cloth on bot

Since Che's arrival I have endevoured to use cloth nappies as much as possible.  We used plain white terry sqaures  in the newborn period and then since have being trying a number of different fitted nappies that can be ordered on line.  The terry squares now make great cleaning cloths for mop ups with adventurous eating habits and great for polishing mirrors and windows etc. I must admit it is a bit of a maze sorting through all the different options and it has been fun trialling different sets and brands. I especially love the packages of soft fluffy bundles of green joy arriving with the post.

What I have come to realise that it really depends on your baby's shape and degree of wetting that really points to which nappies are better for each individual.  I have found some fitted nappies to always leak around the legs, especially when he was younger.  Also as Che is a keen night feeder he is such a heavy wetter .  I'm usually really not into brand naming but I would  recommend in this situation that the best coverage and absorbancy has been from baby beehinds, especially with the organic cotton/bamboo fitted nappy and a good cover.  They take a bit more of organising, but you can increase the absorbency even more with bamboo boosters.  For convenience the minkee all in ones are excellent as well.

The washing and up keep obviously can be seen as yet another chore, but I relish it and find the whole process quite meditative.   Dry paling, so no soaking and using less detergent makes things much easier.  Beloved will often put on a disposable, if expecting a pooey one.  And to be honest at night we have resorted back to a good disposable and I just have not found a cloth nappy that will last the whole night and we are trying to get more sleep around here.

I also love cleaning botty with almond oil and putting calendula nappy ointment on.

2 more sleeps until my exam.  I won't know myself.  Then a special birthday the day after.  Wow I have almost made it !

Danny

What can I say about our Danny boy, our much loved black lab.  Born 3/9/2002 in Darwin.  Danny has been up and down this continent with me and is now showing some wear and tear. So sad when one day you realise gosh my dog is now old, he has aged.  Grey and limping but always up for a swim and ball chase.  Danny in true lab style is always in your way. Needing to step over him to get through the doorway.  Such a gentle soul, but often has passive aggressive tendencies.  He has never been interested in chasing anything.  Live and let live.  He will  dig to china on the beach, but leaves our garden alone.  He especially loves our son and Che adores him.  There is a symbiotic relationship with food between the two of them.  I know it sounds silly but it is Danny that stops me from going and working remote again.  I just dont think he would cope very well.
Love ya Dan.xx J

Chester

Born 1/3/04, Cavoodle, apricot colour.  Very bossy, super intelligent.  Special trick sings along with harmonica or piano accordian.  Used to be my "baby'.  Is still allowed to sleep on our bed at my feet.  Dan's best mate and arch rival.  Chester has grown up a lot since little human baby has arrived.  Guess he has come to accept him as part of the pack.  Chester is great at letting me know when Che is awake or crying.  Loves to chase bunny rabbits and howls when sees cows.  Love ya.

It takes a village to raise a child

It takes a village to raise a child
What I love about blogging is the time to sit and read other people's experiences when you might be feeling a little bit alone in your world.  Especially with being only new to a town/community and have yet to build those networks that support you and who you are.  The above link confirmed how really it is unusual in the word, to be alone with your baby all the time.  Fostering a village is what I'm looking forward to.

Pleased to say gently gently we have made some leadway to all of us getting some more sleep.  With some constant tweaking of the sleeping set up, we are now sleeping 6-7 hours before needing a feed say anywhere between 12 and 3am and then sleeping more peacefully again until the morning.  He is still coming in for that cherished early morning cuddle/feed.   It was really the time for Che to have some of his own space and I think is only now starting to say, in his own baby way, Oh yeh sleep, excellent!.

These photos were taken after one of our many country drives.  There are many exclusive old manors that are now made into top end boutique accomodation.  We just popped in on a hot day and took to the shade for some lunch.  We imagined staying there and being la- di -da.  We were alone in this beautiful courtyard away from the masses/hoards of xmas shoppers. Bliss.

one year ago today

One year ago today I was 38 weeks pregnant. I had just finished working as a local GP on the central coast.  The pregnancy had been uncomplicated.  I was doing regular yoga and walking meditations.  Positive visualisations regarding giving birth.  I did have quite annoying reflux and insomnia and was sleeping sitting propped up on many pillows.  We had been to the midwife earlier in the week and confirmed that baby was still posterior.  All we could feel was little hands and feet.  I planned this week to get many things into order, as I had left a lot of nesting to the last minute.  Here above we were sorting our all the stuff we had stored in the garage.  This couch ended up going to Vinnies.

I just scored this little cradle on ebay, second hand and was starting only now to wonder how would we all sleep?  Like most things in my life, I would feel what felt right at the time.  Our house was only 3/4 renovated at this stage.  No lounge room, but we had a  refurbished kitchen and bathroom that was the main thing.

I wondered if  I would go overdue due to the position of the baby.  But I could feel the baby was way down.   I felt very calm and it was warm and sunny.  The journey ahead of us was still very uncertain. 

       And a woman who held a babe against her bosom said, speak to us of children.

And he said:

       Your children are not your children.

       They are the son's and daughters of Life's longing for itself.

       They come through you but not from you, 

       And though they are with you they belong not to you.

      You may give them your love but not your thoughts.

      For they have their own thoughts.

      You may house their bodies but not their souls,

      For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow,

      which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.

      You may strive to be like them, but seek not to

      make them like you.

      For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.

      You are the bows from which your children as

      living arrows are set forth.

     The archer sees the mark upon the path of the

     infinite, and He bends you with His might that 

     His arrows may go swift and far.

    Let your bending in the Archer's hand be for

    gladness;

    For even as he loves the arrow that flies, so He loves

    also the bow that is stable.

                                      THE PROPHET, Kahlil Gibran, 1923.

Cynthia' Circle

A dear friend of mine is undergoing unique but unfunded treatment for her recurrent and progressive bladder cancer.  We were junior doctors together and shared a house and dreams in those salad days.  I now live at a distance but wish I was still close by.  So heartening to hear her mother's group have formed a fundraising venture to help her and her family out.  Cynthia is a mother of 2, incredibly strong and positive and a smart and dedicated Doctor.  If you are on the  Central Coast NSW and have next Wednesday 8th December, 2010 free there is the event below at the Avoca Cinema.

the subtle muscles of the pelvic floor

Sorry to go down so below ladies, but I feel this is an important issue to attend to.  Finally I have decided to be more proactive. Having had a posterior birth, things are not quite the same.  I consulted an excellent physiotherapist and realised even I was doing the exercises incorrectly.  I had been using more of my abdominal muscles and a pelvic floor contraction is quite distinct and much more subtle than this.  With real time ultrasound this was pointed out to me and gave me great bio-feedback.  If you have any issues relating to this I would say find local expert help as above and get more one on one instruction.  It will really help when change of life and age starts being more of a reality.