eight weeks old

my little girl is eight weeks old.

She has beautiful chubbawubba thighs. She likes to dance with these thighs. I like to giggle at those thighs dancing.

She is becoming so much morealert. She loves sitting on my lap, facing out, just taking the world in.

She loves to feed. She rolls her eyes around and grabs her face with joy. I got a little sad thinking that I'm already 1/3 of the way through her breast feeding only stage. Although, it will be nice to no longer feel like a milk machine between 5 and 8pm. Feeding is our trickiest thing to do. I'm not great at reading Lucy's signs. Sometimes she means "I'm hungry." Sometimes she means "Get that food outta my face." It's pretty much trial and error.

She is still a cuddly kid. She isn't great at putting herself to sleep in the day time so most days I just put her in a sling when she is tired and she falls asleep as I walk around.

This week we...
went on a family trip to Kurrajong
made tasty pull apart
introduced Lucy to the beauty of Joni Mitchell with "Big Yellow Taxi"
went to the cinema for the first time
made baby announcements (finally)
went for a few coffees
said goodbye to Aunty Gem and Uncle Jon ;_(

help get us back in the top 100!

the shape of things

Source: bubblesmccoy.tumblr.com via Angie on Pinterest

Now that I have well and truly passed the six week "take it easy" mark. I'm going to try get back into shape.

I'm pretty hesitant to start getting obsessed about it all. Getting pregnant and having a baby is a pretty huge thing. It takes a pretty big toll on your body and it's not a big deal if it takes a while for me to loose that weight. I know my body will never be the same again and that is not at all a bad thing. For example, my body could not produce food before and now it can. That is pretty awesome.

I have read that it takes 9 months to put the weight on and so it should take 9 months to take it off. So, I'm setting myself the goal of loosing about a kilo a month.

I'm pretty bad at self motivation so if there are other mamas or just anyone in general who would like to join me I'd love to hear how you are going and if you blog it would be great to do some linkups. I'd also love to hear tips or things that worked/didn't work for you.

Here's what I'm going to try.

1. Less junk food. It's easy to eat bad food often when you are pregnant and too tired to cook. Let's cut that out!

2. More water. A breastfeeding mama needs between 2-3 litres of water a day. I rarely drink this much.

3. Healthy food not less food. Skipping meals just makes me more likely to binge on junk food snacks so I'm going to try have breakfast lunch and dinner and make them healthy and balanced.

4. Exercise. I'm trying to walk places more often and doing exercises like squats, crunches and tricep dips. I'm finding it hard to do anything more than this as my little one doesn't like being alone for very long and isn't very predictable with feeding. Tips anyone?

I'll try to post regularly about how I'm going and I'll definitely try to not put too much stock in the number of my weight. It's about being healthy and full of energy. I'm looking forward to a healthier me!

to market to market

Last Saturday was an absolutely beautiful day. The kind of day that makes you forget that it is supposed to be almost winter. We had a lovely little family outing to the markets. We have been wanting to go for such a long time and this weekend the Finders Keepers Markets were in town.

We had  a lovely time looking at pretty, crafty, trendy things. I got some lovely ideas for some things to make. I'm pretty cheap and there were lots of lovely things with lovely handmade pricetags. It's nice to get inspiration but I didn't buy anything. :(
It was so so crowded at the markets. The last FKM we went to was much quieter. It made it harder to stroll through the stalls and really appreciate the craftiness but it's great that independent designers are getting so popular.

We also went to the Everleigh Farmers markets which are just next to where the FKM is held.  They were really crowded too. So crowded that they ran out of bacon and egg rolls just as we got to the front of the line. We had a lovely time looking at all the tasty fresh produce and Lucy slept the whole time in her sling.

Then as if two markets were not enough, we went to the Glebe markets as well. We spent most of the time eating kebabs and milk (Lucy) but it was nice to sit in the sun and take photos. We looked at a few stalls and I bought a shirt that I am going to turn into a dress.

I love market days with my family.

baby...uhh...???

I'm suffering from a not so rare disorder. It's called baby brain.

In the space of a week I locked the keys in the car twice.

The first time I was fetching Lucy out of her car seat. I put the keys in her car seat so that they wouldn't poke into her. I got her out of her seat then locked and closed the door. (We don't have central locking so you have to manually lock the door.) This was awkward. Myl was at college and not coming home for hours and I had no phone and no keys to get inside. I checked the boot. It was open. Thank the LORD!
So, with baby in arm I reached over the back of our hatchback and grabbed the keys out of her carseat. It was a stretch.

The second time the boot was not open. I was driving and had put the keys back in the ignition while I got the sling and started to put it on. I stood up next to the car to put it on and then once on locked and closed the door. Myl was with me but had left his bag with keys inside the car as well. We were at the shops so Myl went off and got a lovely man from Kmart Tyre and Auto at Broadway to help us out. I told him it was baby brain. He smiled and said he had a two year old and so knew all about that.

My darned baby brain also caused the loss of my mobile phone and brand new mothers day kindle from the top of the car. If only things placed absent-mindedly on the top of cars would be nice and stay where they were left. I found my phone in pieces. The kindle is missing, presumed dead.

Oh babygirl. You are certainly worth the loss of brain cells. I am just constantly distracted, thinking of your cuteness.

Paper Mama Photo Challenge - Blue

this is my entry for the paper mamas photo challenge. The theme this week is blue.

what i wore wednesday

 I need to admit something...
sometimes I don't get out of my pjs for a while.

My little one wakes up round six or seven has a feed/change/feed and then if we don't have somewhere to be we go back to sleep. Sometimes we don't wake up till nine or ten. Then it's time for another feed/change/feed and a cuddle and a chat and a bit of blog reading, laundry, breakfast and oh! it's 1:30 pm and I'm still in my jammies.

So, in order to get me to get out of those perjims and into something lovely. I'm going to post what I wore each Wednesday. I miss getting all dressed up for my weekly pregnancy photos and now it is getting colder I can experiment with all my hats and scarves and warm things.

Now I know its Saturday today but I'm not great at taking selphys and didn't ask Myl to take my photo till yesterday/ So here is my first what I wore Wednesday taken on Friday, posted on Saturday.

Guest Post - Attatchment Parenting

 Heyfolks! My lovely friend Nic has offered to do some guest posts on Attatchment Parenting. Nic has just moved to Adelaide from Sydney with her husband and sweet little boy. They are having another little treasure later in the year.I think Nic is a great mama. She really thinks carefully about how to parent and always has fantastic and considered advice. She has been such a blessing to this rookie mum.

I'm really looking forward to reading these posts and I hope you enjoy them too.

Attachment Parenting. Part One: What is Attachment Parenting?

Attachment parenting (AP) is a parenting philosophy based on the principles of attachment theory.  In AP, parents seek to develop a strong emotional bond with their children during infancy and childhood, in order to foster their child’s development and wellbeing.

Attachment parenting is not a strict set of rules or a one-size-fits-all approach; rather, AP philosophy recognises that each child, parent, and parent-child relationship are unique, and encourages parents to become confident experts in their own child.  Drs William and Martha Sears, leaders in AP theory, write that “above all, attachment parenting means opening your mind and heart to the individual needs of your baby and letting your knowledge of your child be your guide to making on-the-spot-decisions about what works best for the both of you.” (William Sears, M.D. and Martha Sears, R.N.; Attachment Parenting, p2)

In AP philosophy, building a strong emotional connection between parent and child from the early years is key in a family’s approach to sleep, feeding, care, and discipline.  Parents who learn to be sensitive to their child’s individual needs and signals, so the theory goes, are better able to read their child’s signals and meet their specific needs.  Children who feel thus secure in the knowledge that their parent is available and responsive can be more settled and confident as they grow and learn about the world.

While there are few empirical studies on the efficacy of attachment parenting, there is a significant weight of anecdotal evidence from parents and children who have found the AP approach to be both enjoyable and beneficial for their families.  Not least of these are the Sears themselves who, in addition to being pediatrics experts, have raised 8 children of their own (including one with Downs’ Syndrome) according to their philosophies! 

Perhaps one of the greatest benefits of the AP approach is its flexibility and sensitivity, equipping families with the tools and confidence to make appropriate choices for their own children, and enabling them to work out how best to love and care for their children, whatever situation or season of life they are in.   It is true that AP can be very demanding on parents, especially during the first year of infancy.  However, it is also true that it can be a deeply rewarding approach to childrearing.  We have found this to be very much the case in our own experience raising our now 25-month-old son along AP principles!

During the rest of this series, we will look in turn at each of the seven ‘attachment tools’ which form the basis of Dr Sears’ theory of AP in infancy.  These tools, or “Baby B’s”, are: Birth Bonding, Breastfeeding, Babywearing, Bed Sharing, Belief in Baby’s Cries, Balance and Boundaries, and Beware of Baby Trainers.  I’ll also share with you from my personal experiences and do my best to answer any questions which pop up along the way. 

Until next time, enjoy that baby!

Love, Nic

pikapü

The first thing I noticed about my first little pikapü cloth nappy was the softness.

Compared to the disposable nappies my little one has been wearing it felt like heaven.

I was so excited to give the nappy a go but had to wash it first. We have been having pretty cold and cloudy weather lately so I was a bit concerned about how quickly it would dry especially as the pikapü is an all in one nappy.

I pulled my load of laundry out of the machine and the pikapü was the dryest thing in there. It was almost dry already! A few hours on the line and it was done and ready to wear. I can't tell if there was a look of relief or joy on Lucy's face when that nappy went on but she had the longest sweetest nap while wearing it. Actually as it was going I was so excited (My mum and sister were there too and we were all excited) that I think the excitement transferred to Lucy and she did a little happy wee.

It seems to be a great nappy. Comfy and soft and good at soaking up the good stuff. It was easy to clean again and came out super clean in the wash. Again it was very quick to dry and hangs nice and easy on the line. It does have velcro which you would think would ruin in the was but inside the nappy are some velcro savers you put the scratchy end of the velcro on so they last longer.

Pros - cute and cuddly, quick drying, great colours.

Cons - a little difficult to figure out how it goes on. Its OSFA so the newborn setting takes a little folding and moulding. Not impossible though.

Altogether a pretty fun and cool nappy. I think I'll buy more.

seven weeks old

my little sweetness is seven weeks old.

She likes

sleeping at night. Wow this kid can sleep. But not so much in the day. This makes showering tricky.
folk music.
Smiling
The song "What do you think my name is?"
When I say mummummummum and dadadadadadadadada
Eidelweiss, Amazing Grace, You are my Sunshine on repeat while being swayed and patted. Sleep time!
MILK!
Being wrapped up with a heavy blanket on top.
Walks in the sling.


Not so much

being put down while awake/hungry/messy nappy.
After bath time.
too fast milk
thunderous applause.

you are beautiful

I think this little one is just the most beautiful precious little soul. I spend most of the day just looking at her and kissing her sweet cheeks. I want her to always know that her mama loves her and that she is beautiful for just being her.

In the last few weeks there has been a lot of talk in the media about child beauty pageants. A big beauty pageant company from America wants to bring Australia's very first pageant to Melbourne in a few months.
You may have seen the pictures. Little girls plastered with makeup, glitzy frilly dresses and dance moves not even seen in the sauciest of zumba classes.
I'm not really sure what kind of beauty these pageants are trying to demonstrate. The little girls do not look like little girls nor do they really look like adults. It is as though their childish looks (big eyes, cute colours and frills) are trying to be accentuated but with a huge layer of sexualisation on top.

I watched my very first episode of toddlers and tiaras last night. It is a show all about little pageant girls. While I held my little girl in my arms I watched in disbelief as a four year old was spray tanned and dressed up in a swimsuit to "shake my booty" (her words) as her mother told her time and time again that "beauty hurts" and talked about her "hot little miss."

It just made me sad. The youngest competitor in the pageant was 10 months old. At what stage are these little girls able to just be a kid and run around and do kid things without worrying about looking right, walking right and shaking their booty the right way. I wonder how these young children will see themselves when they do reach adulthood. I worry about my little girl wanting to fit in, be thin and be pretty without the pressure of an actual competition she is in. I worry about this wrong idea of beauty that these girls are exposed to. That you are only beautiful if you have a spray tan and makeup. It speaks nothing of your character or the unconditional beauty seen by a mother of her child.

I want my little girl to know she is beautiful to me because she is mine. I want her to seek beauty in her heart and in her character.

If you would like to know more about beauty pageants in Australia or sign a petition to stop the one in Melbourne, here are some links.

Collective Shout
Pull the Pin Rally
Petition



Your beauty should not consist of outward things like elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold ornaments or fine clothes;  instead, it should consist of the hidden person of the heart. 1 Peter 3:3-4 

oh my laundry! -competition-

I pretty much do laundry every day at the moment.
Small baby clothes, big Myl clothes and loads of burpy cloths, sheets and towels.
I feel like I still haven't caught up from going away for the easter weekend. My bag may or may not be still half packed.

I don't think I'm technically supposed to be doing laundry what with my scar and all but I'm feeling a lot better and it's nice to get out of the house every now and then.

A while back I was sent some eco friendly detergent from Bosistos. It's chemical free and has such a lovely eucalyptus smell. I love using it and knowing I'm not exposing my little girl (and myself!) to strange chemicals with extra long names.

I love going into the laundry and smelling that beautiful smell. Oooh yea!
The detergent is ultra concentrated as well so you only need a small capful making the 1.5kg box go extra far.
It's also fantastic on the stains which with a little poopy newborn is a bit of a lifesaver.

You can find the powder at Woolworths for $9.18 a box and at the moment it is on sale for $4.99 till next Tuesday the 10th of May. So be quick and pop in to Woolies!

OR you can win it right here!


I have six boxes of powder up for grabs. All you have to do is leave a comment telling me what you would like your laundry to smell like if you could choose any smell. Franjipanis perhaps? Marshmallows? Roast Lamb? hmm...

The competition will only be running for a week so make sure you get your entry in to win some great and green laundry detergent!

natural caesarian

I was (and still am) pretty keen on natural birth. I love that birth can be such a natural and beautiful process without medical intervention. But my experience of birth was far from natural.

I was only 1cm dilated when my little girl and I were rushed into theatre for an emergency caesarian. I had barley spent any time labouring and most of that time was spent hooked up to a machine that goes ping.

My biggest fear that came with the thought of having a caesarian and medicated labour was that I would miss out on all of the wonderful hormones produced naturally by the labouring process. That I wouldn't attatch properly to my little one and that breastfeeding would go terribly. I had heard that a woman might not see her baby for a long time after surgery and that the important contact in the first hour would be missed out on.

I guess these fears are pretty valid. While I don't want to make a judgement call on those who choose to use any form of medical intervention in the birth of their babies (each to their own) there is a natural/active birth movement for a reason. I was really looking forward to going through the pain of labour and experiencing that amazing rush I had read about in books like Ina May Gaskins guide to childbirth.

But it didn't happen exactly as I had hoped. In fact it went quite the opposite.


I had a really wonderful midwife named Kelly who was with me all through the c-section. She held my hand as they put the epidural in and let me know what was going on. I had told her I really wanted to have an active birth and she was there all along the way as my active birth options were pushed from my grasp.

Kelly made sure my little girl came over to me as soon as she could after being born. It wasn't immediate as I had hoped but it was pretty soon after. I got to gaze into her eyes, give her kisses and hold her (as best I could) with Myles by my side as they stitched me up.
In the recovery room she brought Lucy over for her first feed. I am so thankful we made it within the first hour. I had been anxiously watching the clock.
I got to have that important skin to skin contact in the recovery room and then in the hospital bed on the way up to the ward. According to my mum lots of hospitals don't do this as they think the baby will fall off the bed. Let me tell you I was holding on pretty tight. There was no chance of that.

I missed out on those natural hormones but still felt an overwhelming bond with my little girl. Myl, Lucy and I spent the next few days creating our new little family and starting it with lots of love and cuddles. I'm not really sure what those hormones are supposed to feel like but I feel as though we did pretty ok without them.


It was really hard in those early days to not be able to move around easily. I didn't change a nappy till the second day and while this may seem to be a lovely idea, I desperately longed to do this simple act for my little one. I felt like a helpless onlooker. I needed Myles to hold Lucy and pass her to me if she was in her crib and I in my bed. I couldn't lean over, bend down to pick things up off the floor or even walk properly. For the first few days I walked with a stoop. I would shuffle down the corridors and need to sit down after only a short walk. Getting out of bed or a chair was a big ordeal. I watched the other women on the ward walking with ease, sitting with ease, caring for their babies with ease and longed to be them.

Before seeing them I thought my helpless state was just a normal part of having a baby till I remembered that I had wanted to go straight home from the hospital only hours after having my little one. How far I had come. I felt scared at the thought of going home. The hospital felt safe, home felt dangerous. I didn't know how I would cope.

But I did want to go home. We went home on the fourth day with the early discharge program that has a midwife come to visit for the next three days. It felt lovely to be home. I could hold my girl in my lounge chair, sleep in my bed, change her on the table I had prepared for her and rest her down in her very own cot.

Yes, I did miss out on the beautiful active birth I wanted. I missed out on the natural hormones and the water birth but in the days and now weeks that have followed I have tried to continue with all the natural parenting ideas I had thought about during pregnancy. My little one and I have created our own natural bond and it's all working out wonderfully.

sweetness

this precious bald head lights up my life.

xx


did the baldness light up your day? vote for us!

one month old

my little one is a whole month old.
she is growing up so fast.


She likes
the vacum cleaner
cuddles. All the time
her mama. I'm pretty much her favourite person now that Myl is back at college... but that might be just cos I'm the one with the milk.
the milk.
smiling. this one could smile the pants off a rhino.. if it were wearing pants.
rubbing noses with her dada.
kisses on the belly.
The song "Amazing Grace" don't we all?


 and not so much?
bathtime today was no fun
being left alone for longer than 10 mins except at night sleep time.
having stuff yanked off her head. onesies, tshirts etc
being too hot or too cold.
the pram when hungry/with a full nappy. We had one crazy pram ride in the rain coming home from FMG.

We went shopping, out to coffee, to church, to growth group, to FMG, for a stroll through Sydney uni and on a bus for the first time.

I am enjoying this little one so very much. My scar is healing nicely and I'm regaining my strength and energy. I took Lucy for a crazy pram ride because I thought it would be easier (on my poor achey scar) to go a long distance in the pram rather than the sling but ended up jogging quite a bit of the way to get my wailing child home so it didn't really work out so well. I love her.

we don't like doctors

Today we went to our 6 week doctors appointment. It wasn't a lot of fun.

Everything is well. I am recovering well and Luce the goose is getting bigger like she should.
She is now 5.2kg and 57cm long. Her head is 34cm around.

All was well for the weighing and the checking but there was one last part of the doctors appointment... the injection.

This was not fun. I felt nervous as the doctor and nurse descended on my little girls thighs, needles in hand. My littlest one was smiling up at me, suspecting nothing. The needles went in and there was a moment of quiet, a look of disbelief, a reddening in the face and then a scream. Oh my poor sweet baby girl. I held her tight and told her to breathe. She settled down a little and then had a lovely long feed. Ah sweet milk. Her loving friend and comforter.

I had an equally un-fun test myself. We both left the doctors office feeling a little sorry for ourselves and have been cuddling ever since.