Dear Diary: Indie is 8 weeks old already!

Wow, I can not believe how fast time goes. From dragging so much at the end of pregnancy to flying by when they are here. It's scary that my baby is 8 weeks old already.

Week Five:
Indie's clinginess continued and I was spending hours of the morning just vegged out in front of the TV while she slept on my chest, feeling guilty because I wasn't getting the house work done and the washing wasn't being put out. But I then read a blog post about how for 9 months your baby has spent warm and snuggled with you, going everywhere you go, listening to your heart beat and smelling your smell, it's only natural for them to want to sleep on you, where they feel the safest, and that's when I stopped thinking to myself that Indie was being clingy and stopped letting it get to me. As long as she is happy, fed & clean nothing else really matters. I do love snuggling her but I was finding it difficult when she wouldn't let me put her down.
Since we got the car back, it's been really nice getting out and about and taking Indie to visit everyone. I think the reason I was going out a lot was because Luke went back to work, and I wanted that conversation. Me and Luke have decided that once a week I would take Indie down to meet him at work for lunch. The first time I did this, Luke wanted to take Indie up to his office to show her off to everyone, which was really sweet. Everyone rushed towards us and circled Indie, Luke looked like the proudest dad in the world, it was so lovely to see.
I started taking Indie to baby massage as well, she was struggling with constipation and I was told baby massage would help. I was a big nervous going on my own, but all the mummies there were alone. Indie was so quiet the whole way through, like she was really enjoying it. I enjoyed it too, talking to other mummies and it made me feel like I was being interactive with my baby and doing the right things for her.

Indie Five Weeks Old

Week Six:
Indie was smiling!!! Like full on big cheesy gummy smiles. They were/are amazing. But finally knowing for sure that she was smiling was amazing. I really cried a few times. Every morning I would look into her moses basket and talk to her and she would clock in on me and just smile and smile, the best smile in the entire world.
During the week she also started to talk to me, coo at everything I said to her, and she became more content being left on her mat. She would just lay, kicking her feet and looking around the room, talking and smiling at everything. It was amazing to watch her. So instead of getting the house work done when she was like this, I would just sit and watch her.
At the end of this week it was my birthday and I let my mum have her over night, it was heart breaking to leave her, but I knew she was in safe hands and would be okay. I tried not to think about the fact I left her all night, but I checked in a few times. And both me and Luke woke up at 3am, because that was a normal time for her to wake up. I even surprised myself and didn't go pick her up at 7 in the morning, I actually went at dinner time to get my birthday cuddles. I felt refreshed after getting an "okay" nights sleep.

Indie Six Weeks Old

Week Seven:
Going through all Indie's clothes and pulling out the ones that don't fit her anymore and realising she probably hadn't even worn half of them, I had my favourite baby grows and was so upset when I she was getting to big for them. I couldn't believe how fast she was growing, and being shocked at how much she weighed every time I took her. I have decided that I want to make a patch work blanket or quilt out of my favourite grows of hers, something that she can keep forever, maybe use for her own children one day. I have kept the blanket from the hospital, she has literally had that from the second she was born, and it quickly became my favourite blanket for her. I will treasure it forever (hoard more like!).
She was starting to take her bottles so much better and we had to up her Oz's, she was being in an awkward stage of wanting 4 and a half, so not matter what I had to throw milk a way. But now that she's on regular bottles and amounts it was time to try and get her sleep into a routine. So we started putting her into her moses basket at a certain time every night, whether she was awake or not, and leaving her there. So soon started to know the difference between light and dark, she would be happy to lay awake babbling to herself and falling asleep on her own during the night (when it was dark), but in the morning when it was light outside, she would not be put down, she would just get angry and start fussing. I'm just happy we managed to move her body clock around.

Indie Seven Weeks Old

Week Eight:
I can't believe that my baby is eight weeks old already. It's amazing to see how much she has grown since she was born, even since she was four weeks old. Not only in length but in weight. She's getting some chubby cheeks, arms and legs on her.
Over the last weekend I was invited out to Luke's step-sisters 21st, and it was an all girls night, so Luke had Indie on his own for the first time since she was born. I had planned to stay away over night because we live to far for me to of come home. I could tell he was looking forward to the challenge and to spend some quality time with Indie. I knew my sister (who lives with us) would be very hands of and a big help if he needed her to be. And she was. I checked in as much as I could, I tried not to be overly protective but I couldn't help it. Finally at 11 Luke told me he was going to bed and for me not to ring and Indie was perfectly fine. I went to sleep at 4 in the morning but woke up at 7 and had to get home to her. It wasn't that I thought anything would happen to her, but I missed her, and I knew she was at home and I just wanted her cuddles.

During this week we got Indie to sleep all through the whole night!!! Oh my we was so happy. Not only to of had a full nights sleep, which of course was amazing, but we're doing this parenting thing right. Getting her into a routine!

Friday 28th August

Indie had her injections this week, and her routine check up. Everything was perfect with Indie, and she's perfectly healthy. Getting her injections though was horrendous. I felt like such a bad mum. I had got her all calm and happy, and she was looking at me and smiling, she was holding my hands and was evening cooing at me... Then the doctor put the first needle in! The shock and pain on Indie's face was heartbreaking, and then the scream that came after... I felt so guilty, like I shouldn't of got her so happy and made her feel so safe, for that to happen. I guess every mum feels guilty. It's a necessary evil.

Indie Eight Weeks Old

Indie at eight weeks:
Indie has really found her voice and can focus a lot better with her eyes now. When we speak to her, she will clock in on your face, and start talking. She's a lot more smiley lately, especially in the mornings. And her sleeping at night is great. Her bed time is 10pm every night (with the odd exception) unless she falls asleep earlier. She is starting to do 6-8 hour stretches of sleep, which is great for mummy and daddy. She is now able to hold her head up on her own and follow people around the room with it. She is also becoming very strong with her legs, we stand her up on the floor and chase Elijah around. Elijah is great with her and is very protective when he wants to be, a lot of the time he just wants to be part it all. Indie has found her thumb a few times, but she hasn't realised that she's in control of her own hands yet, so she doesn't suck her thumb for long.

Sucking her thumb

She is liking her dummies a lot more now, they really relax her when she's tired. Her favourite place to sleep is still led straight on my stomach and chest, but there are rare occasions that she will send her self to sleep if she is lying on her mat.

Indie Five Weeks Old

My little girl is now eight weeks old, and they have been the most tiring, amazing and most rewarding eight weeks of mine and Luke's lives. Watching her grow and learn every day just amazes me. 

It's true what they say about finding out who is going to be there for you when you have had a baby. And for all the help we have had thank you so much. Without good friends and family around us I don't know how we would of got by. 

Personally I want to thank my amazing husband, he's been a rock since day one. He's just so hands on and wants to be there for every single moment of her life. He takes over when I'm finding things tough. I couldn't ask for a better daddy for Indie, we're both very lucky ladies.