Feeding

Tom is well into telling us what he wants now. His favourite word is of course 'no', and he is perfecting his pointing techniques with a little squeeling thrown in. He has also started feeding himself. He finally has his high-chair and loves to sit at the table and pick up his spoon and cover himself in dinner/lunch/breakie. He also loves to try and get into the fridge but as yet he isn't strong enough (thank goodness).

He is loving going up and down the stairs. Have decided not to get a safety gate as he has mastered sliding backwards on his tummy. And thinks it is wonderful that he can run the length of the house from toy room to living and upstairs to heis bedroom. Sure wears him out.

Bah

Tom's favourite sound is 'b'. He loves to say Boo (but says Bah), and hide under his blankie or around the corner. His favourite nursery rhyme is Ba Ba Black sheep, and I guess we could work on 'Bah Humbug' as it is nearly christmas!

He hasn't been well lately - catching all the viruses from childcare - but at least his immune system is building up. I wish he could get back into some regular sleep pattern though as the night waking is killing me again.

He is also loving finding out new things - especially what goes/fits where. He loves to put things in things, especially balls. Maybe an engineer in the making? :)

And the picture is of the lovely Evie at her 2nd birthday party - Tom had a ball climbing, riding and jumping in her garden.

late night excursion

Tom had his first visit to the ER last night/this morning (5am) in Sutherland hospital. After a few days of temperatures and screaming and basic unsettled-ness, and a 4am drive to try and get some sleep into him, I finally succumbed and took him to the 24hr medical centre. Unfortunately the place was closed (go figure) so decided to brave the waiting room at the local hospital. 3.5 hrs later he was checked and I was told he was fine. Which he was once the nurofen had kicked in and he had discovered the toy box in the ward!

In this pic you can see Tom and his friend Elliot tucking into the leftovers at Ela's party last week. MAybe that's what made him sick...?

walking

Tom took his first steps alone this week. He was practically running after about 3 days but likes to do so with his arms raised. Quite funny to behold - almost like he's saying 'yeah i did it'

As you can see though he looks much more relaxed in his favourite chair, kickin back.

Play

Tom is really getting into everything now. He loves to stand and can crawl like a torpedo...fast as lightening. We have been visiting and finding lots of new parks in the area where Tom plays in the sand and just stands next to the equipment, observing. He loves trying to climb up the slide the wrong way and here at a recent trip to the shopping centre he made a new friend at the wall puzzle.

Today we went to a picnic organised by his childcare centre in Putney Park. It is just across the water from our place in Concord and the best park we have ever been to. Tom loved eating all the food and his sister had a ball in the wading pool and playground.

Huggies Packs

Here is our lovely boy on the huggies Newborn nappy packs. How peaceful does he look? I can't remember that age (10 weeks) now, it seems like a lifetime ago! I love passing by the baby aisle when I do my shopping and gaze admiringly and proudly at his little face peeking out.

more teeth

Tom had his third tooth pop out this week and the adjacent top tooth is just about coming out today too. He is getting very fast, becoming more determined than ever and very 'talkative'. He is also getting more clingy. He hates it when I leave him at childcare and cries when I come to get him. Relief I suppose.

We have also been experimenting with hair product and we like this spikey/scraggy look!

He had his inoculations yesterday and didn't cry although he needs to go back next month for some catch up jabs to cover what we missed whilst in the UK, so he may realise why and make up for it then. He measures 77cm, weighs 10.67Kgs and head measured in 50percentile for his age. He is also holding his own bottle now which is great as it frees me up to do other stuff.

Sand

Tom is loving living near the beach in Cronulla, and we try to get to the local playground (on the beach) at Shelley park as much as possible, no matter the weather. Here he is playing with big sis, a tennis ball and a coffee cup kept him entertained for ages. He did try the usual baby thing of tasting the sand but he soon figured it was disgusting and now he just likes to dig, bury and throw!

Haircut

Along with his first birthday came Tom's first haircut. Well, real one, not counting my attempts to hack at it. I guess I should have done it before his party, but never mind.

Just-Cuts at Miranda Westfield offer a baby's first haircut for free so along we went and Tom just loved it. He was mesmerised with his wiggles coverall and the Dora Explorer DVD playing on the counter in front of him. Before we knew it it was all over! Probably took all of 3 minutes. No wonder they do it for free!

1st Birthday

Today was the first day of spring and Tom's first birthday. We celebrated yesterday with a small party in his honour. A handfull of friends (both ours and Ela's) and family helped us wish Tom a happy birthday. Nannie made a train cake and big sis helped to blow out the candle and make a wish for Tom. She told us that she wished he could get more presents. He was very spoiled with plenty of boys toys and lots of 'in the night garden' toys - his favourite show. Typically, he didn't want to go down for his morning sleep and was still asleep when the first guests arrived, but although he was a bit grumpy when I woke him, he soon perked up when he saw all the kiddies runnign around and making loads of noise. Thanks to everyone who turned out on a wet and windy day to make his day so lovely.



Today, on his actual birthday, we drove across the city to his new child-care Banksia Cottage, where he will start on Wednesday. We met the staff and looked around the possum room where he will be spending 2 days a week. It was a long drive (about 90mins) but I was able to time it so that he slept both ways. Unfortunately, come wednesday I won't be so fortunate. Fingers crossed he doesn't mind sitting in traffic and listening to the radio!

11 months

At 11 months, there is just one word to describe Tom and that is NOISEY. Well I suppose he has to try hard to compete with his sister, so he is always jabbering away. He loves to turn the pages of books and 'read' to himself. He also loves to 'lal lal la la la' when you sing his favourite songs (twinkle twinkle, the grand old duke of york and yes my name is iggle piggle'. He is pulling himself up on the furniture, crawling at high speed, opening cupboard doors, 'drumming' (which consists of hitting anything with a flat surface using anything stick-like), throwing objects and playing 'ta' (which consists of him offering you a toy and then pulling back when you go to reach for it, following by a cheeky grin or a laugh).

So all in all, typical boy stuff. Plenty of falling down, bruised faces, angry shouts when he can't get what he wants. He is also beginning to understand the meaning of no and will look over his shoulder as he heads towards something he knows he shouldn't be doing, just to check if he is being watched.

Great routine, up between 6-7am, sleeps in the morning for 1-2 hrs and the same in the afternoon and in bed and asleep by 7pm. However the days of putting down to sleep and walking away are gone, and daytime sleeps are usually only achieved in either the pram, or the car.

Pictured here with his grandad, he is going to be missed when we return to Oz later this month. They share a great morning routine, whereby Tom stands by his side at the sofa waiting for titbits of toast like an obedient pet!

On Holiday

Tom just did us proud on our cruise holiday around the Med. He was so well behaved, considering he was pushed and pulled from one place to the next, but was well rewarded with lots of kisses and cuddles and of course his favourite - ice creams. Everyone who passed our table at dinner time commented on how adorable he was and most people wanted to ruffle his fluffy head.
Meal times were actually hard work, but the ship provided us with whatever food we wanted for him, whenever we needed it - even pureed it too. And there was no washing up or cleaning to be done so it was pretty painfree for me :)

We were so glad that we invested in this McClaren Buggy before we left as it was a life saver. Tom just loved it and slept anytime anyplace once it was reclined. Even at the evening shows! I walked a fair few kilometeres around the ship with him in it, and we were able to easily bundle him on and off coaches while visiting Barcelona, Florence and Nice. He loved being on the coach too, making the other passengers laugh with his funny faces.

The cruise was wonderful for him, babies had their own 'diaper wearing' pool which was just a few cm of water with a small trickle of water from a spout, but it was all he needed to have plenty of fun.

They also had 3-4 sessions a day of Fisher Price playtime, where babies and toddlers could go with their parents to a room filled with fabulous toys and play to their hearts content. The lovely Jonie from South Africa was his favourite carer and she was forever telling me that he was the happiest baby she had ever had there.

My family

Tom just loves his big sister, he watches her every move and when his dad came over to visit, he was doubly delighted at the antics and games unfolding before his very eyes. He is used to hearing his grandad's voice around the house but whenever he heard his this new - but familiar - male voice (dad's), he would swivel his head and start looking for him.

While we were away on holiday, he just loved lying in between us on the bed and bashing his dad on the shoulder to wake him up. Never fear though he is still his mummy's boy at heart.

Crawling

In my last post I said Tom was a few weeks away from crawling, but I was a bit out. He actually did his first moves today. Just in time for our holiday on a ship....great?!

First tooth

Today I felt Tom's first tooth peeping through. Now we can officially blame his teething for all his grouchyness. Tom weighed in at 9.6Kgs this week and was given his first toothbrush at the clinic. His length and head size were all on the median strip which is great. He is also drinking from a sipper cup and rocking on all fours. I recon a couple more weeks before he is crawling.

Pictures show Tom doing his 'hair trick' again with a piece of wrapping paper, a shot of him in the garden - amazingly with his hat still on. And also one of him at the library last week. He is usually sleeping when I take Ela but this day he was up so he came along. He loved watching all the kids running around and during music time, he was very possessive of this drum. When another boy (aged 18mths) came and swipped it from him, Tom, quick as a dart, grabbed it back and won over the tug of war that ensued! His dad was proud to hear that he's certainly no pushover.

At 9 months

Tom is nine months next week and he is starting to really get into things. He isn't crawling yet but he is wriggling and moving around and trying to pull himself up. He loves to scoot around the room in his walker and he is blowing raspberries now with his tongue out and showering us in spit :)

He is also starting to enjoy visits to playgrounds and softplay areas. Loves the ball pit and the swings.

He is eating and sleeping well. 2 daytime sleeps around 9am and 2pm and 7til 6am at night.

A visitor

Tom's Godmother Aunty Angie came to visit all the way from Oz today and we took her to the pub for lunch. She was convinced that Tom is the spit of his uncle Stevie (when he was a baby) and was amazed at the size and cuteness of him. Yes it is true, the pictures don't do him justice at all. He always lookes like he has been caught between the headlights here on his blog;)

Angie is herself 20 weeks pregnant and got a good idea what was in store after spending the afternoon with us.

Blackpool firsts

Tom took his first outing in a buggy today. We went to Blackpool for the day and he got to ride in Ela's (very) old chariot. He also got to wear his (too small) sunhat because it was a scorcher and another first was his very own icecream, which he devoured in mere minutes.







Whilst we were waiting for big sister Ela to finish bouncing, Tom decided to show off his talents and delighted us with an Irish jig, crossing his legs and flapping his arms.

Sitting

Tom is now officially sitting by himself - although I do still use cushions for the occasional topple. He just loves to sit on the floor amongst the action - here you can see him enjoying a game of dolls house with his big sister. He squeels with delight when he thinks he is participating in some playing.

Talking of which, here he is playing with Ela's dolly - can you spot the difference? She calls this doll 'little blue boy'. But his daddy wants to know why he isn't playing with a football (and the oval type, not the round he says.)

Other wonderful news is that he is also 'sleeping through'. My prediction was right - the formula has done the trick. He's almost completely weaned - just one more feed to switch and then we are done. And for the last week he has slept from 7pm till 6-7am. Thank you Tom for giving my sanity back to me!

Tricks

Tom has been perfecting his scally-like antics. What with his crew cut and his raspberry blowing, his belching, stomping, farting and arm flapping, he has added this latest trick to his repertoire. He can now balance a beer mat on his head at the pub. Definitely one to impress the girls!

Walker

Tom reaches the 7 month mark this week and is turning into a very determined child. His legs are so strong and he just loves putting his weight on them so we got him a walker which he thinks is great. He moves himself across the room after things and people he wants to get hold of. His expressions in photos is always one of surprise -it seems impossible to catch that cheeky smile of his.

On the food front he is eating all sorts of everything although he as just begun to display his fussiness by smelling the food on the spoon and deciding then whether he will open his mouth or not. I'm also finding it hard to move towards 3 milk feeds a day - he is very vocal if he doesn't get it 4 hourly, so am going to start weening him onto the bottle.

Sleep is another issue still. Waking at 3-4 am has not stopped so perhaps with a bit of luck the formula may do the trick. Controlled crying worked to a point but I think he is going to be one of those kids who doesn't need the 12 hours.

Norway

Tom got his second stamp in his passport this week as we visited friends in Trondheim, Norway. Temps were in the minus region so we made sure he was wrapped up warm on our outings out.

The problem with all this layering though was the screaming. Tom HATES getting dressed at the best of times and trying to put on three layers both bottom and top and then a full on snow suit were not greeted with much enjoyment.

The plus side was though that by the time we got him togged up and in the back carrier for a walk in the snow, he was so exhausted that he immediately fell asleep up there.

Bathtime

Tom has really started to love the bath. He sits like a king in his bath seat and splashes his hands and feet. Just adores being in there with his big sister but I have to be careful as she insists on washing the poor mite to death.

Visiting

Well the lovely Tom has been around England visiting friends of mine and their family's. He has loved watching all the children come and go and has really started to 'play'. Mainly just grasping, holding and dropping, but at a very intent rate.

Bad news is that he is still not sleeping well in the night. Because of our visiting, I've had to keep feeding to keep him from waking the household, but as of this week we have embraced not only Gina Ford but also control crying. We are on day three and so far so good. Have decided to keep him to four breastfeeds a day (rather than Gina's 3) and to limit his daytime sleeps to 3hrs total. That's hard waking him up when he's asleep, but then he has no qualms about doing it to me (hehe). We have definitely had more sleep these last two nights, but I think we still have a bit to go.

Other than that he's on three full meals a day, trying new veggies and moving onto weetbix with milk for breakie. Still has the snuffles and the doc has given me this mini inhaler to give before bed to help him sleep. I have to put this mask over his face and attach the inhaler and he goes gosey eyed trying to focus on it.

The picture shows Tom in a 'bumbo' doing his helicopter impressions. He also loves blowing raspberries (particularly food flavoured ones) and trying to stand.

Sleep

Tom is now 5 and a half months and still hasn't 'got' the whole sleep thing! He goes to bed really well after a bath and a story with his big sis between 6.30 and 7pm. (The baby bath is now too small for him as he insists on standing up! So he is in his little bath seat but needs to be held or he'll slip thorugh the sides.) But he wakes constantly in the night. I try and limit the feeds to just once or twice if I'm shattered and deal with the the waking via the dummy or a bottle of water. But the hourly bursts are killing me.

In the daytime, he gets 3-4 sleeps in but each is only short, average of about half an hour. Every now and then though he will surprise me and have a 2hr daynap which is good.

He is also teething which doesn't help matters. There has been slobber galore for almost amonth now so hopefully we'll see a little peggie peeping through soon.

There are 2 places though where Tom loves to sleep and that is the pram and the car. Here you can see him in his snow suit. Not much (any) of that around but the suit is needed for cold winter walks.

Here's hoping that the magical 6mth mark brings a full nights sleep.

twinkle toes

This week Tom has discovered that trick of laying on his back, throwing his legs in the air, catching his feet and rolling around holding onto them. Very cute to watch. In fact in any position he loves to grab his toes, in the bath and while sitting (supported). He is also getting used to tummy time and did his first roll. But I think that was a fluke because I have't noticed another one yet.

Swinger

Tom has been really lucky to receive lots of baby gear/equipment from a neighbour of ours here in Liverpool (thanks Debbie). This is his favourite I think, a battery operated swing. As well as a cot, a pram, car seats, a play gym and a bath, he has been given plenty of toys and clothes from family.

He is really enjoying all of the attention he gets - especially the funny faces from grandad - they send him into peals of laughter.

Flying High

Tom took his first Airplane ride at the tender age of 4 and a half months!

He performed spectacularly on the 20 hour journey, with just a couple of cries, slept for 80% of the time and managed to wake up each time the food came out - must have smelt it!

Open wide

Well i decided NOT to wait to start solids after all and two days before we left Sydney, Tom had his first taste of rice cereal. He wasn't much impressed (who would be) and it didn't appear to make much difference with his sleeping pattern. But then I guess it may take a while.

Ahhh sleep - something I still haven't been getting much of! What with jet-lag, change in appetite and the cold weather, Tom has been feeding (and therefore awake) more than when he was a new born!

Looks like he's ready to swipe at me for giving him such yuck!

Growing boy

Well at 4 months, Tom is already out of the bassinett and sleeping in the travel cot. He tries his hardest to free himself from his wrap and has an almighty kick on him. Not much has changed on the hair front....we're still unsure whether he'll be a red head or not, and he still has craddlecap.
What has changed is his eating and sleeping. After thinking i had conquered it, with 4 hourly feeds ans sleeping from 7pm till 4am, he has gone back to feeding 3 hourly and waking at all hours. last night we had 1am, 3 am and 5am!!!! Exhausting.
I would start him on solids as I think he needs them, but I want to put it off till after our plane trip next week. I had started supplementing with formula too but that has messed up my body and possibly his routine. Who knows.
He has found his voice again and loves to lay in his cot at 5.30am and warble at the top of his lungs! No rolling yet - but I've found him turned by about 45 degrees in his cot some mornings.
On our recent holiday to Port Macquarie, Tom enjoyed a few swims in the pool. Not sure whether he actually liked it though. He has also become much more aware of his surroundings. Which is a nuisance at feeding time when he starts nosing around, and yesterday i watched him reach out to one of his toys and watched his face become wide eyed in realisation that he had control over his hand as he touched the toy. Very sweet.
He is also becoming more difficult to get to sleep - patting and rocking have no effect - just loves his dummy and lets you know about it when it's fallen out.