4 Month Update

Where did the time go?  Nye is now 4 months old and growing more and more every day.

A few nights ago Neil and I looked over the photos of us all from the Hospital and it was unbelievable to see the transformation.  To look back on that time is to almost feel like you are watching a movie that happened to someone else as it is so easy to forget about the trials and tribulations of hospital when you have a baby to keep you busy day in day out at home!

I'm still taking his weekly washing basket photos (which I started taking at 6 weeks) and I am hoping to carry on until he is a year old.

His personality grows with each day, so far he is a very happy chappy. (As I write that he starts to whimper on the baby monitor.)  He hates to be still, loves to meet new people and give them enormous gummy smiles and to go for long walks in his pushchair to take in the big wide world. 

I am normally so keen for the future without taking in the here and now but I already wish I could stop time and bottle up these moments, learning to chatter, smile, laugh, crawl and roll over.  I love our hugs and our kisses, how sad I shall be when you are big and no longer want to be in my arms!

Week 3 of parenthood

Well, lots has happened in the last 3 weeks and already my time with Nye seems to be going too quickly.  He'll be a month old next week and that is a bit terrifying.

I am amazed at how quickly I feel I have got used to having him around, I have found lots of different ways to occupy him and learnt to mould myself around his routines.  Of course there is no set path, sometimes he settles easily after a good feed, giving me time to run round like a crazy woman trying to remember all the things I need to do before he stirs.  And with every sleep you have no idea how long it will last! (As luck would have it he just started whimpering from his bouncer chair, however a quick stroke of his face seems to have cured his problems and he's not silently sleeping again. Oh wait no, he's just started squeaking again.)

The main thing I haven't had time for has been making and writing his thank you cards, for the last week I've been saying to myself that they must be done.  Yesterday I really thought I had it sorted but unfortunately not as although he slept for 4 hours in the morning he didn't settle for a prolonged period until 7pm whilst we were making Tea.

I am pleased to say there isn't a lot we didn't have once he arrived, in fact we have an awful lot of things we cant even use yet.  However there have been a few godsend items that really help me get through the day.

Firstly an amazing vibrating bouncer chair given to us by friends.  I do have to prop him up in it with a blanket but if he's seeming sleepy but not yet screaming he is either lulled into a deep sleep or sits there happily looking around.  This isnt our exact one but ours is from Mammas and Pappas and exactly like this but different colours

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And secondly this Early Learning Centre Blossom Farm Clover Cow Sit Me Up Cosy.

This is what I tend to use in the mornings whilst I run down stairs and make breakfast.

And my final purchase which I have been so pleased with has been the Nappy Bag I got for Christmas from Neil.  I have to admit that I did pick it myself but it was a bit of an odd choice as it isnt actually a 'Nappy Bag' but to be honest after visiting the Nappy Bag section of John Lewis I think mine is a much more practical bag than the ones that are supposedly 'fit for purpose'

Ta Da - It's a fossil Key Per Messenger Bag and they come in an enormous range of colours and patterns.  They have a magnetic latch, fit perfectly over a buggy handle with a really heavy duty strap, wipeable outside with a perfect number of pockets for mittens, hats, cotton wool, etc. etc. etc.  They even fit an A4 folder so I can carry all his notes around with enough room for my keys, phone, oystercard and wallet. = PERFECT!

5 ambitions for 2012

Morning and Happy New Year!

I thought I'd have a go at writing down some ambitions for 2012.  I have in the past had a habit of setting some rather tiresome goals for myself that tend to trip me up before I've even started.  I remember one year I set a list of 15 things I wanted to do each day, like read a chapter of a book, drink at least 2litres of water etc. Things like that though admirable shouldn't be attempted in one go they will only lead to failure, and I find once one falls off the radar I tend to give up on them all!

The first of the dinner table meals.

Last year I don't think I set myself any goals, other than to get married in April, which we did successfully.  But, nevertheless 2011 was a big year for us.  Not only was it the year we got 'hitched',  it was also the year we settled properly into our home and even learnt how to DIY together.  But I suppose most importantly it was the year we started our family, or at least the prospect of being 3 + dog.

2012 will be one hell of a year.  It will be the first time I am ever called mum, the first time I really learn to put the needs of someone other than myself first.  That's not to say I'm a selfish self centred person, but I just know life is about to change forever and for the better in many ways.

My goals for 2012 are things I'd like to improve upon this year, things that will keep me focused on living better and in a more content way.  Part of my is a bit nervous about writing them down in 'print' if you will because that makes them official things I have stated, but also because many of them are so traditional in that I want to be better at organising our house!

So here goes nothing:

1. Create and maintain a home routine, revolving around our babies needs, feeds, sleeps etc.
(i.e mission keep baby happy)
2. Look after meal times, always have breakfast, lunch and dinner and make lunch for Neil to take to work the night before.
3. Create a (REALISTIC) weekly & monthly cleaning schedule to keep on top of housework so I don't get overwhelmed.
4. Watch less TV, take more walks & make the most of National Trust Membership.
5. Learn more about blogging (tips and tricks) and practise my photography skills.

I started off thinking I'd do 12, but uncharacteristically I thought I'd set myself less challenges in the hope that I can keep to the ones I have set without being a slave.

So much to catch up on

Goodness there will be a few belated posts to come.  In short: an update on our bathroom, the nursery, our wonderful holiday to the Wye Valley and last but by no means least, Christmas (Our first at Chez Clubride)

Wedding Photo courtesy of Danielle Benbow

However, the big news of the moment is that tomorrow is my last day at work.  1 more day of taking the train into the City and walking amongst the suits and feeling like I'm part of the hustle and bussle.  To be honest, day by day its becoming less like walking and more like waddling.  Every day is different and a different challenge is presented to me by my pregnant body.  The last month has, true to form, been the month of growth where I've gone from feeling fine and dandy to laden and ever expanding.

Judging by today my brain is ready for a rest as well as my body as I stare blankly at my computer screen wondering what on earth I was looking for.  I'm currently running through a handover for my replacement and it feels rather odd to be passing over things for her to do that I'd normally be doing myself.  I feel quite lazy if I'm honest asking for her to do these things, but I am appreciating the reduction in my walks to the filing cabinets and to collect stuff from the printer!

The thought of a relaxing break from the 9 to 5 today has my mind racing to the finishing line.  1 more day I'm thinking as I press my key fob to the entrance at work.  Thoughts of lying on the sofa and tidying the house make me feel more and more relaxed and I feel like I'm being hugged just by the thought of the peace.  But equally, I'm not sure I can really believe that after that moment I might never see or hear from the work colleagues I speak to every day.

34  + 2 days

So goodbye work and hello parenthood, I'm looking forward to the unknown challenges and the joy that being a mum will bring.  Neil and I always used to talk about how we would raise a child and now we get the chance to actually do it.  I know at times it will be hell when I am sleep deprived and feeling helpless but I also can't wait to hold our son in my arms and love and protect him for the rest of his life.