Growth Spurt

A few days ago, I had an inkling that the Boy may be having a growth spurt. I don't usually notice any actual growth until I'm stretching his nappy tabs to get them to meet, or have finally stopped having to roll up sleeves and legs on his 9-12 month clothes (yes, folks, he's almost 20 months old. But I'm only 5ft, and HID is 5ft7, so Boy was never going to be tall was he? It is a bit annoying when all those thoughtfully bought jumpers and coats he received as Christmas gifts fit him in the height of summer. But then again, we do live in England).

The first difference was the sleep, and for once, the difference was an abundance of the stuff. For 4 or 5 days in a row, he was *sometimes* waking once during the night, begging to go to bed an hour before usual, and not getting up til 9am. 9am! I honestly didn't know what to do with myself. I was waking up at 7am, thankful for the extra half an hour I'd had in bed, and calculating I had no more than 15 minutes to shower and dress, so leaping into action. And two hours later, I'd be downstairs, looking immaculate (well, sort of), breakfasted and a few chores and my physio exercises done, twiddling my thumbs waiting to be graced with Boy's presence. All very strange (and obviously, wonderful), but I'd put it down to a very tiring and exciting weekend at Bug Jam, punctuated with broken sleep in a strange bed and late nights. This was as well as 2hr+ daytime naps (at least one).

But the main reason I suspected my Boy was growing like billy-o was his appetite. As a baby-led-weaned baby, he has always enjoyed food, especially trying new things, and I really don't think there is a food he has tried that he consistently dislikes. If I offer it to him again another day, he's suddenly in the mood for it! But he can go days without eating much at all, I've learned to trust that he knows exactly how much he needs, and if he doesn't touch breakfast, dinner and tea, and instead has a few bits of fruit or whatever one day, it's because he doesn't need it, and he'll catch up another day.

But I was eventually inclined to stop trusting his judgment of his tummy full/empty-o-meter one day recently at tea time. I'd made him quite a big bowl of pasta, I didn't expect him to eat it all, and he didn't. After most meals, I ask him if he'd like "something else". As adults, we sometimes don't always fancy what's on offer that day, or save room especially or desert, and I really don't see why it's any different for little ones, they just aren't as adept at telling us. So I ask. Sometimes he is genuinely full. Sometimes he has something sweet. Sometimes it's something savory. That day, it was a peach. He loves them, and ate literally every scrap. He looked pointedly at me and says "moaaar!" while pointing into his left hand, his version of the "more" sign.

So a plum was offered. And devoured. Ditto to the biscuit (not something usually given), the leftover pasta re-heated and re-offered, two bowls of natural yoghurt with raspberries mashed in, one bowl of vanilla ice-cream (don't judge me, I was rapidly running out of ideas!), and some of the lunch he had not eaten at lunchtime and was in the fridge for the following day. "Moaaar!" came the cry of the bottomless pit: "No," came the reply. "No more now." He was not impressed, and at bedtime drank a very full cup of milk within seconds, proof of his "empty" tum, but I
literally did not have another morsel to offer him without starting to cook (again)!

So I think he may have been using all his energy growing recently! Unfortunately, the sleeping is pretty much back to normal, i.e. a 7.30 pm bedtime, crying for, well, nothing really, at 11pm ish, waking at 4-5am for milk,then getting up around 6.30am. Great! He has also resumed a normal appetite. Which is actually quite a big one, my friends with same age children assure me. They do often wonder why he does not resemble a “michalin man” baby, he's not skinny, but there is certainly no baby-fat on him. Perhaps something to do with his “high need” -ness, i.e. unless he is asleep, and sometimes not even then, he is never still. I mean it. Never. He just doesn't stop. That's why he needs so much food and sleep! If I ran round as much as him, I would be a size 8 who dines on pizza and chocolate every night, and I'd definitely need an early night and a lie in!