A Friday at the DFO

***

I hit the shops with one of my girlfriends today. We went to DFO out by Brisbane Airport (DFO stands for Direct Factory Outlet I think), I was hoping to find some clothes at bargain prices... I'm out of my maternity clothes, but still not fitting into all of my regular clothes. Which is unfair seeing as I've lost all of my pregnancy weight. I think my stomach has changed shape, and not for the better.

Anyway, I didn't find much in the way of clothes that I liked, but I did still manage to pick up a couple of bargains. My favourites?

These shoes:



Gorgeous and only $40!

Now I just need to buy some clothes to wear them with....

T xx

A Weekend on the Coast

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On the weekend the Big Man and I went up to the coast to visit his parents.

We had an awesome time. The best part was by far Sunday morning.... The Big Man's parents are both early risers, so at 6.30am we took Max out to them and then went back to bed until 11am. Bliss! If only we could do that every weekend :)

The rest of the weekend was great too. I caught up with girlfriends for lunch, hung out with my Sister and her family, caught up with some other new parents (hi Nat!) so that we could talk about babies non-stop and we also went and watched Avatar in 3D.

Avatar was amazing! It took me a while to get used to the 3D, but once I did I loved it. The only downside was that at the end of the movie I realised how much I missed Max and next thing you know I was leaking everywhere.... I had to walk out of the cinema holding my bag across my chest. Luckily I have a thing for huge handbags!

Max was on his absolute best behaviour the entire time. I think our families must think we are making things up when we say Max is a monster.

Anyway we're back in Brisbane now and planning a trip down the coast to see my Mum in a couple of weekends. Got to share the baby-love around!

T xx

Australia Day

Happy Australia Day for yesterday!

The three of us had a great day.

Barbeque, swimming and street cricket.

Doesn't get much more Aussie than that!!

T xx

Feeding the Gremlin

***

Feeding Max has become a bit of a nightmare lately.

For whatever reason he has decided that breast-feeding makes him cranky. Ungrateful baby if you ask me!

So far I haven't really been able to work out if there is any pattern to his fussing. And when I say fussing I mean him arching his back, throwing his head back and screaming at the top of his lungs. Sometimes he does it in the morning when I have way too much milk, sometimes it is at the start of a feed when my let down happens, other times it is towards the end of a feed when there isn't much milk coming out and other times it is two or three minutes into a feed and seems to be for no reason at all. Aghhhhh.

We have been to the early feeding clinic, I've phoned the Australian Breast Feeding Association, I've been to a GP and seen the paedeatrition. They have all come up with various ideas on why he is fussing (except for the GP who practically ignored me). A blocked nose, silent reflux, not wanting to have to work for his food, my diet and kharma have all been mentioned....

The paedeatrition has given him an antacid to take twice a day and I have tried lots of other things like changing up his feeding positions (for example keeping him more upright or lying down with him), switching sides when he fusses, expressing milk first before feeding him and standing on one leg and singing whilst nursing (ok, not really, but somedays I am tempted to try anything).

So far I have only found two options that seem to work. The first is feeding him expressed milk from a bottle. It doesn't seem to matter if we feed him the bottle sitting up or lying on his back, he will take it and feed like a champion. At first I was expressing by hand, but that got really tiring. So we went out and bought a Medela Swing Breast Pump. It works like a charm! The second thing that works is if we let him scream for about twenty minutes (on and off while we try to comfort him). This seems to really tire him out and afterwards he will feed without complaining. It's hard doing it this way though, it makes my heart feel like it is breaking into a million pieces.

I am starting to think that there isn't really any reason for his screaming. Maybe he is just a fussy little man.

In the meantime I am trying to nurse him each time he gets hungry and if he refuses or screams too much I switch to a bottle.

I hope he grows out of it soon.

T xx

Glad to Have a Husband

***

Today I am absolutely in awe of single parents. How on earth do they do it?

Last night Max woke every two hours, but rather than having a good feed before going back to sleep he would just snack for three or four minutes before refusing to feed anymore and falling fast asleep. Which is probably why he would wake again in two hours...

By the time he woke me up at 5 this morning I was so tired and cranky. I hopped back into bed with him and laid on my side to feed him, but rather than feeding he would just stare at me and scream.

Because I was so tired and cranky I kind of lost my temper, I left him on the bed with the Big Man, stormed out of the room and curled up on the bed in the spare room with Cooper.

After about ten minutes I had calmed down enough that I decided to go and check on him in case he was giving the Big Man a hard time. He wasn't. The two of them were sound asleep in bed together. I grabbed a bottle of expressed milk from the fridge, gave it to the Big Man and then went back to bed in the spare room again.

A couple of hours later when the Big Man woke me up he was telling me all about the huge smiles and giggles that Max was giving him before he fed him. So it must have just been me. Max was probably picking up on my foul mood and reacting to it.

At the end of the day I am just so glad that there are two of us and that I have the option to take a break when I need one.

T xx

Computer Problem Temporarily Solved

***

After a week of not having a computer to use all day, I remembered that I had an old desktop computer somewhere in the back of the cupboard. So I've pulled it out, set it up and I'm back online.

It's great to be back online, but (because I am ridiculously spoilt and love to complain) it's obviously not ideal. I would much rather be sitting on the couch with my laptop watching the Australian Open or curled up on my bed in the airconditioning. Still better than nothng right?

T xx

***

My trusty red laptop has finally given up on me. It's been fighting a downhill battle for quite some time, but the final straw was the giant crack it now has across the screen.

Richard (my brother-in-law) is putting together an insurance report for me and I will hopefully get some money to buy a new one.

Until then I am stuck using the Big Man's computer at night when he's finished work for the day.

Posting might be a bit sporadic until I get something of my own...

T xx

Cooper and Max

A few people have asked me how Cooper is coping with the new addition to our household and I'm very pleased to say that he seems to really like Max.

Each night, before we brought Max home from the hospital, the Big Man would bring home whatever Max had been wearing that day. He would then sit on the bed with Cooper and let him sniff away to his hearts content. The first night Cooper spent about half an hour sniffing, rubbing his head and rolling on Max's onsie. I wish I had been there to watch, I imagine it would have been so cute! At one stage the Big Man wiggled his fingers under the onsie and Cooper jumped a mile. Awww.


The day that we bought Max home, Cooper jumped into the front seat of the car after we parked in the garage. I was sitting in the back with Max, and although he hadn't seen me in 5 days, Coop completely ignored me and just wanted to sniff the baby.

Right from the start he seemed really relaxed around Max, I think it is because he knew Max's smell well before we brought him home. Cooper always goes up to Max's bouncer and gives him a good sniff (and tries to sneak a face lick in, we're working on that) and whenever Max starts crying Cooper rushes over to check on him :)

The first night that we were home I was sitting on the bed feeding Max, and Coop was on the end of the bed. The Big Man opened the door and walked in and Cooper started to growl at him. I think he might have been protecting me and Max, but he still got in loads of trouble. He knows he's not allowed to growl at friends or family....


Other than that he has been great. Max doesn't really notice Cooper though... I'm looking forward to when Max gets a bit older and they start to interact with each other.

At the end of the day though we still keep a very close eye on Cooper. He might be the best dog in the world, but he's still an animal and they can be unpredictable. But I am very happy with how well he is adjusting.

T xx

Should've Seen That Coming

***

Yesterday I think I broke one of the unwritten rules of bringing up a child.

I blogged about how well things are going.

Obviously I wasn't thinking straight.

Last night was horrible. Max woke up like usual at 2am, but nothing would make him happy. He refused to feed and just kept screaming and screaming. He seemed to be really hungry, so I'm not sure why he wouldn't feed. Maybe crying hysterically just seemed more important to him?

After about 15 minutes of me trying to feed him and then another 15 minutes of me bawling my eyes out and trying to ignore him (definitely not my finest moment), I gave in and made him up a bottle of formula. I was desperate to make him happy and when I've had trouble feeding in the past I've found that if I express and bottle feed he tends to settle. Anyway at 2am I really didn't feel like listening to him scream while I expressed for half an hour (by hand). So formula it was.

Cheeky little baby didn't even seem to notice that it wasn't my milk. He drank half of the bottle before falling asleep.

We put him in his bassinette, which we can normally do even when he's only half asleep, but he wasn't having a bar of it last night. The only way we could get him to sleep was to hold him. The Big Man was wide awake by this stage so he walked around the bedroom for another 15 minutes rocking Max. He would fall asleep straight away, but as soon as he was put down he would wake up and start screaming again.

Eventually the Big Man was able to put him down and although Max woke up again he must have been exhausted because after grouching for a few minutes he fell asleep properly. At four am!

Anyway, it's been a long day (my afternoon nap didn't even touch the sides) so Max and I getting ready to head off to bed now, hopefully tonight goes a little more smoothly.

T xx

Being a Mum

***

I think I am starting to get the hang of being a stay-at-home Mum (not sure how much longer I'll be doing it for before I go back to work though). I really understand now how the whole day can go and nothing gets done...

Every time I get up to do something Max will decide he wants hugs, or milk or a clean nappy or something. Not that I'm really complaining, Max time is still one of my favourite things!

That said, we are starting to get into a bit of a routine. We go to bed at around 9.30 or 10pm each night and Max wakes up to feed around 2am and again between 5 and 6am. We laze around in bed after the morning feed and get up with the Big Man at quarter past seven. After that it's playtime, like I said the other day Max loves to play on his play mat, but I try and mix it up with other baby games as well. After about half an hour Max gets bored and I pop him into the front pack while I try and get some housework done. Not really that easy at the moment, I am starting to get achy again and I think it is from doing laundry and unloading the dishwasher with Max in the front pack. It has only been five weeks since I had the caesar, I'm sure it will get better soon.

Max tends to fall asleep in the front pack and then I can put him down for good sleep. The middle of the day is spent sleeping and feeding (Max), watching tennis or cricket and working on my computer (Me). If I need to go out this is the best time of the day. Today we went on our first solo grocery shop. I was a bit nervous, but it went really well. No tears and I managed to get everything done without any dramas.

Max has his cranky-pants time late in the afternoon. It is impossible to get anything done. He just wants to be held and fed constantly for about two hours. Afterwards though he crashes out and sleeps through until I feed him before bed.

It might not seem like a very exciting day, but I love it! I'm also glad that he's getting into a bit of a routine, it makes it a lot easier for me to plan my day too.

Here's hoping he sticks with it and stays a happy little baby.

T xx

New Years Resolutions 2010

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I completely bombed out with last years resolutions (here).... So I'm not really sure if I should even bother making any this year.

I think I will write down some goals instead... goals sound better than resolutions right?

Goal #1
Add to my income by working from home. My aim is to start earning at least $70 extra per week within the next six months.

Goal #2
Stick with project 365 and remember to take a photo every day. Check it out here.

Goal #3
Stay on top of my ironing. Right now I have a huge pile of laundry on my wardrobe floor waiting to be ironed. I want to get it all done each week.

Goal #4
Lose weight. I know goals are meant to be specific, but I'm not sure how much I can lose. 20 kilos would be ideal, but 10 is probably more realistic (and I would be happy with 10).

Goal #5
Have fun and make the most of life. I want to get out more, do more things and really enjoy myself this year.

What are your new years resolutions. Leave me a comment letting me know or link to your blog if you have posted about your goals for 2010.

T xx

One Month Old

***

Dear Max,

Today you are one month old and I can't believe how quickly the time has gone already.

You have spent the last couple of weeks surrounded by family. Christmas was spent at home with Grandma, Pappy, Aunty Jenny, Uncle Richard and Ava. Now we are in Hervey Bay with your Nona, Pop, Great Gradparents Meme and Pepe and Uncle Mark. They all love you so much! The only time I seem to get to spend with you is when your hungry, as there are so many people that want to hold you and hug you. I don't mind though, you are a very lucky boy to have so many people that love you!


The night before last was New Years Eve and we went out for dinner with friends to celebrate. You were such a good boy and Daddy and I were so proud of you. You got to me meet little baby Kate for the first time, the first of many times I'm sure!

In the last month you have changed from being a newborn baby to a little baby boy with a hint of attitude. You've worked out how to tell us that you're hungry and we're starting to be able to tell the difference between your various cries. You still don't cry much, more than you did, but still not much.

The big change in the last couple of weeks is how much more aware you are becoming. When you're awake you love to look around and see what is happening in the world and you really love to play on your play mat. Tummy time is your favourite play activity followed closely by watching yourself in the mirror. Which I can completely understand, if I was as gorgeous as you are I would want to stare at myself all day long too!

I think that Daddy is quickly becoming one of your favourite people. When you hear him speak you look around to see where he his. This melts my heart and makes me smile every time!

You have also started to look into our eyes when we talk to you. You have the most beautiful blue/grey eyes and it makes me feel so close to you when they lock onto mine.

This month has been the most amazing month of my life and I am looking forward to many, many more beautiful months, years and decades with you. You are the love of my life.

Kisses, Hugs and lots of Love,

Mummy

Another End of Year Wrap-Up

I know I've already posted my end of year wrap up, but I saw this meme at Du Wax Loolu (Originally posted here at All & Sundry) I really wanted to fill it out. Besides, 2009 was such a great year, it really does deserve two posts :)

1. What did you do in 2009 that you’d never done before?
Gave birth to my beautiful Son Max. My other firsts revolve around Max's birth... first time I've been admitted to hospital, first time I have had an operation, first time I've been pregnant.

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
Definitely not :( I am going to have a look at them this afternoon and make some new ones, I'll keep you posted!

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Besides me :) One of my favourite friends (Nat) had a beautiful baby girl. Check out her blog if you want to see all of her gorgeous baby photos.

4. Did anyone close to you die?
The Big Man's Gran. She was a beautiful person and we were very sad to lose her.

5. What countries did you visit?
We didn't take a single holiday this year (besides weekend trips to Hervey Bay and Lismore to see our parents) and definitely didn't go overseas. We are planning a quick weekend away for February, but probably wont take a big holiday this year either.

6. What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009?
First up better health and secondly a finished house.

7. What dates from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
The 2nd of December 2009 was the date that I gave birth to Max. There were other memorable dates like our first wedding anniversary and the day I found out I was pregnant, but Max's birthday is the standout day.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Giving birth to Max.

9. What was your biggest failure?
Probably not being able to stay on top of my anxiety in the last couple of weeks. Not really my 'fault' I guess, but this year I would like to would like to develop some coping techniques so that I don't lose it again.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
After losing the vision in one of my eyes several times and having an MRI doctors are telling me that I may have MS. We don't know anything for sure though, once Max is 3 months old and my hormones are back to normal I am going to have all of the tests done again. The good news is that I don't have any other clinical symptoms, so we are staying very positive that it was just a pregnancy thing.

11. What was the best thing you bought?
We didn't make any big purchases this year. Max's bouncer was probably the most useful thing that we bought.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
My sister Jen was the star of my year. The support she gave me through my pregnancy and especially after Max was born was amazing and I will be forever in debt to her.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
My pregnancy hormones meant that a lot of what I saw on the news this year made me cry.

14. Where did most of your money go?
We paid off all or our debt (except for the mortgage) this year. It was a very good feeling :)

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Being pregnant and becoming a Mum.

16. What song will always remind you of 2009?
Single Ladies. Not because the lyrics mean much to me, it is just such a fun song. And I love, love, love the dance!

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) happier or sadder? Most definitely happier, I have wanted to be a Mum for a very long time.
b) thinner or fatter? Surprisingly considering I gave birth 4 weeks ago I am thinner. This time last year I was at my heaviest weight.
c) richer or poorer? Financially we are in a better position because we have a lot less debt, although with me not working at the moment we do have to be careful with our money. Emotionally much richer too.

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
I wish I had done more around the house and garden. Whilst we couldn't have finished the house last year, we could have done more than we did.

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
I wish I hadn't taken so much time off work sick. With various pregnancy and health issues I took a fair bit of time off and this put additional pressure on my team at work.

20. How did you spend Christmas?
We had Christmas at our house for the first year, all the details are here.

21. Did you fall in love in 2009?
Yes, I fell in love with Max when I knew I was pregnant and I fell in love with him all over again when I first met him.

22. What was your favorite TV program?
I didn't watch a lot of TV this year, but I did enjoy The Mentalist with Simon Baker.

23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
Nope

24. What was the best book you read?
I can't remember if I read it in 2009 or at the end of 2008, but I absolutely loved The Book Thief.

25. What was your greatest musical discovery?
The Big Man is always playing various songs to me that he thinks I will love. He always knows exactly what I will like.

26. What did you want and get?
A baby and a job that I love.

27. What did you want and not get?
I should say something like world peace or an effective government, but really I just wanted an iphone.

28. What was your favorite film of this year?
Up. I cried and laughed so much.

29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
We celebrated with some of my family including my Aunt from New Zealand, I turned 28.

30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
I had a great year and not much could have made it better. If I had to pick something, it would be finishing the house.

31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2009?
Mainly comfortable maternity clothes and flat shoes.

32. What kept you sane?
The Big Man, it will probably be his job for the next 50 or 60 years :)

33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Roger Federer. Love him!

34. What political issue stirred you the most?
Lets not go there. Suffice to say I'm a conservative and disagree with most of what our government is doing.

35. Who did you miss?
My BFF Erin. At least she's back in the country and hopefully I will see her in the next couple of weeks.

36. Who was the best new person you met?
I met a lot of new people this year. The standouts for me are Amanda, Shan from Finns, my whole team at work and the guys that I trained with when I started my new job (Steve, Shona, John and Will).

37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2009.
That my family (which includes the Big Man's family) will be there for us no matter what and that even when I think no-one will understand, my family always will.

38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
Wow that's a hard question, I asked the Big Man (because he is a music buff) and he came up with nothing. This quote by Elizabeth Stone will do instead "Making the decision to have a child is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body."

Happy New Year Everyone!

T xx