How to be an Isaac for 20 minutes

Step 1: climb stairs

Step two: act guilty

Step three: gaze longingly into sister's room

Steph four: bask in laundry box

Fifth and most important step: pull faces at and admire self in mirror

Post birthday mega update

I've felt reclusive over the past few weeks, hence no posts. I think it's mostly to do with the change in season; it's now officially autumn! How can I tell? I'm wearing tights and Isaac is wearing socks, neither of which can be hung outside to dry.

Here follows an Isaac update of mega proportions.

Food

Isaac is doing very well with feeding himself nowadays; he mostly feeds himself with his spoon &/or fork & lets me collate the damage into one final spoonful. It's our little agreement. He eats and loves a wide variety of foods & usually has the same as us, which makes mealtimes very easy, but here are a few of his favourites.

• Breakfast - still whole wheat cereal biscuits (Weetabix type efforts, but not made by Weetabix), home-made hemp milk & a mashed up banana followed by a piece of toast with either pear & apple spread or Natex (like Marmite, not as salty). He's also partial to lemon curd. Mmm...lemon curd...
• Lunch - humous (plain, lemon & coriander, red pepper, sun-dried tomato, roasted vegetable) & mini bread sticks
• Tea - it's a toss up between coconut-cauliflower chana or tofu saag. Yup, I know! The boy loves his spicy food! HURRAY!
• Naughty tea - alphabetti on toast (when Mummy is: Just. Too. Tired.)
• Fruit - blueberries. If he had his way and we were made of money I suspect he'd eat a punnet a day.
• Snack - Organix alphabet biscuits or mini rice cakes (apple & cinnamon or pumpkin & carrot)
• Milk - breast is still best for the Wiggler. We're down to three feeds per day now. 1st - before breakfast upon waking, 2nd - after 1st nap around 11ish & 3rd - before bed. He dropped the afternoon one himself. I gathered he didn't want it when he started to squirm & push away...three days on the trot! I'm not sure what we're going to do about milk replacement. Everyone else I know is moving onto cows milk, but we all know how I feel about that. I've read that almond milk is high in calcium & other vitamins/minerals/fats/proteins so may try that. It's pretty easy to make too, although will need to remember to soak the nuts. He had it before I started to make hemp milk so I know he isn't allergic to it and it's quite naturally sweet anyway. Hmm. *ponders*

 

Mobility

Isaac is well & truly on the move now. He still commando crawls everywhere, but really rather quickly! He's started to crawl on his hands & knees a bit too & sometimes he'll shuffle forwards upright on his knees. He pulls himself up using me & Simon, the sofa & the coffee table. You can tell how high he ventures by which shelf of DVDs is in disarray! 

Play time

Master Chef 2010

He loves playing with his different toys & spends the most time with his wooden ones and the things that aren't created as toys, such as empty containers, kitchen utensils, the telephone, camera battery chargers, spectacle cases etc. He loves things that make noise and enjoys smacking seven kinds of musical s**t of the keyboard. He also likes an app I have on my phone called Toddler Lock. It's basically a black screen on which you draw lines & shapes by tracing your finger on the screen or tapping it. It's good because only an adult or older child would know how to unlock the phone from the app so no deleted stuff! I don't like him using it much & only really use it as a last resort. (i.e.: when I'm coming around in the morning and his toys just aren't cutting it, or when we're out & about & have run out of things to play with, which isn't often as he's so easily amused!

He also loves playing with the dog. He lurches at her to give her cuddles now and has recently learned how to thrown her ball for her to chase. It doesn't go very far, but she joins in and  it's very cute to watch; I think Rinny is warming to him. It freaked her out massively when he started to move and she was very nervous. This created a catch 22 for her because she'd use me for protection, but at the same time Isaac would be using me as a climbing frame! No escape for the pooch. I like to think it's payback for all the times she never lets up with her ball. Revenge, dog, suck it up. 

Of course he loves having play time with Mummy & Daddy, although it seems we start out playing to entertain Isaac & then it turns into us playing & he's buggered off to do something else because he's bored with watching the paper aeroplane/bouncy ball go back & forth for the 80th time. He likes to climb on us and if we roll a ball at him he'll push it back. He also likes bashing balloons around - great fun! 

One of his favourite pastimes of late is taking off & replacing the lids of pens. Felt tips, biros, gel pens...whatever. Any kind of pen. He loves it. Hew also drew his first picture a few days ago. It's really a piece of A4 covered in green squiggles, but it made me proud nonetheless. He didn't even get any on the floor!

He loves swimming and I try to take him when I can. We usually all go together on a Sunday morning for the parent & child session in the teaching pool, but coughs & other activites have kept us away lately. Will see how we all are this weekend perhaps?

Dislike

Isaac really isn't a fan of having is nappy changed any more. I've found that giving him different things to investigate while I do it helps to distract him. I keep a small stash of objects in the drawer under his changing mat for this purpose.

Without sounding smug, there isn't a whole lot else that makes him upset or grumpy, other than being tired  or hungry & no one likes that do they? He's a very happy little chap & we're always complimented on his smile when we're out.

Sleeping

He's been sleeping through for a good few weeks again now. HURRAH! He goes to bed between 7 & 8pm depending on how he is & then wakes between 6.30 & 8am. He still naps twice a day. Times vary, again depending on how he is, but he has a morning & afternoon nap. At one point I thought he might have been gearing towards one big middle of the day nap because he slept for 2 1/2 hours in the late morning, but he's changed his naps so that it now seems to be the afternoon one that's longer. Go figure. Babies toddlers huh?

Misc

I sometimes think I have a mogwai rather than a human baby. The vocal similarities between Isaac and Gizmo are astounding. It's very cute. Then he does he's thrash metal growl and even that is cute.

We still use the carrier. I'm particularly grateful for this as the weather is decidedly more autumnal than summery now, brr! It's different to this time last year because I could put a hoodie over the top of him & the sling & zip it up around us both, but now there's a lot more of him so I usually unzip my sweater & have it on, but open under the carrier. This keeps us both warm & prevents Mummy from passing out through overheating. We shall see how this goes. I've bought him a coat for the colder months & we've still got the special socks to keep him legs/feet warm when it becomes bitterly cold. I shall sincerely miss him when he's too big to be carried, but that's a few years away yet! He likes being able to see everything from my perspective and is interested in it ALL. I would call him nosey, but that isn't the right word. Insquisitive methinks.

"Inquisitive" and pulling himself up, all in the space of 5 minutes!

We still meet up with the NCTs sporadically. It's so lovely to see them all growing and changing & to hear funny parenting stories. The ones that are going have nearly all gone back to work now so it's trickier to have a time when we can all meet up, especially with constantly changing nap times. C'est la vie.

Isaac's got his first real little cold & cough at the moment. I think that nearly 13 months without sniffles is pretty good going really. We've been giving him the Nelson's cough syrup & I've been taking echinacea for mine. Seems to have done the trick with the cough & the runny nosey-ness is clearing up now. It hasn't been traumatic in the slightest and hasn't interfered with food much either. In-fact, it only lasted a few days!

He gets on very well with his sisters and they like him lots too. They came to stay for a week last week while their Mum & boyfriend had a week away. We had a lovely time! I think I was dreading it; weekends are sometimes a strain when it comes to keeping them entertained, but no one was bored and I did lots of stuff with the girls while Isaac napped when we got home from the epic hour-long school run (so called because they live on the other side of Derby from us, but we managed just fine). Roisin started her reception class this year and is making some little friends of her own which is GREAT news. She's only been there a few weeks, but already it's made a hugely positive impact on how she is. Aoife is doing very well in her class, she really is a very bright little girl.

In short, it all going well. We're all poottling along happily. Nothing major to report. Rest assured when something massive happens, you will know!

Onwards and...downwards?

Isaac is becoming increasingly mobile these days. He's not a particularly speedy mover, but he Wiggles around a fair bit and shuffles about in a backwards manner, too. He even tried to pull himself up on the coffee table the other day! Looks like it's time to think about baby proofing. Yipee!

His favourite thing to do when on the sofa is to lunge forward and investigate what's going on on the floor. Which is invariably nothing, but he does it regardless. Each time he does this my heartbeat quickens as I prepare to leap to his rescue should he overbalance any; can't have him landing on his noggin!  

Don't let him play on the sofa!  you declare.

Now, where's the fun in that?

Morning Mega Bloks

Our latest post-breakfast activity, just before Isaac has his nap, is playing with the Mega Bloks. The game goes like this: I build some sort of structure, hand it to Isaac who pulls it apart in seconds! Then he looks at me in a way that says "build another one Mama, please." How can I refuse? Such fun!

P.S.: Cracking shot of the ScienceFingers™! A double whammy in-fact!!

Isaac's favourite toy

With dried mung beans in it, of course. It makes some fab noises! I tell ya, these home made toys are priceless :-D

Toys, TV and technology

This started out as a post just about toys, but then I started to write it and discovered that I seem to lump modern toys, TV and technology in the same category, making it difficult to write about one without spilling into the other. Much of this is stuff I hadn't even considered until I had a son of my own, apart from the TV business.

So *draws in deep breath* here we go...

While surfing the Mummy-blogosphere during  morning nap-time a few days ago I came across Dear Baby and got quite caught up in  the beautiful Everly's little San Francisco world with her Mummy & Daddy. One of Melissa's posts in particular resonated with me and my beliefs and succinctly covered everything I believe about children's toys. Essentially she talks about her

"... desire to avoid the plastic, buzzing, blinking crap that our society calls “toys” these days. While I don’t want to deny my daughter anything,  I can’t help but want to think of ways to give her a full, enjoyable youth without drowning her in a room full of mass produced junk that she’ll grow tired of quickly. ... Will our family think we are crazy if we asked them to forgo presents at her birthday party and instead give her their undivided time?"

I've had thoughts about what people will think if we ask them to not buy "regular" kids toys. I don't want to seem fussy and ungrateful;  I completely appreciate the intention is harmless and filled with love, but we'd rather Isaac had toys that encourage his imaginative play than a set of adult created guidelines for him to follow. Or even instead of toys he spent more time with the people who love him. Plus it seems difficult enough to try and instil a sense of value into children as it is, what with media shoving the latest shiny, bright toy into everything they can and other children boasting about how many presents they got from Santa in a playground battle of one-upmanship. In my experience it isn't even what they got from whom, it's how many and how big. There is also a limit as to how much we can store and in a bid to limit our consumerism I'd rather we have less that is appreciated than more that is not. I guess I'm loosely following the attachment parenting ideals of having him with me pretty much everywhere I go, apart from when he sleeps (because the dude likes his own space). He can nearly always at least see me. Because of this he doesn't have a great deal of toys and doesn't seem to be missing out because of it. He has play a play gym, but he doesn't spend long on it - he's more interested in what I'm doing anyway! I quote the same bit of this article from the Guardian (which I recommend you read in full if you're at all interested in what I've written so far) that Melissa does in her post about toys:

"They [children] get overwhelmed and over-stimulated and cannot concentrate on any one thing long enough to learn from it so they just shut down. Too many toys means they are not learning to play imaginatively either."

I'm currently reading 21st Century Boys by Sue Palmer who also pins great importance to imaginative play. Maybe I read too much and should just get on with it, but this stuff really makes sense to me. Much of her book is common sense, but it's nice to read something that had been carefully researched and referenced. Quite early on in the book she discusses what she calls "the technology trap" meaning TV, computer games, mobile phones etc. She talks about a lot of different topics, but the one that has struck a chord with me (and is most obvious to me) is how children learn best by doing things themselves rather than watching someone else do it on TV (or even just being told by a parent). How can a DVD or TV programme possibly replace the connection between a parent and child? Who would even think that a  little baby would rather listen to a CD than their mother talking/singing to them? What kind of F#*$!d up society believes that to be acceptable?? I've always found that experience is the best teacher and I plan on letting Isaac learn by experience, within reason. Obviously I'm not going to let him find out that running across a busy road is dangerous! I remember school Physics lessons (and bear in mind that Physics was my least favourite subject ever): DVDs = ZZZZ time, practical experiments = yay! Back to TV though, bear with me - this is worth it (from 21st Century Boys):

"For many years, the American Academy of Paediatrics has recommended that children under two shouldn't watch TV at all. There was no research to back up this recommendation - just a gut reaction on the part of doctors who knew something about child development. Indeed, it's only in the last few years that research into the effects of technology on children's brains in the first few years of life has begun to trickle through. Studies have now appeared linking early television watching to the male-dominated disorders, ADHD and autism. ...I suspect the technology trap may also be related to many speech and language difficulties and to dyslexia. In 2008, the French government concluded the evidence is strong enough to ban French channels from airing TV programmes aimed at children under three and insist that cable channels display a health warning."

So France has seen fit, but not the UK? There are still the dreaded CBeebies/Milkshake etc which are specifically aimed at very young children. While at the Derby Montessori School open afternoon a few weeks ago, I overheard a teacher talking with a parent about TV. The teacher was explaining to the stunned parent that the recommended amount of TV any child under 11 should be allowed, per day is 1 hour.

We don't have TV in our house. We haven't had TV for about 5 years now and I'm rather glad! We have a TV, but it isn't plugged into an aerial/dish/box so we don't receive any broadcasting. This will, thankfully, massively restrict Isaac's exposure to, as Palmer puts it "the marketing maelstrom". We use it for DVDs and Simon uses it for computer games too. Sure we watch some TV shows, but they are blissfully advert free and watched (a few times a week at most) when Isaac is asleep. Of course, I worry that other children will find it strange that he doesn't watch television - heck I used to think it was odd. Having lived without it for a while now I couldn't imagine having it back in the house. I remember back to my Uni days and the "MTV2 face" which plagued all in the House of Death. I simply don't have time to be watching the drivel that constitutes much of TV these days. Sure I spend some time writing this blog, but it doesn't take over my life like TV used to. Plus if I didn't write this stuff down I might go wrong in the head brain.

So anyhoo, Isaac will grow up without TV. He is my little baby boy and that is what I think is best for him and his developing brain. We will instead be going on trips to different places and visiting different people and learning about life through doing, not watching. I was slightly concerned about how the no-TV will work when the girls come on their weekends as they are used to watching lots of TV. I recently explained to Aoife that I don't want Isaac to watch TV and why; she was quite interested and not at all bothered that it was turned off when he woke up from his nap. It seems to be something they do when he isn't around anyway because they love playing with him when he's up and about. Bring on the summer, better weather, longer days and outdoor frolics!

I'm very aware of the use of mobile phones around him. What he sees now and going forward will be accepted as the norm and I don't want him to think it's OK to be glued to a phone 24/7, because it isn't! We have a no phones at the table rule and I'm conscious of trying to not use mobiles around him. I'm also very aware of the use of computers. I try my best not to use one at all when he's around. This will obviously change as he gets older and starts to use technology himself. As he gets bigger and we're off out doing stuff then my use of the PC will diminish too I suppose. Not a bad thing. I value family time over anything. No amount of BBC news or failblog.org or blogging or Facebook can replace spending time with the ones you love. If it can, and I say this in all seriousness, there is something very, very wrong with you!!

So, in conclusion (if conclusions can be drawn from my disjointed & erratic waffle) - I'm aiming to raise a balanced, healthy boy without the distractions of cheap throwaway junk toys, TV or technology. Of course they will find a way into his life, but I'd rather it was at an acceptable time than hammering him with it from birth when it can affect his little brain and potentially mess him up before he's even started. I love him too much for that. I know that he will do what he wants and I can't force him to do what I want, but I can give him the best head start possible while he is still little and in my care. I hope you'll help me too?

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:

3 months today!

Well...at 11.42pm at least.

My GAHD! Where does the time go? I looked at the calendar yesterday and it's December?? During the last 3 months we have been officially travelling at Warp 8, fcuk Impulse! (No disrespect J-L.P.).

I think the 3 month mark is the magic moment for us. I finally have a firmer grip on life with Isaac. It's all been a bit of an ordeal so far, but the past 5 days or so have seen the return of Sarah as she was known, pre-Isaac. She isn't mentally 100% as she seems to have lost some brain power, and now seems to be referring to herself in the 3rd person. Hmm.

So anyway, back to Little Man. Breastfeeding/milk is now definitely established & there's less frustrated screaming because it doesn't let down quick enough. Although he did feed every 2 hours today - 3 month growth spurt methinks? Would also explain the feeding every 2 hours on the dot. Bless him. Still haven't got into expressing. Might wait until this growth spurt is over & then give it a go as it shouldn't upset supply & demand then.

I put him in his door bouncer for the first time proper the other day. His feet now reach the floor. He doesn't bounce as such, but spins it round while he surveys his kingdom (and has stare downs with the dog).

 

Doggy Stare Down

We've been to Cine Babies at the Quad for the past 2 months. Only 9 more of those :-( It's such a good idea, mainly because it doesn't matter if your baby screams because there will be other babies screaming too & everyone expects it! Hurrah! Next month: Me & Orson Welles.

I've taken him swimming twice. That one is tricky because the swimming class I went to is at 11.15am which is when he usually wants to be asleep. I've found another one which is MUCH closer (within walking distance rather than 20 minute drive) in the hospital hydrotherapy pool. Have emailed the woman so will see what comes of that. Took him into the teaching pool with Simon & the girls today. I don't think he was that impressed with the actual in-the-water bit, but there was minimal crying & only a bit of whimpering, until back in the changing room when I unwrapped his towel & took off his baby snug. Even then it was OK because he went straight into another dry towel followed closely by clothses. I think he was tired. Which leads nicely into my next topic.

Sleep.

The Little Man won't sleep until he's the-most-tired-ever.com. During the day that is. At night he sleeps from about 6.30pm-7pm for between 5 & 7 hours, wakes for a feed/nappy change & then goes back to sleep for between 2& 3 hours. This was great when his last wake up was 6am, but it's been 4.30am of late. This does not go down well in the Turner house, for Ma or Pa. It's difficult to keep him up until 7/7.30pm though because he's so tired and grumpy. I think it's time to re-evaluate his nap schedule. He still naps best in't sling. He does sleep in his pram basket for about an hour, but only after 10 minutes of grizzling. Balls to HV. I'm sticking to my guns about baby wearing. He also doesn't settle properlyuntil he's had some comfort sucking on me. I've tried to slip my nipple out of his mouth & replace it with a soother to no avail. The boy ain't stupid. He knows what he wants & that's real live boob. People say it'll develop bad habits, but I dunno. He's a little tiny baby who wants his Mamma, who am I to deny him that?

We're looking to get a new carrier in the New Year as the Hug-a-Bub is great while he's still relatively small, but as he grows it's going to become  impractical. The H-a-B is supposed to be worn with the loose bits tied around ones hips. Having a waist smaller than my hips makes this difficult because it rides up & then loosens the rest of the sling meaning he's all flopping everywhere & his head falls back at some weird ass angle. So. We're going to get an Ergo carrier. I've spent hours, literally hours, pouring over different types of soft carrier wondering which would be best.  Should we get a mei tai type (which I very nearly did) or a clip fastening type? I saw a lady the first time we went to Cine Babies with a backpack style carrier & when we went again I asked her what it was. I had a look at it & it seems great! If you can be bothered there's LOADS of information on their website all about baby wearing, its benefits, why it won't wreck your back (HVs new tactic to discourage). It has a sleep hood which is very important for us as Isaac loves to sleep in the sling. It can be worn front, back & hip. Sold. Galaxy grey to the lady with the tattoos.

Something that reassures me in my baby wearing ways is the reading I've done about how humans are parent clingers, i.e.: not meant to be left in nests like birds/mice etc - makes sense as we're descended from apes (sorry Mrs Palin) whose young are carried constantly during the early part of their lives. Research shows that baby wearing doesn't make clingy, spoiled children; it reassures them and creates emotionally balanced and secure individuals. So, we're meant to be carried around all of the time until we want to walk on our own? Yes! Sucks for people who don't really like their kids!

Little Man smiles lots of the time now. He's such a charmer :-) I think I even heard a silvery peal of laughter the other day! His hair is getting thicker and his legs longer. However, longer legs = unable to tuck up in the sling anymore so feeties get cold! OH NO! Fear not! I've just found these brilliant things. Extra long merino wool booties :-) From the rather awesomely named site, Fanny Fanackapants! Back on track. He likes singing & being jiggled about on his changing mat so I think we're going to start going to rhyme time and maybe even TinyTalk in the new year. We just weren't ready before. I've even discovered how to tie my scarf so that he's not suffocated by it while in-sling. I did have a picture, but I've lost it :-( Soz.

So now it's time for me to go to bed, at the rock n roll hour of 10pm - here's hoping tomorrow doesn't start at 4.30am!