Weight: He won't be weighed again for a couple of weeks - we're away when he's due to be weighed so I might go for 6 weeks instead of 4 between weigh ins so it's closer to when he starts a new month.
Health: These teeth are really giving him some trouble at the moment and he's incredibly dribbly and chompy. His eczema on his face has flared up and he's been snuffly and coughing too, probably all down to the teeth.
Feeding: Generally things are going well and he eats pretty much anything you give him (including curry last weekend that I did NOT enjoy myself). Some days he'll reject food that he would normally eat but there's nothing really that he's repeatedly refused. He's still having a lot of milk throughout the night, although we have had a few nights where he's gone up to 4 hours!
Sleep: Sleep has been both really good and really bad this week. He's woking up screaming with his teeth a couple of times and we've had a couple of nights where he's fed hourly (or more). However, we've also had a couple of nights where he's slept in 3-4 hour stints which is a big improvement so we're just trying to stick with it. It doesn't help that we've been visiting nurseries all week so his naps have been really disrupted. OJ and I are still on the mattress in the nursery and ALS is on the sofa bed because it's just too hot again for us all to sleep in one room, even when we aren't cosleeping.
Routine: Again, it's been all over the place due to visiting nurseries and will be the same again next week. Hopefully after that we can get back to some sort of normality.
Likes/dislikes: He LOVES bananas, he'd live solely on a diet of bananas if we let him. He loves being on his feet and very much enjoys Billy & Bambam (which is a lifesaver in the car). He likes making a noise too! He dislikes the blender and isn't a fan of new people (particularly men) although he's been quite the charmer at the nurseries we've been to visit - I guess they just have that touch!
Firsts: First curry. First time looking around nurseries.
Milestones: He's figured out how to put his shapes into the shape sorter (not the actual shape holes, it has just normal larger holes for practicing). He doesn't have any words yet but shouts "mamamama" in varying tones to let you know if he's happy, upset, angry etc.
Things we did: On Friday ALS' brother came over so we all spent some time together chilling out. We also visited a nursery and OJ handled it like a pro - he even stayed with the room leader playing while we looked around, when we got back he didn't even seem excited, just carried on playing! At the weekend we went to visit our friends who have a baby a couple of weeks older than OJ and went to visit ALS' grandparents. We also took OJ swimming and bought him a push walker, mostly as we realised we've not bought him any new toys in month so other than the standard (blocks, stacking rings, shape sorter, books) he doesn't have any toys that aren't just baby toys.
Me: I'm trying to get some muscle and strength back so that next year I can cut down and lose fat without actually dropping my weight any lower. I'm trying hard to plan my meals to ensure I get lots of protein but making sure I get plenty of calories in to sustain breastfeeding too. We've visited a few nurseries now, a couple we loved and some we definitely did not and it's generally making me feel a lot better about going back to work. I've finally got my hours sorted so I'll be working 7:30-3:30 on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. ALS will drop OJ off at nursery/childminder around 8 and pick him up at lunchtime then will go back to work in the evening when I get home. I always thought I'd want a childminder, given my background, but we're struggling to find anyone with capacity on the days we need and to be honest some of the nurseries have been spectacular. We have a few more to visit next week then we will make a decision. I'm also looking into setting up working from home doing freelance typing, starting before I go back to work if possible, to see if it's sustainable so that I can do my 3 months after my maternity leave ends then quit my job (I love it but the commuting/being so far away from OJ is just not practical).
38 weeks 1 day - getting adventurous and trying to escape (also looks like the sun is shining out of his butt)!
38 weeks 1 day - he always looks at his uncle upside down for some reason!
38 weeks 1 day - just chilling with the boys.
38 weeks 2 days - giving daddy kisses/eating daddy's face.
38 weeks 2 days - pair of telly addicts watching Sunday morning cartoons - no idea why he's wearing his trousers like a gangsta haha!
38 weeks 3 days - typically all he wanted to play with for the rest of the day was the box!
At least someone got some use out of the walker!
38 weeks 4 days - cheeky sideways smiles!
38 weeks 4 days - he likes to give kisses/eat your face... maybe we should stop nibbling his cheeks!
39 weeks - 9 month growth photo. These are getting harder and I wondered about leaving it until tomorrow when ALS is around more so I could get a "picture perfect" one but this perfectly sums up our baby. He's drooly, he has stubborn eczema on his cheeks, he's always in a vest or just a nappy at the moment because it's too hot for clothes, he's fidgety and inquisitive and we wouldn't have him any other way!
39 weeks - growth photo outtake!
Happy World Breastfeeding Week <3
