Happy Australia Day!

Daddy, Bubba G and I headed to the botanical gardens today to celebrate Australia day with friends.  We had a great afternoon with friends, lots of prams, kids, food and drink.  It was very Australian with lamingtons and anzac biscuits. 

It was also Bubba G's first picnic in the park :)

Hellooooo Mothers Group

Now I don't want to get too excited (but secretly I am) but I have joined a mother's group in my local area and I love it! For those who don't know, in Australia the local council organises for first time mum's in the local area to meet and get to know each other through a structured six week program.  Yesterday I attended the second meeting and it was great.  All us mum's are bonding over prams, crying babies and routines and its great to know that most of us are in a similar boat and our little ones are very close in age. 

A few of us were talking at the start of the session and mentioning that we didn't want to be the "first mum to have a crying baby during the session"....well...as I knew it Bubba G was unsettled for about an hour and Mama had to walk around the hall rocking and trying to entertain the little one while the nurse was giving us a talk about settling babies...mmm..oops wasn't able to listen to that one. But my little one just wanted Mama to give her cuddles and just hold her because within half hour my gorgeous princess was asleep in my shoulders and I was able to to continue to enjoy the company of the mum's and bubs.

Bubba G and I look forward to Thursday afternoons where we can do some socialising with the local mums and bubs, and we are both hoping that we can start to bond with a few of them so we can meet up with them regularly and go for walks around the park and have coffee (the coffee is for me of course)

Our first smile!

Its taken me a while to load this video on the blog but alas here it is....Bubba G smiling to the camera.  Poor thing will grow up with an iphone camera on her face...La Mama is constantly taking videos and photos.

Daddy and I have watched this video what feels like a thousand times and we never get sick of it!

Terms of Endearment

As I walked the streets of Yarraville this morning with my soy cappuccino in hand I was thinking of all the names I call Bubba G. Best I note them on the blog before she gets too old and won't let me call her:

Baby Cakes
Mi amor
Mi nina linda
my princess/princessa
Sweetness
My little sweet

The look of an angel

Are these not the most beautiful pictures? I've had them on my iphone and thought I better capture them on the blog.  My little princess is just adorable and we are falling more and more in love with her each day!

One month old today!

Bubba G you are one month old today! (feels like 4 years) and I feel like you have developed so much.  Since we bought you home on the 19th December:

• You have smiled! yes your first proper smile was on Sunday 16th January....you made daddy's day when you smiled at him when you woke up at 7am
• You have pooed and vomited on me in the space of 10 minutes (thank goodness we were home)
• You are sleeping between three and three and half hours during the night (although it some times takes me up to 2 hours to get you down...need to work on this one!)
• You have learned to get yourself back to sleep during your naps
• You have also learned that crying after I manage to put you down to sleep = Mama will pick you up and rock you to sleep (another one we need to work on)
•  You have started to talk! well.....your Mama is proud of your gaa gaa and goo goo's that we get occasionally
• You LOVE to be wrapped all tight and cozy in your double wrap and will only go to sleep properly if you can't get your hands out
• After the first couple of baths where you cried during the entire wash, you have learned to love these little pleasures in life and your mama hopes that you continue to love the water as she wants you to love swimming in the pool and the beach when you are older

So much has happened since we got home from the hospital, your daddy and I love you to bits and we couldn't imagine our life without you in it.

Lots of love,
Mama G

What has happened to Brisbane?

What a week....

Bubba G and I have stayed in all week this week and we have had the TV on all day and I have watched my beautiful home town go under (literally!) in water.  Brisbane was hit by a natural disaster this week as the city experienced flash flooding. Absolutely devastating....as I sat in the safety of my lounge room, I could do was watch in absolute amazement as the city was ruined by the flash floods. 

Luckily I have started to master the art of holding bubba G in one hand while talking on the phone with the other hand, as I have spent most of the week ringing my family and friends and making sure that they are ok.  One of the worst hit areas of the city was the western suburbs where I grew up and I was brought to tears as I heard of all the places where I spent so many of my teenager years just flooded....Amazons in Jindalee (now DFO), Jindalee boat ramp, Middle Park, the street where we lived, our neighbour's house, the McDonalds on Milton road, Suncorp Stadium, Southbank, New Farm, West End, the board walk on New Farm, Ipswich...the list goes on and on.  Will the city ever the be same again? Queenslanders are strong and in this time of sadness and devastation, people have come together to help each other wherever they can.  I feel so helpless all the way in Melbourne but my thoughts are with family, friends and the rest of Brisbane who have not been so lucky.

Stay strong Queensland xx

Future boyfriend?

Dear Bubba G,

Thank you so much for letting me sleep in this morning.  I really appreciated the sleep from 2:30am until 7am this morning.  Please please keep it up, apperantly daddy was a great sleeper.... fingers crossed.

Today, we ventured out to have coffee so that you could meet Noah who is just 3 days older than you but boy is he a big kid! a whopping 5kg boy who looks like he is 2 or three months rather than three and a half weeks.  Future boyfriend perhaps? (not sure he is a liverpool supporter...).  We took some pictures but you had just woken up hungry so you don't look very happy :)

Compliment

Don't you just love a nice compliment from a stranger?

So, I've just had a baby...my body is still not at the weight I want it to be (not that bothered just yet its only been 3 weeks!), managed only about 3-4 hours sleep last night (some might think that's normal) and I managed to grab a quick shower this morning and even had the luxury of cleaning my hair. 

So when I walked into my local coffee shop this morning and was greeted by the words "wow you have a Lara Croft look about you...very Angelina Jolie... you look hot!", I just about died! So what if those words came from a gay man....a compliment is a compliment right!!.

I AM OFFICIALLY A MAMA!

Don't even know where to start! 2 weeks ago, our little angel chose Daddy and I to be her proud parents.  A picture speaks a thousand words so I thought I would post some pictures which hopefully will tell the story of the last couple of weeks :)

What an amazing roller coaster so far though! The little one and I are slowly getting to know eacth other and we have discovered the joys of topping up with formula after breastfeeding :) I must admit I have found breastfeeding to be extremely difficult especially as I am never sure if she is feeding enough. But alas, thanks to some good advice from Tia Nana we have started to top up the feeds with formula and the little angel is sleeping like a trooper (so far...I'm sure that will change).  Nevertheless, I have started to gain some energy and the 2am wake up calls are not as scary nor do I feel anxious. 

Week 2 and Daddy and I have noticed some pretty big changes...firstly her face is slowly starting to change from that little newborn look and she is definitely way more aware (especially during feeds, she just tends to stare at us...very cute!). Not much of the gaaa gaaa baby talk just yet from her Mama as I have been busy trying to concentrate on the feeding, but although we are still having difficulty with the breastfeeding, I am less distressed about her crying which for me is a massive milestone!

Speaking of milestones, here are a few:

• Bubba G is crying less during nappy changes
• We have ventured to our local coffee shop and have walked around the park with the pram three times now! - of course these walks are timed to perfection just as she dozes of to sleep so I know I have at least two and half hours before she wakes up and therefore avoiding any public display of crying or breastfeeding
• Much more aware of here surroundings and I think (as any Mama would) recognizes who her Daddy and Mama are.

Goals for the next two weeks:

• Buy feeding singlets (thanks Mama L)
• Gain the confidence to breast feed in public (massive massive goal!)
• Go to the local shopping mall with Daddy in the pram
• Learn to use the baby bjorn and the beautiful sling that auntie Jenny made

 The start of the contractions, I was only 2cm dilated and look at the pain on my face!

 Why go through the pain when you can have an epidural!

 Even Daddy is enjoying the labour, reading the paper on his ipad

 Labour didn't progressed as we had hoped so no choice but to do a ceaseran

 HERE SHE IS! and what a set of lungs she has!

 Meeting my Bubba G for the first time x

 Daddy gets first hold, look at how proud!

 The family connection

 Our beautiful angel wheighing 2.9kgs and meauring a whopping 49cm

 Meeting Abuelita for the first time

 Finally get to hold my princess after the operation

 She looks like her Daddy, and is deep in thought

 Meeting uncle Danny

 First bath

 First family picture = priceless

 Some beautiful skin to skin bonding

 Meeting Aunty Dev

 Welcome home!

 Meeting Tata

 Bubba G's first Christmas - Xmas eve 2010

 Eating my first oyster in 9 months! heaven

 Xmas day, wearing her outfit given by Nanny Mary

 Los Abuelos in love with our princess

Tia Nana x