7 MONTHS OLD

Monthly updates it is then! I just can't find the time and I have loads of things I really want to be getting on with so I have decided to just do it a month at a time, so check back around the 26th of each month.

Lets start with the pictures which I like this month.

This is Ellis at 7 months.

Where to start? Me. I've been feeling good. My diet is totally out of the window and my weight has shot back up but I'm not bothered. New year will bring a new diet and hopefully a new me and some new clothes! My boobs are still massive and don't fit into my normal bras but hopefully with the weaning, they will go down soon. My pelvis is still weak and aches and stings if I over do it, but hopefully if I can start getting fit again it will improve.

My hair is still falling out and it is very thin around my face and ears but I'm not too worried. It has started to grow back in places. My hairdresser suggested I put a colour in it just to give it a boost, which I might try next month.

Leo's character is really starting to show now. He is a cheeky little monkey but is so lovable. He is very smiley and pretty much always happy. He spends most of his day rolling around the living room stealing Ellis' toys and trying to eat everything.

He generally has 2 naps a day but I think he would be better off with 3 but not sure how I can fit them in. His sleeping is still all over the place and wakes up in the morning at very different times so it's hard to start the day off in any sort of routine. He goes for his first nap 2 hours after he wakes up so that changes every day. Last night he slept from 7pm to 5:20am but then wouldn't go back down so I brought him in with us and fed him again so he would sleep. That is the best night he has had in months! He pretty much always wakes at 10pm on the dot, sometimes he just cries and goes back off and other times it takes me an hour of controlled crying to get him to go back to sleep. He sleeps on this left side holding his rabbit, just like Ellis. He does suck his thumb but not as much as Ellis. It is a very good indicator of his mood. If you pick him up and he sticks his thumb in then you know he needs sleep or food which you can work out depending on which is due.

His eye is still sticky and I recently got some drops from the doctor to try and clear it up but I think it is still just a blocked tear duct. Seeing the health visitor on the 5th Jan so hopefully if it's the good one I can ask her about it.

Weaning has been up and down. We started okay then he was ill over Christmas and it pretty much stopped but then on Boxing Day he ate loads and since then he has been doing much better. He still needs more milk feeds than what my book says to give him but I have to adapt it for him as he isn't a robot. He doesn't like vegetables at all but loves fruit, especially banana.

I realised recently that I haven't been sitting him up so he was totally out of practice. I would try and sit him and he would arch his back and fall over. He falls over really well though and lands on his hands and just goes off. He isn't in to sitting still.

We took Leo to his Jolly Babies Christmas Do without Ellis which was really nice for him and us. I'm sure he didn't even notice but it made me feel good that he was getting our sole attention.

While at the party Caroline asked me how far off I thought he was from crawling. I said ages and as we turned to look at him he pulled himself forward! I thought it was just a fluke as the floor was wood and slippery but the very next day he did it again, and from then on he was going forward too!

Bath time routine is still an arse! Not sure when that will change really. As soon as Leo is removed from the bath he is an unhappy chappy and he doesn't generally calm down until being fed. I'm hoping the new bath mat bought for him for Christmas from Nanny & Grandad Rennolds will help me a bit.

Leo's first Christmas went well although he had his first bad cold. When he was 4 months he had a cold with a temperature but this one was bad. He had a temp, really, really snotty nose, cough and was just generally not a happy bunny. He was still a trooper though and there was only one day that you couldn't get him to smile. He also loves Calpol and would cry when I walked away with the empty spoon.

4 teeth now! The top two came through around Christmas day which added to his bad cold symptoms, poor thing. The two incisors on the top are also pushing on the gum so I don't think they will be long either.

I am soooooo lucky to have both of my boys in my life. When I have a bad day with them I really need to remember what I have, to make it all better. I would have tons of kids if we could afford it, if I could cope with pregnancy and birth and if I could split myself between all of them equally. Will never happen so I am just happy with what I have, 2 perfect Angels.

WEANING - 6 MONTHS, 1 DAY

Weaning has commenced. The baby rice was a bit runny but it was good fun.

Rob had a go too as he did with Ellis.

I weighed this morning at 11st 12lb. Wicked! Only 5lb to go to my target weight but I will need to tone up too so I think it may take a while. I haven't done my measurements though.

Leo was weighed today at 16lb 11oz. That is only a gain of 6oz since 30th October, which isn't that much. First of all the health visitor was a bit concerned and said she would like to see me in 2/3 weeks time but then gave me an appointment for the 5th January! She is crap!

We measured Leo's length too and he is 70cm which puts him on the 91st percentile line on the growth chart.

Really busy but good day. The boys were ace today and that makes all the work so worth while.

6 MONTHS

Half way through Leo's first year already! Where has the time gone? The time has gone a lot faster 2nd time around, I remember thinking it was ages until weaning and now it is tomorrow! Things change rather quickly around here but before I do an update, here are the pictures from the last 5 months.















Now straight into what has been happening. (Basically I did loads of typing and crappy blogger lost it so I'm just cutting corners).

Recently Leo has been having trouble with very green acidic poo. It has made his bum very sore and at first I just thought it was a tummy bug but then when it didn't go away I did some reading on the web and I realised that he had a fore milk/hind milk imbalance. Basically because he is a little and often feeder, he was only getting the watery fore milk from both boobs which just went straight through him so he really needed longer feeds on each boob. So for a couple of days I double fed on each boob and it worked! Poo has now returned to normal and my boobs leak less too which is great.

He still isn't latching on all that great so that is also causing problems. Sore nipples for me and it means he isn't get enough milk in each feed, hence why he still feeds every 2 1/2 to 3 hours. I'm seeing the health visitor tomorrow so will talk to her about that then.

I took hundreds (literally) of photos this morning but I haven't got one that I am really pleased with. I did get a couple of Ellis that I like which I will post on the other blog. Going to try to do some more tomorrow but I have my friend Sandra visiting so might not be able to fit it in. Here are the ones that I sort of like.



















This is Ellis at 6 months. I think he looks a lot younger.







Leo is being weighed tomorrow so I will update on his stats then, and I will also try to post my new measurements. I have been on a proper diet now for nearly 2 weeks and I've lost a few pounds. I had a bad day today, cake, chocolates, crisps and a biscuit but I have been very good up until then.

Tomorrow is also when I will start to wean Leo onto solid food. I am sort of excited but sort of not too. It's another stage on which means he is growing up and it's also a hell of a lot more work for me. It should be good fun though and hopefully we will video him having some baby rice. I have made up a few batches of food but I'm trying not to do too much at once. I'm following a guide so will try to stay 2 weeks ahead of the plan.

The last week or so Leo has been sitting up more and more. He is doing really well but certainly needs a lot more practice. I'm going to bring my V pillow down tomorrow so he can have a go sat in that.

Leo is a good baby and I'm sure he could be even better if he was allowed to stay in a routine. Unfortunately he has to just fit in with what is going on. He loves his morning nap which is great but he prefers it in his own bed. If he sleeps when we are out, he is very easily woken up which is a pain for both of us.

For the last couple of nights he has been sleeping in longer blocks. I basically did controlled crying for one night and then the last 2 nights have been much better. He still wakes twice before we actually get up, which is good though. I feed him anywhere between midnight and 4am and then again around 5:30-6:30am. He then usually goes back to sleep until 7:30am-8am depending on if Ellis wakes him up or not.

Feeding patterns are generally early morning, then 8:30am - 9:30am, around 12/1pm, 3pm, 5:30pm, 7pm but he is so easily distracted that the feeds can be done over the course of an hour. I have no idea how I have time for anything, what with changing nappies, putting Ellis on the toilet, feeding them both etc, it's crazy!

Last weekend we put the crib back in the loft and I was actually pleased and sad at the same time. I love having our bedroom back but I was sad wondering if it will ever be by the side of my bed again with a new baby George in it.

Leo can roll both ways quite happily now and turns on his belly with no problems. He is already getting into trouble by taking Ellis' toys and he has found a loose cable on the wall which he likes to pull and chew on. He is a little monkey!

He is in 6-9 month clothes but I have found that I need to put him into 9-12 month grows as his long legs and huge feet need more room. Will sort that out tomorrow too.

Christmas is coming and I have bought him a few things for his stocking and that's about it. The Grandparents have bought quite a bit which is nice for him, something he can call his, (not borrowing Ellis').

His right eye is still sticky and again I will ask the health visitor about it tomorrow. I need to make a list really as I will forget all the stuff I need to ask.

I'm doing okay. Some days are a lot harder than others but I just grit my teeth and get on with it. I'm feeling very tired today for some reason and I'm just totally zoned out. I think it just catches up on you sometimes as I had a really good day yesterday.

Life is good with my little boys. They are happy and healthy and that is all that matters to me.

I will try and post another blog with measurements and some videos of Leo, but until then, goodnight.

SORTED - 5 MONTHS, 2 WEEKS, 1 DAY

Things are moving along and life has become easier. Not easy but easier. It took me 5 months to get used to things with Ellis and it has again taken me 5 months to get used to having 2 babies.

Leo is really getting around the living room now but can only roll one way which can cause him to get a little frustrated at times.

His eye is still sticky and I think it may be slightly infected at the moment. I might have to get some drops from the doctor.

His hair is growing nicely and not sticking up just yet. It actually lies quite flat so he may not have the Ellis Mohawk.

He regularly naps in his room now. Usually around 10:30am, sometimes around 2pm and sometimes later again too. In the last few days he has been having longer naps in the morning, up to 2 hours sometimes which is nice.

He has a bad tummy at the moment. Constantly doing little deposits in his nappy that make his bum very sore straight away. It means that I am constantly changing him, even during the night.

He has 2 teeth that are properly sticking through the gums and when he smiles it seems so strange seeing them already.

It is soon that time to start weaning. Half way through Leo's first year already! I have started to do some vegetables, carrot, suede and butternut squash so far. I have apples and pears to do in the next few days and then what I'm going to do is see what he is having for the week and just prepare that rather than doing huge batches of food. I'll see how that works to start with. It's weird but I'm actually looking forward to giving him some food. Not sure why.

As for me, things down below seem to have settled down to their new normal and I feel better. The last couple of days I've done a bit of jogging, not out and about but through the leisure centre to get Mum's towel and around a shop the other day, and I'm finding that my pelvis feels stronger and more up to the job. This is a good sign and hopefully I can start exercising soon. We have ordered a Wii Fit so that I can do some at home and also when I went swimming with the boys yesterday I did a few lengths. I hope to increase the number of lengths over time.

Leo is wearing size 6-9 month clothes but his grows are starting to get a bit short on him. The clothes seem to fit him much better than Ellis because his proportions are different. His legs and arms are longer and his body seems a normal length. Ellis had/has shorter arms and legs and a long body, and he was more rotund.

I'm loving being a mother of 2. It is hard work, and pretty constant but I really enjoy any down time I get as it is so precious. I could go out more on the evenings I'm sure but I don't really want to. I'm quite happy being at home, watching my TV stuff, blogging, reading, eating rubbish etc etc. I can't think of anything I would rather be doing with my life.

5 MONTHS OLD

Monthly pictures, there are a couple of different ones from the main blog.































5 months old! I can't believe where the time has gone. Babies don't stay babies for long. I think if you stared at them long enough you would actually see them grow!

I couldn't pick a favourite 5 month picture as they were all pretty good. His hair looks orange in a lot of the pictures but it isn't, not that there is anything wrong with having orange hair.

He is really getting around now and doesn't stay still for 5 minutes. At this age you could plonk Ellis anywhere and know he would still be in the same position when you got back. Not with Leo.



Leo loves playing with his feet. He actually can get quite frustrated if he can't reach them. He constantly has cold feet as I have to leave his socks off.



I was going to do my measurements and stuff but I decided against it. Not sure why, probably cause I can't be bothered. I do know that my boobs have gone down as tops are fitting me slightly better. My fat jeans are starting to get a lot looser too so things are heading in the right direction. I weighed a few days ago and was 12st 1lb so only 8lbs to go to pre pregnancy weight. I'm not all that worried about it as long as I can fit into something nice for my Christmas meals I have planned.

Went to the hospital again on Tuesday to get my bits examined again. He said there was a very, very small bit of scar tissue left but couldn't understand why it was still so tender. I expect it's just me being a baby. He burnt it off again and then said he would leave me with an open appointment to come back and see him if ever I wanted to. Sounds good to me. Hopefully things can get back to normal now.

I think I only have one more physio appointment too which is great. It's all been going on for so long now, well 5 months so far, that I can't wait for it all to be done. I wonder if I will ever go through it all again. Maybe not.

My friend Tilly had her baby boy by c-section on Wednesday. Noah Clifford William Gill, 8lb 15 1/2 oz joins his big brother Ethan. I can't wait to see them but I have been struck down with a horrid head cold so think I should give them some space for a bit. Not like me I know as I am first in the queue to see new babies normally.

Due next is my friend Annette, then Sharon and then Sandra. Expensive times ahead ;o)

Leo is a brilliant baby, so much fun and so smiley. He is totally a Mummy's boy but I think that is because he hasn't been handed around as much as Ellis was. I pretty much keep hold of him, unless off loading on to poor Sally, or I'm feeding him. I think I always pass him to Sally as she generally looks the most comfortable with him. She may feel differently though. I've always trusted Sally with my kids and I think it's because I've pretty much followed her lead on a lot of things with raising them. Feeding techniques, nap times, groups, things I do with them etc. If it wasn't for Sally in the first place I never would have met my Mummy friends who have supported me and helped me through the last 2 and a bit years. Thank you Sally - don't cry! x