Journalling

There is this thing that I have wanted to do every year but have never got to it. People get a jar and write down all the good memories and things that happened throughout the year and store them in the jar, so that at the end of the year you can look back and remember what a good year it was.
I am doing something similar through these blogs. I am remembering the things that happen to me throughout the year that bring me joy or gratitude. And I also have this book that I keep on my bedside table called a "Mom’s One Line a Day - A Five Year Memory Book". Where everyday for 5 years you write down a good memory from each day. I was writing in it yesterday and I came across my memory from last this time last year. It said 'Watching Sienna take her first steps'. It blows my mind that my little princess has been walking for a year!

I find it fascinating to look back on things that happened on this exact day years ago. That new thing in Facebook that allows you to look back to what you posted on that day previously helps you to see how much you have grown and changed as a person from then to today.

I am so grateful that I have these memories stored to look back on. All the updates on how I was feeling throughout my pregnancy with Ollie to look back on. Remembering how we spent Sienna's first and second years of life. All the little things that we did that are special but I wouldn't remember if I hadn't them written down. And now I ask myself where the whole of last year went... I cannot believe that in about 12 weeks my baby boy will be one year old!! That just blows my mind! So I am trying everything I can to remember these times and to catch these memories of them at this age because they are just growing up way too fast!

Home Yoga Practise

Today I am starting a wonderful yoga journey called “True”.
At the beginning of every year the YouTube channel 'Yoga with Adriene' (I'll link below) does a 30 days of yoga series, and every year I have wanted to do it but have never made it all the way through (last year I was very pregnant so I couldn’t take part). But this year will be different! I am determined to see it all the way through.
Yoga makes me feel amazing!! And I am so grateful that there are things like this available on the internet to help me work towards my health goals at home. I don’t have to worry about finding a time to get down to the gym to do things like this because I can simply switch on the computer and do something active while the kids are asleep. And Adriene makes yoga so fun and doable. I know a lot of people look at yoga as a whole heap of poses that are impossible to get to let alone stay in. But with this particular channel you can do whatever level you feel you can do on that day (the theme of the channel is 'Find What Feels Good'). And everything is broken down and you work from your foundation up. The next day I may feel a little sore but it is amazing to watch and feel my ability and flexibility improve everyday.
Watching sienna join me sometimes, even though a lot of the movements are a bit tricky for her, but seeing her attempt things make me think that I am moulding her in the direction of a healthy lifestyle as well. I would really encourage you all to watch this into and give it a go yourself =)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5I_Ec2FPOyY

Gratefulness for Family and Friends

Hello friends!

As some of you may know that read my earlier blog, I am focusing on finding snippets of joy in everyday life this year.

Last night being New Years Eve, was a really fun time that we were lucky enough to spend with friends. I cannot think of a better way to see the new year in than by watching Sienna dance away with our friends, having the time of her life (yes, she did make it all the way to midnight, much to the surprise of Josh and I). It made my heart smile so much to see her having so much fun and I can only hope that I can help to make the rest of her year just as good as it started out.
Ollie fell asleep before the celebrations at midnight but woke shortly after to see what all the fuss was about and went back to sleep shortly after again.

Today Josh and I were treated to an awesome afternoon without the children (thanks mum and dad). We treated ourselves to a DOUBLE movie afternoon. In which we watched both 'The Greatest Showman' and 'Star Wars - The Last Jedi'. Considering the amount of shade I have listened to thrown in the direction of both movies, I thoroughly enjoyed both of them. My inner musical geek surfaced in the big musical numbers of the Showman bring tears of happiness to my eyes (God bless you, Hugh Jackman). And the special effects of the lightsaber wielding heroes made my heart jumps with every swing in Star Wars.
And finally getting that one on one time with Josh was also amazing. With Christmas time and all that jazz and the busyness of retail work lately, I have felt a little like we were two ships just passing in the night lately and that is something I really want to change this year.

But all in all today, I have really enjoyed the fact that I have been lucky enough to have spent all of  the first day of the New Year with the people that I love most. My family. I wouldn't have had it any other way.

PS I apologise to anyone with me for the next week or maybe longer because I will not be able to get those Showman tunes out of my head. If you haven't watched it yet... do it!! It is truly magical.

New Direction! Exciting times :-)

Hey all you lovely people!!

I am setting myself a challenge in the new year and in doing that, my blog may take a new direction... I will still post occasional updates about the kids (which reminds me I need to put one up soon because they have both grown SO much since my last blog... yes, I have been lazy), but I will be focusing on short snippets of finding joy in every day life. I want to take more pictures and film more videos (so I can put up some additional vlogs too). I want to enjoy every moment that I am with my kids, because this age is such a special age, and you can probably say that about every age that your children reach, but at this age when they are learning and experiencing so much for the first time.... to witness that is something very special. I have so much to be thankful for and I don’t want to miss the opportunity to document it, so when the kids get older they can see how even the little things are extraordinary and that life is such an amazing thing that too many people take for granted everyday. It needs to be enjoyed!!

So in between now and the new year I will probably put up some other posts, but I really want to focus on more blogs and documenting everyday happiness in the new year!

Let me know your thoughts and ideas because I want you all to be involved too. Let me know all the little everyday things that you find joy in.

Till next time, I love you all, have an amazing day!

2 Months Postpartum - Little Mr Chatterbox and Little Miss Cheeky

Crying... Early starts... Dirty nappies... Constant feeding... These are the things that everyone mother with a newborn should expect. Parenthood is the best and hardest thing that I have ever had to do. Sometimes I find myself trying to remember what it was like in the household without my two beautiful kids but then as soon as Sienna is on holidays at Grandmas, the house feels so empty without her and it just doesn't feel right. Sienna and Ollie are such huge pieces of our lives now, nothing would be right without them.

Ollie is growing like a charm. He is now 4.5kg which is just under the 15% percentile. He is doing really well putting on weight, considering that he was really underweight for a while there. He is consistently gaining an average of 200g a week, so I'm really happy about that. He is 57.5cm long, putting him the at about the 25th percentile. He has grown a massive 8.5cm since he was born :-( He is growing way too fast.

 He still loves to be cuddled, and would much rather fall asleep wrapped up in someones arms rather than in the rocker. Although, over the last few nights I have been testing out the putting him down drowsy but not asleep in his bassinet and letting him put himself to sleep. It hasn't been going too badly (touch wood), but he does tend to make a lot of noise as he is going to sleep, not crying noise, just baby gurgle.
The constant need for cuddles, love and attention is definitely something that I find draining. Especially as I have two kids now and I can't always be cuddling with Ollie when I need to be watching what Sienna is up to and I need to be giving her some one on one time also.

 

We had our 6 week shots the other week, and I am so glad that Josh had that day off because he was a lot braver than me and held Ollie down while he was being given the shot. I was nervous because Ollie is such a loud crier, I didn't want to imagine how loud he would be getting his shot, but he did really well. I mean REALLY well. I think he did better than Sienna did when she had her first shot. I think it could very well have to do with how calm Josh was when he was holding him as opposed to Sienna's first ones where mum and I were nervous wrecks. Sienna also had her 18 month shots on the same day and Josh held her down too. She also did really well. There were hardly any tears then she was distracted with the awesome stickers given to her from the nurses.
Ollie also had his 2 month appointment a few days ago and the nurses at the clinic said that he was doing very well. Not only was he putting on a good amount of weight, but he had very good neck and head control for his age. Which we already knew because he has been lifting his head pretty much since birth. He is just gaining better control of it now. We were told to do tummy time with him every day, so he can continue to build those muscles in his neck. We were also told that he was very vocal for is age, and the fact that he was copying our sounds and mouth movements already was very advanced for his age bracket.

I am slowly getting better at juggling the two of them and have had quite a few days at home with just the three of us while Josh is at work. It still stresses me out a little bit, I'll admit, but not nearly as much as it did at the beginning. Sienna being at daycare too has been a big help and a catch up day for me also. We are about to start her on two days a week there, so that should be a good help for me. But Sienna is getting really good at helping me. She will get nappies for me when I'm changing him (mind you sometime I need to remind her that we only need one, when she bring over about six of them), and she is always the first one to tell Ollie that it's ok when he starts crying. The love that they have for each other is incredible. His eyes will follow her around and watch what she is doing all the time and she is always up for cuddles and kisses with him. It's crazy to think that in a years time they will both be running around and playing together.

In the past month I have noticed that Sienna has become a lot more affectionate. She was never really a cuddly baby. But recently she is always giving me cuddles around the legs and won't really hesitate or fight if I ask for a cuddle or a kiss. She is also getting so good with her words. We can literally have conversations with her now, which is amazing! She understands us and we can understand her, most of the time. She is picking up so many new words, so fast. She will just come out with the most random sentences and she just leaves us in awe.
She has been a little whingy and restless recently and we are putting it down to the fact that we have seen some molars coming through, so they might be giving her a bit of grief. We have also hit a bit of a speed bump with her eating. She has got really picky with food recently and I don't know if that's to do with teeth also, or if that's just her being a turd. But even with all the whinging and whining there have been plenty of beautiful smiles and cheeky ones too. She is the cheekiest little girl and I love it. He sense of humour is fantastic and I just love hearing her laugh.

I love my little family. Even though there are times when I feel like I could rip my hair out, when Sienna is running wild and Ollie won't settle... the good times definitely outweigh the bad and I wouldn't have it any other way.