Saturday 23 September 2017

No more baby


My second and final baby is officially a baby no more.



This whole year I've been meaning to write about what it's been like going from one child to two and I'm glad it's taken me this long to get my thoughts together.  Had I written this post in the first six months of her life - or even a couple of months ago - it would have been quite different.


When I was pregnant with A, pretty much as soon as I saw those two lines, I started obsessing about what it would be like.  What kind of baby would she be?  How would we all adjust?  What if she was a screamer like her sister - as a newborn - had been?  How would I cope?  I had an absolutely terrible time adjusting to life with one baby, I really hated those first few months and cried all the time, what if that happened again?

I asked everyone with more than one child what their experience had been.  Surprise surprise, everyone had a different story.  My sister helpfully told me that "one is like one, and two is like twenty" and that the adjustment from one to two kids is way harder than the adjustment from none to one.  In hindsight that probably was helpful since she prepared me for the worst but at the time it just sent me into a panic spiral.



J was only 19 months old when A came along.  We were given lots of great advice about how to gently introduce them to each other and to ease the transition for J, and we needed none of it.  J was entranced from the moment she laid eyes on the baby.  She adored her little sister instantly.  So that all went swimmingly.

As it happens, I found the first three to six months - if not an absolute breeze - pretty easy.  I had occasional moments of feeling overwhelmed, but it wasn't the calamitous chaos I'd feared.  Even those first intense weeks where you have no routine and just ricochet through the day didn't faze me.  A cried quite a bit but I knew she was just very small and things would settle down soon.



My main fear and obsession as soon as I knew I was pregnant again was, and continues to be, sleep.  I've written about it before.  A is a really poor sleeper.  This has been the hardest thing, by far, about having a second child.  At first I could put it down to her being too little to sleep well.  Then it went on, and it got really hard, really hard, because she was so grumpy all the time as well.  There were days where she cried ALL DAY.  As did I.

So then we moved to New Zealand because you know, tickets were booked.  It's safe to say that the move did not help A's misery, or her sleep, one bit.  Things got a lot worse, and then it got a bit better.  And then worse again.  And now better.

We've come a long way.

What a joyful member of the family she has become.  Her personality has started to come through and she is pure delight.

No, I don't like babies much.  But boy do I love toddlers.  Chubby kicking legs and throaty chortles and fat hands clapping with glee at every little thing.  Waving vigorously at anyone who comes or goes (including passing cars at the shops).  She laughs with her nose all scrunched up, she dances - and she really gets down with the shoulders shrugging and the hips wiggling.  She imitates us all day long, determined to participate and to learn.  She's talking more all the time: "You want a snack, bubby?"  "Yeah".

As the health nurse said last month "No flies on that one".  No, indeed.


She loves to play with J.  They are each other's best friend.  Especially since A has finally got mobile, oh boy.  The fun they have.  J encourages her: "Crawl to me, bubby!  Come on!  Come over here.  Here she comes!"  J adores her little sister.  She shares generously with A, and only gives her the occasional swipe or push.  Often, if J is upset, she wants a cuddle from A - not from me.  The bond between those two fills me to bursting.  When it's time to get A up from a nap, J runs excitedly down the hall squealing "Bubby!  Bubby's awake!".


It's one thing to love your kids, but then you see them love each other.

And that is a hell of a thing.









Monday 18 September 2017

Trees and flowers, knitting, and so forth

Not to be completely unoriginal or anything, but I cannot believe how the weeks whip by.  Suddenly it's Sunday night Monday morning again.


We've had a reasonably quiet week, just the usual schedule of child-related activities, although I did get to have my hair seen to and my eyebrows groomed all within the one week which is making me feel very polished.  I might even put on some make up.  Well... maybe.  Ok.  Probably not.

The garden continues to spring (get it!!) anew, bringing me no end of delight.  More trees and flowers, I'm afraid, my friends.  Brace yourselves.

You'll have to excuse the patchy lawn - you may recall that we dug out the delightful fishpond/garden bed, and the new grass is taking a while to come through.

How adorable are bluebells?  They're everywhere here


Did I mention that we have cows again?  We have cows again



There are so many beautiful spring bulbs scattered randomly through the garden beds (interspersed with a good amount of onion weed).  I want to dig them up and rearrange them for maximum enjoyment.  We have some stunning freesias but they're tucked down the side of the house where we can't see or smell them.  What a waste!




I bought a packet of forget-me-not seeds the other day and only then noticed that they're already popping up everywhere in the garden and the paddocks.


The plum trees keep on giving, and now the blossoms are starting to fall like confetti.  I hope we get a good crop of fruit.  Apparently one of them is a damson plum from which you can make gin!  It'd be rude not to!


As you may or may not already know, a few years ago I taught myself to crochet by watching many Youtube videos.  I had originally attempted knitting but found it too hard and when I switched to crochet it felt much more natural for me.

I just realised that this is possibly the most boring story ever.

Anyway,  I decided to have another go at knitting this week and guess what!  It's not so hard for me anymore!  I think crochet got me familiar with the general ideas that also apply to knitting so now I'm off and away on my first knitting project.  In my experience, knitting is a far more useful skill because there are only so many crocheted blankets and beanies that people need.  But being able to knit cardigans, dresses, jumpers, etc will actually be quite handy.

Can you believe these curls?
A major event this coming week is A's first birthday.  She's turning one at last already.  She is so stinking cute these days, you guys.  She still doesn't sleep terribly well but (touch wood) I think we're leaving those cranky baby days behind us at last.  Crawling has definitely helped.  Boy is she proud of herself crawling around the house and popping her big noggin around the door to find me.

Speaking of that big noggin, she had her first check up with the baby nurse the other week and finally got weighed and measured for the first time in about six months.  Decidedly average for height and weight.  Head circumference?  97th percentile.

Her confidence with the crawling has grown so that all lower drawers are now being opened and investigated, and the TV remotes will be on the kitchen bench for the time being.  There's also plenty of bumped head incidents and getting oneself wedged in various unlikely spots, requiring cuddles before she's determinedly off again.


She and J have started to discover how much fun they can have together and while there is always the odd scrap (in which A can most definitely hold her own), it's very rewarding to see them playing together.


Even if it does mean that A jams her fingers in the cat flap approximately 17 times in 10 minutes.

Last bit of news, we had a very lively thunderstorm last night which gave the house a good shake, and apparently the Wind Wand and the chimney at the port got hit by lightning!  I can report that the poor cows here were certainly freaking out.  Poor cows.

Got any news for me?  Can you knit?  Been struck by lightning?






Monday 11 September 2017

Life these days

Having been accused of becoming a bit repetitive in my blogging recently (can you believe it?... Don't answer!) I've taken it onboard and today's post will be something completely a bit different.

Your photos this week come from my kitchen, rather than the garden, since a person can take too many photos of trees and flowers.  Apparently.

Lemon slice and cup of tea


The fact is, I write this blog mainly as a record for myself (but also to keep faraway family and friends up to date because I loathe talking on the phone).  So, for posterity, here is a snapshot of how my days go, these days.  Kind of a time capsule to look back on in years to come.

If that sounds ineffably dull, I won't blame you for clicking away now.  Otherwise, pull up a pew.

Ham and cheese mini quiches

So, let's begin!  We'll start at the time my alarm goes off every morning: 7am.  Although I can't actually remember the last time I was woken by the alarm.  We're normally up (or awake, at least) long before.

Right - at 7am my alarm goes off.  A is usually in our bed already, indulging in the hitting, eye gouging and fish hooking that only a very small child can get away with.  When the alarm goes it's my cue to get J up.  She comes into our bed too for her morning milk (I know, controversial at her age) and the whole family snuggles in for a few minutes before the fights break out and it's clearly time to get up.

Get dressed, stoke fire, turn heaters off in girls' rooms and open their windows.  Let the cat out.  Get some toys out, make breakfasts, change nappies.

Before 8am: everyone's eaten breakfast and is hopefully dressed for the day.  Empty and re-stack dishwasher, pack J's backpack and make her lunch if it's a kindy day, then everyone into the car for coffee run/kindy drop off.

My signature tomato and cheese pasta.  I'm fasting as I write this and I know what I'm having for lunch tomorrow

We're home again by 9am, then it's time for morning snacks for the girls while I make up A's bottles for the day (she's down to three at this stage).  Play time, maybe an errand or outing, another nappy or two, maybe a short nap for A if she started her day very early, then lunch for them about 11.30am, followed by milk for A, into jammies (B made a rod for my back months ago when he put J in her pyjamas for her midday sleep.  She is a stickler for correctness and now insists on pyjamas for all sleeps), clean nappies, and bed for both by 12 noon.

I then tidy up (I can't relax with mess all about the place so have accepted that I will be tidying up several times a day), have lunch, make calls or do tasks that can't be done with kids underfoot, then read or scroll my phone until A wakes up.  I feel no compunction about doing basically nothing during naptime.  The rest of the day - and night - is busy enough.

Oh man

A usually wakes sometime between 1 and 2pm, but if not I wake both girls at 2.30pm.  If it's a kindy day, this is when we go to pick up J.  Home for snacks, some quiet play inside, maybe another errand or trip to the park if the weather's fine.  Unless the weather is terrible we always spend some time outside at home in the late afternoon, looking at the flowers, bringing in firewood, checking the letterbox and generally pottering about.

Light the fire, turn heaters on and draw the curtains in the girls' rooms, bring nappies and pyjamas to warm by the fire, prepare girls' dinner.  They eat by 5pm.  Clean up while they have quiet play.

Had to sneak one flower photo in on you.  It is still my blog after all


Run the bath.  A goes first with J sitting on my lap "helping".  Then J entertains herself while I give A her bottle and put her to bed by 6pm.  Then J has her bath while I tidy up the last of the toys and pour her milk.  J has her milk, then a couple of books, and bed by 6.30pm.  I pop back into her room after a few minutes to "check" - she started resisting bedtime and this little ritual helps her to go down happily.

Dinner prep is an equal opportunity task shared between me and B, we eat sometime before 7.30pm, shower, watch some tv, read some blogs, lock the cat in and feed him, then to bed at around 9.30pm.  A usually wakes anywhere from twice to a dozen times (I wish I was exaggerating) overnight.  I give her a bottle sometime between 2am and 5am, whenever she can't/won't settle back quickly.  She's up for the day anywhere from 4.30 to 6.30am.

Rinse and repeat until the end of time.



Thanks for reading along.  Hopefully this wasn't too tedious for those of you who made it this far.

How long do you reckon I can keep the 6/6.30pm bedtimes going for?




Saturday 2 September 2017

Lemon slice, blossoms, and some construction

In case you didn't know, it's lemon season.  Which can mean only one thing in my household.


Lemon slice.  I used this recipe (actually a Lemon Coconut Slice so if you don't like coconut... what is wrong with you??) and I highly recommend it.  No baking required.  Zingy and lemony just the way it should be.




I stand corrected on my previous post when I claimed that one of the pears is flowering.  This is in fact a plum and it's thanks to B's mum that I now know this.



Looks like it's going to be a bumper season.



While I was taking too many photos of the plum, I turned around to discover this tree behind me covered in pink flowers.  No idea what it is.  Didn't even realise it was flowering.  The bees are right into it though.


 Here's some moss with bonus toddler toes.


B's been very busy around the place what with time off work and some sunny days finally coinciding.  We now have almost complete yards.  J thinks they're being constructed purely for her benefit and does endless laps of the race and ramp.


The vegetable garden is also in the final stages of completion.  Yes, we're ambitious.  It's massive.


This is my favourite part:


Doesn't look like much now but it's going to have a sink installed for washing the veggies before we even leave the garden.  Genius right!  Plus the fence has that flat capping all the way round the garden so there's always somewhere to put your beer gardening tools.


Did I tell you guys that A is crawling at last?  She's crawling at last.  And getting herself stuck in all kinds of situations.  She also hasn't figured out that she can actually follow me around the house so still gets very upset when I leave the room.  EYEROLL.


We're all slowly recovering from the dreaded lurgy.  Three of us are still coughing like pack-a-day smokers but the worst is behind us at last.



What else can I tell you?  Oh!  I went to Velvet last night with B's sister and what fun it was.  Lots of laughs, some amazing feats of acrobatics, and lots of excellent music.  Although of course my favourite part was leaving the house at 5.30pm.


Apparently after I accelerated out of the driveway, poor B had one of those hideous evenings where both girls refused to go to sleep without a good amount of crying.  I felt terrible for him of course, having lived through plenty of those evenings myself.  But... not that terrible.




Lastly, if you're looking for some escapism, and to just remind yourself that you will never be effortlessly chic, I'm loving Private Newport.  House goals, my friends.  House goals.