I can’t believe it, Kenzie is 7 MONTHS OLD! Where has the time gone? She is over halfway through her first year and we’re in luck, Leap 5 is officially over. We are cherishing this calm period before Leap 6 comes out. We have been blessed with consistently hour long day naps and uninterrupted 9-11 hour night sleeps. She has a pattern and we are loving it! We don’t know how long it will last and how it will change during Leap 6 but right now, we are living it up and making the most of it.
So far, here is her tally:
Nappy Changes: 46
Sleep: 95 hours
Feeds: 90
Kenzie has started to understand “No” and I’m both happy and sad about it. Happy because she understands discipline but sad because she gets so upset when she can’t have her way. We’re starting her early because it would be extremely difficult for us later if she grew up spoiled.
My bestie, Brian (and Kenzie’s godfather) took family photos of us three. We figured we’d wait till she was a little older as she is much easier to get a smile out now however we didn’t anticipate that she would be so distracted by the wind, trees, leaves, birds, cars etc. It was difficult but he managed to snap some amazing family photos of us.
Kenzie has also discovered that she can now speak in different octaves. Delius, our dog points his ears up to her high pitched squeals! She’s starting to talk more and more gibberish and she’s blowing raspberries every afternoon and evening and blows bubbles in her drinks. When a Leap is almost done and you see this many developments in your child, those difficulty periods seem worth it and you just want to keep helping your child develop more and more. BRING ON LEAP 6, we’ll be ready for you in a couple of weeks time, we just want to enjoy this new Kenzie for a little bit first.
She is starting to say “Mommy” more and more and it’s become music to my ears! She’s started to learn that if she makes certain noises we’ll pay attention to her and try decipher what she needs. I’ve been trying to get her to say “Daddy” but it looks like we’re still a few months out from that.
This week, I have been trying to go to the park with Kenzie more often as she is absolutely in love with swings. She is nervous at first but then smiles as she is swings back and forth. Unfortunately, the park nearby only has one activity that can accomodate a baby who can’t yet stand or walk and that is a netted swing however there is a wait on the swing, it’s very popular with the kids. As much as I know not to go peak times around 5-7pm, it’s the only time of day that is cool enough for us to go to the park. The end of summer has been celebrated with days over 30 degrees and it’s been hard stepping foot outside in that heat!
Her obsession for potatoes has grown even more and her eyes light up with so much glee! As per the doctor’s orders we have exposed her to more and more dairy and have not restricted her diet. Between 6-12 months, we’re supposed to be introducing as many foods as we can for Kenzie to taste. Her dairy allergies are starting to become more controlled and she flares up a lot less than she used to, however she still flares up around her mouth and neck.
Her tooth hasn’t completely broken through her gums yet and I feel as though her gums are getting itchier by the day and it’s her way of getting through the feeling. Ice cubes and frozen teethers has helped.
This week, Kenzie has started to roll in her sleep more often than ever. My heart skips a beat when I wake in the middle of the night to check on her and she is sleeping on her tummy! I know that we shouldn’t worry if she is able to roll front-to-back-to-front, but I am so terrified of SIDS that I have become the most lightest sleeper you can imagine.
We have stocked up on more Moogoo products It’s our miracle cure to her eczema and her skin feels amazing, so soft, smooth and supple. I’ve started using it myself! Kenzie has developed a bit of eczema around her eyes and after a week it’s cleared up! I can’t recommend it enough, it’s definitely worth the money.
I have parted ways with my pregnancy belongings and have packed away more of Kenzie’s clothes she’s outgrown. My mum wants me to keep a fair few of her clothes “just in case” we have another baby girl or if my sister or brother conceive a girl. Her box is so full we’ve needed to get a bigger box!
This week I have donated another lot of breastmilk. This time to the mother of Roki. You can read his incredible journey here. I’m so happy I can help in some way (however small).
28 weeks and being a parent doesn’t get any easier, I’ve worried a lot more, I’ve made mistakes, I’ve lost so much sleep and I’m no longer the same person I used to be but I would never change it for anything. I love being a mother to Kenzie, I feel I have a sense of purpose in life and my motivation to become the best person I can be is a 2018 resolution of mine. Unfortunately, with all the goals I have set for myself this year, time is truly my enemy. However, I will never sacrifice my time with Kenzie, especially during her first year as babies are so dependent on you for survival and their wellbeing. You don’t realise how much they need you till you care for your own child and I am dedicated to her as much as I am myself but priorities have now shifted. I always see “Super-mom” posts of mothers who are able to create gigantic empires while raising kids and what I would love to know is what kind of support network they have. Being a full time mom who only gets help a few hours a week on one income is hard. My biggest pet peeve is when inspiration stories lack this basic information as it helped build that foundation for success. I hate finding out later that they received an inheritance, investment, they had maids or a retired parent to help or was able to afford daycare etc. This world is cruel and I’m going to prepare Kenzie as best as I can so she will have it a little easier than we did. It’s at a slow start and at 28 weeks we are still not living in our forever home but we’re slowly making steps forward and hope it’ll be a snowball effect. So far, I can say with confidence that I’m ready to take on week 29!