Oh man I am SO behind on here... however I'm doing my update before the photos because:
1) It's a lot less faffing about.
2) The update actually requires me to remember things!
Weight: 20 lb 8 oz (9.3 kg). This is a bit of an estimate as he was weighed in A&E (more on that later) on Christmas Day while fully clothed in a wet nappy. I was amazed he'd put weight on as he hadn't eaten much for a week before and he's barely eaten anything since so he may have lost a little again. He's definitely had a growth spurt though!
Health: Oh man it's been a rough month! We are still unsure on the food side of things and since Christmas Day I've been having dairy/soya back in my diet. His sleep had been considerably worse but last night wasn't so bad so maybe it hasn't made a difference and the poor sleep was just down to being poorly. He started with a cough again in the middle of December and the Saturday before Christmas woke up in the night with a high temperature. He had his jabs a few days prior (which he handled like a champ!) so we thought that might have been the cause of the temperature but he was poorly on and off through to Christmas Day when we called 111 and ended up taking him to A&E around 11 pm as his temperature was 39.7 and his heart rate and breathing were really fast. He was diagnosed with bronchiolitis and allowed home a few hours later when his observations settled. All in all he had a really high temperature every day for 7 days, he has barely eaten in 3 weeks and has been having nasty coughing fits. Over Christmas he was miserable and lethargic and super duper clingy to me. He's back to himself now in terms of playing etc. but he's still waking up coughing multiple times every night and today is the first day he's really eaten anything.
Sleep: Obviously with him being poorly sleep has been horrible. We did have a reasonable amount of success in weaning him off the boob for sleep. Every night I'd feed him downstairs with a story then when we went up to bed he would have a bottle of almond milk with another story then I'd sing to him - sometimes he fell asleep with the milk, sometimes after but didn't require breastfeeding. However, that's all gone to pot with him being poorly and he will only have a couple of sips of almond milk before he loses interest. He's breastfeeding a lot during the night and more than normal in the daytime too but I'm hoping now I'm back at work, his appetite is coming back and our routine is back to normal we can work on this again. He's often shattered by 5 pm, especially on nursery days and often doesn't make it to 6 pm before he's asleep in bed. Over the holidays with him being poorly he's been back to having two naps where he was starting to drop down to one before Christmas but today he only had one so maybe that's changing again now he's feeling better. I'm just going to play it by ear and see what happens!
Development: I cannot put into words how amazed I am by his development lately! When I was doing weekly updates his development was quite slow as he was so young but now I've switched to monthly updates he's at an age where he learns something new every day. He is walking confidently now both around the house and outside and has figured out how to get up without pulling up on something. He's trying to climb and can get on and off his ride-on car. His communication is getting better by the day too. He will nod and say "yeah" or shake his head when you ask him a question and usually his answer is in context with what he wants. He is trying to copy noises such as "woof" and "brum" and trying to copy words like "gone" and "daddy" although he says "g" instead of "d" so daddy has become "gaggy". He's copying more signs now - he will sign "milk" and he's trying to copy "see you soon". Nursery told me he also signs "eat" when he wants food. He gestures towards things and opens/closes his hand to indicate that he wants something. He's started copying some actions in nursery rhymes and dances along to music. He's getting great at following simple instruction such as "bring mummy a book" or "take your socks off" and helps with undressing at bath time. He's trying really hard with his shape sorters and mostly manages to get the circles in the right holes at the very least. He's getting much more affectionate and will often give me cuddles or kisses.
Likes/Dislikes: He still really loves books, especially interactive ones. His current favourite thing to do is just carry things around the house, especially things he shouldn't have (shampoo bottles, DVD cases etc). He likes building and knocking down towers. He loves putting things through holes (shape sorters, filling and emptying containers). He is a real water baby and bathtime is his favourite - I really knew he was poorly on Boxing Day when even a bath wouldn't chill him out. He likes physical play and being thrown around. He's also starting to enjoy that damn "Baby Shark" song thanks to nursery haha! He likes walking around outside and exploring his environment too. He's still really not a fan of the car although he's a lot better than he used to be. He doesn't like being told no or having things taken off him (he actually cries rather than strops though). He doesn't like being held unless he's somewhere new or poorly and wants to cling to me.
Nursery: He's got a great bond with his Key Worker at nursery and happily goes to her without crying, although he's been a bit grumpy today but that's presumably because he's been away for 10 days and been poorly. He loves the variety of toys although he's not a fan of arts and crafts - as I discovered when I tried to get him to do some at the Christmas party! He enjoys singing and stories, although when we were there at the Christmas party he mostly just wanted to go off by himself and play. I definitely think nursery is having a positive impact on his development and his social interaction has improved a lot since he started, although we've been working hard with him too.
Me: Oh, where to start! I'm STILL waiting on the agency to get me set up with my freelance work. However, another agency have got back to me and within the last 3 days I've done their application, tests and signed contracts so I should be picking up work for them soon. I'm not sure how much work there will be but they don't require set hours so it's a far better opportunity than the first agency in terms of flexibility. I've not sacked the first one off just yet and we will see what happens when they get back in touch.
I'm still struggling with the thought of leaving OJ with anyone other than nursery or ALS. I do trust my in-laws and thought I was happy leaving him there but after an incident at Christmas where my MIL let my nephew climb on a chair, tip it over and both him and the chair landed on OJ's back and knocked him flat to the floor, I'm a little less keen. I ignored my instincts to go and remove OJ thinking that it would be treading on her toes and I was so angry at myself. I guess if they only had OJ it would be different but I'm finding it hard letting go.
I'm really ready to get back to some normality now Christmas is over. The last month has been super hectic with the festive period and OJ being poorly so I've had very little time to chill out, go to the gym or generally accomplish anything for myself. I did however manage a fantastic, if I say so myself, Christmas dinner for the first time for 9 people so I'm rather proud of myself!
