This has to be one of the fastest years of my life.  I can’t believe that my little man is about to turn one in less than a weeks time, where has the time gone!  I’m so grateful for these updates so that I can go back and look at his first year in this world.  I was looking at some photos of him from when he was tiny and it’s difficult to remember him like that now, those early days seem so hazy to me. 

Sleeping

Aiden is still waking up in the night to feed and now he’s approaching one I thought that his night feeds would be fewer by now. I have to admit that I do feel a tinge of jealousy when I hear some mums tell me that their babies stopped waking in the night at 6 months.  A part of me thinks he’s just feeding for comfort rather than hunger, but it’s so hard to tell and obviously I don’t want to deprive him of his milk.  I’m more than confused about what to do in this department and still continuing to feed on demand at night to keep him content. 

Daytime napping is still going well, but there have been a few days when nap time has been disrupted because we have been out or AJ is just resisting to nap.  He’s been taking some epic naps recently, which has been great for my productivity because I can get so much done.  Normally Aiden is on point with his nap times, but this month they have been sporadic and perhaps it might be due to the fact that he’s older. Someday’s he will take his shorter 20-minute nap in the afternoon or lump his nap times together, opting for a long 2 hour and 30-minute nap at a random point in the day.  It’s all been a bit over the place if I’m honest and I think he will be dropping the shorter nap very soon.  

Weaning and Breastfeeding

There isn’t much to report here at all, although my normally non-fussy eater has been funny with his food the past few days. He still doesn’t eat a full meal, but he has eaten less than normal. Naturally he has increased his milk feeds on these days, which is reassuring as I know that babies won’t let themselves starve.  

I’m hoping that it’s just a phase, now that we are approaching the 1-year mark I would hate to think that he’s going backwards with his eating.  I don’t want to get into the habit of offering 5 different meals or only give him his favourite foods to make Aiden eat more when he’s having one of his moments.  When we are having a day of difficult meal times, which are unusual for us, I have just been offering plentiful amounts and hope that it encourages him to eat a little more.   

Body

Like I mentioned in last week’s post I have felt unmotivated to workout now that the colder weather has arrived, but over the past 2 weeks I have got back on track.  Writing my workouts in my planner has really helped with the accountability factor and I’m going to be sharing my weekly workouts on my Instagram feed again as I found that really motivational.  

I’m hoping to become more toned with the run up to Christmas and into the new year and have concentrated on strength training – Jillian Michael’s 30 day Shred level 1 has been a killer workout for me!  I do love how I feel after a workout and I’ve found this to be a real confidence and mood booster with the stresses that moving house can bring. 

Mind

My new planners have revolutionised my thought processes and how I approach tasks, which means there is a much more level-headed and less stressed mama about town.  I’ve always been a list maker, but it’s nice to have a central place to write everything down instead of having random scraps of paper lying about the place.  Planners have become such a big deal in my everyday!

Having a massive house edit has been a saving grace where clearing my mind is concerned.  We had too much clutter and, as a result, my mind was cluttered.  It’s still a work in progress as we head towards our moving date, but I’m glad that our new home will be a place of minimalism and clarity – well, one can hope! 

Aiden’s Milestones

It always amazes me how babies learn things, one day they can’t do something and the next day they’ve got a skill down like a professional.  Since my last update, Aiden has started to associate words with certain actions like waving his hand when you say hello and his favorite thing ever at the moment is playing peekaboo – he covers one eye with his hand and waits for you to say peekaboo when he takes his hand away, it’s adorable!  He does like repetition though which is normal at this age, so you can be playing peekaboo or passing things back to one another for a while, which is another skill that he’s mastered. 

One of my favourite things about this age is how more engaged he is when I’m reading to him.  He really pays attention and likes to help turn the pages.  I’m trying to read to him as much as I can and incorporate a reading session into his night-time routine too.  It’s also a massive bonus for me as I get to re-read some of my favourite childhood books like The Very Hungry Caterpillar and Elmer. 

A part of me feels a little sad that Aiden is growing so quickly and then the other part is excited to see what he gets up to next. One thing I am looking forward to is being able to do more things with him as he becomes even more able and I’m still waiting to hear his first real word – so far I’ve heard dada and nana but no mama…le sigh!

How did you feel when your baby reached the 1-year milestone?  What were they up to at this stage?

What were your favourite books as a child?