DAY 16

26 Feb 2013

A regular start to our day apart from having Kadyn coming in to say good morning to baby.  That was nice.  Pau didn’t start work until about midday so it was great to spend the morning together.  We spent our afternoon with the family out and about in Tawa and Porirua having lunch and shopping.  Baby is not yet used to nan but enjoys being entertained by Kadyn.  He loves talking to her and laughing with her.

DAY 15

25 Feb 2013

Pau was making so much noise this morning as she was getting ready for work.  So it’s an early morning for me (5.30am).  OMG! The sun is still sleeping!!  I’m rolling around on the bed trying to get back to sleep but just my luck, baby wakes up as I’m about to fall asleep lol. 

Limited breast milk today so baby will be on formula.  She was not used to the taste of formula so there was a bit of trouble getting her to drink all of her bottle but we will get there I suppose.  I think going for a walk will help settle her.

Baby and I are off to the train station to meet my grandmother (nan) and my 4 year old cousin Kadyn. They are travelling over from Masterton in the car but are not sure how to get to our place so we will meet them at the train station and show them the way.  Nan brought over my sister Aria’s old car seat so we didn’t have to worry about carting a car seat with us.  This car seat will be used as a spare.  Baby was a little unsure of them at first but hopefully she will remember them as they are staying with us for a few days. 

Baby screamed all the way home, possibly due to having formula and a sore bottom.  We have changed baby’s barrier cream, more frequent nappy changes and loads of nappy free time. 

We spent most of the afternoon hanging out and enjoying spending time together.  It was nan’s birthday so we all went out for dinner and baby enjoyed rubbing her gums on the bottle of ice cold water.

Click on the link below for something that we found helpful.

Kiwi families and nappy rash

DAY 14

24 Feb 2013

Good morning everyone!!!

Pau has spent the morning tending to baby. Thanks Pau.  Today we are off to town with Shaun and mum for brunch, yum yum!  We were lucky enough to catch the Chinese New Year parade, so baby was entertained for a little while.

On our way home we picked up a few movies for a relaxing evening.  What a great way to spend a Sunday!

DAY 13

23 Feb 2013

Baby got up late today (9.30am) so will have to see how she goes today.  She’s been hanging out with Pau most of the morning.  This afternoon I’m off car seat shopping with mum and Shaun (mum’s partner).  Baby is getting too big for her baby capsule.

Going shopping with mum and Shaun is great as they aren’t shy to pull a range of car seats out to look over.  We didn’t find a suitable car seat at shop one so headed off to the next baby store.  Shop two had a wider range of car seats.  Prices ranged from $220 - $699 and none of these included the car lol.  We finally settled on a car seat that suits our needs (front and rear facing, reclining, padded straps, secure base, standards compliant, adjustable, “fashionable” and complete with safety locking clip).  Then we tested the car seat to ensure the seat belts fit the car seat, yay! 

Thanks mum and Shaun for taking me to get the car seat.

Sharns tips for car seat shopping:

• Take your time–you may need to go to more than one shop to find the car seat that you  want; 
• Look at all of the components of the car seat; 
• Is it suitable for your baby to be in for extended periods of time (comfortable); 
• Ask questions (or take someone with you who will ask questions); 
• Don’t be pressured into buying something you don’t want or can’t afford; 
• Ensure it meets compliance standards; 
• Think about the durability factor (fabric, colour, robustness); 
• Has a locking clip; and, 
• Vehicle seat belts fit.

DAY 12

22 Feb 2013

Pau, baby and myself ended up sleeping in the lounge on the mattresses so Pau and I could watch Sky all night lol.  Therefore we had a little bit of trouble sticking to our morning routine and baby wasn’t ready for her morning nap at the usual time.  I did find a good solution (thanks mum!).  I put baby in her pushchair and wheeled her back and forth over the little bumps inside.  I used the bump that joins the carpeted area in the dining room to the lino of the kitchen which seemed to work wonders.  I even took off my slippers and lined them up so the wheels rolled over them so we had a few things in the house to push the pushchair over – then off to sleep she went.

Baby has been a little/big chatterbox today.  She has been going non-stop (must get that from mum hehe). We had a visitor today and baby was showing off doing her shy eyes lol soooo cute.

Day 11

21 Feb 2013

Sticking to our routine when baby wakes up.  It seems to be working well.  Baby’s morning nap time provides the opportunity for me to also have a nap or get the washing out.  Its been great with the warm weather – opportunities to get outside, washing dries easily and little wind (this is a change for Wellington lol).

Today baby and I went to lunch with my mum in Johnsonville.  We also took the time to have a meeting about Daddys Do Care. 

There are so many things to get ready for our outing.  Even though baby’s bag has most of her things in there already, I always check to make sure that we have nappies, cream, wipes, baby food, bibs, clothes and a blanket.  I also ensure the car seat and pushchair is where it should be.  Then there is my bag...

I have found that having our outings after baby’s morning nap and before lunch is the ideal time.  She is well rested and eager to look around and take in the sights.  She loves sitting in her pushchair and watching all the people passing by.

While waiting for our lunch we get into our meeting while baby plays happily in her pushchair. There is so much to discuss as we get ready to get Daddys Do Care (phase one) up and running. 

Back home now and baby is having her playtime and tummy time.  Pau is home now while I get into cooking dinner.  Then it is into our night time routine with dinner, bath, cuddles and ready for bed.

Night night baby, see you in the morning.

DAY 10

20 Feb 2013

Wow, what a good start to the day, not eventful but baby has a new “thing”.  She has started nodding her head, its like she is doing the Kiwi greeting “what’s up” lol.  So there has been lots of encouragement to get her to keep doing it.  Now I’m showing her how to shake her head like saying no...its early days.