Last week was much happier for me, probably because of writing my last post and processing my feelings that way… Also the kind and encouraging messages (rather than judgement!) I received on the back of it made me feel more “ok” with the fact that I’ve struggled with the combination of the mum life and the coronavirus lockdown… Admitting it lifted a weight off my shoulders to be honest. I‘ve been able to relax a bit and let go of some of the stressors such as Noah’s random nap schedule. I’m a control freak and it was driving me insane that I was unable to get him to nap (consistently) longer than one sleep cycle (~40-minutes) no matter what I did. Unpredictability can make life with little babies a challenge, especially if you’ve got older children too. The holy grail would obviously be a synchronised two-hour nap in the afternoon but let’s see if I ever get there with Maia and Noah. After doing some more reading about babies’ sleep I learned that actually Noah’s behaviour is completely normal for a baby his age and I am doing all the right things to help him sleep. So I’ve done what I can and now I need to stop stressing about it!
Last week I actually did sleep better but that’s mainly because I have also been more relaxed about Noah sleeping with me at night. I just got to a point where I needed more sleep and co-sleeping is how I got it (yes yes I know, it’ll backfire eventually but I’ll just sort it out then). With more sleep I’ve had more energy and I’ve been able to exercise more which always makes me feel so good! Feeling happier and more energetic also gave me a boost to do more things with Maia. We had gorgeous weather all week, sunshine and +26-27 degrees everyday, so I blew up the paddling pool in the garden and she has had a lot of fun with it! We’ve also been playing with her bubble gun and drawing with chalks on the patio paving. Little things like that make her so happy and seeing her happy makes me happy too.
But this post is about Noah who turned four-months old! It feels crazy to think the lockdown has lasted already more than half of his lifetime… In his first two months we stayed mainly at home to enjoy the newborn baby bubble (also because both kids were constantly sick with colds) and since then we’ve obviously been stuck at home in COVID-19 lockdown. With kids nothing stays exactly the same for long though and although I have complained about the “Groundhog Day”, there are subtle differences every week. We haven’t hit any huge milestones this month but our little baby boy is constantly growing and changing. I just need to stop and observe him a bit more often – it’s funny how little you do that when there’s a 2.5-year old chatterbox around stealing the show!
To celebrate Noah’s 4-months I finally took his hand and foot prints and did an impromptu photo shoot (standing on his cot hovering over him) in an attempt to capture his tininess before he grows up!
Firstly an update on the teething situation. No teeth have cut through yet although I can see the bottom two as white dots in the gum. We have days when Noah is really suffering with teething but overall it hasn’t been as bad in the last week as it was a few weeks back. I think he has gotten used to the discomfort and can cope with it better, and he’s also better with his grip and coordinating the hand-to-mouth movement so the teething toys are more useful. As a result he’s been much happier!
Every week Noah is interacting and engaging more and more with us and his repertoire of noises (as well as volume) has grown with funny screeching and cooing sounds. We also had his first laugh just a few days ago!! He’s gotten strong and loves sitting and standing up with our help. I remember Maia also loving it when she was little! I’m trying to remember to do tummy time with him although I admit I don’t do it as much as I probably should – I just feel so sorry for him struggling on the floor with his nose flat on the ground! Ok, I’m exaggerating a little bit, he can lift his head up but it looks so uncomfortable! I’m using little cushions to prop him up a bit.
One recent development I really love is that Noah has also started engaging with Maia. He tries to grab her face, hands, hair, whatever he can reach and often smiles and “talks” to her – it’s so cute! Maia is still infatuated with him and can’t get enough of her little brother. I’m still in awe of how well she’s taken to him despite Noah taking so much of my time. Maybe it’s because she gets attention from her daddy and the nanny, but we haven’t had jealous behaviour lately.
Noah had his 4-month booster jabs last week and luckily he didn’t react to them too badly. Maia used to get scary high temperature especially after the Meningitis B-vaccine but Noah was fine. I did give him paracetamol every four hours as instructed for the first 24-hours. He was a bit more fragile than usual but otherwise he was fine. The baby clinic is still closed so I don’t know his weight but he’s very clearly growing well so nothing to worry about. He’s filling up his “3-6 months”-size clothes and the size 4 nappies are just right. I don’t think I’ll be carrying him around in the sling as long as I carried Maia! I’m already getting a back ache from carrying him now.
Noah is sporting a very cool white quiff as his hair has rubbed off from the sides and back (from lying down so much) but is still long at the top! I think he looks adorable, but obviously as his mum I would think so no matter how he looked!
We’ve been lucky with no issues with his skin and I can bathe him every night which he really enjoys and splashes the water in excitement. I often bathe him together with Maia using the bath seat for him. It’s a bit more hassle but I love seeing them together. I let Maia wash his toes to “help” me and she’s such a caring big sister it makes my heart burst with pride.
Breastfeeding is still going well as his only means of feeding. Noah gets distracted easily though which is a bit annoying and feeding him is a bit like a wrestling match which is no joke as he’s getting quite big and strong. Sometimes I end up walking around while feeding him which I remember doing with Maia as well, but it’s harder work with him since he’s much heavier. So it’s not easy but still I like it and we also have calm feeds, especially during the night.
I don’t know if I’ll ever have another baby and that makes me more keen to hold him and to sleep with him… He’s only little for such a short time. Despite all challenges I still wish I could keep them little forever!
xoxoxo,
Sini