Owwie!

After 2 blissful nights where Janel slept through, we've had 2 terrible nights! She had her 2nd lot of jabs (diptheria, etc) on Tuesday and has been very unhappy ever since. We've had her on Calpol and done lots of cuddling and feeding, but there's only so much Mommy can do to heal this pain.

Apparently, the 2nd jabs are the worst of the 3 initial ones, so hopefully that's as bad as it gets. She cried till she was red in the face when the nurse injected her - it was heartbreaking. Still, a little pain now is worth the knowledge that she's immune to most of the killer nasties.

Another owwie is the dent in our wallet she's created! We went to the NCT's 'Nearly New' sale to buy her a few larger sized clothes and also to get some more toys (we got 2 really cute cloth books; some other new mums I'm friends with have all remarked that no-one gave us books, but loads of people gave us cuddly toys....). I was particularly pleased with a little grobag (see the photo - like a zipped-up, lightweight duvet with shoulder straps) we got her. Now at least when she kicks at night, she won't be able to kick the covers off and get cold. Although we got a lot for our money, we still spent a small fortune on her.



A friend has given me a lovely knitting pattern for a cosi-toe/ snowsuit outfit, so I added to the dent by going and buying wool and needles etc to knit this for her. (Given that I haven't made my child anything yet - no booties or jerseys or any of the other traditional things mothers are supposed to make for their children - I thought I'd get my a into g and tackle this project. £37 it cost me!!!! OK, granted, I did buy expensive soft and fluffy (non-shed fluffy to avoid suffocation & choking) wool, but still!! If I was to add in my labour costs, there's NO WAY I'd ever buy this item for her if it was for sale in the shops! OW!

People keep asking for more recent photos of our little darling.... So, I will try to be proactive about taking more photos this week to accomodate. I guess I keep forgetting that just because I can see her every day in all her moods doesn't mean everyone else can, and I can well understand that a limited number of photos just isn't the same as seeing her developing.

Speaking of development.... We went for another weighing yesterday. She's now 4.5kg (10lbs), which is slightly below the 50 percentile mark for her corrected age. Over the weekend we had to put her onto the next size up of her nappies because the previous size was getting too tight around her tummy. Another small milestone reached! I was looking at her stretching this morning, and thought that she's going to be tall when she grows up - she's really long now that she's uncurled and growing nicely.

She has a new routine for the mornings now. She usually has a feed and a short nap punctuated by lots of kicking, crying and farting, before Graeme gets up for work. He then changes her nappy and she then enjoys spending 20-30 mins in her cot playing with her toys and talking to herself, which gives me about 45 minutes of sleep before the next feed. I'm amazed at how she's developed in this area too - actively entertaining herself and interacting with her toys. On the one hand, I'm thrilled that she's growing up. On the other, I'm so aware that this time too will pass and before long she'll be grown up and out of the house, and I'm dreading that!

We've made the decision that I should go back to work at the end of my 6 months maternity leave on a full-time basis for 7 weeks (effectively), after which we'll have the summer holidays together and then from September I'm hoping to go part-time. I'm dreading the 7 weeks away from her, but I have a contractual obligation in return for the nice maternity benefits I've enjoyed (I've had more than the statutory pay). So now the hunt for a good nanny or child-minder begins.

Speaking of child-care - a few of these new mums I know have already registered their kids with one or two private primary schools, just to be safe! Already! Their kids are 3 months old!!! But I suppose that if you can afford the best then there's no time like the present to start making provision for it.