Saskia is nine weeks old today! This is the first time I've found time to write up the blog, and for the first time there's a bit more to talk about than just her sleep patterns and family visits (however welcome these are!). So first up, at about 5/6 weeks old our daughter started smiling. We had spent weeks dismissing this as wind or it had only happened in her sleep - who knows quite why - so when it became clear she was genuinely grinning at us it was quite a special moment.
Secondly, and OK this is sleep patterns again, but she has now seamlessly started going to bed without any objection at all. Famous last words of course, but ever since the evening several weeks back when Wendy kissed Sas goodnight and walked out her room without for once summoning the bedtime jukebox (i.e. me), she's settled herself to sleep all by herself. And there was I thinking my nightly Police/Beatles/U2 medley (to name but three) was helping...
Thirdly, and this has been the biggest factor in Saskia getting herself off to sleep, her mouth has finally found her thumb (and vice-versa). For weeks we've been watching her wave her hand past her mouth in frustration, sticking fingers in randomly, then taking them out again and wondering who's to blame. But at last she's managed it - albeit in a slightly unnatural position where the rest of her fingers are more or less up her nose. And it keeps her, and us, very happy for ages.
Fourthly, she can obviously see much further now as she'll quite happily kick back on her activity mat or furry rug and spend ages staring round the room. Her choice of what she stares at (e.g. the wall) is sometimes a bit baffling but again it keeps her quiet and happy which is definitely a good thing.
Finally - visitors in the last month have included the Weiss grandparents coming to see her before they migrate to Cape Town for the winter. We managed a whole Sunday lunch in the pub in Upper Oddington with Saskia asleep in her carseat which was a first! And ten days ago, the other newborns from our NCT class (from left: Evie, Sam and Paddy) plus their parents came over so we could compare nippers - and the mums could go to the pub for an hour! In the meantime we staged the very amusing photo below. As you can see Sas is becoming quite the natty dresser.
Today at nine weeks Saskia had her first set of vaccinations, but despite feeling a bit sore is sleeping peacefully upstairs as I type - fingers crossed...
I'm sure the next month will be even more action-packed - watch this space as ever!
