Well, I guess it’s true what I’ve heard – as the baby becomes more active it becomes increasingly harder to find the time to write down all of these milestones! Would you believe that I don’t have one note written in this Google document from the past month? Luckily, I have been writing the major stuff down in her One Line A Day book, so I’m going to pull from that (and my memory, even if it’s a bit foggy) to talk about this past month!
Oh what a month it has been! I have to say we’ve seen more change and development this month than any month prior. It’s really been exciting. I love witnessing it. I said to Eric that this is hands down my favourite month so far (and it has even included teething, so that tells you something!).
About that teething. Well, teething hasn’t been as dramatic (yet) as I imagined it to be. I pictured Adriana up in the night screaming for hours on end, but so far we’ve only had a couple nights where she’s cried more than usual. Of course, this could all change. She cut her first two bottom teeth the same week, and it looks like the others are following closely! I wonder if the top teeth will be more painful than the bottom teeth just because they are larger? Also, can I just say how stinkin’ cute baby teeth are? Her smile is just beyond.
I have to talk about feeding because we’ve seen a huge improvement since last month’s report. I had mentioned how much we were struggling with feeding her solids and purees. I felt pretty discouraged, especially when a lot of my friends have babies that inhale their food. Adriana was just not interested for the most part. When she was around 7-8 months, we tried Baby Led Weaning, but she didn’t show any interest and she had a really bad gag reflex so that freaked us out a bit. So we stuck with purees, but she never showed much interest in them at all. She didn’t seem to like being spoon fed and always tried to whip the spoon out of our hand, hah. So at around 9 months, I decided to give BLW another shot. For the first week, she still gagged a lot (not the same as choking, as I learned) and she still seemed on the fence with this whole eating business. But after a week or so, she started to get SO excited when we fed her and the gagging virtually stopped. Now after about 4 weeks of doing BLW (3 times a day) she has done a complete 180 with her eating. We give her everything from steamed vegetables to avocado to tofu to our own meals (such as lentil stew or quinoa salad) and I don’t hold back with adding flavor with spices like cumin, paprika, etc. Every meal is different and we are having a BALL introducing all kinds of new foods to her. I never thought it would be this fun. Now when we put her in her highchair, she screams with excitement knowing that it’s feeding time! It makes me so happy. She still doesn’t swallow everything yet (she loves to chew the food up and spit some of it out…silly girl), but I can tell from her diapers that she is getting much more than I thought. Once we got over the whole messy aspect of BLW, we enjoyed it much more. I’ve realized you just have to accept that each meal will be a mess and not worry about giving them messy foods, such as a lentil stew, hummus, hemp hearts, etc. Maybe I should write a whole post on BLW because this could get long. I’m still nursing on demand, so I feed her upon waking and then we usually do mealtime an hour or so after she’s been nursed so she’s worked up her appetite again. Seems to work well. I’ve heard that it’s common for toddlers to go through a picky food stage, so I’m sure this will change at some point! I’m going to enjoy it while it lasts! haha.
Her sleep continues to improve, with the occasional “off” night or week. We’ve slept through the night a handful of times so far which is encouraging. She is still usually feeding once in the night, but now it’s often not until 4:30-5am – so she is going a long stretch overnight most of the time. It’s been encouraging to see her sleep improve overtime. The biggest thing we’re still struggling with is her bedtime. She still fights it lately and often won’t fall asleep until 9pm some nights. We’re just going with the flow right now. Summer just seems a bit more relaxed these days. As for napping, she’s in a consistent 2-naps-a-day routine with a morning nap that starts 2 hours after waking (and lasts an hour), and an afternoon nap about 3 hours after her morning nap (which ranges from 1-1.5 hours). Once in a while she’ll go on a nap strike, but for the most part it’s predictable which has been so great for me getting work done, even though the bulk of my work is still done in the evening.
Her fast army crawl is transitioning into a full out crawl this month. It’s so cute watching her put the pieces together as she learns new skills. She was doing all these planks and downward dogs one week, and this week she’s all about getting into the crawl position and raising her arms up to grab things. She isn’t standing yet, but I’m in no rush! She’s also become so much more interactive this month. Her baby talk is progressing a lot and she’s in this new “monkey see, monkey do” phase where she loves to imitate us.
We took her swimming for the first time at our friend’s pool the other week. She was cutting her first tooth that day, so she was not a happy camper and cried a lot (understandably so). We took her back the next week and she was much happier and really seemed to love the water! She’s still warming up to her pool canopy, but the second attempt went much better than the first.
I can’t believe Adriana is turning 1 in less than 2 months! I’ve just started to think about her birthday party and I’ve been testing some cakes for her first birthday cake. So excited for the cake smash! We’re currently debating whether we will photograph the cake smash on our own, or hire our newborn photographer to do it. I think I’m going to book a 1-year family photo session because I want to get into the habit of having yearly photographs taken. It’ll be crazy to compare her newborn photoshoot to her 1 year old photoshoot. I might bawl!
I’m just feeling so grateful that I get to be her mama. It’s hard to put into words just how much she’s changed my life for the better. I’m so thankful every day that she is happy and healthy. <3
Awe I started tearing up at the end of the post! I’m so incredibly happy that she is in your life and doing so well. I miss you both more than words can say. And as I always say — enjoy these moments and soak them up! She’s a doll and you’re an amazing Mama xo
Aww we miss you too Mimi! And we can’t wait for you to visit in September!! What a ball (oops I almost wrote bawl! haha) we will have.
As usual it’s nice and refreshing to read your baby posts…can you please post some of the receipes that you are giving Adriana …that would be so helpful for mums like me who are still struggling with solid food feedings.. My son is 9 months and he hates purée food like anything and BLW I am quickly running out of options for vegetarian finger foods which are healthy.. If it’s feeding time it is sort of battle for my little one poor baby … I feel so guilty and stressed out for not making right foods that he likes … Please do write about BLW and also any tips that would help my baby to eat solids again…
Love the baby updates! When the day finally comes for us, I’ll definitely enjoy rereading these posts again. :)
Oh, I’d love a post on BLW! I went with purees with my first two but decided to skip that with my third and am trying BLW. Some days it’s just a lot of work.
My first two were always sick with teething. My 6.5 month old is just now cutting his first tooth and seems absolutely fine. Molars are a different game altogether and I’m not looking forward to them.
Yes, please do a post on BLW!
I love these updates so much!! :)
A post about BLW would be awesome.
Would love a post on BLW!!!
Completely agree with the ladies above me: would LOVE a full post on BLW!
And yeah… the bithdays can get a bit emotional. I cried when my daughter turned 1 and keep shedding a tear each year on her birthday :)
Love,
Kristina in Sweden.
awww my sis was just telling me she did this each birthday. That’ll be me no doubt, haha.
I personally would love some sort of post on BLW. I think it’s an awesome idea and I would love to try it.
Ok sounds like the vote is in! :) I’m definitely no expert on BLW but I will try to write on our experience anyway!
She is so cute! My son is 22 months and till now 7-8 month was my favorite and then the 20 month mark. Even now its so entertaining at 22 months. They say the funniest things. I was teaching him to say “stop” if someone pushes him at day care, and the other day I asked him for a kiss, and he said “mumma, stop”! I was rolling with laughter for a minute :D
I love love LOVE your updates! Keep ’em coming. (: BLW sounds messy but incredibly worth-while. I’m all for a full post on it!
Hi, Angela, good to hear from you both!! Our Gabriela turned 10 month on last saturday and this last month was indeed incredible!! Love to you all!!
BLW is so fun! I’ve decided that as long as its not a choking hazard, he should have the option to explore it. So far his favourite thing was steamed cauliflower dipped into daal. I love seeing him delight in all these new experiences :)
For our first born our friend had her camera on her (she is a professional) and she took so many pictures! I was so happy to have her there so I could just enjoy the time and be in the pictures. That way, everyone can relax, enjoy, mingle, etc. without having to worry about getting images. I’d so go for it.
My son is 11 months and did the same thing–didn’t have any interest in food until about 10 months. We tried every day from 6 months on, and then one day, he got it! He’s now so excited to eat. His favorites so far have been fennel and smoked trout!
Would love to see your post on BLW, and would also LOVE to see you recipe for a smash cake. The first bday is coming up soon for us, and I was actually just on your site searching through cake recipes–I’m really excited to see what you’ll make!
Love the baby update! I have loved your blog for the recipes for a long time but the baby updates always make me smile :D I was just wondering if you were ever thinking of doing an update on how your perspective of being a mom has changed since becoming one. I know in the early posts you mentioned how nervous you were and how you were concerned about doing a good job which I think is normal. Do you still have the same level of concern or do you feel you worry about different things now? Do you think parenting comes naturally or is it something people have to work at? Is there any resource that has been consistently helpful for reassuring you? Thanks for taking the time to update us!!
Have you considered transitioning to 1 nap? I know it’s early, but my son transitioned at 9 months (daycare did it and I was so mad…at first). He was fighting bedtime too and the 2 naps and second nap of the day were just too much sleep and he wasn’t ready at bedtime. We transitioned to one glorious 2.5-3 hour mid-day nap and bedtime became so much easier. The one nap is great – you can plan a morning outing and afternoon outing with much needed (and typically long) break in the middle. Life got awesome with the one nap. Now he’s 2.5 and still taking one nap. It’s usually 1.5-2 hours now but we are starting to find that the 2 hour nap really effects bedtime. Last night he didn’t fall asleep until 9:45!!!! We cut them short on the weekend but can’t control daycare so we deal with it. Some days he doesn’t nap at all and goes to bed by 7:30. Anyways – it’s just a thought. :) You may love your schedule and not mind the bedtime struggle too much. For us, the bedtime struggle was awful and so the transition made a big difference.
Also would LOVE a BLW post. Ours didn’t eat purees either – I started and was so excited at 6 months after making all my own and he rejected everything. I wish I had tried again the way you did with BLW after reading this. Next time!!!! I’ll be prepared :)
I too started tearing up when I read the end of that post. I have been following your entire journey from pregnancy to now and I feel so lucky that you have shared with us all. Yesterday I found out that I am expecting my first child and an initial panic set in like “will I be able to do this?!” Reading your experiences really helps to reassure me that everything is going to work out just the way it should. Thanks Angela for everything, your blog has in many ways helped to change my life for the better.
Congratulations! Yes, you CAN :)
Our babies are just about the same age it seems! (Our daughter is 10.5 months, 22 Sept 2014)
It is such a relief to hear that our sleep woes aren’t uncommon. I’ve read from you, and elsewhere, that it’s just a thing. They’re learning to crawl, cruise, talk, and eventually walk… all while teething. So I’m trying to be understanding but holy cow, it can be exhausting and frustrating that’s for sure.
Glad to hear things are improving for you and that you’re able to get some work done.
It’s intense, suddenly they’re these little beings that you can laugh with and teach things too. So much changes over a month or two! It’s so much fun but definitely the hardest of jobs out there too.
Best wishes!