7 month development

 

Another month already!

Time has really speed by I cannot believe our baby is going on to 8 months in just a week. She has grow up into this sassy, independent, funny human that me and Ben could not be more proud of.

For a tiny premmy baby who we truly could not believe to be blessed with after lossing Nico and having a very scary, difficult pregnancy. To see her now reaching above her milestones. Catching up with her weight and hight, is amazing, a dream come true. Of course with yet more stress, scares or bumps along the way. She truly keeps us on our toes.

So lots has happened this month, both with ourselves, Ariyah and the world.

Ariyah-mai seems to skip a month, at 5 months there was lots of millstones, some first's and growth happening. Then six months not much changed just lots of really trying to crawl and more talking. Then again this month she is just all of a sudden doing everything. Therefore I will break it down into sections.

Milstones.

Biggest one! We have a Crawler. 

So after weeks of frustration, as Ariyah-mai tried so hard to crawl. She would constantly roll onto her tummy and get herself worked up. She could turn and shuffle in circles, but would just end up pushing backwards instead of forward. We tried everything to encourage her with toys, all her favourite things even the sky remote but nothing. She would push forward if we put our hands behind her feet or she is by the sofa. She then started getting up on want I could only discribe as a monkey crawl, with her fist on the floor and up on her toes. She then would step her feet in and out but couldn't get the idea or had the strengh to move her arms so would just drop forward. We decided to just let her do it in her own time, we didn't want to put pressure on her, as she was getting herself very stressed. She preferred pulling and standing up at the furniture or us, she would walk holding our hands because of this we thought she skip crawling and just walk.

Then one morning out of nowhere we were all in her room. She had woken up early at 5 am so me and Ben were tired, she was playing on her mat while we sleepy talking about the day when we caught her out the corner of our eye crawl (well drag herself) to reach a toy. Now there is no stopping her. she is getting fast everyday and it's very funny how she does it. So she uses one big toe to push and her arms to lift up slightly and drag forward. Normally the opposite arm to whatever toe she using like a side ways swim.
(Edit as I went to post this Ariyah starts crawling fully on her hands and Knees)

She so much happier now she can crawl. she can go from sitting to crawling. She can pull herself up on whatever she can, mainly us or the sofa, where she then can cruise around and stand. Her favourite most happiest place is when she is stood at the sofa playing. If we hold her hands, or waist for balance she walks and even tries to run. She very good and will step over or round objects. She stand at her toys to play and can get her own toys off the shelf or from her box now. This has improved her frustration massively although she still gets annoyed as she will follow us to pull herself up and walk. Quiet often she forgets she cannot walk alone yet and will let go of whatever she holding and tried to step but falls. Not yet got the ballance, but she very good and catching herself or falling onto her bum or knees, to just do it all over again. We are always near and catch her if we need to but as I said she generally catch herself before we do. That way she learns to get herself back up. She very determined and persistent always has been our strong fighter so I know she will get there and be running around in no time.

Another great achievement is she can know walk with her first step walker. She started standing and holding it but would push it and not step. We had to stop it from rolling to far so she didn't fall. She would also stand leaning over to play with the toys on the front. Then again one day she was standing at it, I was stood behind in case, when she pushed it as usual, instead of falling she started stepping. I followed so scared incase she fell but she kept going. She can now lean sideways to be able able to step to the side and even backwards to re balance herself. She still really like her sit in walker we use in the kitchen, mainly because she can go very fast in it, turning round to open the carpboards and the bin. So please wish us luck for the next coming weeks as she starts to walk. We will be chasing her, as she tries to pull and get to everything (she already gives it a good go, but her daddies are quicker right now!)

Talking 

Ariyah-mai talks/ babbles all day long. From 5/6am she is shouting, laughing and chatting. More so this month she has been making lots more sounds. Including more words sounds, like yeah, no, oh, hmmm, and many others, that have become very clear, responsing to whatever we are talking to her about. This week she started saying hey, hiya. Sometimes hi or hello but mainly hey. She also has been waving. We practice, by getting her to wave whenever we are on facetime to friends or family. Or on our walks when we came across neighbours (at a distance of course). She then been doing this in the morning or when we get her up from a nap. She will say hay and wave with the biggest smile, getting all excited to see us. It is the best part of my day.

Another not so great sound that she has mastered is screaming/skriching. So the joys of a babies high pinch screwl. She does this mainly at the cats to which they run away. Mainly Hayes, she doesn't do it to oakly as much and he seems to not care. But yes it's very loud, hight pitch and great at 6am. But it is still amazing to see her so happy and get excited. She laughing all the time now and finds it funny when she is cheeky, if we mess around and tiggle her.

We try to get her to say dada, but she just laughs at us. Oh she's clever, it is as if she thinking 'haha dad's I know what your tring to do' . However she was got a certain call that sounds a bit like daaaaaadd that she will do if she has woken up after her naps or if she is playing and we are doing something. There is definatly a disquished noise for us. Which is so good that she is chatting and figure out ways to get our attention. She also working out which one of us she wants for certain needs, or just because. She getting very independent and clever but also loves cuddles, kisses and our undivided attention to play, laugh, and climb all over us.

Teething 

Ariyah-mai got her first two teeth at exactly 5 months. Now her top two lateral incisors have come through just as she turnt 7 months. With her top middle and bottom lateriaal incisors moving into place and emerging. Ariyah really struggles with her teeth. While this time round it has not been as bad, it's still hard on us all. She gets clingy, irritated and it effects her sleep. Maybe she is getting used to the pain after the first lot came through but also she is older that she is able to actively get the teethers or anything for that matter to chow on. Instead of waiting for us to figure out what she wanted. Despite this calpol is still the only way to settle her.

Chart showing what each tooth is called, the placement and when roughly they start to come in. I have circled the ones Ariyah has. 

With her 4 more following soon.

Feeding/weaning. 

Weaning is still going well she loves her food, for a few days she did go off it and then was wanting milk more, she would now have more amounts of milk in one go but stopped drinking her night bottle if she had dinner as usual. So we had to shift timings around, to get her to have the night bottle in order to sleep through the night again. She has picked back up on soilds, having more oz each milk feeds but dropped a day time bottle and nap. Thus for a while it was abit all over the place with her routine, resulting in lots of trial and error. By shifting things around I think we are back to a better feeding routine. She is eating a lot again, but prefers blended whole meals over finger food. She can handle bigger lumps so we can just mash/ cut her food up. This is because she get annoyed at herself if she cannot pick food up, or that she is not getting a alot of food. Where as with blended dinners she can get enough food. She does feed herself with the spoon. Again she would get frustrated us feeding and helping her. She grab the spoon off us and get upset when we took it back to refill the spoon. 

Additionally Ariyah loves food so much that with finger food she would not know when to stop, where by she would push the whole lot in her month. For example if we gave her finger slices of toast she put it all in or big massive bits, making herself gag or choke. Then would get distress as she had to take it off her. 

What we found is best for her was let her feed herself using the spoon, instead. We would load the spoon and give it to her. She would feed herself, we would then take the spoon to reload it, and so forth. While explaining its daddies turn as we take the spoon. Then give it back to her, saying 'Ariayh's turn.'  afterwards we put our hand out for her to place the spoon back in our hands. If she throw it on the floor il give it back to her and place my hand out again. Showing her that if she gives us the spoon she will get more. This puts it in her control, because she learnt that we are not taking the spoon or food away in fact we are giving her more. Now she is very good, by giving the spoon back and takes it nicely, feeding herself. Subsequently we do not need the vocal exchange anymore, making dinner time calmer. We give her warning when the food is nearly gone. When it is finish, we show her and sign finish. Again place our hand out for her to give us the spoon. She still does have some finger food, like her bit melts, or rice cakes. She hold bits of toast but we just give smaller pieces, while watching her closely. It is good practice for her pinser grip too. If anyone wants a better break down or tips please comment, or tell us your babies dinner time routines and strategies. Let's help each other!! When these meal time can be stressful. 

Sleep 

Daily routine as I stated before in both her feeding and nap times have been a bit all over the place. Lately we manage to get back into a routine just had to alter it slightly. This was very frustrating because it took us a very long time getting Ariyah into a routine. If you have read my sleep blog (if not go take a read) Ariyah was never a great sleeper. She has short naps, meaning she had multiple a day making it hard for us to get any rest or tidying while she slept. She also would only slept on one of us leaving the other to do the chores. However we did start to get her napping in her cot by mimicking her bed time routine for every nap. Sometimes napping four to five times a day. She needed milk and to be rocker or sung to in order to sleep. We had to ensure she was fully asleep before placing her down or she would wake up screaming. She works herself up, sometimes being sick because of the reflux. Hence it was hard to get her calm again, let alone to sleep. We had to do many walks around the block in her pram. Thankfully she has started to have longer naps in her cot. Furthermore she was sleeping through the night 7:30- 6:30. 

Suddenly she did not nap again, was waking at 3/4 am taking am hour or more to get back to sleep to wake again at 5am. Her feeds were up and down taking only 4/5 on one then more on another. She was so over tired, teething. It didn't help it was so hot at the moment at 26°. She also had problems with her medication and got a rash that could of be an allegic reaction so was very difficult week or two. She was just irritated with the rash and her reflux. Everything just was all at ones and she could handle it. 

Turns out it was possible excma linked to an allergic reaction but can not be sure what caused it. Maybe her meds but also possible soya. We are just keeping an eye and noting down when it comes up and what she has had. I will do a post following our dietitian call in a future post next week so keep posted. 

Other things happening that she is doing. So she is building a lovely relationship with the cat, now she crawling and playing more they come play with her especially Oakley. She shakes their cat toy and loves watching them and chasing them around. The cats are so good with her. 

She is able to move fast now getting what she wants, pulling up and also today started to sit herself up from a crawling position. She can lean and rach out to grasp smaller objects, transferring them between each hand. She is working out how to press buttons, to make her toys work. She loves musical noise or light up toys. She is getting favourite of toys and food disquishing which ones she finds more engaging. Light up toys are favable, like her sensory ball, and bubble tube. Others likes are Mirrors and any sensory stuff. She has started to enjoy reading, and feeling books, for example her touch and feel books. She loves teddies too, where she cuddle, and talk to them. There is this monkey that skreeks when you press its belly. She screams back. And minic the sound it makes as she laughs. Her humour and personality is definatly coming through and it's so lovely to see her sassy funny personalitycome to life

Not to mention one thing we are glad about is she seems to have stopped needing her dummy. She never really had it during the day only when getting distress or when she slept. Where as she now just won't take it and doesn't need it at night. It has been about a week that she not had it at all. Her blankets are her comfort. Which we are glad about as now she has teeth she was starting to bite the dummy which is bad for their teeth. So we will see but hopefully that's her no longer needing dummies. 

Oh we have even started experiencing tantrums, mainly because she is tired. It's been so hot and she in pain with her teeth as well. As well as this rash. She has just not been herself doesn't know whats she wants. Will crawl and stand herself up at us then maon if we talk or play with her. She want to be picked up but put down at the same time. She started to shout and even pinch or hit if we didn't feed her fast enough, when we are tring to get her dress or change her. If she wanted something she could not have like cat food bowls, sky remote or to be moved somewhere she will scream or have a strop. We firstly tried distracting her with her toys, however we had to start telling her no moving away, so she could calm down. Whilst reassuring her that it is okay. This is when it is dangerous like grabbing the cats, pinching us or trying to touch the oven (when in walker). We are using signing with her and very clear explanation as a result this is getting better. Any tips on how to mangager tantrums at 7 months would be very appreciated. 

Routine. 

With lots of researching asking other parents and shifting things around slowly we are now in a good routine. Where she has drop a bottle and nap. So we had to shift timings, feeds and soilds around to accommodate. 

New routine.  

• 5-6am wake up
• 7:30 Breakfast with some milk in a beaker. 
• 8:30-9 Milk (1hr nap) 
•  10:20 we do baby club on cbeebies (can't go to real one right now) 
• 11:30 lunch and go for a walk 

• 12:30 milk and long nap 
•  4 milk and another shorter nap (3:30 milk and long nap if havnt slept at lunch) 
• 6-6:30 dinner. 
• In the night garden and calm play. 
• 7:15 eirther bath or a wash down, massage. 
• 7:45 milk and down for bed by 8

Sometime we can shift her milk and naps half hour eirther way. Depending on how long she has slept. At every nap we also go upstairs, play a in her room. Get pj on and grow bag. Then sit on the storage box for her milk. This creates the same routine as bed time. This way she knows it's time to sleep. I hightly recommended simulating bedtime as much as possible for naps too it done wonders for Ariyah sleep and frustration. I know some babies don't have milk before each nap which is different but we have too as Ariyah doesn't sit still long enough because she so active climbing and crawling everywhere that she will vomit because of her reflux. Thus her sleeping after milk gives it time to digest and settle. After food we try keep her still by going for a walk so she is sat in pram after lunch or she sits and watches TV after dinner.
She is sleeping through again, is taking soilds and precription milk better. She napping longer only having three which is amazing. Let's hope we can keep it up.

Anyways we could not be prouder of our clever little miracle, she was a fighter from the moment she started to form. Both in the pregnancy birth and now growing she is defining all odds and proving the world she is a survivor. Look forward to the next month and leading up to her first Birthday as we begin to plan. Daddies are so proud ariyah but don't grow up to fast, where is our tiny premmy 5lb baby gone. She is now this cheeky, clever, funny very sassy human. Talking, crawling almost walking. Getting what's she wants and going where she wants to. Keeping us on our toes. Wouldn't change you for the world however demanding you can be.

(Written in June 2020)