Play Time

As Abbey is now a lot more alert and able to focus on things much more I decided it was time to get her playing some more on her own. Up until now she has managed a bit of time in the bouncy chair and a little tummy time and a little time on her back. The only problem with being on her back was that there was nothing for her to look at but the roof.

We had been given the frame for a play mat by a friend but there were no toys for it and so i hadn't used it or got round to making things to hang from it. So the other day i finally got to and set it up. I discovered that the Pooh bear mobile, which i had taken down in favour of the spring black and white cow Rosie gave Abbey, had figures that were simply tied on. So i untied them from the mobile and tied them onto the play mat framework. They worked a treat!

So now Abbey is able to entertain herself for that little bit longer.

In other activity news...

Tuesday last week we started a baby massage class run for 4 weeks for free at the local health centre. I have been giving Abbey massages after her bath and she does like it. Especially the bottoms of her feet! There were only two other mums on who turned up four were missing but it was quite nice that it was just a small group. More mums might turn up next week.

Once this has finished we might start swimming at the local pool. They have a designated time for mums and babies/toddlers. Abbey seems to love the water and so it would be good fun I think and some more activity for her.

Thursdays - are usually reserved for our antenatal group get together. This week we're going for a walk and coffee. We usually catch up for lunch and compare notes, get advice and just chat. I think one week a couple of them went to the babes and mums session at the cinema. There seems to be only one cinema in Nottingham that has these viewings which is a bit disappointing.

This is a photo from our reunion with the lady that ran the antenatal course

(not the best one of me)

Friday - Trent Vineyard church has a Toddler Haven group that meets from 10-1130 on Fridays where mums and dads can go with their children for a bit of play time with other mums and kids. They have a bit of organised play with dance and songs and then free play. Tea and coffee and cakes for the mums too. I went last week with Jess a woman who runs the small group we have started going to on Wednesday evenings. She has a 7mth old. And actually she's thinking of starting up a group this side of town as it is a bit of a trek to Vineyard which is on the other side of town. It would also be good to get to know more local mums. So we'll see.

I'm endeavoring to get out for walks with Abbey in the buggy I even managed a walk-run the other day and was pleasantly surprised at how well my body took it at the time. The next day I was a little achy though but nothing more than I would be normally after not running for some time.

Ryan, Abbey and I went for a drive last weekend up into the Peak District for a walk by some reservoirs. Lovely scenery - The kind of England we love.

We're all going on a summer holiday

On the 24th August Ryan and I set out on a journey that we started planning at the start of the year. Many people told us were were crazy to set out travelling with such a little baby but we (despite having never had a baby, let alone travelled with one) told them they were wrong and everything would be sweet as. Well I'm pleased to say that we were right and everything was fine and I would even recommend travelling with a new baby.

Abbey had her passport photo taken at two days old - unfortunately for her she will be stuck with this picture for the next 5 yrs. And the passport arrived the week before we were to leave. We took with us a travel cot, baby car seat, buggy, nappies, baby clothes etc etc. I was sure I would forget something but I think if anything we may have taken too much. Abbey had so many beautiful summer dresses and with the English summer not looking at improving this seemed to be the only use they may get. At this age she didn't need a truck load of toys and it was great that we didn't have to worry about her running off anywhere.

I did wonder how she would take the heat and how my boobs would survive not only the need for extra hydration but also the 6wk growth spurt Abbey was likely to go through. We attempted before we left to get her to take cooled boiled water from a bottle but she has not been keen and still isn't. We survived and we did our best to keep her as much out of the sun as possible to avoid her getting too hot. In the process we ourselves returned from three weeks in the sun looking like pasty white brits... but hey, with a bit of luck we'll have less chance of skin cancer.

Flying - no problems here the flights were just under three hours and she slept most of the way. She didn't seem disturbed at takeoff or landing and wasn't interested as i did what i was told and tried feeding her to stop her ears from blocking.

I was grateful that on the return trip we had a spare seat next to us so when it came to changing her I just used the change mat and did it on the seat next to us. On the way over I had taken her to the toilet and used the fold down bench but it was quite a task. As you'll know there's not much room in airplane toilets and there's certainly even less when you're trying to change a baby. Our mums can recount numerous places where Abbey has had her nappy changed not all of them entirely appropriate but when your child has poo leaking out her nappy and down her leg and you're at the top of the dome of St Peter's Basilica what can you do!
Buggy - My mum brought a NZ Mountain Buggy over with her which has so far served us well. When looking at buggies we discovered that it would be cheaper for us to buy one in NZ and for my mum, with the extra baggage allowance, bring it over with her.

The mountain buggy was great at the Plitvice Lakes where we walked on kilometers of boardwalks, through the streets of Split and Dubrovnik and Rome. The sunshield a must, the rain shield thankfully not needed.

Sling - We took the trusty sling with us and it certainly was handy. In cities with many stairs - like Dubrovnik where there was 537 between the town and our accommodation not to mention the 700 along the city walls, on the mountian in Medjugorje and through the streets of Pompeii the buggy just wasn't suitable and we needed to have the option of carrying her with ease. I discovered one day as we walked the walls of the Old Town in Dubrovnik that she could sit quite nicely over my bag on my hip. She seems to be a lot more content when she can see what's going on and so we've got to master the front pack style of the sling.

Feeding:

I have to say I was totally grateful the Abbey and I have worked out this breastfeeding business. Without it I think travelling with her would have been just that bit harder. Being able to feed her when she needed it and not having to sterilise bottles along the way was a real blessing. Subsequently she seems to be so used to the breast now that I'm a little worried about how long it's going to take to get her used to the bottle again.

One of many photos taken of Abbey and I having a 'tit stop' -this one beside one of the canals in Venice.

There's blogging to be done!

Goodness I hadn't realised that I hadn't blogged anything since July! It's been almost two months since I blogged last. Ironically the last blog was about how well Abbey was doing at taking the bottle... well now she won't take it at all. Argh!

So what's been happening in the life of our little Abbey.

Now 2 months old we think (according to the airport scales with Ryan holding her) she weighs 5.5kg (that's 12lb 2oz). We'll get the official weight when we go to the doctors on Monday. I was too busy before we went away to get her weighed and having been away for three weeks it's now been over 5 weeks since she was last weighed. As well as getting weighed on Monday we will both have a check-up and Abbey will get given her first dose of immunisation. I'm praying that she will take it well and not be too unsettled with it. I'm glad that none of us remember when we got our jabs as infants because I'm not looking forward to the upset and horrified eyes that may stare back at me after I hand her over for the nurse to stick her. So I'll let you know how it goes.

As I mentioned we have been away for three weeks and it has been amazing to see the changes that have occurred in Abbey during that time. Firstly she has grown so much. On the days when we needed to carry her more our arms were starting to ache. Just before we left I noticed that she had started focusing more and was often looking up at her mobile watching with interest as it turned above her head. She was also starting to follow me if i moved slowly from one side to another in front of her. Now she is smiling at our familiar faces and it really is heart warming when your child give you a beaming grin when you pick her up after her sleeps or as you poke your tongue out at her while you change her nappy. On two occasions we have almost had a giggle out of her. She has let out a little chuckle but it has yet to develop into a full blown giggle - something to look forward to!

Abbey is very expressive in her eyes. She has beautiful big eyes and they really light up when she's happy and she does this cute little thing with her eye bows. She has started crying tears now too. It's cute how her eyelashes get all stuck together with the wet tears.

She's fast growing out of her clothes and I am trying to get her into each outfit at least once before she grows out of them. As the grandmas found out on their visit to us Abbey has more than enough clothes to get through. Friends and family have been so generous she has simply gorgeous clothes.

So here's our latest family portrait.