It's been a while..

I always do this.. I plan to blog regularly and then, life happens..

So I am back with a few update posts, and will try my utmost to keep up but, you know... Life. It happens ;-)

As you can see from my blog header, we have added a new lil member to our family since I last blogged. And that lil member is already almost 14 months old!

We just adore our little guy - he has brought so many extra cuddles and laughs and special moments to all of us.His sister is besotted with him, and he with her <3 They get along so well; I tear up sometimes watching them together and thinking that we were so unsure whether we wanted another baby. How he has enriched all our lives!

 

In the Night Garden fun!!

In The Night Garden - Painting I did for Imke's birthday

Our little girl recently celebrated her 2nd birthday, and I was very keen on giving her an 'In the Night Garden' themed party!

I searched high and low for party supplies in this theme, but they were outrageously expensive *gasp*. In the end I stumbled upon a lady who sells these supplies via Bid or Buy, and she didn't charge the earth. I made combined name tags & thank you cards for the little guests' goodie bags.

I did a painting of a scene from the show (photo at the top) with most of the characters, and Imke just loved it.

Letter to my 2 year old princess!

My Imkie Bienkie liefiekindjie,

Today you are 2 years old! We cannot believe how fast the past year has flown. You are growing up so nicely, and you are cute as a button. We are so very, very proud of you! You make our hearts swell with pride and happiness, and love, never ending love.

You are such a helpful, kind and friendly little girl. You remember to say please and thank you (most times!), and you love to give hugs and kisses, and nibbles too ;-)

You are talking up a storm every day – most things mommy can understand, but every now and then you say something that we haven’t heard you say before, and then your daddy and I look at each other for help in deciphering what it is you are saying. Your solution to this problem is to

Only = lonely?

One week to go until our little girl turns 2. And all of a sudden those nagging thoughts about whether or not to have another baby is making me insane. 

Everyone has an opinion about this, and I get asked almost on a daily basis when nr 2 is coming. In all honesty, I do not know whether I want another baby. But I am also not sure whether I don't want another one. I flip flop between the 2 so many times a day. And while I am thinking NO more babies, my reasons are perfectly clear and they make sense. and then 2 minutes later I want ANOTHER baby, and my reasons are perfectly clear and they make sense.. Arrgghh, this is probably the hardest

21 Months today!

Today little Bienkie turned 21 months! I can hardly believe that we are just 3 months away from her 2nd birthday. She has filled up our lives with love and laughter and has taken our hearts hostage ;-)

She is a real lil girl now - loving her tea parties with mommy & dolly. Mommy has to actively take part, pouring 'tea' (water), stirring and drinking endless cups of tea (about 15ml of water in each cup he he!). Imke is a real pro at pouring the tea and only occasionally misses the mark and spills a little. She is still a huge bookworm, and most days we read a minimum of 6 books, with a few repeat reads thrown in just to test mommy's resolve ;-) Igglepiggle and Makka Pakka & those darn Pontipines (mi mi mi mi mi mi mi) drive me dilly bit she sooo loves when I read to her and make all the noises and sing all the songs.

She is still eating well, although 2 minute noodles (or noodesh as she calls it) are the best meal on the planet in her mind... We are not having issues with breakfast anymore - thanks to a very fab suggestion by Bri! I bought some of those small boxes of cereal (6 boxes in a pack) and Imke gets to choose one herself every morning, then I open the plastic, she decants the cereal into her bowl herself, and then I give her the milk in a lil jug and she pours it in and mixes and voila - breakfast tantrums averted! But I am one step ahead of her as I have started to keep the lil boxes and plastic bags, and am now putting rice crispies or corn flakes in all of them, so she still gets to 'choose' but she end up eating what I want her to eat - sneaky mommy!

She has had 2 terribly bad nights this week, and mommy and daddy are soo tired. I think she had mozzies in her room last night, and I am waiting with bated breath for those last 4 molars..

She has started being a real toddler, all whiny and moany at times. But just when my patience is about to run out she grins at me, or says 'I nope nou mommy' (I love you mommy) and my heart melts :-) Her vocab is so vast - she astounds me every day with words he knows and understands! She is making 3 and 4 word sentences already - always just the important words though! She says peezz (please) if she wants something, but still needs to be reminded about saying thank you. Also at the moment she loves to run up to me, take my hand and say: ' Mommy, hep Imme peez?' (mommy help Imke please?).
She also no knows the first 3 letters of the alphabet, as well as the last one ;-) And she counts to 3, then says what sounds like 'sis' for all the other numbers till we get to 7, after which she says 'at, nene, tien!'

She is the friendliest girl, always smiling and waving at everyone. She just loves to see people react to her in the shops - old tannies, security guards and cashiers are her target audience and she can put on a million watts of charm if she wants to he he!

Potty learning is slowly starting - she loves putting all her dollies on the potty, and has got an infatuation with panties! She just wants to put on a panty - so one of these days I am going to bite the bullet and see if we can do a dry afternoon.

Thanks for reading my friends! I love to do this once a month update on my Imkie Bienkie - and I love that you are willing to read it :-)

Mwah

xxx

14 Month old Toddler!

Yip, Imke is 14 month old today :-D
She is a real pleasure to have around and is entertaining us so with all her new words and noises and discoveries!
She now makes like a monkey when she sees a picture of one, waves her arms about when I say where is the mouse (as if to chase it away), goes bbbbvvvvvvvvv when she hears a plane or a truck or the vacuum cleaner and is in love with her new truck mommy bought her LOL!
She packs the back of the truck full of little toys and then brrrmmmmssss all over the floor with it :-)
Also just adores her dolly, and gives it a bottle and brings it to me for a nappy change every morning, after which she unceremoniously dumps the dolly in the dolly cot to sleep ;-p

She is a real nurturer, she loves plonking other babies' dummies in their mouths for them. At Moms & Babes the other day another tot stole her straw cup and Imke just sighed and carried on playing and then the tot dropped the cup and Imke rushed over to pick it up and then stuffed it back into the other tots mouth LOL!!

She is sleeping so good again! Walks herself to her cot at night and then waves good night to mommy and daddy after she is snuggled in :-)
Day naps are still a bit of a fight; she can't decide if she now wants just one nap or two per day.. But mommy is still insisting on at least one good solid nap - poor child ;-p

I love her to bits and pieces and I am so so so happy that we were blessed with this happy chappy little ladybug!!

TFR
:-D

And she is walking!!

Imke is walking! 

This afternoon she walked from her little table in her room all the way to her chest of drawers - so darn cute how she is so very careful!!!

Ai, how can a mommy's heart just expand and expand to hold more and more love??!! 

I am so, so, so proud of her!!

Now to just have the camera ready next time ;-p

Here is a video of her on day 2 of walking!!

And this is just 10 days later:

First Steps!

My little Imke gave her first steps yesterday :-) 

Ai, I am so proud of her! Sommer out of the blue she took two steps towards me and fell into my arms!!!

I think walking is on the cards soon soon!!

And she is saying 'ewwo' (hello) to everyone she meets and then she waves her little chubby hand at them! 

We just went to the Post Office, and standing in the queue she said hello to everyone who smiled at her and waved at everyone :-)

she is just the most bestest little baba for her mommy - I love her so very very very much!!!

Messy Play Days!

I have been meaning to get Imke messy with jelly & spaghetti, but the thought of the clean-up etc made me so not lus... But Kelly, Cally & Sunika inspired me :-)

So on Tuesday we had Jelly day (which was the baaaad day this week, and my angel was not feeling too lekker, so we will try it again next week).

On Wednesday we had Spaghetti day - and it was a HIT! I posted some pics on FB for those who want to take a squiz :-D

I had just as much fun today as Imke had - just watching her discover this new wormy stuff was priceless! The pics say it all!

Teeth Grinding

Now that Imke has her top 4 teeth out (and they are BIG!!), and now she has this new thing she is doing ALL the time - GRINDING HER TEETH!!! JIGGIE!! I hate that sound, it grils me so lol!! The 'what to expect' says it is perfectly normal and she will get bored with it soon enough, but in the meantime I just have to grin and bear this 'dental orchestra' he he he :-)

She is also now waving - at everything he he he!! So cute :-) And she is standing alone for longer and longer everyday. She is so gonna walk one of these days.... I better get my running shoes ready :-)

The einas start...

My little ladybug has fallen over after standing up against the coffee table (which she does the whole time!) - she cut her little itsy bitsy lip open on those new sharp top teeth.... her mommy's heart is sommer breaking :-(

She is so brave - cried for a few seconds and then I showed her the cute baby in the mirror (he he he) and she was giggling again.

I know she will get hurt lots still, but, ai, it is horrible to see her in pain. Wish I could keep her safe from all hurts for ever...

Upstanding citizen!

Imke is standing on her own! She just stood for 7 seconds (I counted as I was hovering behind her lol!!)

And then she bent down and put her hand on the floor and sat down. She is not falling so much anymore, she gets down from standing so nicely!

I start bawling each time she gets something new right. And I am so sad that Jeroen is missing all these things :-( 

Teething sucks..

Imke started sleeping through (from about 7pm to 6am) at 11 weeks - so we are the most spoiled parents ever.....
So we had 5 months of maybe 1 dummy call a night.
Recently, though, she is waking at about 12am, sitting up on her knees and banging her hands on the headboard of the cot - and humming & talking as if it is 10o'clock in the morning............. She doesn't want milk, she is just awake :-P
So last night I sat with her for almost an hour - battle of wills like you have never seen before!!!! She complained and fought with me - but in the end mommy's will prevailed - and she slept straight till 6:30am. (I did rub some Vidol on her gums, and gave her a sip of water)

I am thinking it is those blasted teeth that are sitting in her gums (they are so swollen and white...) but they just don't seem to want to erupt yet - argh....

So, needless to say, I am a bit of a zombie this morning (this waking thing has been going on for a week now...).

Blah, so don't like this teething thing...


But on a positive note - she is still as cute as a button :-D

Imke 4 Month Update

Name of baby: Imke
Birth date: 02 June 09
How old today: tomorrow she will be 4 months old!!!!!!
Birth stats: 3.24kg, 47cm
Current Weight & length: Will know tomorrow after the 4 month check-up but 2 weeks ago was 59cm & 5.8Kg
Recent milestone reached: She is trying to roll over from her back to her tummy!! And she is laughing & chatting away :-)
Next milestone: Sitting unsupported
How is baby sleeping at night? Like a baby LOL! She sleeps 11 - 13 hours a night. But the last weeks or so she has been waking up but doesn't want a bottle..... I suspect it is her teeth......
And day naps? she is awake for 90 - 100 minutes at a stretch, then she naps for anything from 20 minutes to 1 hour.
Feeding times? Is every 3 hours - she eats well and I am thinking that solids are not too far off.....
What is baby doing right now? Waking up from her morning nap :-)
How is mommy feeling? tired but goooood & in love with my gorgeous baba :-P
How is daddy coping? Don't see her except for bath times & weekends. But he loves chatting to her & playing with her

Our routine at 4 months

06:21 Wake-up (I swear she has a built-in clock - every morning at 06:21 she says aghooooooo!!)
Bottle
Nappy change
Quiet Play
Nap (about 40 minutes)
Play

09:30 -ish
Nappy change
Bottle
Play
nap (about 30 - 40 minutes)
Play

12:30-ish
Nappy change
Bottle
Play
Nap (this one tends to be a little longer - about 55 minutes!)

15:30 -ish
Nappy change
Bottle
Play
nap (a 20 minute nap!)
Walkies
quiet play

18:00
Start bath routine: Put the same lullaby CD on every night.
Play with her quietly on the carpet while daddy gets the bath water
Get undressed
Bath (we take our time bathing her - she loves lying in the bath & Jeroen & I get to chat softly about our days. She loves 'talking' with us!)
Dry-off
Massage (a bit of tummy time while we massage her back!)
Get in to Jammies (she hates this part!)
Cuddles from Mommy
Then daddy gives her her last bottle of the night
He puts her in bed awake but drowsy :-)

We keep the room lit only by a lamp, so she already knows it is now sleepy time.

Imke 3 Month Update & my check-up

Went for my 3 month check-up this morning and all is hunky-dory. Doc said that if we want to have another baby we need to wait another 3 months & then we can start trying - he says as long as there is a year between births there should be no problemos :-) So I decided to skip the Mirena until we have decided IF & WHEN we want to try again - no use putting it in now & then taking out again in 3 months time..... SO the big discussions start........... LOL!

Also, asked the doc (just for interest sake) about the baby powder causing cervical cancer and he said that there is no truth in that. According to him the thing that causes cervical cancer is the HPV (Human Pappilon Virus). (But use your own judgment here, girls!)

Imke is doing wonderfully! She sleeps 11 - 12 hours a night but during the day she only naps for 35 - 45 minutes 3 times a day! So we play a lot and sing a lot and cuddle a lot! I enjoy her so very much! There are obviously times when it gets a bit much & I find myself wanting to get out a bit, but I miss her so much when I do go somewhere :-) She loves 'talking' and she makes the cutest sounds!!

Her gums are all white & swollen from her teeth coming in - so one of these days we are going to have teething rings in the fridge! Otherwise she is doing so well - she is a real little angel! We are so blessed with this little person in our lives!!

Imke 13 week update!

Baby name: Imke
Age: 13 weeks & 1 day
Birth date: 02 June 09
Birth stats: born 09:19, 3.24kg, 47cm
Current Weight & length: will know on Friday when we go for the 3month check-up & vaccinations
Recent milestone reached: the is reaching out for toys (oh and my hair!!!) and grasping so nicely! And the belly laughs are on their way - she tries to but it is not quite there yet :-) Oh, and she has discovered that her fists are the most tasty things on earth!
Next milestone: Ai, she holds her head up so well, but still slumps when propped up to sit - so that is the next BIG thing!
How is baby sleeping at night? She sleeps through yippee!!! from 19:30 till 06:30 most nights :-D
And day naps? not so great he he he! She loves to sleep where there is LOTS of noise for some strange reason!
Feeding times? Going well - she drinks about 140ml per feed on average!
What is baby doing right now? SLEEPING whoo hoo!!!
How is mommy feeling? Doing well - very tired but coping OK
How is daddy coping? The novelty has worn off a bit I think - he still tries to make it for bath time but not as religiously as in the beginning....

All in a days' work!

Average day of a mommy and an almost 3 month old baby ;-) 

Between 06:00 - 10:00 (depending what time she wakes up) - Nappy change, Feed, Sing-along time, Mommy-pull-faces-time, Nap

Between 10:00 - 15:00 - Nappy change, Tummy-time, Play-time, Feed, Singalong-time, Nap, Mommy-pull-faces-time, Nap

Between 15:00 - 18:00 - Nappy change, Feed, Play-time, Singalong-time, Nap, Walkies (this is Imke's most niggly time of the day!)

Between 18:00 - 19:30 - Get bath ready, Tummy-time, Bath-time, Massage time, getting into pajamas, Feed, Cuddles, Story-time, Sleep

REPEAT 7 days a week!

Oh, and a nap can be anywhere from a five minute 'power' nap to an hour & a half sleep :-)

On sleeping straight through the night and wedding anniversaries

We are doing so well - Imke surprised us on Saturday night with 9.5 hours of sleep. And on Sunday she slept 10 hours. And Monday 10.5 hours. And last night a whole 11 hours! From 19:00 till 6:00! It seems the trend will continue (hold thumbs!!) and that she is now going to sleep through just before her 3 month birthday heee haaa!

She is such a cutie - she loves 'talking' to mommy(ah-ghuuuuu) and she seems to 'sing' with when I sing to her! She ah-ghuu's along while I am singing and then stops when I stop singing - it is so darling!! She is also starting to reach for stuff - not much luck yet in grasping them but she gets sooo excited and flaps her little arms up & down!!

And it is my birthday on Sunday!!! AND our 1st wedding anniversary - whooo hooo! Jeroen seems to be planning all kinds of things cause I asked what are we doing and he said "wait & see" - so very excited :-)

Can't believe last year this time I was getting ready to marry this sweet man of mine (today a year ago I was being waxed to within an inch of my life LOL!!) and here we are a year later with a precious little baba!!! Wow is all I can say :-)

First 6 weeks are tough!

I won't bullshit you - the first 6 weeks are hectic LOL! You don't get much sleep and you are nervous & apprehensive as to whether you are doing things right. If you are breastfeeding you keep on wondering if your baby is getting enough to eat - if you are bottle feeding your baby has twice as many eina winds to try and rub out.

You feel guilty when you can't get your baby to stop crying - like you are a failure as a mother cause you can't read her cues. It DOES get stressful and on top of it all your hormones are still all over the place so you cry at the drop of a hat..... AND your own body is still recovering from the birth (whether C-sect or vaginal). I kept on saying to Jeroen that when I step out of the shower (TMI following.....) that I don't know where to pad first - sanitary, breast pad or tissue for my tears. Your breast may hurt & I did not like the tingling feeling every time my milk let down.

BUT - it gets better! There is light at the end of the tunnel & you WILL get through it. Make sure you have a support network - even if it is just your husband or a domestic worker that you trust. You will need to be able to have a nice long bath or a walk down the road while someone else holds baby or keeps an eye on her. Get out of the house even if just for half an hour! If you are close to your mother, let her come visit for a week or so after your baby is born (but only from week 3 I would recommend - so you have time to bond with your baby first!)

And all of a sudden at about 5 - 6 weeks she starts making noises that sounds like she is trying to communicate with you and she might start smiling and you can read most of her cries and you know it was all worth it!!

I said to Jeroen that I can not imagine going through this with a man who I don't feel 100% comfortable with. Cause all of a sudden you are not their sexy love goddess (LOL!!) anymore but a human milk machine that bleeds & cries and want to talk about how many dirty nappies there was today ;-)

So, prepare your DH's for what lies ahead!!!

Also, the BIG thing that has made this whole experience sooo much easier for us is that we had no preconceived ideas about what lay ahead. I know I've said this before, but it is so true (for us at least he he he!!). Make peace with the fact that your best laid plans (breastfeeding, co-sleeping or not etc) MAY not work! If you are willing to just take each day as it comes & not get stressed out cause your plans are not working then you will have so much more fun with your little bundle.

Also, HUMOUR! Laugh at yourselves! Cause crying doesn't make anything better & if you can see the humour in a situation you will calm down & your baba will be more relaxed as well!!