Meeting their Brother

Wow! I can’t believe that it has already been more than three weeks since Mr Quinten joined our family! Surely he’s been part of our family for much longer than that. He is so loved in our little family, there are way too many arguments about who gets to cuddle him and when and for how long. So loved.

Three weeks and three days ago we met Quinten. Mayana and Reuben had the morning with my sister, and she did such a wonderful job of looking after them and preparing them to meet their baby brother. They had made cards and gifts, been bathed and dressed up in gorgeous outfits. Mayana had her hair done and even her fingernails painted! I had such anticipation for the pair of them arriving at the hospital and finally meeting Quinten – especially Reuben because I had absolutely no idea how much of all of this he understood.

I was not disappointed with the reaction from my two big kids! They both adored him on sight, and have continued to do so ever since.

*****

We managed to tick all of the boxes to leave hospital on the same day that Quinten was born, and after sitting around waiting for doctor checks for me, and paediatrician and hearing checks for Quin, we were headed home by about 4.30pm.

I can’t tell you how wonderful it was to not have to spend a sleepless night at the hospital. To be in my own bed with my husband, my kids across the hallway, and my baby in his own bassinette.

Being at home so quickly helped me stay stress-free (I HATE staying at hospital) and adjust much more quickly. We also had visits from a really lovely midwife for the first five days that we were home, so Quinten was still receiving excellent care from the health system – even though he really didn’t need any kind of special care!

My mum had taken a week’s long service leave, and was such a help with the kids and with helping us find our rhythm and establish new routines and cleaning our house to within an inch of its life! I couldn’t have done it without her and she made our transition to life with three kids happen so much more smoothly.

Mum’s been gone for two weeks now, and I’m pleased to say we haven’t fallen off the wagon yet! I’m even still on top of my washing, and managing to sweep my floors at least every second day. I’m even fitting in a shower every day. And I’ve had Mayana at school, dressed and fed at least by the time the bell rings every single day haha.

So far I’m managing this three kids thing. I definitely have moments where I cannot figure out how to deal with three children when I only have two hands, and where Quinten wants a feed at the same time as Reuben has a dirty nappy and just spilled a cup of water all over the floor and Mayana desperately wants to read her home reader to me… but I’m managing. Prioritising, getting the big kids to help me out, and doing my best to not stress the small stuff. Mayana absolutely loves giving Quinten cuddles and he adores her, and I certainly use that to my advantage! Reuben is a fan of getting ‘Bubby’s’ nappies/wipes/dummies (still working on not touching the actual teat part) etc and I utilise that enthusiasm whenever possible too. Quinten is (so far…. touch wood) fairly cruisy and content and like both my other babies has settled himself into a pretty good routine. He feeds better than both my other kids did, and I’m hopeful for a longer exclusive breastfeeding experience this time with no formula top-ups or supplements.

Things are good! Not always easy, sometimes an adventure, but good. I love our family of five.

Dear Reuben {seven months}

letter to Reuben.. seven months. I just realised as I started to write his eight month letter that I hadn’t published this one! Oops!

Hey Little Mister!

Seven months already! We’re on the slippery slope to you leaving babyhood behind forever. It’s bittersweet… I’ll miss bubba-you, but every day you just get to be more fun!

You do so much now! You can sit up for hours on end – though you haven’t quite worked out how to get from lying down to sitting up just yet. You very intentionally can get yourself back to the lying position though – it’s essential for your newest trick… you my boy are on the move!! I wouldn’t call what you do crawling just at this point, but you’ve advanced beyond the army crawl and do this sort of caterpillar/floor-swimming thing. You're having great fun exploring the house, and so far have discovered the playroom (your sister is fast learning to pick up after herself, you have a penchant for putting things in your mouth!) and the garage.. we got you out of there quick-smart! You tried to follow Papa into the bathroom tonight, but got distracted when you found yourself under the dining room table. You occupied yourself under there for quite some time, until you somehow got yourself caught between the legs of some chairs and the foot of the table! In the last few days you’ve been starting to get your knees in on the action, and your speed has increased dramatically.

You’ve also started to pull yourself up on things. If you can just plant those little feet of yours, and grasp something that’s steady enough, up you go. It’s hard work for you, but I guess it gives you a different perception of your world… but you just seem too little to be doing things like that!

Mind you, you are getting bigger. At your last weigh-in you were 6.6kg – though that was with your clothes on. You are small for your age, but so much bigger than your sister was… you actually have meat on your bones, and your thighs have rolls! You are even starting to get into some 00 clothes. I’m fairly sure Mayana didn’t get into that size until she was nearly one!!

It’s no wonder that you’re turning into a fatty-boom though, the way you pack your food away. I foresee big grocery bills in my future! At seven months old Mr Reuben, you are eating two wheetbix for breakfast… that’s the same amount as Mama! Plus, you still cry for your pieces of toast or cruskit afterwards too! You’ve started eating meat these days, but you still don’t like your food too lumpy. I’m not sure if it’s linked to your refluxy issues but you seem to have a super-sensitive gag reflex. That’s all well and good but because of your refluxy issues, a gag generally equates to a puke…. and we’re over puke in this house, so purees for you for a little while longer I think! Mind you, you do enjoy sandwiches and cruskits with vegemite on them, so you are having a go at a few more ‘solid’ foods. These days you have a breastfeed in the morning, wheetbix and toast for breakfast, a bottle for morning tea, fruit or vegies for lunch, a bottle for afternoon tea, vegies, rice and meat for dinner and usually a breastfeed, sometimes a bottle, and sometimes you want nothing (!) before bed. You are content, and you are growing, and that’s what matters.

You love to be tickled, and it’s the one thing that will always make you laugh. Sometimes you do this squealy crocodile noise before you get the giggles, and everyone thinks it’s so funny. You also do this hilarious growly voice, that sounds a little like a Batman voice. Oh and you can pull off a pretty good Chewbacca too! You still love to blow raspberries, and are almost always covered in drool (which is better than puke!) Your newest ‘word’ is Mama!! I think you are actually associating it to me now. Whenever I come and get you out of your casrseat you grin at me and say ‘Mama Mama Mama’. You also yell it at me when I’m taking too long to get one or another of your meals ready!

You are also starting to laugh at things people do… like if they talk to you in a funny voice, or play peek-a-boo with you. Your laugh is just so cute Reubs, I never tire of it! You have quite a big voice compared to your sister, and are very good at getting people’s attention.

We’ve been picking Papa up from work lately, because he broke his bike, and when we get there you scan the room until you spot him and then yell out at him until he comes and takes you. You love your Papa, he can always make you happy. I think Mayana is still your favourite though. You are mesmerised by her… and is she is in your sight you are smiling. She loves to cuddle you and tries to pick you up… but considering you are probably more than half her weight she struggles with this! She loves to make you laugh by blowing raspberries or roaring at you. Her roaring used to make you cry but now you think it is just hilarious! You kick your legs and squeal and laugh in delight – even if seconds ago you were mid scream with tears dripping down your cheeks.

Your sleeping is going well. I always feel it is such a risk writing about this because whenever I do something changes. But at this point in time you are having two good, solid day naps, and sleeping through the night from 7pm-6.30am (ish… sometimes earlier sometimes later). Now if only we could get your sister to figure out how to go to the toilet by herself through the night, Mama and Papa might be able to sleep through the night too!

You’re much more interested in toys now, and Mayana is learning that she needs to share with you. You particularly like her wooden blocks and her duplo.

I’m glad that she’s mostly got toys that can be played with by both of you, although she does have some special things that are just for her. She is mostly patient with you, and knows that if she can give you something to put in your mouth you’ll leave her alone for the most part. You’ve even discovered the ipad! We have a baby app, and when you touch the screen coloured shapes come up and sing and talk to you. You think it’s great fun, and it’s a good way for me to distract you if you are having a moment.

You’re growing up fast my boy, and I love these baby months with you.

Love you darling,

Mama.

{3 Months}

My darling Reuben

I can hardly believe that three months has gone already. You are such a part of our lives sweet boy, that it’s hard to imagine that you’ve only been around for thirteen weeks.

This months it feels like you have ‘grown up’ so much. You no longer live by a cycle of eat-poop-sleep. You have lots of happy awake time now, and you are learning new things every day. You smile a lot. Especially at strangers. You are such a flirt when we are out and about, and I even have shopkeepers asking for cuddles!!

You are getting bigger, slowly but surely. You are a bit over 4.5kg now, not too far from doubling your birth weight. When I look back at your sister’s weight records, she was nearly a full kilo lighter at this age than you… so people who give me a hard time about how small you are don’t know what small is!

Baby Maysi

Baby Reuben..

You’ve put yourself into a bit of routine lately. It’s quite flexible – it has to be because unfortunately our days cannot always revolve around you! However you are happy to have your sleeps in the pram, car or sling (oh how you love the sling!), and even if we’re out you still follow your little routine to a degree.

You had been almost sleeping through the night, but over the last week you have reverted to waking a few times (last night was more than a few times *yawn*) to feed. Our lovely child health nurse, Alison, assures me that you are right on schedule for a growth spurt, and that you are busy working on increasing my milk supply. I hope you’re done with that soon!

Another fun thing you have learned this month is that you can control your hands! You think they’re just great, and you delight in getting various fingers and/or thumbs into your mouth and having a good old chew and suck. Sometimes you get a bit over zealous and stab yourself in your gums with your nails, or make yourself gag but shoving your hands too far inside your mouth. When this happens you look at me as if it were my fault!

You also like to grab things with your hands. Sometimes it’s my hands (or Papa’s or whoever happens to be holding onto you), and they also tend to go straight into your mouth for a munch. Just in the last few days you’ve shown a lot more interest in your toys, and you like to hit or grab them or, of course, put them in your mouth.

Playing with your toys in the car…

You are drooling like crazy, and when I had a look in your mouth the other day I spotted two tiny white teeth under the surface of your lower gum. Mayana cut her first teeth at around four months, I wonder if you will beat her, or if those teeth will sit there taunting us for a few more months!

While you smile freely and often, you still haven’t figured out how to laugh yet, and I am so looking forward to the day when you do. You like to make happy coos every now and again, but you’re not much of a chatterbox just yet (give you time, I’m sure!)

Mayana is still one of your favourite people in the world. She makes you so happy, and you give huge gummy grins whenever she enters your line of vision. You seem to miss her when she has her days at kindy, and when she gets home you will not let her out of your sight. You love it when she sings to you, and watching her play is your new favourite  pastime. I know you just can’t wait to be able to get down there and join in! We have been putting you in the bumbo occasionally, and that gives you the opportunity to get a little bit more involved in your big sister’s games – or at least a little closer to them!

Your sister loves to sing to you..

Another favourite activity of yours is bathtime. It doesn’t matter whether it’s in the tub or the shower, you just love being in the water. We have a little towel bath stand that we lay you in in the bath, and you grin and squirm and kick like crazy. If your sister happens to be in the bath with you, you look so happy you could just about bust! In the shower you snuggle into me or Papa, and when we let the water run over your back and head you close your eyes and enjoy the sensation.

Reuben, I just love your guts buddy, and I am enjoying getting to know you. I know that this next month is when you will really start to become super alive and alert, and I’m looking forward to learning more about your personality.

I love you, my precious Sunshine.

Mama

Reuben // One Month

My Darling Boy…

I can hardly believe that it’s been one month since that crazy day that was supposed to be my second-last day of work, and ended up being the day that I met you instead.

… Can hardly believe it because it has gone so incredibly fast, but also because i can hardly remember what my life was like without you in it. What a strange phenomenon.

one day old // one month old

You are such a good little baby. I think you must have your Papa’s phlegmatic temperament, you just cruise along with whatever’s happening. You love to explore your world with those beautiful big blue eyes, and you surprise everyone with how strong you are, lifting up your head to have an even bigger stickybeak!

When the midwives tell me to make sure that I place your head facing alternativing sides each time I place you down to nap, I laugh, because every time I pick you up from a nap your head is facing the opposite direction to where I put it anyway! You’re very clever.

I’m really enjoying getting to know you, and learning what you do an don’t like. For instance; you don’t like having your nappy changed. As soon as you are exposed, you start to scream and keep on going until everything is safely put away. This has turned out to be a good thing in a way, because we have learned to be very fast at getting your new nappy on, which gives us a much smaller chance of being… showered… by you. It still happens on occasion though.

You don’t like the hiccups, which is unfortunate because you get them whenever you need to burp, which is every time you feed of course. You do have very big hiccups through (just like your Mama), and I’m not at all surprised that they make you uncomfortable. Another thing you also do every time you feed is vomit. A lot. Sometimes I wonder how it is possible that you have any milk still left inside you!

Apparently, that is not a problem though, because you, young man, are growing like a weed. In addition to the 390g that you regained to get back up to your birth-weight, you have gained a seriously impressive 1.13kg in the last month. When I got you weighed on your 1 monthiversary, you had gained a whopping 440g in one week!! It appears that Mama has full cream milk!!

You do like your milk, and you are a fantastic little feeder.  You also love your big sister, and your Papa. Your Papa is blessed to have been bestowed most of the smiles you have given so far in your little life, and Mayana has had quite a few too. She loves to help look after you, and you are very patient with her when sometimes I know she is being a little overbearing.

Another of your favourite things is bath-time. You don’t mind if it is in the bath or the shower, you just like to be in the water… and you definitely don’t like it when you have to get out!

Your sleeping is going pretty well. You’re a fairly routine baby, and generally like to feed every 3-4 hours, with a nap and a bit of playtime between each feed. At night, you have almost always woken up twice to feed. In the last week or so, you have started to stretch things out a little bit longer. You usually are in bed by 8pm, and wake for your first feed around 2am, which is a nice long stretch, and much appreciated – thank you! You settle well after your feed, and usually sleep again until somewhere between 5 and 6am. Of course, you do have a rough night every now and then, but we’ll forgive you that.

We have discovered and resigned ourselves to the fact that you like to sleep on your tummy. I resisted for a long while, but when it means the difference between a screaming unhappy baby and sleeping settled one… well there’s not really much choice! I have even tried flipping you over to your back once you are asleep, but you cannot be tricked. I don’t blame you buddy, Mama and Papa both like to sleep on their tummies too.

In the last few days you have started to interact with us and things a lot more. You love to look into our eyes, and if we’re lucky we’ll even get a smile! You have discovered the toys on your bouncer, and love to hit them. I even saw you smiling at your giraffe when you managed to get it swinging the other day.

You’re awake more through the days now, although you still have some nice long naps. We have no real routine through the day yet, we just follow your lead and feed you when you’re hungry, and put you to sleep when you start to show your tired signs. So far it seems to be working for us pretty well. You mostly have been having your day sleeps out in the lounge room in the pod, but lately I have been starting to put you in your bassinette in Mama and Papa’s room for at least one of them so that Mayana and I can have some noisy playtime together.

You still sleep in our room at night, but I am looking forward to when you can move across the hallway and in with your sister. I’m just waiting for your night time routine to become a little more settled. You are such a noisy sleeper that you keep Papa and I awake a lot with your grunting and groaning. So often we think you are awake and flick the dim lamp on to check on you and no, you’re sound asleep. Luckily Mayana is a much heavier sleeper than Papa or I, and I don’t think you’ll keep her awake.

I love you little Reuben, and I love having you in our family. I can’t wait to see what this next month brings!

Love Mama