Week in the life of…

Week30

20th July – 26th July

We hit 8 months this week. In less than 4 months time, we’ll have celebrated James’ and mine 30th birthdays, travelled to the states on our first family overseas trip and celebrated Jack’s first birthday! But I’m not counting down to those things just yet. Still heaps to go and do! James had his first day off from working the weekend in what felt like forever, and it was nice to just relax and appreciate family time. On a frightfully fresh Saturday afternoon, we visited the local football and spent some quality time  with Uncle Sam & Poppy.

Jack had his 8 month check up, and is still in the 25th percentile for height, weight and head circumference. He’s grown 20cm since birth and is now 69cm, he’s also gained 5.51kgs, and is now 8.46kgs. His next appointment will be when he’s one.  Will be interesting to see what his measurements are then and what he is able to achieve when the time comes around.

 

 

Week in the life of…

Week29

 

13th – 19th June

We had some big firsts this week – first roll over, first swimming lesson and first time at the park.

Jeff and I were at Alamanda for breakfast on Monday and as the sun was shining when we finished, we wandered down the path and took Jack onto his first playground adventure. Jeff held him on the bouncy see-saw and the spring loaded motorbike. We also strolled past the ducks on the way out. We’re very lucky to live so close to amazing parks, gardens and wetlands. I’ve even started doing drive-by’s of all the parks in neighbouring estates to check out what they have. I’m just glad that the inner child in me hasn’t disappeared completely. Hopefully Jack will love spending hours going to and playing in all the parks that are in our area. Knowing that we have passed the shortest day for the year, allows me to dream that winter could be over in the blink of an eye. Unfortunately, being in Melbourne, I know too well that we’ve got more wintry, windy and cold days ahead.

Megan and I wandered down to Jump swim school one morning, just to ‘have a look.’ The next thing I knew, I’d signed up Jack to start his swimming sessions the next day! While I was a nervous wreck all morning before his lesson, once the lesson was over, I was much more relaxed. I think the idea of jumping in the pool, post baby, is a little nerve wracking, and it doesn’t matter how many walks or gym sessions you do, you’ll always know that your body just isn’t what it used to be. I’m pleased that Jack made it through his lesson with no tears, and neither did I!

Jack managed to finally roll over this week! I was anxiously awaiting the day, and knew that it wasn’t far off – all last week he was rolling his hips over, but just getting stuck on his shoulders. No longer can I leave him on one part of the floor and expect to come back to him in the same spot. He’s also managed to, from a sitting position, fall gracefully forward and support himself on his arms. Hopefully this will stop all those awkward face plants.

I’ve also started thinking of the toy sales for his birthday and Christmas. Arrgghhh, I’m not ready yet to think about his first birthday. Knowing that it is now less than 4 months away, also means that the inevitable return to work is just around the corner. The only happy point is thinking about planning our trip to the states. No, we still haven’t made any solid plans or booked internal flights or accommodation. One day James may actually spend enough time at home to sit down and nut this out! I’m just dreaming about eating my way around (yet again) although I thankfully won’t be drinking as many mojitos and cocktails as I did on our honeymoon! I think I might need to start thinking about a shopping list and hopefully we have enough room in our luggage.

 

Week in the life of…

Week28

6 – 12th July

Jack was still sick this week, we even had a few days of high temperature. Thankfully Panadol seemed to knock it back down to normal range, and even though we had more sleepless nights, we seem to be getting slowly back on track. We had breakfast with Uncle Jeff on Monday morning and we finally said goodbye to Wyky, our Commodore that we’ve had for a few years on Tuesday. I was meant to catch up with Bec on Friday, but postponed until Sunday. The weekend was meant to be horrible, freezing cold, wet and windy. Saturday arrived and having researched Pinterest for rainy photo inspiration, I waited for the rain to come. Of course, the day cleared up, and all I could do was wait for Sunday and the promise of extreme wet weather. Sunday thankfully brought the rain, and I only had 10 minutes to snap a few photos before running out the door to meet Bec at Harbourtown. I was very, very happy with the photo of Jack, hands on the glass, staring outside as the rain dripped down the window. Bec bought Jack a little Changing of the Guard teddy from her trips around Europe. We also went across to the Ice House to see James at work. Jack got to have quick cuddles with Uncle Sam before the game started, and Jack even got to sit in Dad’s seat and pretend to take over for the day. He was a natural, reaching for the take-bar and smashing his way through the buttons.

Week in the life of…

Week27

29th June – 5th July

Poor Jack has been hit by a cold this week – all snotty noses, unpredictable sleeping and the smell of euky bear. While I generally love the smell of euky bear/Vicks, it really opens up your nose and while this mumma is still adjusting to the joys of food number 2’s, it’s not exactly the best combination when Jack’s on the change table… We missed out on catching up with Jack’s friends this week – the last thing other mum’s want are bubbas sharing snotty noses around! We still caught up with Uncle Jeffy for brekky and coffee – Jack loved being able to whack the table with his hands. He took great delight in the crash, bang and tinkle of the cutlery sitting atop the plates. He quickly cottoned on when Jeff would soften the blows by putting his hands under Jack’s, and Jack would stretch to reach around Jeff’s arms.

With James heading to Adelaide this weekend, I had a spare Friday night and I thought I’d attempt a chicken pie. Mum used to make the best chicken pie – Jeff and Dave used to love it anyway. It used to contain mushrooms or something that I didn’t like, so I’d use the excuse that I wouldn’t eat slugs, and mum would make another meal just for me. The things she used to do – I shake my head at my own antics… Anyway, Jeff came over and braved my chicken pie and I’ll definitely make it again soon. It must have been the week to attempt new things. I made cookies and cream brownies (which I unfortunately burnt – forgetful mum, oven temp settings etc etc), banana bread with my over ripe brown bananas, and then this pie. In some ways  I prefer when James is out/away/visiting his other family (just checking if he actually reads this) so that I can brave new recipes/ ideas. My brother eats like a horse, so I generally feel safe dishing something up to him.

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This week also brought about Ben’s 2nd birthday. In some ways I feel sorry that I don’t have the time to devote to Benny, just like in the ‘old days.’ While I always try to ensure that we have cuddle time on the couch or in bed without Jack around,  it can be hard to find that balance. With the Melbourne wintry days really set in, the motivation to go walking is lacking. But, I know that Jack would be warm and snuggly in his pram and I can put on as many layers as I need to brave the elements, so I’m aiming to start again. Real soon… maybe… as long as it’s not raining…

On Sunday, Leanne and I ventured out to the Swagger Child Design Market in North Melbourne. We love a good market, always happy to wander the aisles and browse the offerings. I had sworn off buying any more clothes for Jack, and managed to walk out with a pair of slouchy pants from Mr Willo (https://instagram.com/mr.willo/) and a custom t-shirt from Little Scooch(http://www.littlescooch.com.au/).  Benny had gotten the birthday treatment – he was allowed to unwrap his presents on Sunday morning, and then went for a ride in the car to Nanny’s and Poppy’s. Poor Poppy got to go for a walk, twice, and Benny slept very well that night.

 

Ben’s 2nd Birthday

As I write this post, my faithful fur baby is asleep on the end of the bed. In theory I’d say that he’d guard me from all the monsters out there, but, as I know Benny, I know that his guarding would involve sneaking his head around the bedroom door to check what’s there and then safely barking from behind the open door. Apparently you can never be careful enough. Despite all the fur that floats around, I can honestly say I love having Ben as part of our lives.

He came to be after I pestered my husband for 6 months that I wanted a puppy. He finally gave in, on several provisos; a)  I had about a week or so to get him and b) I could only get one if it was less than 20km from home. I had been looking on the labrador breeding sites for so long, and knew which litters were available around the time. Having owned a female dog before, I was happy for a girl, but, there weren’t any female pups available. The only other thing that I knew he had to be was yellow. With my beige tiles and carpet, I knew I couldn’t handle having a choc or black labrador in my home! And so, the searching started. I didn’t manage to meet the time deadline, but, I did (sort of) manage the distance deadline. We picked Benny up from the airport, after he had flown down from northern NSW. All I remember is getting this massive dog crate up on the bench, and this lady opened up the door to find our little yellow boy, with simply GIGANTIC feet! I had wondered what we’d gotten ourselves into. He was 10 weeks old, and completely wary of his new surroundings. He was the best first wedding anniversary present that you could possibly get.

He has some of the funniest behaviours – we’re not quite sure why the rangehood is so scary, or why odd behaviour sets him off to do his mad run. We know that he loves going for rides in the car, especially when his head is out the window, and his ears are flapping in the breeze. We know that he has a preference for a bowl of ‘big boy food’ over a piggy ear, or even a meaty fresh bone. We know he loves destroying his soft toys, especially poor puppy – one set of eyes, ears, tails and limbs at a time. He is also happy to greet you at the door with teddy or lobby in his mouth, and will go and pick up each toy by name. Unfortunately, he still thinks that once you are inside the house, that you need to be led down the hallway, generally by him grabbing your own jumper or whatever piece of clothing dangles close to his eye level. When he’s heading out for a run, or coming home after a big walk, he loves nothing more, than putting the lead in his mouth and staying right beside you. Even if you take him off his lead, he will still walk beside you with his lead in his mouth. And we can’t forget Ben’s ‘wake-up Dad’ morning routine! All these things and more make up our special boy. Since the arrival of Jack, he’s changed even more. Yes, he still does his silly boy mad sprints up and down the hallway, ears back, legs unable to get enough traction on the tiles, but he also shows us a more docile side. Ben’s happy to curl up, generally at Jack’s feet, and receive several kicks and never bat an eyelid. I’m so proud of how he is adapting to life with a little one around. I can just see the day where we will be replaced – no longer will Ben want to curl up on our bed, entangled in our feet, but he will choose Jack’s room, watching over the little boy that he will grow old with…