Thursday 27 February 2014

Twins - the juggling act

In my years as a nanny I've had the privilege of caring for these gorgeous twin boys. They were energetic, fun, thoughtful and at times mischievous. There is only a small minority of people that intentionally make plans to have more then one baby at a time but when it does happen it can be such a great surprise and in the same time the questions start... how will I be able to juggle the feeding? will I breast feed? the bathing? the attention? the crying? and what about all the extra equipment that I will now need. There is a lot to be said in needing to be extra organised when your dealing with two instead of just one! But there is help out there and research should be your priority.
There is a great web site that gives you lots of advice on caring for twins and is a great place to start if you know that your going to have to starts juggling soon. Look at Parents.com, it should answer some questions and lead you in the right direction for further research.
Here is a list of things that I personally think should be top priority in the planning process

  • Firstly even before the arrival, you need to organise the logistics of everyday life, including having a car with two baby seats, two bassinets/cot, double strollers, double the amount of bottles (if not breast feeding), breast pump and nappies. In general you have to prepare the room and think about where the babies will sleep, how you will transport them and the clothes that they will wear
  • The birth plan - are you going to try to deliver naturally, with the help of drugs or have a cesarean?
  • Are you going to breast feed or you going straight to formula is another important aspect to think about. Breast feeding is quiet achievable, all it needs is great organisation and planning. There  are great books on the subject of breast feeding twins and if in Australia, you can get help through the Breastfeeding Association
  • In my opinion when having twins, setting a routine and then being able to follow through with it is vital. I have been lucky, the twins that I did care for had a routine set out for them by their parents before I arrived and it just made the day easier. The boys slept at the same time, ate at the same time and followed a plan. They were happy and so were the parents and I. There are many great routines out there for twins which have been trailed and tested. I love the Tizzie Hall books and routines, also for a more strict routine try Gina Ford, might be a bit harder to follow but will get you sleeping more! I also think that if your not keen on a routine set by others, you can set your own routine. Babies are creatures of habit and love routines, so as long as you set one that fits around your life, they will be happy too.

And always remember that there are heaps of positives of having twins... double the hugs, double the laughs, double the fun and double the love. And don't forget that once they get older, they will have a friend for for life and a playmate inside and outside the house. xx






Tuesday 25 February 2014

commando crawling


OK so now I have a little crawler on my hands. One day she was sitting all by herself unsupported and we were so proud of her and her great achievement and then literally within a blink of an eye she is mobile and off on her knees, hands and tummy really... she still hasn't figured out that she can go so much faster if she lifted her tummy off the ground... but I'm secretly grateful for that.

So now we have this dilemma of constant vacuuming (well its my issue, hubby not that worried)... I mean I'm continuously vacuuming! I'm vacuuming daily but she somehow still manages to find the smallest bit of dirt on the ground and attempt to eat it! I have dealt with hoovering babies before and I know that it wont harm (its still gross though) I just cant imagine that my little girl is eating dirt and so I vacuum all the time.


This also has led me to realise that even though we have spend some time going through the house and child proofing it, we haven't done the great job that we thought we had. Lucy still finds the rare cable hanging from somewhere, we realised that there are MANY sharp corners at our place and low hanging surface and that the bin is her favourite item to aim for on her journey through her home.

So I'm loving that I have a healthy, happy and adventurous little girl on my hands and I have come to realise that she will get even more mobile and that we will eventually need a bigger place for her to ran around. House hunting is NOT my favourite past time but I have a feeling after July we will need to move! I love the area I live in but also love the idea of a sea change or a mountain change,          somewhere with less traffic and more room to run around. Anyone know of good places to move to? I'd love to hear idea?

Sunday 23 February 2014

Hunter Valley and Bruce Springsteen Weekend

This weekend my husband and I, along with some friends, drove to the Hunter Valley to see Bruce Springsteen live at the Hope Estate. I have never been a great fan but I must say the concert was amazing and the guy sure knows how to entertain.

It was also the first time that we spend away overnight from our gorgeous daughter. She was completely happy and safe with her Auntie and Uncle and cousins but I'm not sure hubby and I were so happy about it to begin with. We did spend a lot of the journey to the Hunter talking about her but once we arrived it was GREAT!! We had adult conversations with no interruption, we relaxed on the grass and enjoyed some yummy food and wine and of course some great music!


On the way home, after midnight, I couldn't wait to get home and to bed and I must admit a Lucy cuddle would have been great. Knowing she was being spoilt by her family, I had THE BEST night sleep in a LONG time. I wasn't woken up at 2 am and 4 am, just to have a dummy put back in. I slept all the way though to 10am! All the things that you take for granted before having kids, like sleep, become very important and scarce. When I was working, I always turned up fully energised after a long night sleep and looked at the poor parents struggling to get ready to go to work and now I finally understand how the poor buggers must have been feeling. OUCH!

So in conclusion, I had a great day and night at the Bruce Springsteen concert (I see why he is The Boss) and I absolutely LOVE the Hunter Valley (can imagine retiring at a winery!) but the greatest part of the whole experience was the gorgeous uninterrupted sleep I got and the beautiful excited smiles I received when I picked Lucy up from her Aunties!
Big kisses to my sis and her hubby for the help xx

Thursday 20 February 2014

Playing in Puddles

At last today its sunny, if you live in NSW the last few days have not been huge amount of fun with all the rain that we had. The rain (so good for a lot of things) is not all that good if your stuck at home with kids. Its not even that nice once the sun starts shinning cause everything is wet and you need a bit of time for it all to dry. What I like to do is battle it and still go out and play! The park and the streets are full of fun paddles and water slides and since its still not cold what better way to be a kid and have fun in the dirt and rain.
my gorgeous niece playing in the water bubbler... lots of fun in the heat!


and nothing better then jumping in puddles!

 especially with gumboots on... mind you accidents do happen!


Tuesday 18 February 2014

Honey + Vodka weekend

My parents not that long ago have moved to the South Coast of NSW. They bought a big house and my dad had decided that he will take up the one thing that he always had loved... bee keeping. So he went out and bought 3 bee hives. One produces heaps of honey, and the other two not so much.


This weekend, we packed Lucy and went to visit for the weekend to spend some time on the beach and of course it rained! It rained the WHOLE time we were there! So for nothing to do, once Lucy was down for the night we sampled my mums Polish Honey Vodka. Delicious and if anyone is interested so easy to make. All you need is good quality vodka and good quality honey. Pour out some of the vodka and pour in some honey... the more honey the less strong the shot but so much smoother and sweeter. Enjoy!


Thursday 13 February 2014

Natural soothing for teething

So I thought instead of just complaining about all the teething issues that we have had in our household, I might actually jot down all the ideas that I have had or I had heard of that help to soothe the poor little darlings. You could use some paracetamol, nurofen, or bonjela to help ease the pain but I don't like giving it to babies on a regular basis, sometimes mind you, medicating them is the only thing that is going to get you through the night!

These are some of the things that have worked for me now and in the past

  • Mesh feeders- whoever invented this product I do hope has it patented cause its great! I love putting ice cubes in them to numb the babies sore poor gums, or pieces of frozen food (mind you that's brilliant if you don't mind the mess and stickiness of it). I have found even putting frozen peas for a savoury treat a great non sweet option. Also if you are not keen on the bought product you could always use a bit of muslin cloth and wrap the ice cube inside. Tie a big knot and then the baby has the option of chewing the cloth or the ice cube. My little one loves the ice cubes!
  • Teething toys are also great. They come in all sorts of shapes and sizes and I like to pop them in the fridge in between use for the best result or even in the freezer (make sure the product can be frozen, don't want it cracking). Personally I love Sophie the Giraffe. I'm sure everyone has seen one around if not received one as a gift. My little girl loves hers and spends hours chewing it up. I have been told that if any of the painted features of the giraffe come of from over chewing, it is perfectly safe. Apparently the paint is all vegetable based and edible.
  • Rusks are also good and at least with all the chewing and rubbing the baby gets a reward, some yummy dry bread! I find that if I toast a bit of ciabatta bread and give her the crust she loves it even more then the rusks, you have to watch so no big chunks are bite off and it doesn't become a choking hazard.
  • A wet frozen face cloth is also great to chew on and numb the gums, just make sure to pop it in a sterilised bag before putting into the freezer.
  • I often find that when we are out and about wearing a teething necklace that she can chew on means that you don't have to carry around any other teething accessory. Have a look at  teething jewellery for a great selection of accessories that are perfect to chew on and look good
  • And of course there is the Amber necklaces that some people swear by. I'm yet to be convinced but there must be something to them since their popularity is forever increasing.
If anyone has any other ideas I am open to suggestions?  and for anyone that is going through the teething process with me, Good Luck!

Sunday 9 February 2014

TEETHING





TEETHING- its an amazing concept really, from the time your baby is about four months old (on average) till they are around 3 they will get all their baby teeth including molars. The teeth one by one will decide to come out whenever they choose and WOLA your baby has teeth and can now bite through food, have a go at furniture and occasionally you and the unsuspecting individual.

I have been quiet lucky really and have had really good experiences with teething babies. I occasionally had to use Bonjela or even some Panadol but on average the kids I have cared for have taken teething in their stride and have been troopers... and then came along my little girl.

She is seven and a half months and her mouth looks like its exploding with little budding teeth and she is LETTING ME KNOW that she is in pain... what I realised is that teeth have no respect to your well organised sleeping routine and the months it took you to instill it. They don't care that your trying to sleep, to write, to have a shower or cook. They are causing my gorgeous girl so much pain that she is letting me know and nothing works really well.  I have tried all sorts of remedies, natural and not so natural and they relieve the pain for a 'little bit' but then she is back to crying and demanding to be carried around. If anyone knows of any remedies I'm open to suggestions and in the mean time...  wish me luck! I might have months... no YEARS of this left...

My poor brave little sausage xx



Tuesday 4 February 2014

Hi everyone, Target is having a Baby Sale. You can pick up a box of Huggies Nappies for $27 and 240 wipe refills for $10! bargin!

Target sale!
http://www.target.com.au/


Monday 3 February 2014

My little girl has finally recovered and is now her happy and healthy self! Couldn't be more happier and relieved... and now I can hopefully regain the feeling in my arms. Thought I share these photos which are courtesy of the great photographer Claudio Raschella.

Sunday 2 February 2014

My poor little 7 month old baby is sick, apparently its just a 'viral infection' but there is nothing worse then seeing her poor little eyes look at me asking for help, knowing there is nothing much I can do. So I do the only thing I can and that is dose her up with panadol and nurofen. It seems to work for a small period of time, she then sits and smiles at me with her doped out eyes but at least I know she is not in pain anymore, which makes me in turn, feel better.

As a nanny I have looked after many sick children, from a mild park accident which caused a  'boo boo' to high fevers and burst appendix. I felt sorry for all the children and it would break my heart to see them in so much pain. I take my hot off to the parents that left their kids in my care knowing that they were not well. I don't think that i could do that, leave her with someone else besides me. I can now appreciate the million of phone calls that I would receive from worried parents wanting to see how 'their little one' was doing. It takes a lot of courage and determination to remain at work while your baby is sick. It also makes me realise the faith and trust that they have put in me.

So lets hope my little one gets better as predicted by the doctor.. in 48 hours and we can see her gorgeous smile and energy again.

I have found a great site from the children's hospital that gives you detailed information on fever

http://kidshealth.schn.health.nsw.gov.au/fact-sheets/fever