12 Month (One Year!) Postpartum / Baby Update!

Woohoo!! I survived my first year being a mum!! It's been so amazing to watch James grow from a teeny tiny baby into a little boy. I couldn't be prouder of my little side-kick. 

Body

With every week that passes, I'm feeling more and more like my old self. I don't think my body will ever look the way it did pre-baby but I'm okay with that - I've embraced it :) 

Height/Weight

I haven't had a chance to weigh James lately but he seems to be stretching out so I doubt he's put on much weight since last month (was 10.8kg). His height is roughly 79cms. 

Routine

We're still in the process of weaning James from his bottle and onto cow's milk. I'm back at work now (8am-2pm - 4 days) so his routine is a little different everyday depending on care but in general our day looks like this.. 

6.30am
Wakeup, Feed James Breakfast (Weetbix with Cow's Milk), 

Clean his Teeth

7am

Moisturise and Dress James, Head to Work (Rob drops James off at Care)

9am
 James Naps

10am

Playtime

11.15am

Lunch for James

12.15pm

James Naps

2.45pm

Pick James Up, Feed him when we get home (Cow's Milk in a Fruit Smoothie), 

3pm

Playtime 

4pm

Walk to the Park and Play

5pm
Tidy Up, Prepare Dinner

5.30pm
Have Dinner as a Family

6pm
Rob Baths, Moisturises and Dresses James

6.30pm

Rob Reads to James, Feeds him (Warm Cow's Milk from Bottle), Cleans his Teeth

7pm

James Sleeps, Pack his Bag for Care tomorrow, Chill Time

Sleeping

We've had a few rough nights as James' has been sick with a middle ear infection :( He was waking up every few hours in pain, even cuddles didn't help him settle - it was horrible. Luckily he's on antibiotics now and is starting to feel a lot better. No more screaming at night - thank god! 

Eating/Feeding

He's a great little eater! He pretty much eats everything you put in front of him. He's also starting using a spoon lately - I'm so proud!!

Sizes

No change here. He's still wearing Size 1 and is in cloth & toddler size disposable nappies. 

Milestones

He's not quite walking yet but I don't think it will be long! He's gaining more and more confidence and tests himself by pushing off things and standing on his own for short stints. His sense of humour is coming out more now too, he does things to make us laugh like scrunching his face up, and screeching as loud as he can with a huge grin on his face. He's totally obsessed with opening and closing drawers, doors and cupboards. He's learnt to say duck and cat this month too. He's become such a cuddler lately, I LOVE it! I think that's about it for this month. This might be James' last update for a while.. I'll probably do one at 18 months as I'm sure there will be lots to update you on by then!

xx

11 Month Postpartum / Baby Update!

One more month until this guy is ONE!!! Insane!!

Body

I think I must have lost some hair postpartum and not noticed until now (as I have a tonne of baby hair coming through). No matter what I do - it sticks out! It's so annoying haha. I'm down another 0.8kg (1.7lbs) since last month, so pretty much back to my pre-pregnancy weight - woohoo! I even slipped on my old jeans today and they actually fit! I'm not getting too excited though as I still need to lose 5.2kgs (11.4lbs) to be back to my normal weight. Hopefully once I'm back at work (coming up soon) I can start my morning exercise routine again.

Height/Weight

The little guy is now 10.8kg (23.8lbs). His height is still 77cms. 

Routine

We have officially weaned James off his dummy! It was WAAAAY easier than I thought it was going to be! It only took 3 days and now he doesn't even remember what's it's for. 

7am
Wakeup, Feed James (Formula)

8am

Have Breakfast with James, Clean his Teeth

8.30am

 Moisturise and Dress James, then put James down for his Nap

9am
Do Laundry & Housework while James Naps

10am

Have a Shower and Get Ready, then Play with James (Social Play) 

11.15am

Have Lunch with James

12.15pm

James Naps, Blog/Relax

2.30pm

Feed James (Cow's Milk), then Play with him 

(Cognitive/Physical Activities)

4pm

1hr Walk to Park (Outside Play) and Back

5pm
Put Toys Away, Prepare Dinner

5.30pm
Have Dinner as a Family

6pm
Rob Baths, Moisturises and Dresses James

6.30pm

Rob Reads to James, Feeds him (Formula) 

and Cleans his Teeth

7pm

James Sleeps

Sleeping

His sleep has been great (knock on wood). He had a few rough nights when he was teething but other than that he's slept through. 

Eating/Feeding

He definitely knows what he likes and doesn't like! He'll pretty much put anything into his mouth, but if he doesn't like it he quickly spits it out. We tested him with peanuts this month too and he's not allergic HOORAY! Bring on the peanut butter sandwiches!

Sizes

He's still in size 1 although they are starting to get a bit snug.

Milestones

Ah he's growing up so fast!! He's been cruising the house like crazy and standing on his own for a few seconds. He points to his nose, eyes and tongue when you ask him where they are - so clever! Four new teeth have popped through this month so he's got eight teeth now. It's getting harder and harder to change him as he likes to roll over and crawl away. He LOVES undoing his disposable nappy too, thank god we use cloth most of the time. He's a little chatter box this month saying dadda, mumma, nanna and yum. I'm going to miss him so much when I'm back at work :( only a few more weeks to go. On the plus side, his first birthday is coming up and I can't wait! It's going to be so cute!

xx

10 Month Postpartum / Baby Update!

Body

The weight seems to be coming off now that I've stopped breastfeeding (crazy as I used to think breastfeeding would help me lose weight!). I'm down 0.8kgs (1.7lbs) since last month, so only 1kg (2.2lbs) to go until I'm back at my pre-pregnancy weight. Although I'm aiming to lose more like 6kgs (13.2lbs), hopefully it just keeps coming off slowly.

Height/Weight

My 10 month old baby boy is now 10.3kg (22.7lbs) and his height is 77cms. 

Routine

We have finally dropped the dreamfeed (hallelujah!) and James is sleeping from 7am until 7pm. The next big challenge will be weaning him off the dummy! Apparently they start to depend on it more in the second year, so I really want it gone before he's one (which isn't far away! Eeep). 

7am
Wakeup, Feed James (Formula)

8am

Have Breakfast with James, Clean his Teeth

8.30am

 Moisturise and Dress James, then put James down for Nap

9am
Do Laundry & Housework while James Naps

10am

Have a Shower and Get Ready while James crawls around 

exploring the bathroom and hallway

11.15am

Have Lunch with James

12.15pm

James Naps, Blog/Relax

2.30pm

Feed James (Formula), Play with Him 

(Cognitive/Social/Physical Activities)

4pm

1hr Walk to Park (Outside Play) and Back

5pm
Put Toys Away, Prepare Dinner

5.30pm
Have Dinner as a Family

6pm
Rob Baths, Moisturises and Dresses James

6.30pm

Rob Reads to James, Feeds him (Formula) 

and Cleans his Teeth

7pm

James Sleeps, Relax Together (Freedom lol!)

Sleeping

His night sleep has been great! although he wakes up a few times and yells out (almost like he's had a bad dream) but soon self-settles. He's also down to 2 naps a day instead of 3 (he self weaned off his afternoon nap). Not sure if this is a good thing or bad thing!

Eating/Feeding

We found out the little man is allergic (or at least has a food intolerance) to tomatoes. He gets a bad rash around his mouth and behind his ears :( hopefully this is something he'll grow out of. 

Sizes

No change here. He's still in size 1.

Milestones

He's started to crawl on all fours (yaaay!). I think he still prefers commando style though as he gets there a little faster. He is so good at standing now and vary rarely falls if he's holding onto something. He's started cruising too. He loves cruising along the couch and tries his hardest to climb up it! His new obsession is eyelashes.. he loves playing with mine, rob's and his own - he's fascinated by them. The mini-tantrums have started this month too, crying whenever he doesn't get his way (his fake cry) - I'm finding it hard not to give into him. His two top front teeth have popped through and the ones next to them are starting to show as well. I seriously can't believe he'll be one in less than 2 months! So crazy that he'll be a toddler soon!

xx

PS. Sorry for the lack of posts lately. I've been busy getting our house ready to sell! Hopefully I'll find some time to post about that soon :)

9 Month Postpartum / Baby Update!

I can't believe my little guy is already 9 months old! He's growing up too fast :'(

Body

No more weight loss this month, in fact, I think I've probably put on a little bit of weight (I've been avoiding the scales!). I hurt my back helping hubby with some heavy lifting in the backyard and have basically been on bed rest for the last few weeks. I'm only now starting to feel okay. I can't wait until it's better so I can start exercising again! I might just start with low-impact exercises like walking, swimming and maybe pilates to strengthen my core. 

Height/Weight

James's weight gain has slowed down now that he's more mobile! He's 9.9kg (21.8lbs) which is  0.3kgs/0.6lbs more than last month. His height is still 75cms. 

Routine

No luck yet dropping the dream feed :( I'm sure we'll get there eventually! At the moment he's feeding at 9pm and waking up around midnight - I think out of habit more than hungry as he settles back to sleep without a feed. I've stopped breastfeeding completely which makes me a little sad but also relieved in a way as I feel like my body is my own again. 

7am
Wakeup, Feed James (Formula)

8am

Have Breakfast with James

8.30am

 Moisturise and Dress James, then put James down for Nap

9.15am
Have a Shower and Get Ready while James Naps

10am

Do Laundry & Housework while James plays (Jumperoo, Activity Table)

11.30am

Have Lunch with James

12.30pm

James Naps, Blog/Relax/Go Out

2.30pm

Feed James (Formula), Play with Him (Tummy Time, Reading, Games, TV)

4pm

1hr Walk to Park and Back

5.30pm
Have Dinner as a Family

6pm
Rob Baths James

6.30pm

Rob Reads James and Feeds him (Formula)

7pm

James Sleeps, Relax

9pm
Feed James (Formula), James Sleeps 

10pm

Go to Bed

Sleeping

His sleep has been pretty good apart from waking around midnight. I'm hoping he'll start sleeping through again soon, if not we may have to push his dream feed back to 10pm again :( His day sleeps have been good, although he doesn't sleep for as long during his lunchtime nap.

Eating/Feeding

He's a great little eater! He's mastered his pincer grasp and loves to feed himself now. Chomping on his spoon and not letting go is his new game, he thinks it's hilarious. 

Sizes

He's still in size 1 and toddler disposable nappies (although we use cloth nappies when we're at home)

Milestones

He's started commando style crawling, but hasn't quite mastered crawling on all fours yet. He's getting better and better every day though, so it won't be long now til he's full-on crawling - eeep how exciting! His favourite game at the moment is scrunching up his nose and sticking out his tongue at us. He mimics us too when we start doing it - too cute! He's obsessed with standing and gets upset when we sit him down again. He definitely knows what he wants and doesn't want and can be pretty stubborn! I think he's started teething again as I can see his top front teeth starting to make an appearance. He has been so happy this month, just laughing all the time - even at things he usually hates like getting dressed. He's so adorable and completely lights up my day! 

xx

8 Month Postpartum / Baby Update!

Body

 My weight has plateaued this month :( I've only lost 0.1kg (0.2lbs). Oh well, at least it's better than a gain.. I just need to be stricter with my diet this month and start walking more often (I've been a bit slack lately as it's so hot outside!). I really want to lose the last 1.8kgs (3.9lbs) at least, before I return to work in May. I've started weaning James to formula this month, as I got mastitis over the christmas break (for the fourth time!) and now one boob has stopped producing milk so I'm completely uneven! More on that later!

Height/Weight

The little guy is now 9.6kg (21.1lbs) which is 0.5kgs/1.11lbs more than last month. He's also had a growth spurt and is now 75cms tall. 

Routine

 I'm still working on cutting out the 10pm dream feed. I'm bringing it back by half an hour every few days then eventually I hope to stop altogether. As I mentioned, I'm trying to wean him off breastfeeding, so I'm doing a combination of breast and formula feeds. I'm also trying to get him to drink from a sippy cup as much as I can.

7am
Wakeup, Feed James (Breastfeed)

8am

Have Breakfast then Give James Solids

8.30am

 Moisturise and Dress James, then Tummy Time

9.30am
Have a Shower and Get Ready while James Naps

10.30am

Do Laundry & Housework while James plays in his Jumperoo

11.30am

Give James Solids

12.30pm

James Naps, Have Lunch, Blog/Relax/Go Out

2.30pm

Feed James (Formula), Play with Him (Tummy Time, Reading, Games)

4pm

Blog/Relax while James has a rest in his Bouncer

5pm
Give James Solids, Rob gets home from work & plays with James

5.30pm

Cook Dinner

6pm
Rob Baths James

6.30pm

Have Dinner, Feed James (Formula + Expressed Milk)

7pm

James Sleeps, Relax

9.30pm
Feed James (Formula + Expressed Milk), James Sleeps, Go to Bed

Sleeping

His sleep is a lot better than last month! He's back to sleeping 11-12 hours (woohoo!). He no longer needs his 4pm nap and actually sleeps better at night without it. Instead he just has some quiet time either in his cot or bouncer.

Eating/Feeding

I'm trying to give James as much finger foods as possible with just a small amount of purees (so he still learns how to use a spoon). He's gotten so much better at picking food up with his fingers and popping them straight in his mouth (as opposed to his eye, ear, hair etc like he used to!). 

"Really mum.. another picture?!"

Sizes

He's gone up to a size 1 (12-18 months) - where has my tiny baby gone!? He's also in size toddler disposable nappies! :O

Milestones

James is THIS close to crawling! He gets up on all fours and does this weird leap frog thing haha. I'm in no rush for him to start crawling though as I still need to baby-proof the house! He also started rolling both ways this month and hasn't stopped. He loves to sleep on his side (snuggled up to his favourite teddy nawww). He's got two teeth now (on the bottom) and has a new smile that he likes to flash us when we're being silly. He's started scrunching his face up as well when he doesn't like something or is processing new things, it's so funny to watch!  He's obsessed with saying "dada" (his first word!!) and said "mama" for about a day then got over it :( I'm loving this age, it's so much fun playing with him and seeing his reaction to new things. He's such a little boy now with his own cheeky/shy/sweet personality.

xx

7 Month Postpartum / Baby Update!

Body

 I'm feeling pretty good about my weight this month, it's coming off slowly. I've felt a little more confident although I'm nowhere near where I want to be - but that's okay.. I know I'll get there eventually. Still trying to go for walks in the morning and afternoon. It's hard at the moment though as it's such a busy time of year! I've gone off the gym, I just want to be outside in the fresh air! So walking is pretty much the only exercise I'm getting at the moment. I'm 1.3kg/ 2.8lbs lighter than last month - woohoo! I'm pretty happy with that. I just hope I can keep it off over Christmas! 

Height/Weight

Ohhh he's getting heavy! He's now 9.1kg/ 20lbs! His height is still 70cms.

Routine

Yaaay we've successfully transitioned out his 11am feed! Now if only he would drop his 10pm dream feed..

7am
Wakeup, Feed James

8am

Have Breakfast then Give James Solids

8.30am

Play with James, Moisturise and Dress James

9.15am
Go for a walk, James Naps

10am

Have a Shower and Get Ready while James plays in his Jumperoo

10.30am

Do Laundry & Housework while James does Tummy Time

11.30am

Give James Solids

12.30pm

James Naps, Have Lunch, Blog/Relax/Go Out

2.30pm

Feed James, Play with Him (Tummy Time, Reading, Standing/Sitting etc)

3.30pm

Blog/Relax while James has a rest in his Bouncer

5pm
Give James Solids, Rob gets home from work & plays with James

5.30pm

Cook Dinner

6pm
Rob Baths James

6.15pm

Have Dinner, Go for a walk, James Sleeps

7pm

Put James to Bed, Relax

10pm
Feed James, James Sleeps, Go to Bed

Sleeping

His sleeping hasn't been great this month :( I think it's because he's been teething and also having separation anxiety. Which means we're getting up once or twice at night.. hopefully his sleep goes back to normal soon!

Eating/Feeding

His feeding has been great! Like I said, we've cut out his 11am breastfeed (we're down to 4 a day) and he's now on 3 solid meals a day. We've started giving him a lot more finger foods like toast fingers (with vegemite) and cut up fruit/veggies. I've had to give him a few store bought puree's (which he loved) but mostly he's just been having home-cooked meals. 

Sizes

He's still in size 0 (6-12 months) although I find in some brands he needs to go up to a size 1 :O. He's still in cloth nappies and size crawler disposable nappies.

Milestones

James had his first little toothie pop through this month (which is all fun and games until someone - aka me - gets hurt haha). He's also sitting like a champ and rarely falls anymore. He's definitely trying to crawl, although he always ends up rolling over which frustrates him. He is THIS close to rolling from his back to his tummy but he hasn't quite got there yet. He's also starting singing "lalala" and starting mumbling what sounds like "hello" - so cute! He loves grabbing faces (as you can see below) and doesn't realise how strong he is. He's just such a sweet and cheeky little boy, I love him so much that sometimes I feel like my heart is going to burst! I'm enjoying every second of being his mummy. 

xx

6 Month Postpartum / Baby Update!

Body

 I'm seeing sloooooow progress with my weight loss, but I'm feeling frustrated that I'm not able to get it off quicker! I try to go for a walk everyday and to the gym when I can. I've also been eating better (and less often!). I was really hoping to have lost at least a kilo this month but only managed to keep off 0.6kg/1.3lbs, which means I still have 3.2kg (7lbs) to go to be back at my pre-pregnancy weight and 8.2kg (18lbs) until I'm at my goal weight. I feel like I'm never going to get there - booooo :(

Height/Weight

The little guy is now 8.6kg (18.9lbs) which is 0.8kgs/1.7lbs more than last month. He's also had a small growth spurt and is now 70cms tall. 

Routine

I don't think his schedule has changed much since last month, although he's now on three solid meals a day. I'm trying to transition out the 11am feed at the moment. This month we've also been getting him to have all his daytime naps in his cot. Our daily walk is now if the evenings with Rob as it's too hot during the day and it gives us some quality time together while getting James to sleep (bonus!). 

7am
Wakeup, Rob minds James while I go for a run

8am

Feed James then Give Him Solids

8.30am

Have Breakfast, Play Gym for James

9.15am
James Naps, Have a Shower and Get Ready

10am

Do Laundry & Housework while James does Tummy Time & plays in his Jumperoo

10.30am

Express (one side only)

11.15am

Give James Solids + 90ml from the Bottle

12.30pm

James Naps, Have Lunch, Blog/Relax

2.30pm

Feed, Play with James (Tummy Time, Reading, Standing/Sitting etc)

3.30pm

Blog/Relax while James has a rest in his Bouncer

5pm
Give James Solids, Rob gets home from work & plays with James

5.30pm

Cook Dinner

6pm
Rob Baths James

6.15pm

Have Dinner, Go for a walk, James Sleeps

7pm

Put James to Bed, Relax

10pm
Feed James, James Sleeps, Go to Bed

Sleeping

He's been sleeping amazingly.. well he was.. up until a week ago. This last week, he's been waking us up at all hours of the night (one night it was every half hour!). I think it's because I've been giving him too much of his solids.. that and the heat is keeping him awake. 

Eating/Feeding

I think I'm starting to get the hang of this whole 'feeding solids' thing. I've been expressing in the morning and using some of that for his rice cereal at night. I also puree at least one new thing each day and freeze it. I'm yet to buy any store bought puree and i'm hoping to avoid it if possible. It is time consuming though both preparing and feeding solids, but it's worth it and fun to watch him eat.

Sizes

He now wears size 0 (6-12 months). He still wears cloth nappies and size crawler disposable nappies.

Milestones

James is now able to sit on his own (although he still goes backwards when he laughs haha). He looks so grown up when he's sitting! He's also been rolling over a lot more this month.. although he still hasn't gone from back to tummy.. he gets half way and then changes his mind - the little trickster. My favourite part of the day is moisturising him in the mornings cause he's so ticklish he just giggles the whole time - it's so fricken cute! His favorite games/things to do this month are playing "wheres mama?", peekaboo, row-row-row your boat, grabbing his feet, blowing raspberrys and bouncing in his jumperoo. He's been grabbing everything this month, including my lips, nose and hair (ouch!). I feel like every month just gets better and better. I'm seeing more of his cheeky personality shining though every day. 

xx

5 Month Postpartum / Baby Update!

Body

I've started going to RPM classes this month (only once a week) and started taking longer walks whenever I can now that the weather has warmed up. I've lost a little bit of weight this month (0.8kg/1.7lbs), I've got another 3.8kg (8.3lbs) until I'm back to my pre-pregnancy weight and 8.8kg (19.4lbs) until I'm at my goal weight.

Height/Weight

James is now 7.8kg (17.2lbs) so he's put on 0.8kgs/1.7lbs this month. I also measured him and he's 68cms which is 3.5cms more than last month. 

Routine

Things have been going amazingly well for us this month! We started sleep training James (letting him cry it out hurts my heart! - but we never do it for longer than 10 mins) and it's actually worked really well. He's learnt to self-settle in his cot and now sleeps from 7pm til 7am :O I'm so proud of him! We also got a new bottle (comotomo) and he takes it just like the boobie (no gagging or chewing on it). Yaaaay!!! now I can go out without having to race home to feed him. 

7am
James Wakes, Rob spends time with him while getting ready for work (I sleep in a little longer)

8am

Wakeup, Feed James, Rob goes to work

8.30am

Have Breakfast, Play Gym for James

9am
James Naps, Do Laundry & Housework

9.45am

Have a Shower and Get Ready

11am

Feed James then Give Him Solids

12pm
James Naps, Have Lunch, Blog/Relax/Go out

2.15pm

Feed, Play with James (Tummy Time, Reading, Standing/Sitting etc)

4pm
Go for a walk with James (he naps for around 30 mins)

5pm
Feed James (one side only), Rob gets home from work & plays with James

5.45pm

Express (other side), Rob Baths James

6pm
Cook Dinner, Rob does Bedtime Routine 

(moisturises & dresses James + gives him bottle then solids + reads to James)

7pm
James Sleeps, Have Dinner, Relax (spend quality time together)

10pm
Feed James, James Sleeps, Go to Bed

Sleeping

He's been great this month.. sleeping from 7am to 7pm! Never thought this day would come! haha. We still give him his dream-feed at 10pm (sometimes earlier) before we go to bed. I don't think we'll drop this feed anytime soon. His daytime naps are pretty much the same, sometimes he'll be great and other times he won't.. just depends on the day and what's happening.

Eating/Feeding

We've started him on solids this month! He's been loving it so far and so have I! It's so fun watching his reaction to different tastes. I still haven't tried feeding him solids in public yet.. I'm trying to put this off as long as possible! haha. Oh and I'm still continuing to breastfeed him as normal. 

Sizes
I'm still squeezing him into size 00, but I think I'll have to start putting him in size 0 this week. Oh he's so grown up! 

Milestones

James has hit a few big milestones this month! The first one being that he's started solids! So far he's just had a little bit of fruit, veggies and baby rice cereal. For now we're just sticking to purees as I've heard they can choke if you give them finger food too early. His favourite food so far is pear! He loves trying to feed himself with the spoon - it's so cute! Another milestone is that James went swimming for the first time! He had so much fun and was laughing while playing with us in the pool. We even tipped water over his head and it didn't seem to bother him. He hasn't been teething as badly as last month, still drooling and gnawing on everything but doesn't seem to be in pain which is good. I can see a few buds in his mouth but nothing's come up yet. James is also loves sitting up and standing up (although he needs support for both), he's so strong now and is so active! We also got James baptised this month and he was so well behaved (I'm so proud of him). I think this month has been my favourite so far, he's just been so chatty and happy all the time! I just want to spend all day playing with him.

xx