This summer has been a time of change for us with the country slowly coming out of the coronavirus lockdown and with me stepping up “properly” to the role of a full time mum of two as we let go of our kids’ nanny. Over these past two months we’ve also seen Noah take huge leaps in his development, hitting big milestones. On 20th of July Noah turned 6-months old which means we are half way through the baby year already! He can roll over both ways (since ~5-months old) and sit up with support. He has started eating solids and now sleeps in his own bedroom. I remember this exciting stage from Maia’s baby year and it feels like everything is happening at once! I know I moan a lot about the hardships of motherhood but I do enjoy this life and don’t want to miss a blink of the time my kids are little. I never thought I could love anyone as much as I love Maia, but while the relationships with my two kids are different, the crazy, passionate, and completely unconditional “I’d take a bullet for you”-love for both is the same.
Noah is such a happy baby and has the biggest toothless grin! He makes sure we don’t forget him though, and demands a lot of attention, but as soon as I focus on him, speak to him or kiss him, he’ll reward me with the loveliest smile! He still likes having my face very close to his and giggles when I kiss his cheeks. He is ticklish on his tummy and I love making him laugh but then I feel bad because it often gives him the hiccups, oops! Like any baby, Noah likes being held but is no longer content sitting around – he gets bored. Noah’s eagerness to get moving is of course a natural instinct but while he’s still “stuck” the frustration can make life hard for him (and me!). He is definitely getting too heavy to be carried around but I still do it and feel it in my back. I actually think my arms have toned up during this year from carrying him! 😃 Noah’s Baby Björn bouncer is near redundant now because unless he’s very tired, he’s not happy to lie back in it but tries to pull himself up. He can’t quite sit upright without support yet, but is very close. Noah can sit in his highchair though which helps! I haven’t bought him a jumperoo or any other kind of sitting aid as I’m trying to just encourage him to practice sitting on his own. Maia learned so quickly a jumperoo would have been waste of money! I know from experience that this frustrating stage will pass soon and I’m enjoying watching him learn new things!
It’s fascinating to observe how different Maia and Noah have been as babies, too. I would say that Noah is calmer and, in some ways, easier baby while Maia was very stubborn already back then. For example Maia passionately hated the car seat and our car journeys were literally hell until she was big enough (at 18-months) to have a toddler seat. Meanwhile Noah has been very relaxed in the car, although we use the car rarely (we don’t use our car much in central London but only when going further out). Noah has also always been a bit happier on his own on the playmat or bouncer (for short periods of time) and has slept in his own bed from the beginning while Maia wanted to be (and was) held all the time. Of course the fact that I simply can’t fuss over Noah all the time nor always carry him around because I also have his sister to look after has played a role in this but I do believe their personalities differ. There are similarities, too. They have both been quite physical and strong, keen to be active and participate in whatever is going on around them from very young age. And of course both get frustrated when they can’t!
Maia and Noah look alike with their striking blue eyes and blond hair, but Noah is much bigger than what Maia was at his age, both longer and chunkier. I think they aren’t far off in weight right now! I don’t know how much either of them weigh, but I carry them enough to know the difference isn’t huge – Maia has just grown a lot taller in the last six months and is all limbs! Noah fits well in “3-6 month” size and even wears some “6-9 month” clothes. He’s lovely and squishy but already starting to be too heavy for me to carry in the sling – it’s a real workout! Nappies size 5+ have started to leak which means they may be getting small. Maia wears a nappy to bed and is in size 6 which means I’ll soon be able to use the same nappies for both.
I’ve mentioned before that Noah’s sleep really regressed a couple of months ago. At worst he was waking up hourly requiring me to soothe him back down. With sleep training we got to the stage where I could “shush-pat” him to sleep in his cot but he wouldn’t fall asleep independently. I felt quite emotional about moving him into his own room but for the next stage of sleep training, I needed to do it. But I haven’t actually done any further sleep training yet because we are about to go on holiday next week and I think my efforts now would be wasted and it’ll be better to wait until we will be back home. Luckily though, Noah’s sleep significantly improved after we moved him! In the past couple of weeks he has been systematically waking up (or waking me up) only twice per night. Last night for example he slept from 7.30pm until midnight and then, after a feed, until 5am. I’m sure he wakes up more frequently than that but has figured out a way to resettle on his own, which has been a relief. At bedtime however, things regressed and I’m back to rocking or nursing him to sleep. But as long as we all get a decent night’s sleep I don’t mind how he falls asleep – for now anyway!
Speaking of sleep, Noah still naps the best in the pram! He is almost 6.5-months now and I’m still using the carrycot of the pram because it’s like a mobile bed for him. Yesterday he slept almost three hours in it! Three hours is exceptional but two hours is very normal. At home he’ll nap for one hour at maximum… In an ideal world he’d have a longer nap in the afternoon simultaneously with Maia at home (so I could have a little break) but at least this way he can get a good rest while I’m out with Maia and I can focus on her. Considering how active she is now – and fast on her scooter or balance bike – I really need to keep up with her! She looks like she’s been in the wars with all the cuts and bruises… Show me a toddler who doesn’t though! 😄
In terms of physical activity and mobility Noah is following Maia’s footsteps. They both started rolling over and sitting up at similar age (5-6 months). Noah isn’t crawling yet but he can move around by wriggling while lying on his back, pushing the floor with his feet or by rolling around – it looks really funny! Noah is enjoying toys more, especially rattles and anything that makes a sound. Some weeks he’s been teething more than others and his teething monkey has been priceless. His lovey is a little blue elephant which he likes to pull over his face when he sleeps. Noah’s favourite nursery rhyme is “Incy wincy spider” (Maia’s was “wheels on the bus”). He also likes to play with the remote control so I’ve just bought him a kid’s version hoping he won’t mind swapping! 😅
Similar to Maia, Noah seemed ready to start weaning at 6-months. I was warned that Noah – as a big boy rather than a small girl-might be a hungrier baby and that I would need to wean him earlier. I didn’t buy this. I’m a true believer in breastfeeding and I haven’t struggled with keeping up with him, although I’m exclusively breastfeeding on-demand. So I’m not weaning because I think he needs more food, but because I believe in the research which suggests that this is a good time for babies to start developing their palette and exploring solid food of different textures.
Noah sits well in his highchair now and was very keen to join in the eating! I loved Maia’s Stokke Triptrap chair so I got a second one for Noah. It’s been great quality and I like the look of the white-painted wood. Somehow it feels like we’re a proper family now sitting around the dinner table with our two kids. ❤️ Obviously these kinds of meals are a bit messy and very noisy and I barely remember what I ate or if I even ate, but I still love it!
With Maia we did 100% baby lead weaning by giving her finger food from the start, but with Noah I have decided to mix spoon-feeding and finger food. I want to help Noah to gradually eat larger volumes of solid food to complement breastfeeding (which I am not planning to stop yet!). Maia did not start eating solids properly until I returned to work when she was 13-months old and I could no longer breastfeed her during the day. I also think this is what kept Maia from sleeping through the night. As a mum of two, I feel that it would be very hard for me to cope that long with sleep deprivation as well as providing all nutrition for Noah. Hence the new plan!
I started with single flavour vegetable purées which I made at home by steaming the veg and then blending it with some breastmilk. I got a new kitchen device which steams and blends and I’m loving it! I started with broccoli, potato, courgette and parsnip. Parsnip was the favourite probably because it’s the sweetest. He hasn’t loved the other three but as long as I keep him happy at the table he can polish off his meal! I’m mainly just giving lunch at the moment but it’s actually easier for me if he sits at the table at Maia’s dinner time too, so on some days he’s had two meals. For example yesterday I gave him mashed banana to keep him happy while Maia ate dinner and he ate half of it!
When I spoon-feed him, I often also offer the same food non-puréed, like soft steamed broccoli florets, so that he can explore the texture as well as the flavour. Maybe he’ll even learn what the vegetable looks like! Even I struggle to tell the purées apart…
As Noah is getting bigger and becoming more of a little person, it’s starting to feel more like I have two children instead of having one child plus a baby. After a challenging start of looking after both kids on my own, I feel like I’ve found my groove and I haven’t regretted my decision to let go the nanny. It’s hard work and physically and emotionally tiring to be with my kids every hour of every day and night, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. Soon Maia will start her nursery school (unless we’ll face another lockdown) and this phase of life will be permanently behind us. And I know I’ll miss it. 💔
xoxoxo,
Sini