Banana

You love food and will try anything.  There has been nothing so far that you do not like. Your favourites are banana, carrot, pikelets and teddy bear biscuits.  You were so lucky to try the smallest taste of chocolate brownie at Eve's house last week and if the eagerness for more was anything to go by, you will be a sweet tooth like your Mum.
Every morning you have a banana for breakfast.  It does not even take you five minutes to finish one.  I love that you are enjoying eating so much.

Sewing corner..

It's been a long time between blogs.

Soon we move house.  The countdown to the furniture move is one week today, we get the new keys on Tuesday.  I'm really excited about moving into a shiny, new, warm apartment close to the beach.  Moving embraces the planner and dreamer in me.  First it was owls for Eva's new room, but now the thing I am most excited about it this little corner of our bedroom

You see, my goal this year is to learn to sew.  I have a beautiful, shiny, new sewing machine that I have all sorts of plans for, but so far it's been having the space to learn which has hindered me.  Although I don't have much space to work with (plus, hubby doesn't know my plans yet), I hope that I can create my own space to relax and create.

Realisitically, with the space, something like this would be perfect

Source: car-moebel.de via Stephanie on Pinterest

Or this, using my childhood desk

Source: apartmenttherapy.com via Stephanie on Pinterest

But time will certainly tell and I look forward to hopefully unlocking some creativeness from within!  

Summer fun

I can’t believe Eva has been in her harness for over two months now and we are actually on the countdown to her possibly having it off.  Since her last check up earlier this month, we have been allowed to take her harness off for one hour per day.  This has been a turning point for Eva in her routine, in that every evening the harness comes off at 6pm, she has a play followed by some veggies & a shower before the harness goes back on, she has a bottle and then it’s bedtime.  I’ve found it a really useful way to teach her about routine so that is one thing I can be grateful for.  

The biggest chance for us recently was that I have come back to work.  It is a learning experience for me to be away from Eva & I think about her the whole time I am there.  I have mostly been working in the afternoons so I spend a fair chunk of the day with her before I go which helps!  She has become such a smiley baby and is always giggling, she really is a beautiful & uplifting person to be around.

This summer has been so warm and we have been taking full advantage of living walking distance to the beach.  Eva & I walk down along the cement path in the afternoons sometimes and on a couple of occasions we have had dinner on the beach but yesterday on her five month birthday was Eva’s first swim.  It was so cute and she absolutely loved it.  I think that I will take her more often now in the late afternoons.  She is going to start swimming lessons in the pool with Papa in March so by then she will really love the water!! 

Modeling her bathers :)

Eva's other recent achievement is mastering solids.  I am so amazed in her, I feel so lucky that ever since the day she was born, whatever I do or give to her she just takes in her stride.  She took to solids quite quickly and now has fruit for lunch and veggies for dinner every day.  I dare say she would have more if I would let her!!  So far we have tried banana, apple, mango, pear, green beans and sweet potato.  Tomorrow she will try pumpkin so the variety is slowly building up and I'm now able to combine two foods which makes it a bit more interesting.  I am making all of her food myself and freezing it down which I really enjoy as it makes me feel like a bit of a hippy.  

Sweet potato

Banana

Green beans

Life is certainly never dull! 

Social networking..

Soooo many things to get addicted to on the Internet.. I am currently active on Facebook, Twitter, Blogger, Pinterest (which I LOVE) and a forum.  I have no idea what I used to do before all of these things existed, but I dare say my house was a lot tidier. 

We had a visit to Monash Hospital on Monday afternoon and it went really well.  We were running late due to slow service where we went for lunch, so I dropped Jimmy & Eva at the door while I parked the car thinking we would be waiting ages anyway.  By the time I got into the physio department she was almost all done!  The harness had been off and put back on again, it needed adjusting as she'd grown.  Jimmy said that when it was off Eva had had a huuuge stretch, she would have loved it.  Everything is progressing nicely, and the safe zone of Eva's hip movement has increased by 15%.  We also don't need to go back to the hospital for two weeks which is great! 

Jimmy barbequed lamb last night and we sat outside where our only table is and it was lovely.  Eva sat up in her bouncer and ate her fist, her latest fun game!

How times have changed...

Source: retronaut.co via Stephanie on Pinterest

All the pregnant ladies...

How good is this, mostly I'm just impressed that the lady can dance like that at 38 weeks pregnant!  All I could do at 38 weeks was make it from the couch to the chocolate tin!!! 

Love this part the best: 

Pain in my hips
And now you gonna trip
Cuz you can’t have sex with me.

Don’t have a lap
Can’t take a crap
And how ‘bout water retention

My urine leaks for 40 weeks
But you can’t be mad at me!

Oh dear... so true hahaha 

We have had a busy few days and if I have noticed one thing it is that Eva is a lot better behaved when we are out than if we are at home!  Could be that she's more stimulated and she likes looking at more than just my mug all day, or she just has good manners, not sure!!!    Thankfully she is back into her night time routine of sleeping from ten o'clock at the latest until eight o'clock the following morning - bliss.  I had her in her own room for her naps yesterday and also when she went to bed, but come to my bedtime I moved her back into our room.  She just seems to little to be in there on her own - overprotective mother much?!  We are off to the hospital on Monday for a check up, I'm looking forward to it and will be armed with questions this time around!! 

Trifle

Poor Eva - it has been 35°C today and she was very unsettled.  It was really hard for me because on previous hot days I just take her in a cool shower & it calms her right down.  Of course I can't do that at the moment, so I wiped her down a few times with cooled baby wipes.  She calmed down in the late afternoon and slept for over two hours.  

While she slept I donned my pinnie and made a trifle.  Not just any trifle, but a black forest trifle.  My excuse was that I needed to test out the recipe before Christmas, but really I just couldn't wait until Christmas to try eating it! I am so glad I did make it, it even got a 'mmm' from Jimmy, which is very hard to get especially when it comes to cooking!  I must admit, the favourite part of my first trifle making experience was using my awesome glass bowl that Mum gave me last month!

Before

During

After

Now I am off to listen to lullabies, cuddle my baby to sleep and enjoy a glass of wine, all while trying to stay away from the trifle!

LFMAO

Once upon a time I would have boycotted this band simply because they are so mainstream, but this song really makes me giggle and considering it's getting so much airplay at the moment, it's bought me a lot of smiles this week when I'd rather have been crying!

Pride

I am so proud of my little princess, over the weekend she has showed a lot of improvement.  I have found that the middle of the day is the most restless for her & she cries a lot, but I am taking some advice from a fellow Hip Mum and trying to distract her with toys and/or tummy time.  She seems to really be enjoying the tummy time with a towel underneath her chest where the strap is, and has also taken a liking to a little purple bunny rabbit.  

There was a point on Saturday when I was ready to burst into tears, when I had to go to the Supermarket & Eva was so upset that everyone, and I mean everyone, was staring at me and staring into her pram.  Some said nothing, one asked me why I didn't leave her home with my husband, another old lady told me a three month old should not be crying like that for no reason (she was covered in blankets).  If they had of all just left me alone, I would have been in and out in five minutes and not half an hour.  It was so horrible being judged.  

Last night she slept in her own bed from Midnight until 8.30am.  She did wake around 4.30am but after a quick cuddle was fast asleep again.  I have seen a lot of smiles from her today which has instantly healed my heart.  We went out this evening and she was so well behaved - looked around at everyone, smiled at her Papa, had a nap, drank her bottle and lay in her pram while we ate.  So proud of her, I am starting to see more of the Eva pre-harness.  Even though it's only been a few days, it feels like it's been on for such a long time!  I keep reminding myself everything will be okay, but it's nice to see some progress in her demeanor to reassure those thoughts.  Now I need to start hoping and praying that we will see the same improvement in her hips.

Rainy Saturday afternoon snuggles

Sunday smiles

Tired out

 

Thoughts after the first 36 hours

It's so hard seeing Eva so upset.  I can tell by looking at her how uncomfortable she is, I watch her as she tries to stretch, her arms go up and then she tries to stretch her legs down & it just can't happen.  Her little face fills with frustration and I just know she doesn't understand what is going on.  I know it's normal for her to be unsettled but it is breaking my heart to see a change from my smiling, laughing, playing daughter into an inconsolable little baby who won't let me put her down, even when she's sleeping. It has brought me to tears on so many occasions today watching her be so unhappy. All I can do is hold her and hope she adjusts soon so she feels happier :-(

We have started to tell people what is going on with Eva and it has surprised & comforted me to know how many people know what DDH is.  I have felt a great amount of support from our families and our friends, even those who are not close by, their words, thoughts & prayers mean the world to me.  

The little girl is sleeping in her sleeping bag for half an hour stints at a time, I think her startle reflex is waking her up so I need to learn how to wrap her arms only.  The sleeping bag is really good because it's a size 0 and zips up, so I can get her in without squishing her legs together.  Every time she wakes she begins crying straight away, I think she is still confused, so I am really looking forward to Hubby getting home to sit by her while I have a shower and tidy up a little bit (the house and myself).

Sleepy cuddles with Mum this afternoon

In my Bambi sleeping bag