SOME parents face really terrible and tragic circumstances with their children. Luckily that hasn’t befallen us. But we have had some minor scares and it’s never easy. Nobody tells you it’s like this when you take on the role of mum. (Maybe they know we’d all chicken out if we did.)
On Saturday, while Baby Holly was trying her best to crawl, we realised one of her arms wasn’t straight. It appeared to turn downwards – so much so it looked as if it was dislocated.
Driving the “boat''
After an excruciating journey via Dr Google, the Parenting Helpline, the ER and then finally yesterday our wonderful GP, we’ve been told Baby Holly likely has a muscle imbalance. It’s linked to the extreme flexibility that allows our little bubbas to do things like touch their eyebrows with their toes. Oh, to still be able to do that!
Playing with her toes in the highchair
Of course, we have to monitor her over the next month in case her development halts, but for now I can finally sleep easy – when she actually allows me to sleep, of course. Now, that’s a whole other post.
Showing off how she can now sit by herself!
I’ll never stop worrying about my two girls. Well, it is my job. But let’s hope it’s a while before I have to go through this degree of panic again.
My baby girl
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THE countdown to the fella with the fluffy ears and tail is well and truly underway here. So much so, we spent yesterday getting in the spirit of Easter. For morning tea, we indulged in chocolate hot cross buns. Later that afternoon I looked in the mirror, only to notice I had it all around my mouth. No wonder the mailman wouldn’t look me in the eye.
We then scoured the pantry with the intention of making some Easter Candy Bark but, alas, there was no chocolate. Some gremlin ate it all while blogging late at night. Hmmm, who could that be?
Instead, we went and got out this little creation made by her dad back in January.
White Rabbit-come-Easter Bunny
A couple of weeks ago this very hat became rather famous after making an appearance on Mrs Woogs’ blog Woogs World. She sent a call out for Easter hat creations, so I submitted the above photo (yes, they are pink undies) and this description:
Princess Ella, wearing her bunny hat, painstakingly made by her dad, (painstaking, because it’s held together with a pink ribbon and 1000 staples). He originally made it as part of a one-year-old’s Alice In Wonderland birthday party in December (yes, that’s one serious birthday party). Ella, obviously being the white rabbit. Not really the crafty type, hubby was so impressed by his own efforts he put it away ready to reuse at Easter
But this all wasn’t quite enough. We needed to make something “Eastery’’ and so we headed to the doodle drawers – I mean, craft drawers – and discovered some red felt. The idea was to make a basket to put eggs in during her Easter egg hunt to come Sunday morning.
Ella got into the spirit of things by donning the hat while we did our craft. But be warned, she ain’t no Easter Bunny. She told her dad this week she can’t use a proper toilet seat. Why? “Because I don’t have a big fat bum’’ You see? How on earth could she be an Easter Bunny? (And, by the way, she takes after her Mum in that department).
Anyway, here’s our step by step guide to making an Easter basket:
Get a square piece of feltCut slits from the corners midway to the centre of the squareInterlink the sides and glue together. We had no craft glue, so used sticky tape. Yeah, doesn’t quite have the same appeal!Cut a strip of felt and glue to make a handleDecorate. This is Ella’s version of a cat face. Why a cat? I have no idea. Then add eggs.
Oh, and reveal the full effect of the hat (which makes her look decidedly like Johnny Depp in Alice in Wonderland).Although, I was lucky to even capture these photos, considering how fast the egg was devoured.
Then, patiently wait for Easter Bunny….
So, what Easter craft activities have you been up to this week?
Ella is a social butterfly… with all her imaginary friends!
PRINCESS Ella astounds me with the extent of her imagination. While once I would have been concerned that she was spending too much time at night reading books to her imaginary friends in bed, I’m now super proud. “Can you find the letter eeee, Teddy? Yes, that’s right. Good boy, Teddy’’.
You see, this strange behaviour isn’t going to see her turn into Mel Gibson. Apparently, children with imaginary friends retain knowledge faster than other children, are more sociable and more creative. Or so I read somewhere. I’ll be whipping out our favourite Chocolate Brownie recipe and inviting more friends over, I think.
Ella also walks around the house, pretend mobile phone cradled between her ear and shoulder, parroting an adult’s conversation to a “friend” on the phone. I’m guessing she’s either mimicking her dad or a child care worker. It couldn’t be me.
The conversation usually goes something like this: “Oh, I know. That’s terrific. She’s been such a good girl today. I know. I’ll just write that down on a piece of paper (scrambles for paper and a crayon). Now, let me see. It’s e, u, h, k. I know. I know. Yes, I know.’’
Mostly, her imagination has helped spawn incredible art work. Just look at this elephant she drew. Remember, she’s only three – and that long thing is its trunk.
Then, only two days ago, while I was trying to get Baby Holly to sleep, she was busy with her craft and card making. I came out to find she’d made this rabbit for her cousin’s birthday. All. By. Herself.
She proudly showed it off to me by lifting it up to my face. At this point, the taped on ear flopped downwards. “Oh dear, mum’’ she said, in a rather sad voice. “He’s got a floppy ear’’.
However, there is a downside to having a child with a vivid imagination. A couple of weeks ago she had a play date with her cousin of the same age. The pair ran around the house, laughing and squealing because a monster was chasing them.
Then, suddenly, everything went quiet. No, don’t worry, the monster didn’t eat them. Wondering exactly what mischief they might be into, her mum and I started searching through the house. Here the girls were, in my bed, in the nudie rudie playing hairdressers, doctors …. and massages. Worrying, or what?
How do you foster your child’s imagination? Does your child have imaginary friends?
Ella was lucky enough to speak to Easter Bunny this week
This week I’m grateful for:
A hubby who has a stellar Easter Bunny voice – a high-octave voice he doesn’t mind using on his office phone to a three-year-old on the other end. You see, after Ella was misbehaving last week, I resorted to ringing Easter Bunny to tell him not to visit. Since then, we’ve had a super little angel. It finally resulted in Ella getting to phone the deliverer of chocolate eggs on Wednesday to let him know he can now visit her next weekend. Imagine Bindi Irwin talking after sucking on a helium balloon: “Now, you keep being a good little girl for your mummy and I’ll bring you a lovely chocolate egg”.
The wonderful people at ECCO, who sent the most gorgeous pair of shoes and a $250 voucher for a reader. It’s days like these I’m extra glad I started blogging.
For catching up with family. Ella had cousins visit from interstate this week and was able to twist their arms to watch her dance lesson today. However, she was far too interested in her new audience to actually dance. While everyone else was mid twirl, she was busy waving to her cousins on the sidelines. Too cute.
So, what are you grateful for this week?
I’m joining with Maxabella Loves to share what I’m grateful for.
MY MIDWIFE might have been joking, but I was taking her ‘’hot bath, hot curry and hot sex’’ advice to bring on labour seriously. I was due Melbourne Cup Day, but our unborn baby girl wasn’t budging. My hubby, Julian, was secretly thankful, knowing he could watch the Cup in peace – so to speak.
Our obstetrician decided to induce me six days later, but in the meantime I was determined to do everything to bring on this labour naturally – if you can call rompy pompy when you’re the size of a hippo ‘’natural’’.
By the Sunday night, I finally resigned myself to the fact that at 8am the following day I would be induced. But, it seems, our bub had other plans. At 5am, three hours before our scheduled induction, my waters broke. All I had to say was: ‘’ah, darling . . .’’ and Julian’s face turned from peaceful sleep to sheer terror.
The bump
Excited and a little scared at the same time, I rang our midwife who calmly suggested I rest as much as I could. ‘’Nothing is going to happen until at least dinner time but, if you feel you need to, come in at lunch time.’’ The lunch time option sounded good to me.
However, once again, our unborn bub had other ideas when my contractions quickly moved to 12 minutes apart within an hour and had us reaching for the phone again. ‘’We’re on our way…‘’
While Julian had the car packed and ready within 10 minutes (the fastest he’s ever moved), it somehow took me a good hour to get from the bed to the shower and downstairs to the car. Well, I did have to shave my legs and things.
Curled up next to the baby car seat ready for the trip to hospital, it wasn’t ‘til the door was shut and my knees ended up around my neck that I realised how little space there was. This, and I’m not even five foot!
As my grunting increased with every roundabout we hit, Julian watched the car clock as the contractions moved from eight minutes to three minutes apart. Half an hour later and he was battling to get me out of our trusty Commodore and into the labour ward – I was more than happy to have this baby on the back seat.
His frustration only grew when the midwife left us alone in the labour ward without first checking me. One contraction began to come directly on top of the next. My grip on his t-shirt tightened. My grunting increased. He was panicking. He barely took his eyes off the labour ward door just waiting for someone to walk through. Someone. Anyone.
An hour later and he couldn’t take it anymore, strongly insisting someone take a look at me. Finally, someone checked the graph.
Mum, Dad and new bub
‘’Ooh, do you mind if we do an internal?’’ the midwife asked, with an obvious surprised tone in her voice. Then her surprise grew – I was already eight centimetres dilated. This baby was on its way.
You couldn’t wipe the grins from our faces – me, because we‘d gotten this far by ourselves and without requiring or wanting drugs, and Julian, because he no longer had to fear delivering this baby on his own.
After nearly two hours of pushing, we finally met our beautiful 6 lb, 13 oz baby girl Ella Mae O’Brien who was born naturally at 11.37am – well before lunch, let alone dinner.
That little girl is now three and still does everything on “her schedule’’ but, to be honest, we wouldn’t have it any other way.
Here’s a video I put together of Ella’s first year of life. Enjoy!
BABY Holly won’t sleep, is clingy, grizzles no end and fusses over everything. That’s where we’re at right at this moment. However, instead of letting out a *sigh*, a *huff* or showing off a :), I’m jumping for joy. Well, kind of.
You see, amid Baby Holly’s Naomi Campbell-style hissy fits, I’ve been able to finally get my hands on The Wonder Weeks book. No, this is no Fred Savage tale, although The Wonder Years was a damn fine TV show.
Written by Hetty Vanderijt and Frans Plooij, The Wonder Weeks has uncovered the eight “fussy’’ phases in the first 14 months of bub’s life and shows you how to turn them into magical leaps forward. Yes, those cranky pants baby episodes are bub simply developing new skills. Cool, huh?
We’re at the very challenging Wonder Week 26. This one is about relationships, so Baby Holly is beginning to understand that something can be inside, outside, on top, above, next to, underneath or in between something else. Of course, the most important element in all of this is the distance between her and I. When I’m not in the room, all hell breaks loose.
Here’s one of the most important pages in the book – the one which shows when the Wonder Weeks are (the fussy periods) and the Sunny Weeks (where they’re happy having mastered their new skills and go back to normal). More of those please.
The book, compiled after studying mums and bubs over a long period of time, shows you which games and toys are best for your baby during each key week and how to encourage each leap forward. Of course, it won’t turn your baby into a genius. Drats!
Here is a quick guide to each Wonder Week, but really you should check out their website The Wonder Weeks (they even have a leap alarm to sign up to) and grab a copy of the book. I’ve been a bit stingy and borrowed mine from the library, but I may just have to buy a copy (and the more updated version goes through to toddlerdom). Wonder Week 5: The World of Changing Sensations Wonder Week 8: The World of Patterns Wonder Week 12: The World of Smooth Transitions Wonder Week 19: The World of Events Wonder Week 26: The World of Relationships Wonder Week 37: The World of Categories Wonder Week 46: The World of Sequences Wonder Week 55: The World of Programs
Now you know when to lock yourself inside the house and ban all visitors. Or put a sign on the door saying: Beware: feral baby inside.
I’ll give more detailed info on each as Baby Holly experiences them. So first, here’s what we’re doing to help her development during Wonder Week 26:
Reading more books, as Holly is now more interested in them
Playing with our stacking blocks (building towers and showing how they fit inside each other).
Singing and talking to her when I leave the room, so she knows I’m still there.
Encouraging her movement (some babies can now start crawling), by giving her plenty of floor time and doing exercises with her arms and legs.
