Things That Go Roll In The Night

3am. A time that was once reserved for eating greasy pluto pups and staggering not-so-gracefully home from the pub. These days, there is still bleary-eyed staggering, but it is limited to the confines of my house, and there is a significant lack of pluto pups. Or booze.

The reason for my staggering lately is this:

Rolling Ninja

And his new game I like to call "I've rolled over and I need you to fix it".

The boy is super quick on the escape roll when I need to get him dressed, or change his nappy, but he has yet to work out how to roll back. 

Which is where I come in.

Were he to play the game once a night I could probably just get up, flip him back over and go back to bed. But Hayden really likes his new game, that or he is a slow learner, because the moment I get back into bed he is back on his stomach and squealing to be rescued. His current record is 5 times in half an hour.

Frankly, it's driving me bonkers.

He isn't hungry, he isn't wet, he isn't too hot or too cold. His teething seems to be inconsequential. He just likes to roll over and then complain about it. Short of stapling his sleeping bag to the mattress I am running out of ideas.

On the upside I am struggling far less with the idea of not having any more babies!

Joining in with Essentially Jess for iBOT. Pop over and check out who else has linked up.

Too Much Fun Can Be Bad For Your Sanity

The last few weeks we have had far too many of these kinds of incidents happening, both at home and when out and about. Skye has seemed highly strung, anxious and difficult. Constantly. It has made the whole family feel tense and frustrated and honestly it has not been fun to live with. It had reached the point where I was wondering if this was more than just a phase, I was beginning to wonder if there was some kind of behavioural issue we needed to identify.

Really I just needed some kind of validation it wasn't my crap parenting. 

I wanted to be able to say "It's not me, it's you". 

Going on holidays... so hard.

I mean really what is Skye's problem? She gets to do a lot of fun things. In between Preschool and swimming lessons and weekly visits from my mum there are regular play dates with friends and trips to the beach, we make play dough and cookies, we read stories and dance along with Giggle and Hoot.

Living the dream if you ask me.

Catching big fish... so hard.

But sometimes there can be too much of a good thing. 

Welcome To The Danger Zone

Right now, Hayden is in that blissful stage where he is beginning to become his own little person, but has no strong views on anything. He is still yet to crawl (although I feel my days of being able to say this are numbered), he can sit on his own, feed himself pieces of food, he laughs and giggles and squeals with excitement. He sleeps. A lot. He is all-in-all a content, joyful, loving little bundle of baby boy.

This makes him dangerous.

His sweet, snuggly, chubby deliciousness is an assault on my measured and practical decision that there will be no more babies for Casa De Bond.

Welcome to the Danger Zone. 

The time when routine and predictability begins to emerge, when sleeping through is a consistent and reliable notion, when you can see a real excitement for the world around them in their eyes and your days are filled with a steady stream of 'firsts'.  The time when I am so enamoured by their squishy, smiley newness that I don't want it to end!

Cluck.

This was never part of the plan. The plan was to have two children, feel blessed and enjoy a life of regular sized cars and separate bedrooms and a balanced parent to child ratio. Aside from the whole pesky pregnancy and birth bit there is the patience factor. Something both myself and Mr Bond are quite lacking in. 

I know my limits and I know I have reached them.

But then this happens.

And this.

And then there is a little bit of this.

Suddenly the plan seems a little flawed.

Why can't he just stay this size forever?!? Is that too much to ask?

When I first held Hayden I was sure that our family was complete, my work was done, there was no need to ask for anything more. I still feel that way, but all this cute stuff is wearing me down. Selective memory is starting to kick in and all the hard stuff seems a little less hard. He didn't wake up THAT much, my nipples weren't THAT cracked, Skye didn't take THAT long to adjust. 

Honestly, the bullshit we tell ourselves.

Ask me now I feel about the matter 12 months from now when Skye will be getting ready to start big school and Hayden is heading into the terrible two's. It's highly likely I will laugh hysterically at the mere notion of more babies.

I just have to get through the Danger Zone.

Pray for me.

Err, not you Hayden, that's not helping.

Newborns: Not So Scary The Second Time Around

Throughout my pregnancy with Hayden I worried about how I would cope with the newborn phase again. When Skye was born I wasn't hit with the instant overwhelming bond of mother and babe. I knew she was mine, I knew that I loved her, but she scared me. I felt a little lost and unsure as I am sure most first time mums feel. Even though my birth experience with Skye was by comparison straightforward and dare I say it, even easy, I felt that I had " failed" because we had required Ventouse. 

I struggled with breastfeeding, and swaddling and putting tiny hands in Wondersuits. But more than anything, I had not come to grips with the complete change to your every waking thought and movement a baby has. I spent much of those early months with Skye resenting the demands of a newborn and how unaffected those around me seemed to be. I put a lot of pressure on myself to get everything "right" and missed a little of the magic.

Skye was gorgeous but scary.

8 Months Old Already?!?

Hayden turned 8 months old this week. I cannot get over how quickly the time is going. Skye seemed to be 3 months old forever and because I knew we would have more babies, I didn't feel so desperate to hold onto every moment of baby like I do this time. This time I just want him to stay this size forever. But since that is entirely impossible, the next best thing is to write a totally self indulgent post detailing all of the things I love about my little boy right now.

I took Hayden for his check up with the baby nurse this week. He weighs 9.3kgs and is 73cms long. He is wearing size 1 clothing and "toddler" size nappies. I have already filled 2 suitcases with clothing that he has grown out of. His healthy development does nothing to ease my sadness that he is no longer a tiny newborn.

Newborns vs Toddlers - A Day At The Shops

When Skye was a newborn, the very idea of leaving the house with her terrified me. The first time I had to take her to visit the baby clinic nurse I was so anxious I packed the triple checked nappy bag and pram into the car the night before, and had my mum, who lives an hour away, come with me to make sure I didn't bugger up the whole car seat/pram biz on my first solo outing. I freaked out about nap and feed times clashing with appointments, stressed about whether there would be a parents room available if Skye needed a feed, and dreaded what I would do if she had a nappy explosion in the car.

As she got older, I began to realise just how straight-forward a trip out with a newborn actually is when compared to taking a toddler along as your shopping buddy. Not to mention the nappy bag overflowing with snacks and toys and dead flowers pinched from some beautifully landscaped display home.

To demonstrate my point I have put together a little timeline of a simple trip to a Shopping Centre requiring me to get some pyjamas / sleeping suits and some milk.

Going out with a newborn

Pack nappy bag.

Make sure you have twice as many nappies as you would think reasonable for a 3 hour trip, I like to run with about 8. You will also need wipes, disposable nappy bags, a full change of clothes with warm and cold weather options, a couple of wraps and if breastfeeding, be sure to check you packed your boobs.

Load baby into car.

Drive to destination listening to all of your favourite rude words songs while baby sleeps peacefully.

                                    

Arrive at your destination, load baby into pram, store nappy bag, enter Shopping Centre.

Baby will most likely want to be fed before you get started so grab a coffee and some kind of cake and find a parent room or quiet spot to feed baby.

Baby will most likely have filled their nappy during the feed so change baby, finish your coffee and head  towards your first shop. 

Purchase Wondersuits and Baby Sleeping Bag.

                                    

     

Realise baby has fallen asleep so take advantage and peruse a couple of other shops, buy yourself a cute pair of shoes then pick up the milk.

Sense baby is beginning to stir and return to car.

Load baby, pram, nappy bag and purchases into the car.

Drive home listening to all of your favourite rude words songs while baby sleeps peacefully.

Arrive home, feed and change baby.

Put baby to bed.

Have a coffee and unpack purchases and give yourself a pat on the back for a successful day out.

Going out with a toddler.

Pack nappy bag.

If toddler is still in nappies, pack as many as you would think reasonable for a 3 hour trip. I like to run with about 3. You will also need wipes, disposable nappy bags, a full change of clothes, a jumper, hat, dummy, blankie, a sandwich, apple, banana, sultanas, drink, muesli bar, le snack, grapes and a mandarin, don't forget the 3 most popular toys of the day including a ride on unicorn and a plastic cash register.

Load toddler and various paraphernalia into the car, it should take about 3 trips.

Drive to destination while fielding questions from your toddler about the rain, cat whiskers and why you have toes. Feed toddler the apple, muesli bar and drink. Sing the incy wincy spider eleventy billion times.

Arrive at your destination, almost crash your car because your toddler has asked you to LOOK AT THIS!!! as you are pulling into your parking space. 

Explain to toddler that daddy cannot get her out of the car because daddy is at work. 

Forcibly remove toddler from car and explain to toddler that she must go into the pram because it is too far to walk.

Forcibly secure toddler into pram, give toddler a sandwich, store nappy bag, find a space for the ride unicorn, enter Shopping Centre.

Toddler will most likely want to play in the play centre before you get started so grab a coffee and some kind of cake and move to the play equipment.

Surrender cake to toddler.

                                     

Toddler will most likely have filled their nappy during this time so go to parents room to change them. 

Head towards your first shop.

Give toddler a box of sultanas.

Purchase pyjamas, 4 pink t shirts, a pair of light up joggers, a plastic lion, a glitter hat and a lollipop. 

Realise toddler has tipped contents of sultanas onto the floor, continue walking. 

Quickly.

Sense toddler is about to crack it, return to the car.

Load toddler, pram, nappy bag, ride on unicorn and purchases into the car.

Drive home listening to your toddler complain that they want to get out.

See your toddler fall asleep as you turn into your street.

                                 

    

Attempt to transfer toddler into the house while still sleeping. Toddler will most likely wake up believing she has slept for 2 hours and does not require any more rest today. 

Attempt to make a coffee and discover you forgot to buy the milk.

Listen to over-tired toddler having a hissy fit because you put the grapes in the green bowl instead of the pink one.

Vow to make all future purchases online.

Well Hello There Baby Bond!

Oh hi there! Long time, no post huh? 

Sorry about that.

But as you probably already know, I have a pretty good excuse for my absence...

Little Hayden Derek arrived on December 13th 2012, weighing 8 pounds, 8 ounces (3.86kgs for those who prefer metric) and 52cms long. His birth was not quite the straight forward and by comparison, easy labour that Skye's was. But he has been trying to make it up to me ever since by being the sweetest, snuggliest (totally a word) and most settled baby I could have hoped for.

With that being said, there is still that sense of being hit by a truck that is the first weeks with a newborn. The period where days simultaneously drag and fly past in a haze of cracked nipples, 3am feedings and a rather insane number of dirty nappies.

A good night's sleep, versus a rough one.

Not to mention the older sister who is still adjusting to no longer being the centre of the known universe.

But there is an awful lot of cuteness too.

I have missed my little blog and have had about a thousand post ideas running through my head, but in the interests of my own sanity and not wanting to inflict a whole bunch of waffling, senseless posts on you, I have been choosing sleep over pretty much anything else lately. 

I will be back, I will share more than just the sporadic upload to Instagram, and I will get back to reading all the other wonderful blogs I have lost touch with, but right now I am just too busy soaking up that new baby goodness while I can.

I'm sure you all understand x