halftime report

Now that our favourite teams have been booted out of the World Cup (DH: England, moi: Brazil), I guess I have some time to update this blog.

On Sunday 2 July we started on solids! After much anxiety, nerves, general trepidation... Actually just baby rice mixed with lots of milk. We began with the 11am feed. I fed her a little from the breast first, then when she took a breather we transferred her to her high chair and fed her the baby rice-milk gruel.

As my mom predicted, Leah took to eating with a spoon like a natural ("She's not this size for nothing"). She was even grabbing the spoon and the bowl, wanting to get her little fingers on the meal.

But I am still kinda stressed over the whole idea of solids though, as I am not a cook and the thought of preparing her meals (when she progresses to other things besides baby rice, like sweet potatoes, carrots, pears etc) everyday is scary. I hope I don't overcook them!

The other confusing thing is what to do next. Some books suggest starting with the 11am feed and then switching to the 6pm feed (i.e. keeping it once a day for a few days more), before having 2 meals a day. But one of our paediatricians suggest that we progress to 2 meals a day (breakfast, then lunch), before we move to 3 a day.

Then there's when we should add more baby rice: at the end of the first week or after we have progressed to 3 meals a day?

Ooh, what to do...

As for development milestones: Leah is still not rolling over. This is her 24th week (although her 6th month birthday is still another week away). But she can raise herself up on her arms when I put her on her tummy, and she can put both feet in her mouth now (she explores everything by putting them in her gob).

One of my friends said not to worry about achieving these milestones as her DD only rolled over at 13 months (although she was crawling at 10). I am not really that fussed, honest. But it would be nice to have her more fit; she is tending on the Michelin man side.

At least her neck is much stronger now and when we pull her up from a prone position her head follows her arms.

She went through a babble stage: b's for a week ("bahbahbahbah") but that's over. She now does a semi-near-hysterical "hngh hngh hngh". These past 2 weeks, her voice also changed. It's a bit hoarser now. I wonder if it's anything to do with teething and the excess saliva?

We had a bout of nasty headcolds a month ago. I fell ill first. Took 2 weeks to get over it, then DD caught the bug. I think she quickly got over it though (no green candles issuing from her nose) and seemed none the worse for it too: she still slept okay and ate well. But after she got well I got the bug again. For another week, but in a milder form. This was the first time I was ill since I became pregnant. (I had a cold when I flew to the UK but nothing as bad as this latest round.)

I was a bit twitchy about Leah's cold though --- her first illness afterall. But we didn't need to bring out the Calpol or anything, thank goodness.

This half year has really flown by. We've been making very short videos (from my digital camera) and generally doing a weekly photo op, just to keep a record of her growth. With each new week I forget the previous one and what she was like then. I wonder if this is how mothers cope, reserving energy for the next day of mothering.

Last month, Leah's other set of grandparents (paternal) finally got to meet her. It was a monthlong get-to-know-you session. I don't know what impressions DD will get from this though. Someone joked that babies' memories are just slightly longer than goldfishes'.

Her paternal grandmother is the only person I know who can make Leah laugh just by speaking to her. Something in her tone of voice maybe.

I wonder what the next 6 months are going to bring...