Bloody muslin squares...

Having a baby shower and then actually having a baby I found that for some reason the gift of choice were these muslin square things.

I get it. You use them to wrap your baby in.

But they are so tiny, Luke had grown out of them in about, two weeks.

So I have never really gotten the point in it.

In our house we really believe in not cluttering the house and if something is useless we are ruthless and get rid of it one way or another.

Anyway, the wrap we usually use is getting small as Luke is obviously getting bigger. Shopping for a new suitable piece of material seemed challenging, until I realised I had an abundance of useless small wraps.

I started hand stitching them together but that proved to be a long process. Initially it was going to be a cover for my pram so that the sun doesn't get in my poor darling's eyes. But then I realised that my once useless nursing apron is perfect for that purpose.

So now that I have my sewing machine I made this my second project:

Now instead of having four useless pieces of muslin I have one very big wrap! And right now, Luke is soundly sleeping wrapped up triangularly in it.

embrace the change.

All the books that you get on parenting are pretty much all focussed on how you can go about a 'normal' life like before the baby was born. It tries to make your life convenient. Well guess what. Life just isn't 'convenient' any more. Suck it up. Try to spend time with your baby rather than just chucking them aside in a cot to scream for hours just because some book tells you to - because you can't let a baby 'take over' your life. Can you!??

But it's interesting also to note how a baby changes the people around you too. Some want to become closer to you - babies have that affect. They are adorable and cute and fun. The funny thing about Indonesian culture is that when a baby cries, there's no feeling of instant anxiety. Often Indonesians will laugh when a baby cries. "oh so lucu" they say (which means funny).

I have been reading a fantastic book and it is really liberating. It talks about rejoicing in these young years of your babies life, rather than trying to look for answers and stressing about what the experts say.

But back to your baby changing your relationship with people. Suddenly you go into a new life stage. Whether you like it or not. For crying out loud I bought a sewing machine and I am finding joy in cooking. I get excited by pyrex and tupperware.

My friends are jet-setting across the world and use the words "oh we're so different now". I feel left out because I can't just go out like I used to to a movie or club (but let's face it, I was in bed at 10pm on a Saturday night anyway before I had a baby).

I live a fair way away from a lot of friends. I have some FANTASTIC friends, may I add, who travel miles to see me. I am so grateful for these friends. But then there's others who tell me my house in the suburbs is too far away from their apartment for me to visit. Yet they seem to 'tag' themselves on facebook in every restraunt, every everywhere right across the city. They are driving past to a weekend away and the freeway literally is right next to my house. I guess I shouldn't put energy into such friendships who see me as not worth it. But I'm a real person. I am hurt. I see their face on Facebook at this and that event and I just want to unfriend them every. bloody. time. because I feel so hurt by them. Yes, I'm in a different life stage. I still value friendship. I still treat people nicely. I still always seem to put the needs of others first. Am I not worth the bloody effort? Was our friendship that bloody shallow that a baby changed it? Ramble.

But back to the rejoicing. Life has changed and I have no say in it. I'm not going to fight it. I'm going to embrace it.

And for the best part of it, I have made so many new friends that I wouldn't have made without having my beautiful baby. They're even Indonesian!

And the even better part - I have Luke. And I have a husband who treasures an early night in as much as I do. Priceless.

Insy Winsy for Daddy

Luke really likes the song Insy Winsy Spider. I sing it to him all the time. My husband on the other hand, never learnt the song Insy Winsy Spider. He grew up in Indonesia (he does know twinkle twinkle little star though!)

It was my husbands birthday last week, and I thought it would be special if Luke and I made him something. In our family, the most treasured gifts are those which are handmade. 

So to endeavour to teach my husband Insy Winsy spider, Luke and I made a book for him to read with Luke.

Stormy clouds

Got to love how it curls over! Grrr...

I'll be geting this out of his nails for days!

I always saw these cute things that people make on Pinterest with baby hand prints - but how!? Luke clenches his fist every time I put paint on it! (unless I put him in the carrier and make him sleep)

Luke 'wrote' this with his finger. He also did the title 'Insy Winsy Spider' but I ended up doing half of that!

It wasn't just Luke who got messy!

Luke looking very professional for the cover of his first book.

Luke's footprint made Insy Winsy.

All finished - we were proud! It was more exhausting than we thought!

We went to office works and they bound it up - and managed to loose one of poor Insy's eyes.

Happy Birthday Daddy - now we can sing the song together!

Big boy food!

That's right - my baby boy started solids today.

I had been suspicious that it was time to start solids as he has been incredibly unsettled lately, and would want me to feed him nearly every 2 hours.

As I am breastfeeding exclusively I thought I would start solids when he was 6 months. So, let's just say I am a month early as he will be 5 months this week.

As our Maternal Child Health Nurse suggested, we started on rice cereal. They suggest to start them on the blandest foods first and not fruits so that they don't get a fussy sweet tooth. 

I have heard so many stories from other mothers that their babies don't take the rice cereal, and I know why - as soon as I opened the package and had a sniff - it smelt like fish food.

I mixed it together with some breast milk I have stored away in the freezer 'for a rainy day'. We sat him in the corner of the couch and put a bib on him. Hendrik heaped it into a spoon and offered to Luke...

... Gulp! 

He took a big spoonful... and another... and another... and another...

He ate most of what we had. I couldn't help but feel proud, but a sense of fear as my baby grows up.

What a fun new adventure this will be!

My first sewing project: Kite mobile

I got a sewing machine - hooray!!!

This was my first creation:

3m Ribbon = $6
Cotton = $1
Embroidery hoop = $2.50
Paint chips from Bunnings = free

TOTAL COST = $9.50

Luke's view

Luke is fascinated by it!

I can't wait until I do sewing lessons. I am seriously excited! I have already started pinning exciting projects.

bilingual boy

My Maternal Child Health Nurse was going through her checklist at our 4 month visit.

"So, does he respond to his name?"

I bit my lip. "Ummmm...." I really had to think about it. Admittedly Luke probably thinks his name is poo-bum, or refers to that as time to change his nappy.

I also call him 'Bubby Boy'.
"Why are you calling him a pig!?" Asked my confused husband one day - 'Babi' in bahasa means pig.

But does Luke know his name? Right at this moment I am trying to get him to sleep. He has gotten out of his wrap and is now rolling around and making typical baby noises. I said in a stern voice, "Luke!"... He looked at me and laughed. I wonder if he thinks it's his name or just another funny noise I make.

I got this in an email I subscribe to which gives me week-by-week guides to my baby:

Even though you can't understand your baby, he's beginning to be able to understand you. That's why it's important to talk to him as you move through the day. Narrate what you're doing: "Here's your bottle." "Ready for your bath?" In a few months he'll understand you perfectly when you say the word "bottle" or "bath." You don't have to be a nonstop chatterbox — babies appreciate quiet, too. All you need to do is converse with him like the little companion he is.

(Read more here)

It made me think about how we speak to Luke, and even how we interact as a family.

Come to our house and you will probably get lost. Naturally, Hendrik and I speak in two languages. We have certain words that automatically come out in Bahasa Indonesia. Some words just stay in English because we can't be bothered. It probably comes across as rude that we automatically just speak Indonesian, but please be assured that we don't do it on purpose.

It made me wonder how Luke will acquire language. We speak very mixed to the point where he will probably think it is all one language. How he will communicate with both sets of parents (one only speaking English, the other speaking no English) will indeed be interesting.

Even when we talk to him, we use both languages. When it's time to eat I say.. "are you hungry?" (with the -gry part of the word very high pitched). Hendrik bathes him every night at says "mau mandi?" (do you want a bath?). I sometimes will speak Bahasa to Luke and he laughs at me.

Something I will be exploring is how to raise a bilingual baby. It's very high on my priority list!

Is there more than one language in your house? How do you manage these languages?

Luke on a plane

  This week I am blogging from my home town in South Australia. I am using my Mum's laptop, and the backspace key doesn't work.

I recently blogged that I would soon be taking Luke on his first flight. I can now say that I have finally done it.

It wasn't just a new experience for Luke, but als of me. We went on a small little 50-seater plane with propellors. I have never been on one before so I was a little afraid with how I would go. While I was a bit afraid, I was so focussed on Luke the whole time it wasn't so bad.

Actually I liked the flight - it was a short one, from Melbourne to Mildura on Qantas Link. We only got some disgusting muffin and a glass of water, and there was no inflight entertainment.

It had been a big week. We had been in the Melbourne CBD staying at a hotel for a few days. This was big for Luke as it was different surrounds and I find that the more he is out of his house the more he feels out of sorts. We watched the olymics as he woke up for his morning feed and had a nice breakfast at the not so nice motel we were staying, then packed up, got a phonecall from reception because we were late checking out (and then I used poor Luke as an excuse but clearly we were just taking our sweet arse time) and we got Luke in the car. Our flight wasn't until 1:50pm and it was 10:00am so we had a bit of time to kill.

Hendrik suggested we go to Essendon for brunch as it was only 10 minutes away from the airport. Luke had been asleep for barely 5 minutes when we arrived at Essendon and then didn't sleep as we were there. We left there at around 12 and headed for the airport. Again, Luke had just dosed off and we had to get him out of the car again.

Luke got his own boarding pass! Hendrik came with us to the gate and Luke was obviously overtired by this stage and we hadn't even gotten on the plane. With a teary eye Hendrik let us board and we got told off for trying to take a photo of Luke getting on the plane.

The flight attendant welcomed us and gave us an infant seat belt. She came and instructed me how to put it on and then talked really quickly about what to do in an emergancy. So fast that I couldn't really take it in and I began to panic in my heart. 

As I strapped Luke in I could tell he was getting so upset. The plane hadn't even started its engines! I knew what he was thinking: what are you putting this on me for, I just need to sleep, where's Daddy gone? The flight attendant gave us a pillow.

The propellors began to whizz and we began to taxi. I felt my stomach churning. I was so lucky I had my Mum there too because I don't think I could have coped. As we ran down the runway and climbed, my ears hurt. Luke began to scream. I tried to give him is dummy, he wouldn't take it. I tried to feed him, he wouldn't take it. So I just let him scream and buried my head as I could feel the other passengers throwing me a death wish.

After the seatbelt sign went off I 'unplugged' him and threw him over my shoulder (he likes that). He looked out the window with awe and wonder with all of the beautiful clouds flying past. The flight attendant came over and told me not to worry about Luke screaming, and to try and feed him if I could.

I strapped him back in, rested his head on the pillow. He fed until he slept. The flight attendant walked past and gave me an 'OH HOW PRECIOUS IS HE' look. I even shut my eyes and had a snooze.

As we began to descend he woke up and cried. He didn't scream, just gave me that painful, whimpering cry like it was hurting. We came down really quick. Before we knew it we were on the ground and the captain said "Welcome to Mildura". I looked outside and there was a little house - THAT was the terminal. More like, "welcome to the middle of nowhere!"

As the passengers disembarked and walked past me, one commented that he was now conditioned for flying. I think Luke did rather well considering I've been on flights where babies SCREAM the whole way.

As we walked off the tarmac I threw my baby in the air and he gave me a delightful smile. I breathed in the clean, crisp country air that I have been longing for for so long.

We collected our baggage from what resembles the Tiger Airways 'shed' at Tullamarine and walked to our car which was just a few metres away.

Photo from Mildura Airport Website

Really, flying to Mildura is much easier and better than flying to Adelaide. The planes have their own stairs so you don't have to wait for an airbridge. There's only one plane at the whole airport so you have your bags within a matter of minutes. The parking is cheaper and the flight is shorter. There's even no traffic to get to the airport.

We changed Luke's nappy on the back of Mums car as he peed on me. We then took the delightful 3 hour journey back to my home town.

Now I have coped with this journey, I can now look forward to the impending Indonesia-trip which will contain 5 flights in November!