Laila versus the bottle!

I've always worked better under pressure so, in theory, preparing everyone for my forthcoming time apart from Laila should be a doddle... until we discover that my girl has no interest in bottles whatsoever! Uh-oh, we may have a problem... and what's Laila's response? Take a look:

So Laila has taken a liking to Ella's Kitchen, so solids are sorted. However, when it comes to milk, breast is most definitely best in her eyes! Aside from my own enjoyment, it appears that Laila also prefers nursing rather than all the faffing, sterilising and warming/cooling malarkey involved when it comes to combination feeding. After trying all manner of bottles, beakers, sippy cups etc etc, she sees all artificial feeding methods as toys - having either a good old chew, rattle or general thrashing around in the air - all resulting in a milk shower for anyone within close proximity. Whilst funny to watch, this isn't boding well for my time away... although I accidentally discovered one means to an end; Laila seems to enjoy having milk sprayed from the bottle into her mouth, haha, but that's far from a long-term solution! I therefore began this week giving a few ounce of milk via a bottle before Laila's been allowed the real deal with a view to making her realise that bottles are here to stay... However, after consulting with our Health Visitor, it transpires that Laila may be one of those babies who decides to just skip bottles and go straight to drinking from a cup! I've given that a try and, hey presto, she seemed much more interested, so watch this space...

Look who can stand up!
I may be 7 months old,
but I think I'm a grown up!

I had to go to see the Dentist this week and, up until I got into the car, hadn't thought about what I do with Laila during my check-up. I now found myself just dealing with anything that comes along without the stressing which may have occurred pre-baby, so she accompanied me in and lay on my tummy throughout, watching intensely, much to the Dentist's amusement. Her hunger for knowledge is insatiable! Straight after, we went for a 'quick coffee' with Tina and Mickey which, of course, rapidly became a day of shopping with Tina and Mickey. We took a break from shopping for lunch and the babies had a little play together - adorable! Since Laila's been able to sit up, she's become even more adventurous and eager to explore the world i.e. grab hold of everything that falls within reach or manouvre herself towards anything that's not within reach. Needless to say, whatever ends up in her hands goes straight into her mouth. Over the past couple of weeks, as sitting has becoming boring, Laila's figured out how to crawl in her own fashion too; even sitting on my lap while I'm eating is becoming more difficult - she's eager to toddle I'm sure. We managed lunch on the basis that other diners around us were taken in by her cheeky smile so she had a few 'conversations' with them whilst I got on with eating! I love how she makes friends everywhere I take her - I can see the tables turning very soon - Mummy won't be able to get a word in edgeways!

Cheers Ella!

Can't believe this was FIVE months ago!

Laila is rapidly transforming from my Baby Doll to a proper little girl. Whilst amazing, I've been unexpectedly feeling a strange sadness at my baby growing up. Before having Laila, I'd always loved babies and could barely contain the excitement at the prospect of having my own. When she arrived, my feelings surpassed even that excitement - I didn't realise it was possible to feel such an overwhelmingly immense love for one person. Whilst I write this, I'm thinking it must sound so sickeningly corny that the whiff of cheese must be unbearable, but I can honestly say that even these words don't remotely do justice to how I feel about my little girl; she is my everything.

Laila's nursery furniture was finally due to be delivered from Mamas and Papas this week but, after a number of incidents (including encountering the rudest member of staff at their Bristol branch on multiple occasions), I wasn't happy with placing such a large order with them. If you've ever tried to call their "customer care" (the irony!) phone number, you'll know that you'll be placed on hold for at least half an hour, only to be offered a call back over the next couple of days. If a call back is necessary due to "busy lines", why not avoid placing the customer in an extensive queue before receiving this message? When I was eventually able to speak to a manager, I was assured that the area manager would address this employee's attitude and was given compensation, but we decided to vote with our feet and ended up cancelling the order in it's entirety out of principle. Although this puts us back to square one with Laila's nursery, I'll feel much happier getting something from somewhere like John Lewis or Mothercare where the staff can't do enough for you. I have to admit that I did momentarily cease my boycott when I spotted a perfect nursery interior for Laila, but we'll have to overlook that!

Laila's goodies! Ssssshhhh!

I'm beginning to think about next month's Champagne Cruise to Amsterdam - a luxurious 5* boat party, a chocolate therapy shopping session in Brussels, and fun and frolics with the girls! Whilst pre-Laila I would have relished the build up for the entire month running up to the holiday, I'm anxious about leaving her. How will she sleep without Mummy's goodnight cuddles? How will she feed on anything other than Mummy's milk? How will she have her daily dancing sessions while Mummy sings silly songs to her? How will I cope waking up in the morning without seeing her beaming smile? And, I may sound like a control freak but, what is everyone going to try and feed her in my absence?! Who'd have thought I'd ever be preoccupied with all these things over and above party time!

  

In preparation, with a sense of urgency since I realised we set sail in about 3 weeks, I've invested in a plethora of nutritional delights, ranging from 'combination feed' formula milk to Ella's Kitchen organic purée pouches. I couldn't believe how many varieties of milk there were - after standing there confused for half an hour, I ended up going home and asking my mummy friends on facebook for their recommendations! Aptamil it was, as the consensus was that this brand is the closest to breast milk... I'm still reluctant to use any formula milk at all but, while I'm away, I don't want to leave Laila short as she's a hungry little thing!

She's a determined girl!

I took Laila into Cabot Circus in town to open her first account yesterday. Despite recent announcements that the government is scrapping child benefit, and the nice little £250 bonus for a child trust fund, Laila still has generous relatives so we wanted to get her saving as young as possible! We went for lunch while we were out and I had my first sip of wine in about a year and a half... as you can see, Laila wanted to join in this indulgence! I can see it now - this little girl is going to grow up fast!