Baby Update - 30 weeks old

Age:  30 weeks

Weight: He won't be weighed again for a few weeks, he's being weighed on a monthly basis.

Health: I think we may have turned a corner.  I added dairy back into my diet and it didn't seem to have much of an impact on OJ so, as suggested by the Paediatrician, we tried him with a fromage frais on Sunday.  He absolutely loved it (that'll be all the sugar!!) and it was easily his favourite food so far.  He had a little bit of an eczema flare up and a couple of slightly watery nappies but he didn't seem uncomfortable in himself so we are going to continue to introduce small amounts and see how he goes.  He won't be having fromage frais often as they're so unhealthy BUT I will make him some yoghurts with natural yoghurt and fruit puree, which I'm sure he won't like anywhere near as much haha.  Yesterday he had some cheese on an omelette and really enjoyed that too!  He's had a couple of days where his reflux has been a bit of an issue, which may be cheese related, but he's not been particularly uncomfortable.  However, he has been rather grumpy with his teeth!

Feeding: He's getting on well with his weaning and has only turned his nose up at swede (he gagged as soon as it touched his tongue so clearly not a fan) and tomato salsa (ALS dipped a chip in it when we were at a restaurant the other day).  Out of all the foods we've tried that's an amazing result!  He tends not to touch his breakfast regardless of what we give him and doesn't usually want any milk until around 9:30-10 am either so I think he's just not particularly hungry in a morning.  He has a big milk feed around 5-6am then goes back to sleep for a couple of hours.  I'm going to stop offering breakfast, as he's eating well at lunch and dinner, then try again in a few weeks.  He's up and down with his breastfeeds and can go up to 4 hours sometimes, then other times wants to feed every hour.  However, usually if he wants a feed within an hour of a previous feed it's because he's tired and wants help drifting off to sleep (not that it works very often).  We did manage to confirm that he definitely won't take a bottle though, as he refused when we left him with the in-laws last weekend AND didn't eat any solids despite me packing a selection of his favourites.

Sleep: Last night I had 4 hours uninterrupted sleep for the first time since he was about 3 months old (we had a week of him sleeping 6+ hours at that age) and it was amazing.  He's been going from whatever time he goes down at night until around 2-3 am without a feed but up until last night I've had to settle him a few times in between, so this was a big win.  He didn't go down until about 9:15 pm after falling asleep 8 in my arms, waking up 10 minutes later and sitting bolt upright for no apparent reason.  He woke for a feed around 2:45, was back down by 3 and then woke again just after 5 when I lay him in bed with me, fed him lying down and he slept until 6.  He then woke up screaming with wind, fed again and slept until 8:30ish.  Normally he'll just have the 2 feeds (2-3 am and 5-6 am) but does often take a while to settle after his 5-6 feed, sometimes up to an hour as he's just wide awake.  It's usually around that time that ALS is getting up for work so I think maybe he gets disturbed by the noise, even though it's a whole floor away!  However, feeding him lying down and just leaving him free access to the boob seems to work and lets me get some sleep too. 

Routine: Watch this space!

Likes/dislikes:  He found 2 new loves yesterday - cheese (he's clearly our son) and "Wiggle Wine" which is a song from one of the contestants on Britain's Got Talent and he giggled his way through it and loved wiggling with us.  It's rather catchy but I'm sure when I look back on this in a few years I probably won't have a clue what I'm on about!  He's not a fan of having his hands and face wiped after food, like most kids, but he's quite happy having water chucked over him in the bath and even having his hair washed... I think we have swimming to thank for that one.  

Firsts:  First favourite song and first obvious favourite foods (yoghurt and cheese).  He also had his first Sunday roast at the weekend. 

Milestones:  He started blowing raspberries at the weekend, usually that comes before saying any words such as mama or dada BUT he doesn't like to do things as expected.  He's also understanding more of the sign language and will open his mouth when you do the sign for brushing his teeth or giving him his medicine.  

Things we did: ALS had a lovely long 4 day weekend with the bank holiday so on Friday we went out for lunch with my mum and grandparents then ALS' brother stayed over so they had some gaming time together.  On Saturday ALS and I went for a meal by ourselves and left OJ with the in-laws.  We went to Wetherspoons for dinner and then to a dessert restaurant and the puddings were out of this world (pictures below).  On Sunday we mostly just chilled out and did stuff around the house (I did a load of meal prep for OJ and cooked a roast) then Monday I went to the gym and we took OJ swimming.  It was a lovely, relaxed weekend even though we packed quite a bit into it.

Me: I'm struggling with separating from OJ.  I know he needs to get used to being without me but with his bottle refusal it's really hard.  As I mentioned he stayed with the in-laws for a few hours at the weekend and he was okay, I guess, but I wasn't happy with it.  He was asleep when we got there and they said they'd had a few tears but nothing too drastic.  However, he was all snotty and his eyes were red so he'd clearly cried pretty hard, probably crying himself to sleep.  I'm torn between thinking he missed me/comfort feeding knowing that they were doing everything they could to comfort him (they would never just leave him to cry) and thinking he'll get used to being away from me OR thinking that actually he was really hungry because he won't take a bottle and that makes me feel like a horrible mum.  Separation anxiety hasn't really kicked in for him yet and he doesn't get upset when I leave so it makes me feel like he probably really wanted milk, whether for food or comfort, and I feel a bit shitty having left him despite knowing that they take really good care of him.  It's something I definitely need to work on!  

In other news I'm turning into the housewife I always wanted to be... at least in the kitchen.  I've always loved the idea of being a stay at home mum and domestic goddess but I've never been great at cooking etc. partly because I'm a picky eater.  I'm broadening my horizons while weaning OJ which is good for both of us and a need to feed him healthy food means I'm cooking a lot more too which I'm really proud of.

Another week with not enough pictures!!

29 weeks 1 day - wrecking his playmat.

29 weeks 1 day - trying to feed him and he's busy looking at his uncle!

29 weeks 3 days - first roast dinner.

29 weeks 4 days - since teeth have started appearing he seems to prefer to stick his tongue out because they feel funny haha!

30 weeks - cheeky little grin.

30 weeks - loves holding onto my bra when he naps <3

Some of the deliciousness from our date night - Pedigree for ALS and alcohol-free Kopparberg for me, brownie explosion, double chocolate chip cookie dough, mango mocktail and a Nutella shot with wafers.  Beautiful!

Baby Update - 29 weeks old

Age:  29

Weight: He was weighed at the hospital last Friday but they didn't tell me what it was and didn't write it in his red book!  So I took him on Tuesday and he was 15 lb 11 oz (7.18 kg) and is tracking just above 9th centile as before.

Health: I felt incredibly patronised by the Paediatrician who basically suggested that there was nothing wrong and kept saying things like "if you feel" which implied he didn't agree.  Apparently going from 7 watery poos a day to 1 normal consistency poo when I cut out dairy isn't quantifiable data!!  Either way he wanted me to go back onto dairy and refused to increase his reflux medication, leaving him to grow out of it.  His reflux has been a lot better so I'm happy enough to do that but I'm expecting issues with the dairy.  I've only been back on it for a few days but OJ's skin is already flaring up and he's experiencing a lot of wind, to the point where he wakes up every 20 minutes.

Feeding: He's doing brilliantly with weaning and actually eating reasonable amounts now too.  In terms of milk feeds he still breastfeeds regularly, although often only for short periods of time and I think a lot of it is comfort and accessibility rather than hunger.  If I wasn't there I don't think he'd be bothered... which means we're going out on Saturday and leaving him with the in-laws to test this theory.  He still doesn't seem to be keen on a bottle (although he did have about 40 ml the other day randomly when ALS tried) but I've always been around.  Hopefully if he's actually hungry he'll take one, but I'll breastfeed before we leave him and will be back in around 4 hours.  He'll have his dinner whilst he's there so even if he doesn't have any milk it won't do him any harm - we will be nearby if he gets upset, as he often relies on milk to help settle him ready for a nap, but my mother-in-law is the only person other than me who seems to be able to get him to sleep (and does it in a way I can't) so I'm confident he'll be just fine.

Sleep: He's been waking up a lot with wind at night and ending up wide awake, he's also struggling to get to sleep.  He used to fall asleep on the boob but now he seems to pull away and want his dummy before settling off.  He really fights it most of the time though and he's teething (AGAIN) so it's been a hard week in terms of sleep.  He doesn't even seem comfortable sleeping in our bed anymore thanks to the wind - he'll be mostly asleep but fidgeting and kicking his legs, then he'll end up wind awake, start to drift off and do the same again!

Routine: I'm half tempted to delete this as I think it's pretty clear we have no routine and probably never will haha!

Likes/dislikes:  He loves his food!  He loves going for walks in the pushchair and people watching and he likes music and dancing around with me.  He likes playing games (like us stealing his dummy out of his mouth and hiding it then making it reappear) and he's always super excited when daddy gets home from work.  He still doesn't like sleep!  We had another epic screaming fit in the car which led to us walking laps around McDonald's until he fell asleep and we could take him home - but we think it's when he's overtired as the last few times it's happened have been when we've been on our way home after his bedtime.  Touch wood he's been okay since then!  He also loves "Charlie and the Numbers/Alphabet" which is what we put on when we need 5 minutes to do something... it's educational so I don't feel too guilty!

Firsts:  First BBQ at a friend's last weekend, a few more first foods and he FINALLY rolled back to front (just the once) including getting his arm out, as soon as he realised he rolled straight back onto his back but it's a start.  

Milestones:  We have another tooth cut and yet another one on the way!  He's started having his baths in the main bath now, which often gives me a heart attack as he likes lunging at things and is a little too comfortable with the water thanks to his swimming lessons.  He's also starting to be able to play independently for a little longer which helps me to get things done - and he's a lot better at getting from sitting to lying without getting stuck on his arm or falling on his face.  He definitely recognises some of the sign language too and gets especially excited when we do the sign for milk - he's been doing that for a month or more but I completely forgot to mention it, there's so much going on and he's developing every day!

Things we did: We had his hospital appointment on Friday.  On Saturday I competed in a charity deadlift competition, my dad and stepmum came to visit and then we went to a BBQ at a friend's house (followed by the McDonald's pitstop on the way home).  Honestly, I love those nights where ALS and I are teaming up to fix issues and co-parent like champions - it was a nice night and, to me, that's what parenting is all about!   

Me: I amazed myself by exceeding all expectations (especially mine) in the deadlift competition and it really boosted my confidence.  I'm finally willing to leave OJ again (in a couple of days) too.  Although I really don't want to, I know it will be good for him and get him ready for my return to work (EEK, don't want to think about that).  I'm really struggling with the thought of ALS' HD status at the moment, but I often go through phases like that, and finding sleep quite elusive on the rare occasions that OJ actually sleeps.  My weight seems to have plateaued again, probably due to increased dairy and OJ eating more solids so hopefully I won't lose any more.  Also, I did not take nearly enough photos this week - MUST TRY HARDER!

28 weeks 1 day - Paediatrician says I should try dairy again so I had a sneaky hot chocolate after OJ fell asleep while shopping.

28 weeks 2 days - when you're out at a competition and forget to take a bib... naked car picnic!

28 weeks 3 days - loves a good selfie.

28 weeks 4 days - look at these gorgeous milestones courtesy of Puddleducks, OJ loved his pyjama swimming lesson but mostly just wanted to eat the card.

28 weeks 5 days - one second he's laughing at me, the next second he's fast asleep... I did lie him down after I took the photo!

28 weeks 5 days - the proper way to eat a jacket potato.

29 weeks - peeking out from behind Freddie the Firefly in Co-Op - has anyone else noticed that EVERY pushchair has one of these on?

29 weeks - currently zonked out like this in his cosleeper crib... he looks like he's about to start levitating or something! (Bad mum alert for toys in the crib but I'm awake and watching him).  Also he's growing out of his crib :(

I won a prize giveaway on Instagram the other day and was sent these gorgeous Milk Mamas badges!

Baby Update - 28 weeks

Age:  28 weeks (and actually posted on time)!

Weight: He's due to be weighed again at his hospital appointment tomorrow but he seems to be growing by the day - I reckon he's around 16 lb now.

Health: He has really struggled with his reflux this week which I think is due to him putting weight on and growing out of his medicine so hopefully they'll increase the dose tomorrow when we see the Paediatrician.  Otherwise he's not having too many issues other than a lot of wind over night.  

Feeding: We're noticing that he likes orange food - his favourite vegetables are carrot, sweet potato and butternut squash, although he's rather fond of broccoli too.  I've started giving him proper meals this week instead of just little bits and bobs so he's had pasta with meatballs, fishcakes, chicken and potato wedges etc.  He seems to be a bit like a snake - he'll have a day where he eats loads of everything and then a day where he's not really bothered about food at all.  I'm amazed how well he's doing and every week he gets better and better at feeding himself, even his spoon skills are really coming on.

Sleep: With the weather being so hot he's been quite sleepy during the day which has somewhat impacted on his sleep at night, along with his wind being an issue.  Sleep is pretty average at the moment I'd say.

Routine: He had got himself into a good routine with naps but as mentioned above the heat has kind of messed him up a bit as he seems tireder than usual (although this could also be a growth spurt or his teeth).  We just let him lead the way most of the time.

Likes/dislikes:  He loves standing up and is happiest when he's on his feet, although he obviously has to be supported.  He really enjoys playing around with his food and especially seems to like throwing spoons at me!  He's gone back to screaming his head off in the car so we think it is definitely reflux related - either that or I jinxed it last week when I said he'd been much better.  It seems to come in waves and he'll be fine for a few minutes, then scream, then go back to smiling.

Firsts:  FIRST WORD - it was "mama" and I'm VERY excited about it.  Lots of first foods again and yesterday we had his first picnic at the park with my aunty, uncle and the children they childmind.  He had his first experience of eating in a restaurant too!

Milestones:  He said "mama", over and over again.  I'm very excited but daddy is a little peeved haha!  He's also started standing up when holding onto furniture.  He's not quite learned to pull himself up yet but I suspect that's mostly because we don't really have anything of an appropriate height for him to practice on and he's still not in a cot with bars.

Things we did: At the weekend we went for a meal for ALS' stepbrother's birthday which was lovely spending time with the family and being able to feed OJ off our plates too.  We've been for lots of nice walks and swimming of course.  Yesterday OJ and I met my aunty and uncle at the park with the children they look after and had a picnic.  

Me: I seem to be having a few anxiety issues this week and constantly worrying that I've upset people or that they've fallen out with me (not that I've voiced any of this to anyone).  I've got a deadlift competition on Saturday which I'm really regretting signing up for but I'm sure it'll be fine once I'm there.  ALS' cousin had a little boy this week and seeing the photos was an odd experience for me - for the first time it didn't make me broody but it made my heart ache with how much I missed my tiny baby.  I'm so proud of OJ and how well he's developing, but I miss his tiny squishy face and how happy he was to just snuggle all the time.  I'm definitely making my peace with just having the one baby for now though.  I was originally itching to get onto having a second within a year or two but now I'm happy to just enjoy OJ and put all my energy into him.  I think I'd feel guilty having to split my attention, plus it's really hard work and I don't know that I'd cope with another newborn until he's a bit older (maybe if I got one without reflux...).

27 weeks 1 day - loves a bit of broccoli!

27 weeks 2 days - bit of a telly addict.

27 weeks 2 days - refusing to sleep so watching anime with mummy and daddy whilst eating his sleeping bag.

27 weeks 3 days - making new friends whilst out for a meal (I stole this from our friend's Facebook).

27 weeks 3 days - look at him lying on his little pudgy arm!

27 weeks 4 days - raspberry carnage, they ended up EVERYWHERE!

27 weeks 4 days - lazy afternoon snuggles with mummy.

27 weeks 5 days - this is his "I've just woken up, leave me alone" face.

27 weeks 5 days - demolishing his pearsicle, this kid LOVES pear.

27 weeks 5 days - eating cauliflower and mesmerised by a tree blowing in the wind outside.

27 weeks 6 days - fell asleep just as we were about to head to the park.

27 weeks 6 days - standing up like a pro, closely watched by daddy.

27 weeks 6 days - boy after my own heart, straight for the Pringles tub... it was empty as I'd demolished them haha!

28 weeks - this is him right now, flat out next to me on the sofa.

Baby Update - 27 weeks old

Age:  27 weeks (but posted 3 days late because my clever husband hoovered through the wire for the internet!)

Weight: He's due to be weighed again at his hospital appointment a week tomorrow.

Health: His eczema has cleared up beautifully since I've been avoiding dairy and although he's not been weighed he definitely looks like he's growing really well as well!  We're still unsure whether wheat is actually a problem as he's had wheat-containing foods a couple of times with no reaction, although I'm not sure he actually swallowed any of them.  However, last night I gave him a pinwheel which he definitely had a few mouthfuls of and he was sick twice, once during and once after.  Then he spent the whole evening either nursing, sleeping or crying and was very clingy/cuddly, which is unusual for him - he never wants to cuddle and is always on the go.  He then had diarrhoea this morning!  Touch wood though he seems to be back to himself this afternoon, despite occasional bouts of grunting/discomfort, mostly when lying on his back.

Feeding: He's done really well with new flavours and hardly turned his nose up at anything, although he loses interest quite quickly unless it's a particular favourite.  He wolfed down a HIPP pea, carrot and cauliflower pouch the other day far quicker than any of my homemade foods, which was a little disheartening, but I'm still only using the pouches on the odd occasion where we're out or really pushed for time.  He's getting much more dexterous with his hands already and he's really starting to chew and swallow bits - he wolfed down a banana pancake today!  He's still nursing about as often but spending a lot less time feeding and most sessions are 5 minutes maximum.

Sleep: We've had a couple of nights where he's slept for around 5 hours after first going down at night (with just a couple of strokes/dummy replacements) and the fact that he's getting better at finding his own dummy really helps.  We've had a couple of nights where it's been harder to get him down but he was teething and once we soothed his gums he calmed down and slept.  His naps are hit and miss, some days he'll have 3 short ones and other days he'll have 2 short ones and a long one.  If he's up really early he might have 4 naps but they're usually all short.  On the whole his sleep has been better this week than the last couple so hopefully it continues to improve.  He's growing out of his co-sleeper crib and we don't really have room for his cot in our room but I don't want to put him in his own room until he's reliably feeding only once between me going to bed and ALS getting up.  I don't mind bringing him into our bed at around 6 am when ALS gets up but I'd rather not before that and I don't want to be traipsing around the house all night!  It'll be hard work because I think I often soothe him back to sleep in his crib without realising it so even when I think he's sleeping for longer chunks he may not be but I won't really know until we move him.

Routine: Between his stomach symptoms and teething our routine has gone a bit out of the window but we're getting into a better routine with food.  I generally give him some milk around 6 or 7 am and he snoozes for a bit longer then when he wakes up I give him his breakfast.  He has lunch around 11:30-12 and dinner around 4-4:30 so he has plenty of time to digest his food before bedtime.

Likes/dislikes:  He likes playing with noisy toys at the moment and loves shakers/rattles.  He seems to rather enjoy his teething gel too!  He also seems to have got over his previous dislike of the car and it's been a while since we've had a meltdown (touch wood).

Firsts:  First (and second) tooth!  First tastes of lots more foods - including proper meals such as pinwheels, pasta, pancakes, boiled egg.

Milestones:  We have TWO teeth this week - one of the bottom middle ones and one at the top to the side of the middle ones (he seems to be getting them in a random order)!  For a few weeks he's been putting his arms up to be picked up, which I previously forgot to mention.  He's also getting much better hand control - he can spoon feed himself pretty well if I load the spoon and although he's been able to put his own dummy in for a while, now if it's the wrong way round he can turn it around in his hands before bringing it to his mouth.  He's also learned to throw this week... which is great for when he's decided he's had enough of his food.  He's started giving kisses too when you ask for them, albeit rather open-mouthed!  He's developing so quickly at the moment and learning new things every day. 

Things we did: We had some friends round for a BBQ on Saturday and got the paddling pool out.  On Monday we took him swimming (there was no lesson as it was a Bank Holiday).  I did some meal prep at the weekend and made some fishcakes which I'm going to try him with tomorrow too!

Me: I seem to have stopped losing weight - probably because I'm now taking vitamins and eating anything and everything in sight.  I'm feeling a little better with a bit more sleep but still quite overwhelmed with weaning (especially trying to avoid milk and possibly having to avoid wheat).  It's also amazing how much salt is in things that you might not expect - a single crumpet contains nearly all of a baby's RDA of salt!

26 weeks 2 days - we went to a baby show and IKEA were giving out free teddy bears but OJ just wanted to chew the label!

26 weeks 2 days - paddling pool time!  Looking at this photo it's hard to believe that he's below average weight for his age but they do say the camera adds 10 lb!

26 weeks 3 days - looking very pleased with himself after a late night tooth discovery!

26 weeks 4 days - post-swimming with Puddle the Duck.

26 weeks 5 days - flaked out because it was too warm to do anything.

26 weeks 5 days - not sure how this is comfy!

26 weeks 6 days - my friend made some gorgeous Guardians of the Galaxy, Harry Potter and TMNT vests before OJ was born and they finally fit <3

26 weeks 6 days - look at that little face, when he looks up at me like this I melt!

26 weeks 6 days - the pinwheel that upset him... however, prior to eating it he sucked on a carrot like a dummy for a while haha!

Baby Update - 26 weeks old

Age:  26 weeks (but posted a day late thanks to our stupid internet)

Weight: He won't be weighed again now until he has his hospital appointment in a couple of weeks.

Health: We've had a few eczema flare ups, bouts of diarrhoea/wind/tummy ache and his reflux seems to have worsened since we started weaning.  The symptoms all seem to coincide with days where he had bread and banana.  Yesterday we gave him some toast and made sure to avoid banana to see how he got on.  He was very reflux-y, windy and uncomfortable for most of the evening and had a rash on his back.  Then this morning had the biggest nappy explosion ever (OJ and I were both absolutely covered despite the fact that he was wearing a clean, dry nappy and 2 layers of clothing).  However, his eczema doesn't seem to have flared up too much so we think that may be the banana and we're going to try that separately in a few days.  We can't exclude any other foods until he's seen at the hospital so it's all just trial and error - it is also hard work because it might be something that I've given him that's aggravated his symptoms or it might be something that I've eaten. I'm desperately hoping we get some answers soon as it's horrible seeing him so uncomfortable.  He may also be teething... he's constantly rubbing his gums frantically with anything he can find and just generally grumpy but no sign of any teeth near the surface yet (although it's hard to get a good look).

Feeding: He didn't seem to be getting on too well with the BLW, mostly because the foods were a bit soft and just ended up squashed in his hand so he couldn't get them in his face so I've been giving him harder foods (toast, pear, apple, butternut squash fries) which he's managed a lot better with.  We've still been giving him a bit of spoon food (mashed potato, mashed banana, mashed avocado) but we load the spoon and hold it near his mouth for him to go for if he wants to.  For a few days he was happy just moving forward to the spoon but then he decided he wanted to do it himself so now I just hand him the spoon and he's doing amazingly well (as you'll see from some of the pictures).  It's incredibly messy and I'm pretty sure he eats very little of it but he's enjoying it and there's definitely at least a little bit going in so he's getting a taste for things, which is what counts.

Sleep: Sleep has difficult with his gastrointestinal symptoms but he's not been too bad on the whole.  We had a couple of nights where we struggled to get him down at bedtime which we put down to teething but he was down before 10 pm so I can't complain really.  Yesterday for the first time I put him in his crib in our room for all his naps with the baby monitor and cracked on with stuff around the house - it felt weird!  He only slept for 30-40 minutes at a time so, despite not getting up until 10 am he was ready for bed by just after 7 pm and went down like a dream.  He was up at 5:30 am this morning but that was quickly followed by the poop explosion so he was obviously uncomfortable.  He fell asleep on the way home from the park at 11:45 this morning (after 2 catnaps earlier on) and is STILL asleep in his pushchair (it's now 13:40)!  He seems to be capable of taking long naps in the pushchair or on me but less so in his crib, maybe he feels less secure, although he sleeps relatively well at night between feeds so who knows!  Either way it's a work in progress but I'm really feeling more positive about it.

Routine: Currently I'm just trying to get him to nap in his crib and letting him decide when he's ready for a nap and it seems to be working.  We do a similar thing with bedtime too.  Otherwise we just go with the flow.

Likes/dislikes:  He loves mashed potato and is really enjoying feeding himself with a spoon/his hands.  He likes being chucked around and giving people kisses (whilst pulling their ears and/or hair).  He doesn't like not being able to get at whatever he's set his sights on and is very frustrated that he's unable to move independently yet.

Firsts:  First time succeeding at feeding himself with a spoon, first attempt at standing independently (supported by the sofa) and first naptime without mummy or daddy keeping a close watch (okay, so I had the monitor but that's different)!

Milestones:  Our little boy is now SIX months old, he's been with us for half a year!!  He's made it into size 3 nappies at last but that's probably about it for the milestones.  Obviously all the new foods are little milestones but I won't bore you with everything he's tried.  He might be in his 6-9 clothes before long too as he seems to be growing more by the day!  He also had his last swimming lesson in the "Floaties" class and will be moving into "Splashers" the week after next (no swimming next week because it's a bank holiday).

Things we did: We spent Saturday at a powerlifting competition and I'm amazed how well OJ coped; we were there for 9 hours and he was brilliant.  ALS was competing but I had some support from the in-laws, which was invaluable considering there were no chairs so I was either standing with OJ or sat on the floor with him!  OJ and I have been for a walk every day for the last 3 days as the weather has been perfect - not too hot but not windy or rainy either - and it's been nice to just get out of the house for a few hours.  

Me: I'm feeling a little healthier in myself and my cold finally seems to be disappearing.  However, I'm still finding it hard with OJ as he's been really grizzly for a couple of weeks now (between weaning issues, growth spurt, frustration at not being on the move and possible teething) so it's been hard work keeping him entertained and happy.  I'm also really struggling with weaning.  It's impossible to cook with him around so I have to make sure it's all batch prepared at the week and any quick foods, such as toast or a sandwich, contain bread and he's been having tummy troubles when eating them.  Trying to find healthy recipes that don't contain dairy is hard enough without having to avoid anything else - especially as you often can't substitute with dairy-free cheese in cooking because it doesn't melt well!  It's also time consuming (and expensive) having to make all your own stuff e.g. pasta sauces because shop bought ones are too salty.  My other issue is that I'm quite a fussy eater and ALS eats a pretty strict training diet (and eats the same stuff every day) but I don't want that to be the case for OJ so I'm having to buy things for him especially, but they don't come in small enough quantities so, especially fresh stuff, ends up going to waste.  I'm trying to broaden my horizons with him but there's some stuff I just can't stomach.  I'm going to ask for a Dietician referral when we see the Paediatrician and hopefully they will be able to help with meal ideas for him that are easy enough to cook in bulk etc.  I'm sure I'm complaining about stuff that other mothers have been dealing with for years but it's all a bit overwhelming in the beginning and it's hard work trying to figure out which foods upset his stomach (plus we aren't allowed to exclude anything other than cow's milk until we've seen the doctor so it's not helping his mood).  It's not something I can speak to my mummy friends about because they are either weaning their children on baby jars or just give them whatever they eat regardless of salt/sugar content so would just tell me to do that but I really want to give him nutritious, home cooked food as much as possible.  Plus I don't know anyone else in person who has done baby-led weaning, although Instagram has been great for ideas!  Wow... I'm waffling.

25 weeks 1 day - practicing standing against the sofa!

25 weeks 2 days - after I tried to get him up early for the powerlifting competition.

25 weeks 2 days - chilling at the competition, his vest has his name and the hashtag for our powerlifting team on it which is adorable.

25 weeks 3 days - he's a bit of a pear addict.

25 weeks 4 days - loves a bit of apple!

25 weeks 4 days - Superbaby!

25 weeks 4 days - trying to take a selfie/eat the camera.

25 weeks 4 days - never too old to have snuggles and a nap on mummy's chest.

25 weeks 4 days - baby loves Pointless, which is great because mummy loves Pointless too AND it's educational (I've learned more on my maternity leave from watching Pointless than I did in school)!

25 weeks 5 days - absolutely nailing spoon feeding himself, what a proud mummy moment!

25 weeks 6 days - 6 month growth photo.

25 weeks 6 days - growth photo outtakes... he was feeling particularly chompy and poor Mr Bear got the brunt of it!

25 weeks 6 days - butternut crinkle fries, these were amazing and I was a little reluctant to share!

25 weeks 6 days - his teeth seem to be bothering him so we've been giving him frozen chunks of pear in his ClevaMama feeder and he LOVES it, plus it keeps him entertained for a while.  We love the silicone feeder as it's much easier to clean than the net ones.

26 weeks - nothing exciting happening here but I just love his squishy little face, I could just eat him up!

26 weeks - he was more interested in eating his own hand than the swing apparently.