Merry Christmas Everybody!

Wow. It's Christmas tomorrow! I still can't believe it. I have a bunch of presents for Zoe while J and I forgot to get each other anything - ah well. I'm really looking forward to tomorrow, we have J's family lunch in Tuakau and my family dinner later on in Katikati. Debra and I are in charge of dessert for lunch and after 1 'mockup' cake I have created a master piece! See below my Pineapple Upside-down Cake (recipe here), some Apricot Balls & Chocolate Caramel Truffles. Look at me Miss-Domestic-Awesome-Lady. I know, I can't believe it either.

Thank-you to all my readers, I wish you all the best and hope you all have a lovely time with friends, family and food! Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Guest Blogger Debra: DIY Christmas Wrapping

I didn't have enough Christmas wrapping this year so instead of buying some I let Jessica get creative. I cut a potato in half and then cut a star into one side and a Christmas tree into the other, rolled out the newsprint, gave Jess some paint and 'set her to work'. She thoroughly enjoyed doing it and I think the present look lovely...

Supposed to be sleeping...

This is what I find in Zoe's room during nap time... a wriggly worm!

Sneaking a Peek...

I took this last week looking through the door at Zoe sleeping. It was the one time she slept unswaddled on her side and for a couple of hours. I like remembering it cos IT WAS AWESOME!

Just putting it out there...

Zoe. Can you pretty please start sleeping through the night starting tonight? It would be the best Christmas present ever. The lack of sleep is slowly giving me wrinkles I swear it!

Just putting it out there...

So many pretty things!

I LOVE getting presents from Linzi. She is the best present giver ever! She always finds these amazing things for me and I always adore each and every gift. Check out this year's Birthday and Christmas package I got the other day (ah yes, already opened the xmas ones! hehe).

Beautiful card by Nicoletta Ceccoli which btw is on this AMAZING french website.. you just have to check it out! www.lamarelleenpapier.net Blog: lamarelle.typepad.fr

Beautiful ceramic cup/mug. I'm sure I have seen these before but can't recall where? any help? IT'S GORGEOUS!

Now this is truly awesome, it is an illustrated box of tea form la-la-land. There are even little drawings inside the box for me! Swoon! and the tea is delicious! Check out the inside illustrations below: (and linzi's message to me - luv you!)

And last but not least some fairy magic from Lush. yum!

THANK-YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!

Swaddle me this... Vol.2

Yes, this post has volumes! Following my last post on swaddling (here) I managed to get Zoe to sleep the other day unswaddled! Ok, Ok, so she was already VERY sleepy and pretty much only woke up that day for feeds... but still, I figured it would be good practice for her anyway. Here are some of the photos I took while she was sleeping. This was just before I decided to vacuum and vacuumed all through her room without her even batting an eyelid. haha I got HEAPS of housework done that day!

You can see why I need to swaddle her when I put her down, otherwise she just does this the whole time and then gets grumpy cos she hasn't slept!

My next volume to this post will have my new swaddle trick I have created with two muslin wraps...

NB: btw all these photos were taken one after the other - so about 6 seconds of arms flailing about!

Guest Blogger Debra: Angels and Shepherds

We had our Mainly Music breakup this week and had to go dressed festively. Jessica and I went dressed as angels and Amy and Nana (my Mum) went as shepherds.

They both loved their costumes, but weren't so obliging for the photo!

A Fairy Hat for Zoe

I can't post all the things I've made for presents yet, except for this hat I made yesterday for Zoe. It's not like she's going to jump on the computer, read my blog and spoil everything now is it?!

I've been looking for a sun hat for Zoe for a while. The trouble is that her head keeps growing and what might fit fine now - might not fit AT ALL next week. And all the hats I have found in stores are too big or too small so I decided to make one. I found this lovely tutorial on The Purl Bee (here) and altered the pattern to make it slightly bigger after making a mockup or 2. Ok so it probably won't last long but it is big for her and she can almost fit it - so hopefully xmas onwards she will get about a month out of it... which will be the main time we are out and about in the sun. Maybe afterwards she will fit the larger ones in the stores.

I'm so proud of myself as I haven't sewn anything for a wee while, not something this practical and wearable anyway. Now I'm going to wrap it and put it under the tree and it didn't cost me a cent (had the fabric and binding lying around). DIY = Awesome.

Flat Head Flat Head FLAT HEAD!

Zoe. Yes older people, she is bonny.

Ok lets face it. Zoe has a huge head, it's massive! Apparently I had a big head as a baby so I can only blame myself - or my parents. She is sporting about a 41cm circumfrence these days and it's getting flatter and flatter by the day. It's something I am super worried about. The Plunket nurse said that they eventually right themselves and I've heard that it can take up to 2 years! Here's hoping she grows a head of hair to cover the flatty side.

Zoe sleeps on her back as recommended to us by, well, society today and hardly ever turns and sleeps on the side of her head while in a nap. I can't turn her head either way since she goes down awake and when I have snuck in to do it she either wakes up or turns it back to where she wants it. I have bought a wedge thingee (2 bits of foam that prop her up on her side and help her not to fall onto her tummy or back) but she never falls asleep in it and if I put her down asleep in it she wakes screaming when her nap is up (but sleeps ok in it when she is really really tired). I want to use it more often to help her head develop properly but it's tough.

Plunket recommends tummy time while awake and for play but that is really hard with a baby that is only getting control of her head slowly. Maybe that is better for older babies and maybe that helps but Zoe doesn't last long on her tummy and I can't see how about a total of 6-8 mins of tummy time a day (2 mins each awake time) would help much?!

Would love to hear if anyone has any 'don't worry my kid's head righted itself at 6 months' etc stories as I am struggling to get any successful stories etc on the net so I can feel better about this!

Obviously back in my days as a baby no one had this problem as we were all slept on our stomachs or rotated side, stomach, side, back and so on. Damn SIDs!

Photo Shoot: Aria Jones

Before Gav, Christine and their daughter Aria disappear to Hamilton in the new year, we thought we would do some family photos. I used to photograph weddings and the odd portrait so it was fun to get back into things... I've missed it! 165 photos later and Gav & Christine have a disk full of joy! Isn't she gorgeous? can't wait 'til Zoe can hold her head up like that - she's like a blimmin bobble head at the moment!

Oh! What a strapping young... girl?

Yup Zoe is my little shroom and is growing like crazy. I just had to post these photos. Although she ain't looking too glam in them, you get the picture anyways.

This is Zoe (right) with her friend Aria who is 10 weeks older than her. This photo was taken around about Oct 31 when Zoe was 4 weeks old and Aria 14 weeks. Zoe looks frightened - but who wouldn't be? It was her first encounter with another baby. Scary stuff.

Now here is the REALLY SCARY part... Here is a photo I took on the 6th Dec. Zoe is 9 weeks old and Aria is 19 weeks old (approx 4 months). Umm, they are the same size?! Turns out they are pretty much the same weight also and Aria was born slightly heavier!

Zoe is taking over the world! So much so that her 0-3month onezies aren't fitting lengthwise now and I'm going to have to get extenders! She isn't even 3 months yet!

DIY Christmas

Christmas shopping has been really different for us this year, as our family and extended family gets bigger and bigger. We sat down and worked out our budget and then split it out with an equal amount per person, only to find that we would be spending a few hundred dollars this year! Agh!

I looked at the amount and thought - thats a whole lot of petrol, lunches, dinners and costs etc that we could be using to enjoy our summer holiday right there. And cutting the budget down was just not going to happen unless we wanted to shop at the $2 shop for everyone (no thanks).

So I decided to challenge myself to try and cut our budget in half by making and creating my own presents for family and friends. I usually make a few things at Christmas, but they are often small and I add them into the bought presents to make them extra big and special. Not this year! It has been DIY city over here and I have just finished making the last piece. I am so stoked with myself. I even collected receipts and noted all costs so that I could work out exactly how much I had saved and if I had hit my goal. WELL a short calculation later (with no help from Mr Accountant Robot J) and I had done it! It was a little over half, but not by much and I am very proud of myself. The presents look great and I am sure each person will love each one. Plus if they don't - I want them back as I think they are so cool. haha. (esp my sis' present! - will post pics of that after xmas).

So I'm giving myself a pat on the back for all the saving and craftyness. It has been fun. Bring on the trips to the beach with chicken salad sammies, frujus and fish & chip dinners! Oh and the petrol to get there!

Cookie Monster has competition...

Zoe has a new friend, he lives on her play gym. She loves to stare at him the whole time she is playing, Cookie Monster now has some competition! I have nicknamed him Mr Biddler - which is a formal and shorter form of 'IdderBiddler' which was what my brother used to call Caterpillars when he was younger (mainly cos he couldn't actually say 'Caterpillar'). J reckons we should put a present under the Christmas tree for Zoe from Mr Biddler - her new friend! haha

Zoe's Fake Sneezes...

One of the cutest things that makes us go crazy for Zoe is when she sneezes. Or, doesn't sneeze... (vid only 10 seconds long)

It's the best sound in the world!

Don't mind the crazy woman behind the camera saying 'oh dear', that could be me and I could be slightly embarrassed. Enjoy!

Flowers? For me?

Just wanted to quickly post this, it's a pic of the flowers J brought home on Monday (yeah I know like 6 days ago). It was our 7 year wedding anniversary and I am so stoked I got flowers because it isn't something J does much... which makes it extra special and a MASSIVE surprise when it happens! :-). They just look all summery and bright!

Guest Blogger Debra: I've revolutionised our toy storage

The storage of our girls toys was a dilemma. Toy boxes just accumulate 'never seen' toys at the bottom. I had tried splitting the toys into four boxes and rotating them; sometimes rotated fortnightly, other times it went months. At tidy up time, the toys didn't have a set home as the toys out were always changing. Also when Jessica asked for a specific toy I could only reply, 'It's somewhere in one of those boxes". A couple of friends had sets of plastic drawers, on wheels even, that they stored toys in and then labeled the drawers. They seemed to like it. We bought three sets of 4-high drawers and have put them in Jessica's wardrobe. It works a treat.

Now she can access all her toys and she knows exactly where they go when you ask her to put them away. It's fabulous! We aren't looking back!

Puku: Streetwear for kids

Oh dear, I want to spend up large at www.pukudesign.co.nz just check out these cute threads I could deck The Zo out in!...

Obviously there are boys and girls colours and I've picked all the boys ones (just because I didn't grab a pink picture)... boys get the best colours - it's not fair! I dress Zoe in green and grey and she no longer looks like a girl :-( I can't wait for hair clips... cos I'm not one for those giant bows attached to elastic wrapped around my girls pretty head!.. mmm I could add those to my pet peeve list.. No. 4 maybe. haha

Dummy Guilt

Someone said to me the other day, "So have you found that you are doing all the things you said you wouldn't do with parenting Zoe?" For example, I was really against the attachment parenting/wearing your baby stuff and was especially against using a dummy. Now I'm not against the wearing your baby in a sling or front pack everywhere, but I'm just not interested in all that back breaking work. I'm not a clingy person, plus! I never got around to buying a sling or front pack (which is silly cos a front pack would be awesome and I have needed one recently!). But I understand it really works for some mothers and keeps them sane and happy - so more power to them.

J and I had talked about it and didn't want a dummy anywhere near our kid, but when Zoe arrived we soon learned that she was a 'sucker' and needed that extra soothing to get herself to sleep when she was overtired or grumpy. It has also been useful when out and about in the buggy when we want her to sleep - and also to stretch her feed out if she wakes early from a nap. But now I have found that I am using it more and more and I can't help but feel really guilty? Like it is taboo, or that it's wrong.

So many older people seem to frown upon the use of dummies and as The Baby Whisperer said on Good Morning the other day "Some older people just don't like the look of them in their grandchildren's mouths" (or something like that). So many people have said to me "Oh my kids never needed a dummy" or "you aren't using a dummy are you?" - as I'm standing there holding one to Zoe's mouth...

Ok so this parenting thing is fine, and J and I get to decide what happens with Zoe, and we decided that the dummy works and keeps us sane - but why do I feel like I am doing something really wrong? Someone also asked me; "Do you find yourself almost apologising when putting the dummy in when around others?" and yes! I do! This guilt that I have felt out and about has now made me a bit of a basket case every time I resort to the dummy at home. I leave Zoe's room thinking, oh crap, she might get addicted to that thing, I may be creating a big mission down the road when we have to wean her off it! I can't even put the dummy in in my own house without feeling like a poor parent or feeling some sort of guilt for resorting to this method of soothing my child.

I guess I feel like I am taking the easy way out - that I should be rocking her to sleep, wearing her around the house or letting her cry for ages. Ya know? putting in the hard yards... Help!

The Big Bang Theory Addiction...

First I was addicted to The Office, now it's The Big Bang Theory followed closely by How I met Your Mother... And that's about all the TV I have time to watch in the evening (day time tv is another matter... Ellen, Neighbours... the list may go on! hehe

7 years today

Happy Anniversary Bud! This post goes out to J, my hub - of which I have been married to for seven years. We have done so well and are so stoked with our little family. We've stuck by each other, cared for each other and been best mates the whole time. We are complete opposites in almost everything yet never fight... look at the photo - oh how young we look!

Now that we have been married for 7 years, it will only make the list of questions when you meet someone new - more annoying:

You're married? Yes

How long have you been married? 7 Years

7 years?! How old are you? 27

Wow you got married when you were what? 20? Yes 27 minus 7 is 20.

You must have had a long engagement? Na just a couple of months.

Wow, (you are crazy) How long had you known each other? 18 months including engagement.

Oh, cool. (these people are nuts!)

When you know, YOU KNOW! and if you are me - you don't beat around the bush!

Love you Joel! Happy Anniversary!

One Happy Bubba...

Zoe has had a great weekend, is 8 weeks now and is smiling all the time. She has been giggling away at the butterflies and creatures in her play gym which sends her parents into love overdrive! She has decided that her cot isn't actually that bad, and sometimes when we check on her she is already awake and just chilling out. She has been on more of a 4 hourly routine this weekend and has slept 7 hours Friday night and then 6.5 hours Sunday night (Saturday night not so much). So it seems she is on the brink of continuing to sleep through the night... (hopefully) woo hoo! Here are some pics I took yesterday of all the happiness!

Playing with Dad

Looking towards the light source in the room - even straight at light bulbs. She's like a moth.

Grins all round!

Swaddle me this...

Zoe has lost quite a bit of hair in the front and looks like a balding man in this pic, her head circumference, weight and length are all huge. She is in the higher percentile for her measurements so maybe she will be tall like her father. Note the dummy off to the side: YUS!

Ever since Zoe was born I have swaddled her up for naps and night sleeps, so now she knows that if she is tight and warm this must mean sleep. Some people can't understand why I would need to swaddle her and I think maybe back in the day when they used to put babies down on their tummies - they weren't swaddled? I mean how do you roll out of a sticky spot with your arms pinned to your sides. At least when on their backs there is nowhere to go - not until she starts wriggling etc anyway.

I have her in a snuggle wrap from Pumpkin Patch but she is seriously busting out of it and they don't make any other sizes. Just small. How helpful! As you can see in the pic, she is now able to squirm her arms up through and to her mouth. If I put her down without swaddling her arms go crazy, wake her up and thus 10min naps only. So I have purchased a bigger tougher swaddle thingee from The Sleep Store, so hopefully that will be better.

I want to wean her out of swaddling eventually, but have heard you can swaddle up to about 1 year? I know there are grow bags, sleeping sacks etc that I can transition her with but not yet. Anyone got any tips on weaning their kid out of swaddling? I wouldn't mind starting at least with day naps unswaddled but swaddle for the night time sleeps to keep them long and solid.

Kiwi Mummy Blogs Website: Your feedback needed!

Ok! So! I've put together another blog to house the Mummy Blogs that I have connected with over the past few weeks since the Canvas article and posting about it here.

Please go to it and email me (or comment on this post) your HONEST opinions and ideas - it is a work in progress. As you will see I want to feature a blog/blog post weekly from one of the Mummy Blogs but just for now I have added one from Bobby Robin cos it's just easier for this process!

Check it out: kiwimummyblogs.blogspot.com and tell me your thoughts! Oh and if you have any links etc to add, fire them my way. Cheers!