Maia is now 5-months (+10 days) old and I’m really struggling to find time for blogging! She’s no longer a “4-month monster” (read: 4-month old baby ) but is overall happier and we all sleep a bit better again but she’s definitely a handful! 😄
In fairness in the past month we’ve also been travelling quite a bit which also has had an impact. As much fun as travelling is, being in a new environment with baby and not sticking to our usual routines make life a bit more challenging. But more about that in the next post. Today I wanted to focus on Maia at the 5-month age!
Maia is a smiley little baby but mainly when alone with mummy and daddy. We are yet to hear a proper giggle but we have gotten a few little “he he” sounds out of her. Strangers get mixed reactions and noisy crowds mainly negative. I’ve been very active and social with her from the start so I would have thought she’s used to people and noise but I suppose this is a natural phase in her development – she understands enough to know who and what is familiar and unfamiliar. It’d be the easiest to stay at home but I try to stay social, I think it’s good for us both.
Maia is very alert and curious but unfortunately also easily distracted which means calming down to feed or nap is still a challenge both at home and outside the home, but especially outside. I understand her struggle because she’s not yet able to screen out the irrelevant stuff happening around her and everything is new and exciting. I try not to stay out all day so that she can have good feeds and naps at home but it’s not a given that helps… Lunch or coffee dates are definitely less fun nowadays and I prefer to grab a takeaway coffee and go for a walk when I meet up with friends. Hopefully this will improve now that we won’t be travelling for a while and can focus on her routine.
Maia is developing fast physically as well. I would estimate she’s about 6kg now and while she mostly wears 0-3 months size clothes, some of them are starting to be a bit too snug. Maia has always been physically quite strong and those chubby legs rarely stop kick-kick-kicking! Changing her nappy and clothes requires quick reflexes and some acrobatics from me – lying still just isn’t her thing! Maia can sit up with support, roll over both ways, and she can wiggle a full 360 around her head when lying in the floor. One day she even wiggled and rolled her way underneath the sofa!
Maia has recently discovered her toes which provide endless amusement. If I ever need a few minutes to myself (make coffee/ use the toilet/ load the dishwasher/ etc), I take off her socks and leave her on a blanket to play with (and to chew on!) her toes. She’s getting more accurate with her hands too and a few weeks ago she grabbed a small ball with both hands from the water during her swimming lesson for the first time. She’s also starting to enjoy swimming more and is increasingly chatty and smiley in the pool instead of serious and quiet like before.
In the morning I open Maia’s sleep bag and let her have a good kick next to me while I try to wake up myself. She “helps” by kicking me and sticking her fingers into my eyes, nose and mouth… Indeed, and another new “fun activity” for her is to touch our faces. It’s very cute unless I’m not prepared for a little finger up my nose at 5am.
Oh yes, 5am is when we way too often wake up for the day. After the 4-month sleep regression our nights have improved a bit but for me 5am is just too early to start the day. I wasn’t an early bird even when I got to sleep through the night but now it’s just impossible to get up! Hence she gets to play in my bed and scratch my face as much as she wants as long as I don’t have to open my eyes… I would prefer to wake up more frequently at night if only I could stay in bed until 7am…
I think that must have something to do with hormones but I find waking up at night much more difficult now than during the first weeks and months after Maia was born. This is why we’ve been co-sleeping again during the morning hours. I always intend to put her back to her Moses basket (yes, she still sleeps in the newborn basket) but I often fall asleep myself before she finishes her feed. In all honesty I do enjoy sleeping with her although it’s a bit uncomfortable and I don’t sleep as well. She’s growing up so quickly that I want to make sure I get all the baby cuddles possible! And she sleeps better with me. Sometimes (not often enough) so well that I wake up before her in the morning. I’ll rather sleep in an uncomfortable position than not at all.
I complain about the very early mornings but I do love our cuddles and mornings are her best time. Maia wakes up happy and rested, and belly full of milk since she’s literally been on the boob from 5am forwards. After a coffee (or two) I’m ready to join her on the playmat but that’s usually when she gets tired again and by 9am she’s back to sleep for her first nap of the day. If it’s been a tough night, I join her for a snooze.
Maia is still exclusively breastfed. I plan to start weaning in June when she is 6-months old, if she seems ready. I’m very set on trying the “baby led weaning” which skips purées and babies are given finger food from the start. Yesterday Maia picked up a slice of apple from my salad and put it in her mouth – that’s one of the tell signs she should be ready soon!
She still refuses the bottle… I tried again yesterday with our upcoming wedding in mind but she just rages. I spent two hours first pumping milk and getting the bottle ready, then trying to feed her and finally breastfeeding to calm her down after the failed bottle feeding attempt. Now someone clever might say that I’ll never succeed if I “give up and give the boob” but there is no way to force the baby to take the bottle nor am I going to let her go hungry. I tried the bottle again later yesterday when she wasn’t hungry nor tired and it went better in the sense that we avoided the hysterical crying but she still didn’t actually drink anything. The only thing she hates as much as the bottle is the car seat – but that’s another story.
I remain hopeful that once we start weaning she will eventually be less dependent on me for feeds. As long as she’s growing well and properly nourished that’s the main thing. Everything else is just a convenience factor for me and hence secondary – Mum life eh? 😃
We’ll see what the next month has in store for us!
xoxoxo,
Sini