Linking up with Kate of Kate Says Stuff for Thankful Thursday. What are you grateful for this week?
Note: No children were harmed in the making of this post; she just grizzled for an extra five seconds while I took the photo.
Thursday, August 23, 2012
Thankful Thursday - Velcro, etc
I'm grateful for having had a baby in the age of velcro, zips and snaps. How on earth did people wrangle the flailing limbs of screeching little she-devils (or he-devils) into clothes featuring only fiddly buttons and ribbons?
Linking up with Kate of Kate Says Stuff for Thankful Thursday. What are you grateful for this week?
Note: No children were harmed in the making of this post; she just grizzled for an extra five seconds while I took the photo.
Linking up with Kate of Kate Says Stuff for Thankful Thursday. What are you grateful for this week?
Note: No children were harmed in the making of this post; she just grizzled for an extra five seconds while I took the photo.
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Wordless Wednesday - Whoops
This actually happened a while ago, on a very windy day, but the pic always makes me chuckle, so thought I'd put it up here.
Thanks Trish!
Monday, August 20, 2012
Slippery slope of slipper addiction
When you discover you're pregnant and start devouring all the baby-related information you can click a mouse on, you come across lots of items that start with 'no one ever told me...' To the point where you begin to assume "well I've read so much advice, from 'experts' and other mothers, I must be aware of, if not exactly prepared for, almost every possibility". WRONG.
Despite all my research, there were some things no one told me. Like how having a baby in late autumn meant that seven weeks into being a mother I'd decide owning four pairs of slippers was a very good idea.
I'd never before spared slippers much thought, other than having an aversion to those awful novelty type ones that look like dinosaurs or fluffy cartoon characters.
Yet one morning I found myself thinking "gee I'm glad I've got each of my four sets of slippers".
I've got a pair of cheapy ugg boot-type ones from Kmart (cost eight bucks!) that are the warmest. Then there are my Snoozies, which are like thick, fluffy sockettes. Very quiet to walk in and soft and comfy, though their sticky, rubbery bits on the sole have you accusing people of spilling cordial everywhere.
The third pair don't have anything around your ankle, so you can slip them on hands-free. Not the warmest, but great when you stagger out of bed for night feeds.
My last pair were (they've since died a crumbling, sole-shedding death) flip flops made of fluffy slipper stuff. They were just what I needed when it wasn't exactly cold, but too cool to go barefoot.
Yes. Clearly I have too much time on my hands.
Have you ever made a trivial, surprise discovery? Or am I the only one wasting brainpower on things like indoor footwear?
Despite all my research, there were some things no one told me. Like how having a baby in late autumn meant that seven weeks into being a mother I'd decide owning four pairs of slippers was a very good idea.
I'd never before spared slippers much thought, other than having an aversion to those awful novelty type ones that look like dinosaurs or fluffy cartoon characters.
Yet one morning I found myself thinking "gee I'm glad I've got each of my four sets of slippers".
 |
| What my Snoozies looked like when new. Photo credit: emersonstreethave.goldenbitgroup.com |
I've got a pair of cheapy ugg boot-type ones from Kmart (cost eight bucks!) that are the warmest. Then there are my Snoozies, which are like thick, fluffy sockettes. Very quiet to walk in and soft and comfy, though their sticky, rubbery bits on the sole have you accusing people of spilling cordial everywhere.
The third pair don't have anything around your ankle, so you can slip them on hands-free. Not the warmest, but great when you stagger out of bed for night feeds.
My last pair were (they've since died a crumbling, sole-shedding death) flip flops made of fluffy slipper stuff. They were just what I needed when it wasn't exactly cold, but too cool to go barefoot.
Yes. Clearly I have too much time on my hands.
Have you ever made a trivial, surprise discovery? Or am I the only one wasting brainpower on things like indoor footwear?
Saturday, August 18, 2012
She's here! (Pretend I said that 3 months ago)
Our young miss has been in the world for a few months now, meaning I've been a bit tardy in sharing her story. (I'm loving not having to worry about deadlines at the moment, in case you can't tell.) So... Introducing Rose Amelia:
She was in no hurry to make her arrival. We hadn't wanted to find out if we were to have a boy or a girl, so the delay prompted lots of speculation - some said the baby must be a boy because it was being lazy, others that it was a girl because women are (apparently) never on time.
But when I was nine days overdue the wonders of induction got her moving. Though she was still in anything but a rush - it took a C section to convince her to finally grace us with her presence, and she did so on the afternoon of May 1.
She was born at the height of a Kalgoorlie baby boom and during our hospital stay the maternity ward had only one bed spare. Busy!
Since that life-changing day we've obviously had our share of tears, joy, smiles and spew, as well as - of course - photos...
 |
| Brand new bubba. |
She was in no hurry to make her arrival. We hadn't wanted to find out if we were to have a boy or a girl, so the delay prompted lots of speculation - some said the baby must be a boy because it was being lazy, others that it was a girl because women are (apparently) never on time.
But when I was nine days overdue the wonders of induction got her moving. Though she was still in anything but a rush - it took a C section to convince her to finally grace us with her presence, and she did so on the afternoon of May 1.
She was born at the height of a Kalgoorlie baby boom and during our hospital stay the maternity ward had only one bed spare. Busy!
Since that life-changing day we've obviously had our share of tears, joy, smiles and spew, as well as - of course - photos...
Thursday, August 16, 2012
The lucky breastfeeder
Apparently it was World Breastfeeding Week recently. I didn't actually learn this til the other day, and have only been breastfeeding for about three months, but what the hell, I'm going to post about it anyway.
I'm very lucky - luckier than I realise, I suspect - to be able to report that mine is a good news story. Fingers crossed it stays that way. My little girl, Rose, and I are yet to experience a breastfeeding battle.
It didn't happen right away for us - for the first two days of her life she was far more interested in sucking on her bottom lip than anything as mundane as a boob, so the midwives helped me express colostrum. Of which I had heaps, so she didn't go hungry. And then the third morning after she was born a genius midwife came on shift, did some kind of deft maneuvering of baby and nipple, and on she (the baby, obviously) latched. And hasn't looked back since.
I can't stress what a blessing this was - I've heard so many stories of new mums receiving 101 different lines of advice that ultimately resulted in total confusion, and a baby still screaming for sustenance. We were so lucky to have been spared all that.
My nipples did crack a little after about a week, but they were easily treated with some ointment a workmate had recommended I use.
They say breastfeeding is a learned skill, and while that is certainly true, I suspect the steepest learning curve has actually been trod by my husband. Realising that my boobs now serve a more functional - and not purely fun - purpose has taken some adjustment on his behalf. And I'm not sure he'll ever be completely blasé about me getting them out in public, or when we have friends round, during feed times.
I did have to learn what I could and couldn't eat. Mornings of constant crying every time I had chilli, onion, capsicum or cabbage in my dinner the night before meant I bid a sad farewell to tacos, my usual capsicum-based salads and all but bland casseroles.
I've also learned the bottle is a no-go zone as far as young Rose is concerned. Doesn't matter if it contains expressed milk or formula - it's not the breast and she won't have a bar of it.
So far we haven't encountered any supply issues. Which is just as well as she often chucks back up at least some of my milk. Every time I mop up another puddle I wonder why I don't just squirt a few mouthfuls straight onto the floor and save us both the time.
After three and a half months of largely problem-free feeding, it is no longer something I give a lot of thought to. We just do it, and both enjoy it.
But I do remember one night not long after we came home from hospital. I was sitting in the quiet of the night, listening to a gentle rain falling outside, with my new baby contentedly sucking away, and I couldn't think of anywhere else I'd rather be.
What about you? What have you learned about breastfeeding?
I'm very lucky - luckier than I realise, I suspect - to be able to report that mine is a good news story. Fingers crossed it stays that way. My little girl, Rose, and I are yet to experience a breastfeeding battle.
It didn't happen right away for us - for the first two days of her life she was far more interested in sucking on her bottom lip than anything as mundane as a boob, so the midwives helped me express colostrum. Of which I had heaps, so she didn't go hungry. And then the third morning after she was born a genius midwife came on shift, did some kind of deft maneuvering of baby and nipple, and on she (the baby, obviously) latched. And hasn't looked back since.
I can't stress what a blessing this was - I've heard so many stories of new mums receiving 101 different lines of advice that ultimately resulted in total confusion, and a baby still screaming for sustenance. We were so lucky to have been spared all that.
My nipples did crack a little after about a week, but they were easily treated with some ointment a workmate had recommended I use.
They say breastfeeding is a learned skill, and while that is certainly true, I suspect the steepest learning curve has actually been trod by my husband. Realising that my boobs now serve a more functional - and not purely fun - purpose has taken some adjustment on his behalf. And I'm not sure he'll ever be completely blasé about me getting them out in public, or when we have friends round, during feed times.
 |
| Keeping a close eye on proceedings. (Please focus on the cuteness of the baby and not on the ratty maternity bra, which has clearly seen better days.) |
I've also learned the bottle is a no-go zone as far as young Rose is concerned. Doesn't matter if it contains expressed milk or formula - it's not the breast and she won't have a bar of it.
So far we haven't encountered any supply issues. Which is just as well as she often chucks back up at least some of my milk. Every time I mop up another puddle I wonder why I don't just squirt a few mouthfuls straight onto the floor and save us both the time.
After three and a half months of largely problem-free feeding, it is no longer something I give a lot of thought to. We just do it, and both enjoy it.
But I do remember one night not long after we came home from hospital. I was sitting in the quiet of the night, listening to a gentle rain falling outside, with my new baby contentedly sucking away, and I couldn't think of anywhere else I'd rather be.
What about you? What have you learned about breastfeeding?
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Wordless Wednesday - Big is ... backbreaking
In manworld, bigger is better. Apparently. So when we went to buy a chest of drawers for the baby's room, Paul was adamant we have the biggest one in the shop. He was very pleased with this decision.
Until we got the thing home, and he almost broke his back - and his spirit - trying to get the thing up the stairs, past the protruding meter box, through the door, into the house and down the hall to the right room.
Do they never learn?
Until we got the thing home, and he almost broke his back - and his spirit - trying to get the thing up the stairs, past the protruding meter box, through the door, into the house and down the hall to the right room.
Do they never learn?
No, they never learn.
Sunday, April 1, 2012
It's been a while. Whoops
 |
| Almost there: My 37-week belly. Nicely, if not exactly comfortably, supported by my ever-expansive hips. |
I'd like to say it was because I spent those months time being incredibly busy doing incredibly interesting and important things. But it wasn't. Life in general just seemed to chew up my time and mojo. So, for anyone interested in hearing my excuses, or just getting an update, here's what I've been doing:
a) As mentioned, the renovations. Boy, they took a while. And we only did one room, really. But we did eventually get the place ready for us to inhabit. So then came:
b) Moving. If I remember correctly, all the cleaning, packing, actual moving, unpacking and cleaning again took a couple of lots of RDOs. Which, given we had our RDOs once a fortnight, meant the process spanned about a month. Which took us up to December and all the hijinks of:
c) Christmas season. Need I say more.
d) Working. Obviously, work is work and you deal with it. But, until a few weeks ago, it meant months of seemingly hard yakka. My previously beloved roster of nine days on-five days off was taking its toll on my pregnant body. Not helped by the fact that all too often shifts were stretching from a normal 10 hours to 11-12 hours. And I was training my replacement, which added a whole other level of drama. Then the husband started a new job, with an even more demanding roster. Meaning a lot of the work we'd shared at home now fell to me. Luckily, I had a supply of harden-the-eff-up powder handy, and would force it down whenever my sooking started to annoy even me.
e) Growing our bubba. As previously mentioned, possibly to the point of whiny overkill, I am pregnant. The above activities did, mercifully, ease off after a while. Just in time for all the third trimester fun - frequent doctor visits, dashing off from work to prenatal classes, and nights spent waking up constantly with leg cramps and heartburn - to kick in. So I bid a sad farewell to any hope of recovering my energy levels.
Until it came to a blessed, abrupt end about a week ago. When I finished work and started this blissful in-between time of having neither an alarm dragging me from bed every morning nor offspring to contend with.
I know this too will come to a screechIng halt. And soon. But for now, despite my excitement at the idea of finally, FINALLY meeting our baby in (hopefully!) a few short weeks, I'm just enjoying - nay, relishing - the opportunity to sit back and do sod all.
What have you been up to lately? If you've been flat out too, I sympathise (and completely understand if you hate me for getting the chance to now put my feet up).
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