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

Follow-up: out and about with the new mountain buggy freerider scooter / pram combo August 5, 2011

Filed under: activities for kids,exercise,Parenting,Raising a Child,walking — rakster @ 11:56 am
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Hello,

Yes, playing with the scooter (mountain buggy freerider) and mountain buggy (mountain buggy urban jungle) combo has been fun so far. A few people have written asking how I found it overall, so a quick review:

freerider

the freerider – currently in use at our house to the tune of a lot of ‘bloody hell’ from the toddler learning to use it: oops

  • I love that the older one can attach and see out as we walk along – works really well with the baby cot/cocoon attached, though my little one is a bit short so when the normal stroller seat is attached he can only see out the sides at the moment, though that will change as he gets taller.
  • I found the scooter hard to attach/detach from the pram in the beginning. Now I’ve worked out a method that works, but it requires a little bit of getting down on the ground and pulling/pushing the clips.
  • Yes, the scooter does get in the way of walking a little. But only a little: you can attach it anywhere along the base of the pram, so I’ve got it to one side.  Which means I just push on one side of the pram and it works ok – not as comfortable to push as without it, but not bad.
  • Steering/pushing the pram with the scooter and child attached is a bit harder / different than normal, you need two hands rather than the one I often use when there is no-one riding an attached scooter.  It feels a bit like driving a car with a trailer and trying to turn corners.  Just a bit heavier and more cumbersome.
  • The scooter works well when it isn’t attached to the pram, however the handle doesn’t turn to steer: you have to lean into it the same as a skateboard.  So it’s a bit harder for Oscar to steer than other scooters he has tried.
  • Oscar loves being on the scooter and being able to see the baby in the pram.

Overall:

It’s a fun toy / scooter, I think it will get better and more convenient the older O gets (he is only just two, so it is still a bit hard for him to use)…
It feels really securely attached to the pram i.e. safe. I like that!
It is super convenient to be able to detach it for ‘freeriding’, attach it when a toddler is standing on it, and flip it up out of the way when it’s not in-use. Which is why we bought it: ie. it works as it says it does!

We’ve decided to buy a double pram anyway as we do go on a lot of long walks etc and when little legs get tired and my back gets sore after baby-wearing for a few hours it will be nice to have a break and be able to use a pram for both of them together.

yay.

-r

 

Out and about with a baby and a two-year old: scooter and pram/stroller August 4, 2011

Filed under: Parenting — rakster @ 4:14 pm

I mentioned a while ago that we bought the Mountain Buggy scooter that connects to the pram for use when the new baby arrived.

the freerider - hopefully coming to our house soon

Mostly I sling Luna about attached to me, so I am free to push you in the pram when needed, but sometimes it is nice to have your hands free.

So here is a dodgy picture of the new scooter/pram combo in action:

Scooting home from the park

Scooting home from the park

The trip was great apart from having to bribe you to get on the damn scooter when it was attached to the pram. Lots of praise that you were a “big scooter boy” seemed to do the trick pretty well after a bit of effort. And it was fun to push.

Love mum

p.s. you have been madly practising your ‘scootering’ ever since on the back deck. I went out there last night to encourage you to come inside (it was dark and the light was out), only to see you stumble off it yet again, muttering a very clear “bloody hell” to yourself as you got right back on. Mmmmm. I wonder where you learnt that one (looks the other way)!

p.p.s. but i have decided that we do need a double pram for longer walks and outings, so have one in the pipeline… updates to follow.

 

Things to do with great eggs (and Passionfruit): #3 Passionfruit Pie… Yum.. July 26, 2011

Filed under: Parenting — rakster @ 2:42 pm

So.  Things to do with:

a) good eggs (see our supply), and

b) a surfeit of late-season passionfruit (again, see our home-grown supply)

while trying to manage a two-year old and a four-week old.

 

Well, drive yourself slightly insane but ensure you have a good dessert of course.

Passionfruit tart.

Passionfruit tart / pie…

I may or may not have almost had a meltdown trying to put the two-year old down for his midday nap when he decided to kick-up a stink because I really wanted some me-time to cook… And had my heart set on it and the pastry already in the fridge (think
) style.

Anyway, crisis was averted, the two-year old slept and I got to therapeutically mix a lot of butter, sugar, and a bit of passionfruit together to make a tart.

 

Dinner of course was up to the lovely husband.   Because I didn’t care about proper food.  Just dessert.

 

Anyway.  Mother of the day award: me.

 

Two-year old was bribed into perfect behaviour for the rest of the day with the inducement of passionfruit tart (or custard as he called it – where does he get custard?? Kindy I guess??) after dinner.  Which he thoroughly enjoyed (I’m normally a no sugar at all for him policy person but my standards are already slipping…).

 

Enjoying passionfruit pie (self-dressed in his favourite ‘wooly hat’)

.

I enjoyed my piece too.

mmm..

 

Life is but a dream.. July 24, 2011

Filed under: Parenting — rakster @ 4:43 pm

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I kinda forgot how much freshly pressed babes sleep….

Lovely Sunday afternoon: a nap with Luna in bed, breastfeeding then reading a book while Poogie and Daddy are out adventuring on the bike.

🙂

 

Monday morning tea July 18, 2011

Filed under: activities for kids,baby stuff,eating,family,Parenting,Raising a Child — rakster @ 11:44 am

Morning tea on the deck overlooking the river at the state library after a play.

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We are all going to need a nap today: exhausting for me, but fun!

20110718-114444.jpg

 

Sunday afternoon July 17, 2011

Filed under: activities for kids,baby stuff,baby's feelings,development stages,emotion,Parenting,Raising a Child — rakster @ 1:30 pm

I just ate!

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Welcome Luna! July 8, 2011

Filed under: Parenting — rakster @ 11:54 am

Hello!

 

Welcome Luna Myfanwy

(more…)

 

Happy Birthday to us! .. Cake before and after… June 19, 2011

Filed under: activities for kids,baby stuff,cooking,eating,Parenting,pregnancy,Raising a Child — rakster @ 8:32 pm

We had a lovely relaxed party in the local park this morning with some friends and family to celebrate our birthdays…

 

I made you a tip-truck birthday cake:

the tip-truck birthday cake …

Which was enjoyed by all present:

I had a lovely time chatting and watching all the kids run about in excitement.

 

🙂

 

thanks for all the birthday wishes everyone!

P.S. And unless the baby decides to come quickly in the next 3.5 hours, I’ve avoided a double birthday with myself.  It just has to wait another 27.5 hours to avoid Poogie’s too!

 

The what’s and where’s of things… (or what dads do at work) June 17, 2011

Filed under: baby stuff,Communication,development stages,Parenting,pregnancy,Raising a Child,speaking — rakster @ 2:51 pm
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So little Poogie has recently discovered a few useful sentences:

“Where’s x?” or “Where are you x?” (when he knows x is in the vicinity). Mostly, “Where are you Daddy?” or “Where are you Mummy?”

Often when he already knows exactly where we are (or might if he engaged the brain) at full yell from wherever he happens to be standing (now which parent did he learn that trick from I wonder?? – that would be me!).

And the second one:

“What you doing?”, or “What x doing?”. Again, often when he can see you / knows what you are doing. But not always, sometimes when he can’t see the person.

Recently, we’ve made a few trips to Daddy’s office at around 5:30, to pick him up and take him home. Little Poogie loves going there, he runs right to the drawer where Daddy keeps snacks, and gets a cracker, then has a dance to the loud music Daddy inevitably has on at that time of the day.

So, cue this conversation yesterday morning, 10 minutes after standing on the verandah and watching his Dad cycle up the hill in the distance, round the corner and disappear off to work:

“Mummy, where Daddy? Where Daddy gone?”

“He’s gone to work, remember, you saw him cycle off.”

“Yes, Daddy gone up the hill to work. …. ” Pause while he thinks. “What Daddy doing work?”

“Mmm.. I’m not sure. He might be typing on his computer. Or he might be talking on the phone.”

Little Poogie ponders this answer for a minute. Then with a very definitive shake of his head:

“No. Daddy eating crackers. … Daddy listening music.”

I collapse on the ground in laughter, because that is such an apt description of what my lawyer husband does at work all day!

🙂

Love mum

P.S. Can’t wait until the “why’s” start…

 

I born a …. June 16, 2011

Filed under: activities for kids,baby stuff,Birth Story,Communication,development stages,family,Parenting,pregnancy,speaking — rakster @ 5:16 pm
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From the mouth of a babe:

“I born a nana!”

“I born a nana”

I guess those books we have been reading every day to try to get used to the concept that a baby will soon arrive are really getting through :).  I wasn’t quite sure he understood that the baby would come out of my tummy through a ‘hole’ somewhere, but he told me yesterday the baby would come out soon through a ‘hole’, and today’s demonstration proves he really does get it…

 

This beauty was uttered not 5 minutes ago, spontaneously on the verandah to Aunty G.   Imaginative play! I love it!

 

Love mum

 

P.S. Let’s hope the real baby gets better care than this poor nana a few minutes after birth: