my-speck

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

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…)

 

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…)

 

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…)

 

sleeping through the night? not yet? August 19, 2010

Filed under: baby stuff,exhaustion,family,healthcare,Parenting,Raising a Child — rakster @ 10:45 am
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Hi Little Poogie,

you are fast asleep in your cot and I wish I were sleeping too.  We had night three (I thought night four but your dad thinks night three, he is probably right as I’m starting to not be able to think straight) of trying to get you back to sleeping right on through the night again after a period of not doing so (yes, it was a one-off that night).

And gee, I’m sure it was easier when you were a bit younger.  Now your fighting / resistance skills have increased.

Day one was fine.  You woke up at 2am, I gave you a cuddle and a bit of a walk, calmed you down and you went back in your cot and back to sleep until 7am.

The next night you woke at 2:30 am and then stayed awake until 4:15, fighting sleep.

Same last night.

Me, a bit of a jumbling, crazy person who can’t quite think straight today.

you, tired.  You were more intent on eating the floating toy duck at swimming lessons today than actually swimming.

aaaaghh..

this better work.

mum

 

Level of understanding – babies ‘get’ a lot more than I give them credit for August 11, 2010

Filed under: activities for kids,baby stuff,Communication,Parenting,Raising a Child,Sign Language — rakster @ 12:32 pm
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Hello!

So. Last night. I was ready to go to uni and was just giving you a breastfeed before running out the door. You’re totally used to the night-time routine, so you knew what was going on. Sometimes if I’m too slow (running behind schedule), you come into the bedroom and get on the bed and tell me, “boobie, boobie, boobie” with your sign language to let me know that it is time for boobie. And then when you’re done sometimes you let me know that you’re ready for the next step (going to Daddy to say goodnight), by signing “Daddy” and saying “DaDa” then signing “Goodbye” (waving). So you’re totally on-top-of-it generally. But last night just blew me away. (more…)

 

Naked in the sandpit. August 4, 2010

Filed under: activities for kids,baby stuff,development stages,Parenting,playing,Raising a Child — rakster @ 10:08 am
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I’d post a photo but I didn’t get one. Just a quick note to say that you are absolutely LOVING the new sandpit that G,K,F&L gave you for your birthday. And after a trip to IKEA on the weekend (which reminded me why we only ever go once a year), I finally remembered to buy you some buckets and spades and the like, and it is now even better.

Yesterday the weather was again glorious. A bit of a cold nip in the wind, perhaps, but in the sun at least 20 degrees (celcius). So plenty warm. Pretty good for mid-winter.

Anyway, your Grandma K came over to see you and you both had a lovely play down there in the garden (while I, joy of joys, worked on my statistics assignment.. yes, I went back to uni about 3 months ago, did I mention that yet?). Anyway, we stripped you down to your bare skin so you could (more…)

 

you survived your first blood test. And the logisitics of a pee test for a baby. July 29, 2010

Filed under: baby stuff,baby's feelings,emotion,family,healthcare,Parenting,Raising a Child — rakster @ 3:12 pm
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Hello!

Update on the blood test.

I managed to not cry. Mostly because I had to help hold you down on the table and you were looking right at my face, so I thought I should keep it together and look calm and in control for your sake. Inside I was quaking. (and I managed to keep the chocolate down too).

You screamed, and they took at least 7 vials of blood (more…)

 

Blood Tests for Babies – erk. I’m feeling sick just thinking about it. July 29, 2010

Filed under: baby stuff,baby's feelings,family,healthcare,Parenting,Raising a Child — rakster @ 11:57 am
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Hello Poogie,

So. Feeling very nervous. Have just consumed most of a family-sized block of chocolate in an upset/nervous/tension-filled empty moment. Yes, single “moment”, not plural “moments”. I literally inhaled it.

We are back from holidays and in organising mode I phoned the pathology lab yesterday to see how far in advance of your next doctor’s appointment I need to get the blood and other tests they want you to have done. And I was thinking about a week out from the appointment. Then got told a month out. Which was last week. So today it is. We are off to the hospital as soon as you wake up from your morning nap for a blood and other pathology tests.

And you know how I hate needles? I’m sure you know that, as I told you enough times when I was pregnant about the fact that I was just getting all these needles for your good, not mine.. And some of my experiences with needles lately haven’t been the greatest: my experience in a birthing suite with some bleeding during pregnancy, and a bad experience that I didn’t go through in this blog but did happen when they were trying to get a line into me for my surgery. Anyway, I hate needles at the best of time. Worst when I’m having to have one stuck in me. I thought. Until today. Now I’ve realised that I hate them even more when I have to think of one getting stuck into you. AAAAAAAAGHH…. (vomitous feeling, chocolate coming up my throat).

Just needed to get out some nervous energy. Erk. You’ll be fine, I’m sure. I’ve packed three of your favourite books, and a tub full of pomegranate seeds and sultanas, your favourite.

You’ll be fine.

You’ll be fine.

You’ll be fine.

I’ll be not fine.

love you
mum

 

Baby Sign – Cat! – Movie Monday July 19, 2010

Filed under: activities for kids,baby stuff,Communication,Movie,Parenting,Raising a Child,Sign Language — rakster @ 1:00 pm
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Hello,

Cat it is … (more…)

 

Too much to even try to catch-up. July 18, 2010

Filed under: activities for kids,baby stuff,Communication,development stages,family,Parenting,Raising a Child,Sign Language — rakster @ 3:49 pm
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Hello Poogie,

once again, weeks have gone by and I haven’t had the time to write. This happens once in a while – a few days go by, then I think, “Aha, I should write about …….”. Then a few more days go by, I forget what it was then I start to get overwhelmed with how much I have to write. So I don’t… and then the cycle continues.

In this case I’ve also been rather extremely busy: we’ve been getting used to Childcare (you and I), I’ve been working and my work project went somewhat sideways so required some brainpower and attention, uni is getting busy – just wrote my first exam on Saturday and we’ve started work on the assignment…. And you just are SO much fun to hang out with, that when you’re awake and I’m not working I just want to play with you. So housework and writing blogs has been slightly sidelined in preference to actual living.

(Oh, and I’ve developed a slight addiction to (more…)