Monday 28 April 2014

Dear Addison - Week 1


Dear Addison,

The first week of your life in the real world is now complete. Your Mum and Dad are smitten by you and each day we fall more in love with you. You gave us a bit of a scare when you rushed into the world, the fluid in your lungs didn't drain properly and there were 3 times when you choked on the fluid and turned purple. Luckily the midwives at the hospital were amazing and rushed you off to get the fluid suctioned quick smart. We stayed an extra night in hospital because your Mum was scared it would happen at home. Luckily after 48 hours the fluid and mucous had left your little body one way or another.

From the very beginning you fed like a champ. There have been no issues with latching or swallowing and you get so much milk that I'm sure you will double in size in no time. There have also been lots of dirty nappies for Dad to change - no issues in that department either.

Sleeping in general hasn't been too much of an issue, it's just where you sleep. At the hospital you wouldn't have a bar of the cot there and Mum wanted you close anyway. When we got home you still preferred warm cuddles from Mum or Dad and as soon as we tried to put you in your bassinet you would fuss and protest until you were in our arms again.

I thought you wouldn't like being swaddled because you always have your hands up by your face but Dad decided to try it after a night of very restless sleep for all of us and it turns out it's the only way you like to sleep in your bassinet. We think it is because you can't distract yourself with your hands as well as feeling all snug and secure. Since then getting you to sleep has been a lot easier. It all goes out the window when you forgot you needed to burp or decide you haven't had enough food though.

You are a pretty chilled out baby so far - long may that last. You don't usually scream the house down and just make little whimpers when it is food time again. It probably helps that we get to you before things get too crazy. You are getting more and more alert and your blue eyes are staying open for longer as you take in the world. You love to hang out with Dad on the couch while Mum sleeps.

On Day 7 your cord fell off when the midwife was checking you over. It was a bit disconcerting because we were having pancakes and bacon for breakfast and the cord looked like a piece of overcooked bacon. Good thing they didn't get mixed up right?

My favourite part of you is your hair. It is so soft to touch and it seems to calm you down when it is stroked too. Your first outing was on Day 4 where you went to a catch up with some ladies who are having babies at the same time as your Mum. Since you were a little early you were the first baby there and got lots of attention. We also had to stop off and get you some smaller clothes because everything else was swimming on you. We were only out for a couple of hours but it was certainly long enough and we all had naps when we got home.

Each day we are seeing more and more of the little girl that you are already growing up to be. Stay sweet, stay chilled out and I hope and pray that you grow up feeling loved and secure.

Bring on Week 2!



Friday 25 April 2014

Introducing...


Dave and I are proud to introduce our new addition!

Addison was born last Saturday morning at 8.39am and weighed a delicate 3.085kg. I was induced at bang on 38 weeks and my labour (once contractions kicked in) was super fast and she was here in no time. She fed like a champ from the word go and is generally a pretty chilled out girl.


Featuring handmade blankets by Sophie Slim and Hollymayb

Thursday 10 April 2014

36 Weeks Pregnant


It is now officially 3 days until I am 'full term' at 37 weeks and it is possible for this little girl to come at any time! She has her head down but hasn't engaged yet so I might have a few more weeks of waiting. Either way in no more than 5 weeks time there will be a baby in our lives. CRAZY!

This week:
  • We survived a week away in sunny Nelson while Dave was working and I was tagging along. I managed to visit most of the local op shops and I think Dave came home better off, with a bunch of vintage tools that is now my 'thing' to look out for. My favourite place was definitely the Nelson Recycling Centre where there are two separate 'shops' - the front shop is an op shop with prices attached and they do a weekly auction with the most collectable items. The back shop is an organised junk yard where you can wander freely, pick what you want and take it to the counter for a very reasonable price. It reminds me of Christchurch's Eco Store back when it was behind Cowles Stadium pre-earthquake.
  • Now that I am home I can start nesting and relaxing and figuring out what to do with my remaining days where my brain is still functioning. So far there has been some room organising, some decorating, lots of baking and a lot of Veronica Mars. Fun fact - there are SO many cameos in this show - Jesse from Breaking Bad, Paris Hilton, Schmidt from New Girl and I'm sure many more to pop up as I keep watching. Since the show is nearly 10 years old I think these guys did awesome to cameo.
  •  I get to eat breakfast! The last 3 years of work involved me waking up around 6, throwing on clothes and walking out the door for a 7am start. Now I can sit down and enjoy my porridge and decaf coffee! Luxury!
  • Killer has been super clingy since we got back from Nelson. I wouldn't be surprised if she has figured out something is going to happen. She isn't going to like it though - babies freak her out. Too bad though because it is happening!
  • A lot of people tell me my bump is little for how far along I am. She is growing perfectly well though so I am claiming lucky that I am not feeling like a hippo right now. In saying that though, bending over is almost out of the question, as is rolling over in bed without help. Sitting down also involves her attacking my ribs or trying to push a foot out of my side.
  • My belly button is still an innie, just a shallowish one though. I think I will miss the belly button pop this time around.
  • Being home during the day means that I can spend time in the kitchen doing things that usually take a while. So far I have baked a loaf of bread from scratch - no breadmaker here, Stewed a bunch of apples from our tree, made a giant batch of pulled pork (cooking away right now) and a box of delicious feijoas has arrived as I write. My parents send me a box down every year since they have a glut and the prices down here at the moment are $9.99kg! They will be both eaten fresh and stewed over the next couple of days. YUM!
  • And don't worry, I have been putting my feet up and resting as much as I can!
xx

My First Feature!

In the blog world, there are a lot of voices. Some trying desperately to be heard and some just a whisper in a dark room, meant only for the author.
I try to keep my blog an interesting mix of inspiration, tips and tutorials, life updates and if I'm honest, a bit of bragging. But that bragging serves to be the inspiration for some and I'm ok with that.

With the rise of Pinterest, a lot of blogs have popped out of the woodwork and I am happy to say that through one of my tutorials being pinned, I have been featured on an Indie Crafts website in the US. It is generating a bunch of page views for me and I am stoked that little old me has done something worth noticing.



You can see the feature over on Craft Gossip

You can also find the original post HERE

I'm pretty glad I made my bed look nice for that photo!

xx Thanks for reading and supporting this little blog of mine.