Gen rolls over!

Gen rolls over!

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For all the nay-sayers - here's the proof!

Play time

Genevieve spends a lot of her time sleeping, and some of her time crying and some of her time playing and interacting.

Here is a shot of her, taken by our friend Andrea on Sunday. SO cute!

Polypropylene Frittata

This, I'm afraid to say, is what remains of our Avent Isis Breast Pump with Via Storage system, and an Avent bottle cleaning brush. If you know the product, and zoom in on the picture towards the top, you may recognise some of the silicon components which could handle the heat somewhat better.

You see, in our quest to save a few bucks here and there, we would boil the components for 5 minutes to sterilise them. The alternative was to purchase a steam steriliser, either electric or one that utilises your microwave.

Suffice it to say that we will be purchasing a steriliser, as well as a new pump etc. We may even be a saucepan down, depending upon how it cleans up.

VERY NAUGHTY CORY! NOT HAPPY NAOMI!

More with the cafe set

This weekend we discovered that a quick and easy way to catch up with friends was to go out for brunch/lunch at a local cafe. On Saturday it was with Brendan and Kelly, and on Sunday it was Carole and Matt (their place was where Nai's waters broke and all of this adventure started).

With both of them, we just walked up to our local shopping area, which has a disproportionate number of cafes to other stores. We found these cafes very handy when we first moved here - but then realised that it was eating into the back pocket a little too much so we just go to them every once in a while.

But I think we've rediscovered them, as it is a good investment to catch up with people, get a walk, get a decent feed and get out of the house for a while all at once. And provided we don't do it all that often, it should remain affordable.

It also allows us to pick up some supplies, so here you see Genevieve's jogger loaded up with the staples, bread, milk and beer. I had to take that shot because apparently I take a lot of photos of beer, to the point that some people are concerned about my alcohol intake. Be assured I'm lucky to have 3-4 beers a week (perhaps a few more over Summer, and generally less over Winter).

The end of the 0000 WonderSuit

You've just gotta love the Bonds WonderSuit. Most Australian kids spend a good proportion of their time in these - and with good reason. They're cheap, warm, provide easy access to service the downstairs area and are even sorta cute.

A few weeks back Target had 25% of all kids stuff, so we got four more because we knew that Genevieve would grow out of her existing ones soon. We find that two white and two coloured (pink, in her case) work well, as you can then always have one in the wash no matter if you're washing whites, or colours. Another tip - I'd say not to buy them until your little-un comes out, as you're not going to be too sure what size they are.

The wondersuit sizing is a little on the snug size, so we think that this will be the first of Genevieve's clothes where she's graduating from 0000 to 000 - as you can see in the photo, she's somewhat form-fitting now.

It's a personal best!

As the Commonwealth Games draws to a close, Genevieve has managed to eclipse her own previous record.

We put her down at 9:30, but she didn't really go to sleep until around 10. Naomi thought she was waking at 3, and opened one eye to have a look, but then closed it again. Next we knew it was 5:01 and she was grizzling slightly for a feed. That's SEVEN HOURS people! That's like a full-size person sleep!

And now... after a bit of a feed and a change, she's decided that sleeping is better than finishing her feed! Way to go Genevieve! All the lack of sleeping during the day may be worth putting up with.

Another Wendy Visit

We had another 7 point safety check with Wendy, the maternity health nurse today. When they put Genevieve up on the hoist, she came in at 2cm longer and around 400g heavier. That means she weighs in at 4.1 kg, or around 8lb 15oz in the old scale. So she's getting there - but remember, some actually come out that size!

Her hormone rash has cleared up quite considerably - just a few spots here and there (especially when hot) that you don't really notice, which is reassuring (even though it was nothing to worry about in the first place).

Genevieve meets some friends

Today was the first meeting of my Mother's Group at the maternal health centre with Wendy the maternal health nurse. It went from 1.30-3.30 which was good for the mothers but maybe a little bit too long for some of the babies which lead to a few tears. The group comprised of about 12 first-time Mums and bubs, which is quite a big group but included all of the Christmas babies. So the babies ranged from 3 weeks to 4 months in age.

Genevieve was one of the youngest but definitely not the smallest! Some of the poor little ones had been quite sick and were still quite small and frail.

We spend the first session getting to know each other and discussing our experiences of pregnancy, birth and motherhood. Everyone seemed really nice and mostly down to earth. Being Kensington, I had expected a bit of diversity in the group but I think the most exotic we got was a woman from New Zealand. She enjoys jogging so it looks like I may have a running buddy.

These sessions are being run every week for 7 weeks and after that, it's up to us to decide meeting. So hopefully I'll end up with a good network from these sessions.

Splish splash

OK, we hear you. There's been a few too many posts of finding out what's been happening, and not enough pix of Genevieve. Well we're delighted to tell you that she's really puddining up (if that's a word). Looking back at some early photos, and in particular, early video footage and she looks like a skinny little monkey.

Now she has folds, and cute little rolls. All of which need cleaning, hence the photo here. After the first few baths being somewhat traumatic, she now adores being in the bath. There is still trauma, however, when it's time to dry her off. Oh well... it's all part of it hey?

...and it's GOLD for Genevieve...

Hey, I dunno if we'll ever hear those words, but I'm sure the commentators will have a field day if Genevieve follows in her parents footsteps and takes up Triathlon but then actually gets to the elite level. Why...? Because on the day she turned 5 weeks old, she attended her first Tri - and it was the Commonwealth Games at that!

Seeing how the majority of the Commonwealth Games was being held just down the road it seemed a shame not to go to something. And, seeing how the Triathlon was being run in a public area (ie: it was free) then we thought we'd better get along.

We decided it best to attend the women's event, as it was starting at 9am so it was unlikely to draw the crowd the men's would (starting at 1pm). Walking into the area, it was quite weird. Here was our 'hood - where we've competed in quite a few Tri's , but it was all decked out in aqua hoarding and carpet. There'd be no waiting for the cops to clear the roads before they start, I'm sure.

Genevieve was very well-behaved, and Naomi called it - she'd want a feed once the event started. But seeing how they had to swim 1.5km, we had a bit of time. So we moved from our vantage point where we could see the swim, to the race where they would run from the swim to the bike transition area.

Soon they were headed up the race and we saw all the competitors (excepting some Africans who were still out there battling the Port Phillip Bay chill) running past. Our money was on Emma Snowsill and it's too bad that's just a figure of speech, as she came home like a steamtrain.

We ended up watching the bike/run transition and the whole run leg at home, coz after all, Tri isn't really the best event to watch live.

She's still cute - even in black and white!

Laksa Queen

One of our regular haunts is Laksa King. In fact, Cory's been going there for many years, as he used to have a laksa every week before his radio show. Unfortunately, during the pregnancy I wasn't partial to anything spicy - it gave me heartburn.

So it was with great anticipation that I suggested to Cory that we go to the King for a laksa tonight. So we decided it was a go-er, put the girl in the jogger and walked there. And I'm happy to say (once they fixed up my order and actually gave me a vegetarian one) that it tasted great. It's great to no longer be suffering any heartburn, and so again being able to eat a lot of the foods which the heartburn caused me to avoid. Wine tastes great again. We had Indian the other night. Even bread is better. And, curiously, my desire for chocolate (especially the mid-afternoon fix) has diminished back to its pre-pregnancy levels.

Genevieve, the little trooper, just gurgled or slept in her jogger. As usual, she appreciated the walk (although we only just made it back in time before the siren started).

Walkies

I'm trying (and generally succeeding) in getting out for a walk each day. I'm doing it for quite a few reasons. It gets Genevieve and I out of the house. We both get some fresh air. And finally, to build my fitness back up and to aid in the recovery from the pregnancy and birth.

One of the main treks that we do is along the Maribyrnong River - it's only 5 minutes walk from home and as you can see, it has a nice path alongside the river. Because I'm still not allowed to drive, I sometimes combine my walk with a trip to run errands or buy the essentials from the local supermarket/bakery/greengrocer/appropriate shop.

I've slowly been building how far I've been walking. Initially, I was only making it to the river and back, which is a round trip of about 2 kms. Now, I can do about 6kms. Slowly getting there... although I have a long way to go to get back to my pre-pregnancy fitness, I'm hoping to build up to be able to run in the Mother's Day Classic charity run in May.

Watch the video

Hello everybody!

Hello everybody!

Watch the video

Genevieve gets out and about and meets all and sundry

First trip to the beach

Today was a scorcher. In typical form, Melbourne is not letting Summer go without a fight, as we often have a few days in the mid-high 30's (near 100F) in March.

So after taking the dog for a walk, I thought it might be a good idea to head down the beach for a quick dip. We did this on Australia Day and it worked wonders, even though it's just at suburban Williamstown, so not a real beach (ie: no waves).

It was, however, still a little cool at 8am, but as you can see, it still looked pleasant. I waded out with Genevieve and gave her a little rinse. Once back in, she decided to give me a little rinse too - so I was back out in the water to wash that off. We put her towel down and have her some 'free the bot' tummy time in the fresh air, which she seemed to love.

Perhaps this is why she sleeps so much?

Perhaps this is why she sleeps so much?

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Off to see a man about a goat...

The masses converged on the salubrious brewery house of Mountain Goat, to welcome our Genevieve into the world.

And of course, she was the life of the party, pretty much sleeping through the whole thing, until it was time for a drink. Curiously, she didn't seem too interested in a pint of Hightail Ale - more keen on Mummy's ready-to-drink option.

Unfortunately, Dave and Cam who run this establishment weren't around to meet this new member of the Goat Army, but hey... that just means we'll have to come back again soon!

Thanks to one and all for coming along.

Pefectly Proportioned

We had our second visit to the Maternal Health Nurse today for Genevieve's 4 week check up. She was weighed and measured which she wasn't too happy about and cried the whole time. Anyway in 2 weeks she has grown 2cm and put on 575g. She's now 8lb3.5 in the old scale. This now places her in the 50th percentile for length and weight - as Wendy said "perfectly proportioned".

Although very average in her dimensions and developmental stats there was one thing that really stood out. When I said that Genevieve had been rolling from her tummy to her back Wendy was very surprised (maybe a bit disbelieving), but while we were there Genevieve demonstrated that she does actually do this by rolling over there and then! Wendy said that most babies do this at 3-6 months so little Genevieve is obviously a gifted roller.... not sure where this talent will get her but it is a good party trick!

The vast array of sound effects

Here is a far from exhaustive list of the various sounds that Genevieve has uttered (no... we're not talking about the multitude of noises that she can also issue from the other end).

• gurgle (probably the most common one)
• ohhh
  
• ah-waaaahh (probably the most obvious one!)
  
• squalk
• yaaaaawwwwwwnnn (we do that one pretty often too!)
  
• piggy grunt
• tongue-click
• sigh
  
• old man groan
• dolphin trill
• kiss
  
• slurp
• incoming SMS message
  
• squeaky rubber-soled shoes
  
• whale-song (the high-pitched part, not the deep moans, but hey... it wouldn't surprise us!)

We'll probably add to this when we discover new ones - so you may see this post more than once!

From go to whoa

From go to whoa

Watch the video

If you can't be bothered looking at the archives of the BabyBoardy.blogspot.com site to see how it all happened, here's the precis video version.

This weighs in at about 6.3MB, so don't bother unless you have broadband, or you're very patient!

Not bed wetting... HEAD wetting!

OK... We've waited long enough - like we need an excuse anyway!? The family is off to Goat!

Come and celebrate little Genevieve Claudia come into the world. Mountain Goat has wonderful handcrafted ales, and also has organic wines, some soft drinks and their own pizzas!) If you're in the Melbourne sorta zone, then come along to:

Mountain Goat Brewery
Cnr North and Clark St, Richmond
Take a tram up Bridge Rd and get off at River Street, or up Victoria St and get off at Victoria Gardens (IKEA). Or you can park close by. Click on map for detail.
Friday, March 10th
From around 6pm (depending upon the guest of honour...)

We hope to see you there!

One of two things...

She's either very clever and at half a day before she's 3 weeks old she's decided that sleeping through (ie: not waking up for her nighttime feed) is a good idea...

OR she's very lazy and couldn't be bothered.

We were awoken this morning by Genevieve declaring it's time for a feed... but instead of saying 2:17 or some other stupid o'clock reading, it said the quite respectable 5:56. Good girl!

She's a PIG!

Genevieve was sleeping a little too long and the pressure was building, so I thought I'd try expressing again. I hadn't done this since when I was trying to get my milk to come in, so I didn't really have an idea of how much she was eating each feed.

After only 5 minutes pumping (she normally sucks for 10-15, and she's more efficient than the pump), the result was 80ml of creamy milk! I was amazed. And of course, she woke up, so another benefit was that Cory got a turn at feeding, and we have the reassurance that she'll take a bottle if the need arises.

No wonder she's putting on some weight. Also, it's no wonder they feel heavy when she hasn't fed!

Already part of the cafe culture

As it was my last day of leave today, we thought it a good idea to go into the city to show her off to my workmates, as that will no doubt be far more difficult once I go back.

After everyone gooed and gahhed at her, we stopped in for a coffee at our preferred cafe, GroundShot on Flinders Ln. Nick, who owns/runs GroundShot was mightily impressed with the girl, but she also wanted some sustinance so it was a quick coffee then back on the train to go home.

The average day

Now that we've been home for two weeks, we've sorta got a routine going. It goes something like this (actual times can change by 1 or 2 hours either way):

• 02:30 - Early morning feed. Change nappy. We are almost awake for this one. Thankfully, she tends to get back to sleep pretty easily, and so do we.
• 06:45 - Breakfast feed. Change nappy. We'll generally give Ben a walk after this one.
• In this gap, we manage to eat breakfast ourselves, shower (optional - unfortunately), put the FuzziBunz nappies on a short deep-soak cycle in the washing machine and possibly get out of the house to shop/visit/whatever.
  
• 11:30 - Morning feed. Change nappy. Put rest of washing into machine and put on a normal cycle.
• 14:30 - Afternoon feed. Change nappy. Possibly get out of the house again if required.
• 19:00 - Evening feed. Change nappy. We may have eaten dinner before this one, or after. Inevitably, we start to eat, then Genevieve will want her dinner so Nai will have to stop and then resume later. Possibly a bath. Bring in washing and fold.
  
• 22:00 - Late-evening feed. Change nappy.
  

Dunno how effectively this will go once I go back to work on Monday, but hey, it's all part of it isn't it?

Tummy time!

Tummy time!

Watch the video

This was just too cute not to post, but it is also me trialling a video hosting site so we can post videos to the blog. Let me know what you think. Just click to watch.

Feeding - update

Last weekend we got one of those 'gliding' chairs (like a rocking chair, but not) on eBay. Cory picked it up and gave it a paint and tightened a few bolts. I would never have bought one new as I don't like them that much, but Genevieve seems to respond well to the motion and it works as a feeding chair.

The feeding seems to be working and is becoming easier. Genevieve is also more efficient and doesn't need to feed for as long each side (from about 25-30 mins each side down to now around 15-20 mins each side). She can still muck about, particularly if she has wind.

Sometimes, though, she gets a bit clingy and she seems to need to latch on for comfort, rather than from hunger. It's hard to tell from her cry whether she's really hungry or just needs a comfort feed.

Overall, though, it is a more normal and natural thing now. The big test, however, will be when I have to do it in public.

She's a ski lodge!

I was googling Genevieve's name and look what I came up with!
Yes... she's a ski lodge (well... two actually). VERY nice, but not terribly cheap. Hmmm..... omen?

Sleep, precious sleep!

People always ask if we are getting any or enough of it.... I am pretty bad if sleep deprived so even though Genevieve is pretty good and sleeps about 3-4 hours at a stretch during the night, it really isn't enough.

Genevieve will usually wake between 5.30 and 6.30 for her morning feed and then we take Ben for his walk. She will then go back to sleep for a couple of hours which I have taken to doing as well. Those 2 hours can make all the difference to the rest of the day! If I am lucky I may also get a nap in the afternoon but more often than not it gets to 7pm and I haven't managed it.

Mummy's Girl 2

She farts like a demon!

No... seriously... she has a vast array of tones, duration and reverb effects.

Take a look at the full-size version of this photo (just click on it), and look at Nai's eyes. Genevieve was letting one rip! We were wetting ourselves with laughter!