Here comes the hot stepper!

Dear me... has it REALLY been 6 weeks since I last wrote? Wow! I had every intention of writing this post when Chloe turned 11 months exactly but she went through a bout of what I like to call 'power' or 'disco' naps... day sleeps of about 30 minutes so that didn't leave much time to update you all... but couldn't you do it when she plays? I suppose I could have, but since she is now ON THE MOVE (!) I do risk her eating chemicals, or bashing her head on furniture if I'm not 'on it' for an extended length of time, and none of us want that! Right? Plus we've been SUPER busy, what with all the trips to the aquarium and playing we've been doing!

So ... without further a due, here comes the update...

As of the 19/7/2013 her stats were:

Weight: 8.7kgs
Height: 70cm
Head: 45.5cms - which has plateaued and thankfully is in 'normal' range again! Phew ;-)

EATING

 

So Little Miss is still at a nice predictable 3 meals a day with a morning and afternoon 'snack' which she is happy to feed herself .... and three milk feeds! That's right, three! In the last month we have successfully phased out the 3pm feed! Yay! We have replaced it with a little snack that bridges the gap between the afternoon nap and dinner at 5pm. So far so good! Next will be the 11am feed, but we think that will be easy in the next few weeks to drop as *knock wood* Chloe has started having a more substantial sleep in the morning again (1.5hours or there abouts), meaning that when she wakes, we could technically give her lunch straight away. Then once we're on morning and night feeds, transition to sippy cup of milk rather than boob. That's the plan anyways, but we all know how plans can be thrown out the window with these little munchins! In order to help with the milk thing, we've started giving her cows milk on her weetbix in the morning to ensure when we do attempt the transition it wont be a massive shock to the system. So far she's had diluted milk with 3 parts water, 1 part milk and we haven't seen any major side effects. We'll gradually adjust the ratios until it's all milk and then bob's your uncle.... hopefully!
 

 

Chloe is showing a lot of interest in 'cooking' her food and being just like mummy and daddy. She wants to drink from cups and our water bottles which we obviously encourage. She also wants to eat more grown up foods, hilariously falling into the family tradition of chicken and chips on the weekend. We don't think it'll be too long before she's just eating what's on our plate. But when having her 'meal', she prefers more mashed food still, rather than chunky food. 

 

COMMUNICATION

 

Chloe is quite the little chatter box, as you all know. She squeals, laughs, shouts, chats and is generally a very noisy little person. And while I find it ridiculously cute when she 'talks' to us, I often find myself apologising in public for her 'loudness', particularly when she squeals to get strangers attention. Most people are very accommodating and 'talk' to her for a minute or so, which she now loves. The fear of strangers is slowly fading. Thank goodness.

 

We are also very confident in understanding what she wants based on the tonal sounds in her 'language'. Everything is still mostly baby talk but she is developing some recognisable sounds such as 'mum' and 'da da' which are often used correctly. But it really is the tone in her voice that tells us what she wants. 'Eh' being a particular favourite sound. This has now been paired with pointing which is great, much better than the previous crying or shouting to indicate what she wants! Sometimes she'll even look at an object and then back at us and its pretty clear what she's after. We are doing our best to encourage her language development by verbalising her wants. I.e. 'Do you want some water? Ok, Chloe, mummy will get it for you'. As well as key phrases like 'please' and 'thank you'. I realise its still early days, but her talking will creep up on us before we know it. She is already a very alert observer and mimics quite impressively all we do, it wont be long before its all we say too. So consider all of you with potty mouths on notice! Mummy included! hehe.

 

And this communication thing is really a two way street, not only are we getting better at speaking baby, but Chloe is understanding us as well. Not only can she consistently look and respond when we call her name, but also follow simple instructions such as cute parlour tricks like 'Where's your head?' to which she will lay her hands on her head as well as 'Get Daddy' when playing chase-y's. She understands when we say 'ahhh' what she has in her hand is meant for her mouth. She will give us what she has in her hands when we reach out for it and say 'Ta', but may want it back straight away and she also understands 'hi' and 'bye' and 'uh ah' (no), but may not always listen, hehe.

 

Chloe also is demonstrated more affection to known people such as cuddles at the aquarium with daddy and more recently smiled the instant she saw Auntie Kehlet walk in the door. She still has a very strong attachment to mummy, but with daddy now home more often is starting to show a preference for him as well. However, as hard as we try, the elusive 'kiss' still eludes us.  

 

 GETTING AROUND

 

Look out world! Here comes the hot stepper! Chloe officially took her first steps on the 9th of July.... and then.... nothing. Not another unassisted step until about a week ago. To be fair she did have two major falls using her walker and I think that put her off. But now its all stations to walking town.... and its ALL SHE WANTS TO DO! At home she's happy to cruise along furniture and take a few wobbly steps between things, but if the gap is not deemed safe she'll shout for us and we'll hold her hand (more for confidence than anything else) and off she goes! The same when we're out, just lacking a bit of confidence in going it alone, until now she has only walked independently a handful of times when we are out but nonetheless she is very impressive. But watching herself walk on our iPhones is a major motivator....as you can see in the video.

 

Shortly before the return of walking, Chloe started crawling! I know! What a massive month we've had! Although, I have to admit, its some crazy, creepy, own style of crawling. Its very Gollumlike. One leg 'walks' whilst the other drags, or crawls behind her. But we'll take it! Anything is better than nothing and it sure has reduced the number of frustrated cries of a little lady stranded. She is now able to confidently crawl to a piece of furniture, pull herself up (no long just a bath time trick), cruise along the furniture and then take a few steps to mummy or daddy at the end. It does become a little haphazard, if I want to go to make a cup of tea or answer the call of nature. Gone are the days of leaving the room and returning to a baby where I left her. Hello every sharp edge, tiny pieces of fluff on the floor and safety gates! Thankfully, all jokes aside, she was pretty quick to learn how to fall onto her bum safely and that she needs to put her arms out if she falls forward, although shes not always happy about it.

 

SLEEPING

Sleeping, ahhh, sleeping! The ongoing battle! So Chloe's naps are now 1030am (or there abouts) and then anywhere again between 230-330pm depending on what she looks like... and how exhausted mummy's feeling. Ha! The 1030am tends to be the longer one, but not always, with the afternoon one being more of a disco nap. I can see that the morning nap will gradually get later and the afternoon one will drop off entirely. Not something I'm looking forward too. You see, Chloe's current routine is wonderful. I can be out all day without too much disruption, she'll survive on two 30 minute naps in the pram, or I can sleep her in the car to and from somewhere. However as we begin to move to one nap, my options are to a) rush home or b) have a sleep deprived toddler all afternoon. Not great choices really. But there are worse problems to have!

She is also now *knock wood* sleeping through.. for over a month, almost two. I can count on one hand the amount of times we've had to get up to her and most of those have been because of illness or we are out of town (at Maitland for example). She sleeps roughly from 630-630. Some days she'll go to bed later, like on special occasions, some mornings she'll get up at 6. On these days we often leave her in bed and she babbles away happily to herself, only once she 'calls' for us do we go in and get her. Then if Jarratt's home, we all snuggle in our bed for the morning feed and half and hour or so of cuddles. I love it so much! Its seriously one of my favourite times! I feel like I need to pinch myself, its just so beautifully surreal! Also Chloe's bedtime routine of Bath, Book, Boob, Bed has continued successfully. Again, I can count on one hand the number of times she's cried about going to bed, most nights she just goes straight to sleep on her stomach! Bless her! At first we were worried that she wasn't comfortable, but in the last week or so despite rolling her back over, she just rolls back - so we figure that's the way she's comfortable.... the only problem is she's not all that proficient at rolling back. Ahhh sleeping, the ongoing battle!

PLAYING

 

Playing is such a relative term. Chloe loves to play with a variety of things and in a variety of places and we're more than happy to oblige. The way she solves things like how playground equipment works or where mummy is during hide and seek is amazing! We try and make her playing stimulating and different whilst still keeping a rotation of old favourites like talking with the baby in the mirror and dancing to music! As well as perfecting skills like her pincher grip and hand eye coordination.

 

Two of Chloe's favourite things to do now that she is getting older and more aware of her surroundings is to go on play dates with her friends and on regular walks to various parks. Each week I work hard to fill her calendar with little social outings, be it with friends or just as a family. Chloe gets so excited at the prospect of heading out the mere sound of the door knob as I turn it to open the front door has her in hysterics! And don't get me started for the performance that happens every time we approach our local park, let alone the swings! She swings and kicks her feet in the pram and scrunches up her face with a smile so bright it really does light up the world! During play dates she is a sweet little thing, and absolutely enthralled by other little kids. I am really proud of the way she shares her toys and even soggy biscuits. They continue to be a real highlight for both her and I in the week and I would be at a loss without my wise mummy friends. Always there to lend a hand and indulge in a coffee and macaroon. hehe

 

Swimming, unfortunately swimming has not been as popular of late. She reluctantly goes under water now and will often get upset at the prompts for diving in. I think it stems from the fact that all her friends have now left the class and week upon week she has been alone in the lesson. Thankfully one of her lovely friends and mother is sneakily attending our class, I hope this will help improve her enjoyment levels. If not, I am seriously considering packing it in and instead just going here and there over the warmer months and re-enrolling her when she's older. I'm giving it until I go back to work (Early October), I'll let you know how she goes. Meanwhile Daddy got to expreince his first swimming lesson about a month ago (before the reluctance set in), below is a video of them together at the pool.



As far as toys go, she has started to show a preference for what I can only call 'mummy's toys'.... my mobile, the remote, kitchen utensils. Not that its a problem, its just very amusing. The carpet will be strewn with a rainbow of colourful toys and she'd rather have the remote. Go figure!? But her favourite toys are definitely Mummy and Daddy, as well as any other willing adult participant like Auntie Lin. She loves playing a slightly altered version of hide and seek.... a bit like Marco Polo, where she'll 'walk' with Daddy, whilst mummy hides then call out 'eh?' to which I'll reply 'eh' until found. This game she finds HYSTERICAL! The other is chase-y! Basically the name explains it all.. Very occasionally, she'll have quiet moments of independent play... I relish these as it gives me a chance to step back and look at what a wonderful little kid she is and reflect on how lucky I truly am.

OTHER STUFF...

 

In other news we've had a few exciting personal stories to report on. But before that I want to say a BIG thanks to our recent babysitters (The Godmother and Auntie Kehlet), now that Chloe is sleeping through the night we, well I have been able to head out on two occasions as my boobs weren't 'on call' and twice we've called upon the bestest of friends to help us out and (not surprisingly) they were only too happy to duck around and sit in our unit whilst Chloe slept. Thank you ladies, from the bottom of our heart.... now, whose volunteering next? hehe

 

Daniel and Maite Visit

The Godfather and the future Mrs Godfather came and visited for a weekend and we had 'stacks' of fun. The weekend was filled with football, food and Chloe's very first trip to the aquarium. It was a lovely experience to share with Daniel and Maite and one that won't be forgotten any time soon. Chloe was amazed by all the fish in the tank and movement within the aquarium, but it was a very exhaustingly big day for her! As always, Daniel and Maite were beyond sweet to her and we were floored by just how much love they have for her.
 

 

 

And finally ... Jarratt starting own business

Jarratt has started his own electrical business. YAY! Wired by Wyatt is officially a reality. Although, it is still early days, he seems to be doing well. It is so unbelievably nice to see him finally achieve a life long dream! I know he will be amazing and do very well! So for all your electrical needs, contact Wired by Wyatt. Or check out his website: www.wiredbywyatt.com.au *shameless plug!*

 
And so..... in less than 3 weeks Chloe will turn one! Its banana's how fast the year has flown by. I can't believe this time last year I was dreaming of her face, her smell, her beautiful smile and now I get to experience those things every day! She is by far our greatest achievement. People stop us in the street and tell us she's gorgeous, she gives them a big smile and they comment on how happy she is, she performs a parlour trick and they say she's so clever. And she's all those things and so much, much more.

Sometimes, its easy to get hung up on the negative and not look at the positives in life and sometimes it takes a real effort to step back and see the forest for the trees. But as we approach the one year mark and exhale deeply and celebrate the fact that we managed to keep a little human alive for a whole year it occurs to me that I am happy, blissfully, ridiculously, you'd vomit if I continued to use another adverb, happy. But more than that I am extremely grateful that I have a supportive husband that loves me despite all my faults and a beautiful, happy, healthy daughter who makes all my previous errors in life melt away for in her we have really created something special. How did we ever get so lucky?

Living a model life.

Hi there!

How are we all? I'm well, State of Origin is on and I've been stripped of my couch commando title and lost all rights to the remote.... it happens every year, but hey! I get the (remote) control pretty much EVERY other night so I won't complain. And it actually gives me a chance to catch you all up on the comings and goings of our little world. Lucky for you Jarratt is mad on the footy otherwise with our current social calendar I don't know where I'd find the time to write this monthly update. But before I get into the segmented update stuff, I need to have a proud mumma moment and share with you the most recent and notable highlight in our world.

The Monday just gone (24th), Cosmo pregnancy was released and Chloe appeared in it.... TWICE! Based on the photo shoot 2ish months ago, two of her photos were selected to appear in the mag and we just could not be any proud of our little superstar. Below is one of the images from her modelling debut....

I also realised re-reading the last blog, as I do before I start each new post, its been a while since I updated you on Chlo's measurements.... So..... here goes:

Chloe has cracked 8kg, weighing in at 8.03 at her last check up. She had gone backwards in her height and was measured at 69cm, but this isn't unusual as each nurse has a different measuring technique and none are perfect... the one measurement that did have a few eyebrows raised was her whopping big head! Her head was measured as 45.5cm, meaning it had jumped a few bands since last check up. So whilst her height and weight sits pretty on its line at the 25th percentile, her head is up somewhere near the 75th. Which had me in hysterics as the nurse consulted the doctor.... I mean what can be done about a giant head really?? Maybe I should put less headbands on her... maybe that has something to do with it, hehe.

 EATING

So not much has changed on the food front, Chloe is still eating three meals a day, plus snacks. Although her finger food has become more substantial – just today she feed herself a off cut of silver side that we’d had for dinner last night. It was pretty funny watching her chew away on it like a little puppy! Her coordination with the spoon is also improving, despite sometimes feeding herself using the wrong end, hehe. She is also confidently using her sippy cup now with the flow control on, which has helped with spillages and her being more independent in drinking. I can now leave her chloe cup beside her as she plays or on her high chair table tray and she'll pick it up and drink herself. Its wonderful to see her growing in her independence!

Her milk feeds are also becoming shorter and shorter with the 7am feed being the longest and the 11am, 3pm and 630pm being less than 10 minutes, sometimes less than 5. Its bananas how fast she is now with feeding! In the last post I mentioned we were contemplating dropping the 11 or 3 feed depending which she favoured less, but neither has been more popular than the other so for the time being we are keeping both. I plan on phasing out day feeds by 12 months, then once that’s established phasing out boob all together…. So there IS light at the end of the tunnel, hehe.

COMMUNICATION

 



The squealing continues to be Chloe's main form of communication. She has tonal changes in the ba, pa, eh, etc sounds that indicate her intention and all are pretty amusing! She is also becoming much better at responding to and understanding questions. For example if we are at home and Jarratt leaves the room, I will ask her 'Where's Daddy? Where did he go?' and she will look in the direction he left and occasionally say 'Da da' and point.

Pointing to things is also new, she now points and I do my best to say the name of the object she is pointing to. Sometimes she makes a sound that is similar to the word I have just said, which shows a real intelligence and strength in communication. I truly believe Chloe is going to be a real little chatter box when these sounds start turning into words... I just don't know how Jarratt will live with both of us.

Her non verbal communication is also out of sight, in addition to pointing and looking in the direction of things she has started shaking her head as in she is saying 'no'. She seems to do it when she is excited or having a good time which has confused many people who are unfamiliar. It does however make for some funny videoing as you can see below.

Whilst away in Fremantle, and leaving a BBQ, Chloe raised her hand and waved, a very royal looking bye to everyone. Since then she has become more consistent in waving bye to people and the wave has become less royal and more of a mirror image replica. It is very sweet when we say to her 'say bye' and she raises her hand and waves. She is such a cutie patootie!!!

She has also become more affectionate. In the last week or so I have received my first REAL cuddles, where she'll lean her head against my chest and snuggle in. I have also seen much affection for her little friends when we are on playdates. She's never been the kid that would 'grab' another and lately I've seen her gently lean in and open her mouth as if to kiss another child, or gently stroke their face. This was very evident in her photo shoot for Cosmo a few months ago when the boy who was being photographed with her was deeply distraught, Chloe softly reached out and stroked his cheek, it ended up being the photo they used for the magazine article, which you can see below.

GETTING AROUND

 

 

Little Miss STILL (FRUSTRATINGLY) shows no interest in crawling, every now and then there is a glimmer of hope as she gets in a crouching position as she reaches for something on the floor. If we encourage her with a gentle manipulation to help get her on all fours, she cries.... so we haven't pushed it. She has, however, got more confident in 'walking'. In order to save our backs we have bought her two contraptions to help and despite really enjoying the version you sit in at Toys r us, she prefers to walk with us .... or with her walker or cruise on furniture. But ... mostly with us, grrrrrrrrrrrr!

 

 



 

 

She still doesn't have a lot of upper body strength required to pull herself up, except in the bath tub, hehe. But she has incredible balance!!! As a result she has been able to stand without support for a good 5 seconds. She has done it on a few occasions now, and more often when she's not thinking about it. I have to say thanks to a VERY clever mummy friend who taught me that it helps if she's holding something to distract her. I wish I could say that this all makes me very excited - that soon I'll have a mobile bub! But if I'm honest, whilst all this standing, walking stuff looks very promising - it is very possible that this phase could continue for a while and whilst she is not interested in crawling, I am stuck with her frustrated cries when I leave the room and she can't follow me, or when one of her playmates or toys is out of reach. I feel bad for her.... but more so, I feel bad for my back. hehe.

 

 

SLEEPING

 

Chloe started turning in her cot this month,
but like most phases it has now past.

Chloe is now having 2 sleeps a day ranging from 30mins (in the pram/car) to 2 hours (in her cot). Her naps happen at roughly 10am and 2pm most days and as much as I don't want to jinx it I'm happy to announce that for the last three nights, Chloe has gone to bed before 7 and slept til 7.... WITHOUT a dream feed. I had done some reading and consulted my clever mummy friends and found that it was possible for bubs her age to last the night without nightly feeds and just being 'resettled'. So we attempted a few nights of Jarratt rocking her to sleep but he could never get her into the cot once asleep and always resulted in me going in to boob feed her to sleep. I was approaching the end of my tether with the whole thing.... 10 months of broken sleep will do that to you! So we applied an approach I read about in Baby Love. Yes, it involved controlled crying, yes, we felt like terrible parents, but yes it seems to have worked! And we haven't looked back.... but, as I previously mentioned its only been 3 from 3 and while I'm hopeful, I'm a realist!

 

 

PLAYING



I don't know how I've forgotten to mention this in previous blogs but Chloe LOVES bubbles and when I say love I mean, kick your feet, squeal very loud and stick your tongue out kind of love. It is one of those things I try and find time for each day, its as fun to her as a visit to the park and has me in hysterics each time I crack out the bubble wand. I FINALLY got around to filming her for you all to see. Its simply heart warming....

 

 

Since the last monthly update, she has continued to show a love for music and often 'dances' and claps along with songs. She has also started 'clapping' as an applause like response, like we do for her. Recently we attended Rhyme Time at the library and she just loved it, often clapping at the end of each song. She even got her own library card so she can borrow new and different books to read with Daddy. She also continues to enjoy visits with her little friends and to the park, they are truly a highlight of each week for both her and I!

 

TRIP TO FREO

 

Chloe was a downright super star on our trip to Fremantle for Aunty Kiki and Uncle Mark's wedding. Despite never really coming across to WA time and having 'naps' every day in her pram, she only lost it twice! She had an amazing time over the long weekend and definite highlights were visiting swan valley wineries and playing in the sand, at both the little creatures brewery and on Bathers Beach after the ceremony. We were very proud of her and her remarkable behaviour, particularly on the 5 hour plane flight there and back! She was SO good, it has us contemplating another long haul trip with her again soon..... it was only a matter of time before she got her own passport with well travelled parents like us.

 

 



 

And so ends another monthly update, we hope you've enjoyed reading about it as much as we've enjoyed living it.... xxx

"It must be so relaxing..."

Hi everyone, how are we? Chloe, Jarratt and I have just bunkered down inside as it's a bit of a drizzly day. She's currently sleeping and I thought I'd make a start on this update that has been hanging over my head like the dark grey clouds in the sky at the moment. I always worry each month as I lack the time and motivation to write the blog that the previous post may be the last... but somewhere, possibly from the depths of my stomach, I muster enough motivation to once again fill you all in on the life and times of our happy little family and it's newest member.

 

EATING



Chloe has continued being a good little eater. She has continued having three meals a day and some snacks. As a result of the increase in solids her milk feeds have gradually become shorter to the point where we think she may be ready to drop a day time feed. At this point we're not sure whether it will be the 11 or 3 o'clock feed as some days she wants one and some days the other. At the moment I'm still offering her both and letting her decide. Its all a bit of trial and error, but being the little diva she is she is pretty clear when she doesn't want it, throwing her head backwards and pushing away from me.

As far as foods go she has now had lamb, bread, pineapple, cucumber, custard, pasta, butter, mandarin, watermelon, rockmelon, milk biscuits, cheese and tomato. I am also a bit less stringent with the 3 day thing. Often I offer her something just to try and if in 24 hours there is no reaction I think great! Hence I'm not so sure how comprehensive the aforementioned list is.

She is also less interested in feeding herself but more concerned with holding the spoon and dragging it through the food in her bowl. Occasionally she'll throw the spoon to the floor which will result in a large bang which amuses her, but also a large mess which, unfortunately does not amuse daddy.  Yet we're powering on as we're sure eventually she'll put this skill and last months skill together and hey, presto! We'll have a self feeding child. That's the hope anyways.

COMMUNICATION

 

Chloe is quite the little chatter box as you all know. She loves to shout and squeal to get your attention and is very rarely quiet. Since last post she has continued to experiment with sounds and says words like 'ba', 'pa' and so on. She is able to use her sounds or tone of voice to communicate quite clearly what her intention is to the point of amazing, whether it be 'look at me! how amazing am I walking with dad?' or 'I dropped that cool black thing with the buttons, you there, pick it up!' And it works both ways, she now, we believe understands us a bit better... When we praise her for good behaviour she smiles and gets all excited. Equally when we say no or 'uh-ah' she often stops what she's doing and looks at us.... unless of course she doesn't want to, then she just squeals!

She also continues to chant dad dad dad on occasions and on the 15th of May threw out her first 'ma ma'. There are no words to explain how your heart melts at the word. Since the initial time it has now become her 'cry out' sound. Needless to say, I feel slightly ripped off, Jarratt gets the cutest da da da and I get maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa. The other day at home, Chloe was crawling around and positioned herself against the arm chair, and whilst looking down the hallway proceeded to 'shout' out to Jarratt which ended with a puzzling look up at me as in 'why isn't he coming?' I didn't have the heart to tell her he wasn't home, hehe.

 

And its not just her oral communication that has improved her body language and facial expressions have also come on leaps and bounds. She looks for objects that have been dropped or disappear. Like when Daddy or I hide, she looks in the direction that we left. She has also pointed to toys and things she'd like to have or touch. However her facial expressions are hands down the thing that we are finding most amusing! She has become a lot more .... um, shall we say, animated in her face, which is both helpful and delightful all in one.

Our favourite face that has developed, after the scrunched up 'no more' face mentioned in the last post of course, is her WOW! This is AMAZING! face. It's hilarious! If something is deemed exciting to young Chloe, she opens her eyes wide, pouts her mouth into an 'o' and makes an 'oooooooooo' sound. We think she is channelling her inner zoolander as this face kind of resembles blue steel. The really funny thing is that it's impossible not to replicate it back at her and often has J and I, as well as many friends and family, in hysterics!

Furthermore, in the last month or so, Chloe has developed a real deep belly laugh. Its the most heart warming sound ever. Once you get her started, you just don't want her to stop. She's a big fan of Mummy pulling funny faces and daddy tickling her on her belly. It truly is a beautiful sound.

 

 

Chloe continues to communicate her affection and love for us by kissing our faces but it has become a little vicious over the last month or so. She will still gently stroke our face but this is now paired with a mad grab for our ears to pull us close and has taken a real shine to poking dad in the eyes.

She has also begun to develop an awareness of 'her people' being Mum and Dad and those that she sees regularly like Auntie Kehlet, neighbours and play date or swimming buddies. Whilst she has never been amazing with strangers and often prefers the company of some people over others. She has definitely reached the age of relationships and separation anxiety from Mum and Dad. We are doing our best to gently extend her circle of carers and by having chats with strangers like shop keepers or friendly Turkish restaurateurs to encourage her to be independent and confident in her interactions with others.

 

GETTING AROUND

 

So Little Miss has still shown little to no interest in crawling, if we put her in a crawling on all fours position she will, as she has always done, cry. So we don't force the issue. Although on the 20th of May whilst left on her tummy on our living room rug she shocked the pants off me! I quickly dashed off to bathroom and when I returned I found her a few feet from where I left her and more impressively off the rug. I quickly grabbed my iPhone and filmed what I have since been told is 'commando' crawling, basically using just your arms to push around. And whilst she may have not found any gear other than reverse, we're impressed all the same!

 

 

 

 

Even more impressive, in the last two weeks or so, she has started 'walking' using Daddy or I as support. Unfortunately, for our backs mostly, it is all she wants to do! Her balance and coordination is out of sight and for all intensive purposes looks very promising for her to walk alone in the next few months or so.... I assume?! But as with everything in this baby caper, I'm not really sure. Just last night (1/6) she stood without holding me or leaning on anything for a good 3-4 seconds before tipping slightly and being caught by mummy. She is growing in confidence each day in reaching for things whilst walking by letting go of one of our hands and in some cases all together and balancing against our legs. Its all very, VERY exciting and slightly nerve-racking as you look around at all the sharp edges and unfriendly baby surroundings.

 

SLEEPING

 

 Not much has changed since last post... Chloe is still sleeping twice a day and up until 2 nights ago I could count on one hand how many times she'd slept through. But *knock wood* the last two nights she has slept from 630-7 with a dream feed at 9am. About 4 nights ago we tried some tough baby love. It occurred to us that we probably had developed in little miss a bit of a crutch in getting back to sleep overnight by either boob feeding her or rocking her back to sleep. I'll let you guess whose approach is whose, haha. And when a few parents from my mothers group told me that their little ones no longer needed a feed through the night when they woke they just needed to be resettled, we thought we'd give it a go. The first night was hard but the second night not a peep! So keep your fingers and toes crossed for us. But... we had a good run like this a while a go and then went away (to Maitland) and that's when the night waking began. So we may just start getting all the puzzle pieces together, but next Thursday we're off to Fremantle for a wedding.... needless to say I'm a little nervous.

 

PLAYING

Chloe has become a very alert observer and a keen little risk taker, add to this a longer awake time, she is now a lot of fun to play with! Since last post we have altered the 'where's mummy?' for a 'where's Chloe?' Which is a blast... particularly when she doesn't understand the concept of the 'hiding' instead raising say a cup or a toy above her head and quickly bringing it down over her face.

She has improved in her coordination and can 'throw' or 'roll' the ball back and forth with daddy as well as use her 'pincher' movement to pick up very small objects. As well as remember what certain toys are built for and do such as chewing on Sophie, shaking a rattle, or even more complicated ones like triggering her talking dog to sing by pressing the button in its foot and lifting the flag on her letter box to make the music play. She has shown a real enjoyment for familiar songs and rhymes to the point now that if we sing 'clap your hands' to her she more often than not will clap along.... and sometimes clap spontaneously, even when we don't sing the song ;-)

She can also pass things from hand to hand and understands swapsies and 'ta' when paying with others. Which is great given all the play dates and such that she attends now. I'm on a whole happy with how she 'shares' and takes turns with other kids, as well as how she will assert herself if necessary. Its in these situations that I really see her personality and marvel at the cute, out going little kid she is. I still really enjoy my catch ups with these little boys and girls and their beautiful mummies. I feel really lucky to have them all in my life to share this amazing experience with.

 

Our visits to the park have become more consistent, each day that we're home we've developed a bit of a routine of going and getting the things for dinner at the local shops... Chloe's now a bit of a superstar down in Penshurst and squeals with excitement each time we walk into IGA ... and then visiting the park on the way home. She's a BIG fan of the swing and slippery dip. She has become more and more confident in using both pieces of play equipment and just recently began leaning forward without any assistance to gather momentum to slide down the slippery dip on her own. And its not just at the park that she's developing this confidence, but also at swimming... She has now done a handful of unassisted underwater swims and will hold onto the wall, keeping her head above water for as long as mummy can stand... it does make me incredibly anxious that her little arms will give way and she'll go straight under. But it's these regular outings and our play dates that make our days so enjoyable.

 

 

The real annoyance is on rainy days, like today, when we're stuck inside... but even then, we find ways to have fun... as you can see in the video below.

 

 

TEETHING AND OTHER 'BAD' THINGS

 

Teething has continued to be the blanket reason to explain away a lot of crazy behaviour... Restless nights, irritability, fussy eating, just to name a few. But since the last post we have only one more of the pesky things popping through the gum (bottom left central incisor) and whilst it did threaten for a while it only appeared to cut through on the 15th of May. Meanwhile the top front teeth and teeth either side of the bottom central incisors look ominous!

 

 

 

Chloe also, thankfully, avoided a bout of hand, foot and mouth that swept through Sydney. Despite playing pretty much on top of, and in the mouth of, one of her little friends at a play date. As well as it taking down one of her bestest mates at swimming. But that's about where the good luck with illness stops as she has managed to contract an ear infection. Which is just perfect timing considering we are boarding a plane this Thursday for the long haul flight to Perth. But... what can you do?! I took her to the doctor last Wednesday who assured me it should clear up in 48 hours, so if she isn't any better by tomorrow, I'll be going back for some antibiotics... normally I'd let her body do its job... but 5 hours on a plane with a sick baby is not my idea of fun!

 

She also, earlier in the month had a minor head injury... whilst at a work lunch catch up thing and posing for a photo with another little girl. She fell backwards onto a window frame before I could catch her... the window frame turned out to be steel and thanks to some quick thinking by my friends, we had ice on her and whisked her away to a local medical centre to be looked over by one of the doctors. The doctor was very helpful and saw us even though we weren't patients at the clinic. She took a look at the bump and said Chloe would need to be monitored closely for the next 4 hours but that I could do that at home. She also assured me that Chloe was fine, meanwhile I was a blubbering mess!!!  It was the first time that I honestly felt a wave of being a bad parent... how could I have put her in that position so close to the window? Why didn't I stay closer? How come I didn't move faster? What if she has brain damage from this? Needless to say I ran away with the thinking a little and made Jarratt come home immediately to give Chloe the once over... He took one look at her and deducted that she was fine!

 

 

MODELLING

 

The day of the big fall, I also received a call from a lady at Cosmo Pregnancy to tell me Chloe had been cast in their upcoming June edition of the annual baby checklist. After being referred by a friend and submitting some photos of Chloe on the Friday she had been cast for the shoot the following Wednesday. She was, in a nutshell, a natural. She spent about and hour and a half on set and didn't cry once... she had outfit changes and posed like a pro! Off the back of this I submitted her for a few modelling agencies, three in total. All three came back saying they'd sign her. In the end we went with Bambini, which one good friend referred to as the 'ford modelling agency for babies'. Tuesday, just gone she had her portfolio shoot and despite the ear infection did quite well. Its a bit of a gamble with whether she'll get work or not. Only time will tell.

 

 

 

 

 

 OUTINGS

 

There have been a few memorable outings recently. The first significant one would have to be my first mother's day which we celebrated with an eating extravagance at Penshurst Deli and Como Hotel. It was a great day where I was showered with love and gifts that have yet to be enjoyed. The other two significant events we have celebrated were Auntie Kehlet's final 20-something birthday over delicious ribs at Hurricane's in Brighton and a trip to Maitland for Poppy's birthday as well as a stop over to see Great Grandma at Cave's beach.

 

All in all its been a busy month as always. But the most tiring thing about the last month or so has been the emotional toll the title of 'SAHM' is taking on me. And for those that can't be bothered looking up that acronym the first word is Stay and the last is Mum :)

 

What I mean is, I've started to feel resentful towards the constant statements like 'It must be so relaxing!', 'what DO you do all day?' and 'I'd love to be a stay at home parent'. I know most of these comments are not intended with malice, nor am I trying to make any of you feel bad if you have possibly said any of the aforementioned comments, its just something that is starting to take its toll on me. I think its because not a lot of my close friends have kids and understand the amount of work that goes into what I do. Sometimes I'm not sure Jarratt even understands. And for the most part whilst I love my 'job' it realistically is unpaid, has long hours, comes with minimal support as well as no training and to many is not considered a 'job' - let alone work! And I can't be angry or even annoyed at these statements because, if I'm honest, I use to think the exact same thing. But now 9 months on, I find it hard to get any time to myself and have sort of 'lost' a lot of what made me, well... me! I'm no longer able to dash off to do this or that... this or that now requires ridiculous amounts of planning from a well scheduled nap, a potential feed in the car or scouting a more appropriate location since little miss is not a fan of being covered whilst feeding, educated guesses on appetite and toy preference and the list goes on and on. I feel bad admitting this, let alone publishing it on the inter webs. I don't resent spending all my time with Chloe or being a stay at home mum, please understand what I resent it is the lack of appreciation and understanding I get for what I do. I admit it has got easier in a lot of ways, but in some ways it's got a lot harder! I guess what I'm saying is if you have read this and enjoyed it, please let me know, it took a large part of my 'day off' to write ;-)

Where did the time go?

And here we are again... Another month and a bit down and I look back, shake my head and think 'where did the time go?' once more! It has been a busy few weeks since I last wrote, just looking at the calendar earlier today I struggled to find a day where we just sat at home and did nothing.... I counted 3, 3! In almost 2 months! That's bananas! But, if I'm honest, I wouldn't have it any other way.

Ok, let me look over my iPhone notes and let's get this update ball rolling....

EATING

 

Chloe has continued to be a little superstar eater, munching away morning, noon and night. She has also developed clear preferences for what she likes and does not like and isn't afraid to make it clear when its the latter. She is, after all, my daughter. hehe. She has now, in addition to the previous foods mentioned, tried broccoli, peach, mango, banana, avocado, yoghurt (plain and strawberry), asparagus and her new favs cauliflower and chicken with carrots. That's right Little Miss is no longer a vegetarian! Although she had some pretty serious objections to avocado, as you can clearly see in the video. Too funny! But other than 'pushing' herself away from unfavourable foods she doesn't kick up too much of a stink.

Give it to me! I can do it!

She has also shown a real eagerness in 'doing it herself', often reaching for the spoon and putting it in her mouth. She is developing great hand eye coordination, but still doesn't have the dexterity to 'feed' herself. Nevertheless, this hasn't stopped her munching away on a rusk or piece of cut apple every now and then.

She's also, after months of fighting the bottle, skipped the 'Sippy cup' stage and is now drinking from a cup!!! Whilst she occasionally has a spill out the side of her mouth, be it accidental or on purpose, she is getting better each day and like grabbing at the spoon is so keen to do it herself she often lunges at the cup when she sees it.

Meanwhile breastfeeding had become super doper fast! She is now feeding less than 5 minutes both sides and turns her head away when done. Although night feedings take longer, sometimes 10 minutes both sides, as I think as she is tired. But it is now actually a fulfilling experience, after months of hard word, we are a very efficient team and I find it quite enjoyable. Its funny though that its taken me this long to 'enjoy' it, and before long we'll begin weening her off... ahhh well.

COMMUNICATION

At about 7 months Chloe said her first word!!!! She had been babbling pretty closely to dadada but then on the 5th of April, clear as day, she just kept repeating over and over again 'dad dad dad'. We are so proud!!

She also has developed a funny face when she's trying to tell you she no longer wants to do a particular activity, be it eating, wiping her face, playing a certain game basically she scrunches up her nose and snorts. Its pretty cute! We love that her 'signals' are now a lot clearer. And despite ALL our positive reinforcement... the squealing has continued. haha

Kisses for Mummy.

She is also communicating by way of love now, by reaching out and gently stroking our faces or grabbing our face and open mouth kissing us. And this is not limited to us either, with Chloe now taking a real (although vain) shine to the 'beautiful baby in the mirror'. After her excited squeals of seeing herself in the mirror from the last time I wrote, it has slowly developed into a real love affair with our mirror needing to be wiped down after each visit. It is too cute though and definitely worth the occasional spray and wipe.

Also as she becomes more and more alert and aware of her surroundings, pair this with her clearer communication skills, she now points or looks directly at/for an object that she wants. This has made for some very fun games such as where's mummy? She is very clever our Chloe, reaching for objects or looking in the direction that they have disappeared to. Sometimes she is so determined to reach an object she almost doubles over on herself, whilst sitting, and reaches outstretched so far that we think for sure she is going to fall over. We definitely have one determined little lady!!!

SITTING and STANDING

Shortly after the last post, Chloe began sitting unsupported. She now prefers to be seated upright, often arching her back when on the floor to indicate she'd like to be sat upright. Her posture is incredible with many people commenting on how she'll be a ballerina. She also very quickly figured out she could put out a hand to balance herself if necessary to prevent a fall, which is great as I can now sit at a greater distance then in the 'TIMBER" catching position. Hehehe.

She still loves to stand with the help of Mummy and Daddy (or the TV cabinet) and is getting much stronger needing less and less help in staying upright and just using us for balance. She still shows no interest in crawling and when put on her tummy will very quickly roll over or cry. She has begun rocking as if she will scoot around on her bottom, but we suspect she may just skip the crawling stage (like the Sippy cup) and get straight up and walk around.

SLEEPING



Story time!

I was a little reluctant to fill this update section in, as I surely jinxed myself with the last update about how wonderful a sleeper Chloe was. And whilst she continues to go down during the day more often than not without a protest and has slowly come around to falling asleep in the pram sans cry, although still for no longer than 40 minutes, she has started an annoying phase of night waking's! And despite the various trial and error approaches we've taken to the night time sleeping thing, we just cant seem to get her back to sleeping through. I think (after 2-3 weeks though) I've just accepted that this is what she is going to do for a while and take comfort in the fact that she'll only wake once, maybe twice a night and at least its not every hour like some bubs!
She is however, showing a strong preference for Mummy to put her to bed and whilst we try Daddy taking her (when he's home), we have not been overly successful yet. So for the time being, we are going to stick to what works and keeps us all sane.

And while daddy may be missing out on the putting Chloe to bed business, he most certainly has the best job all day! The bedtime story! Our bedtime routine now incorporates a book after the feed, that's right, little miss is no longer fed to sleep, and she just about jumps out of her skin when she sees the book. She is THAT keen for her story that Jarratt has to hide the book until we are sure she is finished the feed. It is truly a beautiful daddy-daughter moment each day that they share. My heart is flooded with love each night watching them together. Its just so magical!

SWIMMING

 

Little Miss is now about 6 or 7 lessons into the swimming thing and boy is she loving it! Now as we enter the pool she starts kicking her legs about and squeals with excitement. She also, as of lesson 2, started going under water, making us so proud. She is so cute, when she hears the underwater cues she dives her head, closes her eyes in a squint and pouts her mouth like she's eaten something sour. I wish I could get a photo of it!  

Recently, we had a make up lesson (as she missed one due to a cold) with a different teacher and the teacher was so impressed with her that she felt Chloe could be put under the water alone and allowed to float to me at the surface. Whilst I was a little reluctant, I agreed, and like most tasks that I think are far too difficult she once again surprised me and proved me wrong. She was dived under the water by the teacher and sure enough floated up into my waiting arms.

TEETHING
 

We finally have a tooth! After months of suspecting odd behaviour as teething, on the 25th of March, whilst happily playing in the backyard as a family, Chloe was opening her mouth wide and giggling, Jarratt peered inside and proclaimed 'There's a tooth!' And sure enough within a few days, the bruising gum subsided and out popped a little white peak. And whilst we still have just the one, we can see more floating just below the surface, I'm sure the next update will have more teeth to report on!

OUTINGS
 

Chloe has continued to be a social butterfly. Heading out and about to our regular play dates but also regular trips to the park where she has developed a fondness for the swings and slippery dip. At first she was a little unsure of both but now when placed in the swing will kick her feet in an attempt to gain momentum and rocking her self at the top of the slippery dip to get herself going!

And... Chloe now travels to her outings, in her forward facing car seat!!! She seems much happier now that she can see Mum and Dad in the car and while I was a little worried that now she could see us she wouldn't fall asleep in the car... I was VERY wrong!

She has also attended many functions such as Auntie Lin's Hens as well as her wedding, mummy's birthday, uncle John's 70th, her first saints game (!) and more importantly the first of her very own big days... her Christening! On the 14th of April at 12:15, little miss was christened at St. Declan's Church in Penshurst. Followed by a reception at Penshurst RSL, much to the disgust of many 'good' Catholics. She looked stunning in my altered wedding dress and was so good during the whole ceremony despite being due a feed and a sleep. She was only a little upset by being laid back to have the water tipped over her head, as she is not a big fan of the 'laying like a baby' position, now that she's a big girl and can sit up! We felt so blessed to have so many friends and family share in her special day and were floored by how loved our little lady is!

All aboard Uncle John's cruise to celebrate his 70th on Sydney Harbour!

Our little dragon at her first Saints Game!

Chloe at her Christening, with her wonderful godparents Laura and Daniel. (14.4.2013)

And so ends another update, I hope you enjoyed it! Til next time, All our love, The Wyatts.