Some More Firsts

As Milly nears the 5 month mark, she has started to add a few new tricks to her burgeoning repertoire of cuteness.  It doesn't seem too long ago that this was restricted to the occasional, well-timed goo, or pulling a quizzical face as she was ponders the meaning of the garbage that we speak to her!!  But in recent weeks, her personality has really started to shine through.  She seems to smile all the time now whenever she's with Elaine or I, she talks to her toys, shouts at whichever one of us is sleeping during her feeding time, and points her finger at you to let you know that she is not impressed.  But last week the icing on the cake came when she laughed for the first time.  It seems to really tickle her when Elaine or I laugh, and that sparked a little giggle from Milly.  She first did it for Elaine, so the following day I was prepared and was able to catch a short video of it. Great fun.  What has also become apparent in the last few weeks is just how strong she is becoming.  Her neck is now strong enough that she can be picked up without supporting her head, and she can sit up with support and have a good look around.  Her latest favourite game is being rocked backwards and forwards while having 'Row, Row, Row your Boat' sung to her.  This is definitely a favourite game, because if you dare not to row with her, she lets you know about it by pulling you and moving herself backwards and forwards!!!

As I have written previously, both Elaine and I have dreaded Milly's first bouts of illness.  With all the things that we were told, we had taken precautions to ensure that we didn't expose her to any unnecessary germs.  It even got to the stage where you begin to worry that you're being over protective and actually doing more harm than good by not letting her immune system develop.  This is no longer a concern, as Milly caught her first cold a couple of weeks ago.  It was actually rather uneventful really.  She was really snotty, leading to some colourful sneezes, and she had a couple of days where breathing sounded like it was a struggle.  But it didn't really bother Milly, she carried on regardless and got over it quickly, sharing it with her Mummy and Daddy along the way!  This has been quickly followed, however, with her first tummy bug.  She caught this one off Elaine and I, despite our best efforts to keep it from her.  She has not been so happy with this one, with her feeding amounts dropping, and her general mood not being great.  The tricky thing with the bug is that we are left guessing how she might feel by how it affected us, which means she won't feel great.  But she seems to be on the mend now, however she is just a little more tired than normal.  But that is true of us too.  Luckily the remedy that was effective for us has also worked for Milly, staying in bed watching Comic-book films!!!  I'm sure that those of you reading this with children will not be surprised about any of this, knowing that Milly's first illness would probably not be a big deal.  But no matter how many people suggested that this would be the case, it was hard not to think that Milly could have been in the minority of children that don't have a "regulation" first illness.  I guess that is a feeling that we will get used to!!

Over the last few weeks, Milly has taken a particular liking to chewing her own fist, as all babies start to do at some point.  Her fondness for this seems to be coupled with her  desire to see just how far she can reach down her own throat, which has had the expected result on a number of occasions.  We are hopeful that these are not the first tentative steps towards a modelling career, but actually the first signs that she is getting ready to start weaning.  There have been a few other signs.  She seems willing to put anything in her mouth, she has started chewing, rather than sucking, her dummy, she is drooling a lot, and she is getting close to being able to sit up.  Given that over the past few days Milly has also had really rosy cheeks, it may also mean that she has started teething, although I'm not sure that she is in too much discomfort at the moment.  The whole weaning process is another thing that is giving us a dilemma due to Milly being 6 weeks early (apologies  if I am sounding repetitive!!).  Milly's actual age (20 weeks) is old enough for us to try her on some baby rice.  But her amended age (14 weeks) is too young.  I feel that in this case, we have to follow the amended age because we have to consider the physical implications of the size of her stomach.  There is only so much she will be able to fit in there.  With Milly seeming to be content with her milk, I think that we will leave her a few more weeks.  It won’t be long now though, and I'm sure she will much rather be sat in her high chair at the table with us at dinner time, so she can see what we are all up to and join in with the conversation!!!