my-speck

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

Blowing Raspberries – Movie Monday February 15, 2010

Filed under: Parenting — rakster @ 8:04 pm
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Hello Poogie!

I’m going to try to put a movie up some/most mondays.  Movie Monday.

Today is one of your tricks: blowing raspberries.   You learnt this one a few weeks ago now.  I was astounded when you first started it – you frequently surprise me with your ability to learn new things and pick things up that I thought would take a lot longer.  We’ve been blowing raspberries on you since day one, so I guess it makes sense that you’d learn them straight-up.

I tried to get footage of you in your favourite raspberry-blowing position – in the bed with us.  But it just ended up a bit wrong – I’m not sure everyone wanted to see my boobs flash by the camera repeated times as I lurched up to pull you off where you’d climbed on the “mum climbing frame” as you attempted to get to better raspberry-blowing position.   So I’ve scrapped that video and gone for the “on the legs on the kitchen floor” version.  Much less the wrong-pornographic home-style and more of the family-blog style effect.

Love you

mum

 

A carrot intolerance? …and I’m tired… February 14, 2010

Filed under: Parenting — rakster @ 2:19 pm
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Hello Little Poogie,

I’m tired. We’ve had a busy week. You definitely have a carrot allergy/intolerance. How we tested this? Your dad cooked you a chicken stew & forgetting about the previous carrot episode, put carrot in it. Innocous, you’d think. Well I guess I’m surprised.

Your reaction? Well, you loved the stew. Ate a HUGE bowl of it for breakfast on Friday morning. Slept, woke up a bit whingey and clingy and then bam. It hit. Vomit everywhere. Multiple times. It was heartbreaking to watch as you weren’t distressed by the vomiting itself, but as the hours passed and you were still vomiting you just got exhausted to the point where you couldn’t stay awake but couldn’t sleep either. I had to stay near you, so we lay in our bed where you continued to vomit everywhere. I tried to soak it up with towels, but it was voluminous. So it soaked through. Ce la vie.

You finally passed out and I put you in your cot for a rest but stayed in the room while you dozed and came in and out of sleep to retch more. It was worse than last time – I guess ’cause you ate so much stew. Bile it was. Again, I tried to give you a little breastmilk, but after the first time, where I only let you feed for one minute, you just didn’t have the energy.

“Here we go, a visit to the hospital coming up!” was just what I was thinking when finally in the late afternoon you seemed to look a little less green and managed to keep a minute of breastmilk down and manage a smile. I was almost sick with relief myself.

All in time for your dad to get home from work to you looking reasonably ok and me doing five loads of laundry and re-mopping the floors.

Since then your sleep has been more disrupted than normal and I’ve just had an afternoon nap as I’ve been up multiple times each night and am exhausted. Just bone weary.

You seem to have recovered (though I note that the stew seemed to come out both ends rather undigested).

erk.

Who would have thought: cooked carrot???

love mum

 

Bushwalking in the rain… February 10, 2010

Filed under: Parenting — rakster @ 8:14 pm

Hello Punchy,

Long time no write. We HAD A WEEKEND AWAY! And I left computers and all electronics at home.

We went up to a lovely holiday house in Springbrook, the hinterland above the Gold Coast.  It was a lovely weekend where it rained more than I can remember in my lifetime (something like 400+mm in one day) but we were cosy inside with a fire, except when we ventured out for a few short walks in the rain.  Which wasn’t too bad under the canopy of the rainforest.  You really enjoyed it.  It was fun to look across the valleys to all the waterfalls, which were of course in full flow.

Your first bushwalking: a good experience.

bushwalking ready

ready to bushwalk in the rain with the baby strapped on

Love you

mum

 

Activities for children: The Laugh Your Ass Off (LYAO) Game February 4, 2010

Filed under: activities for kids,baby stuff,development stages,family,Parenting,Raising a Child — rakster @ 2:01 pm
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Hello!

Yep, that is me using another one of those finnicky acronyms that usually piss me off. But my mood is up and it can’t be diquieted with simple annoyances for the enjoyable things in life win-out.

Today’s pleasure: the LYAO (Laugh your ass off) game.

Again, a developmental milestone that is talked about in the baby books and literature is babies learning to laugh. You’ve definitely nailed it.

There was no way before I had you that I could have imagined the immense pleasure and pure hilarity of just sitting there on the floor with you on the bed, playing our Laugh Your Ass Off Game.

The funniest thing is, I end up in huge fits of belly-shaking convulsive for-real laughter too. Good for the soul.

 

I love you punchy.

mum

 

Birth Stories – hopefully the start of a series… February 1, 2010

Filed under: Birth Story,birthing,development stages,family,healthcare,Parenting,pregnancy — rakster @ 4:34 pm
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Today I’m getting around to another one of those not-a-new-years-resolution resolution: get there with the birth stories. Well, start the process anyhow.  Did you notice I was digging around in the storeroom the other day looking for a book? It’s all related.  I thought I’d start simply with a letter I wrote to some friends a month or more ago – but if you’re reading and you want to take part, drop me a comment… home birth book

Hello!

As I think most of you know, I started blogging when I was pregnant & have continued on with my ramblings since then. One of the important posts that I haven’t got around to yet is finishing off the birth story post. I’ve almost got it down, I did most of it in the weeks after Poogie was born, but time is slipping away, and I want to get it out there. I’ve requested a dad version too, which is due before christmas sometime (husband read a book with dad’s versions of birth stories before Poogie was born to help with the birth preparation and found it really helpful). And I have an idea…

When I was a kid, my mother shared her experience having my sister R2, with our family, and had a home birth, which I watched. It’s still one of the best and most memorable experiences of my childhood. Perhaps another reason I remember it so clearly (apart from the event itself) was that soon after that my mum helped edit a book on birth stories. I wrote about my sister’s birth and did a picture, which was published, along with many other stories, in the book. My mum’s story of my birth and my sister’s birth, and my grandmother’s story about my mum’s birth was also published in the book. So. I had the idea before Poogie was born that it would be nice to publish not only his birth story, but republish those of others in my family at the same time, so they’re in one spot and celebrate us all. And, thinking about it further, I thought that it would be an idea to publish a few friends’ birth stories too – that is, if they wanted to share them.

So – here is my request to you. If you have a story (or two, or three) that you (or your partner or kids / family) would like to share, I’d love to be able to publish it on the blog. I’d be happy to do so. Just words, photos and words, anonymous, not-anonymous.. Whatever suits you best…

Love me

P.S. The book my mum worked on was about homebirth – but we’re interested in all types of births, babies or experiences 🙂

 

Baby Food – you’re onto Indian. Our little curry muncher. While your tastebuds are still developing anyhow. January 30, 2010

Filed under: baby stuff,eating,Parenting,Raising a Child,vegetarian — rakster @ 5:49 pm
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Hello!

So.  You tried my favourite food today: Indian Palak Paneer (or spinach and cheese curry).  I’m not sure you ‘loved’ it as much as I do, but you sure did eat some. Palak Paneer is the top of my food list. Don’t know why – just love the stuff. Actually I do know why. Spinach and cheese and curry. All rolled into one. For a vegetarian. Delightful. We make it with fresh ricotta as a substitute for real paneer, and it works out great.

Palak Paneer on the way ...

It’s coming close but you don’t seem sure

We cooked it last night for dinner, same as usual, just with no salt.  We’re getting closer to just feeding you what we eat with some slight modifications.  Anyway, I have been feeling a little lacking in iron, and was having a spinach craving, so your dad cooked it up.

Baby Food - indian palak paneer (spinach cheese curry)

Palak Paneer (Spinach Cheese Curry) for you..

And so you got it for dinner tonight as we’re running low on other home-cooked baby meals.

Eating the curry

yum?

You still prefer apples though – it’s apparent from your facial expressions.  It’s fun to watch your face when new tastes are introduced.  We’ll keep at it.

baby eating the curry

Mmmmm. Tasty?

I’ve read and heard that children’s tastebuds develop over time and it’s likely you’ll reject things you once ate happily when you get a bit older. So, for now, we’ll just let you eat a wide range and hope that somehow even if in the shorter term you start to refuse to eat a bunch of them, that the tastes sink into your subconscious and as you grow older you’ll grow back into them.

Love you
mum

 

Snaps: playing on the couch January 27, 2010

Filed under: baby stuff,eating,Parenting,Raising a Child — rakster @ 5:24 pm
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A few snaps from the couch this afternoon…

this is what the view is from where I am and you try to kiss me. Mmmm. Open-mouthed baby kiss. Only a parent could really love it.

lunging for the camera

You have a new favourite food.  Cucumber.  I can almost hear you say,

“I can do it myself, mum”….

cucumber muncher

Love you

mum

 

Me me me me me me me. January 24, 2010

Filed under: Parenting — rakster @ 11:42 am
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Hello Little Speckle.

Me. Me. Me. Me. Me. Me. Me. Me. Me.  Yes. Me.  I am a person.  And I’m a separate person from you, believe it or not.  I know you don’t understand that yet, and you definitely think my boobs are just yours for the taking.  But believe me, I’m a person.  And over the last few weeks it’s had me thinking a lot about that fact.  I guess doing some long hard thinking and wondering where I fit into the equation of our family.  And where the ‘me’ bit is in it all.

Actually, this question has been niggling away at the back of my mind for months.  It started when I was pregnant – I guess one of the reasons I started this blog. A realisation that to you, for many years, I’m just going to be ‘mum’. And it will be taken-for-granted that I will be there for you, with you, in the background of your life. I thought a lot about the fact that you wouldn’t even conceive that I did things and had a fruitful and fulfilling life before you came along. Just wouldn’t be interested…

Since you were born it’s changed to a more day-to-day struggle to balance out the ‘mum’ from the ‘me’. From talking to lots of other mums, it seems a very common contemplation.  It really is a difficult adjustment going from full-time gainful employment in your chosen career and a busy and active social life with just yourself and your partner to think of and straight into motherhood.  I’ve been happy, alternately anxious, happy again, tired, exhausted, wonderously surprised, excited, busy, planning…  It is definitely is an up and down road.

So I’m happy today because I feel like I did something for myself this week.  All for me.   A small thing,  but it feels like an achievement.  Actually, a couple of things:

Hotcakes and Peaches - yum

Ricotta Hotcakes with Stewed Peaches

  1. I did the second installment of my not-new-year’s-resolution resolution – to try to cook at least one new thing a week.  Last week was apple pie.  This week in honour of your aunt Milla in NY’s birthday, I made Bill Granger’s Ricotta Hotcakes but with a variation – I just stewed up some of the plentiful and delicious fresh peaches that are in season and served with that.  I’ve posted the recipe… You ate some too:

    Baby eating ricotta hotcakes

    Poogie eating ricotta hotcakes

  2. I almost got your Dad’s website finished.  It’s  been a learning process, and I’ve been at it for a while.  But when we FINALLY get the stuff from the graphic designers, I’ll be able to launch it.  Whew.
  3. Most importantly, I found the book I was looking for.  When I say found, I mean: searched through and emptied about 15 dirty, dusty, musty boxed from in our store room to find (the boxes are part of the around 50 boxes we have down there stored full of stuff from one of the four times we’ve moved house in the last five years but not yet unpacked).  So I found it: the book my mum was assistant editor on years and years ago about homebirth.  Yay.  There is a reason I wanted it, which I’ll explain in another post, but suffice to say it’s been on my “want-to-do” list for at  least two months and your dad thankfully took you out yesterday afternoon, allowing me to root around in the storeroom and find it.  Along with boxes of kitchen appliances, serving platters, more books, old clothes…home birth book

No doubt I won’t feel quite as elated tomorrow, and I’ll continue to oscillate back and forth on all sorts of things like a yo-yo. But for today I feel GOOD and quite pleased with myself.

Love and kisses
your mum

 

Boobies are Us… January 12, 2010

Filed under: cooking,development stages,family,healthcare,Parenting,Raising a Child — rakster @ 1:37 pm
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Hello Little Munchkin,

What has been happening?   ….. mmm Apple Pie

Long time no write for me.  It’s been a busy week – swimming, sanding the back deck and reoiling, cooking apple pie (I’ve been meaning to do the pie for at least a year and I finally got to it on Sunday – and it was yum).

Apple Pie from the baking book

Apple Pie – I finally got around to this recipe..

 Designer Apple Pie

You: rolling, commando crawling at greater and greater speed, trying to swim, competently sitting-up, lots and lots of squawking.

Today’s Walking Adventure – Hot hot hot

Today is our car-less day.  Your Dad has the car on Tuesdays and we are left to our own devices.  We decided it was better for the environment and would work out that we just maintained a single car and then your Dad can taxi around a bit when he needs to for work and the like, apart from Tuesdays.   We’ve always walked and cycled a lot, and it’s one of the reasons we bought our house in the inner city – so we could continue to do so.   But today is particularly hot.  It is 30.9 degrees celcius and 51% humidity.  Not the hottest day by far, but hot enough if you’re walking around.  Today was the first meeting of the year for my local group of the Australian Breastfeeding Association, so you and I walked there and back.  And today I’m gonna write about it, ’cause I enjoy it so much and really get a lot out of it.  And you enjoy it too – it’s a chance to interact with a bunch of other young kids.

Australian Breastfeeding Association

Boobies are Us.

“Boobies are Us” is what your father affectionately refers to it as.   He thinks it’s great and is really supportive of breastfeeding – he knows it is the best thing for you and unfortunately he can’t control it, so puts his energy into helping me.  We’ve been out to the shop in our city to buy some things a few times and he has had some great input from the women working there and out the back in the State office.  But I must admit I think he is still a little perplexed about what we actually do at the support group meetings.

I know it’s is jest, but the question,

“Do you all just get your boobs out?”

has come up!  The answer?  Yes, most of the women there do “get their boobs out” at some point to feed their child/children.  Some discreetly, some less discreetly.  Some babies, some toddlers.  But not everyone.  There is an older lady (perhaps in her fifties) who is our treasurer, whose children are well past the breastfeeding stage.   Is everyone there a boob feeding nazi? No, definitely not.  That’s one of the reasons I enjoy it so much – there is such a mix of people there.  Yes, people there are obviously giving breastfeeding a go as that’s what it is: a breastfeeding support group.  But do some of them use other forms of food too – you bet. Are all of them commited to feeding their babes by breastmilk until they are five? Of course not. Are some – yes, if that’s what their babes are after.  It’s a mix.

Do dad’s go?  Yes –  not so many, but there have been a few at different meetings, often when their baby is young and they are there with their partner to get some input and support.

And what do we do??  Well, most fortnights there is a topic for discussion, and we have an activity or prompts that the group leader has put together that we use to stimulate discussion and chats.  The kids (of varied ages) all rollick around on the floor (it’s held in the playgroup space under a local church so there are lots of toys and it’s a safe area).  The reason I enjoy it so much is that there is actual opinion, debate and experience about meaningful things discussed.  Yes, most of it is breastfeeding-focussed, but a lot about the tribulations and challenges of raising children, and coping strategies, techniques and listening to each other.  And it’s a very local group, so I then see a lot of the members around the traps when we are out and about.  It makes me feel connected to you, my baby, and my area, and the community.  Which is pretty important.  ‘Cause my hormones still leave me up and down quite a bit.  And I’m still adjusting to the major life change of having a baby and having to care for someone else 24/7.

Today’s topic was about toddlers.  We discussed a range of topics such as  developmental milestones, separation anxiety, breastfeeding, eating, weaning, having a second child, me-time or mum-time, occupying and stimulating toddlers…  It’s still school holidays, so there were lots of extra kids there today, and about 15 mums.And there were lots of opinions, lots of questions and lots of talking.  Fun.   You cracked-up and got a bit tired about and hour and a bit in, so we left early.

Just thought I’d write about one of the things we get up to during the day.  An important thing.

Love you

mum

 

excited. January 5, 2010

Filed under: activities for kids,Parenting,Raising a Child — rakster @ 8:26 pm
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Hello Poogie,

FIRST SWIMMING LESSON tomorrow. I’m very excited for you. Yep, it’s for mums and dads isn’t it. It’s not really for you at all. For you it’ll just be like any other time we go swimming. For me and your dad I feel like it’s a big step. First ‘lesson’.

So. I’m going to go bed excited, looking forward to tomorrow morning.

love you
mum

the babe at six months

Crawling up the hallway