The one where Tabitha-Lo takes over...

Tabitha is now totally on the move, she can crawl to objects, stop sit down, play and move on. All of which is actually for now resulting in a bit of peace and quiet for me. It has however meant that i have had to turn our flat into ' a place a child lives '. Tabithas Daddy especially loves things very minimal and we have kept things very basic and clutter free. After seven months of clearing away the toys and playmats at the end of everyday i have cracked and this has happened.......

                                      

Tabitha-Lo has arrived and she has stuff.

(Yes, I really do stand the books up.)

Its great to see her crawling to the toys pulling out what she wants and dragging it off to inspect it. I do know this is only the start of her bid to take over our flat, i don't think we really mind.

                        

                          

Other news this week is that now Tabitha-Lo is seven months old i have started lumpy food. I'm now preparing myself for a four year old who lives on Petit Filous and rice cakes. 

She hates lumps and has the stunning ability to eat the food then hack back only the lump and deposit it onto her bib. Genius. I wouldn't mind but she has six teeth so this should not really be an issue. I'm also worried that in this heat she is not drinking any water or juice. She just won't. I've tried ice lollies, jelly anything to get water into her but nope. She refuses milk during the day mostly so other than a drip feed i'm a bit stumped. She does suck the sponge in the bath, does that count?

  

                         

Two little ducks went swimming one day.....

After months of thinking about it i finally braved squeezing myself into a swimsuit and taking Tabitha swimming. I used to take children from work from a young age so was aware that the younger they are familiar with the whole experience the better.

Swimming baths are very loud echoing places often noisy with strange new smells for the babies so even before you add getting in the pool there are numerous things to cause a emotional upset.

I packed the buggy up as if we were off for a few days and headed to the local pool. I had checked what their policy was regarding babies and the poop issue! Everywhere is different so check before you go, mine was happy with swimmer nappies some like certain swimsuit brands only. Tabithas little costume has built in nappy liner too but we went with the swimmer nappy also just incase.

Tabitha did not bat an eyelid at the smells or noisy pool area she just pursed her mouth tightly and spied everyone and everything very closely. Only when i started to jump up and down lifting her in and out of the water and generally making a tit of myself did she crack a proper smile. We stayed in the water for half an hour, i even made parental small talk with another mum (my lack of social skills usually mean i avoid this kind of thing).

By the time we had exited the automatic doors on our way home she was snoring her little head off in the buggy....I was a bit emotional another first ticked off the list.

Ssssh and Shut Up.

This last week has been long...I am more tired than i have ever been in 6 months. Tabitha-Lo's teething is keeping her up, she is grinding her teeth until her gums bleed. I have spent a few nights face down on the nursery floor, randomly saying 'ssssh' and 'shut up' which is by the way NOT the recommended way to settle a six month old in pain but it seemed fitting at the time! Bless her little head though four top teeth all in one hit is seriously crap and if i wasn't so very tired i would care more.

I am also talking about going back to work. Not to London where i worked before but finding a new job locally...It is scary, I'm not sure nursery managing is going to be right for me when i have a family to go home to. The pressure and paperwork can take over your life. I don't want to spend the day looking after other peoples children when mine is with someone else. So i'm looking about thinking what else might suit.....answers on a postcard to the usual address.

Daddy Cuddles.

7 nights!!

Tabitha-Lo has slept through 7 nights in a row. I am actually nervous saying it incase i jinx it. She wakes early about 530-6 but this means her Daddy sees her everyday and that in its self is worth losing sleep over. He has had some weeks where he has not seen her Monday-Friday and that breaks my heart. They have a special bond and i'm sure she is sick of me and my face day in day out...She lights up when she sees he is still in the bed in the mornings. No matter how tired or hectic his morning routine is there is always time for Daddy cuddles.

I'd get up at 530 everyday for that.

The Gallery.

Since i started my blog i have started reading many other fabulous baby blogs. I find they inspire me to write posts more often and put more of myself into what i write. I have become a little immersed in the world of Twitter and the community of bloggers on there. One of the blogs Sticky Fingers runs a Gallery weekly where she invites bloggers to post a photo they most feel sums up her chosen theme and write about why they chose it. This week is Motherhood, this week i'm going to take part.

After looking through many, many photos i have taken since Tabitha-Lo was born its was this one that makes me feel most like a mum. I vividly remember the feeling of being in that black cab. The smell of the seat leather on that hot day, the way the driver was trying to hide his smile at our excitement, everything. I remember ringing my mum to tell her the scan was fine and trying really hard not to cry.

I remember how it was only then holding that scan that i really believed i was going to have a baby and be a mum. After seven years of believing Motherhood was not going to be part of my life i was holding a photo of my baby, and she was perfect.

I can sing a rainbow?

When I did my childcare training I learnt about having a settling song for your baby. One song that you sing to settle that the child will come to know as comfort. If you constantly use the same song it has a better effect than randomly singing whatever comes to mind.

Ours is 'Red and Yellow, Pink and Green..' is it called 'I can sing a rainbow'? I chose it because its easy to sing over and over. Its also easy to sing with a crap singing voice, which I have.

Anyway this song, this bloody song has been sung WAY too much the past week it is echoing through my head...it maybe Tabitha's settling song but it feels like the song that will get me sectioned right now.

I do however advise new/expectant parents to get a settling song sorted between you. Both use it and baby will always know what is going on no matter who is calming them.

You see...this week has been a bit of a nightmare. Tabitha-Lo has two new teeth and they are causing a lot of grief. The first two were not much to report really but these two the lateral incisors are obviously very painful. Not only that but we are a little concerned shes going to look like Shreik when they come through with no front two joining them!

The poor girl has also been full of cold from the teeth I'm assuming so we have been carrying Bonjela and Calpol everywhere! Its awful to see her so upset but it also makes me realise how lucky we have been with her.

I've learned I'm not so calm with a screaming baby in the middle of the night, I've just been lucky not to have one. I now have a new found level of respect for people whose children are regularly up in the night kicking off. I'm not very good at it.

Several nights I've woken up on the nursery floor my head propped up on the feeding cushion and shes snoring away in the cot. Why I haven't gone back to bed is beyond me, I was clearly out of my mind tired.