Happy 9 month Birthday, Carter!

 

Ummm I’m not sure what happened between Carter’s update last month and this month, but MAN, he’s suddenly gone through a massive growth spurt. He went from commando-crawling, to  ’proper’ crawling, to pulling-to-standing, to cruising, to walking… (or at least trying to).

WHAT?!?!

No wonder he’s been particularly fussy the past few weeks at night!

He’s still pretty enormous, and it’s particularly obvious when he’s next to babies his age or older. People often ask if he’s around 1 year old and I guess it’s because he’s about that size. It’s a bit of a problem for me because I do struggle to carry him, and I can’t just hoist him onto my hip and walk around like people do with their babies.. because my arm doesn’t go around him all the way, and because he’s just too heavy.

He’s mostly back to his super-smiley self. He does wail if I suddenly step of out sight, but is generally alright and is ok with people carrying him. He LOVES LOVES LOVES his attention, and will do pretty much anything and everything to get some. Will wave like a World’s Greatest Politician when he’s in his stroller, to get people to come running over to play with him ;)

Most interestingly…. earlier this month, he stopped pooing in his diaper, and only in the potty. We’ve learned to read his cues, and he’s good at giving them to us.. and also because he tends to poo like clockwork every night after his dinner. Plus, he really likes sitting on his Big Boy potty and doing his poo, dishing out GREAT BIG SMILES in the process. His current success rate is 100% for the past 2 weeks (ie. not a single poo in his diaper). Except today, when we put him in his walker and no one was paying attention to him, so we didn’t notice his poo-cue. Oops. He will also do his pee in the potty if I pop him on it, but will also merrily do pees in his diaper.

 

• EATING – Still on breastfeeding 4x/day. I have no idea how to drop one more feed, because I don’t know how my boobs can tolerate it without exploding. On the downside, Carter can now only breastfeed in the bedroom when it’s quiet (and preferably dark). He goes nuts when I try to nurse him outside, fussing and kicking because he wants to look around instead :(
  He is AWESOME with solids, which I’m so delighted with! Eats about 3-4oz per meal, and now has breakfast as well as dinner. He absolutely adores his greens, and most of all spinach. He’s not terribly keen on fruit, but if I add pureed spinach to it, it becomes a winner! Odd. I’m also blending his food less, and doing more fork-mashed stuff or even cubes (with very soft food or fruits). He’s so greedy he doesn’t care.

 

 

• SLEEPING – Babies his age should be doing around two 1-hour naps a day. Not Carter. He’s still intent on his 30min (to the dot!) naps… about two to three times a day. Sigh. At least he naps easily and will nap anywhere and everywhere.
  He needs to be physically held down at night so he’ll fall asleep. Because he’s gone through such a huge growth spurt this month, he’ll immediately stand up in his cot (even if he’s dead tired) and then wail cos he then doesn’t know what to do with himself. Doh! He will sleep just fine through the night.. but now frequently will wake at 5-6AM grunting away until we stuff the pacifier back in his mouth. I hate that thing! But I don’t know how to wean him off it because we’re scared he’ll wail (and he has a terrifically LOUD wail that will wake Hunter up for sure). I guess I take solace in the fact that he has never woken for milk since he was 2 months old, but having to get up for the pacifier is still really freakin’ annoying.

 

• PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT – Crazy how in just two weeks, he went from only commando-crawling, to crawling on all fours -> pulling to stand -> cruising -> walking. The last one is a real problem. He absolutely cannot walk unassisted yet, but refuses to acknowledge this. So, he’ll pull himself up, cruise a bit, then simply….. LET GO AND WALK! This means that after one step, he does a massive faceplant onto the ground, and yells with anger. You’d think that he’d learn he can’t walk yet and stop doing this… but nope. He’ll do it again. And again. And again. So this means we need to watch him at all times, because we never know when he’ll just walk off. Plus, he will crawl to the edge of the bed/couch and… keep going. So different to Hunter, who was ultra careful with walking and crawling!!
  His favourite party trick(s) now is clapping and waving. Will keep doing so especially in the stroller, to get people around to come up to him and give him attention. It works a treat! And I’m very happy for that because then he’s kept occupied whilst I can look around in shops :P

 

 

 

Keeping himself amused by keeping other shoppers amused

 

I’ve gone on a bit of a rampage this month with my mission to dress both boys up in matchy-match clothes. I figure I’ve only got a very limited amount of time to do this, before they’re old enough to object and call me soooo embarrassing! This is, unfortunately, also an expensive mission.. because I have to buy double the clothing and it’s not like Carter’s can be re-used. So they only have a handful of sets of matchy-match stuff which I keep rotating. I find it sooo cute!!

 

 

 

 

 

Happy 9 months, baby wombat! You may have truly epic banshee-screams, but your PICK ME UP NOW I LOVE YOU excited arm flaps and gigantic sunshine smiles make up for them. You’re my big squashy ball of cuddles and I already miss your baby-ness because you seem so much more independent now that you’re on the move. Just stay little!

 

 Taken a couple of weeks ago.. this never fails to make me smile

 

Compare with Hunter at Month 8-9 here.

 

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• 8 months

 

 

Happy 8 month Birthday, Carter!

 

Good grief, Sunshine Bear (aka Carter) in his 7th-to-8th month is active! I’m not sure if he’s more or less active than the average kid, but he is BY FAR crazier than Hunter… who was (and largely still is) the most docile kid I know. I’m so surprised at how both our children can have such different personalities.

Incredibly, Carter is almost exactly 1/4 my weight. He’s a baby wombat. He’s on the 100th percentile for weight and also on the upper end for height. I’m not worried this time round though, as Hunter was exactly the same pre-walking days, and look at him now – a skinny lil thing at 2 years old.

Now that Carter can commando-crawl, he Can’t. Stop. Moving. Unfortunately, this also leads to lots of fiascos, like falling off the bed (oops) and constantly getting himself wedged under the TV cabinet or coffee table.

He’s still not as super-smiley with strangers as he was before, but at least he doesn’t dish out the DEATHSTARES.

He’s generally very easy going when it comes to going out, and is happy to sit in his stroller by himself with little/no attention.. since Hunter commands our attention all the time. I guess this is what second-born children learn to deal with.

His only pet hate is when we step out of sight. Screams like a banshee in protest!!! He’s actually very melodramatic about anything he gets upset about (generally if he’s hungry, or tired). The banshee screams make shopkeepers run out of their shops to see what happened, and I’ve had randoms ask me if he fell, or I hurt him, or something. I have never met a baby that gets quite so angry, so quickly, and so loudly!

His non-stop talking/babbling kind of gives me a headache, because it’s LOUD and, well, non-stop! He can go on and on and on, especially in the car. Just babbling about nothing in particular, only to get attention or something.

 

 

 

• EATING – Dropped down to breastfeeding 4x/day. The 5th feed (at noon) is now FORMULA! Finally! He was horrified and disgusted and accusing at the start, but now takes to it just fine. I wanted to do it to give him the extra iron, and so I have peace of mind that he can take to the bottle should I fall sick etc. And hooboy does he loves his SOLIDS (at dinnertime). He’s onto a huge list of various purees now. Gobbles up around 3oz a sitting and finishes it within 5 minutes then demands for more. It’s hilarious watching him eat, cos he looks like a little bird – face tilted up, mouth wide open, arms flapping away in eagerness! He will get really pissed off when he spots us eating and there’s nothing for him. Hilarious and I hope it stays this way. I want a child that LOVES to eat, please! (Note: at this same age, and you can click on the link at the bottom of this post to read in full, Hunter was basically rejecting all solids).

 

 

 

• SLEEPING – He still does 2-3 naps a day, either in his cot, or car seat, or out in his stroller, with no issues. Something I love about both my kids is that they’re not constrained by nap times, which I now realise is a pretty good benefit. On the downside, he’s suddenly really struggling with his pacifier.. as in, he frequently wakes up at around 5AM looking for it! Yet, he doesn’t use it the entire night. Just wants it at 5AM. What is up with that??? It’s driving us insane. I know this is a minor problem since he otherwise sleeps solidly, but it drives me nuts having to wake up at 5AM to stuff the damn thing in his mouth :(

 

 

• PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT – Will go from sitting to a commando crawl, like a speed demon. Like Hunter, he doesn’t get up fully on hands and knees to crawl, but rather rocks away. Is that a precursor to actual crawling? Hunter went straight to walking but maybe Carter will crawl properly soon, who knows. His weight is a bit of a barrier for him, because he’s just so… gigantic. He loves to stand holding onto something, but is not cruising properly yet. Lunges for objects (mainly food) with sniper accuracy, even small lil things like buttons.

 

 

 

 

 

The two boys are such good mates. I think Hunter is one of Carter’s favourite people in the world – the big sloppy grins and excited arm flaps are just so adorable to see when he spots Hunter! Hunter hasn’t shown much jealousy since Carter’s birth, I guess it’s because he was so young then he doesn’t know life any differently! But he does express frustration from time to time.. which comes out in him pretending he’s going in for a kiss with Carter, but gives him a swift and sneaky bite instead! Gah.

 

 

 

Happy 8 months, my baby wombat! Your “I love mummy” special smiles melt my heart.. usually performed straight after a screaming episode when I just wanna wring your neck ;) You are just so fat and round and squishy and squashy and cuddly!!! I could eat you all up.

 

 

 

Compare with Hunter at Month 7-8 here.

 

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Happy 7 month Birthday, Carter!

 

My precious little baby is now quite the rambunctious bub.. with an easy, sunshine smile and a terrific yell to accompany his crazy-active personality. It’s hard to keep up!

He’s eager for attention, dishing out great big smiles and excited arm-flaps when he gets some. I find him so utterly endearing! He’s a squishy squashy cuddly wombat and nothing makes him happier than being cuddled or carried.

Whilst Hunter, as a baby, always got attention for his looks (eg. long lashes, huge eyes, etc), Carter gets his attention from people that melt over his sunny smiles. He’ll sit in his stroller whilst I’m out dishing out grins and gurgles to strangers, so sometimes even Hunter gets overlooked for him.

He’s a pretty easy going baby, and doesn’t make my life too difficult. That said, I’m suspecting he’s about to go through separation anxiety.. recently he gets really really nervous/frantic if I step out of sight, or if a stranger’s face is in front of him and I’m not nearby. And, if someone picks him up, he quickly leans backwards to check who’s carrying him – if he doesn’t like what he sees, WATCH OUT!

 

 

• EATING – Still breastfeeds exactly 5 times a day now. Aaaaannnnddd we’ve started SOLIDS! It’s actually so much fun feeding Carter, because DAMN HE IS GREEDY. I started off with breastmilk+rice cereal twice… but it didn’t satisfy him and he wasn’t happy. So I moved straight onto broccoli, sweet potato, pumpkin, avocado, and carrots (or a combination thereof) and he has one voracious appetite! We actually struggle with feeding him because he wailllllls if he’s not fed quickly enough, so we have to make sure the food is cooled enough to feed him at top-speed.  He eats about 60-90ml (2-3oz) of puree each time, which I feel is quite a bit for baby that’s just started solids, no? But any less and he’ll wail. Anyway, I’m fully gloating over his greedy eating habits because it’s such a refreshing change from Hunter!

 

 

Video of Carter in his Yamatoya high chair, having solids for the first time

 

 

• SLEEPING – He sleeps solidly about 12 hours over night, and does 2-3 naps a day.

 

 

• PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT – He’s become quite the expert at flipping both ways. A bit of a headache because he’ll immediately flip over when I put him down to sleep.. and then scooch and scramble alllll over in excitement, happy squeals and gummy grins included. This was really fun to watch the first few times, but now it’s just annoying – just go to sleep dude! He also keeps trying to pull up to standing but I think this will take awhile to do successfully because he’s so heavy. Hunter at this age was moving forwards, but Carter can only move backwards right now! I’m thinking his weight/girth is not the most ideal for a baby to have to drag around..

 

 

Hunter and Carter are such good buddies. The happiness on Carter’s face when he spots his older brother is so sweet! I really do think the benefit of having children in consecutive years is that they grow up so much closer.. I hope it stays this way :)

 

 

 

 

 

Happy 7 months, my chunky monkey! I love your hilarious expressions, but not as much as the look you give me. I love the way I can calm you down instantly, when no one else can. I love how your bright lil eyes always seek me out, and your whole body visibly calms when you spot me. I love how good the nape of your neck smells first thing in the morning. I love how content and satisfied you are when you’re nursing. I love your mad arm-flaps when you’re happy. I love YOU!

 

 

 

Compare with Hunter at Month 4-5 here.

 

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• 1 month
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• 6 months

 

Happy 6 month Birthday, Carter!

 

At half a year old, Mr Smileypants is such a cheery little chap, he honestly has the power to instantly turn my frown upside down. The way his entire face LIGHTS UP with sheer glee when you give him some attention or cuddles is both guilt-inducing and so delightful to see. I simply love him!! Every squishy fatty fat fat roll of him!!!

Sadly, he doesn’t seem to have the kind of epic eyelashes that Hunter does, which are of legendary proportions in terms of length and curl (envious? me??). Carter’s are just normal I think. Poor dear! Well, at least he’s a boy and not a girl, so no one really cares about his lashes ;)

Carter is, I suspect, going to be a really active kid. He is really different to Hunter in terms of personality, and it shows in the way he behaves. He wants a lot of stimulation and Cannot. Keep. Still. Unlike Hunter who would sit/lie placidly in his stroller for hours on end (ahhhhh how I miss the days of leisurely lunches with my friends), Carter wants full attention, or to be picked up and amused. If not… well…. I guess his SCREAM is legendary even if his lashes aren’t. Every single person that has met Carter in real life has recoiled in shock with the decibel of his scream. Epic.

The poor bub also had a bout of bronchitis :( He had a weird wheeze whenever he breathed that sounded really suspect. So off we went to the doctor and, yep, bronchitis. He was put on the ventilator thing for 10 mins and fortunately dealt with it OK. He actually responded really well to it and so we went home with a portable ventilator and some medicine. But to be honest, the wheeze stopped after the doctor visit and he got better. Whew!

 

He also had his first swim, just a few days ago. This is not to be confused with his impromtu first swim ;) This time round, it was in a nice (heated) pool which was sooooo nice and comfy. Only downside was, it was drizzling :( Not too bad because the water itself was heated, but the rain in his eyes did annoy him a bit, I think.

 

 

 

• EATING – Breastfeeds exactly 5 times a day now. He’s getting a bit desperate for food… watching us like a hawk when we eat, trying to grab our hands when we’re holding utensils, etc. I’d say he’s more than ready to start.. and I will in this upcoming month :) Probably with brown rice cereal mixed with breastmilk, then graduate to pumpkin and also avocado.

 

 

 

 

• SLEEPING – He’s a good boy. Not much to report here.. 7PM-8AM overnight sleep and 3 or 4 naps. Only annoyance is that, at night, he likes to complain himself to sleep. It’s loud, it’s incessant, and it’s irritating! But if we go in to try to pat/carry, he wakes right up. He actually is fine falling asleep alone, but just wants to moan and whine to the world that he’s doing so until he finally falls asleep for the night. So weird.

 

• PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT – Really good at accurately grabbing stuff that attracts him. Which is.. errr.. virtually everything in sight. He gets pretty quick if something grabs his attention! He also sits unsupported really well now. He started doing this last month but it was a bit on-off because he also developed the habit of throwing himself backwards and toppling over. But in the past 2 weeks, he’s gotten really firm sitting up right by himself. He LOVES it. Sure-win way to make him happy. Carter will also commando crawl backwards. Actually I don’t even know if you can call it that.. but basically once he’s on his belly, he pushes with all his might and travels in a circle or backwards… often ending up wedged under our TV cabinet and wailing to get rescued ;)

 

 

 

 

Hunter and Carter seemed to grow closer this month. I guess it’s because Carter is sitting up properly now and really interactive, so Hunter is starting to realise he has a proper playmate?? Hunter will be really concerned if Carter cries, and always breaks out in a brilliant smile when he spots Carter. Someone pointed out that Carter seems to have brought out a lot of smiles in Hunter, and she hit the nail on the head. They are really sweet brothers and Carter just adores his big brother! Except when he’s afraid of being squashed, then he just screams ;)

 

 

 

Crazy that it’s already been half a year. I don’t even remember life without Carter anymore. He’s made our family complete :)

 

 

Compare with Hunter at Month 4-5 here.

 

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