Friday 30 November 2007

A Day in the Life of Billy

My sister recorded a day in the life of her son and I thought it would be interesting to see what that looked like for Billy.

I heard recently that if you breastfed your baby for less than 5-10 mins it was just a comfort feed. But most of Billys feeds are for small times so I got really worried but seeing as he is putting on 30gm a week I guess he is getting the sustanance from somewhere (likely the 3am parties he keeps having!!).

This was our day - ps I will do this one day a week to get an average and to see how he changes. I will try to post each month one day to show you his progress.
PS. It is very difficult to write it all down. My pad and pen went with us everywhere but the 2am feed was just hilarious to see me writing in the dark the times......

2am - Wake up and feed
2:13 sleep. Mum changed nappy.
2:18 - 5:16 feed for 3 mins then sound asleep
5:17 - 5:28 wake up and feed, back to bed (in with mummy)
6:09 -6:17 wake up and feed, then back to sleep
7:22 - 7:24 wake up and feed (getting monotonous now) then sound asleep
Mummy shower time, Billy watching tree in window happily when she comes back.
7:45 - 7:51 finish feeding, then get dressed for day
8:12 - 8:20 grumpy still so another feed
8:20 - 9:09 playtime on my tummy and in the gym
9:09 - 9:19 Feed time
9:30 - nap time MUMS COFFEE TIME YAAAAHHHHHH
11:30am - Nurse woke me up to weigh me
12:40 - 12:49 Feed time - was starving and mummy's boobs bursting! Quick nap afterwards.
1:02 play time
1:13-1:25 feeding frenzy, mum drive so Billy in car seat just watching
2:15-2:25 feeding again, then back in car.
2:50 - 4:15 play time at Rosalie Park. Loved watching all the trees and kids. Had 2 x 5min feeds in this time as well but was awake and happy.
4:15-4:45 sleep
4:45-5:00 sitting in car seat, mum on pc while I watched her.
5:30 - 5:40 feed time again - was grumpy this time.
5:44 - 6:30 nap time. Big poo woke me up. change nappy.
6:38-6:46 feed time.
6:50 - 8:40 sleep time. Mum and Dad had dinner, BLISS.
8:41 - 8 46 feed time then back to sleep
9:05 10:10 mum woke me up. Nice long bath by daddy, some 'free willy' time and a play with dad. Mum had shower.
10:12-10:35 feed - very fussy. Finally off to bed in my COT!!!!!
2:21-2:28 woke up and fed. Mum changed nappy afterwards.
2:36-2:41 had feed on other side. Sound asleep and went back in cot.
5:54 Nappy woke me up. Mum changed me.

....And so it begins again!

Baby Clinic

Like my Cuz LJ I went to the Baby Clinic yesterday for my first month checkup (at 5 weeks). Unlike LJ mum didn't get a chance to take any photos :(

Weight: 5260gm (HUGE the nurse said)
Length: 55cm (short the nurse said)
Head: 40cm (gonna big a big fella the nurse said)

My mum and dad got all upset about my length because they wanted a long baby and not a short butterball but when I got home my dad measured me and I was longer than 55cm so they think the nurse did not read the measure from the 0cm line and took it from the top of the tape. It is a brand new clinic so they were getting used to all the equipment. We are going to wait to see next week what the paedatrician says at my 6 week checkup.

Apart from that all is looking good and on Monday I am allowed to register for school. Yahhhhh.

Wednesday 28 November 2007

A Big Day Out

Billy got circumcised today and it seemed to bother him less than it did me.

As a special treat he got an extra long bath - which he just loves. My back loves his bath chair and we both really enjoy this time together.

Sunday 25 November 2007

Another weekend...

Allan is driving Jordie home now and I have just finished cooking dinner for when he gets home at much later tonight.

Billy is asleep on the wonderful sofa his Beautiful Aunty Ret and Uncle Pete bought him. It is a great gift and he has used it every day. We all just love it. I even had a sleep on it!!!

The weekends go so fast and when I am not working it just all rolls into one. I can't belive it is Monday again tomorrow.

It was great to have Allan and Jordie to assist with the food shopping for the week today but at a cost of $302.00 I think I prefer going on my own and taking the risk that Billy will get a bit upset! Funny enough at the checkout I said to Allan $265 and he said $103.... we always have a guess at how much it will all cost. I can't believe Allan was actually for real! I would have said $300 if I had seen all the treats he had dropped into the bottom of the trolley when I wasn't looking but I still won as I was the closest guess.

Billy, Jordan and I spent Saturday christmas shopping. It was sooooo hard. We went to Indoroopilly at 9am and left there at 3pm...talk about a day shopping. And I didn't buy anything! Jordie got her brothers and mum something and that was it. But we had fun and I am sure Billy will enjoy the sushi we had at lunch in the next couple of hours :))))

I love my family and the best thing about the whole weekend.....we all went to church together this morning. We got there just as mass was starting so had to sit outside but it was great to have Allan there (who never goes to church). As you can see he is getting serious about preparing Jordan and Billy for their christening coming up in two weeks time. Billy was wearing his new outfit from Liz and Glen and looking a smasher! So cute to see him in shorts and a shirt. Wait until everyone sees his christening outfit!!

On another topic, if any new mums are reading this - HELP!!! How much is normal to express in breast milk each day. How on earth am I ever going to go back to work. I am only getting 100-120ml a day and that really takes work. The ABA website says to express every two hours - are they for real?? Do people just take the pump with them on the run and express at all hours? Not me....I need my beauty sleep and my uniterrupted shopping time.

Okay guess I might go have a glass of wine and see if I can relax a bit before trying to express ANOTHER bottle as my beautiful baby sleeps peacefully.

Baby on a baby on a baby........

Wednesday 21 November 2007

Another Hectic Week

I am four weeks old now and life is very busy.....is it always like this?

We have been for lots of drives in mums big wagon. Good thing I love being in the car and going to sleep. Sometimes though I just cry and then my mummy sings to me. I try to not cry too much :))

My sister Jordie came to stay and took real good care of me. She gave me bottles and lots of cuddles. We even had a sleep together on the couch. She is really nice.

On Friday my cousins Max and Sara arrived from Darwin. They gave me lots of cuddles too. I am nearly as big as Sara and she is much older than me.


Daddy then took us all out to dinner at Breaky Creek hotel and I slept the whole night and didn't wake up at all. Then on Saturday we drove down to the Gold Coast and spent the day at the Cedar Lake Resort with my cousins and just hung out together. I was a very good boy and my daddy was very proud of me.

Sunday we didn't stay home at all...we rushed to Church, then went shopping for a rocker for me. We didn't find one that mummy liked and daddy was rolling his eyes because we kept going to different shops. Then we drove around looking at houses. We had a long drive to the Sunshine Coast and picked up my brother Matt. We had a great dinner at a cool restaurant. I slept a lot because I was very tired from all the shopping.

On Monday my girlfriend came around but I didn't even know because I slept when she was here. My mum says I should sleep at night and stop sleeping in the day time but I don't know how to do that yet.


Mummy says we have to have a rest day tomorrow because next week I have lots of visitors coming. Aunty Bridgette, LJ, Grandma and Grandad and lots more. I can't wait. I am also going to have my willy chopped on Wednesday so mummy says she will be extra specially nice to me that day. Apparently I am not going to feel a thing but Daddy said he would come and hold my hand too just in case.
And I am getting Christened next weekend. Mum told me I would get water poured on my head and some oil put on my head and then get to hold a special candle. mmmm sounds like another busy week coming up. Might go back to sleep for a bit............

Thursday 15 November 2007

My Dad and I

My dad said he would have a drinking session with me when he got home from his big trip away. It was really good, I got lots of milk and it came very quickly so now I love my daddy coming home from his big trips. He always brings me these big bottles to have with him. He has gone away again today but Mummy said he will be back on Saturday to feed me again. I miss my daddy when he is away.

From Mummy

Well Billy you have been a very bad boy lately. I have a giant size blister on my boobie and you have stopped sleeping for 4 hours at night and cut it down to 3 and sometimes even 2.5hrs!!! What is going on?

I can't get cross at you though, you look so adorable and I just love to feed you. Even still I try to express when I can so even daddy can have a go at feeding you when he is home from work. The first attempt was a failure and only mummy could give you the bottle but the next two attempts we started when I was nearby and you took the bottle and drank all the milk so fast!

I am looking at you now dressed in your beautiful new clothes (thanks LJ) that arrived in the mail last night. So adorable. Who would have thought I would have a kid decked out in pumpkin patch heh!

Well we are off to get a cup of coffee at the shopping centre on the other side of town so it will be a 30min drive. I am really looking forward to getting out and catching up with some friends. Good thing you love the car heh Billy.

Lots of love
xMum

Monday 12 November 2007

A very busy second week....

We have had a very busy second week. Daddy has been away working most of the time and my Nan and Pop went away in their car. Mum said they had to go back to their home.

I have got lots of things to try out and mum loves putting me in new places and seeing how I like it. I do like to lay on my tummy and roll over. I havén't rolled over on my own yet but mummy is helping me - she said it is so I won't get a fright when I do it myself!
I am crawling...well I am trying to copy LJ my cuz. My bum goes up in the air and I wiggle forward. But after 10mins I get cranky and mum says we can try again later. LJ is 3 months older than me.

I have also been in my new pram. It was pretty exciting for both mummy and I. She got to see how it works and I got to relax and go to sleep with my Elly blanket. It is a cute blue blankie with an elephant on the end. I like to cuddle it but mum says I can't sleep with it. Well when I am in the pram I do....I am a naughty boy :)


Mum said I got a new blanket this week, she said I had to write a thankyou card because it was from the Premier...I don't know who that is but she runs with my mum.


Aunty Rosie came and gave me a big snake!! Her friend Louise gave me a really cool singlet....mum put it on last night and I thought there was going to be a big party.........


but no one came except my mum...............


Anyhow it was good when my daddy came home from work on Saturday. He took mummy and I to a flash restaurant and then we went to the Gold Coast to see Beautiful Aunty Ret and Grandpa Pete on the Sunday. I like Grandpa Petes belly.


Wonder what we are going to do for my third week????

Thursday 8 November 2007

A Mothers Letter to Her Son

Dearest Billy,

You are truly a gift from God delivered to me by an Angel (Grandma Gemma).

The love I have for you bursts in my heart when I gaze at your sleeping face or when you look at me with those big blue eyes and yes even when you are crying and I am soothing you, I feel the love that allows me to do that.

Just over two weeks ago you burst into the world and totally disrupted our life. We now sleep when we can, the house is not always perfect and dinner is not always a relaxed affair. Nonetheless we bloat with pride when someone in the shops comments on how good you are, or how beautiful you look. Your dad laughs for long times when he tells people how you love to wee on your mum in the bath. Dad also loves waking you up in the morning for a cuddle before he goes to work. It might take him twice as long to change your nappy or get you dressed but he takes such great care and is so gentle and loving that it makes us all smile. When he frets when you cry, I know that you are blessed to have such a loving family that will always be there for you and love you unconditionally. You are our Billy.

Already you have grown another 2cm and your head has gone from 36cm to 39cm. You now weigh 4.2kg and even your hair seems to be growing. It is an exciting time for us all and whilst we can't wait for you to be talking and crawling and holding our hands, the times now when you curl up like a frog and suck your fingers and lay contented on dad's tummy with your bottom in the air are all just so precious.

Don't grow up too fast Billy.

I love you completely

xxxxx
Your Mummy

Wednesday 7 November 2007

Bathtime

I just love my baths. Mum or Dad usually wash me in the big laundry tub but this morning I managed to wet my mums bed when she was cuddling me so I got thrown into the bathroom sink. I just love getting wet with warm water and I don't really care where it is.....but can someone stick my feet back in?????

Tuesday 6 November 2007

Melbourne Cup


mmmmmm I think I'll pick that one mum!!!!!!!!

Thursday 1 November 2007

WELCOME TO BILLY BELLENGER

9 days old today.
It has been a tough 9 days too!

First of all I got squeezed out of mummy and finally was able to see what daddy and mummy looked like. My grandma was there too and gave me lots of cuddles. I liked the warm towel they wrapped me in and I loved laying on my mummy. She even gave me some food!!! I think I am going to like my mummy and daddy lots and lots.

We spent 5 days in the cold hospital. Mummy kept putting me into big jumpsuits to keep me warm. I especially loved the warm baths she gave me. I relaxed and put my legs out as long as they would go. I didn't like getting out of the bath though...it was cold again. A couple of times I did a poo as soon as I got out so I had to go back in. Mum got smart though and worked it out so now I have my bath AFTER my dirty nappies.

I was 4 days old when my daddy carried me home - this photo is my first ride in the car. It was pretty cool!! My sister sat beside me and held my hand the whole way. I love Jordie.

We have been very busy my mummy and I. We have been to the shops, gone and bought a new car (which mummy calls the tank) and played lots with my big brother Sam. Then Sam had to go to his home with his daddy and we went to the big noisy airport. He was very sad but mummy said we will see him soon.

My brother Sam taught me how to lay on my tummy and kept showing me how to roll over. I can't do it yet but I am going to practice for when I next see him. I love being on my tummy and looking at all the colourful rugs my Nan made for me. This one is my favourite but mummy said I had to lay on my back so she could take a photo. I still tried to look at all the pretty pictures of the Bilby's deliverying me to mum and dad.

Oh and guess what...I have a belly button now. Mummy was making sure I was okay and giving me lots of cuddles but Daddy said "now he's perfect".

Daddy has gone bush in his big truck today but he will be back in a few days. I will miss our morning cuddles. Daddy loves to put me on his tummy in the night/ morning after mummy has fed me and we just have time together quietly. It is very nice.

I have been awake all day today with only two little naps so mummy said I have to go to sleep now.

Nite Nite.

ps.....GO BRONCOS!!!