mental health time...

Lately I have been feeling a little...well, not good. I guess all the things that come with having small ones - tired, messy...like all I do is change, wipe, wash, hang, repeat...there are only so many games of hide and seek a Mama can play with a toddler who tells you exactly where she's going to hide first! In short, it was time for some mental health time and a near perfect opportunity presented itself....

It was so good to just lie for a couple of hours, talk, have time to think and I even almost nodded off at one point! And now I feel that my equilibrium has been restored and I am refreshed and ready to change, wipe, wash and hang with new vigor!

Some people like hot stone massages and facials...but I'd rather get stuck with a high speed neddle over and over...go figure.

Plus, to make the boys at Custom Collective even more super cool, they don't even bat an eyelid at a bit of baby-feeding in the shop. Chur!

something to make me smile...

these beautiful people are coming to NZ next March...sighs of joy.

we'll see if we'll see.

feeling stupid...

I am feeling like a bit of a moron at the moment...it could be the intense mouth pain, lack of sleep or countless distractions but I get one job, ONE job to do and I muck it up.
I am not used to feeling stupid. I am usually quite bright. Mind you, I am usually a lot of things that I am not at the moment... patient, warm (not in a temperature sense), energetic, focused (in a scatty sort of way...), able to remain fluid and roll with the punches, sharp... you get the picture.
Perhaps I need to set myself a cerebral project without a strict deadline and see if that helps me to shake these feelings of moronity - not even a word ow. I know.

Failing that, I need to go to the beach...

 

Nercodancer - 'Til undeath do us part...

as you do...

is it weird that this is what makes me feel normal?

 as part of the Hamilton Fringe 2012 we are doing an even where basically we dress up as zombie brides and dance in the centre of town.  I have been feeling a bit off lately (had 3 teeth pulled out of my head yesterday too so that'll help...) and dressing up and getting back to "work" has restored a little bit of my normal self. I am a person outside of and apart from being a Mama and we often let ourselves forget that...good job we have fake blood and slashed up wedding dresses to remind us!

no-cry sleep solution...

We are currently reading this book and trying to implement the things in it to get all of us some sweeter and much needed sleep. Except Elanor, of course; she always gets a solid (at least) 11 hours - lucky bugger!

Maggie has been getting worse with sleeping, both at night and napping. I won't bore you with the specifics as I know for a fact that other Mamas have it worse, but I realized it was becoming a problem for us (and in turn for her) as we hadn't done this before - Elanor has been a badass sleeper from about 6 weeks old. Not this time..Not Maggie...

So I picked up Pantley's no-cry sleep solution on the way out of La Leche League on Thursday and have been recording Maggie's sleep as shown in the book since Thursday night. Basic gist so far - she doesn't sleep enough. I could have told you that before...but seriously, she is getting around 3 hours less a day than she should" be and a big culprit is the nap, or the lack thereof. Maggie will nap for around 45 mins max, if I'm lucky and the wind is blowing in the right direction etc etc. I have been trying over the last two days to help her extend her naps and thus (hopefully) improve her night time sleeping. So far we are making baby steps (!) - she is asleep now and has been for an hour, but I'm not holding my breath.

As far as the book goes I am loving the ideas and coping/changing strategies in it. I also love the fact that the author is a mother of 4 (2 good sleepers and 2 not so much....hence the book) and that she includes anecdotes from real life test Mamas. I think the most important thing I have taken from the book so far is a strategy to help the babe get out of suckling until they are completely asleep and that change takes time.... I have never been and never will be part of the cry-it-out camp (cry what out exactly?) so Pantley's methods appeal on a number of levels. We are going to give it another night or so of recording then look at the situation and decide which changes we're going to put in place over the next 10 days or so. The from there...I'll keep you updated. 'Cos you so care...maybe you do, if your baby (current or future) isn't sleeping that well either and is leaving you looking and feeling like a trackpanted, muss-haired undead.

here's hoping for a bit more of this...

Miss Maggie FiveMonths...

This is Maggie...she is now 5 months old. Wow!

..she is (as you can see) pretty free and easy with the smiles, most of the time.

Maggie loves rolling around the floor and kind of shunting herself forwards to get around.

She LOVES Elanor, boob and that little plastic teething fish (photo left).

Night time sleeping is becoming crappier but we're just weathering the storm for now.

She has big blue eyes, slightly ginger hair and a little red strawberry on her bum.

We are as in love as ever. Happy Whanau. 

one of those ones...

There are times when I feel like it is all getting on top of me. Now is one of those...
But it's before 8am...yes, yes it is.

Elanor got up at the sparrows fart (which she never ususally does) after I had been up and down up and down all night with the other (which is becoming a more frequent thing...). So far there are nappies in the washing machine I can't remember whether I've washed, my teeth are killing me, a wee on the carpet, tears because the giant hoodie won't stay on the rather small tiger and a spilled cup of tea. So yes, it is all getting on top of me pre-8am.

99.9% of the time I am madly in love with my children, whether they're being "good" or not but, and I hate to admit it, there is a small portion of time in which I want to leave the house on my own and do something for half a day. I know, I know, my time will come... In fact it is supposed to come in about 6 weeks when we're supposed to be going up to Auckland to see Mumford & Son but I am toying with the idea of selling the tickets (not that I've told the mister yet, or my parents, who bought mine for my birthday). Maggie will not take breast milk from anything but my breast and the pessimist in me doesn't see that changing in the next 6 weeks... I don't want to force it and upset her. I also don't want to leave her if she's going to be upset about it. Contradiction much...I just said I wanted to run away and do something on my own...but that's just one of those hazy daydream things without real consequences. You know the one where you're slim and beautifully dressed with perfectly tousled locks and you grab one of those small handbags you used to carry and run out of the door into a gorgeous spring day filled with lounging around in bar gardens, eating a whole bowl of curly fires to yourself and moseying around shops/gardens/galleries and everyone at home is fine... one of those ones.

My guess is that on days like these you just have to take comfort in those things that don't make you want to cry.

baby brain major incident #1...

I think I've done well to get 4.5 months into baby #2's life without major dumb-dumb boo boos... yesterday I fell. Hard. I booked tickets FROM wellington TO auckland and back again when really I wanted tickets TO wellington FROM auckland and back again... duh!
All sorted now after much crying on the phone to air NZ with a baby squeaking and a toddler yelling "my tun now, I'll talk to dada thanks" in the background and $40 more!

Brain. Please do not do that to me again. Or at least play fair and give me warning?
Thanks, love Kate

taking a trip...

I am so so super jump around excited...but also a little nervous...the babes and I are taking a trip to Wellington, sans Daddy. I saw flights on grab a seat for $39 each way and thought please overdraft thank you! Neither of them have been to Wellington before (not that they'll remember or appreciate it!) and Maggie is yet to meet a very dear and special friend of mine, Rosemary.
Luckily the plane journey is only an hour...I just dread juggling babes, bags and paperwork at the airport but I'm sure we'll be fine. I mean, I flew all the way to England, granted I only had one little, but still...

HUZZAH!!

late night nursery rhymes...

hickory dickory dock

the time is two o'clock

in the am, not the pm but it's pretty much the same.

diddle diddle dumpling sleepy grin

one boob out, one boob in

in out, in out, shake it all about

please, just drink.

now I lay me down to sleep...

see saw margery daw

what's that baby, you want some more?

I can't work any faster.

star light, star bright

here comes the morning light

this little piggy went weeweegiggleburpcry all the way home.

it's raining, it's pouring

is that daddy snoring?

he's gone back to sleep, but what's the use in being awake

it's me you want.

need.

 

 

one for the dads...

Today is Father's day...woohoo! In our house we made Daddy cards, framed a photo and made some yummy treats. Cheap, cheerful but most of all from the heart. Daddy was stoked.

And so, to the Dads...

strong, silent chief of chiefs.

why do dads have mustaches?

smiles come easily.

knees are for bouncing. 

late night bail-outs, taxi man.

our little secret.

sleepy chest cuddles.

reading the same book over.

thank you dads, thank you. 

xx