Our kids are a colossal challenge, aren’t they? Every minute of every day they can come up with a new trick and we’ve got to quickly learn how to handle it, otherwise we’re in trouble. And it is a known fact that what works for one family doesn’t work for another, and all kids are different. And when we finally find that something that WORKS, it will always work up to some point - and then stop.

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If there is one thing I can tell you about moving home with a 10 months old baby, it is don’t expect it to be smooth and easy. If there is one advice I can give you - prearrange and outsource. Think about this day in all the tiny details and prepare everything you can beforehand.

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It is amazing how babies learn this mew skill - walking. Eric started to stand up in his cot at about 8 months. He was holding on to the bars and slowly pulling his body up into standing position. A great tip I was given by Rob’s cousin – put some shoes on your baby as soon as they are able to stand up. Babies need get used to these new strange thingies on their feet, so that when they start walking the shoes won’t get in a way. Many babies that aren’t used to the shoes are tripping over a lot, which frightens and discourages them from trying to walk more. To be honest it took me some time too to get accustomed to putting shoes on Eric’s tiny feet – at first it seems like they don’t belong there.

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We had hunger and thirst crossed out, he wasn’t cold or hot, he wasn’t in pain, and we were running out of ideas and patience – try putting up with hours of crying when nothing helps. Finally we found out what was causing Eric those mood swings - constipation.

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My baby is nearly 9 month old and it looks like we finally have a routine I can trust. He has 2 naps, one in the morning and one in the afternoon and has 3 solid meals a day. That is, if you ask me, almost too good to be true! And the best thing is that Eric has worked out this routine for himself.

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Entertaining a baby is a juggling act and I am sure every baby is different - but here is what works for me. My trick is to not let him get bored, keep him moving from one activity to another. After he had enough of playing in his porta-cot, I let him crawl on the floor for about half an hour, then we try to master the skill of walking, play with the fridge magnets a little, then we go for a stroll in a the pram, to the shops – he likes to watch the people.

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Don’t you just hate the parents of those perfect babies? You know, the ones that sleep through the night, eat without making a mess, never have bad days, smile all the time and quietly play on their own with their little toys.

Don’t you just hate the people that say to you: “Your baby is waking up for feeds at night? Oh, that’s awful, you poor thing - at this age he must sleep through!”

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First of all the teeth appear in pairs. Pair numbered 1-1 comes first, then the pair numbered 2-2 and so on. There is also a time frame for teeth appearance: first four pairs erupt in the first year, pairs numbered 5 and 6 – from 12 to 18 months, pairs 7 and 8 – from 18 to 24 months and pairs 9, 10 after the baby is 2 years old.

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1. Don’t get to excited just yet ! My baby is 10 months old tomorrow has the first 4 pairs by 8 months and is now getting pairs 5 & 6 and is really struggling with thse ones

   Comment by Amy — December 12, 2008 @ 2:36 am

2. Oh gosh, I know exactly what you mean. My baby is 14 months now and still struggling with those pairs. All the symptoms, you name it - he’s got it. Cranky, in pain, can’t sleep at night, no appetite, diarrhea. Oh man, it’s tough to see him suffering, my poor baby.

   Comment by Emma — December 12, 2008 @ 2:53 am
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We just had a weekend from hell. It was a getaway I was looking forward to for a month and Eric made it as unpleasant as it was humanly possible. He was cranky for 3 days in a row, it took me an hour every time to rock him to sleep and he was awake after 45 minutes. Rob was joking that in terms of return on investment, when you invest 60 minutes to get a return of 45, that investment sucks :)

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I can not believe my eyes - my baby is suddenly sitting on his own! He maintains the balance, doesn’t use his hands for support, happily plays with the toys and doesn’t need to lean back. This is a major milestone and it takes some getting used to

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