Zeke's Personality

One of my online friends asked what our babies personalities were like, so I described my boy and Erin suggested I make it a blog post - so here it is!

My boy is social. He loves to talk and play with everyone, has a smile for you almost all the time. He HAS to be a part in everything, from sitting up at the table during a meal, playing games, cooking dinner, everything. On the flip side though, he can have days where he is very clingy (for him) and takes a long time to warm up to the environment. He will stay by me or circle the outside of the room very slowly, and back away when he feels overwhelmed.

He plays well above his supposed developmental age with other children, and is very good. If they do something he doesn't like, he will shout, but has never bitten, hit or pinched another child, even when they have done just that to him! He and his friend will play interactively, and without adult participation for half an hour or so.

He has a great sense of humour, and will laugh when everyone else does, or babble something and then crack up. He will also deliberately eat funny, make a silly noise, or do something else that makes people laugh, and will repeat it to keep you laughing.

He is very smart, and understands a lot of what is said to him, but has a short fuse when it is something he doesn't like, and will throw a tantrum till he gets what he wants. He is stubborn and determined about getting what he wants, and although he is not overly verbal just yet, he is extremely expressive and communicative, and understands how to use his body language and tone of voice to get his point across, almost anyone can understand him, even if they don't see a lot of him. I think he will end up in a job with a lot of face-to-face interaction.

He also needs to know *WHY* already. He doesn't ask why yet, but when he is told not to do something, (like touch the heater) he will do it just once to see what happens. He has never touched the heater again! I think we will have to use a lot of logic and rational explanations, "because I said so" will not go with this boy!

Most of the time during the day he is not a very cuddly boy, he prefers to be active at all times, but he will run to me at random for a quick kiss or cuddle and then go off again, however he is very physical in his games with you, and is always wrestling, jumping on or otherwise 'conquering' someone. When he's just woken up, he is very affectionate, and will smother Ryan and I in big wet kisses, and snuggles, but as soon as he has woken up fully, he's on the move!

He is very independent about a number of things and will not accept help with them. He has to feed himself, and cannot be rocked to sleep, he must be in his bed with the door shut, otherwise no sleep! Despite this, he is very flexible, and copes with with a change in routine, or having his nap time moved around. He rarely gets upset when a change happens that pushes him too far, he just becomes very quiet and wants to stay close to me until we go home for sleep.

However he is very co-dependant physically, he will not try many new things, and always looks to Ryan or I to hold his hand for a long time when he does. He is getting more sure of himself, and slowly breaking this cycle for simple things like playing on baby bikes or climbing onto his chair. He will never attempt steps without assistance, he will wait at the top/bottom with his hand in the air, waiting for someone to hold his hand and help him.

He also has an excellent memory, and will remember a game he plays with a specific person, or a toy at someone's house, even after weeks!

All in all he is my bright, beautiful wonderful little man!

Mama Bear Never Sleeps

The last few days have been a deluge of earaches, snot and general crappiness. Poor Zeke has had a massive ear infection, as have I, and now Ryan.

Anyway, this has meant Zeke has been restless and crappy, and spending some of the night in our bed. Last night was no exception other than we were all feeling a bit better and we were generally peaceful.

Zeke had woken, and I was giving him his bottle lying down. I must have dozed off because Ryan had taken the bottle from me, and when Zeke had finished, Ryan asked if I wanted him to put Zeke back to bed.

Zeke by now had taken his dummy back and was snuggling into me. So I cuddled him and said to leave him. Zeke and I both drifted back off to sleep peacefully. Not so Ryan, Zeke is a kicker and takes up an amazing amount of bedspace for such a tiny person.

Ryan decided to take Zeke back to bed and tried to take him from me (I was asleep with Zeke snuggled to my chest, one hand over him resting on his tummy) and I - without waking - told (and fought) Ryan off, and held onto Zeke... he tried a few more times with the same result, and eventually slept as much as he could with Zeke's little feet pummeling him!

So it turns out Mama Bear never sleeps. Even when I am half dead with exhaustion and death gunge, my baby belongs with me and you'd better not try and argue that fact!

Getting Crafty with Zeke!

There've been so many things I've wanted to blog about recently. Zeke's operation, moving house, him learning to walk properly... and I've been too busy enjoying it all! Well not the operation, that was far too much gut-wrenching stress (it all went marvellously however) but the rest has been so damned awesome I'm having too much fun to want to sit down and blog.

I will try and do a proper update about his operation soon, and fill you all in on what we've been up to.

Anyway, the last few days we've been getting pretty crafty with Zeke. I've made my own fingerpaints, playdough and bought him some pastels to do some drawing, and it has been FUN!

The finger paint is very simple, just cornflour, water and food dye - I gave him too many colours so we ended up with mud, but when I took a sheet of paper and pressed it into the pattern, the end result is still very cool!

Here's Zeke having a go with the finger paints, we made a huge mess but loved it.





The only way to clean him up was to put him in the bath afterwards. (MAKE SURE YOU WASH THE BABY FIRST, if the food dye paint sets on the skin it is hard to clean off!)



The playdough recipe came from the cream of tartar packet, which is in the baking aisle. There are heaps of fun ideas online for cool colours and scents to add to your playdough too. Again, it's very simple to make, I made it plain, and halved the finished playdough to knead in food dye so we had red and blue.

"Oooh, what is this?"



"Hey, it's kinda fun!"



"Zeke SMASH!"



"Some red too!"



"Eeeeeew! Salty!"



And lastly the pastels, Zeke's quite funny about them, very specific which colours he wants, and actually seems to co-ordinate them quite well most of the time. An art prodigy perhaps?

I chose the oil pastels, because you do not have to press very hard (like pencils) you don't have to hold them a certain way (like pens) they are also reasonably hard to break (like crayons) and don't get all over his hands (like textas/markers)

Not sure why but Zeke seems to think that sitting on the paper is best for drawing!



A finished master peice!



So that's some of what we've been up to lately. If I don't blog for ages it's because I'm too busy enjoying my boy!

Reasons to Love Co-Sleeping

Although I had not really planned on co-sleeping while I was pregnant - I had no objections to it, but it never really crossed my mind - Zeke, Ryan and I now sleep 3 to a bed at home, and when we go away. We are weaning to the cot now, as Zeke is becoming more mobile while he is asleep and that is causing me to lose sleep when he kicks/wriggles, and because it is summer here and too hot even without covers for 3 people (all who naturally have a higher body temperature while asleep) to be in such close proximity. Zeke is also beginning to drop his overnight feeds, making the main reason I chose to co-sleep no longer necessary.

Despite the fact that our co-sleeping is slowly winding down (it will probably never 100% finish in the event that Zeke is unwell, had a bad dream or just needs a snuggle) I still love it, and really enjoy the benefits for myself and my baby, not to mention knowing that I'm making the right choice for my family.

So why consider co-sleeping?

• Co-sleeping, when performed safely, with the appropriate measures to prevent suffocation and falls from the bed has been shown to have a lower incidence of SIDS
• You are so much closer to your baby overnight, that when they wake they rarely need to cry as their early hunger signs, a small snuffle, rooting for a breast/bottle will stir you more easily than if they were in their own bed (whether in your room or their own.) Ryan does not often get disturbed by Zeke's wakings as I am usually awake and ready to nurse well before Zeke gets to crying point
• Because the baby has less reason to cry, the transition from bed to breast/bottle is easier, your baby is calmer and will latch and feed almost immediately and without fuss.
• If you are breastfeeding, you can remain lying down while feeding your baby at your side, allowing you to doze, and not wake up fully... and the more rest you get as a new mother the better!
• The transition back to sleep is smoother as well, all you have to do is lie both of you down and snuggle up again. No need to walk back to their bed, and settle them back in, waiting until they are asleep before heading back yourself.
• If you stay away for a night, there is no need to bring a portable cot for your baby. (Providing you know there is a suitable bed for you to co-sleep. ALWAYS check this before hand so you can arrange alternate bedding if you need) This saves on money for the purchase/hire of a cot, room for luggage in the car, and can ensure the baby continues their normal sleeping pattern while away even in an unfamiliar environment as you are there and can be their 'security blanket'
• If you plan to co-sleep and let the baby nap on your bed during the day, the purchase of a cot can be put off for some time, which for Ryan & I as a single-income family was a huge bonus. Had we not co-slept we would have had to purchase a cot when Zeke was around 4 months old and outgrew his bassinette (which he rarely slept in anyway!)
• You and your baby are wonderfully close and warm all night, and non-food wakings are usually less, as anything that may startle your baby into waking is usually counteracted by the immediate closeness and warmth of your own body. When Zeke startles at night, he throws his hands into the air and gropes around till they rest on my face/neck/breasts at which point he immediately goes back into a deep, restful sleep. I only have noticed this because I am awake at the time, I don't know if he has ever done it while I am asleep.
• The warmth and scent of your baby under your nose and against your heart is a wonderfully soothing experience, it is surprisingly easy to sleep with that warm little weight in your arms.
• Mornings are often started with a smile, because you wake when the baby does, meaning they don't need to get to crying point - a wonderful start to the day!

If you are nervous about co-sleeping, afraid you will roll onto your baby etc, it is amazing how much you don't move! I normally shuffle, roll, kick and goodness knows what else while I am asleep, but as soon as Zeke is next to me, he comes into my arms and I don't move a muscle all night. This means I actually have more restful sleep as well!

If you are really nervous, perhaps try a nap with your baby during the day when someone else is around to keep an eye on things - you may be surprised how instinctive it is.

Co-sleeping isn't a choice for everyone for whatever reason, and you should carefully consider the risks of co-sleeping, and whether or not you can do it safely before you make the decision, but if you do, I hope you enjoy your lovely restful cuddles as much as I do!

So In Love...

Well I guess you're wondering where I've been the last few days. The answer is mostly caring for and admiring my beautiful son! He is a wonderful, beautiful little boy, and I can't seem to tear myself away from him for very long, even when he is sleeping and doesn't need constant attention.

Zeke is now 17 days old, and sleeps and eats like a champion. I usually get a broken 8 hours sleep overnight as well as a couple of hours sleep during the day... he really is a wonderful boy... once he's asleep there's no waking him for at least 2 hours, and has even been as long as 6! (Twice to date... and just wonderful)

Of course like all bubbas he does have a good cry every now and again, but usually it's just because he has had enough of the world, and fortunately this doesn't often take place in the middle of the night. When he wakes then he's all about a feed, a nappy change, sometimes another feed, a cuddle and back to sleep... if he's really restless he gets to sleep in bed with mummy and daddy, which always works!

He feeds well too, and other than the fact that there is more milk than he knows what to do with I can't really complain too much. He is a champion latcher, and has been from day 1, so no sore nipples to date! Let-down is painful though it can feel like a million needles in my boobs all at once... if it's such a natural thing and at one point was the only way a small baby would survive I wonder why it hurts... you'd think if it was such a necessity it would be painless so the mother would want to continue.

Anyway... I have to take care of the grizzle guts again... I think it's time for dinner... pics and a better update to come!

Miranda xoox