Baby Blogging - 10 More Things I Never Knew Before Becoming A Mum!

Back in October when Annabelle was a mere 3 month old I wrote a post about the 10 things I had learnt since becoming a Mum. The post is here.

Things have changed a LOT since then and as we approach Annabelle turning 9 months I thought I would write a follow up post as there have been a bunch more things I have now found out!

Also quick update on the last post, Annabelle's liver function is now normal so no more blood tests or meds (yay)!

So without further ado here are the 10 more things I never knew before becoming a Mum of a now crawling, almost walking 9 month old:

1) As soon as they learn to roll NOTHING is safe. Well nothing at ground level, nothing they can reach, leaving them on a bed, the dog, your phone. It's amazing you think 'how far can they get with a roll' - the answer is WAY further than you think and way quicker!

2) Weaning is gross. Okay so food is fun until they are one but OMG I did not know I was such a clean freak. Honestly the whole 'don't clean them up as they eat' thing is awful. With stuff spewing out the sides of their mouth, their grubby fingers touching everything, the outfit they are wearing becoming covered even though you have put them in a full bib. I have to suppress my need to tidy as we go so, so often. Thankfully Laura is more easy going so finds it fun to feed Annabelle but I never knew it would be a thing I hated.

3) On a similar note - Messy Play! Who came up with that concept? They sell it as 'good for development' and an 'opportunity to expose them to different textures' for me they might as well have entitled it 'nightmare'. We have only been to two classes and at my first one I went with a friend and her baby. We both approached the class the same - cautiously.

We started at the play-dough section - Annabelle ate it, moved to the wet paper pool - Annabelle ate that stuff too, and ended at the paint. I tried to remain calm and focus on doing something creative but Annabelle was more interested in eating it! By the end she was covered, I was covered and Annabelle kindly decorated her friend.

Messy play is essentially life now. If I forget to move the dog water bowl we have our own splash pool. Annabelle eating and drink (as mentioned in point 2) is every texture you could want. In the garden Annabelle likes to pick up grass and mud and as for the rest of the house she's found brushes, cotton wool, wires, sponges, she can turn on plugs and my phone so has lights on demand - I mean you name it, we've got it, so yay for having a sensory house :), intentional or not.

4) Trash is toys! I was ready to spend a fortune on the latest toys, and kindly we have been gifted some all singing, all dancing toys that entertain Annabelle, but really it's the simple things. Bottles = hours of entertainment. Yogurt pots are fun. Tin foil is highly entertaining. Put rice in a bottle and instant rattle. Mixing bowls are great hats and for hiding things in. We have spent very little on actual toys.

Also charity shops are worth using as it means you can change up the toys on offer, or in my case raid my parents garage / loft for old childhood toys. I mean my Mum saved quite a few of the basic toys and Annabelle LOVES them. I have never played with cups, balls and hoops so much in my life. It's amazing how creative you can be with a small selection.

As per point 3 you really can find so many things in your house that if you supervise you can use as toys. Wooden spoon and bowl = drum kit. Tins from the cupboard + cardboard box = shopping trolley. Big cardboard box (thanks Dyson) anything you want it to be, we made it into a boat!

5) Your (our) house is dirtier than you realise. Okay so cleaning 'thoroughly' isn't easy with a baby of any age but a moving baby will find dirt quicker than you can. We have wooden floors downstairs and our girl has a strange ability to find a pile of dust even if we vacuumed the night before (although side note we have just got a new Dyson and it's amazing and we now vacuum all the time - see pic below). Her little hands fit in gaps we never knew existed and her constant need to be on the floor means we have seen more of under our sofa than ever before.

As well as finding dirt Annabelle is also making it. A quick play in the garden means mud and grass finding their way in. Crawling into the kitchen will mean the dog bowls are emptied (unless I am quick enough to get them, which I am learning to do). For some reason Annabelle must also taste everything - the door (window smudges are no joke), the high-chair legs - now constantly wiped down. Oh and the pulling up, that brings it's own fun. Nothing can be near the edge of anything otherwise it's in for it. There have been so many spills. I just don't learn quick enough - who knew!

6) Sleep training is interesting. I never knew how much babies actually slept. I think I have referenced this in other posts but 9 months in I am still surprised. Annabelle is now sleeping for 12 hours at night and for two hour long naps in the day. We were scared to sleep train her as we thought that she wouldn't accept not being fed at night and because leaving her to fall asleep on her own seemed a big ask. But so far she has accepted both with limited drama. There has been the odd occasion where she has cried when put down but she settles herself. In fact I think it was that stopped her sleeping all night not the other way around. Long may it continue!

7) You realise why you have all 4 limbs and you suddenly become more coordinated than ever before. I never thought of myself as uncoordinated but I have also never really tested that theory. Now my coordination is on point though. Holding a moving baby, while packing the car - easy. Holding open a door with one foot, while putting on a coat, carrying a back pack and holding a baby - I have found it can be done.

8) Babies are stronger than you think and more determined than you are. I never really thought that Annabelle would be able to over power me but with a combination of strong kicking legs, strong flailing arms and a wriggle that would put a worm to shame this kid can move and make her hard to hold on to. And when she really does not want to do something it is almost impossible to force her. When it comes to the buggy I have to force her legs to bend and that's not easy. The high chair can require two of us and the car seat on a bad day would be hilarious if we didn't need to get somewhere. I mean she is SO strong and I really can't bend her.

She may look innocent!

Resisting the Ergobaby confinement

9) It is so quiet when Annabelle napping. Like obviously it was quiet before Annabelle but I never noticed how quiet. It's like eerily quiet and after a time I really start to miss her. I never considered that I would miss her or that I would find the quiet odd. It's amazing how things change when you become a Mum. I have also learnt that silence when she is a awake is 100% of the time a BAD thing! There will be mischief happening - how do they know to be quiet?!

10) That I had forgotten how to play, or be silly on demand. I know that sounds odd. Laura and I aren't exactly the most grown up grown ups but it's not until you are faced with a baby on the floor that you realise how long it is since you just sat and played. How long ago you built a tower just to knock it down and laugh. How to find it funny when you roll a ball and hit something or how to make a game out of clapping objects. Now when we see other people, who aren't around a lot of kids, we see how far we have come. While they stand back and are unsure we hit the deck and start with noises, the building or any show that will entertain.

We will do anything for a smile, including sitting and making funny faces for hours, blowing raspberries or doing dance routines to nursery rhymes. I will dance around the kitchen with vigor just to get a giggle and I am a peek-a-boo pro.

I actually love what being a Mum has done to me, to us. We laugh a lot more. We laugh at simple things than were never a thing before. We spend time being silly and it makes our days happier. Our little girl has changed so much for us and we are loving it!