Wonder Weeks - The 9th Leap (week 60)

Em begins her 9th leap this week. She's a full 14 months and we've come a long way from those newborn days! 

She is finally confident in walking unassisted (although if I am closeby, she would still ask for my hand), is starting to eat better again, especially in the mornings, naps are getting longer and less interrupted (I can lay her down without fuss) and she will usually sleep 2 cycles in the morning and 1 in the afternoon.

That said though, this wonder week thing is really causing her to act up in a way. She's been super clingy, has mood swings, throws tantrums if she doesn't get her way, doesn't want to sit down for meals, and the big one... nurses ALL night. 

According to the Wonder Week app, the stormy period lasts for about 4 weeks while she discovers the world of "principles". It's time to lay down those rules! I foresee temper tantrums... she should be learning to understand the difference between "yes" and "no", "yours" and "mine", "right" and "wrong", "rash" and "careful"... I guess here's she the fun really begins! My baby is turning into a little toddler! 

Em learns to clap!

Em learnt how to clap today! She had been swinging one arm left to right for a couple of days and I just thought it was her new thing. Turns out, she had been doing a one-handed clap! She finally worked out how to put both hands together as she swung her arms and ta-da! *clap*!

She's got this proud, ecstatic look where she scrunches up her face in glee when she does it too. Priceless! I managed to catch this video while we were travelling in the car. A pretty good first attempt at recording her clap! :)

Standing, teething and Ma Ma!

Em is 38 weeks today. 38 weeks?!?! It doesn't sound like long, yet when I think about it more, it translates to just a few days shy of 9 months - THAT sounds longer. She's been out of he belly about the same length of time she's been IN the belly!

She's come a long way, little Em.. Only 3 more months of babyhood before we enter toddlerhood... I don't really want her to grow up so fast, yet it's so fun seeing how she's developing and learning new skills every day.

At 38 weeks, Em is now pulling herself up to stand, mostly with the help of furniture. We have to lower her cot within the next few days, it's getting a bit too dangerous because she'll pull herself up and lean over to see what's on the other side. Adventurous little girl with no fear...

She's also recently got her top two front teeth! I think it gives her a strange feeling inside her mouth so she keeps rubbing it with her tongue. To us, it looks like she's poking her tongue out at us... Cheeky monkey! Hopefully that will be it for the teeth for a while, so we can get back to some good sleeping cycles again. She's done well the past couple of nights since her teeth come through, waking but only for a few minutes and going back down without fussing. Hopefully we can get some long stretches soon!

Em also does this funny thing now where everything she grabs hold off, goes on her head. It's hilarious! She also lets out a very cute "ma!" as if to call out to you to "look at me! Look what I can do!" So so cute :)

Speaking of "ma", the hubby has been trying to get her to say "da da", to which Em retorts "MA MA!" Quite defiantly. It's soooooo funny! I have to try and get a video of it. Like everything else, you pull out the camera and she decides to stop doing what she's doing....

First words

She said it today! "MA-MA"! Actually she's been saying "mmmmm-Ma" for a few weeks now, we joke that she's just saying her own name... Narcissist! But this morning, I swear - and the hubby heard it too - she said the two syllables quickly and succinctly so her first word clearly is Mama!

Yay!

That is all. ^.^

Em's nighttime sleep milestone

Wow! For the first time tonight, I put Em in her cot 100% awake and one minute she's babbling, chewing on my fingers (biting really hard with her teeth actually), rolling all over the place in her cot, and the next she's falling asleep while I pat her! No fussing, no crying, just how it's suppose to be! I can't believe it! What a milestone for my little girl!!!

Actually the past couple of nights, she's woken up for her feeds (still waking 3 times a night) but gone back to bed in under 30 mins. Sometimes just 10! It used to take maybe an hour at least and she would still fuss when I put her down. So there's been a huge improvement! I've noticed she will pull off the boob now and twice in the middle of the night, she's done the babbling thing and grabbed my hand to chew on then rolled over and fallen asleep while I patted her. But I never thought it would come so soon, that I could just pat her to sleep the first go.

This is very exciting for me! Tomorrow night is CNY eve though so we'll be camping back at mum and dads... Hope that doesn't ruin this good turnaround!

Em's first tooth!

At 28 weeks, Em's first tooth is showing! It's the bottom front one on the right and it's sharp!

That's probably why we had those couple of bad nights where she was waking persistently... poor girl was probably in pain, or uncomfortable at least. Makes me feel a little bad now that I subjected her to crying when she could have been teething. Not sure if the vomiting can be attributed to teething too? It seems everything can!

Oh well, it's only the first tooth, plenty more to come!

First taste of solids

At 6 months and 1 day old, we let Em have her very first taste of solids!

She kinda loves it, I think! I really hope she doesn't grow up to be a fussy eater. I've decided to make her food rather than buy jars of processed baby foods (of course sometimes I know I won't have a choice, like when I choose to eat instant noodles for lunch I suppose).

To start off, I tried mashed bananas because this is the quickest and easiest food to prepare. No cooking required, just mash! Although I've read somewhere that you can heat it up in a microwave for a few seconds before mashing so it's softer. Haven't needed to do this though.

At first taste, Em's face was full of confusion...

The next day (New Years Day), she probably liked it better... Or maybe she knew it was the first day of 2013!

And this is her on the 3rd day in her brand new highchair we got from Ikea. Love the high hair! Looks so un-ikea-ish haha.

Looking forward to trying all sorts of foods with Em, really hope she loves her food like me!

Em is growing up!

Em's 5 months plus a week today and boy has she grown. Physically (about 7.5kg now) AND mentally :)

This is her trying to sit up just a couple of days shy of 5 months. So cute right... Knows how to use her hands to support herself. Clever girl!

She's also discovered a new muscle in her nose and has been showing off her new cheeky monkey smile, complete with sound effects (like a blowing of her nose as if she means to clear it of boogers). Very cute if I must say so myself :)

I've also been trying to elicit giggles from her but those are still quite rare. When they occur though, they are cute to the max and make me giggle as well. I can't wait for her to discover how to giggle and laugh out loud properly. Heehee ^.^

Anyway, at this age, everywhere I read (and even the PD) tell me she's supposed to sleep through the night. Well... Not happening! I've had a grand total of 2 nights where she's slept a good 5 and a half hours in one stretch and I used to enjoy 4 and a half hour stretches almost every night for at least one part of her sleep. But now even a 3 hour stretch is few and far between! What's going on?!?!?! She sleeps for only 2hrs+ each time she goes down now and then wakes only willing to be settled back to sleep by nursing. Gahhhhhh!!! It's like we've regressed! I seriously hope it's just another phase...

Either way, I've decided not to try and force her to sleep simply by patting or shushing or rocking or singing if she's going to be crying throughout anymore. Nursing her for 10-15 mins back to sleep is so much easier and peaceful for all. Sure, I may be "creating a bad habit", but there's also been research done that shows there's absolutely nothing wrong with nursing a baby to sleep. Except they may like it so much and get used to it so it's the only way they go down. But Em has managed to fall asleep at other times without the boob so I'm quite sure it's not such a bad habit. If anything, it soothes and calms her enough to put her to sleep so why not? I'm happy (for now) to sacrifice my sleep for hers and ensure she's comforted in a way she likes, rather than trying to "sleep train" her for my benefit.

Another saving grace is the Ergo carrier I've put to good use! I'm so glad she fits in it properly now cos seriously I can go anywhere with her as long as I have the carrier with me. She just likes being carried and I most definitely can't support her weight for long periods if not for the carrier. Holding her in it for naptimes is also currently the only way I can get her to nap for longer and wake up a happier baby. Win!

Oh! And I should mention that Em doesn't hate car rides anymore! She now sits smiling, playing with her toys, looking out the window, sucking on Sophie, even falls asleep! This is such a major milestone I didn't see coming so soon, but I'm ecstatic that it did. Car rides are just so much more pleasant and enjoyable for her and everyone now! Yay! Pat on the head for Emma!

Squeals of Laughter

Em is 17 weeks old today and has starting squealing. Like "eeeeeeeeeeeek!" in a really high pitched voice. I think she's gonna be a little terror! That is all.

Rolling Over!

At 15 weeks and 4 days today, Em rolled over completely on her own for the first time! She's been trying for a couple of weeks now and could always get over, but her arm would remain stuck underneath her. Today, I left her and she managed to maneuver her arm out from underneath herself! She holds her head up really high too, so proud of my little girl! ❤

Next, we will have to see when she can roll back onto her back on her own because she lays on her front and then doesn't know how to undo it! So cute when she has that frustrated "now what do I do?!?!" face haha!

She has also been moved to her crib - gotten too big to fit the bassinet already. But I think in her eagerness to master her new skill, it could be interfering with her sleep as we've got a couple of bad nights lately where she wakes after every sleep cycle (i.e. every hour!) and is not able to self settle. I really need to know how to teach her to self settle - both for her sake and mine! Waiting on delivery of a book called "Baby Bliss" by Jo Ryan" (recommended by Vick!), let's hope I'll be able to learn something from it before we're destroyed by this horrible sleep (or rather waking) habit!

3 Months is Magic

Em turns exactly 3 months old today and I must say, things certainly DO get better. They weren't lying when "they" said so! I'm trying to think back to the initial weeks and it's hard to remember how difficult it was. I mean, I do remember it was hard - super hard - and it still is, but things have definitely taken a turn. Partly also, I guess, is the fact that I've accepted that I will never ever enjoy sleep ins ever again, or the definition of "sleep in" may be till 8am if I'm lucky. And I'm still waiting for the day to come where I get an uninterrupted 8 hrs of sleep!

Anyway, back to how things have taken a turn - Em actually lets her Dad carry her now! Not just during the day, but even at night! Woohoo! That's one major step towards better days already. Not only so, the hubby is even able to put her to sleep for her daytime naps! Next step will be putting her down for her nighttime sleeps - then I will know for sure she's REALLY gotten better.

The Chinese believe when a baby turns 100 days old is when they stop crying (for no reason) and become "better". For Em, that will be 7th Oct so we shall see if any change happens!

A major 3-month milestone is Em's ability to hold her head up high. She's gotten really good at it and can stay up for about a minute or so - and she loves it! What a strong neck she has :)

I love my daughter!

12 Week Milestones

Emma is 12 weeks old and achieving new milestones!

Her neck is getting really strong and she's attempting to lift it up when I lie her on my lap or when I sit her up, slightly inclined backwards. She looks as if she wants to sit up on her own already!

We've also been having good tummy times, she hasn't been crying like she used to, I think it's because she realizes she can hold her head up and have a new view of the world. I'm helping her roll over and over and over... We'll see when she masters that art on her own!

Another exciting milestone is her willingness to lie on her playmat for almost 15-20 minutes on her own! Record so far is almost half an hour! She never let me put her on the playmat before so I'm really glad she's maturing in this area. Albeit the tv has to be turned on to maintain her interest... But anything right now so my hands can be freed for a bit at least, yay!

With her fist sucking, she's almost finding that elusive thumb, but still mostly putting her whole fist in her mouth. Very cute but also makes her hands quite smelly ><

10 weeks old... And very active!

Lil' Em is 10 weeks old today! The amount of energy this girl has amazes me - she can kick her legs for hours on end and even though she may be tired, her legs just keep kicking and kicking... Much like the times when she was still in my belly and I could feel (and see!) her kicking away for hours at a time. Aren't newborns supposed to live to sleep at this stage??? Anyway, I've decided to chronicle a few of her milestones to date:

- Smiling, Cooing and Laughing

Em not only smiles back when I smile at her now, but coos and laughs too when I talk to her! I love having mini conversations with her in the morning - that's when she's at her best. After her morning feed, which is usually between 7-8am, I'll lay her on her change mat for a diaper change, wipe her body down with a warm cloth, bicycle her legs (she loves this and will give a big smile everytime you move her legs) and then spend a few minutes "talking" with her. If she seems happy and content, I'll quickly have a morning wash, brush my teeth and pop my contacts in, ready for a new day. Usually that's all the time I have for before Em starts to make a little noise, which I now recognize as the "pick me up, I've had enough lying here on my own" cry.

- Stronger neck, back and leg muscles

Lil' Em is quite capable of holding her head up on her own without support for a good 20 seconds or so before she flops down again on my shoulder. Her legs are also pretty strong, I swear she can almost stand up on her own! Sometimes I think she will start walking before she crawls...

- Maturing (i.e.Louder) cries

I used to think I could differentiate Em's cries (based on the "baby whisperer" method) but now is when her cries are becoming much more distinct. It's as of she's just discovered her voice and can (and will) actually scream and pout to show displeashre. Usually this sort of cry is her way of saying "pick me up!" or if I'm already holding her, then it means she's simply tired.

- Slightly more settled

The past few days when I've tried putting Em down in the rocker, she has been content to look around and kick her legs for a while (about 10-15 mins) before she would ask to be picked up again. She loved the rocker as a newborn and would sleep for hours in it. I thought it was a godsend at the time, but unfortunately this did not last long and she was soon crying everytime I tried to put her in it. Sitting content in it for short periods again is an improvement! We have hope...

On that note, I've also taken her out twice on my own to quickly grab some takeaway and to my surprise, she is happy to sit in the stroller (as long as she's been fed) and will actually fall asleep in it! Not only so, she wasn't even falling asleep straight away, but happy to sit and look around and be slightly mesmerized by the toys hanging on the front of her stroller. Very optimistic about this because it means I can soon venture out to the shops on my own - as long as I make sure she has a full belly :)

Feeling positive! Now... waiting for that magic "turn" for the better every mummy tells me about!