It’s something I’ve been considering for some time, switching from disposable to reusable nappies. I figured even if I used one cloth nappy per day, it was 7 less disposables ending up in landfill each week, 365 every year. And when you put it like […]
I’ve been giving this post a lot of thought over the last few weeks and while some parts might be a bit TMI I wanted to share my experiences in the weeks following William’s birth as some things came as a bit of a surprise […]
Despite my best intentions, I didn’t get around to finishing or publishing your three week update last week so instead, I’ve combined both your 3 & 4 week update in todays post.
You’re four weeks old. A whole month old. It feels like you’ve been here forever now, yet at the same time I’m wishing time would slow down just a little as it’s going by so quickly. I forgot how fast these early days pass.
We’ve actually had a pretty busy week filled with visitors. Lisa came to cut Aunty Libby’s hair and made the most of the time for cuddles and then Aunty Donna came over with Josh and Charlie for the evening on Saturday. On Sunday Mama’s three best friends came for the morning and just look at how happy they were to meet you — despite their hangovers! 
We then all took your sister to a new soft play centre where we met Uncle Dean, Aunty Tasha & Maisie. You slept pretty much the whole time but it was so nice to be able to get out as a four.
Daddy had Monday off of work so he could take us to the hospital for your hearing test. You’d given us quite a night of it so we were all pretty glad to have him home for the day. You passed your hearing test with flying colours by the way. We decided to head out for the afternoon for some fresh air and a wander and ended up at Leybourne Lakes where we fed the ducks – much to your sister’s delight! You stayed wrapped up snug in the baby sling. 
Aside from a second trip to the Lakes with Donna, Joshua and Charlie on Tuesday we stayed home for the rest of the week. It became a bit of a pyjama week! Although we finally got the adapters for the pushchair so I did take you and Florence out for a quick wander to the shops to see what you made of being wheeled around. As long as I don’t stop, you’re happy!
You’re unbelievably strong and during tummy time on Friday you rolled right back over onto your back every time I put you on your front! At three weeks old I’m a little shocked as you’re just so little.
You seem to have found yourself a little bit of a rhythm now and can go longer between feeds in the mornings and at night. With any luck we’ll soon be into a lovely set routine so I can start planning days around it.
You are still at your happiest when cuddled up on a person and are quite the mummy’s boy! It’s making sleep a bit of a touchy subject but I know only too well that this cuddly stage only lasts for a short while so am trying to make the most of it.
Your sister is still infatuated with you. She’s constantly asking for a ‘doddle’ (a cuddle) with you and loves chatting to you while you lay on her lap or next to her. It’s so incredibly cute! She often asks that you join her while she plays too and if she’d like Mama to put you down she brings over your bouncy chair and insists I put you in there as she turns on the music and taps the hanging toys so they swing above you.
Week 4
We’ve had a much quieter week this week, mostly down to Mama having a horrid cold and really overdoing it in our first attempt at a trip out into town, just me, you and Florrie.
We’ve mostly stayed home since, aside from a little visit to a new play group just around the corner and today you and I had a little solo trip to the village shops while Aunty Libs watched over your sister.
You’ve been much more awake and alert this week and have taken a real liking to your bouncy chair all of a sudden. I’ve started laying you down on your mat to play under the make shift play gym I’ve put togetehr from our Shnuggle stand and you’re slowly coming around to not being on my chest at ALL TIMES. Florence loves coming and lyaing next to you and ‘helping’ you play. 
Saying that, you are still very much a cuddler and are most content when snuggled up on mine or your Daddy’s chest. 
You are sleeping a lot better and touch wood, I’ve only had one night of no sleep this week. You seem to settle a lot better in a GroSnug so I’ve started putting you in them again for bed which is making a big difference. That and me sleeping with my hand under your bum… not sure why, but that seems to help! 
You’re a month old and I really do not know where the time has gone. I adore you little boy. I cannot get enough of you. My little William.
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I thought this month, the one where our little family grew from three to four, would be a good time to start joining in with Me & Mine Project. I’ve always loved the idea of this little monthly family photo project, but never got around […]
One whole week of you. How can that be already? This time last week I found myself wondering if you were ever going to arrive after all of your false starts. Little did I know that by tea time I’d be holding you in my […]
Now that we are past that half way mark, I have been thinking a lot more about how we are going to prepare Florence for becoming a big sister. With time speeding by and the next few months being busy with all sorts of events and festivities his arrival is going to come around quicker than we think and so over the next few months my focus really has to be on preparing her for that.
Florence has always been pretty routine led. She is a bit of a creature of habit and doesn’t really cope well when things go out of sync. Obviously certain elements of our day to day will have to change once baby arrives and to avoid it being such a huge shock to the system we have started to tweak a few things here and there already. We made some significant changes to bedtime a little while ago which have since gone awry due to it being quite a busy time here, but as of next week everything should go back to normal. With any luck we will have cracked bedtime again soon and our evenings will be newborn ready!
Things like setting aside times each day for independent and one to one play are also on our routine agenda. I’m going to try and match these up with standard feed & nap times for baby so that Florence gets a feel for our soon to be daily rhythm.
She’s starting to understand and carry out simple instructions now for example she will go and get a nappy out of the box when asked which once baby is here she’ll be able to do for him when it comes to nappy change time and will not only help her feel more involved but it’ll help me no end when I have my hands full.
I’ve ordered a bunch of books for Florence all about being a big sister and babies. She loves stories and sitting down to read together and I think this is a great way to help her build a bit more of an understanding of her new role as a big sister as well as reassuring her that Mummy & Daddy still love her just as much.
So, obviously Florence isn’t exactly used to babies – she’s only just grown from baby to toddler herself! – so the whole concept is a bit alien to her I would imagine. Making sure she had the opportunity to be around babies and is invited to interact with them is really going to help her build a bit of an understanding of how to behave around them. She has a baby cousin and her godparents have just recently had a little boy so we are just encouraging her to interact with them as much as we can. So far, shes been so good and doesn’t even blink when I have them on my lap and she’s definitely intrigued by them… so long as they don’t touch her she’s fine!
When we get nearer to the time, we are going to go out for a bit of a treat day when we have cake for breakfast in our favourite café and then hit the shops. I plan to get her to choose a couple of things to buy for the baby and then also choose a few things for herself. Involving her in the whole buying process, I hope will help her take a little pride in the things she chooses for her brother.
So she might not completely understand what we’re going on about but I make a conscious effort to at least mention the baby to her a couple of times a day. Simple things like “I think the baby will like doing this when he comes.” and “ooo the baby is wriggling around in Mama’s tummy” are just gently ways of introducing him to her world. With any luck, she’ll be able to make a loose connection to my rambling when he actually arrives.
I’ll be putting a little big sister basket together for when baby actually arrives filled with some of Florence’s favourite treats & activities. This will also double up as a bit of a busy box for her to turn to when I’m feeding or settling the new baby.
Florence has suddenly taken a real liking to dollies and teddy bears and tries to dress them, feed them and wanders around the house with them in her toy pram making sure they’re all tucked in to their blankets. It’s very cute! I love how loving she is to her dolly and it gives me some confidence that actually she’s going to cope just fine! We’ve put a request in to Santa Claus to bring her a new baby and some bits for him and I think she’s going to love it!
Those are the steps we are taking to prepare our toddler for her new sibling. Fingers crossed by the time February comes she’ll be as prepared as she can be for her new role as big sister.
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I’ll be completely honest, I have found myself in a bit of a slump when it comes to fashion this pregnancy. I loved dressing my bump last time around but I’ve really lost my confidence this time and so I tend to just opt for […]
When I was pregnant with Florence I read every parenting book I could get my hands on. It was my inner control freak’s way of preparing for all of possible things that could be thrown at me in those early days as a Mama and […]
