Yup we are all under the weather a bit here this week, full of colds and sneezing. The glorious (not!) weather probably hasn't helped but I am feeling very sorry for myself today. Thankfully MR G.T has taken the kiddies to his parents for the morning so I have been able to get some things done (house looks so clean *sigh* shame it won't stay that way very long!) and will now eat a meal all the way through in peace (luxury!) and maybe read a bit of my book afterwards!
Jeddy has turned 6 months this last week, wow, he just doesn't seem a baby any more, quite sad if I dwell on it but hoping not to. To celebrate he has cut his 1st tooth, which I am pleased about as he has done it really without too much fuss, but problem now is he seems to have adjusted his latch or feeding style as I am sore again, like really sore! It's like starting all over with breastfeeding again! Hope that a few tips I have picked up online can help, but as he won't take a bottle or dummy I have no choice really but to grit my teeth and carry on, hoping it improves in a few days. I don't remember this problem last time with GS and he had his 1st tooth at 4 months, and I BF until 8 months. I suppose it just goes to show all babies are different, and when you get painless feeding you can get an unsettled baby with teething, and when you get a fairly fuss free teething you can still get nipple problems, all swings and roundabouts. If the pain continues I will get some advice at my breastfeeding support group on Friday, they are fantastic ladies and the lactation consultant there is also wonderful, anyone considering breastfeeding or wanting to get support, try and see if your local Surestart, hospital or Children's centre has one of these as their guidance and friendly approach has been such a boost for me.
Showing posts with label baby. Show all posts
Showing posts with label baby. Show all posts
Saturday, 28 May 2011
Sunday, 15 May 2011
Back once again...
Hi there!
Well, our little one is now just shy of 6 months old, it's flown by in a haze of sleep deprivation, adjustment and fun all jumbled in to one big half a year! Phew, no wonder I am a little exhausted. Jenson is doing very well! There have been times of despair when he won't nap (still working on that one), won't take a bottle to give me a break (given up on that one so breastfeed 100% now, well as well as solids that is), or on a growth spurt so pretty unsettled & un-fill-able for weeks (learned to go with the flow there!), but I am a lucky mummy to a gorgeous smiley happy chap most of the time who seems easily pleased and full of fun, so long as his needs are met, I'll take that and rejoice as GS was much tougher to placate and keep happy (and still is, but thats for another post).
We've just returned from some time spent in West Yorkshire, it was fantastic and although the weather was typically British we managed to get plenty of fresh air and long walks in. GS loved walking and is now able to keep up our pace and was enjoying the hikes even when my legs were aching (I am so unfit, more on this later!) I will pop up some pics later of the gorgeous scenery & attractions around Haworth, Keighley and Skipton.
Maternity leave is beginning to take its toll financially, the reduced income plus recent government changes to child benefit, gas/elec bill increases and fuel costs have all hit hard; we seem to start saving in one area only to have that gain taken away from us by something else thats gone up; food, fuel, insurance, blah blah blah. Its hard juggling it all and i know we aren't alone and there are lots of people much worse off too. I only pray our jobs are both safe (I work for a council libary and we all know they've been heavily targetted for cuts- I wait and see). So, once again instead of burying my head in the sand I am on a thrift-drive to save our outgoings as best I can and make sure we have the money for the basic essentials, that will hopefully mean I can take the unpaid leave at the end of my paid maternity period to spend valuable extra weeks with my boys before GS starts school in September and Jed will hopefully be a bit more ready to be left with Granny Nanny while I return back part time. That's the plan anyway. It worries me as it was during such unpaid time in my last maternity leave that I was made redundant landing us in terrible debt and in a right mess, I hope history does not repeat itself but what can you do, just take it a month at a time.
I will be trawling all your blogs and forums for thirfty finds, ideas, recipes and projects from now on and PROMISE to update this blog more regularly so I hope you'll join me in discovering how it pans out, and I will in return try and add my own thrifty finds to share along the way!
My first thoughts are now about getting fitter, and more specifically, whether it's possible to get fit in a thrifty manner? Yes, starvation is definitely thrifty, as is lots of free outdoor exercise, but the actual logistics of eating a well balanced diet (as I am still breastfeeding) and combining exercise with looking after two young children in often less than sunny weather is not as easy as it seems, or at least I am not finding it so. I have a skipping rope I have yet to find half an hour to use without a little one within accidental whipping range, a free guide from a magazine to get fit in 10minute stretches which I am too exhausted at the end/start of each day to do, and a bike in the shed I similarly get no time to go on as I can't afford a baby seat. I suspect there are ways around these if I look closer, but I am lacking a real option to fit in any exercise other than the occasional kick about with GS & walks when the weather is fine, and several trips up and down the stairs every hour. Cooking more lower fat is slightly easier, although convenience foods are, well convenient, they are not healthy and I do actually enjoy cooking most days so I find homemade food is easy enough to do fairly healthily, I think my downfall is needing a bit of a social life every week I'll pop with friends or Granny Nanny to a cafe and then consume fatty & expensive drinks and cake no doubt, really need to bang this on the head but without going to these places I don't get out much and end up a bit cabin-crazy! Portion control is another naughty, I am so tired I feel the need to stodge up until I am full, and then seem ravanously hungry an hour or two later, I know breastfeeding means I need to eat regularly and when hungry but i think i need to train myself in to having smaller portions and of course better snacks instead of naughty biscuits and cake! I have a few friends that are doing Slimming World and blog about their experiences and recipes, so I am sneakily (thriftily?!) stealing their menu plans and recipes to try and semi-follow the principles in a light manner, particularly the portion/fat control side of things, so we will see where that gets me, if necessary I may need to buy a guide or two or even join up for access to the full plan to shift things if all else fails, but really hope to avoid that cost if possible. Does Nutracheck still do free trials, I found that a handy website before for keeping me on my toes? I shall have to google that and see. I need to state that this is NOT a need to lose weight for me, it's about toning up the parts that have gone extra wibbly after pregnancy and increasing my fitness so that I can keep up with my 3 year old's pace and not be out of breath walking up a relatively small hill, so I won't be doing weigh-ins etc, the proof will be in the (lack of) pudding of whether I can feel more healthier inside as well as out.
Wish me luck, and by all means offer tips you've found helpful if you have been/are on a similar mission!
Well, our little one is now just shy of 6 months old, it's flown by in a haze of sleep deprivation, adjustment and fun all jumbled in to one big half a year! Phew, no wonder I am a little exhausted. Jenson is doing very well! There have been times of despair when he won't nap (still working on that one), won't take a bottle to give me a break (given up on that one so breastfeed 100% now, well as well as solids that is), or on a growth spurt so pretty unsettled & un-fill-able for weeks (learned to go with the flow there!), but I am a lucky mummy to a gorgeous smiley happy chap most of the time who seems easily pleased and full of fun, so long as his needs are met, I'll take that and rejoice as GS was much tougher to placate and keep happy (and still is, but thats for another post).
We've just returned from some time spent in West Yorkshire, it was fantastic and although the weather was typically British we managed to get plenty of fresh air and long walks in. GS loved walking and is now able to keep up our pace and was enjoying the hikes even when my legs were aching (I am so unfit, more on this later!) I will pop up some pics later of the gorgeous scenery & attractions around Haworth, Keighley and Skipton.
Maternity leave is beginning to take its toll financially, the reduced income plus recent government changes to child benefit, gas/elec bill increases and fuel costs have all hit hard; we seem to start saving in one area only to have that gain taken away from us by something else thats gone up; food, fuel, insurance, blah blah blah. Its hard juggling it all and i know we aren't alone and there are lots of people much worse off too. I only pray our jobs are both safe (I work for a council libary and we all know they've been heavily targetted for cuts- I wait and see). So, once again instead of burying my head in the sand I am on a thrift-drive to save our outgoings as best I can and make sure we have the money for the basic essentials, that will hopefully mean I can take the unpaid leave at the end of my paid maternity period to spend valuable extra weeks with my boys before GS starts school in September and Jed will hopefully be a bit more ready to be left with Granny Nanny while I return back part time. That's the plan anyway. It worries me as it was during such unpaid time in my last maternity leave that I was made redundant landing us in terrible debt and in a right mess, I hope history does not repeat itself but what can you do, just take it a month at a time.
I will be trawling all your blogs and forums for thirfty finds, ideas, recipes and projects from now on and PROMISE to update this blog more regularly so I hope you'll join me in discovering how it pans out, and I will in return try and add my own thrifty finds to share along the way!
My first thoughts are now about getting fitter, and more specifically, whether it's possible to get fit in a thrifty manner? Yes, starvation is definitely thrifty, as is lots of free outdoor exercise, but the actual logistics of eating a well balanced diet (as I am still breastfeeding) and combining exercise with looking after two young children in often less than sunny weather is not as easy as it seems, or at least I am not finding it so. I have a skipping rope I have yet to find half an hour to use without a little one within accidental whipping range, a free guide from a magazine to get fit in 10minute stretches which I am too exhausted at the end/start of each day to do, and a bike in the shed I similarly get no time to go on as I can't afford a baby seat. I suspect there are ways around these if I look closer, but I am lacking a real option to fit in any exercise other than the occasional kick about with GS & walks when the weather is fine, and several trips up and down the stairs every hour. Cooking more lower fat is slightly easier, although convenience foods are, well convenient, they are not healthy and I do actually enjoy cooking most days so I find homemade food is easy enough to do fairly healthily, I think my downfall is needing a bit of a social life every week I'll pop with friends or Granny Nanny to a cafe and then consume fatty & expensive drinks and cake no doubt, really need to bang this on the head but without going to these places I don't get out much and end up a bit cabin-crazy! Portion control is another naughty, I am so tired I feel the need to stodge up until I am full, and then seem ravanously hungry an hour or two later, I know breastfeeding means I need to eat regularly and when hungry but i think i need to train myself in to having smaller portions and of course better snacks instead of naughty biscuits and cake! I have a few friends that are doing Slimming World and blog about their experiences and recipes, so I am sneakily (thriftily?!) stealing their menu plans and recipes to try and semi-follow the principles in a light manner, particularly the portion/fat control side of things, so we will see where that gets me, if necessary I may need to buy a guide or two or even join up for access to the full plan to shift things if all else fails, but really hope to avoid that cost if possible. Does Nutracheck still do free trials, I found that a handy website before for keeping me on my toes? I shall have to google that and see. I need to state that this is NOT a need to lose weight for me, it's about toning up the parts that have gone extra wibbly after pregnancy and increasing my fitness so that I can keep up with my 3 year old's pace and not be out of breath walking up a relatively small hill, so I won't be doing weigh-ins etc, the proof will be in the (lack of) pudding of whether I can feel more healthier inside as well as out.
Wish me luck, and by all means offer tips you've found helpful if you have been/are on a similar mission!
Sunday, 28 March 2010
Reassurance
Sorry to have gone quiet it's been busy and emotional this week.
Thankfully, little baby Snowdrop is tucked up safe and well so far so good, we know this as we ended up having a scan on Wednesday after I'd experienced abdominal and back pains Monday and Tuesday, I'd convinced myself something had happened (which only amplified things i think) so when we all trooped off to the EPU Wednesday lunchtime I was not expecting to see all was ok but there it was all tucked up, the size of a grain of rice, barely recognisable on the screen, but already with a fluttering strong heartbeat, I was choked! Still getting the back ache (may or may not be a kidney infection) but feeling much better now and able to face the next 5 weeks before our dating scan a little more positively.
What is going on with the weather, awful showers this week then yesterday when I had to work all day it was sunny and warm, not fair! Now apparently snow is forecast for this week, whaaaat?!! I am however feeling very Springlike now the clocks have gone forward and we have more daylight to make the most of (when the sun is out). We out the sunflower seedlings outside yesterday to try and harden them but bought them in for the night, will continue to do this for the next few days but if snow does come then i'm not sure it's the right time to plant them in to the ground/pots just yet, but i think they won't like it if I leave them too long all crowded up in the seed tray. Any advice?
We spent last night at Nottingham racecourse watching greyhound racing for a colleague of Mr G.T's leaving do. I was dubious at first about whether it would be my cup of tea, I have reservations about any form of racing and animal welfare, but I was really pleased to see they fully support the Retired Greyhound Trust with a percentage of all the takings for each race that provides housing and care for 6 retired greyhounds at the center. There were lots of posters around advertising how lovely retired greyhounds are as pets and it got us both thinking how much we'd love a dog, how lovely it would be to give a dog a loving family home and help us too to stay active and get out and about more with a dog to enjoy the walks even more with. Hmm, not sure that any will be compatible with 3 cats and a toddler though (and hopefully a newborn soon) probably not, but it's something I'd consider for the future. They are beautiful animals.
Thankfully, little baby Snowdrop is tucked up safe and well so far so good, we know this as we ended up having a scan on Wednesday after I'd experienced abdominal and back pains Monday and Tuesday, I'd convinced myself something had happened (which only amplified things i think) so when we all trooped off to the EPU Wednesday lunchtime I was not expecting to see all was ok but there it was all tucked up, the size of a grain of rice, barely recognisable on the screen, but already with a fluttering strong heartbeat, I was choked! Still getting the back ache (may or may not be a kidney infection) but feeling much better now and able to face the next 5 weeks before our dating scan a little more positively.
What is going on with the weather, awful showers this week then yesterday when I had to work all day it was sunny and warm, not fair! Now apparently snow is forecast for this week, whaaaat?!! I am however feeling very Springlike now the clocks have gone forward and we have more daylight to make the most of (when the sun is out). We out the sunflower seedlings outside yesterday to try and harden them but bought them in for the night, will continue to do this for the next few days but if snow does come then i'm not sure it's the right time to plant them in to the ground/pots just yet, but i think they won't like it if I leave them too long all crowded up in the seed tray. Any advice?
We spent last night at Nottingham racecourse watching greyhound racing for a colleague of Mr G.T's leaving do. I was dubious at first about whether it would be my cup of tea, I have reservations about any form of racing and animal welfare, but I was really pleased to see they fully support the Retired Greyhound Trust with a percentage of all the takings for each race that provides housing and care for 6 retired greyhounds at the center. There were lots of posters around advertising how lovely retired greyhounds are as pets and it got us both thinking how much we'd love a dog, how lovely it would be to give a dog a loving family home and help us too to stay active and get out and about more with a dog to enjoy the walks even more with. Hmm, not sure that any will be compatible with 3 cats and a toddler though (and hopefully a newborn soon) probably not, but it's something I'd consider for the future. They are beautiful animals.
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