The baby chronicles #10: Awakening

Weeks old: 10
I like: Kicking everyone, boobs, making weird little noises, when mummy pretends she’s going to eat my feet
Mummy is learning to: Keep track of all my moods, keep a calm face when I am screaming my head off in public

In the last week or so Little O has had what can only be described as an awakening. He’s been smiling for a few weeks as well as showing some awareness of our presence but this is different.

He suddenly “plays”. It’s hard to describe but he makes eye contact, smiles and produces all kinds of excited noises and if you tickle or bounce him he’ll throw his head back in joy. It is honestly one of the sweetest things I have ever experienced and for the first time I feel like he really knows that I am his mummy. Not that I am the only one who gets treated to his smiley little face. Of course Mr O is one of his favourites but he’s also an outrageous flirt and if anyone female shows him the least amount of attention he goes completely gaga.

The playing also extends to his baby gym. We’ve been laying him on it to look at his toys for weeks now but he’s been mostly disinterested. He now suddenly kicks and bats at the toys in a whole new way, like there’s actual intent behind his actions. In this video he’s giving the mirrored sun what for but his usual favourite target is the large clown fish. Of course with new happy moods, come more intense grumpy moods and we’ve been dealing with a lot more strops than we used to. We have a vague suspicion that that might be related to some very early signs of teething since his dribbling is out of control. I was hoping for a few more weeks of respite.

In other news Little O now weighs a whopping 6.8kg/14lbs and no longer fits into his 0 – 3 month clothing. This isn’t too surprising considering his relentless appetite. He’s always up for another feed, which means he’s still waking up every two to three hours during the night. It seems lots of babies start sleeping through for longer at this age but it doesn’t really bother me that Little O doesn’t. Because he’s in bed with me I can feed him as soon as he wakes up, which means he rarely cries in the night and goes straight back to sleep once his tummy is full. He does take up a fair bit more space than when he was born though so sometimes Mr O sleeps on the futon downstairs so he has a little more space. I miss him but it does mean everyone sleeps better.

As for me and my “injury”, I am feeling so much better. I have barely any pain beyond a little tenderness and the nurse who has been coming to check and dress the wound daily says that it’s healing extremely well and there’s no reason for me not to go on my holiday on Saturday. I am feeling better about my body as well but I have decided to have a one-off private session with the therapist I was seeing in London just to help me settle my feelings and make sure I work through what is causing me to feel the way I do before it becomes a big thing.

I don’t want to jinx anything but unless there is another disaster next week’s blog will be coming to you from sunny Somerset West in South Africa. Now wish me luck!