We headed down to Townsville last weekend for Chance’s 3rd birthday party and had such a great time. We had a bit of a “pirate party” theme happening and Hubs really got into the dressing up, courtesy of op-shop bargain hunting by me, and pirate Chanbe looked pretty cute too.
Quinn is now 8 months old and I’m annoyingly wondering where the year has gone. She is still amazing us with her sleeping habits, even more-so now that when she wakes up in the morning, she is able to reach the button on her mobile and turn it on. And she will happily play there until we come in and get her. Or she’ll fall asleep again. Whichever comes first.
She seems very interested in food, but doesn’t actually eat that much. Instead, she likes to use her broccoli as a pretend microphone. She’s my girl after all!
Though, I’m not quite sure where she gets this kind of flexibility from…
And that smile. Oh that smile. All day with the smiling. That gorgeous gummy smile that melts my heart.
Life is good with our little family. Just in time for our next move! *sigh*
There’s something about Grug that brings the crankies out in Quinn. It’s pretty hilarious, and rather loud!!
It was one of those days. Chanbe and I just weren’t on the same page. There were tantrums (his) and tears (mine), negotiations and bribes. Finally, when the weather cleared up a bit, we took it outside. Quinn was asleep, so he had me all to himself. It was the best idea I’d had all day.
I brought some soothing supplies:
And had a lovely view of my lovely son showing me some “big jumps” off the rocks in our backyard.
Then it was time for some “big kicks”. The sun was shining, and finally we had made some sweet sweet lemonade.
This is my little girl. “She’s very happy” as Chanbe would say. He says it all the time, because my little Quinn is happy a lot. She hardly ever cries – usually only when she’s really hungry, is about to vomit, or if Chanbe donks her on the head with one of his Matchbox cars. Even then, it’s gotta be a pretty big donk.
She goes to bed happy and puts herself to sleep sucking her thumb.
She wakes up happy, talking to herself and playing with the blanket.
She loves her big brother, and he was the first person to make her laugh, just yesterday. It was the most lovely sound in the world. Her face lights up when Chanbe is playing with her, and she smiles when he gives her a big cuddle and a big kiss, which is often.
She smiles when she sees her Dadda’s face when he comes home from work, and grabs onto those dreads as tight as she can. That makes Dadda smile. A lot.
And all day long, she smiles at her Mama. My heart just bursts a thousand times a day and I feel like the luckiest gal in the world.
After Quinn was born, I went through a pretty rough patch, trying to settle in to my new life. We had just moved, Hubs had just started full time work, Chanbe was taking some time adjusting, and I had some initial problems with breastfeeding. Life was just hard and I often felt waves of utter sadness and hopelessness. I was a little worried about post natal depression, so I just made sure I got help when I needed it.
Things got better after a few weeks, but every time I feed Quinn, the sadness comes back. Just under the surface; almost unnoticeable, but there. I never really thought much of it as it would pass almost as quickly as it came on.
So I did what any person in this day and age would do. I googled it. And it turns out I am experiencing Dysphoric Milk Ejection Reflex or D-MER. As the website states,
“D-MER has been linked to an inappropriate drop in dopamine that occurs whenever milk is released. In a mother with D-MER at the time of letdown dopamine falls inappropriately, causing negative feelings.”
I’ve read quite a bit about it and it’s very interesting, and nice to know that there is a reason for my fleeting sadness during feeds. It’s not really something I feel the need to have treated, but it sure is nice to have an answer!
Look at this face. You can understand why I was so confused that feeding my little girl makes me feel sad!!??
And another? (He had conjunctivitis at the time of filming, hence the bung eye 🙁 )
Bob the Builder, Yes can fix it! (And repeat)
Picture this: A garden party, or high tea if you will, with a beautiful shade sale made by Hubs…
… a crisp white table cloth covering a long table where delightful treats such as salmon sandwiches and freshly baked scones await to be enjoyed, and with this:
… as the centrepiece: 70 cupcakes; a mixture of chocolate and red velvet, delicately decorated with teeny tiny feet:
… made with love by yours truly. Picture people wandering around with a cup of tea in hand, mingling with the well-to-dos of Brisbane (and now, Townsville 🙂 ). Ha!
And now picture rain. Lots of rain. Rain for weeks before the big day, a day before, and on the day. Driving, pelting, unrelenting rain.
*sigh* Hubs and I had been planning Quinn’s baptism for a few weeks, and to be honest, we were convinced it wouldn’t rain. But alas, the weather had other plans. So inside we went, and a lovely time was, of course, had by all.
Quinn wore the “family” baptism gown that we had made for Chance from offcuts of my wedding dress, with the idea that all of our children would wear it. So far so good! There are button holes at the front where, for the boys we put cufflinks, and for the girls, pearl earrings. We will give these to the kids when they are old enough to wear/appreciate them. It’s one of many little traditions that Hubs and I are creating for our little family.
And, just like his brother before her, Quinn cried throughout the whole ceremony. This from a girl who, quite seriously hardly ever cries.
We did have a lovely time, and as usual, it was so great to see everyone and to share this special occasion with family and friends. Thanks y’all!