A whole year since an Isaac update!!! 21 MONTHS

My gawd!  What went wrong?  I went from monthly blogs, to bi-monthly blogs and then onto 1 blog in 5 months.  Its been A YEAR since my last update on Isaac!  When I last blogged he was 10 months.  He is going to turn 2 in Febuary!!

This would be one helluva long blog if I tried to record everything that had happened in that space of time, so a few highlights.

We had Isaacs 1st birthday earlier this year in Silsden in Darrens childhood home, where we were living at the time.  Thats something thats changed a lot in the last year.  We've had 3 house moves!!  Firstly to Silsden, then back to Northern Ireland in June of this year to a house a mere 2 minutes walk from my parents and finally a move at the end of October to Martinstown, a little Hamlet 8 miles outside Ballymena.  Its lovely here.  Very quiet and our house backs onto lovely countryside and fields.  It should be a great place to bring Isaac up fingers crossed if our landlord lets us rent for that long.

So back to Isaac.  His 1st birthday passed with him being surrounded by family on Darrens side.  My parents missed out a lot in the first year and a half of his life with me living in England, but now I'm back in Ballymena, they see us all most days which is great for them as they only have 1 kid (me!) and therefore 1 grandchild (Isaac).  Its been a good and positive move for us all round so onwards and upwards in our new home. :)

Isaac started walking a couple of weeks after his first birthday.  He's a little trooper and is into EVERYTHING he can be.  He doesn't seem to have any fear (or sense) and climbs on everything before trying to launch himself into thin air, so you always have to be around and prepared to prevent potential accidents.

He loves going to his new playgroup and is great with other kids, not letting the 'bullies' get away with any cr*p and trying to play with as many kids as possible.   He also still loves his swimming, although we haven't been in a while due to the weather and my joints not being so good at the minute.  When the weather picks up a bit, we'll be back at it.

He has a great relationship with my parents and enjoys getting in to see them and their dog Lucy who tolerates him like I never thought any terrier would!  They play tug-of-war with Lucys rubber chicken quite happilly, before Isaac bangs poor Lucy on the nose with it.

He has a great love of animals and everything he seems to have an interest in is around animals.  He loves watching birds in the garden and likes to go out to throw some seed for them.  He is a big dog fan (yay!) and loves farmyard animals.  His favourite song is 'Old MacDonald' and its hilarous listening to him trying to sing it.  It goes something like "ee-i-ee-i-oooo... COW!"

He is using his cups himself at mealtimes and we are trying to eliminate the bottles he has at bedtime and first thing in the morning, but at the minute he has a bad cold/sore throat, so we're waiting until that passes to take it away, as all that generally happens is he refuses to drink from the cup and throws a paddy.  We're not panicking though, as we'll get there.

The next big thing is to start potty training, but everywhere I've done research and every parent of boys that I've spoken to says its best with boys to start trying between the ages of 2 and 3.  Its difficult trying to do training in winter with it being so cold as much of the training involves him being naked... poor boy.  we're happy that he'll get there in his own time though.  There's nothing as irritating as the folks who try to impress THEIR viewpoints on you as to when it SHOULD be happening, as with theirs, it happened MUCH earlier! There will always be one person in your life like this, so its a matter of ignoring them and doing what you need to when your child is ready for it, not when someone else determines they should be.

So we've determined the boy is a dare devil with not much in the way of common sense.  He's funny, he loves animals, he's a big fan of chocolate and cheese (can't figure where he gets that from, lol), he loves lollies and Milky Bars.  He knows what he wants and he is OBSESSED with books, constantly demanding to be read certain books.  At least he knows how to say 'Please' and 'Thankyou'.  Currently his favourite books are 'Big Yellow Digger' and 'How to Grow a Dinosaur'.  He has something of an obsession with diggers and dinosaurs it seems.

He likes to paint and colour with crayons, he always demands we take the black crayon and colour with him.  We're convinced he's going to end up being a drummer as he drums on everything.  He loves to dance and his favourite songs to dance to at the minute are 'Pet Semetary - The Ramones, Safety Dance - Men without Hats' and 'Gangnam Style - PSY'.

His words are coming along wonderfully.  In fact I think I'll do a list of his words in another blog, for my records really, so I can look back at the words he learned first.

So thats it in a nutshell really.  I'm sure there is a lot more I could be writing about, but that'll have to suffice for now.  Hopefully I'll try to keep these blogs updated a couple of times a year.

Months 6 - 10

I thought it was naughty missing a month last time I blogged, but I haven't really had time to blog at any length for 5 months now! That maybe gives you an idea as to the amount of time Isaac takes up these days.

Tonight, we are trying yet another sleep technique as a development of the last couple of months is a refusal to sleep by Isaac, no matter what we do. We've tried the letting him cry, we've tried putting him in bed when he's fallen asleep elsewhere, we've tried the routines, you name it, we've tried it, but nothing seems to work.

Darren is currently sitting upstairs with him while he screams his arse off in his cot. Its my turn tomorrow night. I wonder how many nights it will take 'til he gets the message, if indeed he does. We're currently at 1 hour and counting and he's still screaming. This parenting lark tis not easy!
I'm with him from the minute I get up every morning until he goes to sleep (which hasn't been until midnight) so I'm absolutely knackered. There never seems to be a break from it. The last break we had was at the start of December to go to a gig and we've got a meal out to look forward to at the end of this month. Thankfully Darrens dad & Kath take him once every month or so, so we can do something. I think I'd go completely mad if I didn't have that respite. I've started taking him to a toddler playgroup once a week and he has his swimming once a week as well, but thats exhausting with the stage he's at of constantly crawling away and getting into things he shouldn't be. Its definately the reason my fibromyalgia is bad again, which is turn has kicked off my CFS and IBS. Anyone who doubts motherhood is bloody hard work needs an arse kicking.

So where to begin to catchup on his progress over the last month. He is sitting up perfectly and is able to rebalance himself if he starts to topple. He is also crawling proficiently (too proficiently if you ask me!). He is eating finger foods himself and proper food now. The aim at the minute is to get him to hold his own bottle (which we're having a bit of success with sometimes) and to use a sippy cup (we've had less success with that so far). His latest development is walking around the furniture holding on and pulling himself up. He should be walking within a couple of months. He seems determined though to go to the few places where we don't want him to go. His latest trick is to attempt to post a coaster into our DVD player. He's also obsessed with my laptop and I can never get on it without him trying to press buttons. Wires hold some kind of weird appeal too. If he shouldn't be into it, you can be assured, he will be. I even caught him climbing stairs a few days ago (I was stood there watching him).

We now also have teeth! Check out the photo below of him in his spiderman outfit to see the bottom ones. He has the 2 bottom teeth and one of the top ones is halfway out and the other is breaking the skin at the minute. He has a vicious little bite when you're trying to apply teething gel!

Another difficulty is trying to get breakfast and lunch as if I leave a room he screams murder. Ive read that its common for babies to go through separation anxiety at this age and he doesn't realise I'll come back, but its so hard to get anything to eat with having to rush to do everything. Even making something the night before leads to difficulty as he either screams when I'm eating it as hes not getting the attention he wants or he is over trying to pull at my plate or legs.... not condusive to enjoying a meal. I tend just not to bother, which has led to significant weight gain as I'm eating too much in the evenings to compensate. I really need to get this sorted, but what to do to stop the constant hanging off me and whinging, I have no idea.

We have a health visitor coming next week for the normal 6-12 month development check, so I'll have a word with her then about his routine and see where we're maybe going wrong.

Well 1 hour and 20 minutes later and Darren returned successful in his quest of getting Isaac to sleep, but half an hour later he was awake again and I had to go up and sit with him until he settled again... wondering how many times that will happen tonight?

So in the last 4 months updates that I have missed updating - He's changed from mush to proper food, he's crawling VERY well, is attempting walking, is clapping when asked, waving when he feels like it and occasionally doing his 'how big? So big' routine. He's very mobile, very strong and very naughty, lol. He's also a world class flirt with an eye for the ladies.

Hopefully I'll try not to leave it so long until the next update. The little mans 1st birthday is next month! Doesn't time fly!

I'll leave you with some recent piccies

Month 5 & 6

So I've missed a month! Naughty mummy! Maybe though that shows how busy the little blighters make us at the above age.

So whats new with Isaac? We'll the last couple of months have brought the landmarks of weaning and rolling over (lots!), as well as supporting his weight on his arms. He never has been keen on 'tummy time' so I thought he would make any effort to stay on his front, but he has been doing so lately. You have to watch him like a hawk though as no matter how much space you give him, he will always gravitate towards the only unlikely danger in the room.

He still shows no real interest in sitting up himself, as much as I try to encourage him. He still topples over sideways, backwards or leans right forwards so he's almost doubled in half, lol. I know he'll do these things in his own time, but I am keen to make sure I am encouraging and doing everything I can for him. I don't want to think I have failed him somehow.

We had started him in his own bed at month 6 but he came down with a virus (caught from me) 2 days later so was very unsettled and unhappy. I didn't think it was the right time to combine with getting him used to his own bed, so we took him back into his smaller cot in our room. We then had his christening and people staying in the house, so we kept him in our room so as not to keep everyone awake all night traipsing in and out of rooms, lol.

Right now he's teething big time! He's been very whingy and has been crying a lot for a few weeks now. The drooling, biting and shoving everything in his mouth has been going on for a good couple of months now, but his gums are swollen recently and we're having to use teething gel several times a day and some nights even Calbrufen. Yesterday I spotted a little hole in his gum where a tooth is trying to break through (he won't let me photograph it). Its not quite through yet, but its on its way, bless him! We should have a tooth to photograph for next months blog!

He's been enjoying his swing time in the park, has trips out somewhere every day and loves nothing more than getting out and about in his pram. We have a god routine now where he gets up, has his breakfast, has a play on his mat, we play with some of his toys, he has some bottle and he naps for an hour (if i'm very lucky) in the early afternoon. We try to do something mid afternoon and then we leave to collect his dad from work at 4 O'clock.

Next week he starts swimming lessons which I'm looking forward to. It'll be something else for him to do and a new experience for him. The school he will be going to when he's old enough, (Hothfield School) is literally 2 minutes from our front door and it has a heated baby pool where they teach swimming from birth to 9 years old. Lets hope he enjoys it.

For his christening he was a model baby and didn't cry once. He was passed around everyone for a hold afterwards and seemed to enjoy the day. He also has taken remarkably to his godmother Kelly and godfather Dave and even fell asleep on both of them (almost unheard of). He behaved the whole weekend when everyone was here. Of course once everyone left our house, he started misbehaving and screaming again (the little blighter). I worked out though that was simply because he was being held or fussed over all day over the weekend which I cant do when I'm on my own, hence the model behaviour.

A big love which has developed is dogs, which I'm delighted about. He squeals in excitement when he see's Chewy coming near to him (although Chewy being an older boy is less than keen). He also has met his aunt and uncles dog Maggie, which he loved and a friend Claires dog, that he also loved. He's definately going to be a dog person! :o)

So as the little blighter is giving off again, I must go. I'll leave you with some video of him with Chewy and a few pics as always.

Month 4

Isaac is now just over 4 months old. How time flies! 4 months sounds quite young though and he's such a big baby, he looks much older. He's bigger than a lot of 6 month olds I see. He's also in 6-9 month clothes now which fit him perfectly!

He can hold his head completely rigid now and will be sitting completely unaided soon now I would think. When he sits on my knee, I just have to support him very gently so he doesn't topple backwards or forwards. His favourite thing at the minute is standing up and having us support him. He can stand on the ground if you hold his hands and stands happilly on your knee if you support him gently around the waist. He loves it and is all smiles and giggles when he's doing it. He doesn't show any interest in rolling over or crawling. He doesn't actually seem a big fan of the ground or laying down in general. He's even started to object to taking his bottle in a reclined position.

This month we tried a small amount of mashes banana mixed with his milk which he adored. We had a little bit (about the size of a small bite) twice. He didn't go to the loo for 3 days after that, so no more banana until he's much holder. It may have been nothing to do with that but I'll err on the side of caution. He's not a big fan of baby rice or the flavoured baby porridge I got him, so I think I'll leave trying food again for a month or so.

There are still no teeth although he's drooling a serious amount and biting everything, has been for weeks now. He's also been very unsettled for the last couple of weeks. Crying a lot, screaming in fact for what seems like no reason. Nothing soothes him sometimes. We wonder if its painful wind. Its almost impossible to tell. He has everything we can provide to help with his wind, but he's still a very, very windy baby.

He stayed away from home overnight for the first time since he was born a couple of days ago. Unfortunately he didn't stop screaming until after 1am when he finally fell asleep. This had went on since tea time, so grandad had a baptism by fire there! He's only due 2 overnight stays this year (once for Alice Cooper and once for The Darkness) away from us so hopefully he'll behave on them. It is incredibly draining at the minute though as there just isn't a spare minute from him and he cries so much right now I do all night feeds and all getting up as Darren obviously needs to be up early for work and I can't remember the last proper nights sleep I got.

Apparently babies get to an age where they go through this unsettled stage and we've got it now. His smiles do make all the hard work worth it though and I know this is just a phase that will pass. The complete change to your life is shocking though, even though you knew it would happen beforehand, nothing prepares you for it.

The babysitting thing is so hard. People either have dogs that we are a bit wary of leaving Isaac with as they are quite rough (just excitable) or they have no experience of children or they live too far away. The only babysitters we have is Darren's dad Derek and his wife Kath and there's only so much you want to impose on 1 couple.

In other news this month we've been to Asda to do the grocery shop quite a few times and Isaac loves it. He loves to nosey at all the people and shelves. He always behaves really well.

He also loves his door bouncer and gets quite excitable in it. Although you have to sit down beside him and watch him in it so he bounces, otherwise he just screams to come out.

So not too much of note in the past month to document, just a very screamy baby. I keep telling myself 'It will pass'.

Morning doze time at about 7am!

Sleepy boy mid afternoon for about 20 minutes

Asda Shopping Trip

Activity Ring in Mr Bump outfit

Bouncing :o)

Month 3

Isaac is now 12 weeks old and still growing fast. At least the 3-6 month clothes he wears are his correct age range... although most 'just' fit him and he has outgrown some (including his beloved Kermit all-in-one and Ramones tops)Booooo. We are going to get his ACDC, Ramones, Cookie Monster, Metal Horns and Kermit tops put in a big clip frame and hung on the wall in his nursery when we move. It'll be something cool to keep, even when he is grownup!

This past month in the way of developments, he has become much sturdier and although he cannot sit upright unaided, he can sit on your knee and support his own head and back if you hold him. He loves his bumbo given to him by Mark & Helen although I have to support his head or put it against something when he sits in it. I just hope his bum fits into it when he's ready to use it as it seems the perfect size now.

He has started to giggle now as well which is sooooo cute. He smiles all the time which is lovely as well. He seems to recognise us and there are people he seems to have developed preferences for... so far apart from us, he loves Darrens dad and seemed to enjoy being held by his friend at Dereks wedding. He definately seems to have a preference for men, although some do set him off bawling, lol.

The latest development this week has been much better sleeping. He is now doing 5-6 hours straight which is fantastic. He refuses to sleep until 10pm at the earliest, although it is usually more likely to be between 11 and 12 midnight, but then he stays down until 5am or 6am sometimes! Good boy!!!

This month he met Kelly & Dave for the first time. Unfortunately he was being a crabby baby that day. We can't complain though as he did a full day at a wedding and didn't cry at all. He also was good the following day at a family meal, just having a bit of a whinge because he was hungry (all the way through the meal as usual).

He has his 3 month jabs next week which is something i'm not looking forward to after the last time. Especially since I had Darren with me then and this time I'll be alone. :o(

I'll leave you with some 3 month piccies

Month 2

Isaac is now almost 10 weeks old and growing massively by the day. He is now wearing age 3-6 month clothes which 'just' fit him. He also has a couple of outfits which fit him that are 6-9 months! He is definately a big baby! The health visitor assures me he is not overweight and I am not overfeeding him. He is in proportion and will lose a lot of weight when he starts running about. The last thing I want is to leave the child with a legacy of being overweight.

The last month has been fraught with ill health for both me and Darren which took a while to get sorted out. It turns out I had a piece of retained placenta which made me very ill and causes several infections. LOts of antibiotics caused lots of problems and led to the end of me breast feeding at 8 weeks due to Isaac having a reaction to them. I tried to express while I was on the antiobiotics but it was then I discovered the retained placenta had affected my milk production anyway, so we decided to hit it on the head. He is doing well on the bottle now anyway. We switched him to Aptamil Comfort milk which is better for his tum as he has a tendency to get constipated and to have bad wind. I also bought some Dr Browns bottles, especially for eliminating wind. He seems to be doing well on a mix of the bottle, the new food and some dentinox colic drops. The spitting up and vomitting has all but gone!

He has progressed this past month from smiling to laughing which is adorable! He loves having his nose pressed and his chin tickled. He always gives me a big cheery smile when I pick him out of his cot on a morning :o)

I'm trying to introduce a routine very gradually. AT the minute we make sure he has a day outfit every day and changes into his pyjamas every night with his nappy change & wash so he knows its a different time of day. In the next week Im going to introduce a story at bedtime even though he won't know what Im saying, it will add to the routine and they like the sound of our voice. The week after I'm going to start puting him upstairs in his cot at about 9pm. The cot is beside our bed and I will need to go up and see to him im sure or wait with him until he falls asleep but at least it will establish a 'going upstairs early' routine. I will reduce the time to 8pm after a couple of weeks and then to 7pm a couple of weeks after. Hopefully by then we'll have him in the routine we want to keep him in until he's ready for his new room, which Im thinking of doing when we move to Darrens dads place. That should be in the next 2 months I would say.

He has now outgrown his Moses Basket and is in a rocking wooden crib beside our bed. The net stage will be his own cot in his own room.

We're learning more about his little personality every day. What he likes and doesn't. He likes having a bare bum! lol. He doesnt like wearing trousers. He isn't sure about the bath, but no longer cries when he's in there. He hates coming out of the bath and being wrapped in a towel though! He likes being sang to and dancing on your knee and hates to be left alone in his swing when he's woken up. I always try to have him out when he's awake so he gets as much stimulation as possible. He loves to look at his reflection. When he's on his activity mat (which he has a go on for about 10-15 minutes a day or as long as he'll tolerate) his favourite thing to do it to look at himself in the mirrored surface of a flower toy.

He also had his jabs this month which was awful. He screamed in pain when he had it done which was heartbreaking. Poor ba. Im definately not looking forward to taking him again in just over 2 weeks :o(

No doubt the next month will bring more progression for my little man. I look forward to it!

Smiley Boy

Beautiful Boy after his bath

Upset after his jabs

With Tony when he came to visit having a whinge

Many facial expressions

A passage into motherhood.

So its been a while since I last blogged which was about Isaacs first month. As I type, on 8th April, he is 5 weeks and 5 days old.

This blog though, isn't about an update on Isaacs progress, but more about motherhood, something I never thought I'd experience.

Now I have never been maternal. Until the age of 32 or 33, I never even wanted kids. I don't go gooey over babies and coo at them when they are brought into the office at work. I can appreciate a pretty or handsome baby, but I just don't get that pull in my stomach that most women seem to get. I am however capable of it, as put a little puppy on TV or in front of me and Im a big ball of mush. I want to hold it, smell its head, kiss it... all the things I should have felt about babies.... right?

Well no actually. I worried about this lack of maternal instinct a lot before I got pregnant, and even whilst I was pregnant. I didn't feel excited like most mums. I just longed for pregnancy to be over so the hell I was going through would come to an end. I couldn't imagine or picture him as an actual person. I didn't feel that longing to meet him that most women talk about. I know a couple of other friends I have feel similarly. Some decided not to have kids and some did. What would happen?

Well, the day came. The labour and operation were awful. I didn't get to hold Isaac when he was born as he wasn't breathing properly. I remember feeling worried and concerned about what was wrong. I got all the normal protective feelings and I remember thinking what a handsome baby he was when I finally got to see him. I made sure from that day on he had everything he needed and he was well looked after. Of course I loved him, but I still felt like I didn't react in the way most women do and it kind of worried me. I changed him, fed him, dressed him, took him out. I felt proud of him and my accomplishment in bringing him into this world.

As time has went on, I have grown closer to him and feel an overwhelming protective instinct towards him. I want to make sure he's ok and has everything he needs. I worry ridiculously if he seems unwell or unhappy but wheres that surging feeling women talk about?

At the weekend, I found out. From out of nowhere I was overcome by a wave of emotions like nothing I've ever experienced before. Something as stupid as mothers day messages on TV set me off. I realised PROPERLY for the first time, I was a mum. I also realised how much I loved my little man. I would die for him and couldn't imagine my life without him. I ache inside when I think about how much I love him. I spent all evening eye watering and crying trying to convince Darren there was nothing wrong and I was just hormonal.. I mean how do you explain that 5 weeks after the birth of your baby, you finally have been hit with what most women experience from day 1.

Its an overwhelming feeling and scary that its possible to feel so overcome by these emotions. Its so unlike me. I have been turned into a big bundle of mush by a little guy. He cries and I ache, he smiles and it melts my heart. I just look at him and feel nothing but utter love.

I read a quote that makes so much sense to me the other day:

"Making the decision to have a child is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body."

So true.