Category: baby

Happy 4th Birthday Chanbe

/ Renae / Leave a comment

4 years (and 3 days) ago, Chanbe came into our lives and changed our world. There have been sleepless nights; tears of joy and triumph, as well as frustration; many a milestone; countless kisses and cuddles; and everything else in between you can possibly imagine.

We had a little BBQ dinner for our big 4 year old on his actual birthday (Thursday) and were so pleased that everyone we invited was able to come. Quite impressive for a Thursday afternoon/evening party. He and his little friends ran amok while us adults chatted and drank and ate around them. As happened last year, a thunderstorm rolled in and the 10 minute downpour cooled things off for the evening which was delightful. Hubs cooked delicious lamb to have of souvas, and as per Chanbe’s request, I made a train cake.

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My biggest goal for the day was not to give birth, so after achieving that, I felt like it had been an absolute success! I was on my feet all day, so I crashed a bit on Friday and have been pretty exhausted since, but it was such a wonderful afternoon that it was totally worth it.

Well my not-so-little guy, you continue to delight and entertain us with your smile, cheekiness, and energy. You are inquisitive and ask very interesting questions – you get that from your Dadda – and that will take you far in life. Although a bit overly enthusiastic at times, you are fiercely protective of your little sister, and you can’t wait to be a big brother again soon.

We love you and can’t wait to see what you come up with next.

I’m ready

/ Renae / Leave a comment

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Feel free to take a guess as to which one I’ll be needing! I have a feeling it’s going to be a girl, and a few other punters share that thought, but feel free to put your own 2 cents in!

I’m due in 2 weeks. Yes. That’s right. Not that that actually means anything – only 5% of babies are born on their due date. But I’m ready, in more ways than 1.

Except I hope the baby doesn’t come early. Let me explain.

The kids and I are in Brisbane. Hubs hopped on a plane to Canberra yesterday for a locum position starting tonight and finishing next Monday morning. Mount Isa is currently experiencing temps of 30 (min) to 40 (max) and I’m sure you can understand how much that excites me, and how much that makes me want to rush back up north. The baby is head down, but not engaged, and is quite happy to play bongos with my organs/pelvis/ribs/bladder.

So as much as I want an outside baby, what I really want is to be “home” (Mount Isa) with Hubs, instead of trying to decide when to fly back, having to consider all sorts of things.

I’m not particularly stressed about it, I just wish there was a way to know for certain what the best date to fly back would be. At this stage, my 3 “options” are this coming Satruday, next Monday afternoon, or the following Thursday which is Chanbe’s birthday. I have a doctors appointment on Wednesday, so I’m hoping to make my decision after that!

 

My unremarkable pregnancy

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Unremarkable is not exactly a favourable word, but when it comes to pregnancy, there’s nothing I like to hear more. I haven’t had any major complications with any of my pregnancies which I feel very fortunate and thankful about. Apart from carrying a bit of extra weight leading up to the last 2 pregnancies which I feel has caused a bit more discomfort than my pregnancy with Chanbe, some itchiness caused by who-knows-what in my arms, and my sexy husky voice, pregnancy and I get along quite nicely.

Here’s a couple of belly shots that I took about 6 weeks ago

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I absolutely LOVE this dress and have had a number of compliments when I wear it. I bought it at one of the op shops in Mount Isa for $6. Unfortunately, as it’s not actually a maternity dress, I’ve grown out of it since then šŸ™

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And here’s a couple of shots I just took today, with my new “do” and another op shop find, this time in Melbourne when I was down with Hubs last week! This dress was $4 šŸ™‚

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Unfortunately there are no nice “selfie” mirrors in the house at Woody Point, so you’ll just have to use your own filter.

 

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I must admit that with my new short hair and my hot red dress, I’m feeling pretty foxy at the moment! Like I said, pregnancy agrees with me! And I gotta say, if unremarkable pregnancies result in kids like this…

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I find that pretty remarkable šŸ™‚

Sharing’s caring

/ Renae / Leave a comment

Or can be more easily defined as “being a parent.”

Thinking about having offspring? You’d better be good at sharing. Everything. Your glass of water; your sneakie cookie; your sandwich; your bed; your lap; your phone; your clothes; pretty much every meal and snack and drink (aside from coffee and wine) you make for yourself, for the next 2 decades.

It’s not that IĀ mind sharing. I’m pretty good at it. But sometimes I just want to say NO! Chanbe and Quindy are very much at the “learning to share” phase, and it’s a bit hard, when trying to teach them to share with each other and other kids, to not set the example. We do, however, believe in the idea that you don’t always have to share. It’s a choice, and you are allowed to say no, as long as you realise that the other person has the same option when you’re the one doing the asking.

So today, I said “no” to sharing my cookie. I wanted to dip that whole sucker into my hot cup of coffee and not have to go halves with any little people, especially since they had just had their own. This is sometimes met with tantrums, but it’s a guilt-free no on my behalf.

This was just a little “share” from me while I drink my 1/4 glass of rose while the kids are having screen time and I prepare mentally and physically for the “dinner, bath, bedtime” that I’ll be doing pretty much solo for the next 12 days. Hubs is working non-stop until we go on our little holiday, so I need the mental prep time around 5pm each day to tackle the next 2 hours.

Coming up on the blog:

  • The next step in my quest for making the perfect macarons
  • Our holiday plans
  • My unremarkable pregnancy (and why that is a good thing)
  • We love going on bumpy drives

… and more! Stay tuned…

 

I have been waiting a long time for this

/ Renae / Leave a comment

It started not long after Quindy was born. Chanbe was quite put out but the new human being taking so much of his Mama and Dadda’s time, and he let those feelings be known. Frequently. I shed tears over his behaviour towards his little sister. I wondered where my gentle little boy had gone. I couldn’t leave them in the same room together, and whenever he was around her, I was on edge.

I would be so jealous when other mums gushed over how their older child was so kind and gentle with their new baby. I wondered why he was acting this way and how I could possibly make it stop.

The answer? Understanding. Patience. Gentle teaching. Time.

The combination of these things has resulted in Chanbe growing into a very loving and caring big brother. Oh how I have waited for this moment.

They play together so beautifully now. Most of the time. They still have their disagreements, but it’s more that Quindy is sticking up for herself and Chanbe will come and tell me if she’s doing something to him he doesn’t like. It takes a lot of self control for me not to say something along the lines of “buddy, you had it coming”, instead I take the approach of “if Quindy is doing something you don’t like, you need to ask her to stop” just as I have been teaching Quindy that for months. She can now say “No” to Chanbe if he starts getting a bit over enthusiastic.

A few times, the kids have wondered upstairs together, and after a little while and a lot of silence, I’ll go and check on them. I’ve found them a couple of times like this:

Chance reading Quindy some stories

This “milestone” for want of a better word is all the more sweet, having had to work very hard and wait a long time for it. It has certainly made life easier and more harmonious around here.

Of milk and Arrowroot bikkies

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Quindy had her 18 month immunisation on Monday, and after a non-eventful 48 hours, she has become rather unsettled and feverish. All perfectly common reactions and nothing serious, but last night her sleep patterns mimicked those of a 2 week old baby. The fun really started around 11pm when she was wide awake and completely inconsolable, and wouldn’t let me sit down or lie down with her. Then she demanded I take her downstairs and after lots of to-ing and fro-ing and trying to work out what on earth she wanted, we ended up in front of the pantry.

She wanted an Arrowroot bikkie. Oh, and some milk in a sippy cup to go with it thanks Mama.

She went from having a complete meltdown to being perfectly quiet and content, munching on her Arrowroot. She even offered to share it with me. And once her milk was finished, she climbed off my lap and took her empty cup to the sink.

I took her back upstairs and after some cuddling, she went back to sleep around 1am. I chuckled to myself that it could be that simple. Of course, she woke up twice more in the next 2 hours, wanting another bikkie the first time, and then a squeezy fruit pack the second. I kept marveling at the peace she exuded while eating her bikkie and thought “I want to remember this.”

And now I will.

The sleepy kids

/ Renae / Leave a comment
Oh my heart. On our way home from wherever we went yesterday (what? We’ve been doing A LOT!) I turned around from the passenger seat to see this. My little possums super sleepy after a big day. Ah. Now I remember – we went over to the family house at Kelvin Grove so I could sort out some of my things, as Mum and Dad are looking at selling the house in the not-too-distant future. Then we popped in to Mum’s work on the way home to say hi to a friend. A big day and a nice relaxing drive home before peak hour traffic.
Of course as soon as we got home they were full of beans and asking Gran and Grumpy to take them down to the beach. They were very nicely tired out and went to sleep rather happily and a little earlier than usual. 
In the frustrating, upsetting times, it does me well to remember these moments. 

My greatest joy and my biggest challenge

/ Renae / Leave a comment
My son. 

How my heart bursts with love for this little guy. He makes me laugh so much with his funny games and silly jokes. He tells me he loves me and gives me hugs and kisses.

He always wants to help me in the kitchen, or with the washing and folding.

He is Quinn’s biggest fan, and also her biggest pain. I can’t tell you how often I’ve had to say “can you please just leave her alone????” This is a photo of me after a really bad few hours with my Chanbe. He was just having a bad day, and as my emotions escalated, so did he. I just couldn’t stop crying. It broke my heart that my little man was being so hurtful to his sister, and to me. I was at my end. So what did he do? He came over, sat on my lap, gave me a cuddle and said “Mama, why are you crying?”


I told him I was sad that he wasn’t making good choices. He thought about this and assured me he would start making good choices. It was a bit hit and miss for the rest of the day, but we got there in the end.

I know that this is just a phase he is going through, and I am comforted by the fact that 80% of the time he is amazing and a delight to be around. I have to remind myself of this on the hard days. Today started as one of those hard days, but we are both determined to turn it around. The more calm and patient I am, the better he responds. Duh. 
I feel so blessed to have this son of mine, and I know that one day, we will be great friends. And once Quinn gets bigger and is able to hold her own, I’m sure they will become best buddies too.
In the mean time, we will just have to take it one day at a time. 

Happy 1st Birthday Quinn!

/ Renae / Leave a comment

It was rather a quiet affair for our little Quinndy, and a lovely time was had by all. I was trying to decide which cake to make her, and gave the cake book to Chanbe to have a look through. This is the suggestion he came up with:

Ummmmm. No. I don’t think so. We finally decided on the ladybird. I never had that cake growing up, and it’s a bit of a classic. Here’s the picture of the cake in the book:

And here’s how mine turned out. As usual, I couldn’t get that really rich red, but I was happy with a nice burgundy.

Chanbe was very happy to help lick the spatula!

 
 
I’m not sure what this face was about, other than just being funny!!
 
 
 
Then she decided on a demure pose:
 
 
 
Smile! Happy Birthday to YOUUUUUUU!
 
Oh yeaaaaah. Cake time!
 
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 Mnarn narm narm… 

 
And present time! Hubs was convinced these pants belonged on  her head…
 
 
 
 
And in the next few days, Quinndy decided it was time to take some steps!
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My dear baby girl. What a treasure you are. You have brought so much joy and delight to our lives, and I love getting to know you more every day. I’ve never seen such a happy baby, and I look forward to seeing what you have in store for us in the future.

It’s been rather an exciting week around here! I’m getting through the unpacking and organising, and starting to feel a bit more at home. I’ve met some more mums and am hoping to catch up with them in the next week or 2. Mum and Dad are here until Friday week, so there’s a few more things I’d like to do with them around – the time will go too quickly I’m sure! – and I’ve already booked our first trip back to Brisbane for the year, in about a month. Like I said, lots going on!