Tag Archives: Ayla

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Rough night

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Thursday, 21 November 2013: Two Hundred and Thirty Four Days Old.

Ayla had a rough night last night which saw her and I confined to the couch for most of the night.

I think it’s teething… it has to be! I can’t think of any other reason for Ayla to suddenly wake up screaming at 1.30am and refuse to resettle for nearly two hours.

Ayla was definitely looking for mummy cuddles – as soon as I put her down she would start crying – but it wasn’t until her Baby Panadol kicked in that she started to relax her little body and drift off to sleep.

But it was more like fitful napping than sleeping. Every 15 minutes or so Ayla would let out a heart-wrenching whimper that left me feeling so helpless, trying desperately to pat her little bottom and shush her back to sleep.

The other thing I struggled with was ignoring the voices in my head telling me things like “you’re spoiling her“, “once you let her sleep with you; you’ll never get her to stop“, “stay strong, she’s just testing the boundaries” and “just let her cry herself back to sleep“.

It’s crazy how self doubt is so quick to raise its ugly head! Despite KNOWING that something was wrong because Ayla had never done anything like this before, I still questioned myself.

Ayla’s wasn’t her usual happy self this morning either – she’s clingy and upset and so, so tired – but there’s still no tooth in sight!

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Shopping trolley

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Ayla in the trolleySaturday, 12 October 2013: One Hundred and Ninety Five Days Old.

Ayla and I stepped our weekly grocery shop up a notch today, when I upgraded her position in the trolley from the infant carrier to the toddler seat!

For the past few weeks I’ve noticed the inbuilt straps on the infant carrier were becoming lower and lower on Ayla’s shoulders but it wasn’t until today that I could bring my self to sit her up in the trolley!

At first Ayla hated it; we weren’t even halfway round the fruit and veg section when she cracked it and I had to carry her for a little while, but by the end she was a big fan of the big girl seat.

It seems like only yesterday when Ayla was so tiny she was swamped by the infant carrier, but now she’s sitting up and looking around from the toddler seat reaching out to grab me and everything I try to put in the trolley.

I always get comments on how cute and well behaved Ayla is when we’re at the grocery store, but today it made me extra proud 🙂

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So big!

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Friday, 4 October 2013: One Hundred and Eighty Four Days Old.

Ayla’s grown so big!

It hit me like a tonne if bricks today when I peered in to see her sleeping in her bassinet at our unit.

She’s huge!

I remember when Ayla didn’t even stretch half the length of that bassinet, and now she’s hanging out of it!

I also realised how much hair Ayla had six months ago!

She had a full head of dark brown locks when she was born, and now she’s blonde with that silly tuft at the front and a back-fringe at the base of her neck.

It’s amazing how easily you can miss those little details, and maybe by seeing photos of Ayla every day on this blog you might have missed them too!

So here’s a couple of flashbacks;

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Supermarket Peekaboo

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I just remembered this video from the weekend (before we were both sick)!

We were grocery shopping and Ayla got the giggles whenever I put something in the trolley and looked at her.

A cute game of supermarket peekaboo ensued… It’s amazing how little you care what other people think when you’re being silly for your baby!

*** apologies for the crappy sound! Make sure your volume’s up and there’s no background noise nearby!***

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Out the window

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Sunday 25 August 2013: One Hundred and Forty Six Days Old.

Any scrap of routine Ayla had up until now seems to have gone out the window this past week.

I was expecting it though.

I’ve read and heard lots of stuff about how babies tend to go through a phase where their routine becomes non-existent, and I’m guessing that’s what Baby Ayla’s going through now.

I’ve been finding it hard to summarise the true extent of the routine change up in less than 300 words, so I’ll try explaining using dot points…

Over the past five days Ayla’s had (in no particular order);

  • 1 x day of no nap at all
  • 2 x days of two 30 minute naps
  • 1 x day of three 3 hour naps
  • 1 x day of the two 2 hour naps
  • 2 x days of not being hungry at all
  • 1 x day of feeding every 2 hours
  • 2 x days of feeding every 4 hours
  • 2 x nights of 5 hour sleeps
  • 2 x nights of 10.5 hour sleeps
  • 1 x night of waking at 2am, 3am, 4am, 6am

It’s been interesting, challenging, and a little stressful, but I’d be lying if I said I preferred it any other way.

To be honest, Ayla’s routine wrecking phase has actually come at a good time for me… our reno’s are on hold temporarily, Hubby is at work, and I’m having a TV series catch up week.

But I think the key here is “phase”. I have no problems at all with this being temporary, and I look forward to the end when Ayla has discovered what works best for her.

Then, I guess it’s just a matter of hoping that what works best for Ayla lines up with what works best for me so we can both get our groove back and I can get the washing done.

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So very very cheeky

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Thursday, 22 August 2013: One Hundred and Forty Four Days Old

Ayla is cheeky! So very very cheeky.

She’s recently started a new game where she stares at me with big burning eyes until I look at her.

Then, as soon as our eyes lock, Ayla gives a me big gummy grin then quickly looks the other way.

Ayla’s favourite time to play this game seems to be at night when she’s feeding.

I don’t know how long she lies there staring up at me before I notice she’s not drinking, but for a baby it must feel like eternity…The girls got patience that’s for sure!

But today was the funniest yet, when Ayla was sitting on my lap and I had my head turned talking to Hubby.

I glanced back at the TV for a second and got the fright of my life! Ayla’s whole head was turned around like the exorcist and she was staring at me without moving a muscle.

Her face must have been only centimetres from mine and when I jumped she simply shone her cheeky grin before swiftly turning back to the tellie.

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Favourites

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Wednesday, 21 August 2013: One Hundred and Forty Two Days Old

Ayla can now tell the difference between her toys, and it’s clear she has her favourites too.

She loves the noise her “Sophie the Giraffe” makes, and every time she hears the squeak Ayla opens up her mouth as if to taste the noise.

Ayla also loves her butterfly that stays with her seat in my car. It’s wings crinkle and there’s a tiny bell inside when she shakes it.

At home, Ayla loves her Alfie teddy which plays songs and says things like “I’m a happy bear”.

Ayla is also a gym junkie… Her play gym that is. She spends ages in there looking at herself in the mirror and grabbing at the hanging toys with her hands and feet.

But most of all Ayla loves her little blue elephant. It has two plastic “feet” for teething and inside it has the same crinkly material as her butterfly.

As soon as Ayla sees her elephant she gives the biggest grin, and before I know it she’s somehow managed to jam the trunk in her mouth.

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Bibs

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Monday, 19 August 2013: Twenty Weeks Old.

Everything about the baby world is new to me so I find myself learning something new every day…

Today’s lesson was about bibs.

1) Bibs are a necessity. They catch drool and spew in the early days, and then when food comes into the picture they’re like a shining light amongst the mess.

2) Bibs tend to ruin a good outfit. Ayla has so many gorgeous clothes but I’m constantly covering them up with bibs. Plus, it’s hard work to find a bib that compliments an outfit and even harder to find one that makes a statement on its own.

3) Bibs come in all shapes, sizes, colours and materials. I never thought finding a “good” bib would be an issue, but it is!

So far I’ve only been able to find one online company that addresses each of these recent bib learnings and I’m grateful!

Titchie bibs are cute, well made, soft and easy to put on. And they’re the perfect size for catching all the crazy things that dribble out of Ayla mouth… Maybe I need one for Hubby too? Lol 😉

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Four months and up

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Sunday, 18 August 2013: One Hundred and Thirty Eight Days Old.

During this weeks grocery shop Hubby and I discovered little pouches of puréed fruit for babies aged four months and up.

We couldn’t resist.

The first cab off the rank this morning was Pear and Superberries and according to Ayla it was berry delicious!

Within seconds of her very first taste Ayla grabbed the pouch off Hubby with both hands and sucked away at the nozzle – hard!

She had thick, purple, pear and berry juice all over her face, hands and clothes in no time, but she sure loved every second of it!

And so did I.

It was beautiful to watch Ayla’s eyes open wide with surprise and curiosity and see her tiny tongue lap at the flavour on her lips as it dribbled down her chin.

I can’t wait to try out the other flavours and see what Ayla thinks of them!

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Portfolio of Life

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Monday, 1 July 2013: Three Months Old.

Today, like every day, I watched Ayla absorb the world around her – sights, sounds, smells, touch – like her senses were building a portfolio of life and storing it away for her future.

Ayla’s learning faces, voices and types of cuddles. She’s learning what she wants and she’s learning how to ask for it. She’s learning the difference between inside and outside, the car and the pram, bedtime and morning.

It’s amazing, watching her fascination with things that to us are so common, insignificant and undervalued.

I wonder if, for her, its like waking up in a new fairy tale every morning, so full of wonder and beauty. And I’m curious to know when (and why) we stop seeing the world that way.