Weight: He hasn't been weighed for a little while but he seems to be growing nicely.
Health: Things have been hard this month. We saw the GP a few weeks ago because of Oscar's poor sleep and constant congestion and they started him on Piriton for two weeks and we had to keep a symptom diary. One of the side effects is drowsiness so, while he sleep did improve somewhat, we aren't sure whether it was because it improved the congestion or because of the side effects. We had some fabulous nights where he slept for 8 hours straight and he stayed in bed until 7 am then it went downhill and back to average nights. Yesterday we saw the GP again and he took Oscar back off the Piriton and put him back on ranitidine for reflux as our symptom diary identified that he gets ruttly and chesty after eating which is a sign of reflux. Hopefully this helps. It's a constant worry to me that he might be showing early signs of EDS. He probably isn't but it's hard not to think about.
Sleep: We are in a bit of a difficult patch again at the moment but we have still come a long way. Bedtime is pretty smooth, he goes to sleep without even asking for milk and he generally doesn't even ask for milk at his first couple of wake ups. I've only fed him once before midnight in the last fortnight. Sometimes I feel like we're getting nowhere fast but when I look at how far we've come it's definitely good progress. We are about to start trying to progress the night weaning even further and I'm hopeful that it will go reasonably smoothly. Here's hoping one day we will sleep well again! We are hitting a bit language development leap this week so it could be a few weeks before things settle down again.
Development: He's really coming on with his development. He's getting more confident at things like climbing and going down slides (although still would rather just roam around the park). He can comfortably get himself downstairs on his bottom now although prefers to walk down with a hand held. He's copying everything we do now - imitating using a phone, combing his hair etc. He loves helping with cooking/baking and is great at following instructions. His speech isn't great - he knows what he wants to say and he tries to repeat everything but his words don't come out right. He can say "owl", "oover" (for hoover) and that's about it. He makes lots of animal noises and is fabulous at pointing out objects or animals in a book when asked. He's not bad at feeding himself with a spoon but he doesn't get much practice as he doesn't eat a lot still. He has a couple more signs and can now sign "again" and "help". He's getting far more confident in new situations and was an absolute superstar when we visited my dad's for the weekend recently. It hadn't occurred to me until I read last month's update but he's stopped smacking now so our tactics must have worked, or he's just grown out of it.
Likes/Dislikes: He absolutely loves to be outdoors. He's happiest when he's out playing on the garden or roaming around somewhere. We've bought him a sand/water table and a little lawnmower than blows bubbles and now it's hard to get him to play inside at all! He still really loves balls and everyone continues to be impressed by the fact that he can throw, despite the fact he's been doing it for nearly a year now! He doesn't like being told what to do so, as much as he loves the water, swimming lessons can be a bit of a challenge for Ant at the moment. He isn't keen on holding our hands when out and about although he is getting better at it. We've bought him a little dinosaur backpack with reins - at first he wouldn't wear it, now he loves it but gets so distracted playing with the straps that he doesn't walk anywhere!
Nursery: Parents evening went really well and they were very proud of how well he's transitioned to his new Key Worker, Sharon. She's really lovely and she's working hard at expanding his diet. She understands his communication well and is helping him with his words as much as she can. He also spent the afternoon with Nana and Grandpapa a few weeks ago while Ant and I had a date which was lovely!
Me: My course is going well, although the discipline to study isn't always there, and I'm almost ready to hand in my first assignment.
We are struggling financially at the moment as nursery drains a lot of my earnings - roll on when we get some free nursery hours! This is compounded by the fact that today I spoke to the IVF unit in Sheffield to ask about costs for a second transfer. We were told around £1000 when we had Oscar. When I looked on Sheffield's website it said £650 and Guy's website said £1400 so I rang to ask which one. Turns out we have to pay BOTH plus another £400 for the drugs so we are looking more at £2500! Added to that is the fact that it's at least a three-month wait for a referral and I've got to have stopped breastfeeding first so I'm feeling a bit down about that. However, we have Oscar and if we never have another one I'll make my peace with it. £2500 is a lot of money, especially if it doesn't work and we could have spent that money making memories with the child we already have.
I'm desperately trying to get back into fitness again but it's so hit and miss because of childcare and me struggling with illnesses etc. I'm trying to cram in some overtime at work again in the next month but that obviously means even less time to do other things.
Thursday, 2 May 2019
Friday, 5 April 2019
17 months old
Weight: I had him weighed last week and he was 10.05 kg (22 lb 1 oz) and tracking nicely just above 25th centile now which is great, especially given his earlier difficulties. He's just about grown into his 12-18 month clothes now and his feet are a 3.5 so still dinky.
Health: We've had a month with very little in the way of illness for the first time since he started nursery - don't worry, we've not had an easy month, he's made up for it in other ways. However, other than a perpetually snotty nose it has been lovely to see him in good health. He may be starting to get his second set of molars as he's chewing on everything, dribbling a lot and his chin is getting a bit sore but they don't seem to be bothering him too much yet. He's had his first dentist appointment and they were happy too.
Sleep: We ended up seeing the Cranial Osteopath earlier than planned due to a cancellation and he basically thinks the pressure in his head has come from getting so many teeth in such a short space of time. The first session didn't improve his sleep at all but after the second one we had a run of six nights where every other night he slept for six hours straight - usually around 10-4. Sadly that didn't last and our third session hasn't made much difference. We are heading for a leap next week too! He goes to sleep really well and naps well so that's a start I guess. In the last couple of weeks we've started the night weaning (from me, not from milk altogether) process. He now has his milk in the nursery before going into the bedroom and generally doesn't even ask for milk in bed before going to sleep with a story and a cuddle. We're also not giving milk at his first wake up which has generally been okay, he's cried a little but nothing major except for the night before last where he lost his mind for 20 minutes and it took me leaving and Ant stepping in with a bottle to get him back to sleep.
Development: Development is on fire as ever! He's running around everywhere and starting to get more confident on uneven surfaces - he's not a giant fan of walking on grass but he's really getting there. Much to my relief he still isn't much of a climber. He's coming on really well with his speech and says "mama", "dada", "no", "yeah" and "ta". In the last week he's started saying "ano" for piano and "owl" - no idea where the obsession with owls has come from but it's so cute when he says it. He's also been trying to say "badger" from one of his books. When he says "no" he wags his finger and it's just adorable. He is getting good at putting pieces into his animal puzzle, he matches them but doesn't always manage to turn them the right way. He loves copying things we do and we've caught him trying to unlock the door with the car key! He likes sweeping with the dustpan and brush, helping us hoover and load/unload the washing machine and clothes airer. He says "nee naa" when he sees any vehicle and does some animal noises, especially roaring for dinosaurs, saying "woof", "mmm" for cows and snorting when he sees a pig. He's pretty good at using a fork - not that he seems to want to eat what's on it. Ant has taught him to point at the floor when he wants to get down out of your arms and he's doing multiple signs, although I don't think there are any more than last month. He generally uses "yes" and "no" in context when asked a question but doesn't seem to understand "no" when we use it to tell him not to do something.
Likes/Dislikes: He is still very much in love with sausage rolls but his current favourite food is cream crackers with butter. He still loves dogs and regularly goes to our patio doors saying "woof woof" to see if he can see through the fence and spot next door's dalmatian. He loves dinosaurs and owls are his current obsession. Baby Shark is still a firm favourite and The Greatest Showman soundtrack always puts a smile on his face! He still loves building with his blocks too. He's not a fan of being denied milk or waiting for anything. He doesn't appreciate being removed from any situation that he wants to put himself in and hates being restrained still, even being held nowadays isn't popular with him. He loves giving big sloppy kisses to his favourite people and pretty much everyone gets a fist bump (or ten). He doesn't really like busy places and isn't majorly confident but he's fine as long as we are nearby - he loved running around the trampoline park!
Nursery: He's getting on really well at nursery and still really enjoying it. We have parents' evening there next week and Ant is having an evening off to have Oscar so that I can go and catch up with the nursery staff, as I don't really get chance to speak to them very often. I'm interested to see how they find his behaviour in terms of smacking and his tantrums but I know he certainly still isn't really eating much there either.
Me: I'm emotionally drained this week with the night weaning but we have been managing to get him to sleep without milk in bed to start off and get him back to sleep after his first wake up without any milk, despite a lot of protesting some nights. I'm really starting to wish my dad lived closer as, due to the situation with my mum, I don't have much parental input or support right now and it would be nice to just have somewhere to pop with Oscar when Ant is at work rather than being stuck on our own all the time. Ant's family are great but I'd like to have mine closer - plus it would mean we had more babysitters when we need them and Oscar would be closer to his grandparents.
I've started a course to become a teaching assistant after realising that I'm a little unfulfilled in my life. I realised that I never applied myself to a career because all I wanted was to have children. However, now I have Oscar I've achieved that goal and need to find new goals and new ways to challenge myself. I love the medical side of my job but there's nowhere for me to really progress and I really find child development fascinating. I figure education is probably the way to go with a plan to later specialise in special needs/learning difficulties - working at Derby School for the Deaf sounds intesresting and a job came up recently but obviously I'm not qualified yet!
Health: We've had a month with very little in the way of illness for the first time since he started nursery - don't worry, we've not had an easy month, he's made up for it in other ways. However, other than a perpetually snotty nose it has been lovely to see him in good health. He may be starting to get his second set of molars as he's chewing on everything, dribbling a lot and his chin is getting a bit sore but they don't seem to be bothering him too much yet. He's had his first dentist appointment and they were happy too.
Sleep: We ended up seeing the Cranial Osteopath earlier than planned due to a cancellation and he basically thinks the pressure in his head has come from getting so many teeth in such a short space of time. The first session didn't improve his sleep at all but after the second one we had a run of six nights where every other night he slept for six hours straight - usually around 10-4. Sadly that didn't last and our third session hasn't made much difference. We are heading for a leap next week too! He goes to sleep really well and naps well so that's a start I guess. In the last couple of weeks we've started the night weaning (from me, not from milk altogether) process. He now has his milk in the nursery before going into the bedroom and generally doesn't even ask for milk in bed before going to sleep with a story and a cuddle. We're also not giving milk at his first wake up which has generally been okay, he's cried a little but nothing major except for the night before last where he lost his mind for 20 minutes and it took me leaving and Ant stepping in with a bottle to get him back to sleep.
Development: Development is on fire as ever! He's running around everywhere and starting to get more confident on uneven surfaces - he's not a giant fan of walking on grass but he's really getting there. Much to my relief he still isn't much of a climber. He's coming on really well with his speech and says "mama", "dada", "no", "yeah" and "ta". In the last week he's started saying "ano" for piano and "owl" - no idea where the obsession with owls has come from but it's so cute when he says it. He's also been trying to say "badger" from one of his books. When he says "no" he wags his finger and it's just adorable. He is getting good at putting pieces into his animal puzzle, he matches them but doesn't always manage to turn them the right way. He loves copying things we do and we've caught him trying to unlock the door with the car key! He likes sweeping with the dustpan and brush, helping us hoover and load/unload the washing machine and clothes airer. He says "nee naa" when he sees any vehicle and does some animal noises, especially roaring for dinosaurs, saying "woof", "mmm" for cows and snorting when he sees a pig. He's pretty good at using a fork - not that he seems to want to eat what's on it. Ant has taught him to point at the floor when he wants to get down out of your arms and he's doing multiple signs, although I don't think there are any more than last month. He generally uses "yes" and "no" in context when asked a question but doesn't seem to understand "no" when we use it to tell him not to do something.
Likes/Dislikes: He is still very much in love with sausage rolls but his current favourite food is cream crackers with butter. He still loves dogs and regularly goes to our patio doors saying "woof woof" to see if he can see through the fence and spot next door's dalmatian. He loves dinosaurs and owls are his current obsession. Baby Shark is still a firm favourite and The Greatest Showman soundtrack always puts a smile on his face! He still loves building with his blocks too. He's not a fan of being denied milk or waiting for anything. He doesn't appreciate being removed from any situation that he wants to put himself in and hates being restrained still, even being held nowadays isn't popular with him. He loves giving big sloppy kisses to his favourite people and pretty much everyone gets a fist bump (or ten). He doesn't really like busy places and isn't majorly confident but he's fine as long as we are nearby - he loved running around the trampoline park!
Nursery: He's getting on really well at nursery and still really enjoying it. We have parents' evening there next week and Ant is having an evening off to have Oscar so that I can go and catch up with the nursery staff, as I don't really get chance to speak to them very often. I'm interested to see how they find his behaviour in terms of smacking and his tantrums but I know he certainly still isn't really eating much there either.
Me: I'm emotionally drained this week with the night weaning but we have been managing to get him to sleep without milk in bed to start off and get him back to sleep after his first wake up without any milk, despite a lot of protesting some nights. I'm really starting to wish my dad lived closer as, due to the situation with my mum, I don't have much parental input or support right now and it would be nice to just have somewhere to pop with Oscar when Ant is at work rather than being stuck on our own all the time. Ant's family are great but I'd like to have mine closer - plus it would mean we had more babysitters when we need them and Oscar would be closer to his grandparents.
I've started a course to become a teaching assistant after realising that I'm a little unfulfilled in my life. I realised that I never applied myself to a career because all I wanted was to have children. However, now I have Oscar I've achieved that goal and need to find new goals and new ways to challenge myself. I love the medical side of my job but there's nowhere for me to really progress and I really find child development fascinating. I figure education is probably the way to go with a plan to later specialise in special needs/learning difficulties - working at Derby School for the Deaf sounds intesresting and a job came up recently but obviously I'm not qualified yet!
Sunday, 3 March 2019
16 month update
Weight: I'm not sure as he hasn't been weighed this month. I did try and weigh him on our scales today which said 10 kg (22 lb) but I really don't think he's put on that much in the last few weeks so I'm going to get him properly weighed next week.
Health: We've had a rough month! He ended up with a really nasty cold that caused temperatures of 39-40.2 degrees for 5 or 6 days. He was full of snot and had about 3 or 4 days where his nose was just dripping blood, he was sneezing blood and was super miserable. I've never seen him so poorly, even when he had bronchiolitis. We didn't see any medical professionals and managed him at home but he basically just sat/lay on our laps for a week straight. He had about a week where he was better, then another temperature for a day, then a few days better and now he has yet another cold/cough, although considerably milder. It's a never-ending stream!
Sleep: We've had a really bad couple of weeks with sleep, especially since he was poorly. His naps are still pretty good but night times have been constant feeding sessions and very early mornings. In the last few nights we've ditched the sleeping bag, ALS has come back to sleeping with us (after a lot of time downstairs) and I've started breastfeeding him before bed instead of giving him a bottle of almond milk as we thought he might have been taking in too much air. It did help for a couple of nights and he actually had one solid stretch of sleep from 9-1:30 one night which was amazing - although I was poorly so didn't get to reap the benefits so much. However, he's now coughing every time he lies down so last night was horrendous again. Our Sleep Consultant has recommended we see a cranial osteopath as it's not normal that he wakes up often every 20 minutes and needs to breastfeed all night long so we are booked in for 29 March, here's hoping they can help! I'm skeptical but at this point in time we are willing to try anything!
Development: His communication is really coming along, he still doesn't stay much but lately he's been trying to repeat words - the day before his Key Worker left nursery we were talking about her (Freya) and he kept saying "Eya", he's tried to say things like "tower", "juice", "Lola" and other bits and bobs although it's very unclear at the moment. He's started properly saying "no" now and is very good at using "yeah" and "no" in context. He has multiple signs (milk, eat, please, thank you, see you soon, more) and will actually put two together, usually to ask for "more food". He's pointing with his index finger and really indicating his needs - he even tells us when he wants to go to bed, although whether he sleeps or not is a different question. He helps with dressing and undressing and is great at following simple instructions. He's brilliant on his feet now although a little uncertain on grass and prefers to run on concrete to try and give me a heart attack! At swimming he'll dip his face in, splash, kick and try to blow bubbles. He's not much of a climber but has started, in the last couple of days, trying to climb onto the sofa - he's not really tall enough yet but I don't think it'll be long. He builds towers with lots of interconnecting blocks (sometimes 10+), is doing really well with shape sorters and has learned how to use Pritt Stick at nursery. He can point to multiple body parts (toes, tummy, head and mouth) and can identify lots of items when asked to fetch them (pyjamas, socks, ball, various animal toys, blocks, shoes, books, wipes etc.). He can walk forwards and backwards and dances to music. He's lost interest in sitting on his potty so we aren't pushing it, as he doesn't seem aware of when he has dirtied his nappy let alone when he needs to and that's absolutely fine, he's still very young. He's trying to use a spoon and fork, sometimes successful - especially the fork (although getting him to eat what's on it is more of a challenge). He's trying to walk down the stairs and protests if we try and get him to go down on his bottom!
Likes/Dislikes: His favourite foods at the moment are sausage rolls and pasta in homemade tomato sauce (with whatever meat or veg I throw into it). He likes to refuse pretty much everything else on most occasions but at least I can just vary the contents of the pasta and get a reasonable diet into him. He loves music in any form and nursery rhymes especially loves Row, Row, Row Your Boat (he'll grab your hands and row, then scream). He loves looking at books still, long may it continue. He really likes being outside although tends to want to run into the road and has a good tantrum if he can't. He really likes dogs and is especially happy if kind passers-by let him stroke their dogs. He's getting more and more fiercely independent by the day and doesn't like being helped if he doesn't want to be. Nor does he like being told that he can't do something, no matter how dangerous that thing might be. He still loves his boob and it's going to be a real battle weaning him in a couple of months' time.
Nursery: He's done so well at nursery and they now even manage to get him to sleep on his bed on the floor on days where he has a nap. His Key Worker left last week which we are devastated about at she was the one who really settled him in, they had a great bond, he'd started saying her name and she understands Makaton signing. However, he's happy enough without her there and the others do a good job with him. It's definitely doing wonders for his development and they do so many craft activities I don't feel guilty for not having them at home haha.
Me: I'm battling a string of illnesses that he kindly keeps picking up and sharing with me. I'm generally knackered and weak and could really do with some decent exercise. Sadly, ever time I start to get back to exercising I end up ill and lose my stride. I don't get time to go to the gym around ALS' working hours except at weekends, but then we are usually taking OJ somewhere or visiting family so even then I struggle to fit it in and I'm not motivated to work out at home. I'm not eating well because I don't get chance to meal plan or cook what I've planned and I spend so much time making stuff for OJ (that he often doesn't eat, or I don't like myself) that I end up with a sandwich or something and then snack which isn't ideal. I keep trying to get back into good routines but to no avail!
We are starting to think about wanting to get trying for another (when OJ is around 2) so we need to get him weaned and get my periods back. Hopefully if the osteopath can help with the sleep a bit it will make weaning easier but ideally I'd like to be weaning around 18 months etc.
Health: We've had a rough month! He ended up with a really nasty cold that caused temperatures of 39-40.2 degrees for 5 or 6 days. He was full of snot and had about 3 or 4 days where his nose was just dripping blood, he was sneezing blood and was super miserable. I've never seen him so poorly, even when he had bronchiolitis. We didn't see any medical professionals and managed him at home but he basically just sat/lay on our laps for a week straight. He had about a week where he was better, then another temperature for a day, then a few days better and now he has yet another cold/cough, although considerably milder. It's a never-ending stream!
Sleep: We've had a really bad couple of weeks with sleep, especially since he was poorly. His naps are still pretty good but night times have been constant feeding sessions and very early mornings. In the last few nights we've ditched the sleeping bag, ALS has come back to sleeping with us (after a lot of time downstairs) and I've started breastfeeding him before bed instead of giving him a bottle of almond milk as we thought he might have been taking in too much air. It did help for a couple of nights and he actually had one solid stretch of sleep from 9-1:30 one night which was amazing - although I was poorly so didn't get to reap the benefits so much. However, he's now coughing every time he lies down so last night was horrendous again. Our Sleep Consultant has recommended we see a cranial osteopath as it's not normal that he wakes up often every 20 minutes and needs to breastfeed all night long so we are booked in for 29 March, here's hoping they can help! I'm skeptical but at this point in time we are willing to try anything!
Development: His communication is really coming along, he still doesn't stay much but lately he's been trying to repeat words - the day before his Key Worker left nursery we were talking about her (Freya) and he kept saying "Eya", he's tried to say things like "tower", "juice", "Lola" and other bits and bobs although it's very unclear at the moment. He's started properly saying "no" now and is very good at using "yeah" and "no" in context. He has multiple signs (milk, eat, please, thank you, see you soon, more) and will actually put two together, usually to ask for "more food". He's pointing with his index finger and really indicating his needs - he even tells us when he wants to go to bed, although whether he sleeps or not is a different question. He helps with dressing and undressing and is great at following simple instructions. He's brilliant on his feet now although a little uncertain on grass and prefers to run on concrete to try and give me a heart attack! At swimming he'll dip his face in, splash, kick and try to blow bubbles. He's not much of a climber but has started, in the last couple of days, trying to climb onto the sofa - he's not really tall enough yet but I don't think it'll be long. He builds towers with lots of interconnecting blocks (sometimes 10+), is doing really well with shape sorters and has learned how to use Pritt Stick at nursery. He can point to multiple body parts (toes, tummy, head and mouth) and can identify lots of items when asked to fetch them (pyjamas, socks, ball, various animal toys, blocks, shoes, books, wipes etc.). He can walk forwards and backwards and dances to music. He's lost interest in sitting on his potty so we aren't pushing it, as he doesn't seem aware of when he has dirtied his nappy let alone when he needs to and that's absolutely fine, he's still very young. He's trying to use a spoon and fork, sometimes successful - especially the fork (although getting him to eat what's on it is more of a challenge). He's trying to walk down the stairs and protests if we try and get him to go down on his bottom!
Likes/Dislikes: His favourite foods at the moment are sausage rolls and pasta in homemade tomato sauce (with whatever meat or veg I throw into it). He likes to refuse pretty much everything else on most occasions but at least I can just vary the contents of the pasta and get a reasonable diet into him. He loves music in any form and nursery rhymes especially loves Row, Row, Row Your Boat (he'll grab your hands and row, then scream). He loves looking at books still, long may it continue. He really likes being outside although tends to want to run into the road and has a good tantrum if he can't. He really likes dogs and is especially happy if kind passers-by let him stroke their dogs. He's getting more and more fiercely independent by the day and doesn't like being helped if he doesn't want to be. Nor does he like being told that he can't do something, no matter how dangerous that thing might be. He still loves his boob and it's going to be a real battle weaning him in a couple of months' time.
Nursery: He's done so well at nursery and they now even manage to get him to sleep on his bed on the floor on days where he has a nap. His Key Worker left last week which we are devastated about at she was the one who really settled him in, they had a great bond, he'd started saying her name and she understands Makaton signing. However, he's happy enough without her there and the others do a good job with him. It's definitely doing wonders for his development and they do so many craft activities I don't feel guilty for not having them at home haha.
Me: I'm battling a string of illnesses that he kindly keeps picking up and sharing with me. I'm generally knackered and weak and could really do with some decent exercise. Sadly, ever time I start to get back to exercising I end up ill and lose my stride. I don't get time to go to the gym around ALS' working hours except at weekends, but then we are usually taking OJ somewhere or visiting family so even then I struggle to fit it in and I'm not motivated to work out at home. I'm not eating well because I don't get chance to meal plan or cook what I've planned and I spend so much time making stuff for OJ (that he often doesn't eat, or I don't like myself) that I end up with a sandwich or something and then snack which isn't ideal. I keep trying to get back into good routines but to no avail!
We are starting to think about wanting to get trying for another (when OJ is around 2) so we need to get him weaned and get my periods back. Hopefully if the osteopath can help with the sleep a bit it will make weaning easier but ideally I'd like to be weaning around 18 months etc.
Sunday, 3 February 2019
15 month update
I've basically accepted that I'm so far behind with the photos that I probably won't actually ever get them uploaded now but that's okay. The updates are more important as I'm only doing this for me and I have the photos elsewhere to look through.
Weight: 20 lb 14 oz (9.48 kg). He was weighed when we saw the Paediatrician on 22 January. He's growing really quickly at the moment and is finally back on 25th centile which was his birth centile.
Health: This month has been much better in terms of his health. In January, after adding dairy back into my diet, he had a couple of weeks of diarrhoea and reflux but within three days of cutting it out again things had calmed down. The Paediatrician has therefore confirmed the diagnosis of cow's milk protein intolerance, told us to keep it out for another 6 months and referred us to a Dietician for help with the milk ladder when he's ready. He's had another couple of minor colds but nothing anywhere near as bad as last year so hopefully his immune system is starting to get stronger.
Sleep: Sleep has changed quite a lot lately and he's officially dropped down to one nap. He usually falls asleep in the car on the way from nursery around half 12 and then ALS takes him up to bed and he'll sleep for around 2 hours. On days where he's at home we tend to put him down around 12 and he sleeps for 90 minutes to an hour. He's still going to bed around 6 pm and night times are hard - we've had a lot of waking/constant feeding in the early hours of the morning for the last week but he's been in a "leap" so hopefully things will calm down soon. The last couple of nights have been a little better at least. He's generally able to go 2-3 hours after first going to bed although tonight he didn't, just to make a liar of me. He's happy to go to bed with almond milk again now although sometimes he'll still want boob afterwards to settle himself. We did start trying to get his dummy off him as he seemed less interested for a while but then he got another cold and things went to pot.
Development: Once again his development is coming on in leaps and bounds. He's running around everywhere and will walk good distances when we're out, although he often wants to go off in his own direction! His communication is really developing well at the moment. He has a few signs (milk, eat, see you soon and possible more) - he learned the sign for "eat" this week and he's now constantly telling us he's hungry. He's copying a lot more sounds and tries to say "doggy", "daddy", "gone", "mouse", "cat" and a couple of other bits. He has animal sounds or actions for cow, dog, crocodile and fish and he's joining in with lots of nursery rhyme actions. He'll nod and say "yeah" or shake his head when you ask questions. He's started pointing at things in books and really loves looking at them and listening to me tell him what he's pointing too. We've bought a potty and he sits on it for a little while every night after his bath while we look at books, a couple of nights ago he actually pooped on it too! He likes to help tidy up his toys and when we've been shopping he'll unpack the bags and pass things to us.
Likes/Dislikes: He absolutely loves music, especially songs from The Greatest Showman and his whole face lights up when he hears the opening song! He really likes playing on the piano too. Books are still one of his favourite things and he'll look at them for ages, turning the pages and pointing at things. He loves swimming at the moment and moves up to a new class tomorrow - he's recently started voluntarily putting his face in the water and trying to blow bubbles which is a bit of a shame for me as I don't get to go any more but maybe he's just thriving with daddy! Food wise his current favourites are raisins, blueberries, meatballs, sausage rolls, pasta and a little bit of Moo Free chocolate on as a special treat. He really likes animals and loves trying to play with the cats - although they aren't so keen and keep a safe distance most of the time. He still isn't a big fan of the car although he's improved a lot as he's now able to play or read books with ALS so it's easier to distract him. He no longer likes the pushchair as he wants to be walking, then when his legs get tired he'd rather be carried! Although he's getting a bit picky with his food it depends on his mood and there aren't many foods he outright doesn't like but mango is definitely on that list, ALS really doesn't like mango either!
Nursery: He's really enjoying nursery and thriving in that environment. I definitely think it's helped his development and he's become far more sociable and adaptable to new environments since being there. He eats reasonably well there and is really happy to leave ALS now when he gets there. When we go to pick him up he acknowledges us but doesn't get excited to see us any more which is really nice to see, although I would appreciate a little more enthusiasm.
Me: I'm struggling with tiredness at the moment after a long week but otherwise pretty good. I've been referred to a specialist as my little fingers keep locking and getting stuck. Work is going well and I did my first piece of freelance work last month - it was a 23 minute piece of work and I got paid £13.80 BUT it took me over 2.5 hours so not really worth it unless I get quicker at it. Unfortunately I've not had chance to do any more as they often email and offer it when I'm at my normal job and by the time I see the email it's been given to someone else.
I'm really getting ready to wean him now but I can't see it happening unfortunately. He doesn't have milk at all during the day now, not even when I get home from work but he still relies on it to go to sleep about 50% of the night and regularly throughout the night. We're trying to work with a sleep consultant to get him sleeping longer stretches so at least if we do start withholding feeds during the night it won't be so often. It never occurs to me that people who have babies and toddlers actually sleep as being up multiple times during the night with him is just the norm for us but I'm always reminded when friends say their babies had a really bad night and woke up 2 or 3 times. They're all baffled when I say that just 2 or 3 wake ups would be an incredibly good night for us!
Weight: 20 lb 14 oz (9.48 kg). He was weighed when we saw the Paediatrician on 22 January. He's growing really quickly at the moment and is finally back on 25th centile which was his birth centile.
Health: This month has been much better in terms of his health. In January, after adding dairy back into my diet, he had a couple of weeks of diarrhoea and reflux but within three days of cutting it out again things had calmed down. The Paediatrician has therefore confirmed the diagnosis of cow's milk protein intolerance, told us to keep it out for another 6 months and referred us to a Dietician for help with the milk ladder when he's ready. He's had another couple of minor colds but nothing anywhere near as bad as last year so hopefully his immune system is starting to get stronger.
Sleep: Sleep has changed quite a lot lately and he's officially dropped down to one nap. He usually falls asleep in the car on the way from nursery around half 12 and then ALS takes him up to bed and he'll sleep for around 2 hours. On days where he's at home we tend to put him down around 12 and he sleeps for 90 minutes to an hour. He's still going to bed around 6 pm and night times are hard - we've had a lot of waking/constant feeding in the early hours of the morning for the last week but he's been in a "leap" so hopefully things will calm down soon. The last couple of nights have been a little better at least. He's generally able to go 2-3 hours after first going to bed although tonight he didn't, just to make a liar of me. He's happy to go to bed with almond milk again now although sometimes he'll still want boob afterwards to settle himself. We did start trying to get his dummy off him as he seemed less interested for a while but then he got another cold and things went to pot.
Development: Once again his development is coming on in leaps and bounds. He's running around everywhere and will walk good distances when we're out, although he often wants to go off in his own direction! His communication is really developing well at the moment. He has a few signs (milk, eat, see you soon and possible more) - he learned the sign for "eat" this week and he's now constantly telling us he's hungry. He's copying a lot more sounds and tries to say "doggy", "daddy", "gone", "mouse", "cat" and a couple of other bits. He has animal sounds or actions for cow, dog, crocodile and fish and he's joining in with lots of nursery rhyme actions. He'll nod and say "yeah" or shake his head when you ask questions. He's started pointing at things in books and really loves looking at them and listening to me tell him what he's pointing too. We've bought a potty and he sits on it for a little while every night after his bath while we look at books, a couple of nights ago he actually pooped on it too! He likes to help tidy up his toys and when we've been shopping he'll unpack the bags and pass things to us.
Likes/Dislikes: He absolutely loves music, especially songs from The Greatest Showman and his whole face lights up when he hears the opening song! He really likes playing on the piano too. Books are still one of his favourite things and he'll look at them for ages, turning the pages and pointing at things. He loves swimming at the moment and moves up to a new class tomorrow - he's recently started voluntarily putting his face in the water and trying to blow bubbles which is a bit of a shame for me as I don't get to go any more but maybe he's just thriving with daddy! Food wise his current favourites are raisins, blueberries, meatballs, sausage rolls, pasta and a little bit of Moo Free chocolate on as a special treat. He really likes animals and loves trying to play with the cats - although they aren't so keen and keep a safe distance most of the time. He still isn't a big fan of the car although he's improved a lot as he's now able to play or read books with ALS so it's easier to distract him. He no longer likes the pushchair as he wants to be walking, then when his legs get tired he'd rather be carried! Although he's getting a bit picky with his food it depends on his mood and there aren't many foods he outright doesn't like but mango is definitely on that list, ALS really doesn't like mango either!
Nursery: He's really enjoying nursery and thriving in that environment. I definitely think it's helped his development and he's become far more sociable and adaptable to new environments since being there. He eats reasonably well there and is really happy to leave ALS now when he gets there. When we go to pick him up he acknowledges us but doesn't get excited to see us any more which is really nice to see, although I would appreciate a little more enthusiasm.
Me: I'm struggling with tiredness at the moment after a long week but otherwise pretty good. I've been referred to a specialist as my little fingers keep locking and getting stuck. Work is going well and I did my first piece of freelance work last month - it was a 23 minute piece of work and I got paid £13.80 BUT it took me over 2.5 hours so not really worth it unless I get quicker at it. Unfortunately I've not had chance to do any more as they often email and offer it when I'm at my normal job and by the time I see the email it's been given to someone else.
I'm really getting ready to wean him now but I can't see it happening unfortunately. He doesn't have milk at all during the day now, not even when I get home from work but he still relies on it to go to sleep about 50% of the night and regularly throughout the night. We're trying to work with a sleep consultant to get him sleeping longer stretches so at least if we do start withholding feeds during the night it won't be so often. It never occurs to me that people who have babies and toddlers actually sleep as being up multiple times during the night with him is just the norm for us but I'm always reminded when friends say their babies had a really bad night and woke up 2 or 3 times. They're all baffled when I say that just 2 or 3 wake ups would be an incredibly good night for us!
Thursday, 3 January 2019
14 month update
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!
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!
Wednesday, 5 December 2018
13 month update
Weight: 19 lb 4 oz (8.75 kg). He's lost a little weight since his birthday but that's to be expected as he's had a full 10 days of diarrhoea with a little vomiting too and had a couple of colds too. He's had no appetite but it seems to be on its way back up now so hopefully next month his weight will be back up.
Health: Since he started nursery he's had a string of colds (which means I've had a string of colds) and then a nasty diarrhoea bug which he's just recovered from in the last few days. We also think he may be teething again! However, we do have a bit of good news. Since removing soya from his (and my) diet after his birthday his reflux seems to have settled down completely. He struggles a lot less with wind at night and his sleep had been somewhat improved until he got this bug/started teething again. He's been really upset over the last couple of days and unsettled at night so we've decided to cut his gluten/wheat content down to a bare minimum, although I won't be removing it from my diet, to see how much difference it makes.
Sleep: As I said above sleep did start to improve somewhat with the elimination of soya but it's gone downhill while he's been poorly. First he had colds and was congested, then he got a cough (and is still chesty on and off 3 weeks later), then he's had issues with diarrhoea and vomiting and probable teething so it has been hard work. The last 3 or 4 nights have been horrendous, he's been going down okay but waking frequently in the evening and from around midnight just been attached to my boob constantly and not settling for more than 10-15 minutes at a time so I am absolutely drained. Tonight he's actually been down for 2 hours since he had his almond milk so hopefully the rest of the night will be slightly more bearable. On a positive note though he's started napping at nursery and for ALS so at least I can share the burden a little bit - we had one night last week where I was quite sad because I couldn't get him to settle down but he immediately went to sleep in ALS' arms when he lay down with him. It is a good thing really but I like being his favourite!
Development: His development has been absolutely on fire lately! He's really got the hang of walking, although he still can't stand up from the floor without pulling up on something. He definitely has the strength but I don't think he's even considered that it's an option. His language hasn't improved much but he's babbling more and if you ask him who I am he will sometimes say "mama". He's started shaking his head at absolutely everything which is rather cute. He's not learned any of the signs we've been using with him but Mr Tumble has taught him the sign for "magic" and we're incorporating lots more of them into daily life. He is into everything and climbing on everything. He's learned to comfortably climb down from things backwards now too. He's really got the hang of building with his big blocks that his uncle bought for his birthday and he's getting better at turning individual pages of books instead of turning them all at once.
Likes/Dislikes: He's still not a fan of the car and is starting to get angry being in the pushchair too, he just doesn't like being restrained in general and even protests if you try to put a blanket over him! He got very angry earlier because we bought a dummy clip so he can't keep throwing his dummies out of the pushchair and he had a major meltdown about it. He loves building towers and knocking them over, he likes ramming into things with his walker and Mr Tumble is his new favourite thing - we love him too!
Nursery: We are so proud of how he's settled in at nursery. He's starting to get the hang of the routines and doesn't kick up much fuss when he's dropped off. He's eating reasonably well there after refusing everything for the first couple of weeks - he sits in a chair at the table like a big boy with a plate and everything! He's also started napping there and the naps have gradually increased from 20 minutes to around an hour which is great. His Key Worker has got a great bond with him and they send us multiple updates every day so we can see how he's doing and what he's playing with.
Me: I'm actually enjoying being back at work although I'm struggling in terms of tiredness and not having enough hours in the day to do all the other things that need doing. OJ seems to play up a bit more for me now either by refusing to sleep or just being grumpy when I get home but I think that's just because he misses me and is letting his emotions out. In a couple of weeks I will be starting my self employment which means I'll be working 5.5 hours on the 2 days I'm off work and a few hours at the weekend. It's going to be hard work and I'm not convinced I will do it for long unless it ends up paying really well but we will give it a go. Now that I'm happy at work I'm not so bothered about being self employed and we've decided I need to stay in fixed employment at least until we've had our second baby (fingers crossed) so that I can have proper maternity pay. ALS is also now looking into wanting his own gym so he will need help with that and there just aren't enough hours in the day. While I'm working two jobs I'm not going to get much time with OJ in the week and I'm going to miss out on things like swimming but I feel like I have to give it a go as the Princes Trust have helped me so much - I smashed my panel meeting last week and am waiting for a mentor to be allocated to me.
I tried to get back to the gym a couple of weeks ago but then have been ill every weekend since so once again I'm failing. I'd lost weight again but that's gone back on so I'm sitting at a steady 50 kg, which is still ridiculously light for me. I really think I'm ready for OJ to be weaned now (assuming we can find other ways to get him back to sleep consistently) because I could do with being able to put dairy/soya back in my diet and also being able to hand over to ALS completely just for the odd night here and there so I can get some proper solid sleep. He's great at the weekend when he's at home and lets me have a lie in when he can and since I've been back at work OJ is definitely getting more comfortable with going to sleep with daddy instead of me so hopefully things will start to improve somewhat.
Health: Since he started nursery he's had a string of colds (which means I've had a string of colds) and then a nasty diarrhoea bug which he's just recovered from in the last few days. We also think he may be teething again! However, we do have a bit of good news. Since removing soya from his (and my) diet after his birthday his reflux seems to have settled down completely. He struggles a lot less with wind at night and his sleep had been somewhat improved until he got this bug/started teething again. He's been really upset over the last couple of days and unsettled at night so we've decided to cut his gluten/wheat content down to a bare minimum, although I won't be removing it from my diet, to see how much difference it makes.
Sleep: As I said above sleep did start to improve somewhat with the elimination of soya but it's gone downhill while he's been poorly. First he had colds and was congested, then he got a cough (and is still chesty on and off 3 weeks later), then he's had issues with diarrhoea and vomiting and probable teething so it has been hard work. The last 3 or 4 nights have been horrendous, he's been going down okay but waking frequently in the evening and from around midnight just been attached to my boob constantly and not settling for more than 10-15 minutes at a time so I am absolutely drained. Tonight he's actually been down for 2 hours since he had his almond milk so hopefully the rest of the night will be slightly more bearable. On a positive note though he's started napping at nursery and for ALS so at least I can share the burden a little bit - we had one night last week where I was quite sad because I couldn't get him to settle down but he immediately went to sleep in ALS' arms when he lay down with him. It is a good thing really but I like being his favourite!
Development: His development has been absolutely on fire lately! He's really got the hang of walking, although he still can't stand up from the floor without pulling up on something. He definitely has the strength but I don't think he's even considered that it's an option. His language hasn't improved much but he's babbling more and if you ask him who I am he will sometimes say "mama". He's started shaking his head at absolutely everything which is rather cute. He's not learned any of the signs we've been using with him but Mr Tumble has taught him the sign for "magic" and we're incorporating lots more of them into daily life. He is into everything and climbing on everything. He's learned to comfortably climb down from things backwards now too. He's really got the hang of building with his big blocks that his uncle bought for his birthday and he's getting better at turning individual pages of books instead of turning them all at once.
Likes/Dislikes: He's still not a fan of the car and is starting to get angry being in the pushchair too, he just doesn't like being restrained in general and even protests if you try to put a blanket over him! He got very angry earlier because we bought a dummy clip so he can't keep throwing his dummies out of the pushchair and he had a major meltdown about it. He loves building towers and knocking them over, he likes ramming into things with his walker and Mr Tumble is his new favourite thing - we love him too!
Nursery: We are so proud of how he's settled in at nursery. He's starting to get the hang of the routines and doesn't kick up much fuss when he's dropped off. He's eating reasonably well there after refusing everything for the first couple of weeks - he sits in a chair at the table like a big boy with a plate and everything! He's also started napping there and the naps have gradually increased from 20 minutes to around an hour which is great. His Key Worker has got a great bond with him and they send us multiple updates every day so we can see how he's doing and what he's playing with.
Me: I'm actually enjoying being back at work although I'm struggling in terms of tiredness and not having enough hours in the day to do all the other things that need doing. OJ seems to play up a bit more for me now either by refusing to sleep or just being grumpy when I get home but I think that's just because he misses me and is letting his emotions out. In a couple of weeks I will be starting my self employment which means I'll be working 5.5 hours on the 2 days I'm off work and a few hours at the weekend. It's going to be hard work and I'm not convinced I will do it for long unless it ends up paying really well but we will give it a go. Now that I'm happy at work I'm not so bothered about being self employed and we've decided I need to stay in fixed employment at least until we've had our second baby (fingers crossed) so that I can have proper maternity pay. ALS is also now looking into wanting his own gym so he will need help with that and there just aren't enough hours in the day. While I'm working two jobs I'm not going to get much time with OJ in the week and I'm going to miss out on things like swimming but I feel like I have to give it a go as the Princes Trust have helped me so much - I smashed my panel meeting last week and am waiting for a mentor to be allocated to me.
I tried to get back to the gym a couple of weeks ago but then have been ill every weekend since so once again I'm failing. I'd lost weight again but that's gone back on so I'm sitting at a steady 50 kg, which is still ridiculously light for me. I really think I'm ready for OJ to be weaned now (assuming we can find other ways to get him back to sleep consistently) because I could do with being able to put dairy/soya back in my diet and also being able to hand over to ALS completely just for the odd night here and there so I can get some proper solid sleep. He's great at the weekend when he's at home and lets me have a lie in when he can and since I've been back at work OJ is definitely getting more comfortable with going to sleep with daddy instead of me so hopefully things will start to improve somewhat.
1 year old - week 4
Day 1 - I really love how well these two have adapted to the new routine with me being back at work and the selfies I get are great!
Day 2 - morning snuggles with Mr Tumble after a night involving a lot of vomiting and diarrhoea for OJ and a major headache for mummy!
Day 3 - 13 month growth photo, it doesn't even look like him!
Day 3 - wonderfully candid outtake... not sure what he's smiling at though!
Day 3 - sneaky ride on daddy's shoulders.
Day 3 - walking through the park with mummy.
Day 3 - off to play with daddy.
Day 3 - he mastered climbing this in no time!
Day 3 - where's my baby gone?!
Day 3 - nom nom nom.
Day 3 - playtime with mummy.
Day 3 - balloons still going strong from his birthday.
Day 3 - he kept twanging it with his teeth then looking shocked.
Day 3 - loves his balloons.
Day 6 - looking like a proper big boy munching on his apple.
Day 6 - I know it's an apple tree but that one isn't meant to go in there!
Day 6 - I went to make dinner, came back and daddy was just sat watching him climb in and out of his book box.
Day 7 - tonight he went to bed with a bottle of almond milk (although he had breast milk before we went upstairs), there was a lot of faffing about while drinking the first couple of ounces but then 40 minutes later he settled down, guzzled the remaining 5 oz, grabbed his dummy and fell asleep on his Gruffalo toy! Any progress is good progress!
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