Tuesday, November 30, 2021
NaBloPoMo 29 & 30
Sunday, November 28, 2021
NaBloPoMo 28: cosy
Saturday, November 27, 2021
NaBloPoMo 26 and 27
Thursday, November 25, 2021
NaBloPoMo 24 and 25
Tuesday, November 23, 2021
NaBloPoMo 23: nothing much
Monday, November 22, 2021
NaBloPoMo 22 and 23
Sunday, November 21, 2021
NaBloPoMo 20: friends
Saturday, November 20, 2021
NaBloPoMo 19: honoured
NaBloPoMo 18: nothing much
Wednesday, November 17, 2021
NaBloPoMo 17: busy
Tuesday, November 16, 2021
NaBloPoMo: art
Lydia only up once in the night - bit better!
Woke up at 6:45am to Phoebe grinning at me. So cute! She'd weed through her night nappy so had to completely strip her and the cradle before her feed. She was starving so wrapped her up in a blanket over her nappy to feed her. I soaked through my PJ top with milk whilst trying to get her changed so I was topless too for our feed, accidental skin to skin time. Good job having a baby on your lap is like hugging a hot water bottle. Spent a lot of time all morning praying and anxiously checking my phone to see if my sister Ellie had had her baby, as we'd been texting yesterday and last night as she went through a long labour.
Lydia came in for a cuddle for a bit, then I got her dressed whilst Tom sorted Phoebe's outfit. Lydia had her hair in little plaits today, which looked adorable. Then downstairs for breakfast, pancakes again. I was looking after both girls today as Tom's mum is having a well deserved holiday. I did the world's smallest amount of washing up and sorted bags ready to go out whilst Lydia played and had a bit of TV time, then fed Phoebe, who had been having a kick and play whilst I worked.
Next up we tried to get out the house to go to the art gallery. Lydia has really been enjoying the Mister Maker's Arty Party programme so I thought we'd go to art gallery and have a look about. I have so many happy memories of going to the gallery as a kid whilst my gran worked there as a gallery attendant. My favourites are dancing about in front of the hidden camera that fed a TV in a filing cabinet in some installation, advising fashion students from Solent Uni or the Institute as it was then that putting 'Blue with a Black Border' on a hat was going to be easier than copying something figurative and gaily being sat there copying a painting when some bloke came to tell me I was doing a good job. Turns out it was the artist of the work in in question though I forget who!
However just as I was pulling off the drive, a warning light came on in the car for the engine coolant, so we had to go to get some of that first. Whilst Tom was ordering what I needed, I changed Phoebe's nappy and took an extremely happy video call from my brother and sister-in-law to show me that my first niece, baby Aoife Hope had safely arrived. I was completely overwhelmed with emotion as I'd been so worried for them, and was also up to my elbows in poo which made for quite a short but funny phone call full of happy tears. She is absolutely beautiful, and they are all currently doing well but are very tired understandably. Lydia was so excited too, and wanted to video call them but I convinced her to do a video message instead so as not to disturb them, in which she told them she loved the her name, so sweet.
Got the coolant, filled the car up with it, and it was lunch time already, so went to IKEA first for some lunch in their cafe and to pick up some photo frames. Was much busier than I expected, but managed to steer clear of most people and Lydia was amazing about wearing her mask. She had chicken nuggets and chips and I had a prawn open sandwich and some salmon, followed by donuts. Think Lydia ate most of mine though! It was really nice to have a positive time with Lydia. She does love a cafe lunch. Phoebe amenably slept through all this.
Then we walked up to the gallery. I'd forgotten how far it was for little legs but Lydia managed admirably. Where we weren't in a rush, I let her kick all the leaves and walk on all the walls. Something I used to do around the civic centre too as a kid. Once we arrived Phoebe had woken up and was a bit grumpy, so we went to get the baby change/disabled loo key from the library. Phoebe was dry, but Lydia and I both needed to loo. Top town centre tip that, the loos in the art gallery are nice and clean!
Turns out Phoebe was hungry, so I worked out a way to kind of feed in her the carrier, advanced parenting skill unlocked there. We had a quick look around the gallery at 3 year old speed. Her favourites were the one with the elephant dung and one of a man in a fedora hat. I had a speed read of the interpretation of the Arthur Jeffress exhibition, which was very interesting, would like to go back and look in more detail.
Phoebe needed a proper feed, so on the way back from the gallery, we stopped in the Millvina Dean memorial garden for a sit down and a snack. It was a great place to stop for a little while, Lydia was entertained by finding conkers and the traffic going by.
We went back to the car via Asda so I could buy Lydia her 'well done for completing your sticker chart for good behaviour' comic. She chose a Paw Patrol one this time with a plastic tat spy kit, she was very taken with it. Lydia also adorably insisted we needed to buy Aoife a cuddly toy, so we chose her a nice soft rabbit comforter. Found a lonely IKEA trolley all the way up by Decathlon on our way back to the car, so gratefully took my rucksack off and stuck it on the trolley and put Lydia in the child seat, which saved my back a bit. I'm suffering now from carrying all 7.5kg of Phoebe all day.
The parking machines at IKEA were on the blitz so our parking was free for the day which was a pleasant surprise. Home for a bit more TV time for Lydia whilst I had a cup of tea and sit down and Tom made dinner. Bacon, crispy kale and roast veg warm salad for tea. Then playing with both Lydia and Phoebe and sticking my pictures in picture frames before the girls bedtime. Phoebe had missed the 5pm nap so was very grumpy just before bed, and has gone to sleep on a very lumpy mattress where I was trying to get the foam filling into the freshly washed and barely dry cover whilst she cried.
Have been helping a friend with a job application this evening since, and then hopped on here to write up. Bed time very soon. Am so happy and excited for my sister and brother in law. They are such lovely, kind, generous people and they are going to make wonderful parents.
Monday, November 15, 2021
NaBloPoMo 15: extended family
Sunday, November 14, 2021
NaBloPoMo 14: family
Saturday, November 13, 2021
NaBloPoMo 13: breathe
Friday, November 12, 2021
NaBloPoMo 11 + 12: managing
Wednesday, November 10, 2021
NaBloPoMo 10: terrible
Tuesday, November 09, 2021
NaBloPoMo 9 : tired
Monday, November 08, 2021
NaBloPoMo 8: shopping
Sunday, November 07, 2021
NaBloPoMo 7: homeward
Phoebe woke at 545, and I fed her, then tried to get her back down which was partially successful. Tom was going to take her for a bit but in the end I got her dressed and took her down so I could eat and she could have a play on the playmat around 845 after the second feed, as Tom wanted a shower. Lydia was watching telly as Granny had got up with Lydia and they had already breakfasted. Crossiants with jam, butter and blueberries for me.
Swapped when Tom came down and went and got washed and dressed and packed up as much of our stuff as I could. Then back downstairs to feed Phoebe again.
Tom and Lydia and Phil went out on the ATV whilst I fed Phoebe and Granny started lunch. They love whizzing about the fields in the mud. Back in time for Lydia snack time, I did another round of feeding and trying to get Phoebe to nap, then cajoled Lydia into playing and listening to Sarah and Duck radio. I know I'm really bad for it too but the other grownups don't get down on the floor to encourage her to play and then she just wants the TV. A good reminder to me to start imaginative games with her etc.
Lunch was roast chicken and apple crumble, mainly from the in-laws garden which is awesome. Another round of feeding for me whilst Tom packed the car. I made Lydia a little packed tea for the journey home later, then it was time to go. Loved all the family singing together to keep Lydia awake!
We went home via Andover to have a short visit to Tom's dad. He'd been in hospital for a couple of days to have some IV antibiotics for yet another lung infection and he's still not in a good way, so Tom had wanted to take the girls to see him to cheer him up. When we got there at 3pm, he'd not eaten the lunch his carers had left him, and was asleep in his chair. He was pleased to see us, and mainly spent the hour we were making conversation about Phoebe as Lydia and Tom sorted through some old photos. He won't wear his hearing aids though which makes chatting challenging.
When I could see him getting tired, I got us to make a move home. Lydia ate her packed tea in the car, and the journey was packed with i-Spy to try and keep her awake. Once home we unpacked the car and I popped Phoebe in the baby gym whilst Lydia and I did some painting before bed.
Tom's done Lydia bedtime which went pretty smoothly. I'm doing Phoebe's and she's been doing a piercing cry like something is hurting and not settling. Hoping she'll settle soon, can't see anything obvious.
Saturday, November 06, 2021
NaBloPoMo 6: Roboshop
Friday, November 05, 2021
NaBloPoMo 5: fireworks
Got up with Lydia and got her dressed and left Phoebe with Tom whilst I got Lydia to preschool. She had to wear all bright colours as they were doing special activities for Fireworks Night and selected red rights, red skirt with white eyelet trim, yellow t-shirt and rainbow cardigan, not far removed from her normal taste.
NaBloPoMo 4: better
Tom on call last night, went out to work as I was doing the late feed, brought me up a cuppa and some love hearts before her left. He came home in the wee small hours. I'd put my clothes in the bathroom the night before, and when Phoebe woke up about 630am, I took her into Lydia's room so we didn't disturb Tom whilst getting ready for preschool.
Lydia dressed herself relatively quickly, whilst I was feeding Phoebe. She has a very eclectic dress sense. Today's outfit was a TV shirt and red checked leggings topped by a muted pink ditsy floral and Hello Kitty print dress 2 sized too big for her and heather purple hand knit cardigan, her hair scraped up in a bun with two pastel pink ribbons trailing down. She accessorised with yellow wellies that normally live at preschool but that came home on Monday when she'd soaked her shoes in a puddle. This necessitated taking in a pair of shoes alongside a new spare outfit today.
Lydia dressed and dispatched to find a first breakfast, I dressed Phoebe in her first outfit of the day as chosen by Lydia, pink leggings, pink ditsy print dress and grey jumper. As ever this did not last the day and she was an in all yellow by 10am thanks to an enormous poo again.
I just about managed to get myself dressed in time, with an interruption from Lydia to open the scotch pancake packet. She'd given it a good go, but could only get it open a tiny bit and had been trying to eat the pancake through the hole in the wrapper much as you would a chocolate bar.
Finally managed to get out the door at 745am which meant it was a guilty car ride to nursery rather than a walk. The sun was low and bright and Lydia skipped happily in to nursery telling the nursery worker about going climbing on Tuesday.
I then came home and began my rounds of put washing on, hang washing up, feed Phoebe, change Phoebe, chat to Phoebe, try and get her to nap, try and eat some breakfast, try and go to the loo and so on. I did manage to finish the Shrek hat as requested by the mother in law and make some banana bread to take away with us when we visit them this weekend.
When I sat down for the long midmorning feed, rang the doctor's to see if I could get a call back to talk about Phoebe's eczema on her head and her runny nappies as worried it might be a cow milk protein allergy. Also applied for Lydia's school place.
Tom surfaced about 11am and kindly reheated my beleaguered cuppa whilst I got stuff together to go out to swimming and baby singing, and he helped me carry her out to the car. Made it to swimming in good time this morning. Tom's idea for Phoebe to do baby swimming. Seems a bit silly taking such a little baby to me, and it is a bit of a faffv with getting all the gear together, but Phoebe seems to enjoy it most weeks. She goes all calm and relaxed in the water.
Not this week though. Quite grumpy all the way through as she was hungry, so much so that we left the pool during the last 5 mins that is free play time and went to have a feed in the changing room, all wrapped up in towels. I never know if it's best to leave her ask wrapped up in towels whilst I get changed or change her first and end up doing some weird hybrid of a piece of clothing at a time. I was the only customer wearing a mask again, the poor staff!
Phoebe still hungry and screaming as we left as I'd had to stop feeding her to get changed. Always embarrassing to be wondering around with a screaming baby. Thought she might drop off in the car and best to get to the Marchants for baby singing as quickly as possible. But she was having none of it, so ended up feeding her in the car park of the McDonalds en route and buying a happy meal to appease my guilt about using their car park thusly.
Whilst feeding, the doctor called me to discuss Phoebe's eczema and nappies. Arranged an appointment for next week to get the eczema assessed and I need to keep a food diary in the mean time.
Got to Jon and Hannah's 15 mins late, and Tom joined us for baby singing where he didn't have to go in to work after having been on call. We meet with an NCT friends if mine from first time round, Rebecca and sing some nursery rhymes and waggle some sensory toys at them, interspersed with parent chat. We started it as we were feeling a bit nervous about going to commercial baby classes and mixing with lots of people we don't know.
Phoebe was very taken with their baby gym, and they kindly sent us home with their spare one. I swear baby things are pretty much communal property, we have been given so much second hand that we then pass on to others.
Left about 3:44 in a bid to be back in time for my counselling call. Didn't make it and ended up in Portswood car park. Phoebe napped whilst I listened to his mini lecture on actions to stop unwanted thoughts. There were some good tips but he seemed to get stuck on my specific example of a thought when I was trying to get advice on how to manage a whole category of similar thoughts.
Arrived home at 5pm just as Tom and Lydia did from nursery. She was very excited that I had waved to her through my window whilst she was in daddy's car. In the house to set up the new play gym right away so Lydia could examine it.
Phoebe napped on till 6:15, which was good for her. Lydia and I had some bread and cheese, topped up with prunes and nuts. Nice to spend a few moments just the two of us, and think Lydia felt the same. Then we went to pack her bag for going away, and she helped pick her and Phoebe's clothes.
Phoebe needed changing and milk when she woke, so we all went upstairs at the same time. Milk and pijamas all round for the girls, and 'Oh Dear!' for first story .
Although I had to tell her 5 times for the command to sink in, she was super helpful at bedtime today, fetching things for me whilst I fed Phoebe. Even managed to get her covered in emmolient which nearly never happens.
A story, a song and a thank you prayer later, timer set for a check-in 21 minutes later at her request, I left Lydia to go to sleep. She often sings a little song about things that are '...in my heart' and so I tell her I'm leaving her with all my love in her heart when she is not settling at bed time.
Then went to feed Phoebe for first feed of the bedtime at 7:30ish. She settled in for a long feed and didn't get her into the cot until 845pm. Looked at food costings for her up coming baptism, and getting something from supermarket looking more cost effective, but still waiting on some quotes from catering companies.
When she'd settled down, rushed around packing as many bags as I could for going away, and Tom came home at 930 to find me hanging up at Laundry.
Up to bed at 10pm, and gave Phoebe her dream feed. And here I am now.