A Christmas to Remember.

I am not at all religious. Not even in the slightest. And yet, as a child, I grew up celebrating Christmas day each year. I mean we would go all out in our silly, over-the-top decoration of the living room (thankfully for my dad, not the entire house), the preparation and indulgence of the massive turkey dinner, with all of the trimmings that nobody really wanted and to top it off; the unnecessary expenditure on gifts. Still, we would all force the festivities down a right treat, in the end. I remember the event being somewhat fantastical as a kid, but as I have grown older, some of that charm and novel shine has simply lost its razzle-dazzle for me.

Tis the Season: For the sheer delight of our children.

The season often gets me thinking of the sheer lengths we will go to, for a simple smile... just so we can see the elation on our children’s faces; it really is magnificent. I remember my poor, wonderful mother would pre-cook the turkey the night before - a task that would go well into the early hours of the morning; it was no easy feat. On Christmas day, at eight o'clock in the morning she’d make her way through the freezing cold house just to spend the next two hours peeling and trimming potatoes along with the dreaded sprouts for a brood of four excitable children and an annually grouchy husband. The rest of the morning was spent prepping the sauce and veggie, cleaning and warming the house, washing-up, tending to an obligatory cut or burn and ultimately, conjuring up a spectacular, but humble little feast. She does this pretty much solo every year with some of the kids eventually chipping in as we got older. This is my nostalgic attachment to the Christmas Yuletide – my mother’s remarkable efforts.

Now that I am a mother myself, with three beautiful children, I too, find myself dancing to the all too familiar beat of the Christmas ritual; and a great performance it must be if I can create a few ecstatic smiles and wonderful memories with my own loved ones.

So, in dedicating this year’s annual cooking marathon to my amazing mother’s lifelong efforts; have a warm, merry Christmas and a wonderful new year.

Happy Holidays.

An Amazing Milestone... Reached.

I am marking today, with a post, by celebrating my beautiful boys seventh month in the world. Looking back on the day we brought him home from the hospital, I simply cannot believe how far he has come and how well he has grown. But I guess, somewhat more importantly, what I am really amazed by is the fact that he has thrived so brilliantly on breastmilk alone. So what this post truly honours, in essence, is my wonderful journey of exclusively breastfeeding my baby boy.

As clichéd as it may sound, Drayven really has had the best start to life and seeing him thrive every day is such a pleasure to behold. I have not seen a happier baby and I do believe that, while partly this is due to his cordial nature; breastfeeding has been an absolutely fundamental factor in his happiness and his experience of life to date. Dray is the smiliest little thing I have ever seen; he never stops smiling and this beautiful journey could not have played out more perfectly.

Despite all of the long sleepless nights of feeding, the fatigue, fighting off symptoms of mastitis and the sheer lack of energy to function on any given day of the week, I would not change a single thing. I wholeheartedly committed myself to this task and the rewards have proven exceptionally bountiful. I have made memories worth treasuring and have sealed a bond between us, which breastfeeding has only enhanced. Knowledge and experience is a wondrous thing.

Exclusivity: So proud to be able to look back at the  first two weeks after birth and see how far we have both come on this beautiful journey.

Exclusively breastfeeding at seven months. It was difficult getting here, but what a joy it has been; it almost seems easy now. What an achievement!

A special thank you must be made to my darling husband, Kade, for all your kind, loving words of support. Also, to our two beautiful daughters, Eden and Lydia, for all your precious help with changing diapers and making Dray laugh so heartily.

I love my incredible family.

X

Getting Your Child to Eat

No one ever said that parenting was going to be easy. In fact, it is quite the opposite and probably one of the hardest challenges you will face in life, as has been the case in my own experiences a mother.

And yet, being a parent is the best, most rewarding job in the world. I would never change a thing about having my kids... and I had them relatively young. Whether that makes the experience harder, I do not know. There is a list of arguments for and against the idea, which I will not get into right now.

What I am trying to say is, no matter how hard it seems at the time; it is worth every hair-pulling, brow tensing second. There will always be a silver lining, and at the end of the day, when your little one looks up to you with the utmost love... I mean, I cannot express to you, but it is absolutely, without a doubt, the most life defining moment, ever!

Raising your children the right way was always going to be a challenge, things wouldn't be as exciting if they weren't. We knew this when we had them. What we didn't know was how frustrating this brilliant job could be at times. But I will admit that there are those few instances where I am absolutely stumped as to why I cannot solve a problem right away. And I have hit a stumbling block.

Over the past six months, my current (and ongoing) parental challenge has been getting my eldest daughter to actually eat a meal in decent time. All solutions have escaped me and despite my best efforts I can't help but feel as though every attempt to acheive a simple normal eating pattern has outright failed because while the first few tries have appeared to be successful, it eventually dwindles into an alltogether stressful situation where all parties are just, miserable. 

It is the most disheartening moment, when all you want is for your child to eat. It really is the hardest thing to do; to watch your child unable to eat a pefectly healthy and wholesome (kiddy-sized) plate of food, which was so lovingly put together.

Surely, at three and a half years of age, it should not take upto two whole hours, to just get her relatively through her meal. All the while she is constantly distracted by absolutely nothing. Twiddling with the fork, staring off into space, enticing her sister into playing beneath the table, which results in kicking (we absolutely put a stop to this, the moment it happens - got to love those timeouts), flicking the food about her plate as if she was simply bored.

We have tried and tested the 'Supernanny' approach of with-holding food until the child realises that they will not get anything else except what they were served. But then that was never Eden's issue in the first place, she wasn't being picky and demanding fries or cookies or any of that junk because she has never eaten these things (we are not a junk food house-hold). So, that was a fail and my kid just went hungry. The next day, I realised she was all to happy to have gone hungry the night before. Personally, I am not in agreeance with letting my child starve...

So where to go from there? Well, we tried 'Timeout! If you do not eat', which have worked for the most part, but it doesn't solve the timing issue, she is still slow as poke! Having to administer Timeouts just prolong the process. We decided to incorporate into this, the 'smaller portion/serving,' which worked for the first few days, as she began eating quicker. But, again she started to fall back into her old ways and once again, that look of boredom and utter lack of concentration.

We have even tried to just talk casually (around the dinner table) about the day and things we might have planned in the week, but that is the worst approach so far as she takes it as an invitation to chatter non-stop and completly give up on her food. I really cannot recall all the other little alterations and like I said - stumbling block.

Nevertheless, I am determined to try and figure this out. And you know what, I am sure that there are some days where the kid will just not eat and we, as parents, are always going to throw a fit about it and go into a frenzy of worry and panic. Fact of the matter is, Eden is a happy girl; she is tall and lean (which is to say, not too skinny), with a tremendous amount of energy that is shockingly overpowering. We really cannot keep up with her. So until there are signs that your child is poorly, is not themselves, are weak and of a somewhat lifeless nature, then you really should not worry too much.

The Troublesome Eater: Boredom at the dinner table, anyone?

My goal is to stay on top of the situation. It is, after all, a work in progress and I will keep this updated when we have a breakthrough. In the meantime, any top tips, or suggestions are always welcomed and appreciated.

Stay Calm, Keep Your Cool... It's Just a Growth Spurt.

This is a new thing for me; having to recognise and deal with bubba's growth spurts. Seeing as Drayven is an exclusively breastfed baby, the idea that growth spurts would cause such furore in this house, or to my sanity, did not occur to me. And by "furore", I do mean constantly crying, wailing, flailing, spluttering, screaming, kicking and shaking the entire foundations of my already dithering existence.

In fact, I was not even aware of this very significant stage as both of my children were exposed to some formula and did not experience the same torment during these stages of growth. Either that, or I simply do not recall such tyrannical episodes.

So far, we have survived one spurt and have now embarked upon our first day into the second. Sometimes, I feel as though I'm about to pull my beautiful hair out, but I must remind myself that it is the little fella who is in really agony... and whatever my pain or distress; this period of anxiety shall pass as did the last. I just have to survive the next two days or so.

Most exclusively breastfed babies experience at least five growth spurts within his/her first year alone. It is in my own experience that, for what ever reason, formula/mixed feed babies' growth spurts are not nearly as excruciating in experience compared to that of a breastfed baby. Perhaps it has something to do with the composition of breastmilk being so entirely different from that of formula - I mean, come one, one is produced from the same species and the other from a completely different species/source.

So, when DO babies have their growth spurts?

Really, a baby can have growth spurts at any time during the first year, but in general and in Dray's case, he has correlated with the general rule of  a spurt between 1 and 3 weeks, 6 and 8 weeks, then one at 6 months, and again at 9 months.

Just when Dray had settled into feeding every three hours or so, he suddenly (at around two weeks old) wanted to feed off of me non-stop - I mean constantly, all day and all night long. He would just howl and yell until he was put to the breast and once there he would latch on and suckle vigorously for a while and then yank his head back, still clamped on tight... OUCH! He would continue with this charade of latching on and attempting to latch off; it was almost as if he wasn't getting enough milk to satisfy himself. When my cranky boy want milk; he wants milk - now!

I will admit, it was frustrating. The next day, I got a call from a breastfeeding counsellor as a routine check-up. She advised me of all the useful titbits of information that made the previous few days and nights make absolute sense. It was like a shining beam of knowledge which made everything all better - growth spurts.

The BF counsellor was great! She explained to me that the more baby feeds, the more milk I will produce... so keep feeding him, even if I felt that he wasn't getting enough. Eventually, it will boost your milk supply and baby will be sated. And you know what, it worked. Bubba is getting plumper and rounder than ever. I can only hope for more.

Sleeping Babe: Finally back to his 'normal' sleep patterns, complete with his much loved skull blanket.

Now, my advise for all of you breastfeeding mothers out there...

"I know it's one of the most trying experiences in the world...But keep going!"

During these hard and strenuous times - don't be disheartened and certainly don't give up breastfeeding now because you have already come so far! It truly is awesome; the things our bodies are capable of - I totally love and appreciate mine. I grew a human... and now, I keep that little human alive and nourished. He is happy and getting bigger, gaining weight and producing more and more filled diapers for me each day. So I know I am doing a great job... What is even greater is that when he feeds, he smiles up at me with this perfectly joyful little smile. It is a visual reminder for us mums; a kind of quiet, peaceful recognition and appreciation of our efforts that is given to us in the most profound and momentous way. A perfect smile.

Remember, breastfeeding for six weeks means that your baby is less likely to have digestive problems, or get sick; he now has less risk of chest infections up to seven years. Breastfeeding for at least one month alone gives your baby significant protection against food allergies for up to three years, as well as respiratory allergies until seventeen years of age. Now it is my turn to smile.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7564787

Serious 24 Hour Viral Infection

Here is a short tale of where and how this pesky virus sneakily found its way into the wild and always vibrant Storm strong-hold. This virus really hit us hard and it was on the saturday that the first victim was claimed by an assault which was both swift and merciless.

That morning, unbeknownst to any of us, it had already infiltrated our camps and silently laid in wait as its symptoms festered. Quietly, it plotted to take us down, one by one. It had set its sights upon the fair and jovial Eden. My eldest daughter, who at the tender age of three, had mastered many great milestones before expected, brought home with her an invisible and malevolent passenger from nursery. Now, I am not lying when I say that she can adapt to any given situation; whatever obstacle is thrown her way, she will make the most of and overcome. But this was just too much for the poor girl.

She woke up that morning trying to make light of a throat complaint, which as it seemed then, could not keep her from bouncing off the walls or hopping about the place like a bunny-rabbit because a rabbit can't possibly be a rabbit without first being called a bunny.

And then, all of a sudden, during the early evening we could no longer hear crazy lyricless singing, or bouncing - not even a hop! Clearly something was affoot. I walked into the bedroom and there she was, my beautiful Eden, her rosy-cheeked complexion - gone... drained. She just lay there in her bed; so still.

The clouds out the window loomed with a heavy darkness as the last traces of light were drowned out. A bad omen I thought to myself as she said to me, "Mommy, I'm ill, I think."

I called for Kade and he came and knelt by her bedside. Placing a hand upon her head, he declared "She is burning up!" Indeed, she felt like fire. Immediately, medicinal remedies were administered to work their wonders on our ailing beauty. But, despite this, only an hour later, Eden wakes groggily from her shallow sleep and frets. Worried and startled we look in her direction and as Kade rushes to her aid, she vomits into her own lap!

The odorous smell of stmach acids fill the air and all I can do to comfort my darling girl is to tell her that it is ok, just let it out, let it out...its OK.

Eden looks up at her Daddy, right at that moment and throws him a huge adorable smile. It is one of those images that really touched me in the most emotional way... I could have cried. Even at her absolute worst; body ravaged by fever - Eden looks up at her Daddy with those immensly loving eyes and can still manage to smile.

Amazingly,she recovered the next morning, no traces of the villainous infection in sight. We were relieved. She had won and all was back to normal, or so we thought. The following day, Lydia fell prey to its evil symptoms. Sweet, gentle Lydia... and then it was I who was condemned to bed rest after being hit what seemed like the hardest and the longest 48 hours of my life. Like Eden, Lydia recovered the next day and I too recovered - albeit a day extra spent in listless turmoil.

In the end, it would seem that it was the Storm boys who were left standing strong and triumphant in the wake of this fleeting yet volatile virus.

My-Oh-My... How Time Flies.

Today, my Bubba turns one month old and already, it is plain to see, just how much he has changed since he made his début into this weird and wonderful world.

I cannot account for where the days, or weeks have gone. But they have gone; disappeared and it seems that I was not looking. One might expect a tale about poopy diapers and nights of endless wailing and feedings. However, I think I shall bore you with those another time. Right now though, it saddens me a little to actually realise, just how fast he has grown and how quickly my kids have gone from being our sweet and incapable baby-loves of delightful chubbiness, into walking, talking opinionated individuals in their own right.

Blurring Moments: Breastfeeding joy!

Although little Dray hasn't changed so entirely; he still needs closeness to drift off to sleep and still has all the basic needs of a newborn. Its just that he has lost that shrivelled, prune-like look in his face and body. All of which I absolutely love; in fact he gets better looking by the week. The fact that I see my baby boy grow and flourish before my very eyes is the greatest thing in the world.

It is the visual, physical change I see in him that reminds me in no time at all, he will be just as crazy and energetic as Eden, as independent as Lydia and out he will be to nursery. Before I even blink he'll be full grown and hanging out at bars with friends until the time comes when he is making that eternal pledge of love to his wife... Yes, I am the crazy mother who clings to all things sentimental.

For right now though, I have my baby and all that matters is my children grow into healthy and productive members of society. Alas, a part of me senses the end of our baby-moon is soon to be, upon the horizon.

The Top 10!

I have found that the first few days as a new mum are indeed the hardest and most trying of times. So, I have compiled a list of ten items, which have been essential to my survival these past few weeks with my newborn baby, Drayven.

1. Pampers Newborn Diapers - You will need lots of these! My little monster goes through at least nine dirty diapers a day (both wet and poopy ones). My Bubba is an exclusively breastfed baby, so finding a mass of of wet yellow liquid poops are not uncommon. Gone already, are the days of black tar-smeared bots (meconium aka babies first bowel movements). I miss these.

   

   Diapers: Pampers New Baby essential.
2. Cotton Balls, or Baby Wipes - For the first few weeks, using cotton balls and plain warm water to clean Dray's diaper area have been the gentlest on my baby boy's botty. It has allowed his baby soft skins PH to regulate normally. Using wipes (fragrance free and all) so early on made his skin red and sore. It is only recently, now that he is three weeks old, has he adjusted nicely to the use of wipes.

   

   Essential: Use cotton balls and warm water for the first month.
3. Muslins & Bibs - Muslins cloths are perfect for all those spill, spews, burps and if you have a little boisterous boy in particular, for catching any little accidents. Dare I say it, but I think I have mastered dodging those projectile wees at change-time. Bibs are always handy and you really cannot have too many of either of these products.

   

   Muslin Cloths: Jazz them up with rainbow muslins.
4. Baby Vests & Sleepsuits - These are really all I need for in the early days. I find its pointless spending loads on fancy and expensive brands when all they will do is get spoiled and stained with poop and spit-up on a daily basis. Plus, your babe will out grow the first sizes very quickly.

   

   Starter Set: Affordable collection from Mothercare.
5. Boppy Pillow - Whether you are breastfeeding or going the bottle way, a feeding support cushion is one of those essential items that have come in handy for my own comfort and ease. I am so exhausted during night feeds, that I feel as though I cannot hold my arm upright to support my Bubba's big bobble-head. Everything seems a hundred time harder when you are suffering from sleep deprivation, which lets face it, all parents will be trying their best to battle. This pillow provides firm support with its donut-like shape and has aided me in many a sleepless night. It truly has been one of those life savers for me. It comes in a variety of colours and designs to suit your tastes.
   

   

   Supports Feeding: The Boppy Pillow.
6. Medela Twin Plus Electric Breast Pump - I've decided to exclusively breastfeed my third bundle of torture... and a devilishly hungry little demon he is too. While Drayven has  expanded our capacity to love exponentially with his precious presence; he is by far more challenging than my other kids. He is always hungry. Having an electric pump to had is very useful, especially when your milk first comes in at around day three after birth. The breasts swell up and become hard like rock. It is excruciating - the pain - all I could do to ease my distress was to get my little devil to feed as often as possible while I waited for my pump to be delivered.
   

   

   Electric Breast Pump: Medela Twin Plus.
7. Baby Björn Original Classic Carrier - This carrier has been another ingenious design and is useful for many situations. Drayven likes to be close to his mamma (at all times I might add), and for hte most part he is not far from my arms. So, being able to keep him close as well as spend time doing the housework, cooking dinner and more importantly, spending time with my daughters and my husband is very important for me.
   

   

   Baby Bjorn: Original Carrier in City Black.
8. Nap-time - It is important to take those naps whenever you baby sleeps, otherwise you will not be able to function efficiently. You will just become a stressed out mom and not be able to enjoy the early days because everything will begin to annoy you, even your babies cries. Make good use of those cat-naps, even if you cannot sleep, try to rest.

   

   Cat-naps: We all suffer from sleep deprivation (moms and dads). So, nap when you can.
9. Healthy Eating & Hydration - Adjusting to life with a newborn in the house can make looking after yourself difficult. Almost instantaneously, any idea of you comes second to everything you actually do. First you feed the baby and tend his needs and then, if there is time, you have a bite to eat yourself. The best thing I ever did with regards to nutrition, was to give up all junk/processed foods. We only eat healthily cooked whole, fresh foods in our house. It is also very important to keep yourself well hydrated, especially if you are breastfeeding - trust me, you will really benefit from at least one litre per day.
   

   

   Hydration: Keep well hydrated with, at least, 1 litre of water per day.
10. Camera - So you can capture all of those first moments because they only happen once and for me, there is nothing more important than immortalising these precious mile stones. If you are as photo-mad as I am, then invest in a good digital camera to freeze your memories in time.

    

    Canon: A great introductory DSLR for all those perfect snaps of your newborn.

There you have it; my survival list of new mom must-haves that will get you through until the first month at least. What has worked wonders for me may not always work as well for others and so my advice to you would be to find what suits you best because we all have our own individual needs. Remember not all forms of support can be bought.

I have found that, in my experience at least, the most invaluable and treasured form of emotional and physical support came from my husband. Knowing that he was there for me and always at hand to carry out any little favours; be it dropping Eden off at nursery, or making sure that Lydia ate her lunch on time, made it all the more easier for me to survive my babymoon with Drayven.

The Beginning of my Odyssey

I decided to start this blog as a collection of experiences and memories... A compilation, if you will, of all the little pieces of wisdom (my little gems), which I have accumulated over the past few years. It is in this time that I have gone on to get married and produce three beautiful children; all of whom are the absolute sum of my existence.

So, this is the beginning of my long and eventful journey into motherhood.

Baby Dray: A nursing little Bubba.

Nothing could have prepared me for the wonders of motherhood, or the sheer joy that comes with loving another. And somewhat more importantly, I have discovered a great, many things about myself. Being a mother has changed everything about the way I view life and the ways in which I conduct myself in the world. I perceive everything so very differently since having my children.

Just the other day, I said to my husband how strange it was trying to imagine life before the kids and believe me, those days were not so long ago. I cannot think of a life without them; they have been such an integral part of our lives that nothing exists outside of them. The kids are fundamental to the functioning of our day-to-day lives and our love for one another has truly cemented us as a family. In many ways motherhood has empowered me to take on the challenges in life and what I am capable of now, as a parent, is far greater than anything I thought I could achieve before I embarked upon this journey.

So, this is my journey about my own, personal thoughts and feelings as a mother, as a wife and as a conscientious thinking individual.