About Me

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I am a first-time Mum to daughter, Lily, born December 2010 and am currently home on maternity leave. Also living in the Zoo with Lily and me is my partner Kai, the Jessie-dog and the Tippy-cat

Friday 29 April 2011

Feeding Time at the Zoo!

Apple, yes!
Banana, yes!
Sweet potato, yes!
Avacado, yes!
SQUASH, NO!!!!

I met the girls for coffee yesterday, and Lily, being the oldest of the babies in my baby group, is leading the weaning way. I was all geared up to feed her in her pushchair while we all sat out in the gorgous sunny weather enjoying our drinks alfresco.  After 2 weeks of feeding her in the high chair, I figured we had progressed far enough to be able to handle this.... Well maybe not!

I had just said to the girls that she had been eating really well and that Lily seemed to like everything I had put in front of her.  Fruit mixed with baby rice, veg mixed with baby rice, frozen home-made ice-cube sized meals mixed with baby rice, or lovely Ella's (other brands are available) packets, it didnt seem to matter.  She ate it all! Brag, brag, brag.

That was until I needed her to be presentable in public.  Whether it was actaully the fact that she didn't like the squash and sweet potato packet (the squash part was the new addition), or just being pissed off that she was having mush while I gobbled down a triple chococate Costa coffee muffin right in front of her, I'm not sure, but she sure made a scene.  The glop went in.  The glop came out. Then her whole face, from the cavernous folds under her chin, to the big shiny expanse of her forehead, wrinkled up, and without words, she made it clear to me and everyone else at our table.... Lily was unimpressed!!!!

Thankfully her 4 other little friends were too busy sleeping or doing other well behaved baby things, that I dont think they noticed... this time.  I don't think Lily has been branded a little shit disturber just yet.  But I can see it coming.  I am already looking for tables that I can crawl under to hide in embarassment, when my first Mummy friend says to me, 'Your Lily taught my _________ (fill in the blank with child's name) to do _________ (fill in blank with any naughty behaviour).  The day will come, I'm sure.  And until my sister-in-law comes home from the Middle East with my darling 3 year old neice, I have no one else to blame Lily's mischievious ways on.... (so please hurry home Cruize)

Ok, so she hasn't encouraged her friends to drink out of the toilet or eat the dog food.  She hasn't told them to 'pull my finger', or made them repeat 'I was born on a pirate ship' with stretched mouths.  She hasn't even thrown her food on the floor and laughed, insiting a food-fight riot.... But, I'm not stupid, these days are coming. Afterall, she is her father's daughter!  In this department, afterall, she couldn't possibly take after me.
xo

Monday 11 April 2011

Growing up means letting go.... but she's only 4 months old!!!!

Today was a special day.  It was a day that I marked in Lily's calendar with a sticker.  It was a day that should have made me happy... But instead I cried!  Kai said I'd gone soft, called me daft, and then laughed.  He was right.

It's official.  My little baby isnt a little baby anymore.  She's now a big baby of 4 months old.  Today, she had her first few mouthfuls of baby rice.  Today she is one step closer to not needing me anymore (hence the tears)!

Ok, so maybe this reaction is a little over the top. Maybe it's a little irrational.  And maybe I cant blame it on hormones, but that's how I felt (at 9am this morning).  But tonight, however, I've come to my senses, and see Lily's new breakfast as a wonderful milestone, and hopefully the first of many new ones to come.  My little girl is growing up.

It really is amazing how quickly she is changing.  One day she can't do something, and then just 24 hours later she can.  Sometimes its the littlest thing, like holding a new toy and shoving it in her month, or sitting in the grocery shopping trolly, that makes you realise just how fast the last 16 weeks has gone, and how quickly the next 16 are going to go.  It won't be long before I'm back at work (I can guarentee you the tears about this prospect are genuine and justified!!!!).

The lovely spring weather is finally here, and I hope the next few months will be full of picnics and outings. How cool will it be to sit with my little girl and share a meal (yum, pear puree), sitting in the sun on a red plaid blanket?  I just hope the food stays down better than the milk... it would really be nice for have a left shoulder that doesn't permanently spell like barf!

Tuesday 5 April 2011

Why do I only read when on holdiay?

So, we're back from our holiday in Canada, visiting my family and showing off our little Lilypops.  With only a few minor incidents (like forgetting to collect Lily's luggage at the airport and having to get sercurity to take me back through to the baggage hall... numpty), we have almost recovered from the ordeal.  The laundry is almost done.  Lily is almost sleeping through the night again. And I can almost get back into my jeans (which did fit before I ate 2 weeks worth of Canada's fines grub - for those of you who don't know what poutine is, your waistline and arteries arent missing anything).

There were many highlights and memorable moments of our two weeks away:
-Lily getting to meet her namesake (Great-Grandma Li (Lillias), age 98) and my family finally gettig to meet both  Kai and Lily
-The view from atop Mount Royal - after carrying Lily in her pram up about 15 flights of stairs)
-My father actually holding Lily - he doesnt 'do' babies
-Tasting Lebonese food for the first time - YUM!
-My wonderfully talented sister taking Lily's baby pictures

But probably the nicest part about the trip was getting to see Kai spent time with Lily.  I am so very lucky to have a job (teacher) that allows me to be home with Lily when she's this young. I see her change and grow each day.  I'm there for her 'first'.  I know her cries. And I usually know how to make it all better. But our partners dont always have that luxury.  There are many days when Kai has gone to work before Lily gets up, and she's in bed before he gets home.  It's just how it has to be.  So this family time together was very special.  There were lots of Daddy snuggles, a few feeds, and even the occasional nappy change.  I realised on the last day of our hols, when I went to put Lily in the sling, that I hadnt carried her for almost 2 weeks.  Kai had been 'Baby Bjorning' her all trip.  It felt so good to get her back close to me, even if she was a little more squished in her sling than last time.

But now we are back from holiday, and life has returned to normal'ish'.  Normal seems to mean having the tele on full time!  It's on in the conservatory all day.  I don't sit in front of it all day, but it just rumbles on.  It's like background noise.  Then when I go up to bed, the tele goes on again!  Why?  When I was on holiday, I read a book!  A great book!  I read it in bed.  I read it in the living room while the kids played, and my sister and I sat with coffee, she reading her book too. Why do I only read on holiday? The tele at my sister's went off after my nephew's morning 'shows' ended and there was no tele in our room. Maybe it has to do with the fact there there were other people in the house so that it wasn't too quiet.  Maybe it was that other people were reading at the same time.  I dont know.  I just know, that I wish I read more.  Last night, Kai was on a late shift and there was no Law & Order on tele at bedtime, so I opened my book.  It felt good.  I only hope I can keep it up. 
xo
PS. Thanks Beth for the bag of books.