Friday, November 05, 2021

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.





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