Domestic Bliss

Today is one of those days when I love my job. Nearly three weeks into being mum to two, I feel I have a good grasp of what it takes and my routine is beginning to form.

Both my cherubs are in bed at the mo and I am enjoying some precious time on the computer while the sun streams through onto my lap, ah the simple things in life.

It can be a marathon effort getting out of the house in the morning, but that satisfaction when we are all in the car and everyone is smiles (Sienna in her sleep) is really rewarding. It has been so refreshing to add a new challenge into the mix. Whilst I was enjoying Bianca so much, I did feel as though life needed something extra, a new challenge and Sienna has been just the challenge required.

Today I have been working towards putting a meal planner together. I have established that cooking and grocery shopping really are my weak points when it comes to organisation. Often I wont know what I am having for tea come 4pm and I would like to shop weekly at the supermarket without forgetting half of what I came for and needing to go back.

My Favourite Things

I know there are a few people reading my blog who are expecting babies so i thought I would make a list of the things I have found most useful in having second time around

A moses basket borrowed from a friend. I have found it great being able to put Sienna on the couch to have a kick and know that she is safe from Bianca accidently kicking her on the floor, also if she falls asleep in it, she can stay put.

I brought two snow baby merino gowns, from JK they are fantastic with scratch mittens to pull over and they also dry really quickly which is useful during this time of year.I also borrowed this front pack off a friend and it is by far the best front pack I have ever used. It is called a Baby Bjorn Active Carrier. I find it so much easier putting Sienna in the front pack and Bianca in her pushchair, as opposed to the double pushchair

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My subscription to NZ Home and Garden. With doing so much breast-feeding it is a real treat to have a mag handy to occupy the time.

A friend brought me a box of Complan as a present, it turned out to be the best baby present ever! I have a shake for breakfast and I know that if I dont get a chance to have anything else it will tide me over until late morning

Online Shopping Addiction

Well I have found my vice at the moment. In those rare but precious moments when both of my cherubs are sleeping I like to relax in front of the computer to puruse the shops.

I brought these gorgeous items for Bianca's room from a site calledhttp://felt.co.nz/

One is a cushion and the other goes on the wall.

I also brought these door plaques for the girls rooms (obviously with their own names on them). They are $19.95 each and available on trademe, the sellers name is kamhlz for anyone who is interested.

Sleep Deprived but Happy

Sienna is two weeks old and I have been amazed at how quickly I have got used to having two littlies. It has been challenging at times but I have to say with no word of a lie that it is easier than I imagined. I am still getting my housework done, managing a quick morning shower and throwing a stew in the crockpot (sometimes).

The challenging part is when both girls require you at the same time then there is a period of craziness with an angry hitting, stomping toddler and a red faced flapping newborn vying for your attention. But even at these moments I have managed to stay airily calm. I mean what can I do? I could join Bianca on the floor for a tantrum! I have been most surprised at the experience I gained with Bianca and how much calmer and more confident that makes me feel in caring for Sienna.

Things that have been difficult:

• At meltdown moments dealing with two crying children
• Getting cabin fever from being at home more than I would like
• Transitioning from being available to Bianca 24/7 to her having to share her mummy
• Not being able to sleep in with newborn, because I need to get up to Bianca at 7am
• Having 10kg of weight to lose!!!

Things that have been wonderful: (these far outway the difficult)

• Watching how proud Bianca is of Sienna and hearing her call her 'my sisa' and 'our baby'
• Enjoying the newborn stage without as much apprehension as first time around
• Having the opportunity to do some things differently second time around - a fantastic birth experience for starters
• Feeling a completeness to our family (not that we are stopping at two) but just the feeling of having not one but two girls!!
• Having my love for one child multiplied by 100%, what a blessing.
• Having a sense of newness in my work as a stay at home mum. Enjoying establishing new routines and feeling really proud of myself at the end of a day knowing I have accomplished so much

Sienna's Birth Story

For all who are interested I thought it would be easier to post the details of Sienna's Birth on my blog site.

Well I cant believe she came early I had assumed she would be late like her sister. The biggest lesson I learnt from Sienna's labour is that subsequent births are a walk in the park compared to your first!! My midwife told me that but I didn't dare believe her.

At midday last Friday while chewing on a Big Mac at Tahunanui Playground, I commented to Chris that I was having some 'funny pains', just Braxton Hicks was my first thought. Chris was due to leave for a weekend hunting trip at 1pm and as we waited for him to be picked up I had a worrying suspicion there was something going on, but being in denial I told him not to worry. At about 2pm I started to time these 'funny feelings' and found that they were quite regular.

It was at 5pm that I dared to think it may be something more than pains and my friend Jen came around, She knew straight away I was in labour but I continued to think it may be nothing. Jen was fantastic, in fact she should rent herself out as a labour support guru. She rubbed my back through my contractions and encouraged me to try different positions that really worked. By 7pm I was needing to concentrate and breathe through the pains and by 8pm when we called the midwife I was beginning to get vocal.

So Jen bustled me in the car and we headed for the hospital. Contractions were 2-3 mins apart and painful enough to be mooing like a cow and clutching Jen in a iron like grip.

Sienna was born at 9.03 pm. Just 40 mins after arriving at the hospital, sucking gas like there was no tomorrow, with 4 pushes she was out. It was no walk in the park, don't get me wrong, but it was very empowering and a healing experience after having such a hard birth with Bianca.

Chris arrived back from Greymouth an hour after Sienna was born and my other support friend Kim arrived just moments after Sienna arrived and was there to hold my hand through a tough period where the placenta got stuck.

It was an amazing experience and I am thoroughly enjoying being mum to a newborn again. I will write soon on how the first week has been.

Thankyou for all the well wishes.

The Mad Dash

Today I am hobbling around like an old woman, manically wiping out pushchairs and unpacking nappies. I told myself I wouldn't go over the top and for the most part everything I am doing is necessary, but I am starting to walk a fine line.

The hospital bag is starting to come together and Bianca has had a practice night at Nan and Grandads which went well.

The one thing I have done this time around which I am most pleased with is purchased some post pregnancy clothes in advance. I'm not talking evening frocks and jeans in size 8 here, but easy care lounge wear, comfortable jersey knits and casual wear, I found a lot of what I liked at Witchery and then purchased a few cheaper things from Dotti and Shanton.

After I had Bianca I was loathed to put on my maternity clothes but nothing else would fit. Trying to shop with her was a logistical nightmare, as the changing rooms dont cater for pushchairs. So this way I have some nice new clothes to put on and feel half decent.

The nappy bag dilema has been solved. After I splashed out on clothes I reconsidered how much I should spend and came across this bag on trade me , its the Oillily Brand which I love, not absolutely perfect but I got it for $50 and hopefully I will be happy with it when it gets here.

The Home Straight

I am into the home straight now with under 4 weeks to go. A friend made an interesting comment yesterday about the last month of pregnancy being 'labour month' and this is quite fitting with how I am feeling second time around.



I am having a lot of pelvic pains, shooting pains, braxton hicks and just a wide variety of physical feelings that make me feel like my body is a well oiled machine beginning its countdown to show day.



I still seem to be running off high energy stores almost manic behaviour that I am sure my husband finds irritating. We have a list on the fridge at the moment of 'things to do before baby arrives' I thrust it into Chris's hands the day he arrived back from sea, after 9 weeks of work. I have been meticulously crossing things off the moment they are done. Chris said the other day "The moment all those jobs are done, you are just going to find more that need doing". I replied "Of course I wont honey then it will be time to for us to relax", but already there have been a few that have snuck onto the bottom.



I have also found myself on the quest for the perfect nappy bag again! I did this with Bianca and ended up getting a Oi Oi Designer Bag off trade me, which was way too cumbersome and felt like we were going on a weekend away everytime I left the house. So I have sufficed the last year with a $30 rucksack from Glassons. The only downfall is that to find anything in it takes about 10 minutes. So....... the search begins. I found this one below on an American Site, it has all the bells and whistles but is very expensive. I seem to have this strange idea that if I have this super organised nappy bag, motherhood will be a breeze, demented I know.