my-speck

i'm pregnant and it's going to be a rollercoaster

my-speck – the blog… Luna & finishing… October 12, 2010

Filed under: Parenting — rakster @ 12:49 pm

Dear Little Miss Boona (babe #2) <December 2011>,

Boona, our affectionate nickname for little Miss Luna.

What to say, what to say?? Life has marched on, and in the middle of the marching, I got a bit faint.   Peed on a stick again, and there you were!  Due the same date two years later than your big brother.

Busy running around after a 1 then 2 year old while you were busy growing, I didn’t feel quite as open about my pregnancy the second time round.  I wasn’t sure why.

Welcome Luna Myfanwy

Then you joined us, 26th June 2011.  Again, though the VJJ with no drugs or whatnot, a bit of a quick process with me eating dinner one minute having a few contractions and then an hour later telling the midwife where to go in no uncertain terms because, “No, I’m not ready to push.  I’m not ready to have a f*ing baby right now.  Not yet.” And you of course arriving minutes later.

And since you’ve arrived the quietness in the pregnancy has all made sense.  You’re a calm and serene and happy little person.  Watching, always watching: me or your big brother.  Taking it in.  But quietly.

 

When you were in your first 8 weeks I sometimes wanted to poke you to see if you would make a noise.  Because you were so silent and content.  An occasional squawk or noise (and a yell like a fire engine when your brother tested your boundaries a few times), but generally just using your eyes and smiling mouth to communicate what you want and need….  We’ll have to see what happens when you start to talk.

 

So here we all are.  A family of four, adjusting, growing and learning.  About each other, and other random things.  Eating a lot.  Living in Brisbane, Australia.  Working, playing and cooking.

Love mum

 

 

it’s always when you’re not expecting it. October 12, 2010

Filed under: Parenting — rakster @ 12:20 pm

Last week at pilates I got a bit lightheaded, my blood pressure bottomed out and I nearly fainted.  I rested for the rest of the day, as much as is possible with a 15 month old, but then promptly forgot entirely that I’d even felt a little funny.   It had been a hot morning, the first ‘summer’ day (though it has rained torrentially every day since), so I figured I’d just overheated on the bike or whatever.  So just a bit of water and a lie down and lots of food and an excuse to watch TV in the afternoon while O was sleeping.

But of course, got reminded when I was at pilates today, and thought, “aha, I’m out of vitamins, I was a bit sick last week, I’ll just pop in and get some”.   A basketful of stuff later, O has destroyed the store as the colours of the stuff on the shelves are just too enticing and we go home.

I pop O in bed, then go and have a pee.  And discover: this.

(more…)

 

another week has flown by… and bad parent of the week award to me! September 30, 2010

Filed under: activities for kids,baby stuff,bad parent of the day award,development stages,exercise,Parenting,playing,Raising a Child — rakster @ 7:55 pm
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Hello!

bad parent of the week: mum

I award myself bad parent award of the week this week.  For not realising you were sick and nonchalantly taking you to the doctor for a check as you were extra tired and a bit cranky on Monday, only to be told that you apparently have ear infections in both ears. Which reminded me what a tolerant and happy little thing you really are, as all I had noticed was the extra fatigue and a bit of extra whingeyness when you wanted something I wouldn’t let you have (which was enough to make me want to go to the doctor to check, but I was a bit surprised, I was expecting the usual, ‘he’s fine’).. The new doctor who we’ve never met before kind of gave me a kinda funny look as he told me you had an ear infection and that you needed antibiotics, and that “you need to keep up the pain medication, that is probably why he’s upset” as I’d just 3 minutes earlier cheerily informed you “no blocks until we’ve finished with the doctor… and gee you’re a bit cantankerous today!” as you pounded on the doctor’s door in an attempt to exit the consulting room and return to the blocks you were previously happily playing with in the reception…  So yes, the new doctor thinks I’m a bad parent who doesn’t pay attention to her child’s needs and treats his health as a bit of a humourous aside.  Well, maybe that is a slight exaggeration, but that look he gave me certainly indicated he wasn’t convinced I was the best parent either.  Suffice to say it was the end of the day, you were ratty, and I was a bit more scattered than usual myself.  So maybe appeared to someone who doesn’t know me a bit nonchalant.  When really I was just a bit tired and distracted….

health – an ongoing issue

Anyway, all good.  You’re on antibiotics and you’re already getting better.  Today you played independently heaps during the day, and it reminded me how good and easy to look after you are when you are 100% healthy…. Which reminds me, it seems such a common thing that all babies are sick for ages after starting childcare.  My mother’s group doesn’t meet up much anymore as almost everyone has gone back to work, but we still email a lot, and this week one of the topics that has come up has been the relative frequency of sickness in everyone’s kids since starting childcare.  So it’s not just you.  Which makes me feel slightly better.   Starting childcare is a sickness-inducing thing in most kids.  Which I knew, but it’s still helpful to have people at the same point as us going through the same thing and talking about it.

today: climbing

So.  No swimming lesson today (thought that I’d win bad parent of the YEAR award for taking my ear-infected child to a swimming lesson).  Instead: naked playing in the sandpit while I weeded the garden.  A visit from little E (who you gave a dink to on your little trike – the cutest thing ever), a bike ride with mum and a stop in the park on the way home…

baby climbing

climbing at the park

..

All good fun.

Love and kisses

mum

P.S. Another photo from last week: exploring at the State Library.  I just let you wander about wherever, and this is where you ended up.

exploring

 

Leaps and Bounds September 23, 2010

Filed under: activities for kids,Communication,development stages,exercise,family,Parenting,Raising a Child,Sign Language — rakster @ 8:36 pm

Hello Little Poogie,

It seems that something has switched ‘on’ in your big brain, and you are going through a ‘learning progression’ in leaps and bounds. Well, that is how it seems to me anyway.

Following the incident two days ago when you told me you needed to have a sleep, which I thought was most-likely a one-off miracle, you’ve continued to do that for the past two days at every sleeping opportunity. In the morning for your nap, in the afternoon for your nap, at night before bed, and, amazingly, when you were crying in the middle of the night and I took you to the kitchen to comfort you: you told me through tears that you wanted to go back to bed. “So there! mumma, I know what I want even if I am crying!” You went back to bed and cried a little more but then fell asleep.

Weird!

Then today at swimming you pre-empted the teacher on just about every little exercise we do, throwing yourself into the water face-first at most opportunities to demonstrate that you knew your head was about to go under and bubbles were required. Almost caught me off-guard a few times.

And language. (more…)

 

My little signer: mumma, I want to go sleepy! September 21, 2010

Filed under: activities for kids,baby stuff,Communication,development stages,eating,emotion,family,Parenting,Raising a Child,Sign Language — rakster @ 1:13 pm
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Hello!

Amazing thing just happened. You actually signed “sleepy” or “sleeping” for the first time, in trying to tell me you wanted to go to bed!

the background: why i would never have expected you needed a sleep at that point

You have another permutation of the day-care-cold you’ve had for weeks, so you are a bit more tired than normal, and this morning I put you down for a sleep at 9am after you woke at 6:45 in the morning, as you were grumbling at me and just needed it. Normally you go through to around 11am now before you go down for a sleep. Anyway, you slept for just over an hour, then we went out and you played with some kids in the creche that you know while I did pilates. I’d taken you a big fat rissole and you ate that for the whole hour I was gone.

I picked you up, and you looked a bit tired, but I thought, well, you’ve only been up for two hours, so can’t be bed-time yet. We ventured home via the fish shop, where you ogled the pictures of the fish and busily told me that you wanted to eat them (all via baby signing: signing, “fish, fish” and trying to say it, then signing “eat, eat”). We jumped in the car and came home, you still madly signing “eat” and “more, more”. I made you a quick toasted sandwich with hommus, tomato and cheese, and while you munched down on that, got one for myself. I came and joined you at the table and you of course demanded my sandwich instead of yours and started to eat that.

Signing “Sleep”

Then the weird bit. You suddenly stopped eating, had a big drink of water, then started to move your hand to the side of your head and tilt your head. And I, dumbfounded wondered what you were doing. Then you did it again. And pointed towards the doorway back to your room. And I got it. Despite the fact that I’ve been signing sleep, or sleepy, for about 6 months and you’ve never shown any indication that you’ve even noticed me signing it, let alone attempting to copy it: there you were, signing “sleepy”. (more…)

 

reverting to old remedies: the swear jar September 19, 2010

Filed under: Communication,development stages,family,Parenting,Raising a Child — rakster @ 10:20 am
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Hello Poogie,

well, I hate to admit it, but I think I swear more than your father. (more…)

 

childcare, childcare. we’re getting used to it. September 18, 2010

Filed under: baby stuff,Parenting,Raising a Child — rakster @ 12:08 pm
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Hello Poogie,

thought I’d write a little bit about childcare today. You started there just under 3 months ago now, and since I wrote about it with a little negativity when your first started quite a few people have written to me or asked about how it is going.

And generally, the answer is pretty good. This week in particular you seem to be getting into the groove of it. But it has been up and down. However I struggle to put my finger on exactly what it is that has made it so up and down and generally uncomfortable for me, and have had many discussions with many people about it.

Childcare is a difficult thing. To do or not to do, in the first instance. We decided when you got the spot in the favoured daycare at about six months of age, that you were tooooooo small. And I am happy with that decision. You were too small. And luckily for us, your lovely Aunt R1 was available to help look after you, so (more…)

 

Lovely Days September 17, 2010

Filed under: activities for kids,family,Parenting,Raising a Child,swimming — rakster @ 9:24 am
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Hello Little Pumpkin,

well. We’ve had an absolutely fantastic week. You’re over the cold you’ve had for 8 weeks except for a bit of a runny nose, and you wake up every morning and run about the house laughing and playing and giggling and riding your bike and reading and eating and just being full of energy and HAPPY in general.

Our week – morning adventures

I savour our Tuesday mornings, when we get on the bike and ride off to Pilates. We look at stuff along the way, have a chat, and generally enjoy ourselves. It is fun. And today, Thursdays, are pool mornings. We get up and out of the house early, do a swimming lesson, then have a second breakfast as you toddle (more…)

 

Father’s Day – cooking; and a bit of a boogie – movie monday September 6, 2010

Filed under: dancing,development stages,exhaustion,family,healthcare,Movie,Parenting,Raising a Child — rakster @ 4:17 pm
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Hello Poogie,

Yesterday was Father’s Day here in Australia. So we got up (not so early, as thankfully for the first night since you came down with a fever 5 days ago you slept through, until 5am when you breastfed then went back to sleep until 7:30am. Bliss! First present of the day to Dad and me!!), then you and I cooked Daddy french toast for breakfast.

cooking with a baby

cooking with mum for father’s day

I like standing up here with you!

(more…)

 

Some recent photos… September 4, 2010

Filed under: baby stuff,family,healthcare,Parenting,Raising a Child — rakster @ 2:43 pm
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Your Grandma K requested a few posts ago that we share a few more recent photos of gardening backyard adventures, treks to see the mangy cat up the street, eating sultanas… etc.

So here are a few highlights from the past few weeks (yes, you are still out for the count with high fever and are currently once again passed out in your cot. Poor little thing).

Playing with your Aunts is still high up on the list of favoured activities: (more…)