Rolling has become a great way to get out of tummy time-I knew she would learnt that quickly!
We also started using teething rusks. Not that I think Isla is teething, I just got sick of her attacking my finger. And let me tell you, if she had teeth she would be dangerous! She gums those little rusk sticks to death! It looks like teeth marks are left behind but it's just where she has gummed it to death.
And this past weekend we started solids!! This was an exciting thing for me. Isla is such a hungry bunny. From 3 months of age she has been licking her lips, watching us eat, reaching out to grab food, trying to steal her aunty's steak!! We always knew she was ready and I was excited to see how she would react with finally getting a taste of real food.
Last week I prepared a few different flavoured purées to freeze and use as needed.
Saturday was the day. It was a whole family affair, even the dog was sitting around watching and waiting.
Camera and video camera were at the ready (as with the older kids we wanted to capture the confused look on Isla's face when she had that very first taste)!
I had sweet potato ready and surprisingly Isla went very serious. She frowned a lot, she touched and tasted and licked her lips. She tried to grab the spoon, she put sweet potato in her hair and in her ear. The older kids giggled and Zac patiently waited to do the clean up.
I would call the first attempt at solids a great success. The second and third even more successful. Today was apple and strawberry purée and although she swallowed every mouthful she did a cute
little 'yucky' face and shivered each time :-)
I've been thinking about how much I've been enjoying this whole 'baby thing' so much lately. Don't get me wrong I LOVED it the first and second time around. It was all new and fun and every milestone was amazing. The bond I had with Kaitlyn and Bradley was amazing and I loved every second of it. But this time is a lot more relaxing. I've relaxed into this while motherhood thing and I'm comfortable with the way I raise my kids-even though my choices are different to most these days.
But the thing I've realised that is so different this time is I have a healthy baby!! When I really think about it those first precious months with both Kaitlyn and Bradley were overshadowed by serious health issues.
My beautiful Kaitlyn was only 10 weeks old when she was hospitalised with salmonella. I was a brand new mum still settling into life and then it was all changed overnight. Kaitlyn ended up being sick for 6 months. We spent the better part of her first year in and out of Drs, hospitals and paediatrician appointments trying to find out why she was still sick (at first we didn't know it was still the salmonella) and then trying to get her better. Those 6-8 months are a blur of appointments and worry. She also had a rotavirus in that time frame...due to a weakened immune system (we didn't know at the time) he rotavirus vaccine made her sick.
Then of course with Bradley and his heart condition there was again the constant Drs, hospitals, appointments, worry, medical trip to Melbourne etc etc... Even after he came out of hospital after the original surgery he still had tonnes of follow up appointments and because we lived in the country it meant many, many trips to the city. So that first year passed in a blur of madness too.
This time with Isla, she's made it to 4 months of age with no illness (other than a nasty cold, which thankfully didn't even require a Dr visit). I've had time to just sit back and enjoy watching Isla grow- and that's another thing I've NEVER had a baby grow, they were both born big but then due to illness gaining weight was so hard for them both, I'm finding myself having to keep up with buying clothes to fit Isla. Others say how tiny and petite she is, by to us she's getting chunkier every day and growing so much better than her siblings.
I'm still very busy, with two school aged kids I can't stay locked up in the house adjusting routines etc as I please. I need to fit Isla into our family routine. Sleeps need to be scheduled around school pick ups, horse riding lessons, homework and just general get out of the house and have fun outings. But I'm finding I have more time to sit and stare and enjoy the peace of a new baby.
It's been 4 months since we moved to the Pilbara with our little family and what an amazing 4 months it has been...I can't it to see our family grow (not in the amount of people) over the coming months :-)
The very first taste of food :-)
Relaxed and ready for an afternoon walk
Selfies!! ;-)
No comments:
Post a Comment