Over Half a Year Old Already!

Wow! Arjun is officially over half a year old! I cannot believe it. I don't remember my life without him but I can't believe it's gone so fast. It's crazy! 

 

We celebrated with a fruit cocktail "cake". 

 

 

He's becoming a proper little man now. I can already see signs of upcoming independence. You can see how frustrated he is about not being able to move :( He's started rolling from front to back but more by accident. He ends up in a fit of tears when that happens as he doesn't know how to get back! Lol. He's closer to mastering a push up than his crawl! Lol. We're encouraging plenty of tummy time, not necessarily because I'm in a rush for him to crawl (I'm actually really really nervous about what life will be when he's running riot in the house!), but more because I can see he really wants to. I feel for the little guy. 

 

Arjun sits up comfortably unaided and although he hasn't quite mastered it yet, he tries very hard to pull himself up when lying down. 

 

Arjun is at stage two of weaning now and is having breakfast, lunch, a snack and dinner. He's now on three bottles a day (about 500ml). He really enjoys his food (touch wood).  This month we tried rice crispies which he hated at first but now loves! His favourite food is probably pizza bread at the moment. I made this by spreading a thin layer of tomato puree on wholemeal bread, sprinkling some cheddar cheese and seasoning with basil and oregano. Other new foods he tried included bean salad mixed with sweet potato and lentils. He didn't love the latter - defo mummy's boy! 

 

He's started holding his own sippy cup - it took us a while but he's starting to let us know more when he wants water too which is great. 

 

The last time we had him weighed a few weeks ago, he was a hefty 18lbs! 

He's more or less been sleeping through the night since New Year's Day with a few difficult nights (one night where he woke about four times and a few nights where he's woken twice) but on the whole we are in a better place. 

We are getting ready for our second holiday in a few weeks - again to Dubai but this time with Preetam's parents. I'm super excited to go but nervous about how it'll disrupt his sleep pattern. I'm guessing this "routine" will be short lived anyway when another bout of unbearable teething kicks in! 

You can tell Arjun's first tooth will be making an appearance soon as his gums are quite white and raised. But still no tooth as of yet! We're brushing his gums with a finger tooth brush which we purchased from Amazon (Finger brush) just to get him used to the sensation. He loves it! 

Arj has almost completely term two with Water Babies. He's a little more confident under water - we've seen less tears but they haven't completely disappeared! He seems to enjoy the water more. We'll soon see when we go to Dubai again! It'll be great comparing how he was at five months there versus how he is now. 

 

We've decided to forego term three with Water Babies purely because of their policy which is a little inflexible. The previous two terms we've known that we weren't going to be able to make a few dates in advance but we still had to pay in full with no flexibility in terms of attending another session. We've wasted a good £50 already and we definitely don't want to do the same next term when we know we'll be missing two of the dates so we've decided to look at other options as we know other private swimming schools do offer flexibility - usually in terms of attending an alternative session which would be great for us. 

Arjun hosted his first party this month - Lohri (Lohri). A little social butterfly already! He also attended his first birthday party at Snakes and Ladders for his buddy Taran's 3rd birthday.  He enjoyed it for the most part but got tired and quite hot towards the end - cranky! 

 

Arjun seems to be going through separation anxiety surprisingly (only because it's normally with the mummy!) with his daddy. He's extremely attached to his dad and is so excited and happy when he's with him - like a proud little son. When Preetam leaves for work in the morning or even leaves the room to have a shower, if Arjun is awake there are lots of tears. I know Preetam also finds this really difficult especially as he feels like he's missing out on Arjun's life as most of his waking day is spent at work :( I'm hoping it's just a phase and he'll become comfortable in knowing that daddy will be back soon. It's quite heartbreaking to watch :( How have you managed separation anxiety?

Bestest buds x

What milestones have your babies reached at seven months?

 

P.s. don't forget to check out our free hamper giveaway filled with lots of our favourite goodies ending on Sunday 1st February!: Giveaway!

Baby Brain Memoir Giveaway!!

Hello everbody!

 

Hope you and your tots are all well!

 

With a chance to win your very own Baby Brain Memoirs hamper which includes lots of our favourite bits featured in my blog, follow us on Facebook/Instagram and share this picture and tag us in it :) The winner will be selected at random on Monday 2nd February!

 

The hamper includes the following:

• A Mom’s One Line a Day diary

• Toy Links

• A monkey change/craft mat

• An animal bath book

• A giraffe bath toy

• A giraffe squeaker toy (one of Arjun’s favourite first toys)

• Sensory wipes

• Sensory sponges

• A baby hand printing canvas kit

• All enclosed in my one of my favourite things ever – a flexi basket!

 

Also now that you have an insight in to the life of Arjun and mummy, it would be great if you could let me know what you'd be interested in hearing about in future posts by commenting in the comment box below :) 

Get sharing and good luck!

 

Lots of love,

 

Harps and Arjun x

Baby Brain Weekly Memoir: 23rd January

Hello all! 

I've done quite a bit of writing yesterday/today and it was heavy writing so I'm going to keep this post short and sweet (she says!) 

So this week we had our Lohri party which I posted about. In summary it was brilliant. I was so pleased with how everything turned out!! 

The day after we were knackered especially as Arjun was up every few hours - I think he thought the party was still happening!  But nevertheless we woke on Sunday and soldiered on. We woke a little late for Arjun's swimming lesson but Arjun went for a walk with Bruno and his daddy in the baby carrier instead. It gave me a little break - I had my feet up and enjoyed my breakfast. We don't use Arjun's carrier often - we really need to start! 

After that we went to see our friends, Amit and Vaishali and their newborn baby, Josh. Josh is the smallest baby boy I've seen since Arjun was born and he is so adorable! I can't believe Arjun was ever that small! I had a long cuddle and baby Josh fell asleep on me - bought back so many memories and he felt as light as a feather compared to my little tanker now!  Arjun really enjoyed being at Josh's house as several of our friends were there and they're all so great with babies!  He got plenty of play time and attention!  It was so sweet watching Josh and Arjun interact - they were mimicking each other!  I had a lovely time, it was very relaxing especially with so many pairs of hands to help with Arjun! 

Monday to Wednesday we pretty much stayed indoors. I had a pretty tough day on Monday where it was taking hours to settle Arjun for his naps. He fights his sleep so much that we end up in overtired land and then it's just a huge battle. Monday night it took us four hours to settle him at bed time - he went to sleep at midnight! :( His teeth were also bothering him which was really hard - I found water filled teethers give him comfort. He hasn't actually got any teeth yet! All in all, not the greatest timing especially following the tiredness after the party. 

Arjun was kept entertained for a while with his latest new thing - a sensory tent bought for him by his Sav Masi (thanks Sav!). He was intrigued and spent a while in there whilst playing and watching TV. 

We went to music and movement on Thursday morning where he really enjoyed himself as usual. He's so interactive with the other babies and parents now. You see a noticeable difference every week. It's a shame it coincides with his nap time and we kind of have to rejig things to ensure sure we make it. He loves it once he's there though! 

After music and movement we went to our friend Reets who also has a baby. It was a nice chilled out afternoon where Arjun was pretty content playing by himself whilst baby A slept. Had a little bit of a terrifying experience whilst there; Arjun was having his snack of sweet corn rings and almost choked on one. I panicked and froze. I knew what to do but just couldn't move! He was struggling to breath and his eyes were tearing, thank God Reet was with me as she took control and did exactly what you're supposed to - put him on his tummy over her knee and gave him a few firm blows on his back and it came out. I was so scared! I knew he was going to be ok but I was pretty peed off at myself for just freezing like a useless lemon! :(

Writing my blog post about my initial days post birth was actually really therapeutic and almost immediately it became apparent that it was going to help me on facing my fears. I decided to take Arjun to Toys R Us as I had to pick up a gift anyway. Where usually I'd have left him at his grandparents, he came with me. He slept through anyway but I went in with total confidence - I felt like a new person. It was really strange. I wasn't my usual panicked self. I was cool calm and collected and it was totally fine! 

Yesterday Arjun had his first taste of mummy's most favourite food - pizza!  I made him pizza bread on whole meal bread with a thin layer of tomato purée, grated cheddar cheese and some basil and oregano seasoning. He absolutely loved it! There wasn't even a crumb left! He also started holding his own beaker yesterday - it's so cute watching him grow. But it's all happening too fast! :( 

We spent the afternoon visiting Chico - Arjun's best friend! 

What have you been up to this week?x

Baby Brain Weekly Memoir: 9th January 2015

Good afternoon all :)

Hope you, babies and bumps are all doing well!

So I thought it would be a nice idea for me to do a weekly post on what we’ve been up to during the week. Some weeks will seem a lot more interesting/heavier than others! I have such a severe case of baby brain that I’ve had to jot down what we’ve been up to in a notes page on my phone on a daily basis!

I’ve only just started writing this post and Arjun has just woken up, I’ve put him next to me in bed whilst I write this post and he’s lying on his belly (meant to be sleeping!). Every time I look at him, he smiles and so do his eyes.  He makes my heart melt.  It makes me want to cry :( One day my baby boy is going to be an independent man who no longer dotes on his mummy!

Decided to take a break to enjoy that little moment!

Back to the post ...

So here goes..!

This week we hosted a dinner for Preetam’s newly married sister Mane and her husband Jas and their family.  Arjun really enjoyed it as he loves socialising with big groups – probably because the whole room centres around him! Who doesn’t like a bit of attention!?  I’ve noticed he especially loves grandmas and Jas’ Maaji (grandma) is by no means an exception!  He absolutely adores her.

Arjun and his Puaji (aunti) x

Sunday we took Arjun to his weekly swimming lesson with Water Babies.  He’s on term two now but still really doesn’t like his head being dunked under water!

We specifically chose Sunday classes because I’m not a very strong swimmer and I’m certainly not a confident one (my feet have to be able to touch the floor and there is no way you’ll ever catch me with even my ears below water let alone my eyes!) so we thought it would be a better idea for Preetam to get in the pool with him. He looks a little less like a drowning fish than I do! Plus it meant Preetam gets to spend some quality time on an activity with Arjun too.  

I didn’t want Arjun to pick up on my fears but it looks like he may have inherited some of them! He enjoys the water until he’s under.  I’m hoping with time it’ll get better!

I always go try and go to swimming lessons to watch my little man – it’s fascinating watching him change so much in different environments over time. I often feel the drag of a Saturday night on a Sunday morning (weekends are generally pretty busy!) and don’t fancy getting up and getting dressed especially in this cold, but the thought of missing out on anything he does jumpstarts my backside right out of bed!

Arjun and Daddy at swimming

I also took Arjun to Kew for some holiday shopping this week with my friend Fiona and her baby Estelle.  Probably not the best day to have taken him, his teeth seemed to cause so much unrest that it made parts of the trip quite difficult.  I often fall in to the habit of not doing too much in public with Arjun incase he “plays up” – there’s always that fear as a new mum of “what will people think” e.g. if my baby screams the restaurant down.  But slowly I’m becoming more and more confident in just getting on with it – so what if he cries? Babies cry, people just gotta deal with it! I was one of those people before that used to get irritated in a restaurant by a screaming baby – karma hey!  Plus he had a legitimate reason – his rosy cheeks and lumpy gums tell me he’s teething. He was a gem the rest of the trip (when he was asleep! Haha).

Arjun entertaining himself at lunch during our shopping trip

 

Arjun also met his Sav Masi (aunti) for the first time.  Sav is one of my best friends of ten years but has recently embarked on a new adventure in Japan.  She wasn’t here when Arjun was born so met him through Skype.  It was lovely seeing them meet face to face for the first time.  She’s a natural :) Arjun took to her.  He’s good with new people at the moment – probably because we have an open house and always have people coming in and out so he’s used to it!

Arjun with his Sav Masi x

 

This week Arjun stumbled upon new found fame too! His face got published in a book ... ok not quite but he got his first personalised book from Sav which included his face.  It’s soo cute and I’m sure he’ll find it fascinating seeing his face amidst all these other characters!  You can find this and other personalised picture books at www.itsyourstory.co.uk.

Arjun also got his teeth (well no real teeth but gums!) brushed with Colgate this week.  Prepped him for his play dates with all his little lady friends! I thought now that he’s fully weaned, it would be a good idea to start especially as he has slight reflux and the smell of food vomit is slightly less bearable than milk vomit! Mean mum!

We attended two baby groups this week; one at our local Church which was really more for mums to catch up whilst babies played with toys and the other was music and movement – my favourite of all the baby groups we’ve been to so far.  They have a mixture of play time, rhyme time and baby sensory and Arjun loves it.  His favourite thing today was a tomato soft toy (wonder if he thought it was real!?) and the fibre optic string lights.

 

This week Arjun has slept through the night five out of seven nights. Not holding my breath that this is the new found routine as I know it can revert back to as quick as it came on!

Other things; Arjun tried black beans and strawberries for the first time and also told me he wanted water for the first time(I thought that’s what he was doing at least) by grabbing his sippy cup – but really he thought it would be funny to get water all down his clothes! We also visited my friend Pav who is also about to have a baby and embark on the journey of motherhood! :)

What have you and your babes been up to this week?x

Half a year old already!

Hello all, 

Hope you're well!  

 

I can't believe Arjun has turned six months already! Boxing Day marked his six month birthday. Time is just flying and he's grown so much right before my eyes. It almost feels surreal. My tiny little baby has now grown in to a mini man ... Ok not quite but he's not far off!! 

 

We celebrated his six month birthday with a "banana cake"! He loved it and didn't hold back in demolishing it - proving to us that his baby led part of weaning is working! 

 

The last six months have gone by so quick but we've done lots and Arjun has developed so much. Every day he amazes me in different ways. I find his development fascinating. His personality is also shining through clear as day - he gets his hands on type attitude from his daddy and his perseverance from his mummy ;) 

 

I thought it would be nice to share a quick summary of things he's achieved in his little life x

 

Things we've done:

• Attended his first (two) weddings
• Had his first fun filled Christmas - amazing 
• Celebrated Guru Nanak Dev Jis birthday - we went to Snakes and Ladders with Arjun's friends 
• Met Santa and absolutely loved him! 
• Started swimming lessons at 11 weeks with Water Babies
• Had his first virus :( 
• Visited the Gurdwara (Sikh temple) several times - he finds it very peaceful  
• First trip to Brighton - he enjoyed people watching at the restaurant!
• First time visiting an aquarium - The Lost Chambers at The Atlantis in Dubai - he was mesmerised!
• Had his first Diwali
• Moved Arjun in to his own nursery (at four and a half months) 
• Had his first Halloween and celebrated with his baby friends 
• Experienced his first flight - he was an angel 
• Formed a routine
• Had his first holiday - we went to Dubai when he was five months old - it was amazing 
• Seen the beach for the first time  





Arjun meets Santa

Arjun with daddy at the Gurdwara on Diwali lighting a candle



Family holiday selfie x



Arjun admiring the view in Dubai
 

Arjun at Brighton Pier
 

Arjun enjoying the swimming pool in Dubai



Things he's learnt to do:

• Pick and shake toys
• Hold his own milk bottle (five months)
• Sit up (five months) 
• Kick his legs in the water 
• Eat his whole hand
• Swallow - started weaning at four and a half months. We went for a combination approach. His favourite food at the moment is porridge or toast!
• Poo/pee on the potty/toilet (obviously too little to tell us when he needs to go yet) - he prefers to be on the toilet when pooing as finds a dirty nappy uncomfortable plus it's much easier to clean after!

Arjun holding his own bottle x

Things he loves: 

• Choosing which toys to play with - I let him grab a few toys from his toy box each morning
• Animal Pants book by Brian Moses - he loves this book as it has full picture pages
• Bath time 
• Ball pit
• Watching anyone and everyone do the hoover!
• Charlie and the Numbers on Baby TV (and mummy singing along!)
• To scream when having fun 
• To laugh especially when spoken to 
• Dogs - he finds a barking dog the most hysterical thing!
• Children
• His nursery and his jungle friends 
• To dismantle his toys - he finds it more fun to break things than to actually play with them - definitely his daddy's boy. So inquisitive!  
• Music and movement baby group - a combination of nursery rhymes and baby sensory 
• To pose for the camera! I wonder where he gets that from! ;)  
• His turtle bath toy 

Arjun picking his toys

Arjun and our dog Bruno x

Arjun in his nursery

Arjun with Preetam's parents dog, Junior

Arjun enjoying bath time x

Arjun with my parents dog, Chico x

Arjun in the ball pit at Snakes & Ladders

Arjun "reading" his favourite book x

 

To do list: 

• Learn to roll - no real sign of this as yet!
• Learn to crawl! - again no sign of this happening anytime soon!
• Becoming more comfortable with being under water at swimming - I have a real phobia of going underwater and I hope he hasn't inherited that! :( He's pretty fearless otherwise. 
• Sleep training!

Overall, we've had a super exciting six months and I'm looking forward to watching Arjun grow and develop over the next six!

I'd love to hear about your baby's developments too :)

Finally, my sister in law sent me this article and I spent ages laughing! It's hilarious so thought I'd share: http://www.buzzfeed.com/hannahjewell/problems-youll-only-understand-if-youre-six-months-old?s=mobile

Thanks for reading x