my shoulder in a coy way, before turning back to see him with an even bigger grin!
Leila's eyes are still blue and everyone always comments on how beautiful and big they are. She just loves to stare silently and watch everything that is going on around her. Although she can babble, Leila is often quiet. Sometimes though, when she is in the right mood, she will become really high pitched and will shriek with joy! Leila's hair has started to grow too and she has some (relatively) long whispy bits on her crown. It's coming through blonde and as it grows she is gradually loosing her worn 'bald' patches. The strawberry birth mark on her chest is starting to break up and is less raised now. It will still bhere for a good few years we expect, but it's amazing that it has started to go down already.
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