I can’t believe it has been six months since I gave birth to Mabel in our kitchen. It was an amazing experience and, since that day, Mabel has been an absolute gem. She’s fairly well known for being ‘the happiest baby’ people have ever met. You’ll notice that whenever she appears in my instagram feed she’s usually full of smiles.
We’ve just begun to wean Mabel but so far she isn’t fussed. Her first food was sweet potato puree which I simply made from baking sweet potatoes, removing the skins and adding water, whilst blitzing in the food mixer. I’ve started to introduce a little bit of banana baby porridge in the morning to see if she prefers something a little blander but again she might have a few, tiny, mouthfuls but she isn’t really that bothered by it all. I’ll keep offering her little tastes everyday and I’m sure her appetite will soon pick up.
Night times are hit and miss at the moment. Mabel is brilliant at getting herself to sleep. Nap times are easy and we lay her in her co-sleeper, put on some white noise and she’s well away. Similarly at night (she goes down about 7pm) she’s the same although she will have a bottle before bed and will sometimes fall asleep on that instead.
Most nights she will wake twice and go back to sleep quickly after feeding. Other nights are a different story. On Saturday morning Mabel decided 3am was a fun time to play – she was making such a racket in her co-sleeper. Eventually, she nodded off at around 5am but by that time my mind was already thinking about the day ahead. Having said that, I can’t complain – it feels as though we have gotten away lightly over the last six months as, generally, she’s really good and has fallen into a good sleep pattern.
Giving Mabel her bottle has become quite ‘fun’ as her hands just won’t stop exploring – pulling hair or grabbing a double chin or three is a favourite game of hers. Sadly though, she also likes to scratch her own forehead which has made it bleed on a couple of occasions. It’s a shame her sleepsuits now don’t come with the fold over sleeves. I might try putting socks on her hands at night as that seems to be when she does the most damage.
Mabel hasn’t mastered sitting up or rolling over yet – which is fine by me. With three other kids to think about it’s quite reassuring to know she will stay where I put her. I’m sure she will soon be sitting and from there it won’t be long before she’s on the move.
Mabel, you really are the happiest little baby. You’ve got your own little character and are so different to your older sisters already. I can’t wait to see what you get up to during the next six months!
