I had intended to write regular updates on how Oscar was getting on but somehow time slipped away and I only wrote one! You can read about his development during the fourth trimester here and I thought I’d pick up on that post to record the moments that we’ve had since then.
Meeting Milestones
Oscar first tentatively rolled over when he was four months old and honestly from there I was expecting him to do it all the time … but there was no wow he’s doing it moment… he rolled very occasionally and incrementally doing it more and more gradually as time went on. Even now at nearly nine months he’s not a huge fan of rolling but is able to roll both directions.
At six months his back was getting stronger and stronger and he was getting ready to be able to sit up and eat. Doctors advise that you start weaning at six months and I couldn’t wait to start trying real food. I lovingly prepared home-made broccoli puree and I was super excited about spoon-feeding him his first meal. Of course he hated it and spit it all straight out, I would have been upset but to be fair it was pretty funny! Based on the advice I was given I gave him a meal of pureéd vegetables everyday for ten days, at which point I started introducing baby rice and baby porridge. After ten days of this I was instructed to introduce everything else like meat, fish, fruit etc. I really wanted Oscar to be a foodie and to love food but every pureé was met with the same face of disgust.
I had my eureka moment at seven months when I started giving him finger foods – peanut butter on toast fingers and avocado. He loved it! From there I started doing a combination of traditional spoon-feeding and baby-led weaning. Now Oscar is on three meals a day, he loves fish, eggs, minced beef, bread, peanut butter and pasta. And we’re trying new things all the time! Now we’re in lock down, I’m cooking for all of us and while sometimes it gets tiresome, most of the time it’s really fun and I’m enjoying feeding him rather than feeling like it’s an ordeal. I’m also still breastfeeding him, which has become second nature really. I’d say to anyone struggling in the early days with breastfeeding, persevere as it gets so much easier!
From about six months little O could sit up but his little head would wobble around and eventually he’d flop down. At exactly eight months he could sit unassisted, I still put cushions around him just in case but he’s sitting like a pro! We’re still doing plenty of tummy time and waiting in anticipation for the first time he crawls.
Physical Development
It’s been amazing to see little O grow and thrive! He remains quite a small baby and is still able to fit into size 3 – 6 months even now at nearly nine months. One big change was his hair. Oscar was born with a lovely head of dark brown hair but it fell out and he was a little baldy, also suffering from cradle cap. At around five months it suddenly started to grow and now he’s a got a lovely full head of thick hair.
From this…
To this!
We’re still eagerly awaiting the appearance of teeth!
Social Development
Oscar and I absolutely love going to our baby groups and meeting people. I’m sure other new mums will agree that it can be a very lonely time when you first have a baby and those groups really are lifesavers. I’ve made some wonderful friends through attending local groups and baby sensory classes. I’m actually gutted that with the lockdown we can’t go to our groups but I’m very lucky to have a strong support network on What’s App and to be able to go to online classes. 
Lots of people have asked if I miss travel but actually what I really miss is those baby groups! I love watching Oscar’s personality emerge, everyone observes that he’s a really chilled out, happy, smiley boy – I can’t wait to see what the beginnings of this personality turns into.
Special Occasions
One thing I’d been very much looking forward to was my first birthday as mum. Oscar and Mr S well and truly spoilt me with lunch at Scott’s restaurant, dinner at Le Dame de la Pic and weekend meet up with my friends at Sushi Samba. Mr S and Oscar bought me a gorgeous Dior handbag which I will absolutely treasure.
Christmas was the next special event (oh my gosh doesn’t that seem like light years ago) and it I was so excited to take him to Santa, dress him in Christmas outfits and buy him lots of presents. It was really the best Christmas ever! Plus he got to spend it with his grandparents, aunts and uncles and cousins for lunch at the Savoy.
Though he slept through most of New Years, fortunately he woke at midnight so we could cover him with kisses as we entered the new year!
For his six month birthday we treated him to a day at the aquarium which he loved!`
Another day I’d really been looking forward to was Mother’s Day. Mr S did his best to make sure I had a great Mother’s Day even though we spent it in isolation in our flat. He and Oscar bought me some lovely cards and presents and we got takeaway from Hakkasan, one of my favourites. It wasn’t the Mother’s Day I hoped for but I still got to be with my favourite boys.
Last weekend we celebrated our little bunny’s first Easter! Of course under lockdown it wasn’t as fun as I hoped but we gave him and Easter egg, played with bunnies and lambs and watched Babe on TV!
Travel
Since I wrote my last update, Oscar has been quite a few travels! His second trip was to my favourite hotel, Soho Farmhouse where we introduced him to horses and bunnies and we took him to restaurants and for walks. 
His next hotel stay was at the Lowry, when we went to visit friends in Manchester. It was quite meaningful to take him here as this was actually the first hotel Mr S and I stayed in.
Our trip to Austria was Oscar’s second country, his first press trip and first ski trip! I love showing little O snow for the first time and dressing him up in his little ski suit. It was so much fun!
Our recent holiday to Dubai and Oman was his first big trip, first long haul flight and first time out of Europe. I was nervous about the long flight and I was also nervous that murmurings about Coronavirus in the UK were beginning. But honestly it turned out to be one of the best holidays I’d ever had and I’m so glad we got it in before the travel bans. We loved our hotels; Six Senses Zighy Bay and the Burj al Arab and Oscar experienced so many firsts! Like putting his feet in the sand, seeing a camel and going on a boat! I was really hoping to take Oscar away more this year but end 2020 with four countries in his passport is pretty good for a baby!
Postpartum
I absolutely love being a mum, even more than I ever imagined. I’m really treasuring every moment with little O and though we can no longer meet the people we loved or go to our favourite places, we are enjoying time at home and more time with Mr S.
I am fully recovered from my c-section and I’m left with a tiny, barely visible scar. If you read some of my previous posts you’ll know I was torn between the decision of having an induction and a c-section when I found out I would have to have Oscar early. I’m still certain that I made the right decision.
I was very lucky that I didn’t gain much weight during my pregnancy and the extra pounds that I did gain melted away. Which was pretty good considering I did absolutely nothing for that to happen – quite the opposite in fact. Since Oscar has started taking longer naps and I have more time during the day, I’ve been able to exercise more I now I’m looking pretty much how I did pre-pregnancy. However it has to be said living in isolation isn’t good for the waistline lol.
That’s it for the 4 month – nine month update, I look forward to writing lots more about what Oscar and I are up to!
