Project A

As I sit here posting I am trying to get Abi to sleep... So Project A really is working on our day time sleep routine... HELP! HELP! I need help. She is so so hard to get to sleep... Even at night she takes a good hour to get to sleep.
We have tried self settling. we have tried "save of sleep" She just hates going to sleep!
During the day she hardly sleeps and we struggle to get her past the 40 minute sleep cycle, but at night (once we finally get her to sleep) she is quite a good sleeper. Only waking once a night for a feed.

Another Project A is dear little Abigail's bedroom... It's still not done! How horrible are we!
We promise to have it done by Christmas! (When she will be 4 months old!)
We need to get some special taks to hang the bunting and something to hang up the little project I have been working on!

Take some MDF letters that spell out A B I G A I L , some paint and a brush! And there you have it!
I'm not entirely happy with the colour, but after 3 coasts, I'm done for now! I can always change them later.

Hopefully very soon I can share some photos of Abi's room with you all... Hopefully!

Annie's Provedore

While we were away at Barwon Heads I really wanted to go into this little place called Annie's Provedore. In all the times I have been down to BH I have never been into this little place!
It is so beautiful!

And then there is the food! YUM YUM YUM! We had a share antipasto plate which was $24 and there was so so much food for the two of us we didn't finish it.

We will definitely be heading back there again and again the next time we are down the coast!

Mothers Group

I'm sure I have mentioned before about my mothers group.
I landed a good group. A very good group indeed.
I went to the first 3 of the 4 planned visits at the helath centre. The fourth I was away. Ever since we have been meeting up on a Wednesday at a dofferent location. So far it's been a different pub each week! (The beauty of living in Balmain)
Early on one of the girls set up a Facebook page and we all keep in contact through that, plus email and texts.
Quite often at any time durning the week someone will post on FB or test that they are going for a walk, to the park, grabbing a coffee and if anyone would like to catch up.
It's fun! We even did a Melbourne Cup thing!

On Saturday we had a 'family day' at the Gladestone Park Bowls Club with the fathers and one of the mothers has step daughters. Unfortunatly with all the rain there has been in Sydney we couldn't play any bare foot bowls... So we just had to drink instead! Ah... Many expressed bottles of milk came out again!
It was lovely! So nice to meet the fathers and see the similarities of the fathers and babies!
We also decided to to a Christmas Kris Kringle! CUTE! We set a limit of $20 which meant you could get something good, but not be spending too much money.

Abi got Angelique a Sophie Giraffe teether (was on sale for $12 from Baby Bunting) and cute 'My first Christmas' outfit that was Bebe and I picked it up cheaply at the DJ's outlet at Birkenhead Point and a maracka rattle thingy from Seed.
We were very impressed with Abi's shopping ability and sale finds!

Conor had Abi and gave her the most beautiful dress from Mothercare and a rattle snake soft rattle thingy! I think it's going to be her Chrostmas day outfit!

Abi being a cranky pants at gift giving/receiving time

Abi's gift. She was very spoilt. I know that the dress alone cost more than $20

Did you join a mothers group? 

Were you as lucky as us to be part of such a great gruop of people?

Melbs

We had a ball! Oh such fun!
We didn't do all that much really... Just hung out with each other, family and friends.

Mum flew up on the Sunday, we drove down on the Monday with Abi. She was a dream! So so proud of her!
We had a week of cruising around town and hanging out with mum. Went to lunch for my sisters birthday at Crown, caught up with a girlfriend from school. Our two baby girls are 5 weeks apart in age (was supposed to be 2.5 as far as our DD's were!)

A week later, Erin joined us for a weeks holiday. We spent time at the beach and my parents holiday house.
We cruised around Melbourne some more.
I decided I wasn't ready to go home... So I didn't! I stayed a few more days, while Erin drove the car home and we flew home later in the week.

Here is our holiday in photos!

Out for lunch with Aunty Emma for her birthday!

Visiting my pop in hospital - he has had a stroke (but should be ok)

Lunch in Barwon Heads at 'at the heads'

First time dipping our toes in the sand and sea! (Abi not me!)

When your crusin Melb's you need sunnies! 

At my cousin's 21st we had a 4 gens photo taken. That's my dad and grandparents

Abi's new swimmers! $9 from target! Cute! But way too big for her!!!

My friend Sarah and her little girl Amelie. Amelie 5 mths, Abi 3 mths.

Pop (my dad) bought Abi a pony!

A bit of tummy time.

And that's about it! 

Throughly enjoyed our time away. Didn't miss much in Sydney either! Weather wise especially!

Will do some other posts on bits and pieces of what we did while we were away later on.

What's everyone been up to?

Dear Abigail (THREE months old!)



Photo taken at Barwon Heads on the 13th of November


Dear Abigail,

How did you get to become three months old already! Where has the time gone? It is going oh so fast.
What a month it has been. We have spent most of the month with Nana and pop in Melbourne and daddy even took a week off to have a holiday with us!
We went to a fancy pants restaurant with you for your Aunty Emma's birthday and you were brilliantly behaved.
You dipped your feet in the sand and water at the beach and you have been smiling and chatting up a storm!
I used to wish that time would stand still for a little bit and that you would stay small.. Well I don't anymore! You are becoming more and more of a joy to be with every day (you are still small though!)
People still think you are just a little newie but when we tell them how old you are they  are so surprised!
You are growing each and every day, but you are still wearing some 0000 and NB clothes!
Finally this month the outfit that you were supposed to wear home from hospital fits! But it wont be for long so we are getting lots of wear out of it! It's only a plain little onsie, but it was the first thing we bought for you and daddy used to carry it around on his shoulder pretending you were in it! "Is she going to be this small?" he would say! Well yes, you were! You were much smaller!

But now finally you are weighing over 5kgs!!! (at 12 weeks old!)

Love you more and more each day,
Your Mummy.

We are still alive...

Just crusin Melbourne and having an awesome time!
So awesome that we have decided to stay a little longer!
Will be back later in the week!

Hope you miss me!
xoxo

Introducing "Mick"

I have mentioned a few times that Abi seems to have a favorite toy.
It's a stuffed toy. A dog. A Blue Heeler.

Bought as a joke and named after our family dog I thought it would be chucked to the side and never really be given much thought!

So, without further ado...

The 'real' Mick

He is really nothing special. Not a pure breed or anything. But he is 13 and has been very loyal to the family.

Here is Abi's 'Mick'

And here is a photo of Abi. She only has eyes for Mick! (Old photo - Considering she is nearly 11 weeks old!)

We are off to Melbourne tomorrow!!!
Mum arrives tonight and we are driving down together... I'm a little scared. A little nervous!
But oh so excited to have 2 whole weeks in Melbourne with family and even have Erin (husband) join us for a week next week!!! This will be the first time her has off since Abi was born...
So posts may (or may not) be few are far between as we enjoy family time.

Catching Zzz's

While I was pregnant I slept on my back.
I was always told how bad it was, I shouldn't do it, it's bad for me. it's bad for the baby etc...
I never got very big and it was the most comfortable way for me to sleep.

Now after having Abi, I still sleep on my back. I have too! Otherwise my boobs hurt too much as they fill up with milk!

We do ok in this house and most of us get plenty of sleep. I dare say I get the least!
Because my husband works, I never have ever expected that he get up for the night time feeds.
Lucky for me it now only seems to be one!

Abi generally goes to bed around 7pm.
I huge lesson learnt after reading and talking to lots of people about the "save our sleep" book.
It works! But because we started it later on, we don't give Abi the 'dream feed' but rather let her sleep through. She tends to wake sometime between 2-4am.
She feeds and goes back to sleep rather easily (most of the time)
Then she normally is up again between 8-9am and is one very happy and well rested baby!

Baby Zzz's... We all know how they 'should' sleep... But it wasn't working for us.
So... Abi actually sleeps on her tummy... I know I know... It's not good, SIDS risk etc...
But it was the only way we could settle her into a good sleep. And for that reason we still have her in our room, where as lots of people I know have their little ones already in their own rooms...

Sometimes before Abi settles herself (for her day sleeps) she moves all around and the other day I found her...

So, how do you sleep? 

Giddy Up!

I just love horse racing.
I love the Spring racing Carnival!
I miss being in Melbourne so much at this time of year.

Yesterday morning Abi and I went and placed our bets at the TAB

10 week old Abi in her pram blowing bubbles

Yesterday was a super low key Melbourne Cup for me.
One of the girls from my mothers group hosted 12 of us at her house for a few bubbles and we all bought over some yummy food!

I wish I had of remembered to take a photo of the fridge!
It was filled with bottles of bubbles and expressed milk! (all of us except one are breast feeding - the one is due to an allergy) and so we could all enjoy a few glasses of bubbles we came prepared with a bottle of expressed milk to feed our baby

To respect others privacy, I wont put up all their photos, but I did get a photo of each mum and bub!

Here is Abigail and I

Abi in the only dress that fits her. Her cloud dress from Seed. (She now weighs 4.5 kgs!)

It was a really nice day and we did pick a few winners (but not in the Cup), I do have to say I am looking forward to a big boozy lunch next year! (bring on the baby sitter!)

What did you get up to for Melbourne Cup?
Did you pick any winners?