Bath-time fun

Chloe and I had our first bath together the other night.  We wanted to try it cause Alex likes to make a deeper bath for her so she can float a bit and she didn't take to that quite how we expected.  Letting her body float while supporting her neck brought about a trembling lip, a weird noise and a look of terror in her eyes!  So we thought maybe if she was in the bath with me and felt me close she wouldn't be scared.  She did seem to really like it with me and enjoyed lying on my tummy and even decided to have a bit of a feed!  No pics of this one :)  Maybe she won't mind going swimming after all.  

Here comes the sun, little darling....

Chloe loves, loves, LOVES her Lamaze play mat.  There is an arch with a plastic sun you can attach to it that plays short little melodies while it's smiling face lights up different colours.  Looks kinda psychotic to me but what do I know?  Put her down on the mat when she's in a good mood and a smile creeps over her face til she can't smile any wider and she lies there cooing away to it, thrashing her legs and arms around and looking like she is having the absolute BEST time in the world!  It is so going to Canada with us.

Thoughts

I'm surprised at how natural this motherhood business feels to me.  I've never considered myself a maternal person, not least because I used to swear I was never having kids.  I'm not great with other people's children, I feel a bit awkward and don't really know what to say to them or how to play with them.  I was really worried that I wouldn't be a good mother.  Worried that I wouldn't cope with it well.  I'm sure the fact that, on the whole, Chloe is a pretty good baby is helping, but I've found it's all coming quite easily to me.  I think Alex and I are doing really well so far. 

People say that your world completely changes when you have kids, and while that is certainly undeniable, I don't really feel hugely different in myself.  It doesn't feel weird or scary, it just feels like a natural progression and that it is right.  My day to day existence is totally changed now but so far I feel like I wouldn't want to be doing anything else, even if I do start the day in bed with my hair covered in vomit.  A few years ago it might have been my own vomit, these days however, we can thank Chloe for that.  I know which I prefer!

I certainly don't have a burning desire to get back to work, in fact if I never went back to work I don't think I'd miss it.  That feeling may well change several months down the line when I am yearning for some adult contact during the day, but so far I'm content looking after Chloe's needs, trying to keep the flat in order, and occasionally being a lady who lunches.  

Having a wail of a time.

Auntie Kate was here the last few days visiting "The Egg" as she calls Chloe.  She brought the most adorable clothes for her, she's gonna be one fashionable baby!  

Ramsay made Kate feel instantly welcome when we came home from dinner to find he had pissed on a pile of her jackets.  Not a popular move.  Luckily Chloe refrained from topping it off, unlike when she welcomed her uncle Mark by doing an exploding poo while he was holding her!  It was a definite possibility she might though cause she hadn't pooed for about 3 days by this time, hence her giant pot belly earlier on during the day at lunch: 

Kate tickling the pot-bellied baby!

Chloe definitely loved her Auntie Kate.  Lots of smiling and cooing, especially when she tickled her tummy, obviously I'm going to have to grow my nails cause she seems to like them.  Who wouldn't like tickles?  Like mother, like daughter it seems.

Yesterday was a day of firsts.  Alex took Chloe to the doctor for her first vaccinations.  He wanted to take her on his own, their first outing with just the two of them.  I was more than happy to let him cause Chloe did not like getting stabbed with needles, though he maintains that he held a picture of me in front of her face while it happened so she would associate the badness with me.  He was told she might be a bit grumpy for a few days.  She seemed fine though and Kate and I set off up Arthur's Seat, Chloe's first time up there and my first time as well since we moved back here. 

On top of Arthur's Seat

Chloe, tired out after her epic screaming attack.

Chloe was good as gold until we got to Earthy where we stopped for lunch.  It was all going so well but something set her off and the wailing began.  It was heartbreaking.  She got herself so worked up, baby-tears flowing, face red and scrunched up, arms flailing.  Nothing we did would calm her down.  She must have gone on for about 20-30minutes, it was the first time I'd not been able to settle her and it was hard feeling powerless to make her feel better.  Not quite the relaxed lunch we'd been looking forward to but eventually she did stop crying - as long as she was being gently bounced and you didn't try to move her.  High-maintenance baby!

Tasty Feet!

Chloe was wearing a salmony-pink all-in-one suit the other night and Alex had been feeding Ramsay some ham earlier on.  I was holding Chloe in the kitchen with her legs dangling down around my hips when suddenly I felt sharp little claws digging into my leg.  I looked down and there was Ramsay standing up on his hind legs with his "ham face" on, batting at the bottom of Chloe's feet with front paws cause he thought they were pieces of ham!  

Cosy

Had a lovely little cosy morning.  Chloe was up at 4am for a feed then kinda went back to sleep but was awake again at 6:30am so I fed her again then kept her in bed with us as it seems the only way I can get some more dozing in the mornings - whenever I put her back in her cot in the mornings all she does is grunt, grunt, grunt even with a dummy in.  She was up again not long after and Alex was lamenting the loss of the weekend lie-ins.  Chloe lay there making lots of noises to herself (or maybe they were to us) and smiling away.  Her little vocalisations translated into "Mommy, go make daddy a cup of coffee" according to Alex.  I got up, dutifully made some coffee and when I got back to the bedroom father and daugther were both sound asleep and there I was fully awake!  Still, if you can't beat 'em, join 'em.  I joined in and snuggled into Alex's shoulder with Chloe laying on his chest, her face inches away from mine, my arm draped over her bottom and my finger tucked into her little hand.  It was a lovely way to spend some family time.

Chloe shed her first actual tear today!  Unfortunately I was the cause of it.  I have my new Hoppediz woven wrap and I was practising the Double Hammock carry where she has to be on my back.  Well, she was NOT happy being tossed back there and screamed and shed a tear to prove it.  Luckily once it was tied she immediately shut up & went to sleep so she can't really hate it.  I will prevail with my babywearing!

And this is why I do so much laundry.....

So Chloe and I are chilling on the sofa, she's lying down beside me but starting to get restless so I decide a little face-time might interest her.  Wrong decision.  I lift her up, her face hanging inches above mine, my eyes looking into hers.  I'm talking to her and making funny noises to try to make her smile and I get rather the opposite reaction.  She vomits a large volume of sour milk straight into my open mouth which I then spew up all over her in surprise.  I didn't even see it coming.  Lovely.  Now we are both covered in milk clots with a sour taste lingering in our mouths.  I laughed so hard I cried.  She is now quite content and flopped out over my lap sleeping.

Just had a lovely evening watching Mamma Mia but the best bit was having a sleeping Chloe on my chest the whole time, legs and arms hanging down my sides.  She's so lovely, it's hard to imagine that this little person is going to grow up into an adult.  Alex needed some cheering up after so we had to do the "sleepy baby" swap to get her on his chest.  Unfortunately he now has a squirmy baby on his chest doing press-ups and a grumpy bottom lip but you can't win them all!