Sleep news!

After waking only once in the night at roughly 4am for about a week, Isaac has now slept through for the last 4 nights in a row!

HOOOOOOOOOORAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! This momentous occasion has been duly recorded in his My Baby Book :-D

Ner to HV who said BF babies don't usually ever sleep through until they're weaned. It does mean my boobs are like rocks by 7am! We haven't done anything special - usual routine etc. He seems to have come to this on his own. He's also seemingly reducing the number of daytime naps he takes from about 5 to 3 or 4 depending on what we do during the day. He now usually has at least 1 2 hour nap, but varies which in which nap slot (i.e.: morning, lunch time or afternoon) it falls. I can't tell you how pleased I am that he naps regularly now, and for longer than 10 minutes. I was worried that he would become sleep deprived. The best tactic for parental sanity is to not get used to it, or expect it, because then there isn't any disappointment if he does wake in the night. As it is, it's great that he is sleeping through!

We had planned to move the cot bed into our room this week & "um"ed and "ah"ed about going ahead with the plan since he started to sleep through (didn't want to tempt fate!), but did it anyway a few days ago and are making gradual changes to his sleeping arrangements to complete Operation Transfer. The first change we made was putting his pram thing in the cot to get him used to the different perspective. Next we made stopped tying his pram blanket around him, instead we lay him on top of it (so he can still pull it down over his eyes- cos he likes that) and put him in a sleeping bag. That seems to work successfully, but when I put him to bed I have to "tuck him in" as it were; he's used to me tying the pram blanket, which I obviously don't have to do with the sleeping bag, so instead I straighten his blanket out & give his tummy a little rub & say good night etc before leaving the room. He seems to like this & it replaces the blanket tying quite effectively. The last time we tried him in a sleeping bag it was a  complete disaster so we're very pleased that he's taken to it this time.

The latest change has been that I only put the pram hood up one notch, rather than the two to extend it fully. I'm contemplating making a hood for his cot bed, for two reasons. 1) He's used to it in the pram thing & 2) our room is very big & possibly a bit much for such a small little Wiggler who is still, in the grand scheme of things, not long out of the womb. It would be something like the Ikea bed tent (pictured left) and would, I imagine, make his space a little cosier, plus mute the light from above the door (stupid 70s glass panels).

When the time comes to take him out of the pram thing completely we're going to move the pram blanket with him so that he has something familiar in there with him. I have plans to make a larger version of the blanket if necessary because he loves it so very much it does what he needs  effectively. I think we'll put some stuff around him too, so that he isn't overwhelmed by the amount of space he's got & reduce it in stages. I'm sure he'll be Wiggling around all over the mattress in no time!

Our Little Man is quite amazing. He's leading the way with his sleeping & eating. I thought I wouldn't have a clue, which I didn't really at first, but now I know my son (my son! still sounds strange) more I'm happy to follow his lead. I'm still quite gutted that the co-sleeping didn't work out for us. He does like his own space at night. We do have a little bit of bed time - I bring him in bed with me when he wakes up and he has his morning feed lying down next to me. It's lovely all snuggled up together :-) I'm enjoying that while it lasts because I know it won't be for much longer. I can see why people want more babies, they're kind of addictive and you forget the first 3 months pretty much as soon as they're over!

Anyhoo. That is our big news. I can't stop grinning like the proud Mummy that I am :-D

Sewing machine blues

Recently I've been getting into sewing a lot more, well all things crafty really...

Anyhoo, with an increased desire to create I decided it was high time I got a better sewing machine and went for the Janome 525s. I wanted to show support for a local business in town and by doing so luckily got a 10% discount making it about £23 cheaper than anywhere else, plus I didn't have to pay shipping which I would have from an online retailer. When I ordered, it the lady in the shop said it'd be about a week, but it's now been a whole month :-( Apparently the company are out of stock & today was the new date she gave me for its arrival, but I haven't heard from her still. I gave my old machine to Simon's Mum and so haven't had a machine for about 3 weeks now, which isn't a very long time in the grand scheme of things, but I've got a list of projects as long as your arm, all of which require a machine! BOO!

Anyhoo...isn't it beautiful?! It isn't fancy, but is so very much nicer than my old one - and quieter too! Little things, like a thread cutter at the back, larger plate, transparent bobbin housing & an horizontal spool holder make it great. I know these things come as standard, but weren't present on my old one. It was a good machine, don't get me wrong, but I think over time it would have irked me. This one is a more robust with more reliable stitches (i.e.:  a zigzag is a zigzag rather than sometimes being a straight stitch!), plus comes with a hard case. It has it's own little place on the shelf waiting for it to come home to :mrgreen:

My wonderful Da is also fixing my sewing box. I bought it online from an hospice with a load of thread in it - most of which were differing shades of purple! It was a little more rickety than advertised, but still a good £20 cheaper than a new cantilever box, plus I feel good that I've reused something that had already been made and clearly used & loved. He's coming up next week so I'm excited to have it back - I can put my bits away rather than fishing about in the two rather fetching plastic tubs which are the temporary accommodation for my threads/needles/scissors/pins/miscellaneous sewing accessories etc.

In other crafty news: I made this hat from two and six's beautiful blog (isn't her son the cutest?) Yes, I've made it for Isaac, but it's definitely too big for him just yet! Although I'm sot sure by how much because I finished it this evening after he went to bed so I haven't had a chance to check. A small job for tomorrow. I know it looks a big like a giant egg cosy, but the shape will change, when his head is in it & the right size for it, to a bit more like a giant egg cosy LOL!

I'm well chuffed. It's only a small project, but I achieved 3 firsts; I did my first attached i-cord hem, used Kitchener stitch for the first time and used backstitch for the first time in knitted seam sewing. I have a marvellous book which I bought about 4 or 5 years ago called Simply Fabulous Knitting. I knew it would be useful, but lost touch with knitting and didn't give it another thought until I was faced with Kitchener stitch. Of course, it was in there! PLUS the method in the book i.e.: flat (minus the starching, although I can see how that would be helpful on occasion) was so much easier than the on-the-needle method which is just confusing and weird.  I have to say that, even though it is only a hat, it had the best seam I've ever done on the top. I guess I must be taking knitting more seriously these days. So now I have a seam-free, tassel-tastic hat for the boy. At least he'll never be short of hats - hurrah!

I found this pattern for a beret a while ago and would quite like to use the yarn  stipulated (Louisa Harding  Grace) rather than substituting for a change. Luckily Yarn,  just outside Nottingham sells it. Whilst on my search for said yarn I found Threads of Life in Castle Donnington. It's about the same distance as the other place and looks totally fabulous! I like the first thing the owner says on her site:

"If you are interested in working with yarns or threads there’s nothing quite like coming into a shop where you can enjoy the colours and textures of a wide range of wools and silks. It’s a bit like being a child in the middle of a sweet shop!"

Couldn't have said it better myself. Isaac and I will be paying her a visit in the not-too-distant future :-)

P.S.: I just got an email from Lion Brand telling me that my order has been shipped. Amigurumi ahoy - whoop whoop!

Hat(s) & food

I saw on From A Sesame Seed that Shiloh has a hat very similar to the pixie-esque one I knitted for Isaac in the final few weeks of pregnancy. I have to admit lack of faith in my knitting skills, being more of a crocheter, and so put it away in the too-big-at-the-moment bag of clothes. While going through said bag today I found the hat and tried it on him for kicks and...it actually fits rather well! Not sure how long it'll fit for, but I'm glad to know that it does. Here it is:

Not everything I make is for Isaac, although it seems that way at the moment...*drums fingers impatiently on table top while still waits for new sewing machine*...

I found some other pictures on the camera while downloading the above image for editing.

Hmm, starting to show an interest in food perhaps?? He doesn't yet try to grab things, but he LOVES to watch the food LOL! Just another little observation. I love watching him change & grow, it really is the best thing in the world! I also love writing about it all because I can look back on things and remember how he was at the time. It all happens so quickly!

I had the most horrible (for me) dream last night. I dreamt that he started to get really skinny and looked quite emaciated. His face was gaunt and almost alien looking. It was awful. I had to give him formula, in my dream, and I can't believe how it made me feel! I felt guilty, sick, disgusted, bitterly disappointed - it was quite harrowing. I clearly remember making up a bottle with the powder and the water and it being in slow motion. I was thinking "I can't believe I'm actually going to give him this stuff, what happened to get to this point?" I woke up feeling terrible and rushed over to see that he was OK. Of course he was, but still. That such a little person can have an enormous impact on me is scary, yet reassuring in a way. I'm quite a detached person (in that I can quite easily remove myself from a situation for reasons of self preservation), but I don't think I'll be able to detach so easily from all things Isaac related, but I guess that's part of our programming, right? Not something I want to override :-)

Please don't take this as an insult if you formula feed your baby. I appreciate that breastfeeding isn't for everyone. We don't drink milk & don't want Isaac to either and aren't so keen on soya formulas so it's boob all the way!

Amigurumi!!

Hi, I'm Sarah and it's been 18 hours since my last amigurumi. OMG these things are amazing! I'm quite addicted, although I'm not sure one can be addicted after making a single amigurumi? I have, however, ordered a ton of yarn with plans to make many, many, many more! I'd like to clarify that I'm mostly interested in crochet ones for now, not being a confident knitter, but I'd like to dabble one day. There are some lovely patterns on the Lion Brand website (you need to register for them, but they are free) for both crocheted and knitted. I found this wickedamazingfabulous Totoro crocheted amigurumi pattern. I also had a look at the writer's Flickr photos - dude, she's got some mad crochet skills! Who knew such wondrous things could be created with a hooky stick and some yarn?

So anyhoo, here is my first wee crocheted animal.

I call him Phoebus. Who knows why. It tickles me. Here is a link to the pattern, as I said before you'll need to register to be able to see it, but it is free. I'm not 100% happy with his trunk and may have to fiddle later to perfect.

Yes, I'm one of those.

One of the mums at my baby group this morning asked if I was making a whole ark full...

Having joined Ravelry.com, I've started reading Crochet Corner (a column on there); she has some nifty tips & tricks that Sandy lady! She highlighted a particularly useful blog entry about seamlessness when crocheting in the round. It's well worth a peek if you're interested in that sort of thing.  Being one of those, it did make me realise that I could've made all my hats thus far without the unsightly seam at the back of the hat :-( Ah well, onwards and upwards - learning all the time!

I've also subscribed to The Art Of Crochet. I know it's a bit cheesy & ever-so slightly naff, but it'll pace me rather than me taking on huge projects that are doomed to fail from the word go. Plus I'll have a blanket at the end of it! Does this make me old?

Right, Little Man waketh & grumbles. Ciao!

New hat for Isaac

As his first hat was getting a wee bit small, I decided it was time to make a new hat for the Little Man. The basic pattern is still the same hat as before from Seija Set in The Happy Hooker, but slightly different colour/stripe arrangement. I used the same yarn (Sublime Extra Fine Merino Wool DK) in seaspray (light blue), plume (blue-green), clipper (dark blue) & biscuit (greyish natural colour). Anyhoo here it is!

I was measuring the new hat against the old hat only to find they were of a similar size, yet I'd used a different sized crochet hook for each.  Baffled. Later on I realised it was because Isaac's head had grown & stretched the old one (!) There's that post-baby-brain again!

I made enough of these hats for my NCT group's bebs to not need the pattern anymore - I've even made one for my Health Visitor!  (Actually, I made one for a friend (sans stripes) with a neck warmer thing, each with a matching flower on to make a little set. Darn it, should've taken pictures.) I'm quite pleased that I don't need the pattern anymore because I'm learning about increasing evenly. I only really learn through practical application. Reading it in books is one thing, watching it take shape in your own hands is quite another matter.

For my next project(s?): amigurumi!

Getting my craft (back) on…again…and breastfeeding gush

So I couldn't help myself. I've stencilled again!!

 

 

I think I like his face the most...smug, yet benign.I couldn't stop myself buying some plain tops today from H&M. Watch this space for more freezer paper antics!

Isaac at 12 weeks, with hat

In other crafty news, Isaac needs a slightly bigger hat. The one pictured left is now not quite big enough to comfortably keep his 19 week old cranium completely covered. It's amazing the growth that occurs in only 6 weeks! *scratches head & tries to remember what size hook was used for this hat*

Now for the breastfeeding. The more I learn about breastfeeding, the more I marvel at the wonder and beauty of nature. We went to our NCT weaning course on Sunday, yesterday. We got onto mixing breast milk with mashed up fruit etc in the early days of weaning to up the calorific value and so we talked about expressing. Now, I've given up trying to express because it's soul destroying to only get 1/2 oz from each boob each time. What I didn't realise is (and call me stupid for not) that if you do it regularly at the same time every day, your body actually starts to produce more at that specific time. WOW! That wow has 2 parts - A) I cannot believe that I missed that completely. You really do lose part of your brain post-birth huh? B) How incredible is that? How totally and utterly mind bogglingly amazing? Not only does the human female body  provide everything a baby needs up to approximately 8 months (depending on which government you decide to listen to), it constantly changes it's milk production to meet the exact needs of its growing baby, factoring in such things as illness (& the provision of antibodies) and calorific content AND it can schedule in additional production times/change feeding schedules/reduce feeding schedules in accordance with the baby/ies feeding from it. Now that's what I call absolute perfection.

Right, I've gushed enough for one evening. T'ra!

Getting my craft (back) on

What's this?? 2 posts in 3 days?! Goodness. Calm yourself Sarah.

So anyhoo, I've had my roll of freezer paper since before Isaac was born with the intention of stencilling many things. I've been building up a stash of fabric paint since then too (having painted some climbing flowery stuff on a hoodie of my own already). Last night I actually got around to doing some proper stencilling. I have to say that I'm rather pleased with the result!

I did a base layer of the yellow colour & then painted on the brown, white & black. I think I probably should've done a second layer of the yellow so the stripes underneath don't show as much, but still - I'm so pleased! I'm not a huge fan of many of the t-shirts designed for kids as they have stupid words on like Trouble Is My Middle Name etc. Also - plain tops are cheaper - hurrah!

So. If it sits still long enough, it'll probably get stencilled!

4 month update including The Weight Gain Issue

Bless me Father for I have been slack. It's been over a month since my last post!

Isaac is now 18 weeks old and officially in 3-6 month sized clothing :-) He's mostly such a happy wee chappy (only grumping when he wants something i.e.: food, clean nappy, sleep) with a smile for nearly everyone. He's (literally) getting to grips with his toys more and more each day; his developmental progress is incredible to watch. It's such a pleasure to see how he approaches things & observe thought processes being cultivated (hmm...I can use these arm and hand things to put that really exciting blue thing in my mouth!) You can see him learning! Amazing! It's all quite manageable at the moment because he's still stationary, but as he gets older I'm sure it'll be less cute & more - I wonder what happens if I put this down the loo?

Double handed elephant grab

So the festive period was lovely. We had planned to celebrate the Solstice, neither of us being Christian thus finding Christmas a little hypocritical, on 21st December, but our boiler's condensing pipe froze, several times, meaning that when we had planned to be out walking & doing Yule tidey things we were watching Dad re-route the pipe through the house so it didn't freeze again. We did go to Matlock to the Green Way Cafe on the 21st which was lovely. Dad treated us - and we had cake! On 25th we didn't really do anything, just stayed at home the 3 of us. Isaac had his first 2 hour nap since he was very small. It was weird!

He still sleeps well at night, and in the day, in our room in his pram thing. He knows it's time for sleep now. No buggering about with boob; just change nappy, put him in his bed, he rolls over onto his left side & off he goes. Helps enormously being able to tell what he wants & when. It's all about routine. He even fell asleep in the car seat/pushchair combo a few weeks ago. It was only for about 1/2 hour, but it's a start. We're definitely going to have to move the cot bed into our room in the not too distant future though because he's absolutely going to be too long for the pram thing soon. His length is good - following in between the 25th & 50th centile (for those that know) which is "normal" (for those that don't). His head circumference is about the same. His weight, however, remains a contentious issue. He has officially dropped off the  centiles on the WHO breastfed baby chart (average weight gain chart) which has my HV a little worried & wanting me to start weaning at 22 weeks 8O I'm not worried. He's fine dagnammit! He isn't bony or emaciated, merely slim. He eats when he's hungry, sleeps when he's tired, excretes as necessary (also "normal" according to the bumph) and the rest of the time he's busy playing, watching, chewing, smiling his face off, wiggling etc.

I've read that between the age of 4 & 6 months the human digestive tract matures to accommodate solid food, but there is no way of knowing when this happens. From reading people's experiences it would seem that those who were weaned too early develop digestive disorders such as IBS. I can see from a medical point of view that he isn't conforming to "normal" weight gain and that this could be bad because...he DOESN'T FIT ON THE GRAPH (!), but he really is happy enough and I don't want to rush him into eating before he's ready. Does he look underweight to you?

Mr Big Eyes

He might look a little slim, but that's because he's  NOT A PORKER!! :x Anyhoo, we have our NCT weaning course this Sunday so I'll ask about it then. Just as I thought breast feeding was going really well too :-\

Gosh - I digress. Back on track. Sleeping. Yes.

Bedtimes aren't the trauma they used to be. We have a little song that denotes bedtime. I swear blind that this helps him go off. We both sing it to him & give him a kiss, then I take him upstairs, change his nappy & put him in a sleep suit (while still singing the song) then take him into our room, put him in his bed, wish him goodnight & sort the covers & he's off within 10 minutes. No grumbling anymore. It seems that only when we don't do it in the right order he doesn't get off  to sleep properly, for instance if I've been in the bath with him & am drying myself etc while Simon gets him ready for bed. Again, it's all about routine. Hmm. I'm noticing similarities between child rearing & raising a puppy. Let's hope he doesn't turn out like Rinny!

Continuing the singing business - he LOVES it when I sing to him. Particular favourites include: The Grand Old Duke Of York and 1-2-3-4-5 Once I Caught A Fish Alive. With actions of course, usually involving lifting him up and down & he's a big fan of being wiggled about. Hearing him laugh is actually the best thing in the world. He's got such a funny little cute face when he does, all goofy & lovely :-) Daft sap Sarah...*slaps self out of Mummy stupor* ahem. With this in mind I'm definitely going to investigate the rhyme time group nearby. I don't think we'll do baby signing until he's about 6 months though. Don't want to overload the poor chap! I think it'll work best if we build it up gradually :mrgreen:

When we went the the doctor's for Isaac's 8 week check, Dr G said his right hip was clicking & to make an appointment at the hospital for an ultrasound to check that the joint had formed properly & was articulating correctly. Holy crumpet! That was 10 weeks ago! Anyhoo, I did & this week we went  to the hip clinic at Derby Royal Hospital. I'm pleased to report that "they don't come more normal than that". Isaac enjoyed his first bus ride and spent the whole time gawping out of the window at Derby whizzing past. On the way back he slept in-sling while Mummy tried her utmost not to break her neck on treacherous pavements.

I've signed us up for baby swimming. When I read about it on the Puddle Ducks website, the classes nearest to me were on a Wednesday afternoon which would've been ideal. They've now been moved to a Saturday afternoon which is turning out to be a logistical nightmare. what with step-sisters & other weekend activity. Should've listened to myself at the time of booking when I thought, Saturday? That'll never work. I'm going to see if I can swap to the other classes on a week day instead. They're further away, but the timing is better. I think he's more ready for stuff like that now. He's starting to stay awake for longer between naps and is more interested in other things.

I took him into town in the pushchair today. It felt weird not having him next to me in the sling. I felt guilty almost. He seemed OK & spent much of the time looking around. I've noticed that he likes his own time. Don't get me wrong - he likes to be cuddled & played with, but he really does enjoy alone time when I'm close by and he's doing things himself, even if it is just watching the world go by. He's got quite long for the sling now and I don't think he enjoys it as much anymore because he can't see so well what's happening around us. I do put him facing outward sometimes, but I'm loathe to do it too often. We've got our new carrier, but I'm going to wait until he's bigger to use it I think. I expect I'll use it like a backpack so I want to be confident that he'll be happy up there before I embark on that adventure.

I almost forgot - he fell asleep in his cot bed the other day! On his own! I sneakily put him in there while I was doing something, knowing it was his nap time, and I came back a few minutes later & he was zonked :-) He didn't sleep for as long as he usually does at nap time, but it was a big thing for us! Bodes well for the future (fingers crossed). I think it helps that he's comfortable in there already. He's used to it because we put him in there when we wash our hands after we change him; sometimes we put him in there just for something different for him to do with one of us being close by. He likes looking at the mobile I made for him & all the teddies we've been given.

Cine Babies was great, although not very busy at all, this month - not surprising with all the snow & ice. I've just checked & the next one (on 4th February) is *drum roll please* Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll!! Holy cow! I LOVE Cine Babies :-) I'll be gutted when he's too old to go. Will mean relegation to Cine Kids (kids films) & evening cinema for me without him :-(

So, next time will probably be 5 months? Until then...Pie out.

P.S.: Updated 17/01/10 13.18. Just been into town with him in the sling & all is good again. He was quite happy in it - I just need to tie it so that the pieces of fabric at the front are the other way round to the the way I usually tie it. This supports his head better (now that it's bigger) when he has a little sleepy. :mrgreen: