Vaccinations, Christmas and leap 3

With the tantrums of leap 2 still fresh in the mind, leap 3 loudly announced its arrival. 

We were heading into an eventful period with Juna’s first Christmas and her first vaccinations ahead of us, so we were prepared for anything. 

Merry Christmas!

The fussy phase of this leap struck just in time for Christmas, and as icing on the cake, Juna’s first vaccinations were scheduled in this week! Thankfully the jabs ran quite smoothly, so we managed to jump that hurdle, and she also seemed to be handling the leap without too much difficulty. However, we did notice she’d become quieter. Since leap 2, she’d learned to smile and she was slowly starting to babble, although in this phase, we noticed a few difficult and sorry-looking expressions and babbling was no longer to be heard. 

While feeding, Juna was seeking more contact. She would stroke your chin with her hand, and each time her hand went off to do its own thing, it’d find its way back to your chin again. 

By this point, we already knew Juna was keen on sucking her thumb. During the pregnancy, she always had one hand by her mouth on the ultrasounds and although this hand was reunited with the mouth soon after the birth, she would also accept dummies. However, during the fussy phase of leap 3, she frequently spat her dummy out and went back to sucking her thumb. Baby thumbs are tiny, especially when you’re so tiny yourself, so very soon other fingers and even a whole fist would find its way into her mouth. 

Non-stop smiling and chatting

After she passed through this fussy phase, I clearly saw that Juna could do a lot more than before. She was suddenly very interested in my hands and studied them intensely. 

While she wasn’t keen on in the playpen beforehand, she now had lots of fun in there. With her musical mobile switched on and her dangling toys above her, she would grab them and chat to them all day. 

For me, the biggest change was the chatting. She is encouraged by compliments and you see her making an effort to produce different sounds. Sometimes she lets out a little scream and scares herself, while other times her mouth opens wide and she tries to push air out of it. She smiles all day long when you talk to her. 

She also seems to have reached the stage where everything goes in her mouth, and this in combination with the waterfalls of dribble resulted in permanently wet tops. Time for a bib! 

After this leap, lying down quietly became a thing of the past, as Juna constantly kicks and squirms. And my word, those little legs really pack a punch! Juna is also showing a preference for sitting up, as when I offer my fingers and say ‘one, two, …’, she braces herself and pulls my fingers towards her. With my help, she can sit up and really enjoys being upright! 

Leap 3 is over

After the restlessness of leap 2, leap 3 was a walk in the park. The skills Juna has learned are so lovely.

She learns so quickly and picks up a new skill every day, which is so beautiful to see. Every evening when I take her to bed, I can’t wait to see what new tricks she will perform tomorrow. 

She’s developing so fast and it’s an important reminder that they’re only this small for a very short time. So enjoy it to the fullest while you can!

No child is the same and no leaps are the same. Experience and observe your baby and listen to your gut. ♥️

Annique, mother of Juna