10 months - On the move

I’m a  tad behind with this post, but on Saturday our little girl turned 10 months old.

And although I knew the last month was going to be a busy one, I’m still surprised at just how much changed over the last 4 weeks.

   

Charlotte

I think the most noticeable changes over the last month relate to movement. Charlotte is now very proficient in crawling, and can cross from one side of the room to the other with speed and gusto.

Long gone are the days when I could put her down, turn away, and she would be in the same spot when I turned back. No, now that she can, this girl is constantly on the move! This makes attempting to get my weekly photo of her on her back very interesting – and near impossible!

In keeping with the movement theme (and I suspect the independence that it brings her) C loves the little bike she got for Christmas, as well as her walker. She will quite happily wander up and down the hall exploring – bumping into the walls and cupboards along the way?!

In addition to crawling, C has now worked out how to pull herself up to a standing position. Legs, tables, chairs…..you name it, she will try to climb on it.

I still continue to describe Charlotte as my cheeky monkey. She is constantly pulling faces, blowing raspberries, playing hide and seek, and….eating her feet?!

I love that it doesn’t take much for her to flash a toothy grin (still 8 and counting….), and when she does, it is impossible not to smile back.

She has started to wave and clap when prompted and, most recently, will plant a big open-mouthed sloppy kiss on your face when asked to!

Yup – too adorable!!!!

A snapshot:

Loves: her DADDY!, the swings, baths, her walker, kisses, water, climbing and crawling, cheese, watermelon, eating out at restaurants and cafes, kissing the baby in the mirror.

Loathes: having her face cleaned,  wearing a hat, being restrained in the bumbo when she wants to grab at things around her, nap times, having her nappy changed.

Feeding

10 months in, and I am still nursing Charlotte 3 times during the day, and once or twice at night. She continues to show a a growing interest in food though, and will generally try anything we serve her.

Actually, even when I make her her own lunch, she would much prefer to eat whatever I’m eating (even if it is the same…). So much so, that it is not unusual for her to take big bites of my sandwich instead of eating hers.

As for nursing, we are going to attempt to ‘sleep train’ Charlotte next weekend (see below) and as part of that, I hope to drop the night feeds. This will be a little sad for both of us, I think, but I only need to take one look at her chubby cheeks and adorable baby thighs to know that she is thriving.

Sleeping

Again, Charlotte is nowhere near sleeping through the night. Rather, most recently, she seems to have regressed in the sleep department and it is not unusual for her to now wake up 6+ times overnight.

Ugh.

So while I have been reluctant to engage in any formal ‘sleep training’ or cry it out routines up to this point, I think the time has come to encourage and hopefully teach her to sleep a bit better overnight – without resorting to the usual ‘nursing’ solution.

So next weekend it is! I will be sure to keep you posted.

Achievements and Milestones

Crawling, smiling, standing, eating – our little girl continues to amaze me.

We had a big month this month, with Charlotte’s first Christmas, a visit from her Nanny and Uncle, a day trip to Kiama, lots of BBQs / picnics, lots of swims, and our first family beach holiday to Merimbula.

And, to be honest, she took these new adventures all in her stride. She really does seem to love being out and about, and being around people in particular. She loved the water, and showed no hesitation at all during our beach holiday.

Me – the physical and emotional

It has been so nice having Mr BBB on holidays over the last 3 weeks, and I think it will be quite a shock to the system when he goes back to work this week and it is just Charlotte and I during the day!

Mostly it has been wonderful being able to share the daily milestones with him, particularly given they have been coming rather quickly lately.

Sleep (and lack thereof) has probably been my biggest challenge this past month – although being on holidays has meant that I have been able to take naps when Charlotte naps and try to keep enough in the reserves. Hopefully this is an area that improves over the next month or so, as I think having a more active and interactive baby will certainly make my working from home regime a little more challenging.

Work aside – Charlotte and I are heading off to Melbourne later this month. I’m excited (but also a little nervous) about our first flight with just the two of us – but fingers crossed it will be fine. The hardest part will be keeping my little wriggler still for the hour!

Did someone say “girl’s trip”!!?!