There have been a whole heap of significant days this week, that got me thinking about what traditions to start with Rachael.
Good Friday morning we were lucky enough to get invited to go along with Nic, Hannah, Finnian and "ma" to the walk of the stations of the cross. Long story short, having two prams and a toddler, we ended up being up the back so we couldn't hear much, ended up cold and wet. Regardless of this, it was realy nice to share this occasion, and I think we'll be back in future years, hopefully with better weather and the ability to hear it.
This morning Rachael, Jai and I attended the ANZAC Day dawn service with dad, Katie and Tori. Dad and I have been going together for about 7 years or so, in recent years with Jai. Rachael atteded by default last year (I had to kneel part of the time because my pregnant body had a severe lack of blood pressure). I can't remember if in years previous we went (we may have). It became more significant for me after, as a cadet, I was priveledged enough to serve on a Catafalque party at a dawn service. Going with dad (and others, depending on the year), is a special tradition for me, and I want to continue it.
We were able to spend time with members of both sides of our family over Easter. It was really good to do this.
I hope that in years to come we can continue these traditions, as they mark significant things, and have a great sense of community
Monday, April 25, 2011
Saturday, April 2, 2011
7 months
Another month has passed (very quickly), and Rachael is now 7 months old.
27.3.2011 Rachael was Christened at St Aloysius. Her godparents are her Aunties Nicole and Tabitha. I was a little concerned about how she would go having the water tipped over her hed, as she screams in horror should I try to bath her in the baby bath, but it turns out that she was too busy checking out what the priest was up to, to notice the water.
Another major event was the visitation of Rachael's cousins Adelaide (18 months) and Clementine (2 1/2 months). It was our first chance to meet Clementine. You forget so quickly how floppy, light and placid they are at that age. Although I suspect altough light, Rachael may not have been ever so calm as her cousin.
The three of them had a "play" session, although they are all at such different stages, they had nothing in common to "play"
We decided to try to get the first picture of the three of them. Not easy when Adddie had no intention of staying put for the photo.
But I think they're super cute anyway.
Rachael hasn't met any younger babies before, so was quite interested in Clementine, but if course has no idea of the word gentle yet. But she did recognise they dummy on dummy holder attatched to Tiny, and thought it'd be fun to pull at
I wonder how long it'll be before Tiny outgrows Rachael? Not very long I suspect But we did manage to get a cute picture of Rachael, who is getting the hang of smiling for the camera.
Fruits and veg tend to get a play with, but we tend to have enough bits all over the place at the end, that the whole piece must still be left. I tried her with some banana yesterday, babies are supposed to love banana right? Not this one. She screwed up her nose at the taste, and after a while of trying to get the precious goodness in (they're $12.99 a kg at the moment), I gave up, and was left with squashed bits of wet banana. Nice. Oh well, got to remember "Food for fun until one". I've had a few moments of late where I've been tempted to give up on BLW and shove some mash in, but plan to stick with it for now.
For the last week, Rachael has had terrible wind at night, and spent more time crying/ midnight feeding than we would like. We've now taken her off solids for two days (except the failed banana experiment), and we all got a decent night's sleep last night. Not sure of the cause, but will be trying her on different foods.
Sleep-wise (with the exception of the last week), Rachael now sleeps at night in her own cot. She does tend to come to our bed after 5 or 6am though, so we can get a little more sleep. There is a soft toy rattle pig up the opposite end of the cot, but you'll often find Rachael has made her way up the cot, to play with "pig" in the mornings, having pulled her way up the cot bars. Or Rachael and pig up opposite ends of the cot to where they started, her having got to "pig", and then thrown him. Day sleeps are still in arms, something I'll have to change soon, as I will be back in paid employment two days a week in 6 weeks time
27.3.2011 Rachael was Christened at St Aloysius. Her godparents are her Aunties Nicole and Tabitha. I was a little concerned about how she would go having the water tipped over her hed, as she screams in horror should I try to bath her in the baby bath, but it turns out that she was too busy checking out what the priest was up to, to notice the water.
(Aww, those two are so cute)
She wasn't so keen on the Stoll though, she was trying to take it off the whole time
She was very good throughout the service though.
We enjoyed an afternoon with family, and dug out the top tier of our wedding cake, which survived a year and a half in the freezer quite well.Another major event was the visitation of Rachael's cousins Adelaide (18 months) and Clementine (2 1/2 months). It was our first chance to meet Clementine. You forget so quickly how floppy, light and placid they are at that age. Although I suspect altough light, Rachael may not have been ever so calm as her cousin.
The three of them had a "play" session, although they are all at such different stages, they had nothing in common to "play"
We decided to try to get the first picture of the three of them. Not easy when Adddie had no intention of staying put for the photo.
Rachael hasn't met any younger babies before, so was quite interested in Clementine, but if course has no idea of the word gentle yet. But she did recognise they dummy on dummy holder attatched to Tiny, and thought it'd be fun to pull at
Developmentally wise, Rachael is rolling with intent now. She can roll around the room to get to the toy/couch/powercord that catches her fancy. She hasn't started to crawl yet, but has learnt another way of getting the toy that is too far to reach- she pulls her play rug (as seen above) towards her, and the toy comes to her.
Foodwise, Rachael isn't as keen as we first thought. Although the concept of food looks great, the execution is a bit tricky, so not much makes it to her tummy. One thing we can be sure she eats is carrots though. There has been eveidence that she has consumed carrots of both the orange and purple varieties, thanks to Aunty Katie. Toast is good to munch on in the morning, but by the pile of soggy, gummed bread I'm left with, I doubt very much gets in. Rachael does have the ability to always get soggy toast on the back of her head. How, I'm not sure yet.
Rachael's favourite food is most definately meat. Chicken from stirfry, Roast beef and Lamb from Kebabs, they are most enthusiastically enjoyed. The peice looks rather ragged after she has sucked on it for a good 20 minutes or more. Without any teeth as of yet, sucking the juices is as far as it can get.
Fruits and veg tend to get a play with, but we tend to have enough bits all over the place at the end, that the whole piece must still be left. I tried her with some banana yesterday, babies are supposed to love banana right? Not this one. She screwed up her nose at the taste, and after a while of trying to get the precious goodness in (they're $12.99 a kg at the moment), I gave up, and was left with squashed bits of wet banana. Nice. Oh well, got to remember "Food for fun until one". I've had a few moments of late where I've been tempted to give up on BLW and shove some mash in, but plan to stick with it for now.
For the last week, Rachael has had terrible wind at night, and spent more time crying/ midnight feeding than we would like. We've now taken her off solids for two days (except the failed banana experiment), and we all got a decent night's sleep last night. Not sure of the cause, but will be trying her on different foods.
Sleep-wise (with the exception of the last week), Rachael now sleeps at night in her own cot. She does tend to come to our bed after 5 or 6am though, so we can get a little more sleep. There is a soft toy rattle pig up the opposite end of the cot, but you'll often find Rachael has made her way up the cot, to play with "pig" in the mornings, having pulled her way up the cot bars. Or Rachael and pig up opposite ends of the cot to where they started, her having got to "pig", and then thrown him. Day sleeps are still in arms, something I'll have to change soon, as I will be back in paid employment two days a week in 6 weeks time
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Rachael Led Weaning
I know I just posted, but as this will be an ongoing topic, I thought it deserved it's own post.
I am proud of Rachael and myself for having exclusively breastfed for 6 months.
As Rachael is now 6 months old, it's time to start introducing food other than breasmilk into her life.
After doing my research, I settled on trying Baby Led Weaning, as it makes a lot of sense to me.
As you may not be familiar with this approach, some info may be a good idea.
Toast two days ago. Not sure if we got the roast beef on camera or not
I am proud of Rachael and myself for having exclusively breastfed for 6 months.
As Rachael is now 6 months old, it's time to start introducing food other than breasmilk into her life.
After doing my research, I settled on trying Baby Led Weaning, as it makes a lot of sense to me.
As you may not be familiar with this approach, some info may be a good idea.
"What is baby-led weaning?
Baby-led weaning is a way of introducing solid foods that allows babies to feed
themselves - there’s no spoon feeding and no purées. The baby sits with the
family at mealtimes and joins in when she is ready, feeding herself first with her
fingers and later with cutlery.
Baby-led weaning:
* allows babies to explore taste, texture, colour and smell
* encourages independence and confidence
* helps to develop their hand-eye coordination and chewing skills
* makes picky eating and mealtime battles less likely"
Lessons learnt with Rachael so far:
-Don't bother to put food on a plate. A plate is the easiest way to ensure all the food ends up on the floor within 10 seconds.
- Pretty much every food discolours clothing
-A bib is designed to keep clothing clean, but a baby is more likely to eat the bib and skip the food
Attempted foods:
Banana. No luck- see plate comment above
Carrot. Some sucking acheived. Turns clothing orange
Toast. Sucking acheived. Small amounts broken off. Gagged a little. (Note. Gagging is ok. Babies gag reflex is quiet close to front of mouth as a safety mechanism. Gagging is different than actually choking).
Meat. Rachael loves meat. Has enjoyed sucking several pieces. Makes clothes dirty too.
Has she actually ingested anything? No, but that's ok. We've only just started, and she is getting food from table to mouth, and sometimes into mouth. It's a good start
6 Months
6 Months- Can you believe it? We made it this far.
Health checkup isn't until next week, so I'll have to add that info later.
Teething has started. I got my first tooth at 6 months, but Rachael's bottom teeth are still a long way down her gums, so it could be a long ride yet. Thankfully, I have been told about Baltic Amber teething necklaces.
For the uneducated, check out this onfo from the website http://www.whiskersonkittens.com.au/
"How does an Amber Teething Necklace work?
Amber has many therapeutic qualities and provides natural pain relief. Amber works by the skin warming the amber which releases healing oils and the oils are then absorbed into the blood stream. Amber reduces red inflamed cheeks and stimulates the thyroid glands to reduce drooling. It is known to boost the immune system, reduce inflammation, accelerate would healing, reduce inflammation of the throat, ear and stomach infections and respiratory disease.
The active ingredient is succinic-acid which was analysed by the pioneer of modern bacteriology, the Nobel-prize winner Robert Koch who confirmed its positive influence and recent scientific research has also proved that succinic acid has a very positive influence on the human organism.
Succinic acid is a powerful antioxidant that helps fight toxic free radicals and disruptions of the cardiac rhythm, succinic acid has been shown to stimulate neural system recovery and bolster the immune system, and helps compensate for energy drain in the body and brain, boosting awareness, concentration and reflexes, and reducing stress."
I chose this supplier as I had seen good things about them. No point paying for an expensive fake. Teething/screaming started Friday, continued Saturday and Sunday. Monday I was able to borrow a necklace until the one I ordered arrived. Three hours (and one nap) after I put it on her, my baby girl was back to laughing at me. It's not a magic cure, but it does seem to help.
Rachael has improved in both her rolling and sitting. Her rolling is more turning really, she doesn't roll continously, just one 180 at a time. Sitting is semi-assisted at the moment. She can't sit up alone, but when she wants to, once sat can sit unassisted for up to an hour.
Besides her ongoing obsession of putting everything in sight in her mouth, Rachael's two current obsessions are blowing raspberries, and making a gargling sound in her throat.
Health checkup isn't until next week, so I'll have to add that info later.
Teething has started. I got my first tooth at 6 months, but Rachael's bottom teeth are still a long way down her gums, so it could be a long ride yet. Thankfully, I have been told about Baltic Amber teething necklaces.
For the uneducated, check out this onfo from the website http://www.whiskersonkittens.com.au/
"How does an Amber Teething Necklace work?
Amber has many therapeutic qualities and provides natural pain relief. Amber works by the skin warming the amber which releases healing oils and the oils are then absorbed into the blood stream. Amber reduces red inflamed cheeks and stimulates the thyroid glands to reduce drooling. It is known to boost the immune system, reduce inflammation, accelerate would healing, reduce inflammation of the throat, ear and stomach infections and respiratory disease.
The active ingredient is succinic-acid which was analysed by the pioneer of modern bacteriology, the Nobel-prize winner Robert Koch who confirmed its positive influence and recent scientific research has also proved that succinic acid has a very positive influence on the human organism.
Succinic acid is a powerful antioxidant that helps fight toxic free radicals and disruptions of the cardiac rhythm, succinic acid has been shown to stimulate neural system recovery and bolster the immune system, and helps compensate for energy drain in the body and brain, boosting awareness, concentration and reflexes, and reducing stress."
I chose this supplier as I had seen good things about them. No point paying for an expensive fake. Teething/screaming started Friday, continued Saturday and Sunday. Monday I was able to borrow a necklace until the one I ordered arrived. Three hours (and one nap) after I put it on her, my baby girl was back to laughing at me. It's not a magic cure, but it does seem to help.
Rachael has improved in both her rolling and sitting. Her rolling is more turning really, she doesn't roll continously, just one 180 at a time. Sitting is semi-assisted at the moment. She can't sit up alone, but when she wants to, once sat can sit unassisted for up to an hour.
Besides her ongoing obsession of putting everything in sight in her mouth, Rachael's two current obsessions are blowing raspberries, and making a gargling sound in her throat.
Monday, January 31, 2011
5 months
Rachael is 5 months into the world today. I don't really like saying 5 months old, as that doesn't credit the 9 months pre-birth I was creating and nuturing her for, and the living (kicking, punching) she was doing.
Anyway, an update on Rachael. She's not really fond of the heat (like her mummy), so she's not enjoying this heatwave.
Although she's small for her age, she's still our big girl. No weigh-in this month, but I have just been given a picture of her baby cousin Clementine, in the same t-shirt Rachael wears (well obviously not THE same shirt, but the same brand/design/size), and what Rachael is just about busting out of, her little cousin wears like a dress. Show's how much bigger she's gotten.
Just today Rachael has started to roll from her back to her tummy. I'm not even sure she knows that she's doing it or how she's doing it, but it gets her to her toy. Tends to get one arm stuck underneath, but she'll figure it out with time.
Rachael is really enjoying assisted sitting. It must be much more enjoyable than lying down. She's also enoying a good giggle from time to time. Two nights ago, it was discovering the fun of pushing an empty water bottle off the table (and having grandma pick it up again) over and over again. Last night, it was a new spinning toy that grandma bought out. A week ago she accidentally made a gurgling sound in her throat, and spent the next 10 minutes trying to replicate it, and giggling the whole time at her new discovery.
I will get video of it soon and post, as it is seriously cute
Anyway, an update on Rachael. She's not really fond of the heat (like her mummy), so she's not enjoying this heatwave.
Although she's small for her age, she's still our big girl. No weigh-in this month, but I have just been given a picture of her baby cousin Clementine, in the same t-shirt Rachael wears (well obviously not THE same shirt, but the same brand/design/size), and what Rachael is just about busting out of, her little cousin wears like a dress. Show's how much bigger she's gotten.
Just today Rachael has started to roll from her back to her tummy. I'm not even sure she knows that she's doing it or how she's doing it, but it gets her to her toy. Tends to get one arm stuck underneath, but she'll figure it out with time.
Rachael is really enjoying assisted sitting. It must be much more enjoyable than lying down. She's also enoying a good giggle from time to time. Two nights ago, it was discovering the fun of pushing an empty water bottle off the table (and having grandma pick it up again) over and over again. Last night, it was a new spinning toy that grandma bought out. A week ago she accidentally made a gurgling sound in her throat, and spent the next 10 minutes trying to replicate it, and giggling the whole time at her new discovery.
I will get video of it soon and post, as it is seriously cute
Monday, January 17, 2011
Half month update
It's not the month yet, but thought I'd update anyway.
Rachael is currently feet-obsessed, as many babies her age seem to be. She rather enjoys spending much of the day holding her ankles over her body.
Rachael still has a thing for her fingernails. Grandpa's leather seat got a workout last night.
Thanks to Wonder week 19 (which we sort of missed, I think it coincided with her 4 month injections, so we blamed it on them), Rachael has figured out how to take her dummy out, and put it back in. Ends up in her mouth about half the time, the rest shes gives up after shoving it into her nose, or putting the wrong bit in her mouth. Can't do it when she's tired, which is when she actually needs the dummy, but she'll get there. I remember in earlier months wishing for the day she could put it back in herself (after getting out of bed multiple times to pu it back in), and I guess that day has come. She's growing up again
Pictures of Rachael at mum's group
Rachael is currently feet-obsessed, as many babies her age seem to be. She rather enjoys spending much of the day holding her ankles over her body.
Rachael still has a thing for her fingernails. Grandpa's leather seat got a workout last night.
Thanks to Wonder week 19 (which we sort of missed, I think it coincided with her 4 month injections, so we blamed it on them), Rachael has figured out how to take her dummy out, and put it back in. Ends up in her mouth about half the time, the rest shes gives up after shoving it into her nose, or putting the wrong bit in her mouth. Can't do it when she's tired, which is when she actually needs the dummy, but she'll get there. I remember in earlier months wishing for the day she could put it back in herself (after getting out of bed multiple times to pu it back in), and I guess that day has come. She's growing up again
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
4 months
So time has been ticking away, and Rachael is 4 months now.
Her health visit was tuesday, and we have anew lot of stats.
Weight- 6.02kg. That's pretty much double her birthweight. I knew that little girl was getting heavier.
Length- 61cm. It seems she has a quite small head to most of the baby population, now under the 3rd percentile line. No wonder all of her clothes necks are huge on her. She has now reached, at 4 months, the size clothing manuacturers decide she should be at 3 months. Figure she hasn't got any tall genes from her parents.
Developmentally wise, as you can see from previous post, she has learnt to roll from front to back. Can't roll the other way yet; her bottom half goes over, but the top half stays. I think her motivation to roll that way isn't very high- why would she want to roll onto her tummy? She's just got off it.
Her favourite current skill is to scrape her fingernails on surfaces to hear the sound it makes. The couch, mirror, rug and of course mummy's skin are all getting a workout.
As she has been from the start, Rachael still loves to hold onto things. She has learnt if she has a good grip on whichever parent is holding her when she goes to sleep, they can't put her down. She is also quite fond of holding onto her mummy's hair during feeds, so is ending up holding a whole lot of it at the end of a feed, due to mummy's post-partum shedding.
Rachael has gotten over lying down; she wants to be sitting up at all times, and seems to want to be standing and walking if she could.
Rachael has also had two successful bottlefeeds after switching bottle brands. However she is still not fond of people other than her parents at the moment. Hoping we can overcome that before a wedding next month
Her health visit was tuesday, and we have anew lot of stats.
Weight- 6.02kg. That's pretty much double her birthweight. I knew that little girl was getting heavier.
Length- 61cm. It seems she has a quite small head to most of the baby population, now under the 3rd percentile line. No wonder all of her clothes necks are huge on her. She has now reached, at 4 months, the size clothing manuacturers decide she should be at 3 months. Figure she hasn't got any tall genes from her parents.
Developmentally wise, as you can see from previous post, she has learnt to roll from front to back. Can't roll the other way yet; her bottom half goes over, but the top half stays. I think her motivation to roll that way isn't very high- why would she want to roll onto her tummy? She's just got off it.
Her favourite current skill is to scrape her fingernails on surfaces to hear the sound it makes. The couch, mirror, rug and of course mummy's skin are all getting a workout.
As she has been from the start, Rachael still loves to hold onto things. She has learnt if she has a good grip on whichever parent is holding her when she goes to sleep, they can't put her down. She is also quite fond of holding onto her mummy's hair during feeds, so is ending up holding a whole lot of it at the end of a feed, due to mummy's post-partum shedding.
Rachael has gotten over lying down; she wants to be sitting up at all times, and seems to want to be standing and walking if she could.
Rachael has also had two successful bottlefeeds after switching bottle brands. However she is still not fond of people other than her parents at the moment. Hoping we can overcome that before a wedding next month
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