End of a year

It's New Year's Eve.

Much of the city is out partying (I suspect). At least much of our apartment block. But with 2 under 2 we are home, and L has gone to bed. I don't think my babies understand that tomorrow is a good day to sleep in.

So I'm having a rare moment of peace to reflect, and am reflecting on the year past.

Wrote some questions...

- What have been the highlights from 2011?

giving birth to LL is definitely one of the biggest highlights. It is with great delight that I think about the whole event: labour, birth, the early days with a new external member of our family. What a privilege.

- What have been some significant relationships in 2011?

my wonderful mum's group has been one source of great conversation and journeying. It's been very special to share in the lives of these women as their babies grow into toddlers.

- What challenges have been part of 2011?

It's been a year of constant effort. One child goes to sleep, the other needs attention. Sometimes (often) both need me at once. It's felt hard to have much time for much else, unless it's mixed into a multi-tasking effort. L and I are weary, and have had great patches of connecting, but also many times where it's harder to say much beyond the business transactions of who's cooking dinner and which child needs a new nappy.

Living as 4 in a unit is also a challenge, with it's good points (learning the discipline of culling our stuff, for example!). But it's been hard fitting in an ever increasingly active toddler, a baby with all the add ons, and then having a spare surface to do something I find relaxing like sewing (oh and the overhead of getting out the machine knowing it needs to go back before the toddler wakes!). It's been a joy to host people even when we feel pressed for space though.

- What am I thankful for from 2011?

My husband who listens very well and patiently (when we catch pockets of time!)
E, who is growing and developing at a remarkable rate. He's learning so much so fast and makes me laugh often.
Meeting LL and watching E and LL enjoy each other
The people who have asked me tough questions.
The people who gave us meals, gifts, cards and various other sorts of love before and after LL was born.
God's faithfulness and sovereignty through some personal and wider challenges.
The privilege of good health.
C.S. Lewis and his book 'Screwtape Letters'.
People who have thought hard about babies and sleeping and written books about how to help it happen.
The people who have asked me spontaneously how I'm going and have meant it.
Models of perseverence and grace.
The simple delight of sitting down to think.
Slings and wraps for carrying babies that have revolutionised my capacity to care for 2 little ones especially in the newborn days.
The people who L works with.
Sara Groves and Colin Buchanan.
Visits with my great grandfather, including singing songs with him that he sang as a young adult.
Friends are still alive.
Marriages are still intact.


There's a few thoughts.

Anyone else doing any reflecting at the end of this year?

Thinking about advent and Christmas and children

Stumbled across this site... interesting...

http://www.stnicholascenter.org/pages/home/

Why meals are such great gifts for families with new babies

We've been given a lovely supply of meals since Lily's arrival, and it's been such a wonderful blessing. It's such a great gift that I thought I'd blog about it.

It's a gift of food.

• to state the obvious. It sustains us literally.

It's a gift of time.

• It means we don't need to choose a dish, write a list of ingredients, go shopping, decide on brands, unpack shopping, prepare ingredients, cook the meal, clean the pots and put everything away. Instead we can heat something up between a feed and nappy change, eat it at a reasonable hour, and spend energy on toddler & bub (=less crying and more loving feelings all round!). In the first weeks of a new bub the tasks listed above can be rather overwhelming, and it's so so wonderful to not even think about cooking and be able to focus.

It's a gift of an idea.

• Many meals we received are things we've never cooked, but gee it'd be good to repeat some of the dishes when we have more time for creative cooking!

It's a gift of hands.

• Especially with 2 kids, even when one is happy to be worn, 2 hands are not quite enough to go around at dinner time (and particularly just before dinner time!). But heating up a meal and dishing it out can be done almost one handed, or with minimal meltdown times because hands are available for cuddles and pats so much more than if they were cooking.

So thank-you, if you have cooked for us. It's made a great deal of difference to getting used to being 4 in our family.

And if you know someone having a baby soon and you want to support them, consider a culinary gift...

Researching

Been doing some online reading about labour, inductions, epidurals and such.

Some interesting articles... including:

http://www.sarahbuckley.com/epidurals-risks-and-concerns-for-mother-and-baby/

http://www.bellybelly.com.au/birth/induction-of-labour-to-induce-or-not-induce

http://www.sarahbuckley.com/pain-in-labour-your-hormones-are-your-helpers/

http://www.sarahbuckley.com/leaving-well-alone-a-natural-approach-to-the-third-stage-of-labour/

Bus comparison

I just caught the bus. Other than me - obviously pregnant with a laden pram and sleeping baby, the other travellers were basically all elderly men.

The bus driver swapped for a new one at one of the stops. The new driver proved to be very curt to an elderly gentleman who was a bit confused about how buses work. He treated him with some disdain and what I would consider disrespect, had he spoken to me thus.

I sat wondering how I could say something to the driver... thoughts like 'are you always rude to the older men on buses or just the cute ones?' that really weren't going to go anywhere except around my head.

Then it was time to get off. I was the sole exiter, and to accomodate me, the driver leaned out of his seat to address me, asked me 'would you like a hand with the pram love?', gave me assorted affirming comments possibly verging on a flirting attempt when I proved able to manage alone, and farewelled me with various warm phrases before the door closed and he pulled away.

I don't mind at all that a driver recognises the challenge of having a pram on a bus. In fact, had I not seen his earlier behaviour I would have thought he was one of the friendliest and most accomodating drivers towards a young mum. But I felt uncomfortable receiving this treatment, because there was such a marked contrast.

Where is the bus driver who waits for the old nona to sit down before he moves off. Where is the bus driver who treats the man with a walking stick as a person, not a hindrance.

This one will get my respect.

A baby's guide to eating broccoli

Step 1: look at piece of broccoli on highchair tray with suspicion.

Step 2: poke it

Step 3: pick it up and do a few trips towards the mouth, not quite getting it in.

Step 4: put it back on highchair tray.

Step 5: pick it up again and smash it on the tray.

Step 6: smear it on the tray.

Step 7: Chew a corner of it for a little while.

Step 8: Smash it again, and pull it apart so there are little pieces in a pile on the tray.

Step 9: Randomly wave hands around, so that some pieces fall on the floor.

Step 10: Pick up a piece in each hand, wave them around, then put one in the mouth.

Step 11: If still hungry, repeat steps 2 to 10 a few times.

Step 12: when no longer hungry, systematically 'clean' highchair tray with a remaining piece, or drop each piece - as pincer grip skills allow - on the floor and have a look to see what they do there.

Step 13: be placed, fully clothed, in bath.