Over the course of me blogging about being a mum, I will share my experiences as part of ‘my lessons learnt’ series.
When you get pregnant or become a mum/parent, you feel like you are the only one in the world who has just had a baby until the day you look for reassurance that you are doing the right thing. Be it advise from family, friends, the net, your health advisors…..you name it. That is when you realize that being a parent is NO JOKE! and you are not alone.
What have I learnt between six to twelve months of being a mother?
TIME FLIES!!!
You can read my thoughts of the first six months here if you missed it.
If you thought that the first six months had plenty of milestones, nothing prepares you for those that come before your DS or DD turns one.
Weaning/ Feeding
Well, to be honest, DS started eating when he was four months. He is a BOY afterall. So, no amount of breast milk or formula alone would satisfy him. I was scared at first as the ‘experts’ always advise to wean at 6 months. To be honest, this was not going to happen. Dealing with a crying baby who is clearly hungry every 30mins to an hour mostly during the day is not fun especially when you are exhausted due to lack of sleep. So, we started eating. At first it was porridge for breakfast and this helped a lot. DS settled much better than before. I kept this up until he was 5 months with increased portions of the porridge and then I introduced fruits and yogurt for lunch. By the time DS was 6 months, we were on three meals a day and no more night feeds.
Problem I encountered whilst weaning DS was I was moving too fast for him. His first cooked meal, I mixed carrots with potatoes. He refused to eat it as the taste was just too intense for him. After a phone call or two to fellow yummies, I tried foods on their own, like carrots, potatoes (which I discovered get quite gummy when pureed. So added milk to stop this and it worked.), butternut squash, sweet potatoes, etc. RESULT! It wasn’t long before I was mixing things up, using herbs, olive oil, garlic and ginger, you name it.
With time, DS’ appetite increased. I soon learnt what he loves and what is simply won’t eat. By 8-9 months, DS was more or less choosing what he would eat. I also soon learnt not to give up and try it again another time. Afterall, you are ‘told’ to try foods at least eight times(at varying stages mind you) so that you are sure they don’t like it.
Sitting Up / Crawling
When it comes to physical milestones, boys differ greatly from girls. Boys are more layed back and will take their time to do stuff. Where as girls are always on the go.
When it came to this stage, DS took his sweet time and I was one impatient mum. He would sit up aided by his nursing pillow (knew it would come in handy some other way), but only for so long until he was tired. Eventually as months went by I would use it to prop him up and when we were playing slowly took it away. Soon we were sitting on our own by 7-8mths. It was at this stage tummy time became less taxing. DS hated tummy time from when he was 3mths. He would always throw a hissy fit. So, I would only do them when he was happy and this only lasted for less than five minutes at a time. I digress. Anyway…..when DS was sitting unaided, tummy time was much more easier as he had more stronger control of his neck and back muscles. Soon after we were rolling.
As soon as DS realised the power of rolling, there was no stopping him. He used it to his advantage to roaming past his play mat. Soon, hubby and I were thinking of how to baby proof our home.
It didn’t take long between milestones with DS at this point. With the rolling, he soon discovered he could go on all fours and within a few weeks, we were crawling. By the time DS was 10mths, he had moved from rolling on the floor to crawling. Two weeks later, he was starting to prop himself up and stand.
Standing/Walking
DS started walking when he was between 10 and 11mths. He could hold on to the furniture and slowly move from one end to the other. When he got stuck at the end, he would cry to be put to the next piece of furniture or to be put down on the floor to crawl. We knew this was going to be a problem when it came to bedtime since he was so excited he was standing on his own, it was the getting down part that proved to be a challenge he wasn’t ready for.
At first, we helped and showed him how to get down. After a few days of crying and hissy fits, we ignored him. This time I made sure I had my camera rolling. DS literally slid with his legs wide apart, put the palm of his had on the floor to prop himself and carefully dropped to the floor. Hubby and I did silent high fives and cheers. It was a start and we knew bedtimes would now be easier.
At least now he had a clue of how to get down and crawl.
Now, we are stuck on the walking whilst holding on to furniture, walls, us, his walking toys, etc. Progress is that he is now faster and combined with speedy crawling, we have ourselves a little adventurer.
Answering Back / Waving
DS shocked me when he started answering back the questions asked on his favourite cartoons, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and Jake and the Neverland Pirates. When they asked a question, I heard him say ‘hhmmm!’ or ‘hhhmm?’ I thought I was hearing things until I started asking him questions and got the same response. I was utterly amazed.
Shortly, when the cartons are almost ending or someone is leaving and says, “See you later.” or “Bye.”, I could see him waving to the TV. Soon, I was waving good by when I was going out or when taking him to bed we wave him goodnight. It’s on and off, but it happens. Nowadays, he waves ‘hello’ too. Chuffed mum right here!
There are loads of milestones that DS has done that reduce me to tears, like the ‘pincer grip’, eating solids (no mush or puree), no more reflux, etc. The list is endless as they (milestones) just keep happening.
I have learnt to be alot patient with my baby as everyday, although it looks the same, there is always something different that is going to happen.
What have your experiences been during the last six months of year one?
My Life is...Mochalicious! 