It's been a couple of weeks now since we celebrated Indiana's third birthday, and a whole year since I did a proper written update on her. So I thought it was time to write a three year update.

A lot has happened this past year. She's really turned from a toddler into a little girl, with absolutely nothing left of that little baby we knew not so long ago. Fully potty trained, no dummy, no pushchair and one very grown up girly!

A little update on her stats:

- Wearing a combination of 2-3 and mostly 3-4 year clothing (this is a massive change as she was so little for so long!)

- Size 7 feet

- All 20 teeth, that the dentist said are perfect

Routine wise we have been very blessed with Indiana and her sleep. She sleeps through from 7pm until morning; now with the help of a Gro Clock which means we don't hear from her until 7.15am! She still has an afternoon nap, and can still sleep for up to 2 hours. I know this is very rare, and we should probably start fazing it out. But honestly she's such a grump without it, and it's not affecting her sleep at night, so I'm not worried!

BIG changes this year have been potty training and removing the dummy. We started PT at 27 months back in March, and she picked it up really quickly. By July she was dry through the night. We are so proud of her and how well she's done - it's just a normal thing for her to be in knickers now, and she just takes herself off to the loo when she needs to go.

The dummy was also relatively easy to remove. We hid all of her dummies, and just told her that she was a big girl and no longer needed them. She was so exhausted that night she just went to sleep. She does still have her comforter though - Bunny isn't going anywhere and we don't plan to remove him anytime soon.

Turning three hasn't been all positive though. With developed speech and knowledge came serious attitude and a lot of talking back. The sass that we get from her sometimes is unbelievable, but I know it's all just part of her growing up.

Over the year I've seen Indie grow in confidence, and I am so proud of her I could burst. She's so outgoing and has made a number of little friends this year. She loves dancing, singing, role playing and her current favourite thing is Paw Patrol. She LOVES being a big sister and although we have had our issues with the two of them, overall she's great with Parker. 

I just can't believe she's three!

Parker's 6 Month Update // Happy Half Birthday!

Happy half birthday baby boy!

Wow, 6 months! The pain of labour may be a distant memory, but it really does feel like yesterday this little man came into the world. He's changed our lives in such a big way; and despite not having a full nights sleep in over six months, he's absolutely perfect to us.

Parker weighed 16lbs 2oz at 23 weeks, and is growing into a proper little chunk. He has chubby cheeks to rival his sister's and leg rolls for days. He's getting taller every day and his feet already completely fill his 6-9 month sleep suits! He's still in size 4 nappies, and wearing mostly 3-6 month clothing that's not leggings or sleep suits.

His hair is growing so much now and is a gorgeous sandy blonde colour, and he has the biggest blue eyes I've ever seen. He has got pretty bad cradle cap, as well as eczema which flares up every now and again; mostly on his back and neck. We have started washing him in just plain water, which has definitely helped.

At the beginning of the month Parker was on antibiotics for a throat infection, which was followed a day later by chicken pox! It was a tough week, full of snuggles, NO sleep and lots of crying. But he's been so much better since thankfully. He's also nearly out of leap 5 - so here's to less fussy days!

He still loves his milk and has a bottle every 3/4 hours. This has definitely taken a back seat to food though! We started baby led weaning at 23 weeks; he was SO ready and has taken to weaning really well. He loves toast, porridge, cucumber, rices cakes, and demolished a whole yoghurt this week which made a whole lot of mess haha. He's having 3 meals a day, but it yet to drop any feeds.

Despite all that food, this little guy still doesn't sleep through. We've both decided to start sleep training him now he's 6 months, as well all need the sleep! He seems to have realised naps are good, so fingers crossed he'll get the idea about night time too haha.

He has come on in leaps and bounds development wise though. He rolled back to front at 22 weeks and hasn't stopped since. He hated it at first (and proved this with constant face planting haha), but has learnt to love being on his tummy. He usually spends his time spinning in circles and 'caterpillering' around the room. This boy is on the move!

He can push right up now, and even brings his knees up as if getting ready to crawl! He's also nearly sitting completely unaided which is so lovely. He loves sitting, playing and interacting with Indiana so much more. Standing is also his favourite thing to do.

I can't believe we're out of the 'baby' stage already. We no longer use the playmat or bouncer. He's now in a bath seat instead of the support, and all he wants to do is play with Indiana big toys haha. We've also signed him up to nursery which he'll start at the end of March. Where did my baby go?!

26 weeks

What was your little one up to at 6 months? You can read Indiana's 6 month update here.

Indiana's 20 Month Update

The 26th July marked Indiana turning 20 months old! I think every month I just can't believe how grow up she is, and now she's even closer to turning two... too crazy to even think about! She's now the age she's going to be when she becomes a big sister which is equally as crazy; especially considering she'd only just turned one when I became pregnant.

We really think she's ready for this huge step and this month has been great proof of this. She's absolutely obsessed with her baby (she pretty much sleeps, eats and breathes with her now haha). She'll try to change her nappy, feed her milk and even put her to bed. It's heart melting to watch, and just gives us hope that she's going to love having a real baby brother around.

She's got herself into a pretty structured weekly routine now and it's making our days much easier. She wakes any time after 6am; we play, eat breakfast and get ready for the day. She then watches Mr Tumble and once he's finished she goes down for her nap. This usually lasts 2hours but can be slightly longer or shorter. Around 12ish we eat lunch and we then either go out, play, etc until dinner time. We eat dinner at around 5.30pm which is followed by a bath or more play - this is her and Jack's time which she loves. She's in bed by 7pm - and then we repeat!

Her language again is coming on in leaps and bounds. Sometimes she just comes out with a word as if she's always been able to say it, much to the shock of Jack and I! If you follow me on YouTube you'll see just how chatty she is and how many words she does know. We do think she's developing a little lisp though, not that it's a problem, it's pretty cute haha. Her new favourite is 'cuggle' which although started off sweet, gets quite annoying when she's screaming at your feet when you're trying to make dinner haha.

This month she has become absolutely obsessed with Cbeebies and a couple of their shows. We've never really put it on before but she's picked it up from her time with my mum - Monday mornings once a week haha. She LOVES Mr Tumble and constantly asks for 'mumble' on and she is mesmerised by the Twirlywoos and the dreaded In The Night Garden (all to Jack's displeasure haha).

We've been teething again this month which has resulted in a lot of poor nights sleep and loads of dribbly cuddles. She developed a nasty teething rash too which has luckily gone down mostly now. We noticed she's got her second set of molars coming through on the bottom. The dentist said she wouldn't get these until she was between 2 and 3, but according to my mum we were early teethers so I think Indie must be too.

She loves to run, dance, jump, play and is quite the little entertainer haha. She's very bossy and will get you to join in with whatever she's up to - she still loves to drag you places to get you to do what she wants haha. She can do puzzles well - she knows where all the letters go in her alphabet one and does this herself - builds huge towers and loves to play make believe. She's very independent and sometimes I just look at her and can't believe how grown up and clever she really is!

What was your little one up to at 20 months?

Indiana's 15 Month Update

Last Thursday (the 26th February) our little baby Indiana turned 15 months old! She's had a rough month of teething, colds, and has developed a pretty nasty case of eczema around her mouth too. However despite this she's come on even more with her speech and understanding.

I still have no idea how much she weighs (yes I know naughty mummy doesn't keep up any more haha), but she's getting bigger we know as her clothes are fitting even better every week. She's still in 9-12 but I MUST swap her tops over as they are getting so tight on her tummy. She's still in size 4+ nappies and her feet are still a 3H - they haven't grown since November!

Her knowledge and understanding amazes me every day. If I ask her to get me her coat she runs off and grabs it, sometimes even bringing her shoes too! Once they're on she runs straight to the door and knows we're about to go out. She'll bring you things if you ask her and understands simple commands too. She's got great motor skills as well and her ability to build a tower is outstanding! She uses her Mega Bloks and can build them 8/9 bricks high - then dismantles it, and starts again haha. She loves to have a tea party and will 'eat' her cake and 'drink' her tea (only after she's 'cheers' your cup haha). 

She can now climb onto her train and bike herself and loves scooting along. Although her legs are still a bit too short to be able to do it properly yet. Her biggest obsession this month has been her Bumbo (which she hated as a baby!). 

She still loves Bunny and her dummy and we know they're not going anywhere any time soon. She's been extra cuddly this month too and will happily sit on your lap for a story, or to watch an episode of Curious George which is her favourite at the minute - she can even say George!

Teething wise she has 11 teeth and about 4/5 coming through as we speak. We lost her amber anklet but have another expected to arrive any day now. She's really been suffering so we're praying that helps. She loves brushing them, although she's a bit too independent and doesn't let you help!

She's still having 2 bottles of cows milk a day and eating us out of house and home haha. She still loves fruit and any meat, and vegetables are still ending up on the floor. However she now eats amazingly well with her spoon and fork and less with her hands. Sleep is still pretty good too (apart from on the worst teething nights). We've finally got her a duvet and pillow which she loves.

Finally she's SO excited to become a big sister! She's got a bit of understanding what's going on and we always talk about baby brother. She now even points at my tummy and says 'bubba' and gives him kisses too.

Indiana's 6 Month Update

When I look back on this month it's crazy to see how much Indiana has learnt and changed, it's amazing to see what a few short weeks can do! Now we're at her half birthday and I can't help but feel a little sad. These six months have flown by and I just know the next half of the year will too, and then she'll be a whole year old! But anyway, back to her six month update...

Weight

I had Indie weighed last Wednesday (when she was 25+1 weeks) and my little chunk weighed 16lb 8oz! She's getting so big now, and I'm proud to say she's doubled her birth weight exactly! This was something I heard was supposed to happen by six months so I was so happy when I found out.

Daily

Routine is something that has be thrown out the window a little this month haha. Through teething, days out, and just because she's a little monkey, Indie has been all over the place with her naps and bottles! I still try and put her down for a nap 2 hours after she wakes up, but some days she would scream blue murder and I'd have to pick her up and give up haha. She loves to play now and could spend all day playing with her toys or with me. However separation anxiety is at a high and I just have to turn my back on her and she's screaming haha. We have been busy with baby massage this month, and we've had lots of play dates with my sister and nephews and other family members. 

Bedtime

With these lack of naps we have one tired little lady at bed time haha, bless her. A few days this week she's even been asleep in bed for 6.30, and still slept through until 7! Not much has changed with this routine, apart from she now has a bath seat so bath time she loves even more (but now hates getting out as she's having too much fun haha). She now sleeps on her side with is so so cute.

Eating

We finally managed to make the swap back to Cow&Gate First Stage, halle-bloody-lujah! This time we just completely changed from Comfort to Stage 1 in one go and she didn't even notice haha. The only thing we have noticed now is that as it's not as thick she's getting hungrier quicker, and will down an 8oz bottle pretty swiftly. We did swap back to size 2 teats when we changed as it was coming out far too fast. 

The most exciting update is that now she's six months weaning can begin! We're so excited to start baby led weaning (which you all know from my previous updates), and will definitely be keeping a diary on her progress. We have given her a couple of bits up until now and she's loved it all... well apart from the broccoli she tried last night, but I can't blame her for that one haha!

Sizes

Little miss is still rocking 3-6 months clothes, although certain bits are becoming very snug (especially her sleepsuits). Size 3 nappies are also becoming super tight and as soon as the packet we're on runs out we're making the switch to size 4s. 

Milestones

• She did it! Indie finally rolled back to front, and now has not intention of ever stopping haha. Only downside is she hasn't mastered getting back the other way so gets stuck often haha.
• Sitting up - she can sit happily on a flat surface (she loves sitting on tables) for a good 5 minutes without wobbling now!
• We moved up to stage 2 on the Jumperoo now haha.
• She is a mover now! While on her belly she spins and moves about the floor to get whatever she's after now.
• She no longer has her headhugger in the car seat (it made me SO sad taking this out).
• The bath support is also gone, and she no sits up in the bath in a bath support seat.
• She has great hand eye co-ordination and will grab things and never miss and pass things easily between her hands, and always into her mouth haha.
• We almost have a tooth... about time too!
• She's much more vocal and had started making a lot more sounds!

She's teething so badly she even thought it was a good idea to use her cousin's head a teether haha, she is such a funny little monkey. She also had her first proper cold this month which was horrible to see. She was so blocked up she couldn't sleep and we had to all snuggle in bed, she fell asleep in my arms which I must admit I secretly enjoyed!

"mmm... your head is tasty!"

I've loved everything she's done this month, and now with weaning about to begin I know from now on it's going to be even more fun and exciting! Everyone keeps saying she'll be crawling soon as well which I am not looking forward to... only because it's another step closer to her being a toddler and not a baby, and she's too big already!

What was your little one doing at 6 months?

Emily xx