#2671 Sunday help

I love Sundays. I never used to love them this much, not when it meant work/school for all of us the next day.

But now it means I get help. Hubbie is home and he carries baby boy, so I can like… go to the loo. Brush my teeth. Get dressed. Eat!

What I also got to do was raid my wardrobe for wedding outfits. I have a wedding coming up soon, and thought I was going to try find a breastfeeding friendly outfit at the shops… but alas time is ticking, and besides I found options today that will do the trick. 👍

Old options, sure. But I’m at a stage in life where I consider recycling old outfits winning (you get to wear them again!) and I know when baby boy is older and things are easier, I will buy PLENTY of new dresses for formal occasions… lol.

Loving Sundays sick right now. 💪🤣👗👠

#2670 Absorbing my blessings

I found out some very sad news late last night.

My first acupuncturist, who I saw for a long time and only started seeing someone else when my first one moved to a different day availability, well she gave birth to a baby girl earlier this week. Sadly, stillborn.

I can’t tell you the shock and sadness that rippled through my body. Out of all people, this happened to her? Someone who has helped so many on their own journey to conceiving a child, someone who I know would have done, eaten, practised, envisioned and prepared all the right things for her pregnancy and childbirth journey… and then this.

This unimaginable sadness.

I felt physically sick. I saw via social media that a friend of hers had set up a go fund me to help them raise funds for a funeral. So many people have donated already, and it’s a bittersweet thing to realise that such deep anguish can inspire so much support and generosity.

If you’re interested in donating to a worthy cause the link is below:

https://gofund.me/96c86b97

In complete contrast to yesterday’s speed, today I went slow.

I fed baby boy in bed. I took my time. I held him longer.

When it was time for a nap, I didn’t rush him. Again, I held him longer, let him sleep on me.

I climbed into bed with baby girl, shared hugs and kisses.

I sang to baby boy. I stood above him on the change table, talking and laughing to get a reaction. He scrunched up his face and smiled back so sweetly.

I had an opportunity to have a coffee/babycino date with baby girl. I hugged her around her shoulders, brought her in close, nuzzled her neck.

We took a family selfie tonight.

I read book after book to baby boy.

I pressed my face into his head as I rocked him to sleep. My nose and lips nuzzled in, feeling his warm skin, smelling his clean baby scent. I do this often, but tonight I was so much more present.

I know I complain about this newborn stage… it’s hard. I don’t say that lightly.

But also, I know I’m blessed. Especially after thinking through the following today:

Bad things happen to good people.

BUT, I know that bad things happen to bad people as well.

The bad people are taught a lesson.

The good people learn something that they can then share, grow and inspire others with.

Because bad things can happen to anyone, it gives even more reason to be grateful. Be present, and appreciate what you have, because your life might be someone else’s dream.

Take it slow. Live in the present. Soak yourself in the beautiful moments. ❤🙏

#2669 Going fast

Today was a day of extremes.

I couldn’t do much, much less get baby boy to sleep, and he wouldn’t stop crying.

But then I DID get him to sleep, and I did get things done (some!)

I have learnt to be fast, so fast. In fact I realise now how incredibly slow I was pre-baby boy, so lazily indulgent I was with life.

But now? Now I’m Speedy Gonzales, Road Runner, Fast and Furious, Usain Bolt style.

When I put him in the bouncer or on the playmat, it’s a case of ‘how long do I have? 1 minute? 2? 5? Or none and I should just give up now?’

Of course, I never know the answer… so I have to be fast.

Cheers to being fast. 😁😄

#2668 Counting my little achievements

I get so revved up at times over the fact that I can’t do anything… anything other than hold, feed, change or rock baby boy to sleep.

I know they say ‘forget everything else…’ but it’s hard. I’m a do-er. Hubbie is at work and does enough. I don’t have people dropping off food, providing free childcare, stopping by to put on my washing or clean my house.

It’s all on us.

Doing anything is a struggle when he only wants to be held and will ‘maybe’ let me do things in 2 to 5 minute increments, IF I’m lucky.

If I hear another person tell me how well-behaved baby boy is, I might lose my mind. They only see him sleeping. They don’t see him crying, fussing, resisting sleep, and generally not letting me move.

My lower back has a pinched nerve, my arms and wrist is sore, my neck has something going on, and my right hip is achy.

And still, I hold him close, as he snuggles into every nook of my body, my lips pressing against his head as I subconsciously breathe him in for the thousandth time already.

I don’t wanna come across as complaining, but this newborn life is super trying.

So I’ll count the things I was able to do today, as minor as they may be (with one big thing):

I ate breakfast, lunch and dinner, and he only cried during breakfast. 💪

I unloaded the dishwasher.

I put the dishwasher on.

I washed dishes.

I feel Mister F.

I made Anzac cookies, yes, two days after the fact! But I was adamant they were getting made even if I was late to the game. Such a simple recipe of add wet ingredients to dry took several attempts because, as I said above, ‘2-5 minute intervals.’

Another thing, I got to the shops with baby girl after school to grab some groceries, and bless, baby boy slept the whole time in the pram (as opposed to my ‘quick’ stop at Aldi for nappies this morning that resulted in feeding in the car, waiting for rain to ease, running through the rain with pram, then again
running through the rain again that resulted in all up an hour of the morning AND a crying baby).

I carried baby boy outside in the evening while he was on his #76 fussy episode, to get a change of scenery. And I looked at the clouds rippling above, the waves not too far away gently swaying… and baby boy stilled. And I thought of how I used to ponder the beauty and abundance of the ocean before me, and how now that abundance lay in my arms. ❤🙏

Most importantly perhaps, I helped a baby boy grow up even more. And it’s this I need to remember, as well as all the other things above, on these super trying days.

Come to think of it, I did do a lot. Through tears, mine and his, yes… but I got there.

Breathe.

#2667 11 weeks

11 weeks today!

What is baby boy doing?

He is smiling so sweetly, yet getting upset when I’m not around smiling back at him, carrying him around or feeding him. 😁🤦‍♀️

He is oh-so-curious, looking everywhere around him with super wide eyes. 😳

Likes: the little bear toy that hangs above him on the playmat
The colours and shapes on the TV
The wooden bars in our lounge room

Dislikes: anyone sitting down as you carry him
Car rides
Being left alone anywhere

11 weeks today… what will tomorrow bring when every day is an adventure!

#2666 Twinkle twinkle

The cutest part of the whole day?

Each evening baby boy has what we call his ‘hour of power’ – when we can take his brace off and he can kick and squirm and jiggle all he likes!

But when we put him back in his brace, sometimes he fusses… but I tend to think that has more to do with tiredness and general upset, than it does with going back in the brace.

So as Hubbie puts him in the brace, I sing a song to distract him.

It’s amazing what we forget, and what we remember. I used to sing ‘Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star’ to baby girl, years and years ago to distract her, when Hubbie used to put her brace back on at the end of the night.

I remembered this only when I started to think of what song to start singing to baby boy.

So of course tonight, again. I have to catch his eye, otherwise he will sometimes start wailing.

Tonight, success. Once I have his attention, he is all eyes on me.

Now as you know it’s a short song, so I usually do several repetitions, sometimes up to 10 as the brace goes on.

And tonight, as I was singing, baby girl joined in on my repetitions…

then as Hubbie was finishing up, he joined in too…

So by the end we had baby boy looking up at all 3 of us, twinkling our fingers in the air and singing –

“… how I wonder what you aaaarrrrreeeee!”

The funniest visual, really. 🥰🎵🤣😍

#2665 Friends with pastries

More visitors today!

It was the loveliest day to have one of my oldest besties over with her sons today.

And what’s better than a heart-warming visit from a dear friend?

Why, one that comes bearing bakery goodies as gifts! 😋😍

And just because I haven’t in so long, here’s tonight’s sunset that captures the essence of today.

🥰❤🌅🙏

#2664 This is the fun part

After those early newborn days…

Comes more sleep,

More smiles,

More goo’s and ga’s

And finally, more visitors!

Boy have we kicked off this weekend with a bang!

We love introducing our baby boy to our family and friends, and we love that this is only the beginning. ❤🥰

#2663 Breaking the (visitor) seal

Alright, so the above is both kinda true and not. We have had visitors over to meet our little boy – my closest friends – weeks and weeks ago.

But, it’s been weeks and weeks, and both Easters have passed, so it does feel like we’re at square one again when it comes to visitors. Tonight we had our first come through the door – yay! – and we were rapt for the company.

Going out with baby boy at the moment is both difficult and risky. You never quite know when he is going to get upset… yep, when.

But at home? Home is a dream! We’d much rather people come to us. ❤

Just as well its officially visitor season. 🥰

#2662 I did go

The answer to yesterday’s question! ⬆️

But is there ever any question when the place you are going to are your nearest and dearest? 🥰🥰

I took the kids (love saying that ❤💕) to see my Mum and Dad and sister’s fam today. And amazingly, baby boy was well behaved, first sleeping (for ages!) then smiling at them.

Even the drive there and back had minimal tears. Why I never.

Must be because he knows it’s a place worth going to. 🙏❤