One and a Quarter

15 months, one and a quarter.  That is Cora's age today and it is such a fun (and difficult) age.  I am reluctantly giving in to the fact she is now a toddler and 75% of the day she really is.  She walks around the house, usually with a shoe in one hand.  She walks out and about sometimes.  She climbs, she attempts to run and jump and she stands on things she shouldn't.  The other 25% of the day she is still very much a baby still.  She snuggles up close, she likes to be carried everywhere in my arms, she wants to fall asleep safely tucked up on my lap and she wants milk on tap throughout the day (and night).

At 15 months she still doesn't really talk, or rather she is efficient with her language and uses 'uh' to communicate a multitude of words.  She can say mama, dada, hiya and bumbumbum though - all very important! She understands so much though, is learning where her body parts are and she tries to keep up with the actions of her favourite nursery rhymes.

Cora loves playing with anything with wheels, telephones (real and pretend), her wooden bobbins and the ice cream truck.  She plays in the pretend kitchen and she will follow Finn around joining in his games and experiencing life as a two year old.  She prefers throwing food to actually eating it but broccoli, biscuits and berries are all favourites.

At 15 months Cora still breastfeeds on demand although I try and encourage her not to feed so much when we are out and about now. She still wakes multiple times a night and although we did move her into her cot in Finn's room this month she still ends up in our bed for most of the night.  She loves being carried in a sling and is usually on my front still.

I took her to the health visitor last week out of curiosity and my little girl is now 75cm tall and weighs 21lb.  Her feet are a size 3E and she loves shoes (all shoes).  She wears 9-12 month clothing although we have found that the wonderful thing about girl clothing is that it fits much longer as her dresses can be worn as tunics (and she still has lots of 6-9 month clothes for this reason). Her hair is just about long enough for pigtails but it is mostly worn down with a knotty mess sticking out the back of her head.

My baby girl (and she will always be my baby) is growing up so much at the moment and I love watching the little changes as she becomes more communicative, more confident and more determined (and she is a very determined little girl!)

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7 Months Baby Girl

Why is it that the more desperate you are for them to stay the little, the more determined they seem to be to grow up?  We have not only passed that half way mark, but my little lady is now 7 months old.  Cora still needs me in many ways like a newborn, but she is learning new skills and becoming more independent every day too.

We started weaning as she turned 6 months and after a slow start, she is starting to enjoy her food more.  Toast and broccoli are firm favourites, carrots are not.  We are following the baby led weaning principles but I did try offering her something on a spoon out of curiosity - she was highly unimpressed!  Cora eats one meal a day, sometimes two and I hope to encourage some kind of regularity in the coming month.  

At 7 months I would love to say that sleep is improving but it would be a lie, we seem to be stuck in a pattern of hourly or two hourly feeds through the night still and Cora will only settle in my bed.  We still have the co-sleeper crib up against it, but it is currently being used more for storage than anything else.  In all honesty, I am not really encouraging her to sleep on her own, I find it comforting to have her so close at night and I barely wake in the night when she needs milk.

Since Cora leaned to sit, she has been reluctant to spend any time on her tummy.  She loves to sit on her playmat surrounded by toys and she goes in her jumperoo for short periods too.  She is happiest when one of her brothers sits to play with her and she is always amused by them, especially Finn, despite the fact he plays quite rough with her.

This past month saw two little teeth emerge from her gums which was quite a shock! Her brothers were all around 11 months when they got their first teeth so I thought we had a few more months of that gummy smile!  I have a feeling that this baby girl of mine is going to do everything her own way!  She has been snotty and full of cold all week and I don't know whether it is connected to the teeth or just typical January germs.

I have definitely come around to the girly thing now and I am finding it easier to dress Cora in pink.  She is wearing lots of soft little dresses at the moment as I imagine when she starts crawling they will all be packed away for a few months.  We are coming to the top end of her 3-6 wardrobe and starting to break into the 6-9 bits now which is quite exciting.  At 7 months Cora weighs 16lb 10oz and is following the fiftieth centile exactly.  

Cora is cuddly, happy, healthy and loved by us all.  I feel like I am writing these updates too often as the months are flying by, and we are trying so hard to stop and appreciate how small she is now, amidst the chaos of our busy house.

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Half a Year Baby Girl

Somewhere in the mayhem of Christmas and New Year, in between the mince pies and Prosecco, my baby girl turned six months old.  Her half-birthday was spent in a Christmas comedown, we were too busy finishing the boxes of chocolates and playing with new toys to really notice it, but like it or not, Cora is now six months old.

Six months old means the newborn days really are gone and we have replaced that tiny newborn with a baby that sits up and rolls around and shouts at us to get attention.  She chats away in her own little language, she chews everything in sight and her personality shows through more each day.  My little lady is a Mummy's girl and wants to be in my arms all day.  If I hand her to anyone else she needs to check constantly that I am still there, still within her sight and ready to take her when she lets us know she has had enough.  She still wants to sleep curled up next to me and I can't imagine her anywhere else.

On Christmas day we started weaning and I have a feeling it will be a slow process.  2 days off of the recommended six months and we offered Cora carrots on her tray.  She picked them up, she licked them, she pulled a face of utter disgust and she left them alone.  We are following the principles of baby led weaning so I am confident when she is ready she will eat a little more.  I am quietly hoping it will improve her sleep (without holding out too much hope) as she has recently taken to feeding every hour.  She can sometimes do a 2-4 hour stretch when I first put her down, but after that she likes to wake and feed very frequently, sometimes just being awake for a few hours in the middle of the night.  

Cora is pretty average sized and we are starting to pack away some of the smallest of her 3-6 month clothes and bring out some of the smaller fitting 6-9 month bits.  I will be washing her stretchy wrap this week ready to pass on as she is so curious and heavy that I find her more comfortable in a more structured carrier.  We swapped the carrycot for the seat unit reclined on her pushchair about a week before she turned 6 months (although she was back in the carrycot tonight) and she loves being able to see a bit more of the world.  

The boys still adore their baby sister, they know how to make her laugh, and they are incredibly gentle at times.  Finn is desperate for her to join in with his games still and he is a lot less gentle, Cora adores him and I can already foresee the mischief they are going to be causing together once she is on the move.

I can't fathom how these six months have passed so quickly and I am desperately hoping that the next six are a little slower.

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5 Months Baby Girl

5 months baby girl, five long, short months.  In most ways it feels like Cora has been here forever now, the days before her arrival, my pregnancy seem so long ago.  At 5 months old she has found her place in our crazy family and we feel so adjusted to life with four.  In other ways she is still so new though, she is still a baby, even if you can't call her a newborn anymore.  

At 5 months Cora is still exclusively breastfed, we haven't started weaning yet and I haven't even pumped yet to try her on a bottle.  This means that I haven't left her yet for longer than about 30 minutes.  We are planning to start weaning around Christmas time (she turns 6 months on December 27th) and I have a pump ready in case I want to go out over the festive season.  I am pretty happy staying in or bringing her out with me at the moment though.

Cora weighs 15lb 11oz at 23 weeks and she still wears 3-6 month clothes.  Some are starting to get snug whilst others are still quite roomy, it depends a lot on where they are from.  the romper in the pictures is actually size 0-3 month and she has a few bodies that still fit in the smaller size, I think maybe her length is in her legs.

At 5 months Cora can sit unaided for short spells, but she is easily distracted by her own toes and falls over.  she sits well with support and she can roll over from her back to her front (but not the other way yet).  We recently brought out the jumperoo and she is happy in there for a few minutes, but she still prefers kicking around on the ground.  Her playmat is her favourite place to be, other than on Mummy of course.

Sleeping has deteriorated rapidly and this little lady will only sleep in my bed at night now.  She also likes to wake for a snack roughly every hour which is exhausting.  She tends to have a short nap in the morning before one of her brothers ends up waking her and then a longer nap in the afternoon when Finn sleeps.

At 5 months old, Cora is happy and chatty.  She smiles and giggles and has a really ticklish neck.  She adores her brothers still and they fight over who is her favourite.  She has slotted into our mad house perfectly and I can barely remember life before her.  I can't believe she is going to be 6 months in only a few weeks!!

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4 Months Baby Girl

At four months old, Cora is a determined little girl.  I remember the shock on Finn's face when he first rolled over - similar to his big brothers but Cora's was a look of success after weeks trying to work out just how to do it.  She has been really pushing herself over, trying desperately to get that last arm out from under her and she has finally mastered it.  We haven't had front to back yet but I don't think she is far off.

Cora is all smiles for me, but to the rest of the world she is a rather serious baby.  She pulls her best frowns as soon as I get a camera out but when she is in her own environment she smiles and giggles away.  She is still happier outdoors and she is amazingly curious.  When she is awake she is incredibly alert and she grabs out at everything now.  I can't eat with her on my lap without her trying to get my food and she loves her playmat even more now that she can pull the toys off and eat them.

On Halloween she found her thumb and she has been sucking it ever since.  (Strangely enough it was the exact same day 5 years ago that her eldest brother found his thumb too!)  She falls asleep either in the pram or having her milk and breastfeeding is still going well.  There is ever so slightly more routine now, Cora usually settles for bedtime between 7 and 9pm, but the rest of the day she naps and feeds as and when she pleases.  I feel like we are playing sleep roulette each night as she can still sleep 12 hours solid one night and then be awake every hour the next.  She sleeps the first stretch (however long that may be) in her Snuzpod and then comes in with me for the rest of the night, and I would say at least half the week she is in my bed by 1am.  I love snuggling up close and it feels so natural to have her in with me.  I know it won't last forever as she happily goes down at the start of the night in her crib so I am trying to just relax and enjoy it whilst it suits us both.

My baby girl doesn't want to stay little and this month she has been practicing sitting with support and wanting to stand.  She still needs to be held when sat but her back is straight and her neck is so strong.  She still isn't too keen on her bouncer chair as she pulls forward trying to sit up in there.  She will tolerate it for short periods but she prefers being laid flat on her playmat or held sitting upright.

At 4 months old Cora is adored by her brothers and she seems to love them all right back.  She is snuggly and content and loves to kick her legs around with no nappy on.  She is so alert and looks like she is taking it all in, but she still loves her sleep (most of the time).

Being a family of four feels so perfect and mostly I don't find four any harder than three.  Cora has slotted right in to the family

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3 Months Baby Girl

3 Months old means no longer a newborn and seeing a friend and her tiny 6 day old baby really brought home how much Cora has grown.  Her little face that I often likened to an angry tomato is now relaxed and curious.  Her wrinkles have filled out and she is growing rolls on her arms and legs.  She is starting to outgrow some of her 0-3 month clothing and she spends more time awake every day.

At 3 months Cora still isn't a fan of tummy time, even though she will only sleep on her tummy.  Her favourite place to be when awake (and not feeding) is on her playmat and she isn't bothered by a bouncer chair.  She loves to kick her legs and bat at her toys and stretch out.

Sleep is still pretty all over the place but she sleeps better than her one year old brother already.  There are nights where Cora goes down in her Snuzpod at 7pm and doesn't wake until 7am, although more common is settling for the night at around 9pm.  Some nights she wakes for a feed around 4 or 5am and on occasion (usually when Finn is not sleeping well and being particularly loud) she wakes up more often.  There is no routine at all to daytime naps, sometimes she sleeps for short periods, other times she has mammoth naps and different numbers every day.  I seem to remember that the boys didn't get much structure to their days until we started weaning and I think that may be the same for Cora. I am more than happy for her to just sleep when she is tired and feed when she is hungry! 

Cora has really found her voice this month and she loves to coo away.  We have also been getting some gorgeous little giggles when we tickle her neck.  There is no better sound than a baby laughing!  Despite the fact she looks rather moody in nearly all the photos I take, she is happy and smiley with me.  She is definitely a Mama's girl though and is happiest with me.  This month she has started going to other people better but she is always happiest in my arms.

We are still exclusively breastfeeding and I still haven't got round to pumping.  I have no desire to leave her at the moment and I can't be bothered to pump milk to stash just yet.  She is thriving on my milk and we are both really enjoying feeding.  

At 3 months old Cora loves black and white books, watching her brothers, milk, being naked, swimming, sleeping on my bed, chewing her fists and the sling and dribbling on everything.

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2 Months Baby Girl

At two months old I am already starting to see that Cora doesn't want to stay a baby for long.  Everyone warned me when she arrived that girls are often quicker to meet their milestones, that they don't stay babies as long and she is proving them right.  Cora's head control is quite impressive and she loves to be sat up with me just holding her waist.  She always looks so curious and inquisitive and I can see her taking everything in.  

At 6 weeks she started smiling, but it was 7 weeks before I got one my way (Her brothers are far more worthy of smiles it seems) and at 2 months she is still a very serious baby, only giving smiles at certain times of day and making you really work for them.

At 2 months old, Cora seems to be growing so fast.  She is filling out her 0-3 month clothing and she has definitely lost that weightlessness that newborns have.  I imagine she is somewhere between 12 and 13 pounds now but I haven't had her weighed for a couple of weeks.  She no longer curls up in the fetal position and instead prefers to spread out and push her legs out straight.

Cora is still happiest on me, she loves being in the sling, she feeds very regularly (but goes 6-7 hours at night) and she wants to sleep close.  She happily goes down in her crib at night though and can settle her self to sleep if I put her on her tummy.  She will only sleep on her tummy at all times still, although if she is really tired she will fall asleep in the car seat.  Her dislike for being on her back means she can do an hour in the car easily before she succumbs to sleep - My newborns really don't like the car very much! 

Two months in to parenting four and I feel like there are always going to be different challenges.  I was worried about the summer holidays and having all four at home, but it has been wonderful and we have made it work and carried on with our adventures.  Now my fears are around the school runs and being out the house on time.  I am sure we will find our groove and having some time with just the babies is going to be lovely too.  

Two month old Cora is very chilled out as long as she knows that I am close.  She is happy to sleep in her own space and I can put her down for short periods during the day too.  She adores her brothers already and the love is mutual.  She is growing bigger and stronger every day and losing the little things that make her seem like a newborn.  Slow down please baby girl!!

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1 Month Baby Girl

A month of cuddles, breastfeeding, co-sleeping, siblings, teeny fingers and toes and that newborn smell.  A month of noise, sleepless nights and adapting to our new normal.  A month of our baby girl.  

How on earth has a month passed? It seems like only yesterday I was sat cuddling this perfect, tiny little thing on our sofa waiting for her brothers to get home and meet her.  Surely it was only last week that I was laying in bed awake, too busy watching this brand new life to be able to sleep.  In other ways it feels like Cora has always been a part of our life, that there has always been 6 of us.

This first month has been wonderful and it feels even more perfect after the nervous and stressful first weeks of Finn's life.  I have spent every moment with my baby girl and 95% of those we have spent cuddling.  For the first two weeks she wouldn't be put down, and in all honesty I didn't really try.  I fed her and held her in the day and we fell asleep each night, her on my chest.  After a couple of weeks she started to sleep for small periods in her crib or in a pram and now at a month she can sleep in the day when put down and she does her first long stretch at night in her Snuzpod crib before joining me.

The nights are pretty unpredictable, as life with a newborn usually is.  There are nights (well night) where she only wakes once for a super feed and there are nights that we see every hour and sometimes every half hour.  There is no routine yet with anything and Cora stays downstairs with me until I go to bed.

The boys have taken to having a baby sister so well.  Dylan is a pretty experienced big brother and he has taken it all in his stride.  Archie is that bit older than when Finn was born and he is full of questions whilst being incredibly protective.  Finn is curious and excited, wanting to stroke her and cover her in kisses.  This little girl of mine is so lucky to have these three big brothers and I am hoping they continue to stay close as they grow.

At her last weigh Cora was 8lb 13oz so I can presume she is now over 9lb.  Her 'up to 1 month' (or size 56 in Scandinavian brands) clothing is fitting perfectly and her newborn (up to 7.5lb) vests are  just about fitting still too (what she is wearing in these photos).  I am not ready to start a pile of things that don't fit, I am not ready for my newborn to be growing out of things but I have a feeling in the next week or so these vests will be sent off to a new home.  We are preparing to start on the 0-3 month clothing soon as these babies of mine don't stay small for long.

Cora is happiest on my chest still, she loves to be cuddled, carried in a sling and to sleep curled up against me.  She is happier on her tummy than on her back and she loves to poke her tongue out.  Her little face has changed so much in these past four weeks as the swelling has subsided and her delicate features are more visible.   Every day her eyes seem a little larger and she becomes a little more alert.

This first month has cemented Cora's place in the family.  She is the 'new baby', our baby girl, the final member of our team and one that we wouldn't be without.  Our days are busier, noisier and I am learning to do a lot of things one handed.

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9 Months

Finn is now nine months, or three quarters of a year.  He has officially been on the outside longer than he was on the inside and he has come so far from that newborn it felt like I had only yesterday.

Nine months in to our journey with three children, and things are getting ready to change again,  Finn isn't particularly mobile yet, although he can spin in a circle, but he is desperate to start crawling and I don't think it will be that long until he is off.  His balance has improved so much and he can now correct himself after reaching for things and he has recently learned to sit up from lying down, although he has only managed it a couple of times.

He has finally found an interest in food and weaning is going well after a slow start,  I was confident we would get there eventually and at 9 months I think we have cracked it (for now).  Rice and blueberries are a favourite (not together) and he isn't too keen on sweet potato, much like his eldest brother.  His fine motor skills are improving as he handles smaller food items and this month we will be giving him more sweetcorn and small vegetables to try and perfect that pincer grip.

Whilst he is eating so much more, he isn't willing to really cut down the milk and he still has around 5 bottles per day, with one of those being in the night.  Sleep has been all over the place recently, mostly terrible but we seem to be back to one wake up a night.  I have a feeling there may be an egg intolerance so I will be cutting that out to see if we can stick to just one wake up per night.

Finn is still in our room and still comfortable in his Snuzpod co-sleeper crib but now that he can sit himself up, I think we need to look at building his cot and getting him somewhere bigger to sleep.  I don't really want to move him out of our room ( it is far too cold to be wandering out in the middle of the night to go and feed him) but I am starting to wonder whether he would sleep better without our noise as we go to bed.

Finn is comfortably in 6-9 month clothes despite a huge weight gain over the last month.  My little chunk is now 18lb 10oz and he looks and feels so much sturdier.

The boys are still so close.  Dylan still clings on to Finn's hand when he comes out of school, Archie still gives him the biggest cuddles with his arms thrown around poor Finn's neck and he is desperate to join in with more of their games.  Dylan loves sharing his food with Finn and he has been brilliant at checking this is ok (we have tried to drum the Dairy Allergy into them) and is constantly sneaking bits from his plate onto Finn's mat.

As we head towards Finn's first Christmas, I am loving watching my littlest guy grow and change, and watching his brothers help him along the way.

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4 Months Old

Finn is now 4 months old, and he has slotted into our little family like he was always here.  His personality is starting to show, and his brothers are getting rewarded with smiles and coos for their hard work entertaining him.

This month Finn has learned to roll from his front to his back, and from his back onto his side.  He seemed as shocked as me the first time he managed it and I wondered whether it was a bit of a fluke, but he has rolled several times over the last two weeks, so I think it is safe to say he is rolling. 

He is getting stronger every day, and when he has tummy time he is now bending from nearer the waist rather than the shoulders.  He can prop himself up and look around for a couple of minutes and his head control is getting so much better.  He is still nowhere near as strong as his brothers were at this age, but then he is nowhere near the size they were either, and he has had a pretty rocky start.

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3 Months Old

3 months is meant to signal the end of that newborn phase and the beginning of just being a 'baby', but I think Finn is reluctant to leave behind the term new baby.  

That is Dylan holding his hand

After another hospital admission due to his weight we seem to be back on track and at 13 weeks he weighs 10lb 11oz.  He has been diagnosed as dairy intolerant and cutting out cow's milk has made such a difference to our dinky dude.  He is like a new baby, so much happier and more content now that he doesn't have what must have been a constant tummy ache.

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8 Weeks Old

These first 8 weeks have been full of drama, tears, change and learning, but things are starting to feel more settled and on track.  There were things I thought I knew about parenting after having two, but Finn is rewriting the book, and I feel like a first time parent with him all over again.

We finally have some growth, although he is still a teeny 8lb 8oz (Still smaller than Dylan was at birth).  Finn still fits in newborn or up to 1 month clothing and the smallest nappies we can get.  People often comment on how alert he looks as his size is misleading.

He is a very alert baby though, awake for long periods of the day and his wide eyes always search for me.  He likes to be able to touch and see me at all times but I am rewarded with smiles and coos now.  I wouldn't describe him as the smiliest of babies, but if you catch him at the right time of day, you see his beautiful little face light up and his brothers delight in telling me that they are his favourite every time a smile goes their way.

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One Month Old

It has been 4 weeks since we met our baby boy, a whole month since we became a family of five and it has been a busy one.  The first 19 days were spent in the special care baby unit after it was discovered Finn was born with a virus and the next 9 days at home were busy with nursery runs, hospital appointments and adapting to life with three under four.

At 4 weeks old, Finn is still so tiny.  He is much smaller than either of the other two were at birth, and at his last weigh in was only 6lb 15oz.  He is 51 cm long and hasn't started to fill out much yet.  He is starting to fit into newborn sized clothes, but he is still so curled up that he thinks the leg holes are optional.  He doesn't really straighten his legs much (unless he is angry) so he seems even smaller than he really is.

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21 Months Old

My littlest guy has hit the milestone of 21 months, meaning that his second birthday is coming around fast.  The benefit of a February baby means I don't really need to think about this until after Christmas though which is comforting.  Archie is a crazy, cuddly and cheeky toddler with a fearless streak that is so different from his brother

From the moment he wakes up until he finally drifts off, Archie knows what he wants, and he thinks he knows how to get it.  We are definitely at the beginning of the terrible twos and I expect it to be much worse than it was with his brother.  He has a little temper which we see when he doesn't get his way, and whilst he is lovely around other people, he does like to play up for his Mummy sometimes.

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Archie at 18 Months

A year and a half has passed since my littlest one entered the world and it is amazing how far the little dude has come.  From a helpless newborn to a walking talking toddler in what feels like the blink of an eye.  Archie has the cheekiest personality, and every single day he shows a little more.

From the smile that screws up his nose, to the way he tells you off right back if you say no to him, this boy is challenging and cute in equal measure.  He pushes every imaginable boundary, but does so with a smile on his face and a bounce in his step. When we take him to the park, he no longer heads for the slide, but straight for the borders, where he searches for everything he shouldn't and brings me his finds.  Half empty cans of cider, cigarette butts and apple cores amongst other things.  He sees himself as either a litter picker or treasure hunter, I am not sure which.

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Archie at 17 Months

Suddenly Archie looks so big, I don't know if it is the fact he is walking so much more, the clothes he wears or the fact that I have been thinking of him as a baby until I was forced to face the toddler he has become.  

Archie is a boy who knows what he wants, is determined to get it, and will let you know how displeased he is if anything stands in the way.  No obstacle is too big, no mountain too high that he won't attempt to go over, under or through it in the pursuit of something he probably isn't allowed.  If I tactfully block his way, I am met with a mini meltdown, and I catch a glimpse of the terrible twos which we seem to have skipped with Dylan but are inevitable with this little dude.  He is by no means bad, but he is testing the waters.

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