Shana Tova!

Happy New Year to all who are going to celebrate tomorrow night :-)

some bullets..

• I have so many blogs on my reader and however much I read, I don't seem to be able to close the gap. I mean there would be nights I'm so happy how I managed to decrease the number, but then the next night I won't be able to read, and the next.. omg! how did that number shoot up again.. And yes, my fault for adding new blogs to my reader! And yes, have and will be taken off my reader. Mainly those who, while I have commented and not just an occasional once, have never bothered to acknowledge me. Yes, I read them because they are interesting, but since it is too much... And yes, I might have to press the 'read all' button :-(. And yes, tonight I am writing this post instead of reading...


• Funny thing I've discovered about my nanny today.. Well while it is not a requirement of mine, she (well actually they - it's a mother and her 19 yr daughter) also does some cleaning and tidying which is very nice of her. Now I try and put plastics aside for recycling, unfortunately they go too often into the bin, and the refundable bottles aside too. Those I mean to take in when I've "collected" a fair amount. Except they always seem to disappear. I assumed she throws them away and didn't want to mention it. Anyway today I met the daughter taking my girl for a walk in the pram (I came home a bit early, they were near the house), and later when I unload the pram, I discover a bag with some refundable bottles! Kind of not nice that she took them without asking!! Maybe she thought I wouldn't notice or that I don't bother getting the refund or else. She still should have asked if it's okay with me..


• On a close topic to something that I want to blog about, this person who was giving me a hard time [on my SMC forum] between other things for toilet training my daughter at such an early age, is now reporting problems with toilet training her 2 yr daughter, mainly with refusing to do poo in the potty. Saying how the girl sees poo as part of her body etc. My daughter? While we are still toilet training (and while we do have a relapse with the poo) she does know it's poo and not part of her body etc. I so want to write something snarky, but I will be a better person than she is! (but I still need to let it out, so I'm using this platform :-))


• Can't get it how parents will go crazy about things in baby's mouth but will not make too big a deal at things like walking off to the road (from the playground). I do allow Butterfly almost anything in her mouth (I actually believe it is good for her), but if she goes too near the road, I give a loud and clear NO! [well actually I use the Hebrew - Asur = mustn't..] This other mother.. was going oh what a monkey you are while chasing her little toddler. I think this gives the message of the road being a game.. oh well... [and yes, I was told earlier my girl might choke (let me add - from the teat of the bottle!!)]


• asur.. Speaking of which, twice I heard fathers tell their kids "I don't agree" to whatever they were doing (today it was another kid attempting to go down to the road [yes, this playground is a bit too near the road, though one with not a lot of cars], don't remember what it was the other day). I don't know, I would say: "I don't allow". Just semantics :-)..


• Girl went to sleep very easy tonight! (we are not having too good a night lately, and feeling those two lumps where the two bottom molars are supposed to pop out, I'm guessing we are in for it in the next few days) So I'm going to finish this post, and head off to sleep :-).

A rant concerning google/blogger. Up until a couple of months ago all was nice. I had my google account and blogger and I when I opened my computer I was already logged in and no problem leaving comments with my blogger identity.
I know it was a Friday the 13th, I think June, when all went wrong. Blogger had this day or two when blogs disappeared and then reappeared twice etc. And there was also some mess with the commenting. At the time I got into the help forum to see what it's about. Well people were complaining and complaining and complaining and not a representative in sight! Anyway the advice I read was to remove the tick on the remember me box. And yes, that helped. Somewhat. I still, when commenting, need to go to preview, get a screen saying there's an error, go back and only then leave a comment (of course if I forget and don't do copy to the comment I wrote, I loose it and have to write it again [sometimes I am clever and just "write" a letter or two and go to the preview]. And you know, more than that, e-v-e-r-y t-i-m-e I want to get into one of the google appliances, I have to log myself in again. I mean I'm sitting at the computer, want to check my g-mail - log in, want to then read some blogs on my reader - log in, want to do a google search and have the picture I chose to be my page - log in, want to comment - log in. You get the picture, pretty annoying!
Yesterday I really had enough so I ticked the remember me box. When I tried to comment (again needing to do preview), I got this message

Seriously? I have no access to this page?? FruitFish that would be your microwave post! O.K so I'm back to commenting anonymously but more so really pissed off with google/blogger.

Oh and can I add a little rant about dear daughter? We were listening to this song, HER song on youtube (didn't even know about this song until not so long ago. Unfortunately it's in the masculine as it's commonly a boy's name)



And she was enjoying herself, tapping with the mouse. Hmm, a bit too hard it seems. The right click button doesn't work now..

CD1

Happy and not so happy. I am just one week shy of being two years without my period! Two years of not having to worry for that monthly blood. Yeah, so that's the not so happy me.
On the other hand..I had thoughts that maybe I went from giving birth straight to menopause - is that how old I am?!? Scary! More so - no blood, no child number two! I so want to have another child! I want another child because I always wanted a large family. Two is probably the most I'll get but I'll take it.. After the birth I had and the bad start I had with the nursing, I'd also like another child to amend, to do things better next time. Again this is not the reason why I'd like another child, but it is there too. Up till not so long ago, as much as I desired that second child, I didn't think I'd be able to have him/her. Now I am becoming more and more confident that I can make it happen. As I would like to give my existing daughter the most in her first few years in life including breastfeeding her till the age of two, I think I'll wait with ttc. This time next year, when I've come back from the London Olympics, is when I'd like to start. I know the downside with my age is that I might miss the train, but I can't have everything, and even if I try now no one can guarantee I'll be successful. And all the stress and needing to ween her and all. No, I prefer to wait for now and if I won't be able to produce a sibling then we will just have to be a family of two!

Where.... How.....

O.K so I won't be writing that breastfeeding post, but I thought I'd share where and/or how I breastfed my little girl in the last 14 months:

• in the hospital


• at home (like dah!)


• on a not so comfortable chair


• on better chairs


• on the sofa


• with a nursing pillow (never got the hang of that!)


• while sitting up in bed


• while lying in bed (so much better!)


• on a rocking chair


• on the garden swing


• on the floor


• on the ground


• on the playing mat


• by the computer


• while daughter is peeing in the bowl at night (we had a time when she completely objected to peeing in the bowl even though she had to go. Breastfeeding her while holding her over the bowl was a life-saver. And yes, it's probably not something I should have done, but well..


• while mummy is doing what she is doing on the loo (and let me just say, not just peeing....) [out latest addition to the list as I said I won't let her nurse while I'm on the potty, but oh well...]


• in the bath (together with her in the bath)


• in the washing basin (she in, me sitting outside and serving her.. [what can I do, had to bribe her to take a bath lol])


• in the shower - first while sitting on the floor then standing up with me bending over..)


• in the facility of the swimming pool


• inside the swimming pool itself


• at the beach [I think I'd like to add in the sea itself next time I go, lol]


• at the playground


• in a library


• other people's houses


• while walking (not fun, but sometimes a necessity)

[I wonder what I've forgotten...]

Breastfeeding Awareness Week

[image from Peacful Parenting]

Wanted to write this post on Monday, on the start of the breastfeeding awareness week, but didn't get round to it. And I'm hot and tired these days (not easy being 24/7 with a little baby. As much as I love her and cherish how lucky I am to have her, it is still not easy being the sole one responsible for her nurishment, entertainment, education, etc etc etc.. and did I say hot? and humid? oh, so very humid!). Wanted to bubble a bit about how breastfeeding is for us, but well.. see above. So I'll just say that above icon - that is soooo how my little girl nurses! She just cannot be still, all the time twisting and turning and wanting to get off the sofa (while still nursing, yeah?) or doing this or that. She really is probably practicing for the breastfeeding olympics! The picture below was taken on the day of her birthday. I love that picture! (it is currently the one on the background on my computer)

Toilet Training

(yes, she is sitting the wrong way.. very cute how she learnt to climb onto the potty, sometimes she does it the right way and sometimes the wrong. As long as she's comfy....)

I really hate having her in nappies. Not so all the bother around nappies (and.. when I do have to, not so easy putting one on her!) but just the fact that she has a nappy, that if/when she does a number two she is doing it on herself. But I wanted her to be able to stand (without holding) first. So I waited. On her first birthday, to celebrate, I bought a (well actually two) potty. Yes, time to begin!

She already had awareness as to her body wastes as we have been practicing EC from when she was 2 months old. We are far from perfect with the EC, but at least she is well aware of peeing/pooing. There are places/situations where she will not pee if she can (she can't hold too long..), like in the car or the sling or in the water etc.
Besides that, she picked up very quickly what's the potty for. So you'd think in no time I'd have a toilet trained girl.. think again! Somehow the connection - I need to pee..... potty is for peeing..... I'll go in the potty...... has not yet been made. She did once or twice go (oh, and the other morning.. waking up and getting out, while I'm still in bed, going and peeing in the potty... it was just too cute, lol) but really what happens mostly is that I either see she is about to go (mainly with the poos) or peeing, which when I quickly take her to the potty saying again and again how the potty is for peepy weepy / caky waky [yeah..] and when/if she finishes of in the potty, of course I celebrate. And yes, I do ask/tell her many times if she needs to go. So far I haven't shown too much discomfort for her misses, but maybe I should - showing her not only how I'm happy when she does it right, but how I am very not pleased when she doesn't.

I would have thought that a month of that would let the dime fall. I am determined to have her toilet trained by the winter, but sometimes it feels like we are stuck in the same place..
If I don't get it done by September, I hope (and believe) the nanny will help.. (but I really would rather not).

And while on the subject, a funny comment from her almost 2.5 cousin (boy) - while being changed for a poo nappy (and I was saying to Butterfly - look J-J is having his nappy changed, she doesn't too often see other kids with nappies..), and might I add that he is in a 'mine' stage. Well he says to her in a this is mine tone that nappies are only for boys! (seems all the girls in kindergarten (+his older sister) are already toilet trained [and Butterfly walks around the house with only a shirt])

BFP!

Yes, that would be a Big Fat Positive.. No, not my bfp (hmmm.. I think you'd know if/when I'll be trying again :-) ), my sister's! Yes, my younger sister is now pregnant. And more than how (donor sperm, another SMC in the making..), do you want to know how many attempts it took her? One! How lucky is that!! To get knocked on your first time! Hell, she did not even know what a Beta is... And yes, let be go back to the SMC thing I just mentioned.. My sister, after seeing me and my daughter, has decided also to try and become a mother by herself. Unlike me she has very much dated guys, but well.. Anyway it's kind of weird.. [at some point I was asked if I wouldn't mind if she'd use the same donor I used. hmmm ignoring the fact that he doesn't donate anymore so it is a total hypothetical question, I think I'd rather not..]. And I am very happy for her. Very happy.

And now can I the rants? Little rant and big rant.. Little rant - She will go into motherhood younger than me! [I was almost three weeks over forty. She should deliver about two months before her 40th..]. In fact, out of all the sisters, I who always wanted to be a mother much more than any one of them, I turned out to be the oldest mother. And you know, her first attempt...
And oh big rant.. what she said. She says that succeeding on that first attempt might be little luck, but it's mainly her working on herself,"cleaning" herself up. May I say a big hmmmm?! Because while it is not what she is saying, it is very much implied that I and many of us who needed/s a bit more than one attempt, in fact take ten tries, over a year or two, IVF, etc.. are in the wrong set of mind. That we don't want it as badly as she and/or didn't do the work she did. Isn't that a just relax?? You were lucky sister, that's all, very very lucky. And yes, your state of mind might have helped somewhat, but to say that's why you got pregnant so easily?? And can I say that she was not determined like me to go this route, that she had many doubts and it took her some time to get going.. As I said, she didn't mean all this, but I most certainly understand it from between the lines and it very much pisses me of! And yet, I want to finish this post by saying again how happy I am for her!