narrating kayoz

Finally back to using fitted cloth nappies

After spending an inordinate amount of time and money on fitted cloth nappies when Mikaela was using them, until now we haven't got back into using them with Elli. I gave myself the first three months to just get by with disposables before switching and somehow the three months stretched out...

Not that we haven't used them at all. We were using them haphazardly for a while, but then I'd forget there were some needing to be washed, and when some went moldy (yes, ick) in the nappy bucket, I drew a line. All or nothing. So for a while, it was nothing.

Finally now, we're back to all. Well, except overnight.

Most of our nappies are either bamboo or hemp, though we also have some starbunz (I think that's what they're called) pocket nappies which I love. Recently I read something about bamboo fabric manufacture in China that made bamboo seem like possibly a less good option, in terms of ethics and sustainability. But we don't need to buy any more anyway. We've got plenty, and my cousin just offered me some more, that she isn't using.

The baby sits! And eats too (a bit).

At almost eight months, Elli is in the process of some developmental leaps.

In the past couple days she's gone from sort of being able to sit, but always tipping sideways within a minute or less if she wasn't at least slightly supported on both sides, to being able to sit, completely unsupported, for minutes at a time. She does still eventually face-plant into the floor when she reaches too far for something while I'm not paying attention, but if I'm sitting down with her it usually just takes a moment of support for her to right herself.

Mikaela was sitting well at about seven and a half months, and of course Liam was already able to sit up (as in, go from his belly to sitting) and was about to start crawling at this age. So from me bragging about how strong Eliane was at a week old, bound to be crawling the earliest of the three, it looks like she might be the latest! Or probably somewhere on a par with Mikaela anyway I'd guess.

She started rolling from back to front at a little past seven months, and unlike when she first rolled from front to back, once she started she never stopped. She still struggles with rolling to the right side (from her back), but she rolls to the left with almost no effort. So she's moving around a bit now, but still not rolling freely around the room the way some babies do. She's just starting to try to pull her legs up under her sometimes, but not really close to crawling. And she can stand, leaning against a low table, briefly. She's not even close to getting up there by herself, though if she's sitting on your lap she'll often push herself up to standing there.

As for eating, she started solids about 6 weeks ago, but like Mikaela she still has quite a strong tongue thrust reflex. Still she's clearly swallowing some food because her nappies are a whole different experience to the way they were when it was all breast milk going through her!

She likes to chew on well steamed broccoli, and has also tried carrot, banana, water melon, avocado probably other things I've forgotten plus a number of bought baby food combinations. Those we give her when there's nothing in our meal that's suitable for her, or else we just mix up some rice cereal with water and dump it (sans bowl) on her highchair tray. She then happily spend the meal playing with mushy food and getting as much into her mouth as she can (I do "feed" her a bit on a spoon, but she'd really rather do it herself), although most of it comes back out and dribbles down her chin. It's a rather messy process, but it keeps her busy during dinner, and she seems to enjoy it.

All in all, Eliane is a complete delight. It still makes me sad that she's my last baby and it's all passing so quickly, but the joy of watching her learn new tricks really does make up for the loss of the old.

She rolls

Having said I love that Elli is still all baby, I was still very excited when she rolled from back to front for the first time yesterday, and then did it twice more, in response to me putting a toy just out of reach.

Also she wriggled a little way on her tummy in order to reach a toy, though not very far.

So she's not quite so backward as we thought. :)

Eliane at seven months (post two)

At about five months Eliane had a little developmental leap. Suddenly she stopped crying everytime someone other than me or Chris (or one of the kids) held her for more than five minutes, and at the same time she started grabbing for everything within reach, making holding her during mealtimes somewhat more difficult.

Now she seems to have taken another leap.

I remember before Liam could crawl, talking about how he would sort of clamber all over me on the couch. Later I wondered what that could have meant, since he couldn't get around yet. Well, I remember now.* Elli is just coming into that stage.

Yesterday the kids and I had a picnic lunch on the deck (I do love Spring). A week ago, Elli would have been perfectly happy to just lie on the ground next to us, or else sit on my lap. But not anymore. No, she kept almost throwing herself off my lap, in an effort to get to all the stuff - food, utensils, anything. Not content any longer with grabbing anything within reach, now she wants to grab the stuff not within reach too!

She can't sit up unaided yet, and she can't roll back to front, though she can roll to the side. But she is definitely wanting to start moving.

I can't help being sad that her babyhood is passing so quickly, and that I'm never going to have another newborn baby to love. But gee it's fun to watch her grown and learn.

edited to add: I just read on babycentre.com that at seven months most babies have mastered sitting unsupported (she's nowhere close), but only a few babies are starting to understand object permanance, which she certainly is. She's been enjoying peekabo for at least a couple of weeks.

___________

*I vaguely remember that I also discovered this again with Mikaela. It's a whole other post** but I do feel bad about how much I've already forgotten about Mikaela. I used to be astounded when my Mum couldn't remember which anecdote belonged with which kid. How could you forget that stuff, even after a few decades? Now that I can't remember, all of four years on, I really get it. I really want to protect Mikaela from being the forgotten, neglected middle child (can you guess where I fit in my family?), but already I am failing.

**But we all know I never get around to writing "whole other posts"...