Baby steps. One step at a time; Smiling, Weaning, and Playing!
| 16th September 2015
Words by Rebecca Legon
Photography by Lisa Moore
I absolutely love being a Mum. It’s very challenging with one massive hurdle after the next but so rewarding. Now that Olive is sleeping through the night, it is so much easier. The very first night when she slept through I woke up panicked that something had happened to her but, of course, she was absolutely fine and I, for the first time in ages, felt fantastic after a full night of unbroken sleep. I am so proud as, after just a few more weeks of waking up during the night, Olive finally cracked it and at only three months old she was sleeping from seven in the evening to six in the morning. I really do appreciate how blessed I am as so many of my mummy friends have had problems with their babies at night. I don’t know if you just get lucky – of course all babies are different – but I truly believe in a strict daily routine and, since Olive’s first bath at two weeks old, she has followed the same pattern each evening. A warm bath at six-thirty, a bottle of milk (making sure it’s very quiet in her bedroom with no distractions) and most nights she will be fast asleep almost before I put her down in her cot. I also invested in some blackout curtains for her bedroom, which I highly recommend as this helps a baby differentiate between day and night.
Olive is now six months old and I can’t believe how fast time has flown by. Everybody tells you to enjoy every day even if it’s bad and they are so right. It goes fast – too fast. I hardly recognise her anymore as the baby I gave birth to. Olive looked completely different when she was born. She had a full head of thick dark hair, (an Elvis quiff and she shares the King’s birthday) and now it has all fallen out and is growing back blonde. It seems like just yesterday that I was bringing her home. Olive is such a happy baby and her personality is really starting to shine through. She already knows how to get what she wants. It’s amazing how early babies can develop and suss out situations to their advantage. They are truly very clever at such an early age.
Babies grow and change so much, so quickly. This is Olive’s first six months.
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What have we been doing this past three months? Well, we go to a weekly group called Monkey Music, (classes available throughout the UK) which I definitely recommend for early baby development and socialisation skills for both babies and their mothers. Being a new parent can feel quite lonely and isolated so it’s nice to meet people in the same position as you. I have already met a couple of people who I see on a weekly basis and I now consider them to be good friends. It’s so lovely that we can all hang out with each other and do baby things and enjoy a bit of baby chit-chat.
Olive is now on the move, she’s not quite sitting up yet more squirming around like a little snake – which is hilarious! She reaches out to grab anything in sight so now it’s time for me to be more careful on where I place her. Gone are the days of just leaving her on the bed knowing she will still be in the same position when I return. There’s also competition in the house, the two ultra chatterboxes, my step daughter Elfie and Olive, both love to chat a lot of nonsense. One ga ga gu ga and the other with her crazy schoolgirl shenanigans but it’s lovely now that Olive attempts to join in with our conversation at the dinner table. Although it’s always gibberish, it always makes me smile!
We’ve been weaning from about four months old and, honestly, I have found this quite frustrating. Everything that I have cooked and whizzed up in the food processor she hasn’t liked (and I do like to think of myself of a bit of a kitchen pro). I have attempted all sorts of combinations of fruit and vegetables to try and make it exciting but I found during the early stages she only really liked pear and apple purees (which are easily made from scratch). I also like the Ella Kitchen range as it’s all organic and has a lot of different recipes containing vegetables and mixed fruit but I always find the texture to be too smooth so I add baby rice and her formula milk to thicken it up. I now think she’s ready for the next step as she is getting bored with the same type of baby paste food, so I’m getting ready for stage two and mixing in a bit of protein and adult-type meals. Fingers crossed, I will let you know how it goes!
Mine and Olive’s Top Baby Buys
Lovin Hug Swing
I really wish I had got this fantastic musical swing when Olive was newborn, as I would have used it with her a lot more but it is very useful if I need to do a few chores around the house. Olive either falls asleep to the motion and music or she plays with the overhead toys and I feel relaxed and at ease as it is very secure and safe.
Britax Car Seat 9 months – 4 years
I’ve just got this car seat which introduces ground-breaking harness technology that will give me complete confidence whilst driving. It also looks ultra-stylish and I’m really excited about trying it out but Olive is still a bit too young so I haven’t had the chance to use it yet. I will let you know how it goes in my next article
Seedling Highchair
This Highchair is fantastic and is ideal for a busy Mum like me. It’s not just comfortable and secure for Olive at mealtimes but it’s very easy to clean as the mess just wipes away and it is easy to manoeuvre – I can literally push her anywhere around the house in it. I even take it outside with us on a nice day and she can sit on the decking and join in on our summer BBQ fun.
Betsy Princess Cot Set
I love this cot set which looks very cute in Olive’s bedroom. It’s also great value for money and comes as a complete set. There are other cute nursery rhyme ranges available for both baby boys and girls and I suggest that you check out the full range!