cutest thing to wake up to

Gaby woke me up on Friday morning at 6.09am - LAUGHING! She was hard out laughing, and I have no idea what she was laughing at, because she had no toys in her cot. All she could probably see was her mobile, but I don't think that would make her laugh as much as she was!! LOL it was so much nicer waking up to that, than waking up to crying!!!!!

She's becoming such a little character, and has started experimenting with making noises from her mouth - not babbling noises, but just random noises with her tongue. It's very very cute, and I am guessing it's all part of normal language accquisition!

Aw... I just love this little girl so much - and I cannot imagine how boring.. and even meaningless my life would be, if she hadn't come into it. She makes every day a good day, and even when I'm feeling down, or crying for whatever reason, she laughs at me, and that makes me laugh.. or she'll smile at me.. or snuggle up to me. It makes me remember that I can't sweat the small stuff, not when I have this little beauty in my life. She makes the bad stuff go away, and the good stuff even... good-er!

I got a new tattoo the other day - Gaby's footprint with her name/b'day. The footprint is a little bigger than I thought it would be, but it needed to be in order to do all the detail...

8 months old

My precious baby girl is 8 months old today! As I say with every month that passes - time is going SO fast, and before I know it she's going to be one. I don't think crawling is too far away either, which makes things doubly exciting.

Saturday, Sunday, Monday Gaby refused to sleep at all during the day - so it was a pretty funny (in a bad way) three days. I took her to the doctor yesterday (monday) and she has a virus, her throat is a little red, so I have to keep an eye on her. I'm hoping it goes away soon, and doesn't turn into an infection, however it doesn't seem to be effecting her too much, so that's okay. She also still has thrush on her bottom, but it is looking better than it was this time last week - and hopefully it'll clear up properly soon.

poor baby girl

Aw my little poppet has got her first real medical 'problem' - she has thrush on her bottom! I thought that it was just your run of the mill nappy rash, but I explained what it looked like to the Plunket Nurse on the helpline & she said it sounded more like thrush, and that I should go to the doctor & get a definate diagnosis... and it was! We have some cream now, and it seems to have already started working, which is great. Poor we thing, I almost cried when I saw it this morning. I think we've done pretty good though - she's 8mo in 6 days and this is her first dose of anything that's needed medication to clear it up (well, minus the reflux).

8 months. Wow, the months just seem to go past faster & faster. I am getting kind of excited about her turning one, and throwing her her first birthday party! Baking her first cake! I will probably invite Josh & Ryan, as far as baby-friends go, and i'll get Terri & Gav to come over, and Stu & his sisters.... Mum & Dad... Stu's Mum & Step-Dad & that'll be that. She slept through properly the other night, didn't even have to get up to give her her dummy - I hope it's a sign of things to come!

this time a year ago

Amazing to think that this time a year ago, I was 22w2d pregnant. Gaby was still tucked up safely inside my belly - and I was getting excited about SLOWLY approaching the 3rd trimester! Everything was going pretty smoothly, I was still at work, but was looking forward to starting my maternity leave. Gaby's kicks were starting to get stronger, and my belly was starting to look more obviously pregnant. The reality of giving birth was starting to set in, and my little worries were beginning to come to the surface. The day that I would meet my daughter loomed in the not so distant future, but it felt like a lifetime away.

And now? Everyday passes so quickly. Gaby is 7 1/2 months old, soon enough she'll be ONE. And this time last year I was only just half way through my pregnancy. I am absolutely in awe of how much my body has achieved - and how much Gaby's body has achieved, in such a small amount of time. I have been reading back on my birth story, and I cried reading it. I had forgotten certain things, and I was taken back to that night..... losing my plug, my waters breaking, being wheeled down to the birthing suite, the prostin pains, feeling such a massive connection to my Mum., the c/s decision, saying goodbye to my Mum, being wheeled into the theatre suite... walking into theatre, the epidural & other assorted jabs & pricks & pokes, the doctor explaining what was happening, time standing still, hearing Gaby cry for the first time, seeing Gaby for the first time, Stu holding Gaby for the first time, me holding Gaby for the first time...... God I loved all of it.

I really think I could fill up 1000 pages in a book on how I feel about my pregnancy, birth & being a Mum - and that is only after the first 7 1/2 months of being a Mum, and 9 months of pregnancy. I am contemplating writing a book of some sort. Not necessarily for publication, but more so that I don't forget everything, so that I have something to pass on to Gaby when she's older, or (shudders at the thought) when she gets pregnant with her first baby.... Life never really held any meaning for me, until now. Gaby has made life REAL for me.

sleeping like an angel

The past two days Gaby has been sleeping SOOOOOOO well! I'm still in shock! Yesterday she had about 5 sleeps during the day, and didn't protest when I put her down for any of them, she went to bed for good at 6.40pm & woke up at 8.40am! She woke once during the night, but that was just to have her dummy put in. No bottle needed! And so far today she's onto her second sleep. Her first sleep she slept for TWO hours! I'm actually starting to wonder if this is 'good' normal, or if something is wrong with her. It's not NORMAL for her. But then I'm also wondering if the weather has something to do with it (it's cold), and being home by ourselves as well - there isn't the usual hustle & bustle, which she is used to on a daily basis.....

Cutest thing happened today - Gaby was trying to get my tattoo off!!!! LOL it was way to cute!

hooray for better weeks!

This week has been 10x better than the last 2 or 3 weeks. THANK. GOD. It seems (touch wood) that Gaby is starting to get back into a night time waking routine, GENERALLY just waking once or twice at night - usually around 1-2am and then again at 5.30-6.30am, sometimes she will wake up earlier the first time (like 11pm) - which while it's a pain because I am just getting to sleep, it also seems to be working out pretty well, because she doesn't seem to wake up until around 5.30-6.30am! So I don't mind at all really.

Gaby is out for the first time with her Aunty Jacqui and Aunty Karen - and it's SO weird not having her around. I have been away from her before, but in the past she's been with either Mum or Terri, so it's a bit different (because they see her on a very regular basis & know her routines and her little personality traits)... they are having her until around 1.30-2.30, and it's now 12.30. I'm not 'sad' as such, but I do miss her and I am looking forward to seeing her get back!!!!

I am a little worried that Gaby doesn't roll over. She has rolled both ways a few times, BUT not for the last couple of months, which I think is really strange. But that said, she is still developmentally normal, and there doesn't seem to be any reason for concern. I guess I'm just going to have to try to put her on her tummy more, and encourage her to get her roll on! She is beginning to show little steps toward crawling, she can get up on her knees (when she wants), but I still think it's going to be a couple of months before she's crawling. Once again - maybe she needs more tummy time!

A big milestone is happening next week... Gaby is going to pre-school for the first time!!!! I'm a bit nervous about it all, but it's only 6 hours a week (3 hours on Monday & Thursday). The social interaction with other young babies/toddlers is going to be great for her, and I think it will be a positive experience for both of us. I am considering going back to university next year, so I think it's probably a good thing if Gaby gets used to pre-school now, because I'll have to put her in pre-school for a few more hours a week next year. Hopefully I can work my timetable out so my classes are one after the other, and she can be the least amount of time necessary. I just hope she doesn't crawl for the first time there.. or walk for the first time.. or say her first word.