7 wks+

Whoops
Hold the champagne. I just realised the easiest pair of jeans to wear are Alex's. Rats. Ah well. It's not so much the fact that I've lost the inches to wear the jeans, it's the fact that I've worn jeans nearly every day of my life since I cast off the school uniform at 17.

It's identity, not vanity. I don't really do dressing up, just denim and anything to go with it. This rule has its variations in summer, when I also do linen and the rare skirt, but now that the clocks have gone back, and winter is coming, knowing I have full access to my jeans is a comfort beyond imagining. Some part of me I forgot I was before becoming mommy is here again! Welcome back my denim, big butt-loving low-rise friends, how I've missed you!

Frowny baby
Oh, oh we managed to capture that upside-down U grimace I was talking about earlier. Tell me it doesn't make you laugh to see it. And, for that matter, so does her little face when she screws it up to cry. I'm going to be in trouble when she's old enough to realise the first reaction her distress elicits in me is laughter.

But she's so cute! I've worked out the reason parents repeatedly say stupid things to their babies, like 'Who's a cutie-pie?' It's because 'I love you, I love you, I love you' would get so repetitive.

Am I gushing? Yes, I am a convert. Babies are gorgeous, they are beautiful! Everyone should go out and get knocked up NOW! I thought I used to understand the post-modern angst about whether or not you should have a baby. But reading this article ('The best thing ever?') in the paper on Saturday just annoyed me. I ended up wanting to email the writer to say you just don't know until you've got one. It's amazing! The baby is fascinating! It's gorgeous! And not even for any of the reasons you've outlined! The baby just is! I don't think I've ever kissed anyone or anything so many times for no good reason ever!

We coulda been contenders
Nuts, the new Guardian magazine on Saturdays has a slot for people to send their photos in and when I saw the first one I thought oh maybe I should send the one of baby kicking and screaming on the kitchen towel. Because I think it's hilarious. But then two weeks ago there was a picture of a mother with her baby in a pram and I thought ah they're not going to go for more baby pictures. Then this week there was another! Of a baby in a towel! Argh it's not even a very cute baby! We should have got in first!

And just thinking about that picture, actually, I've looked at it again and my gosh I've just realised baby then fitted on the mini changing mat we had! We bought a full-sized one two weeks ago when we acknowledged she was not only able to kick herself off it now, but she wouldn't fit on it much longer. The rate at which she's expanding is mind-boggling. I must take a picture on it again so you can see the difference.

Herogram
For Alex! He cooked a great steak dinner tonight and baby took one of her rare during-dinner naps so we both got to eat hot food together! A rare treat! And overall really, there's no way I could do this motherhood malarkey without him. Three cheers for him and all the other great dads! Now I should really go relieve him from the crying baby. I think it's another dreaded gas attack...

This...








Plus this...








Is bliss.

7 wks

Woo hoo!
Break out the champagne! I just tried on three pairs of my non-maternity jeans and they all fit! In some pairs I can even breathe and sit down! If this is what breastfeeding does, I am all for it! The only exercise I've had since giving birth is hauling baby out to the supermarket in the baby carrier.

Gas attack
Poor babe woke up practically every hour the night before last because of gas. Didn't help either that it was an incredibly muggy night so both of us were probably extra irritable. What is with the weather? Is the washing machine creating a tropical micro-climate?

Am blaming the pea and ham soup I had for lunch. Can't imagine what else it might have been. Lunch day before: leftover grilled mackerel and chicken curry with rice; dinner: sausages with roast sweet potato and braised chicory; lunch: ham and pea soup, with garlic bread; dinner: teriyaki chicken and broccoli with rice. Lots of dark chocolate and redbush tea in between.

I am currently addicted to G&B's dark chocolate bars. Damn you, G&B for your delicious chocolate. And Waitrose's current save £1 when you buy two bars offer. I have to start a food diary.

Who's the fountain?
Baby's done her first projectile puking. Poor thing, right after I changed a diaper following that long, sleepless night, I noticed she'd drooled some milk onto her bed, so picked her up. Unlike the milk curds of the previous night, this was a pneumatic waterfall of newly ingested milk shooting about three feet away at its most powerful. Whoosh, all over mommy, whoosh, all over the pillow, whoosh, all over the matress. Sigh. Again though, after puking, she was perfectly content to sit by herself for a bit while I cleaned up.

We are now ladies who lunch
Felt rather harassed after all this so decided to relieve stress by taking baby out for our first solo lunch at Kulu Kulu Sushi and then for a lemon sorbet frappe at Oddono's, followed by shopping at Tesco for nappies. Tesco was out of the right size but who cares because she was an angel the entire time we were out. Just to be sure I wasn't stressed I also bought a packet of marshmallows and ate them all when we got back. A walk in the park probably would have been better but beggars can't be choosers.

She was still a bit cranky later - kept crying in her sleep - but Alex was an angel and carried her for ages while I showered. Watching the two of them sleep now - ah I don't know how much my heart can take.

Now I just have to research why the heck she has started projectile vomitting.

Around the neighbourhood
PS Mom I'm sure the butcher still remembers you. Walked in on Wednesday and this fat guy kept smiling the whole time I bought the sausages and chicken legs. Wyndham's does have unusually good service but there was something about the twinkle in his eye that told me he realised I was Mrs. Lee's daughter for whom you ordered about 10 chickens, all chopped up please.

Also bumped into Nurrich, the med student who was at baby's birth, at the fishmongers/grocers. Didn't recognise him at first because he wasn't wearing his glasses, poor thing, and must have given him my Londoner's who-the-hell-are-you? glare at first because he looked taken aback. But then hopefully, again, made up for initial frostiness with much cheer. Baby unfortunately was fast asleep, leaning on me, so couldn't show off her chubby loveliness. Must really get round to sending something to Jonna.

Still 6 wks+ - I may give up this counting malarkey soon

Poop in three parts
As a special present for mommy baby today decided to have her usual poo in three separate goes. I should have realised the first go wasn't complete. Usual time, but not very much to show for it. But she didn't show any other sign of movement after five minutes and, since her nappy felt loaded, I decided it might as well go.

Second one woke her from a nap and made her cranky so she cried all through the nappy change, poor thing. Fortunately mommy is now hard-hearted and offers little consolatory cooing when she can tell baby is just cranky rather than distressed. Had to wipe her tears from the mat afterward though, ow.

Then, after she'd fallen asleep in my arms again, having fed happily, there was the third go, darn it. She wasn't so happy about that either. Now she's finally asleep again, phew, after fretting for an hour to let me know she didn't want to be put flat on her back, nor have her head raised a bit nor be swaddled, nor lie flat in mommy's lap or be held at her shoulder. No, her new favourite position is stuck on a boob, her tummy on mine. And she has to be held there till she's very, very fast asleep.

When I put her down I realised she'd peed on her sheets and blanket earlier, sigh. So the washing machine is on again. Together, we will melt the icecaps.

New spitup record
Last night, as I was working on the computer again, baby began gulping on a feed, so I raised her head. As she blinked at me and made more wheezing noises, I felt a bit alarmed so raised her to my shoulder. Whoa, her turn to be the amazing human fountain. Blargh, all down shirt, blargh, all down the chair.

I was quite alarmed. Couldn't see anything but it all sounded quite serious. So I decided I'd better go stand in the bathtub. Blargh, right onto the seat of my (newly ironed, only pair of fitting not-maternity) pants. Blargh again, in little drips onto the floor. She finished well before I got to the bathroom, never mind the tub.

Fortunately she was very happy after spitting up all the milk. So she lay propped up on the sofa, cooing contentedly at the lanterns and the prints on the wall for the 10 minutes I spent wiping up all the milk curds.

6 wks+

Neck-cleaning eureka!
Use baby lotion on facial cotton pads, which dissolves the neck jam so it actually wipes off on the cotton pad! With water - what we've been using up till now - the rolls of dirt just disintegrate into smaller rolls of dirt that lodge in other fat neck crevices! Then bathe baby. Hahaha, I am genius! Genius! Only took 6 weeks to figure out!

Baby's 6-wk checkup
Was yesterday. She ticked all the boxes, thank goodness. Heartbeat OK, spine OK, able to hold neck up for a long time, farted at poor, nice Dr Naylor when she checked her hip joints (strong), and got brownie points for smiling at her too. Er although this last bit may be in pushy mommy's imagination, cos the Dr was talking to me when she smiled and I yelped 'Look! She's smiling at you!' I'm pathetic, I know.

We also worked out that I'm doing fine health-wise, physically and mentally (according to me anyway). And she confirmed there's nought I can really do about being the amazing human milk fountain so baby will just have to learn to gulp faster, poor thing.

A little less contraception
Also got given all the contraception I could want (condoms in various flavours, including banana, oh what fun) and the mini-pill. Although first Dr Naylor forgot to give me my prescription. Fortunately I was still outside booking baby's 2-month immunisation jab when she realised. But then I forgot to pick it up from Boots. Doh. Not that we need any. Sleeplessness works so much better.

Microwavable bottles
Tried out the one we bought from Mothercare yesterday, along with the steriliser. This is obviously the way forward with all baby things! You pour a little water into the bottle cap, put the teat ring and teat into the cap, then snap the bottle body onto the cap. Zap all in microwave for 1.5 minutes, which gets the water steamung, which sterilises everything, then leave two minutes to cool. It's a cinch!

More pictures

I have no idea what's up with blogger.com. The ability to post pictures keeps coming and going.

Anyway here is what baby looks like right now:

And here's one I meant to post earlier:
Uncle Dave practices carrying babies.
Especially now he and Sue have a house with a garden.

6 wks, 3 days

Baby gets dressed for winter
Is she cute in this outfit or what? Very cooperative too. We dressed her to take her out to lunch on High St Ken and she looked so sweet we wanted to take a picture. But she wasn't smiling then. So Alex started making ridiculous cooing noises at her and I started too and result! This sort of response makes you ready to put up with just about anything from the baby.

Last night's dinner
Went really well. Baby was quite well-behaved, if a little grumpy, but we put that down to the fact that we probably over-dressed her (wanted to show her off in her cute little tops) and so she was probably a bit too warm for the first two hours or so. Towards the end she was a bit ratty and kept whining so we called it a night, with poor Debs apologising profusely for over-stimulating baby.

Can't have been the problem though because she hit the sack as soon as we got home (bar another minor mishap when dopey mommy made her spit up by lifting her legs to pull on some pants just after she fed) and was out until 6.30 this morning.

The steriliser decision
Last night I finally found a website laying out the pros and cons of sterilising methods that mentioned the problem of limescale. It was a relief to find out that it is harmless (despite the fact there seems to be about a quarter of a teaspoon of it left on every bottle?).

After reading that and other websites, I decided to get a Tommee Tippee microwave/cold water steriliser anyway. Partly because the limescale looks awful, but mainly because I've worked out that if you can't sterilise things and keep them sterile for longer than a few hours, then there's no point doing it in big batches (which is what we intended with boiling).

So I need something that can handle little batches frequently and quickly. Also I may be wrong but I imagine we're using less energy with the microwave than with boiling big pots of water each time. You can also leave things in the cold water solution for up to 24 hours, and keep adding things to it, which is probably most useful considering that I'll be using the breast pump more than once a day.

Two other reasons that put me off boiling was that it degrades the equipment most quickly and that the websites all say you should that the pan used to boil the baby's things should be used exclusively for purpose. Eh? Why?

Anyway between buying another pot and the steriliser, I chose the steriliser (Tommee Tippee was the cheapest microwave/cold water thing around I think plus it had good reviews).

We got it from Argos after lunch today for £11.99. Then I twisted poor Alex's arm and made him buy a swish drawer from Muji to keep all the feeding things in (£17.50), instead of a huge cake tupperware from Robert Dyas (£9.50). Am now going to feel smugly organised while sorting out stuff to put in the drawer.

Breasfteeding rant
Look away, boys. Successfully expressed 3.5oz of milk this morning in preparation for lunch plans, and Alex fed baby while we ate at Strada.So success, no self exposure!

The only problem then was that, because I skipped that afternoon feed, I soaked not only the breast pad - which makes me look like the amazing, lumpen-breasted woman - but the vest I was wearing and the sweater on top of that. I think the jacket I had on didn't escape either. Arrgh hope this overflow doesn't last too long. Must remember to pack some spare disposable pads in baby's going out bag.

Have no idea what is wrong with stupid blogger.com. Keep losing the ability to post pictures!

Acne update
Oh yes, it's receded, hurray! Her forehead cleared, then her cheeks, though there was a very worrying, gross crusty and flaky period before they went. Now her cheeks are reasonably smooth and, while the acne recurred on her forehead two days ago, it seems to have gone away much more quickly this time - it's looking much better today already. Begone, evil hormones, for at least 12 years...

6 wks, 2 days


More on feeding
Used the breast pump twice now - hurray it works pretty well. Alex managed to feed her about 2oz with the bottle last night. It took a while for her to work out what the teat was and she kept playing with it and spitting it out at first, but by the end of the feed she was sucking away with gusto.

Yesterday the living room, tonight dinner at SL's! We'll see if we can manage a whole outing without my having to undress.

Am also going to look into cold water sterilisation now. Went to my current favourite site for advice from other mothers, mumsnet.com, and someone advised using water that had already been boiled in a kettle. Tried that in a second bout of sterilising last night, but when I ran my finger over the inside of the bottle cap earlier it still came away with a good layer of chalk. So to heck with this boiling business.

Also just found out that a pack of 64 sterilising tablets from Boots costs £1.35 or something like that so unless you need to use 10 tablets to the litre of water or something, that seems quite reasonable.

6wks, 1 day

Baby development
Well she's still growing. She's been quite calm this week. Or I'm getting more immune to her crying. But I think it's the former. I just realised when I gave her a bath solo yesterday that I hadn't heard her cry in real distress in quite a while. This was because I decided it might be easier to bathe her in our bathtub instead of her little tub, which is what we usually do.

I turned on the heating, waited for the bathroom to warm up, then put her little bathseat into the bathtub and turned on the shower hose. She was fine when I was holding her on the side of the bath, washing her hair, but when I unwrapped her (from the towel she'd peed on) and lowered her into the seat, she began to look around in terror, threw her hands up (again something I haven't seen for a while) and then wow she yowled like a fire engine, poor thing.

She was even more scared when I started wetting her with the hose (don't worry Mom, the water definitely wasn't too hot and I put my hand over the shower head like last time to make sure I'd know immediately if the temperature changed).

Felt instantly guilty. Speaking soothingly to her helped a bit - the panic went out of her voice and you could tell she didn't like it and was still a bit startled every now and then, but she wasn't yelling in terror any more.

Clean the baby then bathe her
So anyway the solo bath was a complete disaster because I felt so bad the whole time, I didn't have the heart to really try and wash her. It was only afterwards that I realised the bits I thought I'd washed - eg her hands and neck - still had fluff and dirt here and there. So I think next time I'll wash those independently, while she's still clothed and then put her in for an overall rinse!

Otherwise
Baby is also more responsive now. She returns talk with coos and grunts and the number of tones in her screeches and crying has increased.

When Alex tries to clean her neck sometimes, for example, she screeches as if you'd jabbed her with a pin. If she's cooed two or three times for attention and we've still ignored her, it's quite indignant.

And when she gets upset sometimes, before crying, her mouth will turn dramatically downwards at the corners into a real upside-down U. You can't help laughing. Even if tears come later. I agree with Alex on this: it breaks your heart to see any, even if she's only crying because you were in the toilet and unable to attend to her upon the first calls for attention.

On breastfeeding
The breast pump I ordered from Boots arrived today, and was carried up the three flights of stairs - along with a bunch of other things I'd also ordered - by a nice delivery man. I'm beginning to judge online stores by whether the delivery men carry my order up the stairs.

I've read the instructions since baby is being very obliging today and taking a nice, long nap and, as soon as all the parts dry, we'll be ready to go!

Elaine, in case you're wondering, we did try the NUK pump you gave me (thanks!) - got 2oz off it on when I first tried it, but I think it's probably easier to use a pump that doesn't need two hands.

Limescale menace
The only thing that worries me is the boiling of the parts to sterilise them. The water in London is so hard it leaves a layer of limescale on everything, inside and out, when they dry. I'm starting to see why people bother to pay loads of money for stupid containers in which to microwave bottles and why cold water sterilisation exists.

You also have to wonder though: the racks or kitchen paper we dry the parts on aren't sterile. So is this compromising the sterilised parts? Why do they need to be sterile anyway? I'm not and the baby feeds off me... maybe we should just stick to lots of hot water and detergent.

Look away, boys, look away.
Anyway I need to get round to expressing so that we can go out without always worrying about getting a table in a dark corner and so that I can occasionally leave the baby with Alex and not worry that she'll wake up wanting to feed.

It's not just the popping out of boobs that is slightly stressful - though I've had pretty good experiences in all the places we've been so far, ie been ignored - it's the fact that, if baby hasn't eaten in a while, I can end up spraying her and my clothes with milk. Is not good.

6 wks-1 day

Baby is now 4.8kg and in the 50th centile of the baby population by weight, having jumped from being in the 2nd centile group according to birth weight! Hurray, chubby cheeks! (If you're wondering what the heck this centile business is all about, it's all explained here.)

From 14 Oct 05 - 5 wks old

Darn blogger.com
Wouldn't you know it? Blogger has been on the blink for days and on Wednesday and Thursday I could hardly believe my luck - baby slept loads! I had three hot meals in a row, and in one sitting each (instead of, for example, lunch in five on Tuesday). I almost didn't know what to do with the free time I had.

And I actually had news
Babywise anyway. On Tuesday, I left her awake on her mattress and went to brush my teeth. She seemed happy enough when I left but, sure enough, as I'd almost finished, I heard her start to cry. Not with any urgency or distress, more with a kind of 'oi where did you go?' curiousity. Ran back to her anyway (I can use the exercise and excitement).

As soon as she saw me, she stopped crying and threw her head back and laughed. She not only laughed, she smiled when I laughed as well. It was almost spooky; she looked like she knew exactly what she was doing. But 5-week-old babies aren't that smart, are they? I thought they weren't even supposed to know how to smile.

A smiley two days
I'm starting to think she's learning how to smile. It's definitely not the gassy half-smiles anymore. Sometimes. after feeding, when she's lying flat on her back, arms thrown out, replete, she'll smile in her sleep. OK maybe it's still not conscious smiling, but it's definitely not a gas-inspired smile. And on Wednesday, there were definitely times that she seemed to smile at me. Mostly when I was talking nonsense in very high-pitched coos to her.

Two smiley days like that were enough to seed patience for this Friday and Saturday when I think poor baby was quite windy and, hence, rather ill-tempered.

Lectures from home
Made the mistake of mentioning this to Mom, who is redoubling her efforts at getting me to stop eating bananas because she says they may be giving Bel wind.

She has backed up her efforts by getting Ma, my mother-in-law, behind the proposal as well. Such dirty tricks. So alright, alright I'll eat the last banana we have now and stop for two weeks and see if there's any difference. Although I'm telling you, Mom, I didn't have any bananas the two days and the day before Bel was gassy!

And if any of you all are reading this, no, no I don't have any back ache, don't worry. I just said I was aware that I am starting to hunch over Bel when I feed her - something I try to adjust as soon as I'm aware of it! Anyway have also ordered a nursing pillow to prop her on (it's firmer than the pillows we have around the house and, hopefully, the right height). But no back pain, don't worry.

Anyway back to the smiley theme, I put the phone next to Bel's ear when Mom called today and, see, this is why I don't think it's coincidence, Bel smiled. We did it twice and Bel smiled both times. Unfortunately we missed her face with the camera but o well.


Baby Einstein not!
Er read an email from Babycenter.com today about baby development and, rats, it looks like baby is developing on cue, rather than ahead of her time like the genius we fondly imagine she is.

She's doing everything she's supposed to: turning her head to follow me (yesterday); starting to become aware of her hands (Friday and yesterday, she kept reaching to topple the striped purple camel Ali and Nadia bought for her, which we now use to distract her when changing her diaper - 'So baby: is this a camel or a zebra? Answer by the time the nappy barrier cream goes on, please.').

She also loves sucking but has rejected the pacifier we gave her; and she gurgles and coos and makes all sorts of weird sounds that we're reasonably certain now are voluntary rather than involuntary. Oh and Mom and Dad may be pleased to know their Mooncake festival lanterns are still a big hit with baby. She's almost always looking at them. I suppose they appear as quite intense blobs of colour. So far they're more effective at distracting her than any of the toys we have. They are quite beautiful.

She also still likes music - always stops and listens to a tune for at least a while. My current favourite to sing to her is Kermit's The Rainbow Connection. Everybody now (especially that last line):

Why are there so many songs about rainbows
And what's on the other side?
Rainbows are visions, but only illusions
And rainbows have nothing to hide
So we've been told and some choose to believe it
I know they're wrong, wait and see
Someday we'll find it, the rainbow connection
The lovers, the dreamers and me

Who said that every wish would be heard and answered
when wished on the morning star?
Somebody thought of that
and someone believed it
and look what it's done so far
What's so amazing that keeps us stargazing?
And what do we think we might see?
Someday we'll find it, the rainbow connection,
the lovers, the dreamers and me

All of us under its spell
We know that it's probably magic

Have you been half asleep
And have you heard voices?
I've heard them calling my name.
Is this the sweet sound that calls the young sailors?
The voice might be one and the same.
I've heard it too many times to ignore it.
It's something that I'm supposed to be.
Someday we'll find it, the rainbow connection,
The lovers, the dreamers and me.
La, la la, La, la la la, La Laa, la la, La, La la laaaaaaa

More pictures

Here's the latest batch of carefully selected pictures, showing baby in the best possible light, of course (if you squint really hard at some you can probably make out the acne). I've left out the cringe-making captions this time, don't worry. Hmm have tried umpteen times to add more pictures but blogger isn't cooperating. Will try again tomorrow:

1 mth, 1 day old

Ah, it took Elaine to point out I was rather jumping the gun a bit about baby being one month old on the 6th, rather than yesterday, the 8th. No one's aware of real time in breastfeeding world.

Anyway we had our red eggs with dinner on the 6th, before Mom and Dad headed back home to Malaysia the following morning. They have texted and called since to say they miss the baby loads. Bel grieved the day they left by being really cranky and needy, calling for feeds and cuddling every two hours or so until 2am the next morning.

1 mth-1 day old

Wow tomorrow she will be one month old! I can't believe how quickly the time has gone, though I have to admit the first two weeks I was really counting each day till the weekends, when Alex is around. He can soothe Bel when she gets into mad crying fits and I'm really losing patience with her, which is so relieving.

My parents have been great too but for some stupid reason I keep feeling a bit guilty when they do because I think they should be out enjoying themselves more, not having to help. I know, I know they want to and have a lot of fun even when their first grandchild is screaming herself hoarse right in their ears but, I don't know why, I just keep thinking no, no she's our baby and I should be able to cope myself. Bit daft that way.

Anyway red eggs all round tomorrow to celebrate, Mom insists.

Feeding me
So I finally cracked how not to be hungry or thirsty while waiting for baby to go back to sleep when on my own at home - set out the snacks and a big glass of water on the dining table the night before so I can eat them with one hand if necessary. So of course today baby is being an angel and slept for two hours solid after I got up, having slept for four hours and then three hours in the night. Maybe it's because I kicked myself out of bed before noon for once?

Hopefully she'll be in a bit of a better mood today - she seemed to want to feed non-stop every two hours yesterday (growth spurt?) and was really cranky when she wasn't feeding. Had to resort to Abba more than once to soothe her.

Was quite cranky myself by the time we reached 1am this morning and she had another little crack addict fit because she couldn't latch on for a while (crack addict fits: when she starts crying at a terrific volume, in a I'm-gonna-die-I-tell-ya-gonna-die-NOOOW tone, and insists on putting her trembling, scrabbling little hands in front of her mouth when you try to latch her on, making it impossible to do so).

She's definitely bigger
Yesterday I decided Alex is right and she definitely can't wear the six newborn suits he and my parents bought her in the first week of her life. She really can't stretch her legs straight in them anymore. So we've (read: Alex) packed them away to make space for the new stuff. Now she actually fits the 0-3 mth clothes instead of swimming in them, hurray, because we have a lot of 0-3 mth stuff. We're also going to have to move her up a diaper size.

Bless the net
What did people do before the internet and remote controls? If I didn't have the internet to amuse myself by emailing, blogging, window-shopping for more baby things and reading the news in a very cursory sort of way I would be so bored!

Thought: Why don't people sell extendable pants - the same way adults have zip on/off cargo pants? - or sarongs with ties for babies? Probably because you wouldn't sell so much is my guess. Maybe there's a niche in the market for these...

And while they're at it, designing an apron with pockets for mommy to put the tv/sound system remote controls and a book/magazines in would be really useful too. Then at least you could be sure of amusing yourself anytime you sit down to feed the baby. It's a pain to sit on the sofa and realise you've left the remote is on the dining table and that you have only live coverage of the Tory party conference to amuse you for the next 20 minutes.

Inane babble to baby only amuses me for only about a minute at a time. Her for an even shorter time. "Who is mommy's cutie-pie (blank stare back)? Is it you (baby's eyelids flutter)? Yes it is (baby closes eyes). Yes, you are. You are mommy's cutie-pie (baby begins snoring)."

Going solo
Accomplished our first solo trip out yesterday (ie just me and the baby, no backup)! Admittedly not a very challenging one - quick walk to the library down the road and back with baby in the carrier - but it's been done and similar walks to Waitrose should be just as easy I reckon. They've made a book out of Riverbend's Baghdad Burning blog, something I used to read all the time. It's written by a girl/woman in Baghdad, which is a refreshing change, and really gives you an idea of what ordinary(ish) life is like for an Iraqi now. I haven't read the book but have been reading the blog for a while now and, based on that, would highly recommend it to any of you.

The acne front
It seems to be receding a bit on her forehead now, but is still ravaging her cheeks and under her chin. Fingers crossed it's going. I wonder if the fucidin I put on her forehead the other day had anything to do with it? Thing is, I'm rather loth to use it even though the kindly doc prescribed it because of her habit of wiping her face with her hands and sucking them. We shall see.

Triage
Another thing you learn with a baby: do the necessary first. It's 1424 and I must eat lunch and use the loo now before she wakes again.

3 wks, 4 days old

I think we've done this enough times now for me to be able to write this:

How to change a baby's diaper on your own when she's pooed

1. Before opening the diaper, arrange around changing mat:

a) Plastic bag for soiled diaper
b) Box of wipes already open; possibly with individual wipes torn off if you've bought a brand from evil manufacturers who make them really hard to separate so you pull out about five at a go
c) Bowl of water if using cotton wool balls
d) Unrolled cotton wool balls (why the heck do people use balls? As soon as one side is soiled, you can't grasp it to use the other side so about five sixths of the cotton wool ball is then wasted. Cotton wool facial pads probably more useful if expensive, have not done the maths yet.)
e) Kitchen towel
f) Wads of toilet paper to mop up loose poo and in case she pees in the middle of it all
g) The new diaper, opened up
h) A back-up diaper, in case she pees/poos on the new one as soon as you've put it under her
i) Opened canister of nappy barrier cream if using
j) Mobile/toy or something to distract baby

NB Best to place the plastic bag and bowl of water on opposite sides so you don't accidentally throw a soiled piece of cotton into the bowl.

2. Place baby on changing mat - if she is wearing a little vest, rolling it up should help prevent it from flopping forward onto soiled bits of the baby.
3. Put mobile or toy in line of sight and pray baby is distracted by it.
4. Secure her legs with one hand as soon as you open the diaper or else she will dip her feet in poo and kick everything within reach.
5. Wipe up loose poo with toilet paper (if she's breastfeeding believe me it will be loose).
6. Bundle toilet paper into soiled diaper and chuck it into plastic bag.
7. Place kitchen towel under baby's bum.
8. Wipe baby down with wipes or wet cotton wool
9. Let baby's bum dry a bit, but definitely watch out in case baby wees while you are doing all this. Wads of toilet paper/kitchen towel applied immediately should hoepfully prevent pee staining her vest if it happens.
10.. Put barrier cream on baby's bum etc.
11. Chuck kitchen towel.
12. Put on new diaper.
13. Quickly fasten diaper so you don't see if she immediately pees/poos on it.

It all sounds so much easier than it is. Especially if she is howling full-steam while you're doing it.