Seven - The Big Brother

Its true - Seven is going to be a big brother in early November.  

And this time its just flying by...I can't believe I am almost half way.  Was able to tell my Mum and Dad in person when they came over to visit in early May which was really special.

I have been telling Seven about his new brother or sister but he is not very interested although he does touch my bump sometimes.  He will be 19months in November so he will hopefully understand a bit more by then.

The weather has been awful with lots of rain/wind and some sunny bits which reminds me a bit of NZ.  I take Seven to the park when its clear and try to get him out and about at least once a day otherwise we both start to feel a bit niggly.

Last Friday I worked at Compco for the whole day so Stu's parents came over and looked after Seven.  As usual he was a little angel for them so he is now obviously only playing up to his parents...oh the joys of toddlerhood are definitely upon us!! 

 

Stuff...

OK so I have been back to my old ways with Sevens blog but hey I have a good excuse - the weather has been awful so I have been entertaining the little Master and...it was my birthday  8-)

Seven has another baby molar through - again with very little fuss - so he now has three, two top and one bottom.  I can feel the other one close to the surface and am hoping they will all be through with no hassle.

His personality is really starting to come out which is mostly cute except for the high pitched squealing when he throws his toys on the wrong side of the gate and wants us to retrieve them for him.  Another one of his little games that he loves but we are already starting to loathe.  Also screaming at food times is not a favourite...ignoring it is proving a little tricky.

Also for the past week his day sleeps having been all over the shop which is making me wonder if he is wanting to reduce to one sleep.  Am trying a couple of other things before attempting that option though.

Oh and it looks like our precious little man is not far away from crawling on his knees...

Slack but back on track!!

As per the title of this post its been over 2 months since I posted.  I intend posting at least once a week (hopefully more). Things that have happened with our little Mr Seven:

- he turned 1yo and had his first birthday party
- his Nana & Poppa visit from NZ and he was very spoilt
- two of his baby molars popped thru with minimal fuss
- started commando crawling & we still haven't baby proofed
- says Mama, Dada, ta and toot, toot (train)
- starting going to playgroup which he loves
- weighed in at 12.5kg and 78cm in length
- started some nasty toddler habits such as tantrums & screaming
- can still melt my heart with just one smile


A couple of photos:

 

The chatty little action man...

Seven is "talking" but its a foreign language to us.  Saying that though his sounds are becoming clearer and less babbly...I always pretend I know exactly what he saying and chat back to him & tell him he is very interesting and clever and smart.  (most mothers do this they just don't admit it lol)

He is also rolling around the loungeroom after toys and giving hints that he might consider crawling sometime soon...although obviously when he decides to.  I have no doubt we will wake up one morning and he will just up and do it and we would not have childproofed the house.

I am loving how he seems to understand everything a lot more and when he gets excited flaps his arms and kicks his legs like crazy.  And his giggle is so cute and infectious...oooohhhhh I am so loved up mum even more than ever tee hee

 Here is the little Mister at the park...check out those arm muscles!!!




 

Eleven months...

Woah I can't believe its been almost 2 weeks since i posted.  We have been busy seeing friends & family and I have been doing some mixing for my old work.  Woo hoo a bit of extra cash.

Seven has a cold and cough but still manages to be his normal cheerful self (little angel).  He has started to have disruptive day sleeps and I am wondering if I should try to reduce him to one long sleep in middle of day.

We have decided for his birthday that on the actual day we will celebrate it just as a family and when my parents arrive in early May we will have a family and close friends picnic at Centennial Park.  It will be nice to have all grandparents in his first birthday photo and he won't know its not the actual day since he is too young to understand.

He is still eating like a champion and has not refused anything I have given him.

Also Dad is taking him to the park when he gets home from work to give Mum a bit of a break and to start dinner  - its funny I still feel like they have been gone so long when its only been half an hour.  

 

A busy day...

Today we went to the baby movement class for 9-11mth old babies to get some suggestions on helping our little ones to start moving.  Are we insane or what?  I went becos I just wanted reassurance that Seven is doing ok - and they confirmed that of course he is and reiterated that every baby is different!!

Afterwards we stopped by the birth centre and saw Karen, the midwife for Seven's birth.  She is the most amazing person and every time I see her I can't thank her enough for the amazing experience of giving birth to Seven in the water.  Karen was so excited to see the little man & couldn't believe how big he is and when I told her he is coming up to 11 months she nearly fell off her chair.  Yep time just flies by.  

Walked home past all the mansions in Randwick - wish we could win lotto.  It was such a nice afternoon I took Seven down to Bronte for a swim in the rockpool.  Then Stu picked us up which was great as by that stage we were both shattered.

A couple more teeth...

So we were waiting for the grandparents at the cafe and I thought I might check to see how Seven's teeth growing was coming along. He has been whingey off and on  for a couple of weeks (which I could only put down to teething) but only one had poked through. I could see another one near the surface but it kept retracting. As he has been fine the past few days it was a massive surprise to find that one top & bottom had cut through.

 
 

Rainy days

Last couple of days have been very unsettled & rainy in Sydney.  That means we have been hibernating at home with a quick dash out for a coffee for Mum and to give Seven some fresh air...a little relief from cabin fever for both of us.

Our little man has not been sleeping much during the day so am wondering what to do.   It may be that now he is 10months old he is not needing so much zzzz now - will have to google it and see. I am a firm believer in letting bubs lead the way on his day sleeping patterns.


Dad took Seven to the park while I stayed home and read a book.  He loves to giggle at the puppies and birds.  


He has started pointing a lot and "saying" aaah and thinks its hilarious if you touch his pointing finger with yours - very cute!!  He also likes to pass things and then have it given back to him...although no "ta" from him yet ha ha.





 

Sleepy Sunday

So this morning was the first time I thought about the end of breastfeeding our Mr Seven.  I can't complain its been a breeze and we have already done over 10 months.  At 11 months I will drop another feed and then it will only be a morning & night feed.  It will be nice to have the freedom (and not be woken every morning at around 5.30am) but I will miss our little connection.

Our little man seemed tired all day which was probably due to being out and about so much this past week. When he is tired he doesn't smile or giggle as much and that makes me sad...I miss his cheeky smiles. 

We decided to take him to the new playground at Queens Park but the weather packed in so we went food shopping instead. Mum & Seven love shopping and Dad hates it - 2 to 1 so we always win.  8-)

Seven is a very good eater and has never turned rejected anything I have made him.  I enjoy cooking for him as it feels like such a "mum" thing...I suppose complimented with breastfeeding him I keep his little tummy happy.  

Catching up with old friends...

OK so back on track...

Today we drove to Birkenhead Point to meet up with Lara & Manny and their two children, Jade & Aiden.  I haven't seen them for a couple of years as they live in Brisbane and they only had Jade then. We had a lovely couple of hours at the kids park by the harbour in the shade - its funny how much your life changes once you have children (for the better of course).  We realised that we had known each other for a decade and it made us feel old!!

Seven fell asleep and we were unsuccessful in transferring him successfully to his cot once we got home.  He is a little trooper though and still managed to hold out until his 7pm bed time although a little whingey.   We were given a walker for him which he loved although at this stage he can only push backwards and goes forwards only by accident.

 

Visiting Chloe

After such a busy week I decided that Seven and I would spend the day relaxing at home - some playing with toys, watching Winter Olympics, eating and sleeping.  We ducked out for a coffee and played peekaboo with Lily, the cafe owner's daughter for a bit, but otherwise at home in the apartment.

So I decided to be a good SAHM and do some baking.  A healthy fruit & nut loaf for general grazing and a lemon & coconut to take to Bindy & Chloe's for dessert. 

A friend of ours, Mike, dropped by for a cup of tea and we watched the Mens aerial Final.  Apparently they go four storeys high - it just looks terrifying to me.  No wonder most of them need knee reconstructions the way they have to land on an almost vertical angle after doing an incredibly complex series of twists etc.  


Anywho once Stu got home & had shower we headed off to Castle Cove for dinner.  Its on the North Shore and the place has spectacular 360 views of the upper harbours.  WOW!!  Chloe, who is almost four, was so cute with Seven.  She told Bindy she would like to have a brother or sister.  

Grandparents Day...

Thursday is the day Stu's parents come over to visit their grandson.  


We meet at Fig Tree, have a coffee and then come back to our place for lunch and to play with the main (little) man.

Today, at the cafe, he was very cuddly with Grandma and of course checking out all the females that were walking past...I think his Dad might have been training him how to pick up girls already.

Seven was on great form today - lots of giggling & chatting but really he doesn't need to do anything for us all to ooh and aah over him and just generally think he is very clever.

After the grandparents left we watched some more Olympics and then i took Seven to the park at the end of the street.  He was kicking with excitement before I even took him out of the pram.  We played on the swings & the roundabout and then went home for dinner & cuddles with Daddy.


All in all, a fabulous day!!

Mothers group

Most Wednesdays we walk up to Bondi Junction for a coffee or two with Kelly (Hendrik) and Kateryna (Karya). Its always amazing to see how much our babies have changed and how they interact each week.  This week Seven was very curious and wanting to touch Karya which was very sweet.  

While we were there I got a call from the Baby Village to say that the replacement bottle had arrived.  I purchased a Brother Max bottle for Seven back in December.   This is the first one he has used reasonably well and while he was having issues with teething for the last couple of weeks it was perfect for him to gnaw on and seemed to sooth his aching gums. It started leaking for no apparent reason so I took it in to ask if they could have a look at it as it seemed faulty.  The supplier agreed and replaced so am glad I returned it.

We will have a relaxing arvo at home - just pop down to Fruitogist to pick up some fruit and veges. 


I have attached a photo of Seven playing "drop the magazine" as it shows how tall he is getting...

 

Pramming it...

Was meant to be 28 degrees and sunny so headed off to North Bondi with Seven.  Bumped into Tania and her little girl Mila - haven't seen them for a few months and we agreed both babies have changed so much.  As Mila has very blonde hair we decided Seven has a reddy brown colour.


Flagged on swim due to strong winds and a low tide making it a bit miserable.  Headed home after a coffee and bite to eat and Seven went down for arvo sleep without a whimper.


Back in pram and went to visit Bec & Fred to catch up. Am keen to get Seven interacting with babies a bit more after the visit with Hank.  At first he was a bit whingey but warmed up to both Beck & Fred once we'd been there for a while...





 

A scorcher!!

Oops forgot to write yesterday.

It was 34 degrees today so we went for a cool down swim at Bronte.  There is a natural sea water pool that is perfect at half tide.  Lots of other babies swimming too the water is deliciously warm.

Seven decided to forgo the arvo sleep but not for want of me trying.  He wasn't crying or upset just chatting and yelling out to let me know he was not asleep.

Beautiful Sunday

Today was an absolute cracker weather-wise.  

Seven must have known it was going to be a fabulous day as he woke before dawn - 5am.  Aaarrggghh!!!  So I gave him his waking breastfeed & put him back down then re-inserted my ear plugs.  The beauty of being a mother, I have discovered, is that once your baby is awake and chatting in his cot there is NO WAY you can go back to sleep. Earplugs or no earplugs.  Double arrrggghhhh!!! His father, on the other hand, is lying next to me snoring like a champion.  

So after Seven's morning sleep we walked down to Fig Tree, our favourite cafe on Bondi Road, and had a quick coffee.  Then back home to watch some Winter Olympics (bob sled - woot woot).


As Bondi is so crazy in summer, and as previously mentioned it being such a gorgeous day, we decided to avoid all eastern suburbs beaches.  After checking the tides we decided Watsons Bay was the best option for a swim & cool down.  Its in the harbour, very few people and is best at almost full tide.  


Seven was shattered after his swim and crashed and burned early...here's hoping he sleeps in until 7am tomorrow!!

Mummy-time...

Today Stu took Seven out to his parents after his morning sleep.  That meant I had five hours to relax which was fabulous but after three hours I started having withdrawal symptoms. 8-(  I have never been away from Seven for that long - its hard to believe its over 10months.

As I wasn't there I can only report second-hand how Seven's day panned out.  Apparently he was spoiled rotten and there was the usual passing around for cuddles amongst the family.  Aunty Karen & his oldest cousin Nikki were there too.  On Stu's side of the family Seven is the first male grandchild and arrived on the scene just over 17years after Kirsty.  He is always the centre of attention and loves every minute.
 
I called my Mum on the way to the beach and said to her I had no idea how much you worry when your children are not with you.  She replied that it never stops...





 
 







 

Hanging with Hank

Today we had a visit from Karen & her 9mth old boy, Hank.  Karen & I used to work together at Publicis Mojo about eight years ago  and we lived together when we first fell pregnant.  Now we both now live with our partners and our boys and love being mums.

Seven did not cope well with another baby invading "his" space and playing with "his" toys - which was totally unexpected.  Admittedly the past few months we have been meeting other mothers for a swim at beach or somewhere nearby for a coffee and not really staying at home. It made me think that perhaps I need to put him in more socialising situations/play dates.

I have a attached a picture of our gorgeous boys before things went pear shaped...

Also one of Sev's bottom teeth has finally come through but the other one is still giving him grief.  Its so hard to comfort him when he is pain but the Bonjela seems to work well.

Hooray its the weekend - off to visit the paternal grandparents tomorrow

A day for a swim

Air temp - 26
Water temp - 24

Today is the perfect day to take Seven for a swim at North Bondi.  Its not so hot that he gets burnt & we're both still cool from the sea water by the time we get home, not sweating due to the stifling Sydney heat.

We bumped into one of the girls from mothers group that we haven't seen for about 4 months - both boys have grown so much & it was good to chat and catch up & share tips/advice.


Home later than usual arvo sleep time so be interesting to see what time he wakes as he always knackered after a swim...

Coffee...

Today is another glorious Sydney day - sunny with a nice breeze and not too hot.

We have just been up to Bondi Junction for a couple of hours for a catch up with Kateryna and Karya.  As usual Seven devoured his lunch & we spent a lot of the time entertaining him while Karya slept...he is also becoming quote vocal & chatty - hhmmmm probably gets that from his mum!!

Also Seven has started rolling around a lot more now which is causing some issues on the change table & our bed.  The last couple of mornings when he wakes for his early breastfeed, and I am still half asleep, I have to grab him before he rolls off - its a big fall down to the wooden floor. 


We might to playground this arvo to socialise with some other babies...and so I can get some tips from the more experienced Mums  8-)

A good baby boy...

I just sang Seven his favourite song - Twinkle Twinkle Little Star - so he knows its time to go to sleep.  I could hear him chatting to himself for a couple of minutes but its all quiet now.

As Seven is such a good baby we have decided its time to think about our next baby.  Of course everyone has their opinion about when is the best time to have another baby but we are of the mind that it will be hard no matter when we have bubba no 2.  Last time I fell pregnant after the first cycle so I hope its that easy this time...


Later...


Just took Seven out for a walk in the pram.  We walked down to Bondi beach and started walking along the promenade but the wind was howling and throwing the sand up, so diverted to look in shop windows instead.  Was annoyed my favourite coffee shop put sugar in my coffee even though they asked if I had any sugar and I replied "No thank you"...not sure what part of my response he didn't understand!!  Life is too short for bad (or in this case wrong) coffee!!

Seven Nelson Blake - 15/04/09 9.10am 9lb1oz

As I have been unable to commit to writing a diary by hand I have decided to start a daily blog.  Hopefully our little man Seven will appreciate it when he is old enough to read it.

Seven is 10months old today.

He came into the world rather fast for a first-timer.  It was a total six hours from WOAH (waters breaking) to GO (slip-sliding out into the world).  I was lucky enough - and after hearing many other birth stories,  I KNOW I am lucky - to have a drug-free water birth.  Totally unplanned mind you...everything just happened so quickly that by the time the midwife arrived our baby was telling my body, in no uncertain terms, that he wanted out and I didn't really have a choice.  The strangest part about the birth was that I was completely silent & focused throughout the process but normally I can talk under water with the best of them.

And then Seven arrived, crying, and we cried, such a beautiful and amazing moment that, as all parents know,  you just cannot describe appropriately in words.  I often relive that day and that moment and I get goose bumps all over.

As I am starting this diary from today I will just record a couple of highlights to date:
- weighs 11.6kg and 76cm long
- 5 teeth (3 top, 2 bottom) with 2 bottom teeth trying to come through
- breastfeeding until a year (3 times a day) and loves solids
- sitting and rolling
- 2 day naps of 2 hours & sleeps overnight from 7pm until 5.30am

OK thats enough for Day 1 - things to do while he has his morning nap.