Back to Work

It’s 8.30 and madam is asleep. Thanks Babywise.  She was 2 months yesterday and almost sleeping through.  She wakes up once anytime between 2 and 4 and then sleeps through again until 7 or 8 most mornings.  Going to bed is a bit of a different story.  The book told me “to put baby down when she is drowsy, not asleep.” 

Yesssssssssss – Kyra probably didn’t read that part.  I tried, but no sooner have I left the room than she is calling, “Mummy, where are you? Think you better come back please” and Mummy obliges cos thats what Mummies do. Kyra only likes to go to sleep lying on my chest and then I get up and tip toe to the cot and put her down head first (another book, which Kyra also didn’t read, says that way they don’t wake) and hope for the best. This process can take anywhere up to an hour and a half, so that is how I spend my evenings these days. But it is a small price to pay for a good night’s sleep. The only problem is who is going to do this on Thursday night when I desperately want to go to book club? I love the fact that my little one feels so safe and warm on my chest, but I have created a little bit of a situation for myself.

When she wakes to feed in the early hours, I learnt a fab new trick. I put her in the bed with me and pull her close to my chest and she gets on with her feeding while I go back to sleep. I have no idea how much and for how long she drinks, but I do know she won’t hesitate in waking me if she needs something.

Sadly, I am back at work full time as from 2 weeks ago.  My situation at the office changed and I HAVE to work. I am so so so so so disapointed.  You carry a baby for nine months and then you give birth (or you lie still and get sliced up) and I reckon the least you deserve for your efforts is 3 months off with your baby to drink coffee with friends, go shopping and showing baby off and to just enjoy the special special time with this little creature.  I feel quite robbed and am finding it very hard.  She stays with Petronilla 3 days a week now and then with her Granny or Aunty Lyn for 2 and with Pet again on Saturdays if I have to go in.  Things will calm down soon when all the suppliers close and I can be back with her but right now that is just the way it is.  I miss her so much and have no idea how moms do it when their babies are 3 months old.  I am hoping in January to work half day and be with her. My plan was to have been off until Jan and then go back half day so maybe I can still pull that off.  My precious little thing – life just doesn’t go according to plan does it. Imagine if she looks at Pet one day and says “Mom”.  With Declan, I spent just about every waking moment with him so it is bizarre for me to be away, but I suppose this is the life of a normal mom with a healthy child so I should just count my blessings.

She had her vaccinations last week and weigh-in. She is 5kgs on the dot, much heavier than Declan was at this age. I was in such turmoil about these jolly vaccinations.  Lots of moms aren’t doing it and I don’t quite understand the reasoning but I just did not have the time to research all the pros and cons so I just did it. I hope I have done the right thing. When I heard the list of horrid diseases she could get without the vaccinations, I personally felt I had to do it. Some of them are deadly and I can’t take any chances. And I am not saying moms who don’t do them are being irresponsible because I didn’t research it. Maybe I am irresponsible for having done it. I just don’t know. It is so nerve wracking making these decisions and there are so many opinions on every subject and in some ways I wish we could just get on with things without feeling guilty about whether we are doing the right thing or not.  With Declan my life was all consumed with cancer and chemotherapy drugs and the day to day decisions seemed minor compared to the types of decisions we had to make with him.  It is all quite new to me now, this day to day business and looking after my baby without always having a family member present and bouncing decisions off of lots of people.

Well done and THANK YOU to everyone who cycled 94.7 for the charity. Sam Cowan interviewed Kim who was cycling in the charity gear which was great exposure.  We are still working hard at raising funds for the medical bills of children with cancer and are still looking for runners to run Two Oceans for the charity, so mail me on info@allhandsondecfriends.org if you can help in any way. I will post some pics of Kyra taking her bath on her 2 month birthday later this week.

Lots of love

Gillian

PS Happy Birthday Daryl my love for turning 40 on the 21^st – you don’t look a day over 39.

12 OCT In my vibrating musical chair - Mom thinks if she puts me in here she can make din dins - I think not

22 OCT

4 NOV - At the Botanical Gardens with my friend Caylee-Shae - She is 3 weeks older than me and already my big mate.

TWO OCEANS

Hi All

Kyra had her 6 week check up this week. She weighs 4.34 and all is going well. That’s 340 grams gained in one week alone.  The Dr was very patient with me as I hauled out a list of questions as long as a toilet roll. He was the paed who had to tell us Declan had cancer and he remembered me and was very thorough with her check up. My heart sunk to my shoes as I walked into his waiting room. Last time I went in there they sent us to hospital and we kind of never went home again.  Life was never normal again after a visit to the clinic and then Dr Tshigabe and we had Declans life threatening and life taking illness hanging over our heads so you can imagine I was not excited about the trip. I was so worried that some veins on her eyelid were tumour but they NOT. And it was like a weight lifting off my shoulders as we left his rooms. We were leaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaving!!!!!!!!!! Like a normal family. In and out.  Thats what normal families do hey!

My little monkey has a bit of colic but nothing so serious that I can’t handle it. She cries a hang of a lot more than Declan did which I find very disconcerting.  I don’t know what to do and what is troubling her and how to help her and I find it very hard when a healthy child is crying.  When Dec cried, we would know why. He had cancer and he had chemo and he had radiation.  Kyra doesn’t, so now you have to use all your Mommy skills to figure out what is wrong.  I feel like I am finally getting the hang of it. Claudine is going to bring me that DVD that was Oprah that explains what the different cries mean. Should be fun.

And now onto some more fun. Who is in the mood for GETTING FIT FOR CHARITY?  I, Gillian Nicole Meiring in all my fat post pregnancy glory, do hereby undertake to join you in training for the 2 Oceans Half Marathon being held over Easter (23-24 April) next year. Come on!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Do it with me.  We start training THIS WEEK. The program is below compliments of Shape Magazine.  We will get people to sponsor us running and use the event to raise funds. We obviously have got to cover our own costs to get to CT and back and the accommodation. We can make it such a cool team effort.  We can write to each other and encourage each other.  We have about 8 people so far. Some rather athletic and others like me who will be plodding my way through.  There is more than enough time to get fit.  Sign up to do this with me.  Mail me on aurasa@metroweb.co.za for more information but in the mean time here is this weeks program. It doesn’t matter if you only start next week or the week thereafter. There is plenty of time. Get people to do it with you and we can do the Valentine’s Night Race together next year as our first 10 km race.

WHOS IN????????????????

WEEK ONE - train on 3 days
Day 1
10 min walk
1 min jog / 3 min walk x 5

Day 2
10 min walk
1 min jog / 3 min walk x 6

Day 3
10 min walk
2 min jog / 3 min walk x 4

How easy is that????????????????????

I am Petite

My silly Mommy – she sure can make a hurricane in a tot glass.  I weigh 4kg’s and have gained 350 grams this last week. My mother won’t be happy until I become a little elephant now will she. What is her problem?  Mommy has a breakdown if she gains 100grams and weighs herself every single morning to get rid of her pregnancy weight, but it seems like what is good for the goose is not good for the gander.  I must just chomp chomp gain gain chomp chomp gain gain.  It’s hard work man this bulking up business. The nice clinic sister said there is nothing wrong with me and I am perfect – I am just petite. Daddy said nah nah I told you so cos he told Mommy not to worry. Daddy said he should be a clinic sister cos he knows just about everything about babies. Me and Daddy are so cool and Mommy is a worry wart.  Kisses kisses!!!!

All you can eat Buffet - open 24 hours - all welcome

It is really hard to write regular updates when the buffet is open 24 hours a day and you are it.  Every time I sit down to write she seems to know, and I hear a moooooooooooooooooo sound coming from the room as Madam yells for her cow.  She is a smart little cookie and unless I watch closely and listen for the swallowing, she will nibble nibble nibble without actually drinking.  When I am not a cow, then I am just one big Dummy and if she had her way, she would be attached to me all day long like a little tentacle.

I am very worried about Kyra though. My friend Claudine came to visit today and Kayleigh is 3 weeks older than Kyra and seems to be double her size.  So I checked in that little book the clinic gives you and she is supposed to weigh over 4kg’s and there is no way she does. She is tiny. When I took her to the Clinic at Clicks the Aunty told me she is eating too much cos she gained so much and last week when I took her to the Clinic at the hospital they said she is gaining too little and I must come back in a week (which is tomorrow). So I will go tomorrow. Hopefully I just have a petite child and not what the books call “failure to thrive” cos I have sour milk.

She really battles with her wind and clinic said to me she has a bit of colic.  It is strange cos when we are out and about with noise and in and out of shops and cars she doesn’t so much as squeak and is happy as ever, but sit “peacefully” at home and she screams so loudly the neighbours investigate.  We wonder if she is one of those babies that likes light and noise.  I have heard about them.  I feel so out of my depth though.  With Declan I knew somehow what to do and how to look after a cancer baby but I just feel at such a loss as to what to do with a “normal” baby. I assume crying and wind is normal but when is it not normal and when do I take her to a doctor. It is almost like I have been de-sensitised in a sense and think that anything less severe than cancer is hardly an illness or an issue needing medical attention. The clinic said I must take her to a chiropractor for her colic and I said I didn’t think it was necessary and the sister looked at me like I was an evil, cruel mom who didn’t care if her child had discomfort so off we went to the chiro. He said her spine is fine and that there must be issues with the sugar in my milk causing her gas cos I explained how she lets them rip to such an extent that people stop what they are doing to hear where the noise came from and inevitably think its me cos no baby could possible make such explosions.  She puts the guys from Jackass and Kenny vs Spenny to shame.

Got to head off  - I am being summoned.  She is in the garden with Petronilla airing her bottie cos she has nappy rash and she just pooped in the pram and is cross about that and hungry at the same time.  All in a day’s work – I just love her to bits xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

PS Congrats Silvana on the arrival of little Rafael

PPS Who wants to run the Two Oceans Half Marathon with me next year in April – we start training now. (as in next Monday). I will post a program on the net and we can get fit together and do some practice races together and motivate each other – our own little team – we need a name.  I last did exercise in 2009 and that was running the bath so we are all in the same bath. Okkkkkkkkkkkkkkaaaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy coming moooooooooooooooooooo

25 September 3 days old - sleeping with Mummy - we have the same style

With my Friendie Hannah

Taking a bath - not my favourite pastime!  Really rather unnecessary since I don't exactly go jogging yet.

Posing with my Big Brother - this photo was so special I even opened my eyes for Mummy

LATEST PHOTOS

Maybe we should leave messages on Declan's site http://www.all-hands-on-dec.co.za/ cos I miss not interacting and seeing what you all say.  We can "talk" on Deccies site.  I am going to take Kyra to clinic Monday and see what they say about her nocturnal activities. It is so weird - she sleeps easily and happily during the day and at night - squirm, cry, get wind, want to eat - anything except sleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeppppppppppp!!!!

I must agree with Linda-Maree - I find this site very un user friendly - today I am trying to load photos and it will just not do it - booo hooo and I have so little time - no time to dilly dally and battle and there Kyra is crying - so off I go - will try again later................................ kisses

Kyra likes the night!

Wow, but this breastfeeding is getting harder and easier all at the same time.  Kyra and I have learnt each other a bit and she is latching better, but now she has decided that night time is day time and day time is night.  In the day she will feed and then play a bit and then have a nap, but from 7pm onwards, she squirms like she is in pain, doesn’t latch very well and WILL NOT sleep.  What gives?  The other night I was walking around like a zombie rocking her till 1.30 in the morning.  And herein lies an advantage to the bottle fed baby – hand her to Daddy!!! I am really quite exhausted and am starting to dread sunset.  Any tips anyone?  I didn’t really breast feed Declan. I tried and battled so topped up with a bottle and then when he was diagnosed we stayed on the bottle.  I was a little too stressed plus they needed to know exactly what he consumed each day, so in essence this is my first experience breast feeding.  Babywise has gone a little out the window. I have broken every Babywise rule in the book. They gonna report me to the Babywise police.

Other than my night time activities all is going fantastically.  She is just the cutest and I cannot believe 2 weeks has passed already. Before we know it, I will be dropping her off at her Matric Dance. Because we have our own business, I have had to come back to work a few days here and there.  It is very upsetting. I was hoping to be able to stay away a little longer but it is not to be.  At least we work from Daryl’s parent’s house so Granny Maureen can watch her in between feeds. Granny Wendy is visiting at the moment and is just loving her little granddaughter. Granny Jill arrives next week.

Don’t worry – I won’t be writing many posts. I am very boring so Kyra will normally do them. I just know if she had written this post she would say she doesn’t see a problem with being awake all night and she doesn’t see a problem with using me as a dummy and for what the books call non-nutritive sucking to the point where I have no feeling anywhere on my chest and she doesn’t see a problem in snacking every 20 minutes after the sun goes down and she doesn’t see a problem with sleeping in my bed and yelling at me when I dare to dose off for a second.  Yes, that is what little Kyra would say so I decided to share my side of the story.

In the morning after a long night, I wake up though (we are allowed to sleep between 5am and 6am) and look at my precious little child’s face and remind myself that if exhaustion is my only problem in life at the moment as far as Kyra is concerned, I am one lucky lady.  At Kyra’s age, Declan had spent a lot of time in hospital dripped and wired and anaesthetised and operated on and poked and prodded. The tumour was like a golf ball and was pushing his eye out and he must have been in pain and I was a new mom, overwhelmed and terrified and devastated.  It seems like a life time ago and I really don’t know how we got through it.  It was a different world, 2008, so 2010 and Kyra is all pretty easy now and we are blessed with a healthy, rosy cheeked little girl.

My birth experience

My brother had a blog and so my Mommy said I can also have one, all to myself, where I can write whatever I want all about ME and anything else that blows my brown hair back!!
So I arrived in the world on September 22 at 4.30 pm via Caesarean section weighing 2.98 kgs. Mommy badly wanted a natural birth, like she had with my brother Declan and she had a midwife and everything and was all ready to go off and have me at Genesis Clinic, when all the doctors said it would be dangerous and traumatic cos I was lying transverse. That means I hadn’t stuck my head down (and didn’t have it up either for that matter). I was lying across across my Mommy’s tummy with my head under her right arm pit and my feet under her left. I was not budging as I never had any intention of squeezing my way into the world and messing up my fine features, neat little head and Rod Stewart hair do.  I know what they did to my brother with those silver salad server forceps!  Declan looked like he’d gone a few rounds with Tyson and I would be having none of it. 

Mommy was terrified of being sliced up though. I don’t know why. Even Daddy said it’s much easier to have a c section but since he has never given birth (whether naturally or by c section) Mommy says she doesn’t know where he gets off giving opinions.  Mommy was supposed to be done at 5 but they took us early at 4.  One hour less for Mommy to worry so that was okay but one hour less for me to spend with my brother.  He came to see me off you know and we hugged and I said I got to go and he promised to visit often, which he says he does anyway and he said I must look after Mommy and Daddy and help them to be happy again. 

Mommy’s blood pressure dropped quite low and she broke out in a cold sweat and looked a tad pale but other than that and the weird feeling of pressure in her chest she said the operation was not as bad as she expected it to be.  The Doc yanked me out and showed me to Mommy who looked at me like “who arrrrrrrrrre you?” before I was whisked off to be cleaned up.  I think Mommy got a shock cos I have brown hair and Mommy was expecting me to look exactly like my brother because we look exactly the same in the 4D scan, but Mommy doesn’t know when the 4D scan was done, the pics they took were of Declan as he had come by to play with me that day and he decided to play tricks with the camera and stick his face in front of mine. Naughty Declan!!!  You can see Dec and I are brother and sister, but being a little lady, I am finer and smaller and more delicate and I have dark hair and navy blue eyes that Mommy says she could just drown in.

I only saw Mommy again 3 hours later which wasn’t very nice and also what Mommy said was not lekker about a C section and then they took me away after only an hour together till all the way through to the next morning. They said they would take me back at 5am and at 5.01 am I heard old Mommy buzzing furiously and asking why they hadn’t brought me through yet.  Again the natural birth babies got precedence and were bathed first and I only got to go to Mommy at 6.30.  And then me and Mommy got to check each other out properly for the 1^st time cos I think the night before Mommy was a bit stoned.  We stared deep into each other’s eyes and it was LOVE! I could see she had already fallen for my charm and just adored me, inside and out. All her fears about me reminding her of Declan and her not being able to bond if she had a Caesar and fears for my health all flew out the window and we both knew everything was going to be just fine and we were a perfect match.

They came and took all the tubes and drips out of Mommy at 9am and told her to get up and start moving and then the next morning they let us go home. So all in all we spent one day and 2 nights in hospital.  We were starting to get a bit restless and I know Mommy did not like being in the hospital with a little baby – too many memories – so it was a good thing they released us early.

I am breast feeding very well though Mommy says I resemble a Barracuda on a frenzy.  Mommy cries a bit when we get started with a meal, but I settle down and then it’s ok. Mommy read this book called Baby wise that said if she does certain things and has me on a bit of a schedule, then by 7 – 9 weeks I will be sleeping through the night.  Mommy read a summary of the book to me when I was born so I know what is expected of me.  So far I am co-operating and Mommy only has to get up twice a night for me. Mommy is looking a little worse for wear though and her interrupted beauty sleep is most certainly wearing her down, but we soldier on.

I know Mommy misses my brother very much and I do remind her of him in many ways and what could and should have been but I am the new light in Mommy’s life and she is taking in every single little moment with me, cos she knows how fleeting it all can be. I score big time cos I get loads and loads of attention and Mommy hardly leaves my side. She even sleeps in my room with me and has left Daddy to fend for himself (with Peanut).

Arriving at Hospital at 1.30pm Wed 22 Sep 2010

Kyra arrives in the world - my 1st look at her and I wondered why she had dark hair - what a first thought to have

They hand her to me - its daft man this Caesar business.  I could hardly see her properly without breaking my neck

She often lies with her hands up - so relaxed

Leaving the hospital (Hallellujah) on Friday around lunch

Arriving home with her - Daddy carrying her through the front door

Meeting a very curious Peanut

One Day Old

Proud Daddy holding his little Princess

Precious Kyra Erin Du Toit also known as Princess Tic Tac

We put Deccie's favourite toys on the shelf for Kyra to play with one of these days. 
(Hey Christine, Daryl still has to hang my lady bug paintings - this weekend for definite because his mother in law will be here with her big stick) 

I LOVE my lady bugs and am so thrilled with all the gifts I got at the Stork Party.  Her room is a just so beautiful and peaceful and I love spending all my time there with Kyra. We lie on the bed and feed and cuddle and just love each other.

Testing One Two Three

Let's see if this works before I write a whole long story!!