10mths - No more Mr Independent

Dear William

Every month there is a new milestone that stands out above the rest, this month it was your first and second tooth. Unlike some of your other milestones this one was one that I have been waiting for ................. let’s just say a few months or more. The signs were there 2 weeks prior to the first tooth cutting. You went from only eating foods that were laced with apple or apple juice or mixed with yogurt to refusing everything but VitaBrits. You also added lots of screaming in your sleep with one night screaming so much that we both got up in the middle of the night to give you lots of attention and hugs. The week that the tooth finally cut through was also the same week that my little Mr Independent hung off me like a little monkey (you even had a baboon like bum). Okay you weren’t that bad, but you were defiantly clingy and didn’t like me walking out of your sight and wanted to be at arm’s reach from me. When your 2nd tooth cut everything was far less traumatic, your bottom started going red 1-2 days before and you only wanted VitaBrits for one or two meals (other than breakfast).

This month your Dad celebrated his 40th Birthday. As I busily made perpetrations for the big day I discovered, that while you may have looked like my father and grandfather when you were a newborn you are fast turning into a spitting image of your father. Photos revel that as a baby not only do you share your dad’s facial features you also sure your dad’s stocky build. On the day of the party you had so much fun, being passed around and even when you were clearly very tired you still had a great big smile on your face (6hrs without sleep and having to wake you from two day sleeps; what a star).
We had some issues this year with the house being flooded so this month we have had the plumbers over to fix pipes and to improve drainage. You were very interested in what they were up to, not letting them out of your sight and were very content in watching them for ½hour or more.

While there has been no more real development in your language, you do seem to direct your ‘tat’ to the cat. Your baby bubble brings smiles to our faces and has a melting effect on your Dad’s heart when you’re in your cot bubbling away to your dog (your bubble consists mainly of dadadadada). It has also become louder to say the least, which your Dad says you get from me as I’m far from quiet (which I think is a good thing). When I speak to your Dad or Grandparents on the phone I will always put them on load speaker for them to hear you, but most of the time you just stare at the phone; but by the end of the month you started to grunt at the phone which makes your Gran (Dad’s Mum laugh). And by the end of the month you clap your hands when I start to sing Bar Bar Black Sheep (the only song that gets this reaction).

You have started to wave this month, most times it’s not at the correct times but neither the less it’s very cute. You have two waves, one with the whole hand/arm and the other by closing your fingers/hand. By the end of the month you seam favour the finger/hand wave. Your high fiving is back and most times you will do it on queue. And while all of this is cute I have to say the most exciting motor skill development is that you started to pull yourself up onto your feet this month. It started in your cot, the 2nd time that I came into get you out you had pulled yourself up but too far from the cot rails and had ended up in a ‘r’ shape with the top of your head resting on the rails. You were anything but happy but it looked so funny. With the added strength you’re your legs you are getting better and better at walking while I hang onto your hands or underarms. One particular day you had a little more spring in your step as we walked down the hall chasing the cat. There were so much spring that you found enough energy to walk back up the hall when he tried to get away from you.

Once the first tooth cut through your appetite increased and no longer did I have to lace your food with apple or juice. Not only did this make meal time easier for me but I also stopped worrying about you only eating sweet foods. With your teeth coming through you began to be much happier eating foods that weren’t mash, which has also been a concern of mine. Even so I still have to process your food, especially your meats. This month your new foods included
• Vegemite Sandwich
• Whole Grapes
• Oranges (you did try once before only a little, your know eating a whole orange per sitting)
• Toddler Fruit bars
• Rice biscuits
• Toddler Muesli bars
• Prima – not a food but your able to drink through the straw

Below are some things we got up to this month.
• 9mths – started to smile and laugh when you fart at meal time after I say ‘William, not at the dinner table’
• 40.5 weeks – Up half the night; turns out it was due to your first tooth being on its way.
• 41 weeks – Giggling when your being cheeky and crawling away (normally down the hall)
• 41.5 weeks – Pulled up to yourself up to your feet
• 42 weeks – Became clingy, drunk your first prima, cut your 1st tooth.
• 43 weeks – First 13.5 hours sleep over night (the beginning of 12hrs of sleep each night).
• 43.5 weeks – Waving.
• 44 weeks – First Clap (happened as I was changing your nappy; very cute). Cut your 2nd tooth

Very Happy with the Vegemite sandwich

Loving bath time

Fun in the park

Balls balls and more balls, oh how much fun.

Yes we know you love your baths

Not so sure about the calf after it sucked your hand

Happy 10mth Birthday Little Monkey

9mths - William where are you???

Dear William

While you’re still commando crawling it doesn’t slow you down or stop you getting up and over obstacles. We had dinner at Auntie Lucy’s and Uncle Gerard’s place early in the month and you had no problem crawling up the half step into their kitchen; the attraction was the bin and a coke bottle which amused you for a while (the bottle that is). I’ve also had you crawl up and over my legs and crawl off my stomach after a hug on the floor. I quite often also have a shadow as I walk around the house, however you are often distracted by the bag cupboard in the kitchen, bathroom, your toys on the floor of your bedroom and your number one love; dad’s office full of paperwork on the floor (he will learn to leave the door shut soon). One day I left you in the lounge room to hang a few cloths out, I popped back in to check on you as I couldn’t hear you playing with any toys. You had crawled off but I couldn’t find you in any of your normal places. When I was up one end of the house I heard a little squeak up the other end but when I got there you weren’t there, then I heard it again. Turns out I had run right past you; you had crawled into the book nook alongside some boxes and couldn’t get out. You have crawled on your hands and knees a number of times now, with the first time being at your grandparents (dad’s parents) on their carpet floor. However you still find it a lot easier to commando as its hard work on the slippery floor boards of our home.

Dad was on babysitting duty again as Jess and I went to see Michael Buble. Ahh finally you are happy to go to bed for Dad. Not only did you go to bed easily, you had some milk and you went to bed around the same time you go to bed for me. You’re a good little boy.

You have moved on from saying aba and onto tat which we think you picked up from us saying cat, however you don’t say it a lot. Your favourite word is still dada and your fast picking up other little sounds which you say when I’m singing songs. Your favourite song use to be Bar Bar Black Sheep, but just lately I notice less smiles when I sing this and more with I’m singing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, plus you make a few of your own sounds when I sing it.

We have really noticed that you love music, and over the last few months you move or should I say bounce to it more and more. There are certain adds on the television that really set you off, it’s rather cute. So we will look at taking you to a music program over winter; something for us to get us out and about when it’s colder.

You have developed some funny little habits which you mainly do when your tied like put your little hand up behind your ear and pull your hand back, sometimes you even grab your ear or rub it. You have also stared to pull your hair that sits behind your ear; the hair there is now the longest and sits out afterwards, especially when you have sticky food hands. Your latest little habit is nodding your head once or twice (a deep nod) a bit like a cocky. When you first started doing it, it looked like you were agreeing with what we were saying or other times like you were embarrassed/shy about what we were saying, oh how cute it is.

Between you not sleeping well at night and not eating well I had to do some thinking and trying a few things to sort the issues out as you started to wake up more than once a night (not good for either of us). So I cut out your mid morning and afternoon milk and sometimes your lunch milk us well. You then quickly found your appetite at meal times and you also started to sleep through the night. Oh what a relief. However I now have the problem of you not eating foods that are lumpy and quite often I have to even sweeten the soft food with apple juice to get you to eat it, it’s concerning me a little but will persist and see how things go. This month your new foods included
• Eggplant (started with lumpy now only mashed)
• Polenta mixed with pumpkin and apple juice
• Tuna with cheese sauce and broccoli
• Rhubarb with apple
• Blancmange with fruit
• Grapes (bit hit and miss, and I have to either peel them or bite them in half)
• Eggs (mixed in custard etc)
• Creamed Rice
You have also tried eating a eucalyptus leaf, you clearly didn’t like it as I found you coughing it up/out. It left your breath a bit like a koala’s I’m guessing and your voice a little squeaky for a few days (mainly when your cried or protested)

We also found a new family car; so my old car that Dad was driving has been moved on and he has his car back while we drive the new car. It’s a 2WD Rav4, it is lovely to drive and a lot more space for your things as well as groceries and luggage when we go up to Nan and Pa’s. Your loving the extra height, as it means you can see out the front window and see what is going on outside a little more. It’s also a lot easier getting you in and out of the car.

Good bye Carolla, you did me well

Hello bright and shinny

We celebrated Priya’s Birthday this month, it seems like only yesterday that we welcomed her into the world and were awaiting your arrival. Her birthday outing was to the Bundoora Farm, I think you enjoyed the playground more than the animals. You defiantly didn’t enjoy the goat, you thought he was funny to start with as he tried to get his head out the gate palings, but when he got his head out and started to try the horns you started to get a little upset.

Below are some things we got up to this month.
• 8mths – started following me around the house & climbed up/over obstacles.
• 37 weeks – Crawled on all 4’s, had your 2nd modelling job (for Britax, photos realised in August), started nodding and began to sit yourself up.
• 38.5 weeks – started to sleep through again.
• 39 weeks – Started to pull yourself up on your knees, ate a leaf, can hold yourself on your legs with a little help with balance and weight.
• 39.5 weeks – Went to your first live gig - Uncle Gerard playing a solo acoustic set at Honey Bar

You love bath time

Happy 9mth Birthday bug-a-lug

What....... your all ready 2mths Old

Dear William

2mths ago you entered our world and changed our lives forever. There have been some challenging times but for every one of these moments there have been a dozen more of pure delight. Every moment of every day we thank you for filling our lives with love and joy.

There were many tears on the day or your arrival, mainly from me; but be assured they were all due to the over whelming happiness that flooded over us as we laid eyes on you for the first time. We spent 9mths waiting and trying to prepare ourselves for your arrival, but while we were busy preparing your room and making sure we had everything we needed to bring you home, we weren’t prepared for the feelings that suddenly rushed over us the moment you entered.

His all ours

Auntie Lucy was there to share the experience of your arrival (she was backup for your Dad, encase the blood and bits got too much for him). Even though you Dad was wonderful and was by my side at all times, Auntie Lucy was there for me in ways that Dad wasn’t and as a man couldn’t have been. For the strength that she gave me that day, I’m forever grateful. I know that the day was very special for her and she will hold it close to her heart. And she welcomed you to the world with a tribute on her blog http://lovememyblog.blogspot.com/2010/06/welcome-to-world-william-george.html

After the midwifes helped me give you your first feed they said that they would take you to the nursery and look after you so that I could have a good night’s sleep. I suddenly felt a protective instinct kick in as I instantly didn’t like the idea of you leaving my side, however before I answered I took a quick moment to think about how exhausted I was and that I needed all the rest I could find for the days that laid ahead. The biggest hurdle in the first few days for me was the feeding (it was so painful to start with, something that I wasn’t ready for) and accepting the fact that I needed an afternoon nap (in the past I hadn’t been good doing but quickly found a lot of comfort in curling up after your afternoon tea).

The 2nd hurdle was when I couldn’t settle you for the 2nd night in a row; I had been determined not to lean on the midwifes too much, but come that night I had to call for help as I was completely exhausted and in tears. Looking back I think some of it may have also been the case of the baby blues.

The 3rd hurdle was on the 4th day when the midwifes and paediatrician informed us that we had to put you under the UV lights as you had a bit of Jaundice. I missed you terribly as you spent the next few days and nights in your little sun bed, and I missed giving you lots of hugs and kisses. After I fed and changed you and put you back under the lights I would stand and watch you fall back to sleep and have tears role down my face; I just wanted to be able to hold you and have you lay beside me at night. While you were busy sleeping and soaking up the UV’s, I was busy expressing milk as you had made my nipples bleed (by the way; at the end of the first 24hrs I felt like a cow) and trying to find a few hours sleep.

I miss you being by my side

The day finally came when we could bring you home, we were so excited and nervous that day. Excited that we were finally going home were we would truly become a family, but nervous as we didn’t have the midwifes to lean on for help. However we settled into our new lives well, straight away you slept well in your new bed and while you quickly decided that you weren’t going to sleep much through the day you were generally a well behaved little boy. The hardest thing for me to cope with was the breast feeding, if it wasn’t for Kris turning up on the 2nd day at home I think I would have given up. It was a real challenge to work through the pain of breastfeeding; however it’s now a dream and so easy and convenient compared to bottle feeding that I’m glad that Kris made me work through the pain.

1st Day Home

Once I had found my feet with our new life I quickly found time to get back into the kitchen. It turns out that it’s a place for me to sort of escape and feel normal. However, this quickly turned into a dilemma when what I was cooking gave you severe wind. But once we worked out that I should avoid onions and chick peas (have also been told cabbage) you were happier and in turn your dad and myself.

28th June

Even though we knew we were parents it really hit us for the first time when the three of us went to Mick and Mel’s for dinner 2½ weeks after you were born. We had just started driving out of our street and I said to your dad; “Doesn’t this feel surreal? We are now parents heading to Mick and Mel’s, and what makes it more surreal is that they are expecting their own little person. We are now grownups!”. So you fully understand the depth of all of this, you need to know that before Mel was pregnant Mel wasn’t overly keen on having a child/children.

Below are some of the things that we got up to;
· 3 weeks – For the first time you enjoyed and fall asleep in the BabyBjorn (while I finished preparing dinner)
· 3½ weeks – I walked to the letter box up by the Apollo Park Primary School with you in the BabyBjorn. It was a good work out. We had a good afternoon nap that afternoon, we both cuddled up on my bed.
· Almost 4 weeks – Rode the bus to Greensborough shopping centre for the 1st time. You also found your little voice on the same day (12/7/10)
· 5 weeks – Started having 2hr feeds thought the day but rewarded with your had your first 8.5hrs between feeds (wasn’t over night)
· 5½ weeks – Went to your first football match; Collingwood v’s Richmond. Collingwood won! On the same day you also enjoyed your first train ride, 1st time back driving and with you by myself and 1st time I breast feed you in public
· Almost 6 weeks – You moved into 000 clothes
· 6 weeks – We know see real smiles without them being wind related
· 6½ weeks – Started attending Mothers Group and you slept through the night for the first time.
· 7 weeks – Now sleeping through the nights consistently. Last feed between 7-8pm with morning feed between 4-6am. Your hair started to fall out and you know way 5kgs.
· 7½ weeks – Went to the library for the first time; Nursery and Rhyme Time
· Almost 8 weeks – Found your right fist
· 8 weeks – Found your left fist and now back to 3hr feeds. Your also almost out of your newborn nappies
· 2mths – Had your first 10hrs between feeds and your almost giggling now. Your head is starting to look like your Grate Grandpa Davies (a little hair on top with a bit at the lower back). You had your first number 3 (poo explosion worthy of a bath)

3rd July

24th July - 1st footie match

25th July

HAPPY 2nd MONTH BIRTHDAY MY LITTLE MAN