Things I can't live without # 7

This post probably should be entitled 'Things I can probably live without but don't want to...' as there are a few things that are downright luxury items. But there is one new item I have discovered and I cannot believe I didn't find it before now.

Milkies Milk-saver

How has nobody told me about this?! I stumbled across it online as I was looking for advice on breastfeeding. If I had had this product when Bebe was born I would have rarely had to express and may have had an easier time trying to get her on a bottle! If you have read my blog before you will know that I was very slack and didn't keep up the bottle feeds from early on which meant that my baby girl was very reluctant to take anything but the boob (for those interested today we had a break through and she guzzled 100ml of formula from a sippy cup - hurrah!).

Basically if, like me, you leak from the other breast when you breast feed this product is invaluable. I have always leaked quite a bit when I feed and have thrown out litres of precious breast milk in breast pads. Even now, 6 months down the line I now save about 40ml during her first morning feed which I can then use on her cereal (I am no longer trying to get her to take expressed milk but going on to formula). If you are using this from the start you would probably want to express a bit at the end of feeds so you get some of the good hind milk also as this only really collects foremilk. You can also attach a milk saver bag to it so it really can collect as much as you can deliver!

Genius.

Sheepskin stroller liner 

We use this in the stroller and in the car seat if going on a long drive (one of our car seats is lush but the other one needs this as it is a bit sparse in the luxury stakes). It is cool in summer and warm in winter and Bebe loves it. What's not to love?

Grass Counter top drying rack

File this under 'things I can probably live without etc...' It is rather handy though for sippy cups/bottles, dummies etc as you can keep it nice and clean and the items are ever lying in their own water as they dry. You can also put the whole thing in the dish washer to keep it sparkly. I also looks rather ace on the counter top. I can pretend I am mega healthy and growing my own wheat grass...

Merino Kids Go-Go bag

This is totally lush and was given to me by my oldest and dearest friend Lizzie. We started to use it when Bebe was about 5 months old and it is so handy and lovely. It has holes front and back so you can keep baby in it while puting in and out of car seat/stroller which is really handy when you are out and about and baby is sleeping (for instance when you take her to the Leonard Cohen Concert at Hanging Rock and she hangs out until she falls asleep in this and then goes into the car and into bed without waking up - precious!)

Food Holder

A few companies make this (we don't have this exact one) but they are all pretty good I think. Bebe is a self-feeder (we are following the 'Baby-led Weaning' book which is working really well for us) so she doesn't need her veggies in this but on a hot day she loves a block of ice or a frozen block of homemade stewed pear. Yum!

That is enough for today methinks.. I am going to write about the sippy-cup weaning thing next so if anyone has anything to add to the discussion then please do!

x Ali

Road Trips...

I remember road trips as one of the undisputed highlights of my youth. I asked my parents if they were also fun for them or if I am remembering a rosy tinted version but they said they loved them too! The only answer I have for this is that I was an only child until I was 13 so never had any siblings to yell at during the trip. That and I had no problem reading, drawing and writing as we drove so kept myself occupied pretty well.

I have been thinking of the humble road trip and how I can make them fun for my child (and maybe 'children' in the future). I am keen to hold off the lure of the in-car dvd for as long as possible as I would like to give my kids the fun road trips of my youth. Plus, the sound of Dora the Explorer in the back of my head might be unsafe for me as both a driver and a person (honestly - is there any way I can keep that perky, ugly-merchandise selling little girl out of my little girl's life? Please tell me there is...)

We were in Sydney on the weekend (I would talk about the flying but to be honest Bebe is kind of 'another day, another flight' about the whole thing now) both working and visiting the grandparents. We went to dinner with some friends for a 40th bday party (happy birthday Julie!). I met a lovely couple who told me about their massive road trips between Darwin and just about everywhere - I think if was 13,000kms in 6 weeks (could that be right? That seems like a lot - I may have been a bit tipsy). They were determined to not use DVD players so they had some great tips:

1. Cup holders. If you don't have them in the back seat they suggest cutting the bottom off a large Coke bottle or similar and putting that in the door or seat pocket. That way there is always water or juice handy.

2. Fill a large crate with toys (they have one that is about double a milk crate size) which sits in between their two kids and is filled to the brim with books, toys, pencils, crayons etc, etc. One by one each item gets played with and then thrown on the floor so at the end of the day they just fill it back up and it is ready for the next day when it all happens again.

3. Eat in the car. They always take their sandwiches, drinks and snacks with them in an esky and then everyone eats as they drive so that when they stop (every two hours - see below) the kids are given missions like 'run over to that tree and back', go and find a large twig and bring it back here' etc. Otherwise the kids just sit there in the break and don't get the blood moving which makes their threshold for sitting in a car all day a lot lower.

4. Stop every 2 hours, get the kids to run around (see above), stretch your legs yourself, all go to the  toilet and fill the car with petrol. They say that even up north in true outback there is generally not more than 2 hours between petrol stations so this is totally doable most places in Australia.

So there you go - anyone else got some good road trip ideas/advice?

x
Ali

Baby Fashion (or 'living vicariously through your child')

Fashion. Remember that?! I used to wear it. It sometimes even looked nice on me.

These days I get my fashion fix through my daughter/dolly-doll. Excellent. One thing I find though is there is a lot of crap out there. A lot of bad pink and blue and a lot of flowery mush and polyester. I would like to  take my child within 14 feet of an open fire at some point in her life so that seems to count out quite a lot of clothes bought in the big stores. So here are some stores I like.

Cotton On.

Cotton. Good colours. In every mall ever. Easy.

Polarn O Pyret

I went a bit crazy pants in this store when I was recently in London. They are not here in Oz yet but the site in USA is cheaps-as with our lovely dollar so.... You will learn something of my Scandinavian obsession as you read on through this post. This brand satisfies many a craving.

Baby Goes Retro

I do love all things Scandinavian. Furniture, shoes, clothes, meatballs. Love it all. This site has lots of lovely things and as I look at it again now I think I deserve a medal for being so restrained in my purchasing so far... Divine.

Lark

This site is pretty exsy but really cute hand made things for a treat?!

nordickids.co.uk

Ok, so this is a UK website but as I've said the Aussie dollar is awesome at the moment so it is like sugar free chocolate muffins - guilt free! (a lot of the things on this website are also on the aussie based 'Baby Goes Retro also)

Chalk in Yarraville

My local. Lots of really sweet clothes and toys. (and yes, I do have that jumpsuit and yes it does essentially have my daughters name on the front. I have quite a few things by Bebe it has to be said...)

 

(can't wait for these!)

Rock your Baby

Name says it all...

I just sold a heap of old clothes on Ebay that I'm sure I'll never fit into again. And even if I do I will want to treat myself not wear things that I have been holding on to for years in desperate hope. I made over $1000 - result! I now have a little play money to actually buy some of the things I have just posted about. Might even buy a kaftan for moi. Noice.

See you soon and if you have any sites or shops you want to let me know about (and I think you'd better) then please comment and share the love!

x

Body Talk...

Hello! I am back online!

Feels very good to have the safe and calm touch of my mac keyboard once again under my fingertips... I didn't realise how much I would miss it. Actually, yes I did. I am fully aware of my slightly unhealthy love for all things Mac but as far as addictions go this is surely one of the safer (although just as expensive) ones?

Talking of mild addictions, I have had moments (especially when up late at night, traveling, home alone) of getting a little too 'in' to Ebay. Well, that can be great but also an expensive habit but I have now found a new way of obsessing over this fantastic site. Selling!! I came home and got a little angry at my cupboards and what was in them. Essentially a lot of clothes that I will never wear or even fit into ever again. Many of these clothes had minor labels on them and were in reasonable condition so I got together about 35 items and photographed them, logged them and uploaded it all to Ebay. It took me the best part of a day but now they are all selling like hotcakes and I am already dreaming of the big, Camilla kaftan I am going to buy myself with the proceeds. Well, a second-hand one from ebay (who can afford $700 for a bloody kaftan?!) but still!

Talking of fitting in to clothes I am dismayed at most of the reading material out there in books or on blogs talks of how most people lose all of this weight when breast feeding. I hear the phrases 'it just drops off you', 'I had to uptake my calorie intake as I was skin and bones' etc etc... Well, I am not one of those people I am afraid. And it turns out there are many of us who are not. One friend said she asked her maternal health nurse a few months after giving birth why, even though breast feeding had she not shed a single kg and she was told 'well, I have never heard of that, that is very odd'. NO IT'S NOT!! I have talked to many ladies who, like me have not shed a single kg since about the first week after giving birth. I didn't feel huge during pregnancy, in fact I felt rather good, all bumpy with life, but now? I am over my friends.. I need my body back. It seems that in an evil twist of nature those ladies who are always slim and tend to have to make sure they eat enough to stay healthy are the ones who lose the weight during breast feeding. Those of us who have to watch our weight all the time seem to hold on to all the fat like squirrels holding on to acorns over the winter months. Although in a different set of cheeks...

Ho hum. I have decided to start the long haul of weaning my gorgeous, healthy baby girl off the breast and on to formula. Of course she has a different plan and has no interest what-so-ever in a bottle of either my breast milk of formula but I shall persist. For any mothers-to-be out there take this advice - if you are breast feeding, then from the first few weeks express and give your bubba a bottle at least once a week, if not once a day from early on or else it will be hell to pay later when you want to go back to work or any sort of nightlife that doesn't included dashing out in a 4 hour window of opportunity.

The other reason I have decided to wean is my wrists. There is a small group of mothers who experience what is known in come circles as 'mother's thumb' but in medical circles it is known as de Quervains tendonitis. I have had it in both wrists since giving birth and I have been told my my Osteo that my hyperflexible tendons (I always knew I should have kept up gymnastics - I could have gone all the way.?!) will be strained with the relaxin released during breast feeding. I don't know if that is the reason. I have tried my best to not use my wrists awkwardly while feeding with cushions etc but they have just got worse. I had corticosteroid injections three months ago that got rid of the pain for two glorious months but then it came back with a vengeance. I just went and had the procedure again the other day and am waiting to see if it works this time (it takes a few days to show results).

So, I feel a little guilt at wanting to start weaning after only 6 months but hey, I think it will take a good two-three months to get her away from my boobs (they are the downfall of us all in one way aren't they?!) so 8-9 months is good isn't it? She is healthy, in the 50% percentile for everything and smiles like a muppet nearly every waking hour. Tell me it's ok!!

I'd love to hear if anyone else has had issues with their wrists, baby weight or weaning. And if you have any tips for any of these issues I am sure we would all like to know!

I am many blogs behind so I will start to catch up over the next few weeks.

xx Ali

ps I have heard from two of you lovely people who have bought the Samsonite travel cot and are loving it!! We now have our bigger one and I could not be happier. Ten times easier/lighter than the Phil & Ted which we also bought. That is now set-up at my parents and I will never have to put it together or take it apart again hopefully. Hurrah!