J's Playdate!

So J had her very first playdate yesterday! My friend came over with her baby and we popped her baby and J in the playpen. They're still at that age where they don't know how to play together but I think they had a good time playing beside each other.  

If you are interested in reading more about  baby socialization milestones, do visit babycenter.com.

Here is an excerpt from an article on babycenter.com about socialization milestones for kids aged between 7 months and 1 year. 

"For the most part, your little guy is far too busy honing his skills to really engage with another child. When two babies under 1 are put next to each other with a set of toys, they usually play alone and not with each other.Your baby may start to take a fleeting interest in other babies now that he's more mobile. Most of the interaction will be limited to a glance and a grab, but once in a while he'll smile and coo or imitate another baby's sounds." 

This was pretty accurate for J and her playmate. My friend and I had a good time watching them playing by themselves and then occasionally tossing a ball at the other, reaching out for a pat or watching J babbling out some very exciting things in her own language.
J's friend on the other hand, happened to be 3 months younger than her and paid little to no attention to J and focused most of her attention on tasting all the toys in the playpen.

All in all, it was pretty engaging and fun, for both the babies and us mummies and I think I would actually like to set up more playdates for J so that she can work on her social skills.

xx

Wondering how to survive those wonder weeks!

 

Source: thewonderweeks.com

Ah those wondrous wonder weeks! Just when you think you have parenting figured out, a wonder week comes by and suddenly your sweet little 'schedule-following' baby goes haywire and you come close to accepting the fact that you may never get to sleep ever again.

I first learnt about wonder weeks at around the 5-6 weeks mark when the babybub refused to sleep at all for a couple of nights.
I was going mad at this point due to the lack of sleep and my mother-in-law and I fretted as we took turns cat napping and trying to coax the baby to go to sleep for the love of all things holy. I would nurse the baby and then we cradled her, rocked her, walked around, gave her a warm bath, created a sleepy environment, sang lullabies, prayed, begged, pleaded and tried every possible method.

The few times she did fall asleep, she would wake up the minute we put her down in the crib as if we placed her on a bed of needles.
And it was in that mind zombified state that I turned to the great wise master for answers and as always, google did not disappoint me! I stumbled across wonder weeks in a mum forum and suddenly everything made sense.

Wonder weeks are where your baby is going through developmental growth spurts and the energy and effort going into these developments and leaps causes them to go a bit off track from their regular schedules.
For example, my baby was in the midst of learning a new skill last week and I can't even explain the havoc it caused. Her nap schedule changed, she woke up a bazillion times in the night (because her little brain is so fired up, eager and engaged with learning and practicing this new skill) and it was utter sleepless madness for everyone involved.

Funnily it also coincided with wonder weeks for some of my other mummy friends and as we all cried about our wide awake kids and tried to support each other at 4 a.m. we got to discussing wonder weeks and what new leaps our kids were taking.

My guide to getting through wonder weeks are;

1. Educate yourself. Arm yourself with knowledge so that you are not left clueless and crying in the bathroom. Read up and learn more about what your baby is going through and try to help her adjust. Know when exactly you should expect a wonder week and be prepared for it.

2. Brace yourself. Be mentally & physically prepared for a couple of rough nights. Get a good book, some chocolate, snacks, a drink or two and try to make your sleeplessness as less miserable as possible.

3. Get help. From your husband, mother, your in laws, sister, your friend or anyone else willing to stay up with you or switch shifts with you so that you get some sleep in.


It might seem like your baby will never sleep ever again, but give it a couple of nights and you'll have your sweet baby back and she would have probably learnt a new skill that will  get you smiling and thinking that it was all worth it.

Good luck to all the mamma's going through the wonderful wonder weeks!
xx

#OnlyAMum

source: flickr.kastner

Mothers have an inbuilt feature that allows them to put everything ahead of themselves.
She was created in such a way that she would put her baby and her family's needs ahead of her own.

Such is the beautiful grace of a mother.

Only a mum, can function after a sleepless night without caffeine.
Only a mum, can handle poopy butts, pee, vomit & all sorts of body fluids without a flinch.
Only a mum, will be willing to give up the last piece of chocolate up without complaining.
Only a mum, will be happy to have a droopy, flabby, stripey body for the sake of having you.
Only a mum, has the amazing ability of handling a baby, a home, a family and a career all at once.
Only a mum, has the will power to keep going ahead with a smile no matter what.


The few lines above barely makes a dent in all the things that only a mum is capable of.

Only a mum, can prioritise everything and everyone over herself.

I have such overwhelming respect for all the mama's out there. You practically make the world go around. Much love to you!

xx

Regret

Regret
/rɪˈɡrɛt/

verb

1. What you feel when you accidentally make eye contact with your half asleep baby.

The singles on the bus?

The minute you become a parent, nursery rhymes become your weapon of choice. I was lucky enough to brush up my dusty nursery rhymes library by encouraging my 4 year old neighbour (who likes to sing out from her bedroom window) to share what she learns in school.

The other day I was busy doing parent things when I suddenly hear..

'The singles on the bus wink on and off, on and off, on and off..The singles on the bus wink on and off, all through the town'

Took me a minute to realize it was actually the 'signals' on the bus.

Oh well! I wouldn't mind the singles on the bus getting in some flirting on their way all through the town.

#WhatTheFudgeParentingMoments