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Cry Baby

2011-07-12T20:54:00.000-07:00

If "crying it out" were a science, I'd have my masters. I've put in many a credit hour on the subject. Initially from reading about it (and vowing it was something I'd never do), then reading about it some more, then trying it and to my great surprise, finding it worked. To the point that what was written in "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child", was being re-inacted to a T.

The first time I did it, was because 1.2.1 had got to the point where she was waking every half hour, just for a cuddle, and was up for 1-2 hours in the middle of the night. Not crying, just wanting to hang out. I was exhausted after a few weeks of this, so decided drastic times called for drastic measures.

The first night wasn't so bad. She cried for 15 minutes, then the second night 10, third night 5, fourth night, zero. Exactly what was said would happen. Hallelujah! Hallelujah! hallelujah! Not too tricky at all. The next week, she cottoned on. Realising that a wee cry wasn't sufficient, she went for a full on, blood curdling, heart breaking wail. I of course went in to make sure she wasn't being malled by a lion. I picked her up thinking there must be something terribly wrong with her, or at least expecting a giant burp, but no, she went promptly back to sleep on my shoulder.

She got smart. Wise to my ways, and adapted her game. So the next night, I had my guard well and truly up. Little did I know that that guard would melt and burn a searing hole in my heart. Again she only cried for 15 minutes, but that was the longest, hardest 15 minutes of my life (almost). My husband held me while mascara streamed it's way down my face. He reassured me that we were doing it for her. We'd seen how much more well rested she was from the week before. But man oh man, how that quarter hour scarred me. If I had to do it again though, I would. It has changed all of our lives. Generally she now sleep 11-12 hours a night, and a total of 2-3 hours in naps per day. There are obviously times where the schedule has been interrupted and a little bit of crying has to be endured, and the less frequent it is, the harder it is to do. But the one thing that gets me through, is the knowledge that they really don't remember the crying. The activity is such, that it is designed to be somewhat erased from memory. I've cried a lot in my life, and the times that I have cried myself to sleep, have definitely been very fuzzy. Plus she wakes up with a big fat grin on her face, she can't hate me that much.

Google search of the day "Capoeira videos" - I believe my nephew would make an excellent student. I will be looking up classes here momentarily.

Joy to the World

2011-06-03T18:28:00.000-07:00

1.2.1 is now nine months old. She has been out of my belly as long as she was in it, and like when she was inside, she's not stopped moving. The wriggly roo is no longer dragging her wee body across the floor though. As of two weeks ago yesterday, her little fat knees decided to take on half the responsibility of getting her from A to B. Or should I say from one thing she shouldn't have to another? Cause of course, like every other child under the sun, she wants a computer cable over a chew ring, or a remote control instead of her toy phone, or a piece of cardboard over her book. I've got no problem not spending a ton of money on toys, cause she tends to disregard them for a dirty old shoe anyway.

She is currently experiencing bonny Scotland for the first time in her young life. I was very nervous about how it would go, especially since she's at the age where most children start to get nervous about new people, and was exercising this phenomenon a couple of days before we left. I thought this trip could either make or break her want to be held by other people. But, to my great relief, she turns out to be one of the most social little beings imaginable. Although, it has it's downsides. I stand near someone and she leans away from me and goes in for the kill. This is obviously fine when it's someone I know, but when it's on the bus and we're next to some dribbling drunk, I'm not quite as keen to share.

She's basically just charming the pants off of all and sundry. When she's in her buggy (stroller), and people walk past her, she looks up at every single one and has an expression that I can only imagine means, "look at me!" if they do, she smiles, if they don't, she makes another expression like "why aren't you looking at me!!?" She just wants to spread the joy.

I have a lot more to say on the subject of 1.2.1, but I will leave it hear for now, otherwise I may never post this post!

My Google search of the day "Montessori schools in the Phoenix area" More will be written about this, I have no doubt ; )

Roses and Clover

2011-03-19T20:15:00.000-07:00

Time, where does it go? I find that as I get older, it becomes more of the hare and less of the tortoise. As a child, I always wanted to grow up. I dreamed of doing adult things. I wanted go to work, not school, I wanted to drink wine, not milk. I'd put multiple pairs of socks on so I could wear my mums heels and make clip clop noises up and down the street. I desperately wanted my ears pierced and to wear makeup, but time went by so slowly and I'd strop about how unfair life was.

Boy do I wish I appreciated that time now. I really hope to instill in my daughter, that it's ok to be where you're at in life. The grass is not always greener. In fact, it's rarely greener. It's usually all dried up, crusty and brown. I lost out on some of the best times of my life, because I was too busy sniffing out the future, and not stopping to smell the roses... but hindsight's a wonderful thing, and I just hope 1.2.1 appreciates her childhood a little bit more that I did.

So yeah, as an adult, time was going pretty fast, but since giving birth, it's sped up to mach 3 and my tiny, less than 7lb newborn, is now a sturdy half year old! For a minute there, I was feeling robbed of that wee bundle, but now I'm realising that she's at the most amazing stage to date. She's not mobile yet, so I don't need to panic constantly, but she's so alert and fascinated by everything. She holds you like a koala, and (probably inadvertently) gives some of the best hugs ever. She just charmed the socks off her great grandparents by not fussing once on a two hour visit. Even after waking up from a brief nap, she just looked around, fascinated by these lovely soft spoken people, and smiled.

She's obviously got her moments though. This month she decided to lengthen her usual one week of bad nights, to two. The sandman seemed to be on extended leave, and I would prey that he'd come back soon and relieve his stand in, who was sorely not up to par. The song doesn't go "Mr Sandman's stand-in, bring me a dream", so he was probably pretty careless and was most likely napping on the job. But then, last night she was back to her normal self, and let me sleep almost all night. I'm not going to count my chickens though, this may only be a brief reprieve, but whatever it is, I'll take it.

My Google search of the day - How to take a passport picture of a baby - She's heading to Scotland, watch out Edinburgh!

Mothers Milk... not just for babies

2011-02-27T14:41:00.000-08:00

Well it's been a while, but I can safely say my world map is much greener now, since Russia decided to join. Thank you huge land mass, you make me very happy.

A lot has been happening in the world of 1.2.1. We've had lots of highs and we've had some sleepless night lows, but it's all good and I'm obviously being kept very busy with her antics.

Her adorableness has been elevated even more with the development of some of the most glorious eyelashes I've ever seen. Unfortunately it makes me even more vulnerable to being wrapped around her tiny little finger, but I'm sure I'm not the first parent to fall fowl of this.

She turns six months on Monday. I can't believe it. Where has time gone? It seems like only yesterday that I was sliced open and her full head of hair, serious eye brows and big feet were dragged from my belly.

She has her six month check up that day, and we'll find out if she's gained enough weight for her to be able to start solids. I'm not going to jump in immediately if we're given the go ahead, I still need a wee bit of time to get my head around it. But we're definitely in the market for getting started soon. She's very interested in what I'm eating and I think she's ready. My plan is to make my own, so I want to finish reading a very good book about it, that my wonderful friend gave me.

Man, it's taken me two weeks to write this! It's Monday tomorrow, so I better finish this before then, or I'll end up having to re-write it all... definitely a case of bloggers block this last month.

So, a couple of posts ago, I mentioned trying to donate my breast milk. I found a great source and filled out their application. I'm a pretty healthy person, so I thought I'd be a good candidate. Boy was I wrong. Completely shunned due to living in the UK for more than three months during the outbreak of mad cow disease. Bloody farmers feeding other animals offal to grass grazing creatures means I can't help tiny babies get the best start in life. How's that for unfairness. Think of the babies, damn farmers! So maybe I'll take my lead from those London gals that are getting 15 Great British Pounds per couple of ounces, to have theirs made into Ice Cream. Baby GaGa, brilliant!

A lot of people take offense to people making food stuffs (for adults) out of breast milk. I don't get it myself. I'm sure at least half the people that go green at the gills at the thought of some boobillicious desert, are drinkers of good old moo juice. Which, if you think about it as faaaaar more gross than some lovely, clean lady expressing in her lovely, clean house. I'm pretty sure Daisy doesn't use dove to clean her bits before Farmer Brown shoves those big suckers on her udders. And those same people, I'm sure don't stop their babies from suckling on their mummas, just because they get grossed out at the thought... but would they let them nurse directly from a cow? Hell no. So why the squeamishness? I think it's a serious case of hypocrisy. But whatever. As it turns out, I'm not producing an excess any more anyway, seeing as 1.2.1's full nights sleeps were only on a couple of occasions, so I'll just keep it all for her.

I think she's on a major growth spurt, seeing as she's on a second mammoth nap of the day. She probably wants to make sure she's definitely over 14lbs by tomorrow, so the doc can give her the green light to start on the next phase of her precious wee life. God love her.

My Google search of the day - best first food for baby - lots of opinions there... this could take some time.

Hi Jinx

2011-01-27T05:02:00.000-08:00

Ha! Spoke too soon, didn't I. It's 2am and I've been up feeding 1.2.1 for the last half hour, and now she's just laying awake next to me, practicing her kung fu. Last night I even said to my husband how she must be gearing up for a long night, cause she had double the length of her normal feed. My how I was wrong.

If I'm perfectly honest, I'd be pretty gutted if I didn't get to enjoy 1.2.1 at this quiet time in the night occasionally. There's something about her wee face staring up at me, being lit up on one side by her seahorse, and on the other, by my laptop screen. Then when she's ready to go back to bed, she turns her head up and away, closes her eyes and sucks her fingers til I pick her up and pop back in bed. A very precious time. Just don't do it too often eh, 1.2.1.

My Google search of the day - Can vitamin overdose cause joint pain - Apparently it can.

Got Milk?

2011-01-25T19:38:00.000-08:00

Dziękuję for joining us Poland. Good to have you onboard. This world domination thing is painfully slow. Ha, oh well, you can't fault a trier.

So, I believe on my last post, I mentioned 1.2.1 only woke for a feed once, at 3am. That was Friday. Saturday, she woke at 4am. Sunday, she didn't wake at all. Not once. My almost 5 month old darling child let me sleep aaaaall night long. Well, ok, of course I didn't sleep all night, I kept waking wondering why the hell she hadn't got me up for a feed. I'd have to listen out for the smallest noise, just to make sure all was good. It got to 7am, I heard a sneeze, then nothing. I closed my eyes thinking I'd be woken a few minutes later... I opened them, looked at the time, and it was 8am! Still not a peep! I'm beginning to think something's wrong. I open her bedroom door quietly, and tip toe into her room, only to find her laying there, wide awake, just merrily sucking on her fingers. How long has she been like this? I start realising why some people have video monitors. I used to scoff at the thought of such frivolity. Oh how I laugh (on the other side of my face) now.

The next night, same deal. I woke to find she still hadn't demanded a feed, and again I went in to her room to find her chilling with her wee fingers in her wee gob. This is fantastic news for my sleep, but not for my lady lumps. They feel like (what I imagine is) a really bad boob job. I feed her and pump the rest. I fill the bottle, and then some. I end up with almost 9oz of the white gold. So I put it in a bottle thinking I'll try (once again) feeding her with it later. She takes a little, but she seems to spit out more than she swallows. I wonder why she likes it from one source and not another? She seems to actually like the bottle to chew on, just not for sustenance. When I've frozen it and tried to feed her, it's not been accepted, and it turned out it was off, so I was glad she hadn't ingested it. But why is it off? Is it my freezer?? Is it me??? Whatever the case, I've given up freezing and just keep trying on the fresh stuff, but since she won't take more than a whiff of that, what should I do with the rest? I have fun joking that I'm going to sell it, but really, there's got to be a better way. I look into donation, and it seems there is a really great source out there that takes donations to feed premature babies, so I'm actually seriously considering this. If I can help a tiny little being get the b(r)e(a)st start in life, who am I to argue?

Well, there's lots on the agenda this week, so I'll sign off here, but I hope I can keep warming my fingers on the keyboard and have some more gibberish to share.

My Google search of the day - is Prolacta Bioscience legit - and yes, yes it is.

Knowledge Isn't Always Power

2011-01-22T00:59:00.000-08:00

I was very excited for 1.2.1 and my first mummy and baby yoga class this morning. I was slightly concerned about the timing of it since she has been taking some mammoth naps first thing, and I knew she'd need a nap before we left. So when she woke earlier than usual, I thought we'd both be safe to have a wee kip an hour later, when she got sleepy. I set my alarm and snuggled up with my pillow. A wee while later I woke to a sleepy whimper, and looked at my phone (also my alarm). It had gone off, but since my phone has been through several wars, it seems the volume doesn't work, and I never heard it. We were late and I knew we'd never make it. So, instead of kicking myself, I snuggled back up to my pillow since 1.2.1 had fallen back asleep.

It's a six week class, so no real biggy. I do feel a bit bummed, but I also feel like it was a sign that I wasn't to wake 1.2.1 since she seems to be on a massive growth spurt. So much so, that by her afternoon nap, I kid you not, she didn't fit into her swaddle. Luckily I had some new larger swaddles on hand, being the (somewhat) organised mumma that I am. So, we'll go one more week without her baby peers, but I think we'll cope.

She has some new tricks. One, is crossing her fingers. A couple of days ago she started doing it with her right hand. I keep trying to take a photo of her doing it, so I can send it to the national lottery (UK), and get sponsored for their add campaigns. I don't know how normal it is for a four and a half month old baby to do this, but I feel strongly that they'll think it's pretty cute and pay me a boat load if cash... Huh, I just googled this phenomenon, and the youngest I can find anyone talking about is 9 months. People keep going on about how the information they read about this was "disturbing". What the hell? A baby crossing it's fingers is disturbing?? So upon further research people are talking about how it's linked to autism. Wow, didn't see that one coming. Oh my god, now I'm reading that sucking on their hands obsessively is a sign also... I'm laying off google for a while.

So another fun thing she's doing is making growling noises like she's a monster. Next thing I'm going to read is that that's a sign of her being... a monster. Oh crap. I wish she'd stop gnawing on my stumpy finger and go back to sleep, mummy needs to go back to bed before she has a breakdown.

ON STRIKE FROM GOOGLE

Sleeping Beauty

2011-01-20T19:42:00.000-08:00

It takes many factors to be in alignment for me to be able to write this blog. It's clear that they have not been for quite a while. I don't know how I managed to write every day for so long at the beginning... I feel bad, cause some of you lovely, yet mental readers still check every day to see if I've written anything... but alas... tumbleweed.

So finally, the stars are aligned, and I guess an update is in order. 1.2.1 is still amazing... nuff said, think I can log off now. Nah but seriously, she just get's more and more awesome every day. She's still not taking a bottle, but she loves her car seat, she's sleeping like a champ (even though her blinds still aren't up), and she never ceases to amaze me with her daily development. If we had carpet in the house, I think she would just roll her way from place to place. A few weeks back she started trying to push up onto her knees, and using her head to scoot forward. She's very smart, but can be quite odd sometimes.

The sleeping issues that seemed to be ironed out and didn't want to jinx by talking about, have gone from good to excellent. Earlier in the week I woke at 2:30am and realised that she hadn't woken for her usual 11pm feed. So, since I was hugely engorged and wanted to make sure she was still breathing, I went in to nurse her. I found her laying there sucking on her favourite two fingers after managing to eek her right hand out the top of her swaddle. I fed her and decided that I'd leave her little hand where it was and see if it would stay peekabooing out, and I'd not have an escape act on my hands (when she removes both arms she can flip herself over and I still don't want her sleeping on her belly). So I made sure all was secure and went back to bed. I didn't hear another peep until 7am. At first I thought this was a fluke, but I've swaddled her with her right hand free every night, and right around 3am, I hear a wee bit of chatter and realise 1.2.1 is ready for her nightly snack. No crying, no wailing, just a wee bit of grunting and babble. Too cute... and awesome for me... 6 hours sleep in a row last night, then another 3 before morning. I'm the luckiest mum alive.

Two nights ago, she ended up being wide awake at her 3am feed, and was all ready to play with me. She kept popping off and looking up at me through the dim light from the hallway, and would give me a massive grin and a giggle. She did this a bunch of times, and as much as I was concerned that she wouldn't fall back to sleep, I couldn't help but giggle with her. It was very sweet. By the time she was done playing with her food, I had decided I would try putting her down anyway. She has this delightful seahorse that glows and plays lullabies, that she got for her Christmas, so I popped that next to her and walked out. When I got back to bed, she was far from asleep, but she wasn't crying, so I just dozed off listening to her cute little noises. Then the next time I woke, I realised she never cried, she just went off to sleep. I was amazed.

Tonight at bedtime, she didn't fall asleep at her last feed, so I decided I would try putting her down while awake again. I expected to hear her chat for a while, but as soon as I turned the monitor on, she was quiet. She had gone off to sleep on her own again. What a doll.

Her naps have been amazing too, so she's just this happy, well rested, delightful little girl. Not sure what I did to deserve such an amazing child, but I'll take it.

My Google search of the day - natural play mats - I want to cover her bedroom floor, so she can roll around until her hearts content.

Optimist Prime

2011-01-07T02:20:00.000-08:00

Momentous day. I decided I couldn't take the mutual torture of having 1.2.1 scream her little lungs out in the portable car seat, so I got my husband to change it out and put the baby elephant in (literally, it's the same colour and everything). I thought that all was lost and we were just going to have to suffer when he put her in, cause she was bawling again. But, as we took off, she started settling down and just began sucking on her fingers and updating me every now and then with her cute little babble. Then she just fell asleep. This was on a 20 minute drive, so I was keen to see if it was a fluke. On the way home, it was even more clear that she was a much happier bunny in the grey beast. She was awake the entire journey and didn't cry once. I'm absolutely, positively, 100% super stoked about this revelation, because it was causing a lot of stress and I would avoid driving unless it was absolutely necessary, and that's not handy in a state where you have to drive everywhere.

The next item on the agenda? Taking a bottle. I received the highly rated, strongly recommended, very difficult to get hold of (in the US), MAM bottles. I could only try using them myself today (and that's about as likely to work as offering my husband his guinness through a dirty football players sock), but she actually sucked on it for a few seconds, which gave me hope. We'll get a better idea if they're going to work tomorrow, since I will not be the one administering them. There's a lot riding on these little suckers (pardon the pun), so they just better work... otherwise... actually I don't want to think of otherwise. I'm just going to be optimistic. After all that's what 2011 has been all about so far. I'm loving it.

My Google search of the day "post pregnancy knee pain" - self explanatory really.

Old Acquaintance

2010-12-31T14:18:00.000-08:00

Phew, what a week... what a month... what a couple of months... what a year goddamnit. It's the end of another, but this one was very different from any other I've ever experienced. I'm looking forward to a new one though, and getting some stuff going, personally and as a family. It's bizarre to think that this time last year, 1.2.1 was just a bean in my belly. She's come a long way since then, and if it hasn't occurred to you in any of my previous babble, I'm pretty stoked to have her in my life.

I'm not so stoked with the lack of sleep, or at least the multiple wakings and short naps she's been taking. She's had a cold, her first, so it's interfered with that aspect of her being, but in terms of affecting her personality, not at all. She's still as bubbly and smiley and eager to stand up as always. Yesterday I helped her get to sitting while she held on to my hands, and she decided to go all the way up to standing. I was so shocked I immediately went to tell my husband. He was like "oh, she's been doing that for weeks". I couldn't believe it, how had I missed this..? how had he not been so proud that he immediately ran to tell me?? Well, maybe it's because I'm a complete saddo and want to put up a billboard to let everyone know that she's trying to use the remote control, cause she's so clever (or she's just a regular baby that likes to grasp at everything and anything)?. Anyway, I'm smitten and that's all there is to it. I won't apologise for it neither, so there.

Last new year was spent sleeping due to being pregnant, this new year will be spent doing the same due to the pup and all of us having a cold. I have many more new years that can be spent partying and singing "Old Lang Syne", so I'm not complaining. But here's to a long and prosperous one. I hope you all have a safe and happy time tonight, love 1.2.1's mum.

My Google search of the day - "Old Lang Saine" - discovered it was obviously spelled Syne ;)

Puppy Dog Tales

2010-12-27T18:58:00.000-08:00

I started writing a post about breast feeding and starting solids and formula and boob jobs. It was getting very intense and not very fun, so I decided just to write about boob jobs instead.

I've wanted a boob job since I knew what they were. I was a late developer, but my body didn't make up for it's tardiness with volume, so I had quite a few nicknames. My arms and legs are skinny, but my hips are substantial, so I always felt that a little extra somethin' somethin' up top would balance me out. Once I met my husband, I was assured I'd have support (pardon the pun) if I wanted to go ahead with it one day. I knew that once I had a baby, I'd absolutely want to breast feed (if I was able), even at the risk of ending up with spaniel ears. So the boob job could come once they're done with feeding babies... savings allowing.

Lately there's been a lot of chat about breastfeeding, and during one of these conversations, my brother chimed in about some women not breastfeeding due to vanity and not wanting to ruin their rack. So my sister in law suggested I look into the cost of formula for a year versus a boob job. So I did. With the help of my husband, we figured out that, depending on brand, and amount consumed, formula can cost anywhere between $3,000 - $4,000 for a year (that's a whole lot of money when you have a free supply right at your husbands finger tips). A good boob job can be anywhere upward of $3,000. So to sum up, I say save the money, feed the baby the white gold and get a boob job if you're not happy with your spaniel ears at the end of it. Your baby (and likely your husband!) will thank you for it.

My Google search of the day - "best juicers" - I so need a detox after Chrimbo.

Bottoms Up

2010-12-25T19:40:00.000-08:00

Wow, what a day. I wasn't going to make bother writing anything, but when I saw three people had made an effort to read this nonsense on Christmas day, I decided I would have to write something, just in case they checked again tomorrow and once again were disappointed by my lack of update... ah yes, I'm sure they were oh so disappointed.

1.2.1's first Christmas down. It was quite a day and she was rather spoiled, but if you can't spoil a four month old on Christmas, when can you spoil them? She's wiped, I'm wiped and her bottom was wiped... several times, even though we were not blessed with Mr Hanky the Christmas Poo. It's been a couple of days, so I'm guessing I'm going to be dealing with a blow out in the not too distant future. I just hope she can contain it in her diaper and not explode it all up her leg while being cuddled by her great grandmother tomorrow. That's a present nobody needs.

Well, I don't know about you, but I'm exhausted, so I will say Goodnight to all and to all a good night. Merry Christmas.

My Google search of the day - "What channel is the Yule log on?" - True story.

The Eyes Have It

2010-12-23T10:38:00.000-08:00

Well helloooo Slovenia, top of the mornin to ya.

Dealing with Christmas while taking care of a small baby puts blogging on a serous back burner. It didn't help that I had a bit of bloggers block, but I'm sure it happens to the best of us. I thought though, rather than write an even bigger pile of rubbish than normal, I should probably just give it a miss.

So I'm not going to talk about 1.2.1's eating or sleeping, cause I don't want to jinx it. What I will talk about is how 1.2.1 could challenge you to a staring competition, and kick your ass. She's been incredibly alert since the day she was born, but as soon as she could focus, she'd look you straight in the eyes, studying you, moving from one eye to the other. Yesterday she was sitting on my knee, looking at her daddy, and she didn't blink or look away for an age, she beat him hands down. You'd think it might be disturbing for such a tiny being to be so bold, but I just think it's endearing (of course). Those eyes she uses to stare you down with, are beginning to change colour. They've been quite a dark blue up until this point, but there's browny green tinges developing (I'm brown, daddy's green), but it could go either way. I'm just intrigued by the whole process, and the fact that crazy mother nature does such weird things.

Other 1.2.1 updates - The feet she found while sitting, have now been grabbed while lying. As soon as I place her on her back for changes, she goes straight for the feet. She's getting them closer and closer to her mouth, but isn't quite there yet. It's interesting to note that she grabs a lot more with her left hand. Making one think that she may be left handed, or as my husband points out, left eye dominant. I think the former though... or maybe she'll be ambidextrous? Whatever the case, I'm pretty sure we won't need to worry about her using either hand to decorate our walls in the imminent future. She did decorate her daddy in peepee yesterday though... haha, makes up for my poo incident when she was a couple of weeks old.

So I'm off to (hopefully) finish our Christmas shopping. Thankfully 1.2.1 is a good sport and just falls asleep in her baby bjorn, while I spend far too much money on presents. Still, it is the eve of Christmas eve, so wish me luck.

My Google search of the day - "where to buy ballet shoes in Tempe"

Some Kind of Wonderful

2010-12-19T19:23:00.000-08:00

I love it when 1.2.1 contradicts me (I won't be saying that when she's older). Last night she didn't wake at 11 (it was 11.50), she fed really well, she didn't stay up for an hour and she slept in her crib aaaaalll night! I believe it partially came down to my husband being an accidental genius. Since 1.2.1 was born we've left the hall light on. It's just easier to have a wee glow come into the room so I can see where I'm going when I get up. Last night however, unbenounced to me (I was already in bed), he'd turned it off. When I realised this at 1.2.1's first feed and almost smashed my toe, I was a little disgruntled. Then I thought that maybe this was the reason she'd slept a bit longer and decided I'd try it out all night. Her bedroom door stands at half mast you see. There's about three inches missing from the bottom, which lets in an obscene amount of light. So when she has a mini wake and can see the fun things around her, she's bound to be more stimulated than if she stirs and is in pitch blackness. Makes sense to me... It'll be interesting if this theory holds any water when we get the blackout blinds I ordered. Generally 1.2.1 does about four mini naps a day. I'd like her to do three longer naps, so I'm hoping the darkness in the room will encourage this. Oh, don't worry, I'll be keeping ya'll posted... whether you like it or not.

I talk a lot about 1.2.1's sleeping and eating habits, but all I really want to do is talk about how cute, funny and smart she is. The only problem with that is, nobody likes a boaster. It's hard not to be a stupidly proud parent though. Even if all she could do was look at me and drool with a goofy look on her face, I'm pretty sure I'd still want to tell you all how wonderful she is. I think that goes part and parcel when the stork drops them off. It's a free pass to gloat. But actually, now I think about it, she can't be that smart, cause when she does her favourite roll from back to front, she flops on her belly and within about five seconds she starts acting like she's being tortured. I place her on her back, she immediately rolls to her front, lays for a moment and then cries, and so the process is repeated until one of us gets bored. I guess it's more about the journey than the destination... so maybe she is that smart after all. I love my baby girl.

My Google search of the day - "mum and baby groups, tempe" - 1.2.1 needs some peers.

The Grass isn't Always Greener

2010-12-18T20:04:00.000-08:00

The dive bombing of the boob continues. I was particularly upset that she carries on doing it at her sleepy feed in the middle of the night. So since I was horribly engorged, but wasn't prepared to start pumping at 4am, I had to do some manual expressing. I have never felt more like a cow. It's quite impressive how far and for how long that little stream can go for... more TMI, but it's just yet another one of those things us poor women have to deal with.

As I was changing 1.2.1 at stupid o'clock this morning, she started kicking her legs straight up into a V. This would be pretty cute by regular standards, but since she was wearing a cream coloured Pajama suit with feet, I had total visions of male gymnasts on the pommel horse. Disturbing and funny all at once.

So this 4am wake up, it's like clockwork. That and her 11pm wake up. No matter how many times she's up before, in between or after, she will still always wake at 11pm and 4am. It's beyond me how babies internal clocks work, but work they do. Unfortunately at that 11pm feed, she likes to stay up for an hour or so. At least she stays up to be cute, smiley and chatty. I could be dealing with a screaming terror, so I won't complain... honest.

I'm really hoping that the boob bobbing and multiple wake ups ease up sooner rather than later though, but it's hard to see beyond tomorrow. It's like when you're sick or have the worst hangover, you never feel like you're going to feel well again. Thankfully 1.2.1's little nuances are far more pleasurable than the flu or the side effects of ten jager shots. I'm pretty convinced they will pass though. Well they better, cause I'm not prepared to have 1.2.1 sleeping in a bassinet next me when she's 18... I hope.

My Google search of the day - "Natural teething remedies" - still convinced she's going to cut a tooth in the next 4 weeks.

Talking Spit

2010-12-17T20:45:00.000-08:00

Every day 1.2.1's vocal abilities astound me, and for some reason she's particularly chatty on the changing table. I swear she's said hello, hiya, nanny and ooohh yeeeeah. But the other day she started adding some bubbly saliva into the mix. It makes her slightly less audible, but definitely more amusing... and soggy. It's really weird, she gathers a bunch of slobber, puts her lips together and starts going through her ummm's and beee's and has this cheeky smile on her face. Maybe it feels kinda good, or maybe she's just got so much extra drool that she has no option but to use it as a talking tool. Either way, it's rather funny, and I'm always up for a bit of light entertainment.

Another thing she's been doing lately is part amusing, part utterly frustrating. When she feeds, she latches on for a wee second, pops off, looks up at me, grins, looks at her hands, chills for another wee second, then dives on my boob like a killer whale on a baby seal. You'd think for that moment she'd been starved for a week, I don't get it. This goes on and on for about ten minutes, then she may relax and take on a few ounces. I can't help but giggle the first couple of times (which encourages the grins), but after a few bobs, it begins to get sore... and messy. I start getting engorged when she doesn't take on enough, so I tend to squirt her in the eye if I don't plug the leak promptly. Again, initially amusing (especially when she ends up with droplets of milk on her eyelashes which make it look she's been out in the snow), but gets old and all I want her to do is nurse and satisfy both our needs. So tonight I'm hoping for a few more hours sleep, and all her feeds to be full"filling". Sorry. But I hope it's not asking too much, cause it would make this mummy very happy, and rested.

My Google search of the day - "Can you get stamps delivered?" - sounds ironic, I know.

Sleep Interrupted

2010-12-17T06:56:00.000-08:00

It's my pleasure to announce the arrival of Thailand to ONEdotTWOdotONE.com. cycleinstead.com, if that's you, I will shamelessly plug your mission if you shamelessly log on in every country you cycle through. Deal?

1.2.1 woke all happy and chatty again yesterday morning. At 6am, I heard her cheery babble through the monitor and I went through to find her having broken free of her swaddle, and working her way halfway up the crib (if you are a Facebook friend, you can view the pic on my page. V cute). She has a giant grin on her face and seems very pleased with her baby Houdini act. The Swaddle is velcro, so very difficult to get out of, but between 1.2.1 getting too big for it, and the soft side of the velcro getting worn away, she was able to pop her tiny wee hand out the gap in the middle and work it up bit by bit. This wonderfully cute wake up call made up for the three wakings in the night. Yawn.

This morning however, was a different story. We seem to have regressed a little. After multiple efforts to put 1.2.1 down in her crib and keep her there, I ended up giving in and just bringing her through to our room at 1am. I was far too exhausted to have to keep getting up and going through, and if all it was going to take was a little shoogle and reassurance, better my sanity than her big girl status. I'm not entirely sure the cause of this crib strike. I think it may be a combination of factors (as these things always are), but whatever the reason, I've not given up. It's just a wee bump in the road. To be honest, I expected it before now, so am actually quite impressed, if not rather wakefully impaired. Double yawn.

I can only hope that she takes several lovely long naps (ha), so that I can take advantage and get some rest too. I'm really feeling for those new mums now.

My Google search of the day - "is it a full moon soon?" - all you ladies out there, I'm pretty sure you know what I mean.

Mad World

2010-12-15T18:42:00.000-08:00

Whoah, this is getting serious. I'm beginning to feel the pressure... I must welcome Malaysia and France to my blog. 9 countries down, only about 184 to go. This could take a while. I hope I can ramble on with enough rubbish to keep going for as long as it takes to cover the ENTIRE WORLD.

Ha, wishful thinking. Other thinking - Everyone talks about puppy breath, but you never hear anyone talking about baby breath. Personally I love them both, but baby breath just pips it. I'm sure they're just like Marmite - you either love it or hate it. I wonder if there's a corrolation between who loves and who hates... I'm sure there'll be scientific study done about that one day.

So 1.2.1 spent her second night in her crib. I still felt a little odd when I went to bed, but I was becoming quite convinced that she is better off in there, and that is the most important thing. She woke for a couple of feeds, then, when my husband left for work and I found out it was nearly 7am, I was surprised that she hadn't woken me yet. I fell back to sleep, and about 25 minutes later, I was woken by the cute little squeaks, squawks and babbles that I was so used to in the first 3 months. She had woken up rested and happy. It was a done deal. She sleeps better in there, and certainly didn't seem concerned not to be able to look through mesh and see my stupid mug looking back at her. All this loneliness and scared of the dark crap is total projection on our part. These are learned behaviours, so if I can avoid her having those feelings for as long as possible, I feel like I'm doing (at least part of) my job. And that's good enough for me.

My Google search of the day - "How many countries are there in the world?" There is no 100% accurate answer to this due to discrepancies, but the number I have gone with is apparently the most used.

Pinky and Perky

2010-12-14T18:32:00.000-08:00

Cheese before bed and baby in next room, do not a good nights sleep make. 1.2.1 did incredibly well in her crib. She (technically) only woke once, and it was just a feed and straight back to sleep. It should have been a better nights rest for me, but between feeling very sorry for myself that she wasn't next to me (to the point that I had a good weep), and two awful nightmares (the side effect of cheese, I'm convinced), I woke up even more tired. 1.2.1 on the other hand was right as rain. Her first two naps were even better as well, so I'm pretty convinced that 1.2.1 has made the transition to her own room. Sniff.

She is growing and learning so fast that I can barely keep up. The other day she rolled from her back to her front, and now it's her new favourite thing. It turns out that this doesn't normally happen until 5-6 months, so I'm obviously feeling ridiculously proud. She was definitely making extreme efforts to try and move forward towards one of her books too, so I'm a little nervous that we'll be baby proofing a little earlier than planned. Oh dear.

We're getting into a nice little groove it seems, and we're enjoying every single minute. I just put her down in her beautiful comfy crib after a lovely wind down, and a monster feed. I'm wondering if she'll manage to do a full six hour stretch like she used to before she turned three months... come to think of it, 1.2.1 seems to do everything back to front, but that's ok with me. It makes life a little more interesting... ooops, spoke to soon, she's calling me... I'll be back.

All she needed was a wee cuddle. She's got me wrapped around her little finger, and what a cute little finger it is.

My Google search of the day - "Unusual gifts for the picky man who has everything" - My husbands Christmas present - he's ridiculously difficult to buy for.

It's Not All About Me Y'know.

2010-12-13T19:39:00.000-08:00

When I was pregnant with 1.2.1, there was a lot of research to be done in order to get all the paraphernalia that goes along with having a baby. One of the longest and hardest searches was for a car seat. Initially it wasn't really hard at all, since my husband (who is into race cars in one form or another - except Nascar of course) wanted a Recaro, since it was the safest, and best. The only problem we found, when it was received as a gift, was that it was the size of a baby elephant. Even though I had only just traded my lovely Mini Cooper S for a much more responsible and family friendly VW Passat wagon, it would fit, but it still couldn't have been described as "portable". So that was going to be kept aside and used after 1.2.1 gained a few pounds, and in the meantime I got my hands on something much more reasonable, that also fitted into a stroller.

So yesterday, the chance came to try the awesome, beastly Recaro out. My husband had a rare day off and we had plans to meet some friends for lunch and then go and find ourselves our first real Christmas tree. All very exciting. So since we were taking a big work truck, we figured we'd try the car seat out. 1.2.1 is notorious for disliking her regular car seat, so I was very keen to see if this one fared any better. My husband popped (ha), it in the back of the truck and I came over to strap her in... six feet off the ground. The cab to the truck was so high, and the car seat so huge, that I couldn't possibly get her in from the outside, so I climbed in with her, and did it from inside. What a palaver. It was oh so worth it though, cause she looooooved it. This is not only fantastic news because it was a very generous gift from the great grandparents, but because it grows with her and will last her into her 20's. Yippee.

We had a lovely leisurely lunch with our friends, then late into the afternoon we picked up the perfect tree and all the decorations. Before I started decorating I wanted to put 1.2.1 to bed. Normally this isn't too big of a deal, but, since the weather has been cooler in the evenings, our nice soundproof(ish) windows, aren't so effective (some kind of science that's beyond me). Our bloodhound was barking up a storm, so putting her in the bassinett in our room as normal (which is at the back of the house), wasn't looking like an option. It was time to give her Crib in her bedroom a shot. She is in this crib several times a day, but for a kick around and play time, not for sleeping... yet. I was building up the courage. I plop her down and she seems comfy enough, and was still asleep when I walked away, so thought that maybe this would actually work. I left her in the capable ears of my husband while I went out for an hour and a half. I was pretty nervous that entire time, worried she wouldn't sleep and would cry up a storm and stress my husband out. But, when I return, she's still fast asleep not making a peep. Another hour and a half later, we still hadn't heard a peep. Usually we at least hear a few sleepy squawks, but nothing. I start getting anxious. Checking on a sleeping baby a hundred times a night isn't clever, but it's a passing thought every other second. I mention my fears once, twice, maybe even three times. I don't want to go in there and wake her, but I really want to know that she's still breathing. My husband finally just goes in and does it, and of course, she's just - sleeping like a baby... at least for another 30 seconds. My husband apologizes, but for once I'm not mad that she's been woken, cause at least I know she's alive. It could be that I'm secretly not wanting her to sleep so well in there, cause I love knowing she's dreaming next to me at night, or it could just be that because the cribs much bigger, I'm more worried for her safety. Either way. She did great for 3 hours, and that was enough for me to know that she can sleep in there and it hopefully won't be hard to transition her from our room to her own.

We're actually trying it out again tonight. I mentioned to my husband how much more comfy the mattress seems in the crib compared to the bassinet, and he says am I just going to let her sleep in there all night? That was a hard question to answer. He points out that if it's more comfortable, wouldn't she prefer it? I try and make out that it wouldn't be fare, that maybe she'll be lonely. But the truth is, she doesn't care, it's all about me and my feelings. I want her next to me, but that's not necessarily what's best for her. So I'm going to give it a shot. I can always bring her through to our room after 6am if she wakes, and that way, when it gets light she knows where we are. Having a baby is life changing, but I'm also discovering it's really, really hard to deal with all the little milestones that prove her tiny little moves towards independence. I'll get there though, in baby steps.

My Google search of the day - "How old are babies when they start rolling back to front?" - This will be the subject of tomorrows ramblings.

Bring Me a Dream

2010-12-11T20:19:00.000-08:00

Thank you Philippines! My map is getting greener by the day.

I've got a bit of writers block today, so not much to talk about. But thought I'd at least check in so that I keep my fingers warm.

We're just getting ready for 1.2.1's first Christmas. Very exciting... not that she'll remember it, but it's fun for us. I've actually managed to get my ba humbug husband to get festive. I can't quite believe I've been organised enough to make and send Christmas cards. Anyone who's receiving one, I can't wait to hear what you think. I hope you enjoy, I think I'm pretty funny sometimes.

Well, I'm pretty wiped out after last night, so I'm going to call the sand man and get him to sprinkle an extra dose over 1.2.1 to make sure she sleeps a little better tonight. Wish me luck...

My Google search of the day - "How to breastfeed a 3 month old with teeth" - apparently it's not a big deal. We'll see. Night, night.

Nippy Sweeties

2010-12-10T17:02:00.000-08:00

Oooh, this blog stuff is rather exciting. I get to see stats of how many people view it. There's a map of the world highlighting the areas that are reading it, and depending on the depth of green, which place views the most. People from the US, UK, Canada, Australia, S America and Germany are all reading my blog! I can tell if they've used a Mac, PC or their phone... even what colour their underwear is. Ok, maybe not the last bit, but gees, this technology stuff baffles me. I'm sure 1.2.1's going to be able to build her own websites by the time she's 5. I think they use computers in pre-schools these days.

My goal, now that I've seen all this excitement, is to get at least one viewer in every country. So I'm asking for your help. If you know one person in another country, pass my web address onto them, and ask if they would kindly read my blog... well, they don't have to read it if they get started and think it's total pants, but if they like it, maybe they can pass it on to another friend in another country, and so on an so on. It would be amazing to light up my entire map in green.

So, all begging out the way, I can get down to business. Todays update. The control freak weaning is coming along nicely. 1.2.1 and her daddy are having a jolly nice time every evening without me. In fact, if she took a bottle, she probably wouldn't need me at all, sniff. In all reality, I'm only gone for a half hour run, but it is good exercise for all of us, physically and mentally. I actually have a long run coming up this weekend (I'm training for a half marathon in January), so daddy and 1.2.1. get to spend a lot more quality time together.

Feedings and naps are still going pretty well, but the constant munching on the fists and litres and litres of drool are still alarming me. I know it's possible for 3 month olds to cut teeth, but how the heck does a breastfeeding mum retain her nipples? TMI? Maybe, but it could be a reality for me. 1.2.1 has a clamp on her, and I can't imagine reasoning with such a wee one. I don't think "Oh please don't bite darling, that hurts mummy's nips" I'll just sound to her like the teacher in Charlie Brown. Well, I guess I'll just have to accept my fate. Maybe I can design a nipple shield and make my millions... or maybe there's already one out there... Oooh, there's my Google search of the day!

Reading Between the Lines

2010-12-09T20:11:00.000-08:00

1.2.1 has a lovely little area on her (gorgeous) floor where she lays, kicks about, spends time on her tummy and can look in a mirror. We also read books to her here. One I was reading yesterday was a nursery rhymes book. It reminded me of a thought I've often had about how weird, negative and morbid many nursery rhymes and children's songs are. If you don't know them off by heart, look up the words for Ring Around the Roses - Humpty Dumpty - Three Blind Mice - See-Saw Margery Daw - Peter, Peter, Pumpkin Eater - Jack and Jill - It's Raining it's Pouring - Goosey, Goosey Gander and don't even get me started on Rub-a-dub-dub. Then there's also the delightful Rock-a-by baby... what is that all about? So, quite frankly, I'm not in any hurry to be repeating these lovely little ditties to my innocent wee daughter, but I am intrigued to find out what's behind the history of why this is. So guess where I look... hmmm Google? You betcha (I really need to let Google know and try and get sponsorship...) I find some bizarre suggestions, then I find this:

Once upon a time, a long, long time ago........people were punished by death if they were caught gossiping or talking about the events of the time. Very cleverly, they disguised their converstions with short, easy to remember rhymes. These rhymes stuck and are still popular today, although, their morbid, violent history has been somewhat lost with time.

Whether this is true or not, I'm not sure, but it does kind of make sense and reminds me of how capoeira came about. But that's a whole 'nother blog entirely. Anyway, that was my mind wonderings for the day that I thought I would share with all 3 of you... Bonne Nuit.

My Google search of the day (other than the obvious above) - "How to get Google to sponsor me". No answer to this as yet. humph.

Happy Feet

2010-12-08T18:45:00.000-08:00

I discovered I was a control freak after the birth of 1.2.1. Quite a shock to the system. I've been good with everyone else being in control for pretty much my entire life, so this is very hard for me to get my head around. I have to nip it in the bud though. I can't hover over my husband every time he changes her diaper, or tell him he needs to hold her a certain way, or that he's looking at her wrong and expect to be married for much longer. So the plan is to wean me from my controlling ways. It started last night and went really well. We'll build it up bit by bit, and hopefully by the time she's 18 I'll be able to spend an entire evening away from her. I jest, but really it'll be good for us all.

What will really help in this weaning process, is the fact that we have worked through 1.2.1's nursing issues and she is now having a really good belly full every 3-4 hrs now, instead of me still trying to do the EASY routine and feed her after every nap... which equates to feeding every 2 hours, and her only having a little sippy sip. This means that (since she still won't take a bottle) I can go out and about and leave her in the capable hands of her father and know she won't starve.

The other thing I'm trying to stop doing is second guess myself. When I miss a sleepy cue and 1.2.1. has a screaming fit because she's past her prime, I think that I'm going to be soothing her for hours, or that it's really hunger, not tiredness. But after 3 minutes of wailing, she gets really calm and then is fast asleep in the next 2 minutes. It happens almost every time, so why do I question myself every 2-3 hours? You think I'd get it by now. It's probably just the newness of it all. I'm going to start giving myself a break... where's that kitkat?

All in all it's been a busy week of learning and achievements for us all. 1.2.1 finally got a hold of her feet this afternoon. Something she has been desperate to do for weeks. The day she set eyes on them, she had to have them. She would bend forward as far as she could, wiggle them, grunt, stretch her hands out towards them, but alas, they were just out of reach. It didn't stop her from trying every time she caught sight of them though. It is up there with some of the cutest things she has done. Then today, all her hard work paid off and she clasped her prize in her tiny little hand. I almost had a tear in my eye. The next step? getting those suckers in her mouth... now that I really can't wait for.

My Google search of the day - "Daniel Tosh 2011 tour" unfortunately I found that he won't be coming to Tempe anytime soon. sad face.

Swaddle Me Gently.

2010-12-07T08:04:00.000-08:00

Don't get me wrong, 1.2.1 is still the most smiley, happy baby I've ever known, it's just that she's got a bit of attitude now. A cute, mini attitude.

This new attitude will now be documented forever in this blog. I'm not very good with scrap books and baby books stuff, so, as my blogaholic friend says, this can be an equivalent of that. As well as a channel for me to pour out the ramblings in my head. I've often found that as long as I write things down, they stop swimming around in it. That can be unfortunate at times, cause once I write a list, I lose it and forget what it was I needed to do/get.

So for the sake of playing catch up, here is some info on 1.2.1. She was born with large feet and an insane amount of hair (we could actually see that hair in the ultrasound... crazy). She's pretty much been able to hold her head up since day one, I believe this is due to building up a ton of strength while she was doing head-spins on my cervix. She cracked her first smile on my birthday, 4 weeks after her birth. When she went for her 1 month check up, the doctor said "don't expect any smiles or coos for at least another two to four weeks", I told him she was smiling already and he practically laughed at me. I showed him the picture on my phone and he didn't doubt me any more. He especially didn't doubt me when, as he was listening to her chest, she gave him a massive grin. That's my girl. A week ago she started pulling herself up (assisted) to a seated position. The next day she rolled from her front onto her back. She talks a lot and makes us smile on a very regular basis. One of my favourite things she does when she wakes in the morning (only just getting back into this after her more fussy awakenings), is grunt a bit as she wriggles in her swaddle (more info on that later), and looks around, paying particular attention to the fan on the ceiling. Then, as I turn my head to say good morning through the bassinet mesh, she gives me a giant smile while her eyes sparkle in the dimness. Pure joy. She never fusses when I change her and she loves her own company, which is priceless.

She is swaddled for every nap and bedtime. I did this originally because I was told to, and I realised why, when she would fall asleep without it and promptly woke herself up by punching herself in the face with her jerky fist flailings. One book I have recommends a partial swaddling after 6 weeks, I carried on though since she seemed to be quite happy with it. In this past week of trial and error, I thought that maybe she would like to have her arms free so she can chow on those fists as she falls asleep. The only problem with that was, she has an unbelievable gag reflex. Every couple of munches, she heaves and I wait for the barf, but it rarely comes. She just gags and heaves and carries on regardless. She even gags when she farts and/or poops sometimes (the inner child in me finds that quite amusing). She won't accept a pacifier and won't take a bottle, possibly for this reason. So I will keep swaddling her until she's 10 if I have to. We all need the sleep.

My Google search of the day - "How not to be a control freak with my child". More on that later.