Sunday 27 October 2013

Feeding stretch, follow up

After that quick post-race feed, the baby did two more short feeds before she went to bed.

And I thought I'd be fine.

But I woke up at 1am and it huuuuuuuuurt.

Needless to say, I pumped almost 200ml after her first feed this morning.

Sometimes, breastfeeding can be a real pain!!

Saturday 26 October 2013

Feeding stretch

I got to compete in my first regatta today, with the dragon boating I started a bit over a month ago.

I needed to be there by 7am - urgh.

The Bubby woke up at 530 so I fed her - she did 4 minutes on one side, 2 on the other.
I didn't get the chance to feed her again until almost 130. That's 8 hours after a small feed, which was 10 hours after her last feed.

On the plus side, The Bubby took a bottle of EBM from The Husband. I'm glad she did because she had only really half fed from the bottle until now, and it had been ages since we last tried.

But there was a part of me that felt a little rejected, which is silly, because I want her to start formula for her day feeds before she starts daycare next year. And the pain in my chest kind of wanted her to feed when she arrived with The Husband and The Toddler at around 11.30am.

Friday 25 October 2013

Anniversary

Yesterday was The Husband's and I fourth wedding anniversary, and The Husband took the day off today so we could get some stuff done.

I dropped The Toddler off at daycare and we spent the day with The Bubby - the first time since our trip to Sydney a few months ago. Although there was lots of in and out of the car and the carrier for her, I think she really enjoyed having all of the attention.

Even better, The Husband looked after The Bubby when we got home and I got a 90 minute nap! That's the best gift a husband can give his wife...

Thursday 24 October 2013

Physio follow up

I went back to the physio today - a follow up from the last visit where it turned out I was doing my pelvic floor exercises upside down (ie, doing the opposite of what I was supposed to be doing).

Good news, I'm no longer doing them upside down.
More good news, my pelvis was only slightly out.
More good news, I was able to lift my muscles by about one centimetre.
Even more good news, the exercise I've been doing

Bad news - my pelvic floor still isn't 'fixed'. I'm not sure how far I can push it, nor do I really want to try. We found some ways that I can do the exercises and tell that they're working, so I'm hoping there'll be a bigger improvement when I go back in a month.

Wednesday 23 October 2013

Eczma

The Toddler has had itchy/scratchy skin for a while now, so I decided it was time to do something about it.

A trip to the chemist left us with some treatment cream and the advice to stop putting anything in her bath water, other than QV wash.

I hope it clears enough that we don't need to go down the path of working out if there is a food that we should avoid that is causing the reaction...

Tuesday 22 October 2013

Dinner tantrum

We had my family over for dinner last night - it was our turn to cook family tea.

I'd been talking to The Toddler all day, telling her about how all the family would be coming to visit, so she was ramped and ready for the arrival.

However.

When it was time to come inside and eat dinner?
EPIC TANTRUM.

Our plan?

Leave her outside for a while. Then I force her in. Then she commences crazy screaming and crying jag. Then she eats two bites of dinner as bribery before being allowed to visit the cat that came with one of my brothers and his wife. Then she gets a piece of ice cream cake.

Something tells me she won't really understand why her behaviour wasn't spot on.

Monday 21 October 2013

Courage

I try to get the whole family out on a weekend, rather than sticking around the house (seeing as I feel I'm here all the damn time!) - last weekend we went to the botanical gardens, this week we went to the arboretum.

The Toddler loves the playground there - it has four swings, two of which are the type you lay down on. In an effort to keep her away from spending two hours on a swing, we took her over to the climbing castle. And she took to it like a fish out of water.

Last time I went with her, she climbed through two rope segments to get to the second level. This time, she was climbing big round ladders and frames to heights much higher than we could reach, then going down the slide. Each time she made it to the top of the slide, she'd proclaim 'I did it!' and throw her hands out, before sliding down and saying "I did it! I do it again!" and repeating. I showed the husband where she had climbed up to last time - it's no mean feat, with the rope segments letting you see clearly how high you are. I only let her get to that second level before bribing her back because I was there alone with her and had The Bubby in a carrier on my front, so I couldn't go up and rescue her if need be.

Before we knew it, she was up on the fourth floor.

I felt sick.

It was so high, it was full of bigger kids, and other than going back the way she came, the only way to get down was a big, twisted, enclosed slide. And there is no way I would ever go down that slide.

I sent The Husband up - I was expecting to hear her thump and bump her way down and come down bawling, but someone elses daughter appeared at the bottom. And then someone elses son. And then just as The Husband kicked his thongs off to start ascending, she appeared. Facing backwards, and on her hands and knees, looking a little shocked, The Toddler.

She was so brave.

There were no tears (from either of us!) but she hasn't really stopped talking about how it was dark and scary.

It will be interesting to see if she wants to do it again next time we go.

Sunday 20 October 2013

Smug dinner

After the near-burn fiasco with The Toddler last week, I finally succeeded is blending up some pasta for The Bubby's dinner.

She went ape for it.

Pasta, pasta sauce (whole tomato, basil and garlic), cheese and peas, with a bit of water to help it mix.

It took me long enough to get in the habit of putting food aside for The Toddler, now I need to start putting a bit extra aside to blend for The Bubby.

I did feel smug about how well she took to it. That's promising.

Saturday 19 October 2013

Feeding

The Bubby has gone back to sleeping through (amazing!!!).

I am still adjusting to it (again) after my boobs got used to her waking for a feed at night. I find myself waking up on my back, for fear of setting them off.

However, her feeding has also petered out a bit. Which I feel both good and bad about.

For the most part, she is down to four feeds a day - roughly 7am, 1130, 330 and 730 (to sleep).

But, the last few mornings she has only done one side for her morning feed (OUCH), and less than five minutes at that.

On the plus side, I'm getting some more frozen EBM stockpiled, which should be handy for a few nights out.

But I'm not sure whether it is a permanent or temporary thing - should she really be cutting back her feeds already? She is a fantastic eater, but is that 'bad' if she shouldn't be just yet?

The Bubby has her needles next monday (hooray) so I think I'll ask the MACH nurse about it then.

Friday 18 October 2013

Weight lost!

Well, I only lost 200g this week.

But I successfully achieved 'life time membership' with Weight Watchers!

So, as long as I stay at 2kg or less above the top of my healthy weight range, I will be able to go to meetings for free.

It's mixed emotions - It's nice to have achieved it, but I was hoping for a bigger loss this week.

That and the fact that a nanna pulled me over after the meeting by saying 'Oh! Congratulations on making it to life time membership! Although, you didn't really have that much to lose, did you?'.

Hrmph. 11.9kg down, hopefully another 3 to go!

Thursday 17 October 2013

Broken sleep

The Bubby has been sleeping well.

I decided once she turned 6 months on Saturday that if she woke before 5am, I would start settling her rather than feeding her, in an effort to drop that over night feed.

Sunday night at 1am, I thought we were being burgled and I was up exploring the house to make sure we weren't. The Bubby woke at 5am, The Toddler woke at 6am, 620, 640, 650 and 7.

Monday night at 1am The Toddler woke up and just walked in to our room (no idea why, I settled her back to sleep). At 5am one of the birds got his wing caught in the cage and I was on the phone to the emergency vet working out what to do. At 6am, The Bubby woke and fed only one side. Then she woke again at 630 for the other side. Then The Toddler was awake at 650 and I had to hide in The Bubby's room so that she wouldn't hear me and come out of her room 'before the sun comes up'.

Tuesday night at 130am I woke up from a nightmare that The Husbands ex girlfriend was shooting me. At 4 I woke up thinking I heard The Bubby. At 600 I fed The Bubby.

Last night I also woke around 1 and 4 and 6 (The Husband was gettng ready to ride to work), then up at 7 with The Bubby and The Toddler.

I am really hoping I can start sleeping through as well as my girls are.

Wednesday 16 October 2013

Hot Pot

Well, the babies first aid course I did when The Toddler was younger just paid for itself.

I was making dinner last night. I had strained the noodles in the sink and heated up the pasta sauce in the microwave. I took it out and put veggies in, and I was in the cupboard looking for the blender so that The Bubby could have some too.

Then, from right next to my leg, I heard "What's this mummy?".

And at the moment I started my gasp and reached to pull the hot pasta sauce contained out of The Toddlers hands, the container fell away from the lid that she was using to hold it. Hot pasta sauce all over the floor and her sandals and feet.

The crying began within the same second I had whisked her off the floor, shouted "DO NOT TOUCH THINGS ON THE BENCH!" and started my run to the bathroom, yanking off her right shoe (the saucier one) to stick her in the bath with cold water running. Then I took the other shoe off and put the plug in to keep more cold water.

After her tears stopped and about five minutes, I pulled her out to have a look, but a whimper started, so she was back in the bath for a full 20 minutes. During which she cheered up immensely and stood eating plain pasta in the bath.

I am so glad there is not even a mark on her.

I am so so glad I took that first aid course - I might not have thought to whisk that shoe off as quickly as I did, or I might have tried wiping her feet, or I mightn't have kept her in as long as tried to use lukewarm water.

Tuesday 15 October 2013

Play feeding

The Toddler doesn't have many dolls. She has two, but she doesn't really show all that much interest in them.

Which is why when she started playing with one the other day, I was really curious to see what would happen.

She cradled it and gave it a hug. Then she pulled up her shirt as if to feed it, and placed it on her bellybutton.

I chose to not read in to that as an indicator on sagginess on my behalf.

Then this morning, she found some of the padded inserts from an old bra of mine, and stuck them down her shirt - she told The Bubby 'it's time to feed!' and then pulled them out and left them on the bedside table.

She also tries to help with The Bubby is distracted at feeding time, by pushing on her head to say 'not watching tv! It's time to feed!' before whispering 'that's better' when it looks like she will feed.

It's adorable, but also interesting to see how much of it she has taken in. She does point and say 'milk in there' and knows kind of what's going on when I have to express. I am just glad she has never asked for any.

Monday 14 October 2013

Changing

One of the best pieces of advice I've applied with The Bubby that I heard from a mothers group friend was when they start sleeping through, you don't need  to change their nappy overnight.

It does make the night time feed quicker and it wakes her up less.

Sunday 13 October 2013

Tummy time

It's funny how quickly you can go from feeling great about your 11.5kg weight loss to feeling flat about it, with just one sentence from your toddler:

"Is there a baby in there, mummy?"

NO.

NO THERE IS NOT.

Six months old

I can't believe it.

It's been six months since we welcomed our littlest baby girl into the world.

Six months since we first saw her little dark head and little dark eyes peer out with a grumpy glare.

Six months since the first time I cried when I held her.

Six months since The Toddler became a big sister.

Six months.

Of course, she doesn't feel that old. But it's hard to tell how old she 'feels' compared to The Toddler, largely because of the time she was in the harness.

The Bubby will roll from back to front (a lot), but very rarely goes back. She is maybe nearly close to being able to hold herself up in a sit position, but not yet. She is okay at putting food in her mouth and a real gun at eating food off a spoon.

She laughs, a lot. She was cracking up like it was amazingly hilarious when The Husband was bouncing a plastic ball outside with The Toddler in front of her yesterday. She kickes out her arms and legs when she sees me. She lights up at almost every look at her sister. She babbles and gurgles and raspberries and squeals.

She feeds 4-5 times a day now. Mostly she is in a routine of 1 early morning feed (2-5amish), 8ish, 12ish, 4ish and then to sleep (my choice, in my effort to get her to sleep through). She eats three meals a day, mostly baby mush but also baby mum-mums, toast and steamed fruit. She drinks water with her meals and loves it, smiling as soon as the cup is in her mouth and reaching out for the handles.

She holds on to toys and crinkles them. She puts a lot of things in her mouth. When she is tired she sucks her thumb, when she is extra tired she also grabs her ears or the top of her own head. Her fontanelle still pulses with her brain. She doesn't have as many neck rolls as her sister, but she is well covered nontheless. She poops like a person, not like a baby, and now 5 of her last 6 decent big poops have been presented to me while I have been changing a smaller poop.

Her hair is growing, and growing in fairer. She has a spot of stubble on the back of her head that is growing but is fun to brush against my face. She has amazing long dark eyelashes like her sister, and such expressive eyes. Her eyebrows look like her fathers, with loose hairs hanging down, but move a lot like mine. She has pinchy little grabby hands that love to hold on to my fingers. She has raised big toes that stick up like her Nanny's. She has only two folds in each thigh.

She is my baby and she is now closer to one than not.


Friday 11 October 2013

Tether end

I didn't go to the parenting course last night.

I got a few email reminders leading up to it, but they were full of things like "Are you at the end of your tether?", "Is everything you're doing just making it seem worse?" and "I'm looking forward to connecting with you".

I sent an apology email, indicating that The Husband wouldn't be back from work in time, and the lady was lovely and said not to hesitate to contact her if I needed, at any time. Which is nice, but also reassuring that it sounds like it's something I don't really need.

In fact, something The Husband said the other day is what got me thinking more about it - he was commenting how lovely and sweet The Toddler is, and of course I agreed. "Why do you think she is the way she is? It's because she's spending time with you".

(I should note he meant it in the way that she is sweet because of me, not in a 'YOU'VE MADE HER THIS WAY!' kind of way).

I also think that the language explosion she's going through (every week! so many more words and phrases and concepts!) is helping us communicate and easing the frustration.

Thursday 10 October 2013

Joyous joyous

There is no greater joy than that which comes after a day (A DAY!) of cleaning house while The Bubby naps and lays on various floors and beds while The Toddler is at daycare.

There is space in my house again!

There is not grit in every corner and room!

Toys are in boxes and trays!

Clothes are off the floordrobe and in the wardrobe!

Mirrors are spotless!

Such a pleasure!!!

Wednesday 9 October 2013

Zoo

Bad mummy sandwich:

 - Taking the toddler to the zoo (good!) but taking all the shortcuts to leave quicker (bad) because you forgot her suncream (bad) and could only bribe her in to it by buying her a paddlepop (bad).

Tuesday 8 October 2013

Knees

The Bubby is getting really good at rolling over on to her belly, but not so great at going on to her back.

Now, there has been more than one occasion where she's been crying in her cot rather than napping, and I've walked in to find her at the top of her cot, on her belly.

She has also started pulling her knees under her butt. As in, the next step will be pushing up on her arms, and the step after that will be crawling.

STOP PLEASE.

Let's just focus on rolling first so we can all get some sleep, before my gorgeous baby Bubby becomes a crawler then a stander then a toddler....

Monday 7 October 2013

Holding

When we were getting ready for the arrival of The Bubby, I know that I was mentally preparing myself for a big hard terrible slog.

My reasoning was that if I prepared myself for the worst, I could only be pleasantly surprised or I could be right - either way, it's a win.

I probably don't need to articulate in this post just how much of a dream baby The Bubby has been.

When I have taken her out shopping and had her in the pram, only a few times now, I find myself missing her.

When we went to family tea after my trip to Sydney, I didn't want my mum to hold her because I hadn't really 'seen' her much that day, and I wanted a turn.

I found there are times when I almost physically ache to hold her - I see her and I need to feel her in my arms. Or when she is in the carrier, I can't help but wrap my arms around her - she is already pretty damn close, but I just want to hold her closer.

I feel bad and/or sad that I don't remember feeling this way with The Toddler when she was younger.

I don't know if it's because she completely exceeded my expectations, or because she seems so much like me, or because I know she will be the last and every last of hers is my last too. But it's the first time I've really 'gotten' that quote about how your children are pieces of your heart on your outside.

I feel it when I look at The Bubby, when I walk in to her room and her face lights up and she throws her arms up in anticipation of being picked up. I feel in when I The Toddler leans in to my neck for a hug, or gets excited about 'the sun is up!' or she laughs with The Husband while he stirs her.

I am so lucky to have both of my girls.

Sunday 6 October 2013

Cut down

The Bubby fed at 7am, 1130am, 330pm and 800pm.

I hope we're not up all night, and that maybe (just maybe?) she's able to stretch this far now.

She had a weetbix with boiled water over it at 830am, a sachet of chicken and veg at 130pm, and a piece of toast, a baby mum-mum and half a sachet of bangers and mash (with some water) at 630pm.

Saturday 5 October 2013

Lunchtime naps

I may be (read: I am) guilty of letting The Bubby nap on me in the middle of the day.

Typically, once I've got The Toddler down for a nap, 9 times out of 10 The Bubby is due for a sleep. If I put her in the cot, she takes a little while to settle sometimes, or she most likely will only sleep for 45 minutes.

But, if I lay on the couch with her on my left arm up near my face, with my knees up, she will sleep an hour or an hour and a half on me.

The Husband got to witness this today - previously he has commented that I shouldn't make bad habits - I am hoping now he sees just how well it works!

Friday 4 October 2013

Eating

The Bubby is up to eating three packets of food a day (yup, typical second child scenario).

I've pulled out the baby food books so I can start giving her more solid food (as opposed to puree) but I still can't get my head around what I used to do!

She is a fantastic little eater, so I hope she keeps it up.

Thursday 3 October 2013

Toilet

The other day, The Toddler decided she would sit on the toilet for the first time.

It has taken some coaxing - she first mentioned it a few months ago after one of the girls in her daycare rooms started toilet training and brought in a trainer seat. So, I went out and got one for us to use at home - but The Toddler was scared of it.

I'd gradually got her to play with it (still clean), and she had sat on it on the floor with her pants on.

I was brushing my teeth and she was brushing her teeth while sitting on the adult toilet (pants on).

We put the training seat on top of the closed toilet.

Then we took the seat to the other/main toilet.
She sat on it on the lid with pants on.
She sat on it with the lid up and pants on.
She sat on it with the lid up and pants off.

And, over about 10 visits to the toilet that day (at her request) she did two wees.

Since then, there's been five or so visits to the toilet with zero success.
Although, there has been three tantrums where she has cried for chocolate (the reward she received when she wee'd).

I don't think she knows when she's about to wee, I don't think she's ready.
But I'm not sure what to do about it when she asks to go - it usually means I have to camp out on a little stool in the toilet, holding The Bubby, making small talk about 'what's that?' (not many things in the bathroom, so it's a little repetitive).

Wednesday 2 October 2013

Sleeping

I wasn't going to say anything because I don't want to jinx it - but I want to keep a record!

Four out of the last five nights, The Bubby has slept through. That's from 730ish until 6ish.

AMAZING.

Tuesday 1 October 2013

Dobbby

There are times I feel like a house elf.

Like a lot of the time.

Particularly when returning home from a full day with both girls to find only a few things done around the house, not even half of the amount you would normally do while looking after both girls at home.

Yes, this is passive aggressive.
But, everyone knows I'm not cut out for house wifing.
Whinge moan b!tch.