Seats are for sitting on...

It has come to that time in baby Giraffe's life where he needs to learn how to use the toilet.

I bought a potty for him quite a long time ago, and we put him on it every time he baths, but I think he will do better with a trainer toilet seat, because he sees me using the toilet all the time. (No more privacy in my life!)

So, today I went to Reggies to buy a seat and at the same time i got a little bathroom step for him, which he absolutely loves.

Anyway, I have baby G in the trolley and I'm scrutinising the 3 different seats that i can find. I hand one of them over to him to keep him occupied and turn to pack one back on the shelf.

When I turn back, to my horror and absolute embarrassment, he has managed to get the seat stuck on his head!!!

OH-MY-WORD! I start panicking, obviously, and start pulling, but he's already got his ear through to the other side. I am now red in the face from embarrassment and panic, and he is red in the face from pain! he starts crying a bit, but I must say, he was actually quite good through the whole thing and thankfully didn't cause a scene.

It wasn't on his head for long. I was about to call a shop assistant to help me, when i managed to yank it off. But my mind went to emergency room status, picturing us rushing off to hospital and having the seat cut off his head!!!

After the whole ordeal, I couldn't stop smiling and giggling about it. We went out to the car and baby G kept touching his head and smiling! so he thought it was quite funny too!

I just hope this doesn't give him ideas now with the one that I actually bought for him!

When we got home, he went running around the house with his new step, to every different room, trying to find new things to reach and climb onto! He is super-chuffed with his little blue step. He climbed on and off my bed about 20 times over and over! I think he is happy to have his boundaries stretched that little bit extra.

A Visit to The Vampires

If you know me well enough, you'll know that I'm petrified of needles and injections.
It all started in standard 8 Biology class. I thought I would be the brave one and volunteer for the finger prick. You know, the one where you get to look at your blood under a microscope.

Needless to say, I never got to see my own blood, because I fainted straight away and woke up in the corridor. This was the first time I had ever fainted and it was such a terrible feeling that I think my fear of needles actually started with a fear of fainting. Later that year, I had to go for my German Measles injection. I worked myself up loads for this, went for the injection, went back to maths class and about 10 minutes later had a complete panic attack. I had to go back to where they were giving the injections, and they gave me this weird bitter stuff to calm me down.

So that just set in stone this blooming new fear of mine.

Since then I've never actually fainted, and I've actually gotten a lot better. But the not-so-fond memory is still there. When I was in labour giving birth to my first baby, I'm not sure if I was screaming more for the pain of the labour, or for the thought of the huge epidural needle.

Today I had to go for my 16 week blood tests. These vampires love a pregnant woman's blood. It must taste sweeter or something!
Anyway, so I'm sitting in the little room at the Pathcare, resting my arm on the elbow pedestal and I'm trying my utmost to concentrate on something other than the obvious.
The nurse ties the tourniquet and I feel the needle prick.
"It's OK, " I tell myself, "the worst is over."
She sticks the plaster tape over the hole and tells me to press.
She turns to her paperwork and immediately says, "Oh! There are tests on the other side too!"

I look at her in disbelief. Is she joking?

I swallow hard and ask bravely, "so we use the other arm this time, I suppose?"

She says, "Are you sure you don't want me to just use the same spot? I had such a good vein in that arm, I could have taken it all!"

OH MY WORD!Is she crazy?
So I left there a bit hot and sweaty, looking like a patched up pin cushion with both arms plastered. But I didn't faint!

I'm very proud of myself!

Throwing tiredness to the wind

I am pregnant, yes, but I can't keep letting life pass me by like this.
I need to pick myself up and stop living in this cloud that I've been living in for the last 3 months.

Maybe I feel like this because I actually am starting to feel better, although it felt like the morning sickness would never end and my life would be over because I am so damn tired all the time.

I've also come to the realisation that I need to spend more QUALITY time with 'Baby Giraffe'.

The way I've been spending the days lately is with the attitude of : "Just ... more hours until I can go to sleep again." And although I am pregnant and I know I need to listen to my body, etc; I also know that it is not helping 'Baby Giraffe' much by spending time with him on a superficial level.

So, I have decided that I need to force myself to be more patient, and I need to get 'Baby Giraffe's' sleeping patterns sorted, once and for all. Seriously.

A better sleep for him means a better sleep for me. And ultimately a better day time for both of us.
This leads me to express, OH MY WORD, parenting is H-A-R-D!!!!

And something that I've been meaning to say for a long time:

"WELL DONE to all those hard-working stay-at-home moms out there!"

The Last Noel (for now anyway)

So, Christmas is finally over in our little home. The tree finally came down last night!

I know, I know, it's supposed to be all 'bad luck' and everything, and it's not because I was hanging on to Christmas. (Although I do LOVE it!) I've just been so tired lately, and also round about the time that 'Baby Giraffe' goes to sleep is round about the time that my 'morning sickness' kicks into action.

Lovely!

So anyway, I have been slowly taking a few baubles off every night for quite a few nights now, but I left the really high ones, because I'm pregnant and I'm not supposed to stretch. ( Excuses, excuses!)

One of the afternoons that I decided to try do a bit of de-decorating of the tree with 'Baby Giraffe' still awake, he managed to get hold of a couple of handfuls of tinsel. I took a lot away from him, but to stop him from a large tantrum, I left him with a couple of strands. Which he proceeded to eat.

The following day, he had a very Christmassy poo! it was all shiny!

I think that definitely marks the end of Christmas 2008! I think its a good sign! of things being flushed through, and it shows that even though there may be rough times, there is still a shiny end result!!!! (Hee hee!)

So, thanks to 'The One' for taking the remains of the tree down last night, because it was really starting to bother me.

And here's one last "Goodbye, Christmas"...

xxxxxx

Supermarket irritants

People who find it necessary to pinch my baby's cheeks at the supermarket really need to get a clue.

And why do you want to pull his dummy out when clearly it is there to keep him calm and quiet while paying for my groceries.

The checkout ladies do it every time, without fail. and no matter how strongly his poor little lips are pursed around his sacred dummy, they still find it necessary to yank it out.


WHY????


And of course, I have to just stand by and smile sweetly, as I imagine all the leaking detergents and the poorly packaged fish that they have been handling for the entire day, all being smeared onto my baby's face.

I know that it can be washed off, but gross man!

So if you are reading this, and ever have the urge to touch a complete stranger's baby, please think again.

PS: This obviously doesn't apply to friends and family, so if you know me and my son, feel free to pinch away!