Catch up on previous updates:
Happy 8 months sweet boy. You are truly a delight!
This month has been an interesting one. Oliver is moving around so much, and getting into so many things that he has me on my toes. He isn’t crawling just yet but is so close it could happen any moment. Every time I turn around, he has scooted backwards and found something he shouldn’t like a charger cable or is chewing our outdoor shoes by the back door. We are constantly looking around for things he could put in his mouth and are actually cleaning up after ourselves better so nothing inappropriate is left around that he can get those curious hands on.
He is so much happier now that he can move around a little more but is still quite frustrated that he can’t crawl. He moves his hands once or twice forwards then flops onto his belly and just tries to reach whatever he wants with outstretched arms. Almost my boy!
Oliver helped us choose our new car, but mostly he loved playing on the shiny floors.
Sleep
Day: On May 27 we transitioned Oliver to two naps a day from 3-4 because his naps where ALL OVER THE PLACE and he was going to bed late. I decided to track his sleep (see picture below) to see if there were any patterns and I found out that even though the naps were not at the same time everyday, the intervals between waking and napping were about 2 hours for the first nap. We kept him awake past his noon nap by taking him for a walk and giving him a popsicle outside. It worked really well and from that day he has had two naps and is doing so much better! He is mostly falling asleep by himself nowadays. I read to him on his bed before putting him on his tummy and patting him a couple times. Then I walk out and he often cries a little or sits up and then moans because he is tired so I go in and lay him down again, pat him and walk out. He doesn’t like it when I stop singing or patting but is getting used to falling asleep more independently. Whew! One of his naps is usually 1½hours and the other just an hour. The first nap was typically the longer nap but the last two days they have been the shorter one. Seriously, trying to figure this little guy out is like doing a Rubik’s Cube.
Night: He goes to bed at about 8:00pm and sleeps till 7:00/7:30am. He was doing some crazy things a few times this month where he would feed to sleep then wake up as I was putting him down and want to play for an hour. It was like he was still holding on to another nap but he figured it out in the last couple days and is back on track. Because he sleeps on a floor mattress and is getting more mobile, he often scoots off his mattress onto blankets on the floor (our rug is coming tomorrow!) or flips onto his back and moans because he can’t remember that he can turn back onto his stomach by himself. Luckily we got a baby monitor this month and can tell if really needs our help versus just stirring a little.
Feeding
Day: Ollie usually feeds at 7:30, 11:00, 2:00, 5:00, 7:30. Obviously it’s not clockwork as I’m not that strict and still feed on demand, but he has naturally carved out his own pattern. He drinks pretty quickly and is taking the traditional sippy cup (once a day) a lot better although Daniel has to read a book to him while he drinks the bottle.
Night: A couple times this month Ollie went to sleep and woke up within the hour to play and feed again. It was really weird and I don’t know why but he seems to have settled a little. The only time I feed him to sleep is his last feed before bed and it’s my absolute favorite.
Using his Mam transitional sippy bottle while Daniel feeds him.
Milestones
Can sit up from lying down on his tummy.
Scooting backwards.
Two more teeth (eight in total for my 8 month old boy)
Fun Did Bits
Oliver got his first haircut this month! He was sweating so much with his long side burns and fringe that I watched a YouTube video on how to cut hair and just gave it my best try. The top was super easy but getting the hair by his ears was a different story. It looked a little weird for a little while but like most haircuts got better with time.
Ollie can do Downdog! It’s so cute and he even relaxes his head and gazes between his legs. I say “downdog” and laugh every time it’s so sweet.
Oliver crosses his feet by putting his right foot over his left and he holds it there by flexing his left big toe. I swear I would get cramp but he seems perfectly relaxed!
Oliver likes clicking his tongue as if he is making the “Q” sound in Zulu.
His favorite thing to “say” is “Ah!” in a kind of surprised and enthusiastic manner. He loves it when you say it back and then it’s a game repeating it back to eachother.
Oliver’s favorite position is standing- supported by us obviously. He is also starting to pull up on everything, including almost tearing our t-shirts to stand up on our laps.
He almost jumps out of our arms when we walk into the bathroom for bath time. He absolutely loves it. Daniel and I alternate bathing with him.
No one prepared me for the smell of their poos now that he eats more solids. Holy moly where is the clothes peg for my nose. I was seriously surprised and dread the cloth diaper clean up but it’s usually just once a day so I just dig deep and do what I have to.
Solids update: We started Baby Led Weaning about a month and a half ago and it was going well and not so well all at the same time. Oliver loves actually having a big piece of food to grasp and feed himself, but he bites off massive chunks and coughs, gags and chokes. He even threw up a little of his apple the other day. Aggg, poor guy. His eyes water and it’s not pleasant at all. I really wanted him to have some cereal in the mornings with me so I started giving him rice cereal mixed with my breastmilk and added some purees in the evenings. He did not like it at first. He even scoffed at mango for 3 days straight. However, in the last two days he has suddenly become so excited about food that we are jumping for joy. His favorites are avocado chunks, pureed cauliflower, sweet potato “sticks” and his rice cereal. Of course he is often more interested in the bowl, spoon, bib and high chair straps but he smiling and enjoying meal times and that is what matters, not how much he eats.
Ollie got his first haircut this month. No hair in your eyes anymore Oliver.
We walk everyday and it’s one of my favorite times with Ollie wog.We have just switched to morning walks as the afternoons are too hot and we like to go to the pool instead!
Tracking his sleep was so helpful so I could see patterns and switch him to two naps instead of three. I use the app Baby Tracker and love it. (The red line is the time currently)
Mama
I think Oliver might be going through separation anxiety which means I feel like I can never take a break. He doesn’t like it when I leave him alone when he is playing or going to sleep. He even looks up during our walks now to make sure I’m still the one behind the pram/stroller. We took a break from the childcare at the gym and going back was a shock for him. He screamed and screamed so the lady told me to come in everyday at the same-ish time and start with shorter times then build to longer ones as the days go by. He is on day three of “Oliver’s childcare bootcamp” and he has done so much better that they said to try 45 minutes tomorrow versus our 20 min that we have been doing. Wish me luck!
In other news I had my first period since January 2017. I was grateful to know that my body is getting into it’s rhythm again and also a little sad that I have to deal with blood every month. I’m really surprised that my cramping was almost zero because I had quite bad cramps for at least two days before I got pregnant. Something else that has changed, is that my new little hairs that are growing back in my parting on my head are orange! Like what Ollie’s hair look like when it started getting lighter. My body is so weird.
I am teaching yoga for the first time today so I am excited and nervous at the same time. Any advice or encouragement for me? It’s taken a long time to have enough courage to put my name out there to start subbing but I’m glad I did.
How was your first yoga class as a teacher?
Did your child have separation anxiety? What helped them?
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