Monday, September 26, 2011

My Fussy Eater

After starting Mikayla on solids at five months old it was a struggle to find anything that she would happily eat. Many days were spent in the kitchen creating delicious and nutritious purées for my baby girl. Sadly after all my hard work I was only confronted with a clamped mouth and much gagging and spitting if I managed to get anything past those tight lips. I was so disappointed :(

I knew Mikayla was getting to the age where her iron levels were depleting and she needed more then my breast milk could provide. After reading about "baby led weaning" I decided to give it a go and see if this would intrigue her delicate taste palette.

She happily took to feeding herself the little bits of whole food I would cut up for her and lay out on her high chair table. It is so cute watching her munch away on these little bits of food. She is so independent already. I am just happy she is getting more nutrients and starting to expand her tastes.

My little munchkin with her selection of foods.
This smile says it all.

Thursday, September 22, 2011

Sleeping Beauty

My life has become so much easier now that Mikayla is actually taking naps throughout the day. I feel better, she feels better, everyone is definitely better :)



Mikayla refused to nap during the day for a very long time. This was a big reason my blog went neglected. The only way I could get her to nap was in my arms, and boy would I cop it if I should try put her down.

Looking back I can see clearly how it was actually my actions enabling this behaviour. As soon as she started crying I would pick her back up and rock her back to sleep in my arms and then sit with her until she woke up on her own. How silly I was. Although I loved this time with her and the bond we were sharing, I became so exhausted and deflated. I knew I had to make some changes for her sake and mine. I wasn't teaching her any good habits and every mother needs some time to themselves.

My husband and I decided first of all to buy a better cot mattress. We originally bought just a standard hard foam mattress that was covered in PVC. Mikayla seemed to toss and turn a lot at night and would get sweaty from the plastic. I had a feeling this was another reason she was waking so frequently at night too. So after spending way more then you would think a decent cot mattress would cost, we noticed a huge difference in how Mikayla slept. With a few tips from the Baby Whisperers book Mikayla was having 1-2 hour naps in the morning and afternoon with out any trouble.

Off course a big part of this was having to drastically change my behaviour as well. I stopped picking her up if she cried when I lay her down. I am not a huge believer in the "crying it out" method, so I opted for a gentler approach. If she cried I would stand by her cot the whole time speaking soft words of comfort, and if need be, a hand on her belly or stroking her hair. Mikayla could stand up by the time I started trying this method so she would often just climb up the side of the cot and reach up for me. The baby whisperer suggests the "pick up, put down" method which I chose to use. Off course Mikayla was not too happy the first time I used this method, but eventually got the message and drifted off to sleep. Since that first time, she goes down for her naps without a fuss.

She still has good and bad nights (although a lot better since introducing the new method), but a lot of this is due to wind problems she has suffered since birth. I have been to the Doctors and have tried many medicines and advice but nothing helps. I am hoping she will grow out of it as her belly matures (fingers crossed).

Anyway, I just wanted to give my experience on sleep training and how I dealt with it. I hope this helps any other Mothers out there who are having a hard time getting their babies to sleep.

Monday, September 19, 2011

Teeth and Chocolate!

Teeth...

Isn't that smile even cheekier then before?


When I wrote my last post Mikayla only had the one tooth, but I knew the second tooth wasn't very far behind. It actually broke through the very next day. I was so excited!



and Chocolate...

Hehe! Look at that chocolate grin.


I decided to give Mikayla her first very own chocolate freddo to munch on this weekend, and boy did she love it! It was so cute watching her devour it, though I am not sure how much she actually got in her mouth judging by that chocolate beard she is wearing.

So cute! Even covered in chocolate.


Trying to share with Daddy.

These photos reminded me of a photo my Mum had taken of me at a similar age eating chocolate. So I went hunting for it and found it tucked away in my baby album. I thought it would be fun to share it with you so I scanned it.



Me as a baby eating chocolate.


I actually think Mikayla and I look very similar. What do you think?

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Woo Hoo!!

We have our very first TOOTH!!! I am so happy that my baby girl has FINALLY cut her first tooth, and the second one isn't far behind either. The gum has gone clear and I can see it just under the skin waiting to come through. I love seeing this little tooth every time she smiles. It is so darn cute!

We have been waiting 9 loooong months for this tooth to make its appearance. Mikayla hasn't been handling teething very well. I had tried everything to ease her discomfort but nothing seemed to help. She has been teething on and off from 4 months, and my goodness it has been hard. Mikayla was actually sleeping through the night from 7 pm - 7 am until teething kicked in, and I think that's when I began some "accidental parenting" and started some bad waking during the night habits. At one point I was barely getting 2 hours in a row of sleep because of the constant waking and feeding, plus she refused to nap during the day. Mikayla also refused to sleep in her cot and would only sleep if I was next to her. Following some advice from the Baby Whisperers book on sleeping, I have now started a more structured night time and daytime nap routine and things are going a lot better. Mikayla is now always sleeping in her cot, having two 1-2 hour naps a day, and usually only wakes once a night for a quick 2 minute feed. I am doing a lot better now too :)

I hope to have a picture soon, if I can manage to get one, of her new cheeky grin.

Friday, September 9, 2011

Milestones

So I have been pretty slack with my blog since Mikayla has come along. I really wish I would keep up with it more because I really enjoy it. I always seem to get distracted though and then forget about it. There is so much to do and so little time.

Anyway since I have missed blogging about most of Mikayla's milestones I thought I would do a quick list of a few of them up to 6 months.

First proper smile was at 6 weeks


First time we heard that gorgeous giggle was at 8 weeks


Could lift her head up and support it in the air for a good length of time at 4 weeks


Slept through the night from 8 weeks (until teething kicked in 2 months later)


Got ears pierced at 3 months, and have not had any trouble with them


Rolled over from back to belly at 3 1/2 months, then front to back at 4 months


Army crawling at 5 months


Sitting unsupported at 5 months


First solid food at 5 months (it was baby rice cereal)


Drinking from a sippy cup at 5 months, and started drinking from a straw at 7 months.


Mikayla's first word was "Mumma" at 6 months. I was so happy!


My little girl has grown up so quickly and it is an honour to watch her grow. Mikayla is now crawling up a storm and climbing everything in site. She constantly keeps me on my toes and I love it! I can't believe in just 3 months she will be 1 year old!

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Happy Fathers Day!

It was Fathers day here in Australia this Sunday just gone, and more importantly it was my husbands first ever Fathers Day! He is such a wonderful Dad to our beautiful daughter, I love seeing them together. They already have a wonderful bond and I am sure it will just get stronger and stronger as she grows.

We had decided through the week that we would go to the Roma Street Park Lands for the day, which is near the city. We had never been there before and have always wanted to check it out. Although sadly when we first got up in the morning the sky looked very cloudy and gloomy. We were very disappointed and almost decided not to go, but we really didn't want to sit around the house all day so we thought we would risk it and see how we went. Luckily we took that risk because it turned out to be a beautiful sunny day in the City.


Proud Daddy with his baby girl


Love, love, love her smile!


Standing in front of a waterfall. It was very loud and sprayed a mist of water every where. Mikayla was very intrigued.


I love these two so much!


Mikayla looking at a yellow flower that I picked for her from the gardens.


Daddy and Mikayla


The beauty of this girl just takes my breath away.


I am so happy we took the risk and decided to go. It was such a wonderful day and Alex loved his first Fathers day.