growth spurt & 12 months approaching

the past few days Gaby has been quite grizzly - and quite hungry, just acting quite out of character. Last night she had THREE bowls of dinner! LOL. I am picking she is having a growth spurt, I remember the plunket nurse saying that she'd probably have her next between 9-10 months.

Josh turned 1 the other day, so that means Gaby isn't far off! Scary stuff. I'm trying to decide if I should buy her anything else for her b/day - she is only going to be 1 - she isn't going to understand what the heck is going on, and will probably be more interested in the boxes! BUT it would be nice to spoil her! I might get her some more books, and a couple of cute little outfits maybe...

Not sure if I will have a 'party' for her... I will invite Sue & the girls, Ter, Gav & Tyler... and probably Josh & Serena... and then there will be Stu & his sisters.... hmmmm could be a busy day!

happy 9 month b/day

Gaby is 9 months old today!!!! 9 months ago today, my life changed irreversibly - not that I'd want to reverse it!

It's really funny (well not funny haha) how much your life changes once you have a baby. You realise how much you've taken certain things for granted (sleeping in!), you realise that your parents weren't really that bad, you realise how important family is, you realise how un-important going out & getting drunk every weekend is... Your choice in friends changes, you drift away from those friends without children, and get closer to those with children. And suddenly YOU are not the most important thing in your life - your baby/child is 10x more important than you, and you automatically put their needs ahead of your own.

Some people probably think "that sounds pretty lame" - but I love it. I feel like my life is on the track it's meant to be on, since I've had Gaby. I don't think I'm meant to be a 'career woman', I don't think I'm meant to be someone who travels until they are 40........ I think I'm meant to be a Mum. I KNOW I'm meant to be a Mum.

Although sometimes, with the way things are with society now, I feel like it's not good enough for me JUST to be a Mum. I should be working 40 hours a week, while studying at the same time. Until recently that has caused me a lot of confusion. But I have finally realised that I CAN 'just be a Mum'. I don't HAVE to be at university. I don't HAVE to be working 40 hours a week. For me personally, the most important thing is that Gaby is put first - and that she's the most important thing in my life - that she gets as much time with me as possible during the early days, to build that all important foundation of love & respect........

I love her so much..... she's a little monkey at times, but I love her all the more for it!

plunket update

Hmm well the Plunket update y/day wasn't that exciting, because she weighs what she weighed when the doctor weighed her on their scales (with nappy & clothes on), and she is SHORTER than the last measurement we were given? LOL obviously there is a bit of a discrepency between the two measurey thingys! Anyways she's 21lb1.5oz & 71cm long.... We go back at 12 months for another check up. I'm a little worried about the whole length being the same at 7 & 9 months? but hopefully it IS just a weird discrepancy though

Gaby is doing really well, she seems to be getting around on her hands & knees now, just not by crawling. One minute she's by the TV, the next she's by the couch. It's pretty cute!

Me & Serena have decided to take Gaby & Josh to the Queenspark Playgroup, to see if we can meet some new Mummy's & babies! It is $1 a session, so it's not exactly going to break the bank is it. Speaking of the bank, I'm going to get a bank account set up for Gaby, so that I can put all her money bank money in there - and so people can just put money in her bank account if they don't want to get her b/day or xmas presents... I'm picking most people would sooner give presents hehe, I know I would! I would like her to get to 18 & have a nice little amount of money tucked away - so she can maybe go travelling.

Me & Gaby are quite possibly going to be in the Treasures magazine!! The lady who is the editor of the single parenting article/section of the magazine, rang and left a message yesterday to ask if I would be interested in being in an article! Of course I am, who wouldn't be! She is going to ring me around 11.00 today, so I'm waiting by the phone!

plunket tomorrow

Gaby has Plunket tomorrow - it will be very interesting to see how much she's grown since her last check! I think she'll probably be close to 23lb, and maybe... 75cm long?

She still isn't crawling, but she is getting closer to it. Hopefully she'll start this week, but then again athere is really no rush, so long as the Plunket nurse says she's doing okay, and i'm pretty sure she will!!!!

No more teeth yet, though her attitude lately tends to make me think there will be one or two popping through in the near future! I'm sure she'll get a hell of a shock when she first eats with 4 teeth - and actually bits something off!

She's getting cuter and cuter each day, I just love her so much - I would be heartbroken if anything happened to her, I really really would be.

my little spittle bug

LOL Ms Gabrielle has started spitting! It's so cute.. though I'm sure that soon enough it won't be cute! She seems to know the perfect time to do it, to make me laugh. I am 100% sure that she understands a LOT more than I give her credit for, there is a very intellegent brain inside that huge head of hers!

Today while she was having some tummy time, I noticed that Gaby was up on her toes & hands! It looked so cute, but I think I gave her a bit of a fright with my excited shriek I let out, because she collapsed. Hopefully I can get her to do it again soon. I really hope that she begins crawling soon... Just so I know that she's doing things she's meant to be. I know that she isn't behind, but well, I feel like people judge me by the stage of development Gaby is at.... it shouldn't bother me, but it does. We saw Sally & Jane over the weekend & they gave me 'that look' when I said Gaby wasn't crawling......

changing overnight

Gaby has been changing overnight - quite literally too! The past three or four days, each morning she wakes up looking different, and making different noises. It is so overwhelming how quickly she's growing up - for instance this afternoon, she pulled herself up to a standing position! She has never done that before, hell she's never even seemed CLOSE to doing that before, but there she was!

Yet again, I have become overwhelmed when thinking about how much I love Gaby. I was in her room talking to her this morning & I began crying, because all of this love was just pouring out. It terrifies me to think that something could happen to her, or that something could happen to me.... I hope to god (not that I believe!) that nothing happens, that in 50 years time we have a normal mother/daughter relationship, but I guess no one can predict what is going to happen in the future.

Gaby still isn't crawling, but today she seemed to get closer and closer with each little attempt, so I'm sure it can't be too far away. Watch out world! when she does start crawling - nothing is going to be safe! Tomorrow we are going to Timaru to see Nana who is in hospital, and we are then going to see Deb, Mark & the boys - and they are coming up here for the night, because Mark and Corey are going to the All Blacks match (lucky bastards). I am sure that Deb hasn't seen Gab since Christmas - in which case, that is over 6 months ago! I'm looking forward to getting away from Christchurch...

teething again

Pretty sure Gab is teething again, but she doesn't seem as bad as the last time! Thank god! It's scary to think she may have new teeth soon!

She still isn't crawling, but I'm sure it'll happen soon - it's going to be so funny seeing my little girl crawling all around the house. It must be weird for babies, they are stuck in one place for the first 8 or so months of their lives, and then WHAMMO - they have a whole house to explore

poor Gaby

Poor Gaby has thrush on her bum & it isn't clearing up. We've been to the doctor three times for it, and have had three different creams - and now some antibiotics, but if anything it seems to be getting worse. Poor little poppet. We saw Tim y/day and he said that one of the 'raw patches' has actually ulcerated. I hope it clears up soon, because it can't be comfortable.

She was a bit cranky during the night, and I'm wondering if there is another tooth or two beginning to make their way down, esepcially seeing as she was also very grumpy this morning. I hope there are teeth coming, because I hate to think there is something else wrong that I haven't picked up on...