You can probably tell by the title of this blog post, but I am SO behind with the monthly updates, I just can't keep up these days but time is absolutely flying by and I don't want to miss anything. So much has changed over the past few months so I thought I'd document it all here in one place.
5 MONTHS
5 months was a tricky one, we had lots of sleepless nights and lots of tears but we also had lots of good days and lots of giggles. Isabelle started reaching up and holding her own bottle at 5 months which made life so much easier as it meant that I could put her down to drink her milk. At 5 months old she went into 6-9 month clothes and also went into her big seat in the pram which she loved. We made the most of the sun and spent lots of time outside, we also braved it and went to our first ever messy play session. At 5 months I feel like Isabelle's personality really started to shine through and the girls really started to bond well.
6 MONTHS
The main change at 6 months was that we started weaning, you can read all about our first week of BLW and see lots of photos here. In a nutshell, BLW has been messy but so much fun and she is doing so so well. I also wrote a blog post for the girls called '6 months of sisters' and although its picture heavy - It's one of my all time favourites. Looking back, I think things started to get easier at around 6 months. I felt like I was finally getting the hang of being mum to two small children. Alyssia had not long started nursery, she'd just turned 3, ditched her dummy and her pull ups & Isabelle was very nearly sitting up, she much preferred tummy time at this stage and was rolling like a pro back to front. Her favourite thing to do was lie on the play mat with her sister. She also really loved (and still does love) her jumperoo. One of my favourite things at 6 months was the girls sitting together at the table eating their snacks - Alyssia had been so excited for her to eat like her and so it was so lovely to see them sat together so nicely. Another new thing was that they could now sit together in the trolley at the supermarket, again something Alyssia was so excited about. We also celebrated my first mothers day as a mother of two and it was lovely.
7 MONTHS
At 7 months old Isabelle started to sit unaided. She was always one to fling herself back so I didn't expect her to be able to do it just yet but she sits like a pro now and I'm so proud of her. She's mastered how to roll front to back which is much better as she used to get stuck and whinge bless her. I must admit it is much easier now that she is sitting up unaided, it means that the girls can sit and play together on the floor and I can quickly sort the washing or make some lunch. Not only that, because shes a lot stronger now it means I can carry her about outside knowing she won't fling herself back and I can carry her, instead of carrying the carseat around with me as it was really difficult to juggle her, the heavy carseat, the bags, hold Alyssia's hand and also try to make sure she doesn't run off in the nursery carpark (my worst nightmare!) At 7 months we celebrated Isabelles 1st Easter, and the girls looked so cute in their Easter hats.
8 MONTHS
She's just turned 8 months old and has been army crawling for the past few weeks, it's so funny to watch. She's mastered how to get up on her knees when she's lying on the sofa or on the bed but because we have vinyl flooring, she hasn't quite mastered how to do it on there yet as it can be quite slippy even more so with tights or socks on. This past week she's been bum shuffling and reaching forward to grab certain toys and I weighed her on our home scales, it said she was 18lb 2oz and Alyssia was just 9lbs heavier. Isabelle is an amazing eater now at 8 months, she absolutely loves her food. Her favourite dinner is a roast dinner BLW style followed by a yoghurt for pudding. She is yoghurt mad and doesn't seem to have any allergies which is great seeing as Alyssia had a dairy allergy until she was 2. Weaning has definitely been easier this time around for that reason. There doesn't seem to be anything that she doesn't like & this past week she has sussed how to use a sippy cup and finally realised she has to tip her head back, her clothes seem to get soaked in the process but it is so cute watching her try.
She was a little bit poorly in this photo but she is sleeping better now after our sleep regression last month, though I really don't want to jinx it. She often wakes for a bottle in the night but I don't mind if she goes straight back off to sleep again. She's outgrown her moses basket in the living room and has very nearly outgrown her snuzpod. I am so not ready to move the girls into the same room together but 8 months is the longest I've ever had a baby sleep by my side. I think if I had it my way she'd be in with me until she turned 1 but I really don't think she's going to last that long in her crib. She's growing so fast, she's in 9-12 month clothes and is due a new wardrobe revamp soon. I also left her for the first time ever this month, she spent the day with her Grandad, her sister & her uncles and had the best time. It was really hard leaving her but she didn't seem to mind which is amazing as we went through a rough patch of separation anxiety not too long ago. All in all she is doing really well and although the last couple of months have been particularly difficult for us as a family, it has been lovely to see the girls smiling so much, they always put life into perspective.
~ Never stop giggling girls ~
