Adrift & home alone

Braeden is off with Wayne in the work truck; seeing the sights, running errands, and generally being googled & cooed at by all and sundry.

I'm back early from a client visit, gradually thawing in my nice warm office by the fire. Gads but factories are cold places on an autumn day. Remind me to dig out my Ugg boots next week for my return visit ;-)

It's very strange to be ***alone*** in the house, not having to keep one ear on the monitor or an eye on the baby. I could go completely mad just THINKING about the things I could do in this marvelous bit of freedom, but priorities will out, so here I am updating the blog.

Here's some two day old photos hot off the bedroom press. We removed Braeden's ubiquitous bib for some of these shots, and were rewarded by instant dribble. Now you know why just about every photo shows the lad in a bib. I wash 20+ of these a day.

Speaking of washing.. I heard an idea the other day on the Trade Me notice board, and mentioned it (sceptically) to Wayne, who declared it something close to brilliant and suggested we try it out as soon as possible.

The result was less than brilliant, and saw me painfully scooping out the washing machine by hand, and running two extra 'water-only' washes to get the last bits to hell and gone.

The idea was (if you haven't already guessed it) to wash disposable nappies.

Well don't bother. It doesn't bloody work. Even on the Delicate cycle, the damn things self destruct.

Spectacularly!

But while I ponder ideas bright and otherwise, I DID come up with a real pearler this week, all by my lonesome.

They make these clever spoons for babies, and one brand comes in a three pack, and changes colour if the food substance in question is too warm for a baby's safe enjoyment.

Braeden is still on the very soft spoons for his solids (he gets so enthusiastic about pumpkin that if I didn't use the spoons made from teat-material he'd be covered in bruises). However these spoons get used every single time I make a bottle, because it's a brill way of making sure the water is warm enough on these cold days without being too warm.

The water has been boiled (and cooled boiled water added) and is in sterilised bottles, so it's a very quick and hygenic trick to whip a spoon out of its' sterile container, test, and replace.

That tooth (insert nasal grrrr) has decided to feck off again, just when it looked like it had hit the point of no return. Colour us all completely unimpressed. It hasn't gone down for good, as my 6am yowling no doubt proved to every neighbour within a kilometre can testify.

That's one hell of an alarm call - a savaging on a cold nipple at sparrowfart. Try hitting the snooze button on THAT alarm clock ;-)

We'd just about considered ourselves done and dusted on the breastfeeding front, when Braeden went a week playing peek a boo behind the boob, and laughing himself sick every time I tried to latch him on. Well I can take a hint. (I read the same thing in a baby book recently, down to almost the exact quote, and knew exactly what the mother meant).

So for three days straight I didn't even offer. Thought we were all dried up, and even dug my crop top out of the drawer, only to reel in shock when it not only dismally did not fit, but felt horrendously uncomfortable. Ye Gods, am I forever doomed to strap hell?

Anyhoo, when the teething started, baby decided the boob had better make a return. To my amazement he had me back to full production in less than two days. But if he wants to KEEP his chest access, he can save his nips and bites for his teething rings. I have never wanted pierced nipples, and I don't intend to change my view any time soon ;-)

Btw had our Plunket meet yesterday, and Mr Fattybutt weighs 8.18 kilos and is 66cm long. Got a mild reprimand about him on solids (oh somebody's soooo out of touch, LOL) despite him needing it for his medicine, and was quizzed over the most trivial of things like "Why does he get vegies for breakfast and fruit for dinner?" (A: Because he bloody likes it that way, plus Mum recommended it, plus it helps create a balanced diet. So there, nya nya)

Heh heh.. just remembered something. The other night Braeden attended his first (and probably only) Riding Club committee meeting, and was a very good baby for his Dad while his mother stepped right back into her old job of making everyone's life hell. (I'm pedantic & bossy, they're relaxed and informal. You get the idea)

I have no idea why (!!??LOL) but at the end of the night, one of the committee stepped up to baby and said "I want to shake your hand. You've got your parents VERY well trained!"

Whatever gave her that idea!

Btw, Plunket said if Braeden is still waking up a bit at night by the time he's 6 months old, they suggest we try Tough Love.

Hmm.. does that mean that I wait 30 seconds instead of 3 when he wakes and cries in the night? Yeah. That sounds about right ;-)

Here he is in his "Kid-a-piller" wrap (sleeping bag + safe-t-sleep). Thinks it's a hoot, as you can tell. Heaven help me when he's too big for the sleeping bag, and is once again able to do da leg flip and throw all his covers off every two seconds.

He is a much happier little tyke since we got his meds sorted out. Yay for Losec!