Baby Update - 49 weeks old

Age:  49 weeks

Weight: He won't be weighed until just before his birthday.

Health: We seem to have had some brief respite from teething this week and his reflux is calming down with the medication too.  Fingers crossed it lasts but I'm not hopeful.  He's really head banging lately, especially when he's tired.  He also flaps his arms a lot when he's excited or frustrated and struggles with his communication.  He's only just started properly babbling "mamama" and "bababa".  He doesn't use "mama" with meaning, hasn't copied any of the signs we've used and doesn't use gestures such as waving or pointing to indicate his needs.  All of the above are signs of autism - I'm not majorly concerned but I will be keeping an eye on things.  Both ALS and I have a fair few autistic traits so it wouldn't surprise me if OJ has some too but he's quite affectionate when he wants to be, has good eye contact, has good understanding and smiles/giggles lots so, as I said, not too worried.

Feeding: He's been eating non-stop this week - on Saturday we went out for a friend's birthday and he ate an entire child's portion of sausage, chips and peas without coming up for breath.  He's even been eating well at lunch time which he's previously not been so bothered about.  He still has plenty of milk and I'm a little concerned about the situation when I go back to work but we will just have to take it as it comes.  

Sleep: We're back to feeding on demand throughout the night and not a huge amount of sleep for me - he often just wants to lie on my boob rather than feed but it's hard for me to get comfy.  Bedtimes have still been taking a while but there's been a lot less screaming, presumably due to the reflux/teething having calmed down.  We've been working really hard for the last 4 days on getting good naps in and trying to get him down as soon as he's tired and it may be helping a little bit although it has involved us being trapped in the house all week.  I've also been staying with him for naps so not even been able to be productive.  If we haven't achieved anything by next Monday we're going to ask for some help from a woman I've been chatting to on Facebook who runs a group providing advice for gentle sleep tips etc.

Routine: We're back working on the 2, 3, 4 routine somewhat and it seems to be gradually improving things, maybe this is the start of something wonderful.  Ideally we will be able to be a bit more flexible though, or at least nap on the go, as being stuck in is killing me.  I'm really looking forward to the day he drops down to only needing one nap.  

Likes/dislikes:  He likes combining his toys - he wedges balls into rings and gets me to spin them for him.  He's quite fond of racing around the room with his push walker.  He's as hateful as ever of the car, despite a new car and a new seat.  

Firsts:  First animal actions - he claps his hands every time he sees a crocodile or you say "crocodile", he's not got the hang of turning them round to make a snap yet but it's close enough.

Milestones:  He's trying to let go of furniture and take steps but only manages one or two before falling or grabbing hold of something else, he's quite tentative still.  If you call him a good boy he'll give himself a little round of applause, which may be the cutest thing I've ever seen.  He now has FOURTEEN teeth. 

Things we did: We had a busy weekend - on Saturday we went to visit ALS' best man at his new house and he made us lunch, then we went back to our old town for a meal for our friend's 35th birthday (plus 2 very, very stressful car journeys).  On Sunday we went for a nice long walk to the park.  Monday was swimming as usual and then we've just been in the house for a few days working on naps.  However, Nana and Grandpapa came to visit on Tuesday and my mum and grandparents came to visit yesterday so it's not all boring.  

Me: I often feel guilty that OJ doesn't get more exposure to different settings and other children but he's always wanting to nap at the time that play groups are on, hence the wish for him to drop down to one nap.  Maybe if we sort his sleep out at night he'll only need one?  I'll be kind of glad when I'm at work and he's at nursery as he'll be getting plenty of opportunities for learning and socialising there.  

Health wise I'm feeling a bit better and I'm back up to 51 kg so I'm going to start exercising again this weekend hopefully.  I've been referred to a Dietician, just to check that there's nothing else I'm missing that I could be doing but I'm happy that there's nothing drastically wrong - I'll probably put all the weight back on as soon as I stop breastfeeding.  

We're busy planning OJ's birthday (although I'm in denial that my baby is almost 1) and Christmas at the moment so there's a lot going on, plus I'm working hard on my business and I've finally been accepted by one of the agencies so should be able to start earning soon. 

I didn't take many pictures at all this week which makes me rather sad, I'll try harder next week.

48 weeks 2 days - at ALS' best man's house enjoying lunch in his new Chicco booster seat.

48 weeks 3 days - with daddy at the park.

48 weeks 4 days - an example of his huge appetite, he devoured this whole portion!

48 weeks 6 days - bloody autumn weather, it looked cold so I wrapped him up then had to unwrap him while he was sleeping because it was so warm!