#2698 Baby boy, the showman

When it’s just us, we see ALL the sides of baby boy.

His happiness, his fussiness.

But when we are in company – like having visitors tonight – he is all happy chappy!

Looking around, placid in other people’s arms, just sucking on his fingers…

Making us out to be liars! 🤣🤣

But it’s good. It’s good because he’s happy in company, and that’s good for us, because we love company. 🥰🥰💕💕

#2697 These days of presence

I try not to look at it all as to-dos. Because then the whole day becomes a massive tick off the list.

But it shouldn’t be.

Presence in all you do is key.

I had this stepping back, out-of-body experience tonight. Sitting on the floor with baby boy. His tummy time, then reading on my lap.

Drool on my hands, because I’m holding his. Baby girl joining in with the reading – not because I ask her to, she sits down of her own accord.

Hubbie is moving about in the background. NBA replay game on repeat. Will the Celtics make history?

All the lights are on. It’s busy. It’s noisy. We go from one thing to another to another, until it’s bed time once again.

But I take it in. We have love. We have each other. These are simple moments we’re living, but they’re full of love and happiness.

This is life. It is precious. It is far from a to-do. It’s all about being.

I breathe it in and smile in the beauty of it all.

#2696 Honey and hot water

With these colder nights I’m loving having a hot drink at the end of the day.

All I need is hot water, and honey. I don’t even need a teabag – the above will suffice.

Quick tip: having this combination before bedtime helps with constipation… true story!

Keep following for more life-saving tips and tricks. 😉🤣

#2695 Reflections at 15 weeks

Baby boy is 15 weeks today. ❤

My parenting approach and state of mind has changed significantly as of late, and baby boy has also improved, becoming a tad less fussy.

Or maybe it’s his temperament improving that’s led to my relaxed being. 🤔😆

Either way, I’ve been reflecting a lot on how I did things with baby girl.

She was easier, but it was still hard. Other than temperament, the other marked difference between then and now?

I wasn’t reading everything on social media and second guessing myself at every turn.

In other words, I went with the flow.

I accepted (to some extent) all the stages. I didn’t look things up constantly, I didn’t try to change things (much). I went along with pamphlets given to me by the maternal health nurses…

And I got up, changed her, fed her, got her to sleep, and repeated, with greater blocks of time extending between all three as she got older.

Age improved certain elements of this cycle over time.

I just worked it out, as I went along.

I’ve realised in the last couple of weeks that I need to apply the same mentality to this time around. I’ve become so focused on controlling the situation and steering the outcome, something I learnt on the long journey to pregnancy this second time around that it isn’t a good idea.

Trying so hard to hold onto something often means missing a lesson or an important learning.

So I’ve been remembering. Applying my old learnings to my days. Moving intuitively.

And as my bestie said to me “you’ll get through it.”

So simple, but so true.

We get by. We get it done.

We get there.

And so, but with something else now entirely, I’m still getting there. 🙏

#2692 A great Sunday

It’s a great Sunday when…

You’re in great company.

You’re celebrating milestones and happiness.

You’re enjoying yummy food.

You have wonderful, insightful, respectful and enjoyable conversations with all.

You’re sharing your baby’s smiles and goos with loved ones.

You watch the footy with them all… and your team wins.

Then you still get to sit on the couch at the end of the day, reflect, and be grateful for what your life is.

🙏❤

#2691 Welcomed with love

A warm house.

Fireplace.

Home-made pizza.

Family and friends.

And love all around.

Look, we don’t go out on Saturday nights much at all at the moment, unless there is very good reason.

And what better reason than being welcomed warmly into someone’s home?

Last week, it was a wedding.

This week, it was an invitation.

We may get to places early… and leave early… it’s only this phase… this season of life we’re in…

With any luck, in time baby boy will be a party animal… like his sister. 🤣

And then we won’t go home at all!

Grateful for family and friends, and feeling love, feeling welcomed. 🙏

#2690 Baby talk to myself

I have a lot of time to think.

And I read, and research and ask questions of myself, friends and family, Google.

And I still feel like things are hard. Confusing. Frustrating.

I remember counting down to baby boy being 3 months, feeling like that was the magic number that things would get better.

Less fussy.

Less crying.

More routine.

More independence.

We are far from that.

Sure, small improvements have occurred. Ever so small. And I sit here day to day, wondering what side of baby boy I’m gonna get that day, wondering if it’s just me, my boy.

Do I need to get to the 4 month mark?

5?

Surely by 6 months we’re good.

That’s still 2 and a half months away!

Then I look at how far I’ve come. The daily challenges I’ve passed and continue to deal with even now.

Things get better, but they are also still hard.

As that quote goes… my track record for getting through difficult days is 100% so far.

And I tell myself, I got this. 💪🙏

#2689 Laughing at ‘poof!’

I’m changing baby boy tonight, and being all cheeky and cutesy and doing baby talk and things like that.

I randomly go, “and poof!” throwing my hands into the air above him.

And he laughs!

I do it again, and again…

And he laughs! A cute giggle/laugh/cackle, again and again.

“Quick!” I tell baby girl. “Get my phone to record it!”

So she records it, and we call Hubbie, and I’m going “Poof! Poof!”

And he’s laughing, and we’re gooing over him on repeat.

😍😍