Pregnant again? Are you kidding me?

Posted by cafebebemama on Jan 24, 2012 in Motherhood | 14 comments

Look at that lil face! My boy is 8 weeks old now. You know what that means? His 8 week physical and first set of jabs. Cue the tears…from me! I’m rubbish when it comes to jabs. I always hold them so I can’t see their little faces. I cried for all but the last one of Ella’s jabs. Actual tears. I am a wuss. What can I say? I was vaguely hopeful that these jabs might get postponed, however, as Sam has managed to pick up a cold in the last two days. You should hear his poor little cough. Sigh.

Off he and I trundled to our local surgery. I’m not the hugest fan of our local surgery. I find the GP’s quite dismissive and the whole operation a bit primitive at times. However, it’s free, it’s care, it’s adequate. I discovered that the GP doing Sam’s check was one of the most dismissive of the lot, however. I’ve never seen anyone get patients out of the chair so quickly. He never explains anything, never asks questions and rarely gives you the opportunity to feel like YOU can ask any questions of him. Not brilliant.

We entered the exam room and he did manage to say “Congratulations” as I had been in several times during the course of Sam’s pregnancy. Score one for remembering! He bustled through the pleasantries, pulled out his stethoscope, didn’t bother to warm it and popped it straight onto Sam’s chest. Cue loud screaming! Sam’s not keen on being naked or cold or naked and cold. Not a great start to the exam. I then put Sam on the exam table so he could have a look at the rest of him. Mind you, I have no clue what he was looking for nor what he found other than “That’s fine” seemed to be the result of every investigation.

Sam was designated fit for battle (jabs) and we were sent to the Nurse’s room to get his jabs. All two of them. Sam continued the screaming which had begun with the stethoscope which the Nurse found ok because then she wouldn’t feel like she had made him cry. How nice for her. I held Sam on my lap and prepared for the damn jabs. OH MY GOD! Did he scream! I bowed my head onto his and shushed and cried too…just a little bit but still. Bless his cotton socks. He was so cross! Two jabs, two sets of screaming…my poor boy was devastated.

I managed to get him dressed and calmed a teeny bit and stood up with him to get ready to go. The Nurse, daft cow that she is, said, “Oh there. Well, you’ve got him and an older child and now you’re expecting again??” WHAT???????? She was looking at my belly. My belly which is scarred and giant. My belly which has endured two pregnancies and still has a 4-finger diastasis recti. My belly which still makes me look pregnant. Mind you, my son is EIGHT WEEKS OLD! I am allowed to still look pregnant 8 weeks post-delivery, am I not? I’m not Heidi Klum!

I KNOW my belly is big! But seriously, pregnant again? Are you kidding me? Sam is EIGHT WEEKS OLD (have I mentioned that?). Even if I was pregnant again (how in God’s green Earth could I manage that with two children and post-c-section recovery) I wouldn’t be THAT pregnant to be showing, would I? OH MY GOD! When the Nurse asked that I just looked down, muttered “Oh no, I’m just fat” and rushed to get away from her as fast as possible. I was horrified. And embarrassed. And cross. And depressed. And sad for my poor boy who was still screaming after such pain and agony.

Here are all of the things I wish I could have managed to say to the Nurse after her insensitive observation:

• “Um, pregnant? I’m EIGHT WEEKS post-delivery! Do you really think I could be pregnant again?”
• “Cow!”
• “No, I’m not pregnant. You appear to be coming on nicely with your pregnancy though. When are you due?” (said daft cow Nurse was rather…shall we say…wide of girth)
• “Yes, I jumped on my husband the minute we came home from hospital, despite looking like a train wreck, and am now 8 weeks pregnant with our third! How do I look?”

Any other suggestions for what I should have said? I’m going to sit down on the couch and think up some more good one-liners. Or practise my round-house kick. And I’m going to cuddle my boy. He’s worth every stretch mark and bit of flab!

The Week According to Sam- Week Eight

Posted by cafebebemama on Jan 23, 2012 in Motherhood, Week According to Sam | 3 comments

This week was about ups and downs…not for Sam…but for me. I’m struggling a bit. Trying to RELOCATE myself, trying to find time, trying to fulfill obligations and be a good mother, wife and me. Sam? He’s brilliant. While we are still working on separating a bit more during the day, he is a happy, healthy, lovely boy. What more could you ask for? This week should have been Sam’s eight week check and 1st set of jabs. But as the NHS can’t seem to count, we have that appointment next week. Gee darn, postponing Sam’s first jabs. I hate that part!

We did accomplish one item, however, this week. Sam’s cot bed got put together! Huzzah and Pip Pip! We picked up a replacement parts kit from Kiddicare and reassembled the cot so it was fit for purpose. But then, as we were all standing in Sam’s room on Saturday, I mentioned that it might be nice to decorate Sam’s room for SAM. Cue Mark’s creative side and next thing we knew, we were at B&Q buying 2 shades of blue paint for the walls. Now Sam’s room is totally back to disarray as Mark adds a “boy” stamp to the room. The cot is still assembled, however, in the middle of the room as it’s too big to fit through the door. One day Sam may have his own room.

Here is the week according to Sam…week eight…in pictures:

Sleep training commences…swaddling, positioning, white noise…we’ve got it all. Sam slept brilliantly ONE day for 1 1/2 hours. He has taken on the persona of Houdini however and now regularly wrangles his way out of the swaddling. The boy wants his arms free!

Time for a dream feed…Sam looks ever so serious! Bless…

We met Mark to journey into Stamford to get my taxes sorted with an accountant. Then we managed to convince Mark to take us out to lunch. Sam enjoyed a bit of formula while Mark and I munched through some sandwiches. How decadent are we?

Attempting a bit of fashion and style here, Sam sports a bandana. This boy is going to be a drool monster…I just know it!

This picture cracks me up! We arrived at the local Soft Play place on Friday as it was a rainy, horrible day. Ella got to run around like a mad-woman and Sam got to be snuggled by Mummy and MummyMatters! Not a bad situation!

You SHOULD be sleeping Sam!

“I quite like this play mat Mummy…can you please stop taking pictures of me though! Geesh!”

Thanks for tuning in for another week according to Sam. What will week nine bring?

#adayinthelife Thursday 19 January

Posted by cafebebemama on Jan 20, 2012 in Bebe, Motherhood | 2 comments

Early this morning, a fellow blogger of distinction began Tweeting #adayinthelife with rather dull invigorating tweets about his day. I suggested that we should start a trend and see who else wanted to join us. As far as I know, Tim & I were the only bloggers to take up the challenge. Aren’t we trend setters? Anyhoo, here’s #adayinthelife Thursday 19 January for the Cafe Bebe family. Hold onto your hats!

8:00am- Enjoying a cuddle with Sam. Contemplating the day ahead with enthusiasm lacking.

8:38am- Ella, ready for school, is doing her “homework” while watching Lazy Town. Just like her mother…

8:45am- Another cup of tea, gone cold, without finishing it. Such is the curse of motherhood.

9:10am- Time for the school run for Ella. Doesn’t she look cheerful?

10:00am- Looking for happiness in the pages of my cookbooks. Several recipes look brilliant. Unfortunately I seem to be missing some key ingredients!

10:30am- Giving Sam a bit of “space” by letting him play in the bouncy chair. This lasts approximately 8 minutes.

10:50am- Elevenses for an 8 week old! Everyone raise a bottle for Baby Sam who is today, 2 months old. How did that happen?

11:30am- Giving gNappies a go. Aren’t they cute?

11:45am- The gNappies are prepared for use today. The first nappy change 4 hours later is surprisingly positive. The poopy nappy change approximately 30 minutes after that is less thrilling!

12:15pm- An attempt at a nap for Sam in his cot in his room. Partial swaddling is in place (he wrangles his arms out no matter what!), positioning is set and Ewan the Sheep is set to white noise. The nap lasts altogether about an hour and 10 minutes but Sam doesn’t sleep the entire time. I take approximately 8 trips up and down the stairs to settle and calm him. Fun times!

1:45pm- More bouncy chair time…Sam looks rather serious.

3:45pm- Having collected Ella from school, there’s a bit of time for a cuddle, another bottle and then we’re off to Nanny and Grandad’s for dinner.

And thus, our #adayinthelife comes to an end…in pictures anyway. So how was your Thursday? If you feel like joining in next week and I can remember, try to join in on #adayinthelife next week. Let’s hope your day was a bit more exciting than ours!

Cafe Bebe Loves- Baby Bjorn Miracle Organic Carrier

Posted by cafebebemama on Jan 18, 2012 in Motherhood, Product Reviews | 1 comment

Thanks to Sam’s arrival, we have had the pleasure of trialing and reviewing several wonderful products. The Baby Bjorn Miracle Organic carrier is one of our latest LOVES!

Sam is a VERY snuggly baby. I have indulged this need considerably. I realised quite quickly that if I wanted to get anything accomplished in the time that Ella is at school, I would have to “wear” Sam in order to do so. Now, I’m not much of a “baby wearer”…at least I didn’t think I was. Until Sam joined our lives. He needs me…I need to keep him close. The solution for us was a carrier.

A lovely fellow blogger suggested a Moby wrap/sling and lent me hers to try. The Moby is a brilliant LONG piece of jersey cotton which wraps around you in a somewhat intriguing configuration to snuggle your baby into you. This type of wrap/sling is definitely more of a natural, traditional type sling. I just didn’t feel that it was ME, however. I never seemed to be able to wrap it just right and didn’t feel very supported when wearing it. While Sam was ever so snuggled, I was a bit wary.

We had a Baby Bjorn carrier with Ella but I had lent it to a friend about 2 years ago and never got it back. The Baby Bjorn’s have come a long way in the last few years. They now have the Baby Bjorn Miracle which is made of Organic Cotton…far more sustainable, better for the environment and just as sturdy and functional as every other Baby Bjorn carrier.

The Baby Bjorn Miracle carrier is DEFINITELY my kind of carrier. It’s easy to put on, very supportive with an ergonomic waist belt and keeps Sam just as snuggly and secure as the Moby wrap but feels far better on me. I purchased a weather cover to go with the carrier as we’ve embarked on a renewed fitness regime now that we’re past our six week mark. I can attach the weather cover in a flash, be out the door with Sam snuggled up, drop Ella at school with hands free for cuddles and then head off around the village for a breath of fresh air. I love it! Sam sleeps, I get some exercise and then when we arrive home, I can generally keep him in the Baby Bjorn Miracle for an hour or more while I get some jobs done. It is a miracle after all!

The price of the Baby Bjorn Miracle carrier ranges from £124.99. They are a bit more expensive but, in my humble opinon, are more than worth the investment. We’ll be using our Baby Bjorn Miracle for some time to come.

*Disclosure: We received the Baby Bjorn Miracle carrier for review purposes. I did purchase the weather cover myself and my words and opinions are entirely my own.

Comments Closed?

Posted by cafebebemama on Jan 18, 2012 in Blogging | 11 comments

Lately I have been conflicted. I don’t have enough time. I have a teeny bit of an excuse and his name is Sam. He’s the best reason to not have time. I don’t have time for myself much less the Blogosphere. But, as I blogged about last week, I still love writing. I enjoy taking some snippets of time here and there to share what’s rolling around in my brain.

What I don’t have time for is reading, commenting and replying to comments on my blog, I’m sorry to say. My freelance social media work allows me to visit various blogs and spend time on social media channels but I just don’t have the time to devote to both Cafe Bebe and freelance clients. What I don’t want to do is continue to keep comments open and not be able to reply to those comments which is just rude. I love it when readers take the time to comment and share their thoughts and/or experiences. I don’t want to offend those who do comment by not acknowledging their efforts. There just is not enough time in my day, at the moment for me to do everything.

Some people have suggested that I just take a blogging break and I may still do that. However, I truly love blogging and writing. I think what I need to do is take some of the pressure off, allow people to just read and enjoy and see what comes of it. I would love it if people Re-Tweeted my links if they enjoyed the post or share their comment on Twitter and/or Facebook. I would happily accept direct comments through my contact system if people are so moved. Maybe my readers will enjoy my posts more if they don’t feel the pressure to comment? I know I will relax a bit about my posts if I’m not constantly checking to see if someone has commented. I always feel a bit sorry for the posts that get no comments anyway! What makes my post so unworthy of commenting? This is what I fret over!

Starting 1 February, 2012 and for the month of February I will be closing comments on all posts. It will be a bit of an experiment. Can I retain engagement and an audience without the need for comment? Will people still visit and engage with me? Will my stats drop or go up? Will I feel less pressure to write and thus end up writing better and more free? Who knows? I’m going to give it a go and see what the result is on 29 February, 2012. I shall report back on the results.

I’m giving you 2 more weeks to comment on posts…hit me with your best shot. Would you close comments temporarily or are you too worried about what might happen to your blog as a result? Talk to me…for 14 more days!

**I was inspired by a VERY cool blogger, HerMelness, who has closed comments on her blog. If only I could be half as brilliant!**

The Week According to Sam- Week Seven

Posted by cafebebemama on Jan 17, 2012 in Motherhood, Week According to Sam | 3 comments

The Cafe Bebe family started off with a BIG ADVENTURE on Monday 9 January with our first trip as a family of four to London. I was presenting at a PR Training at 11am in Soho so at 10:15 when we were still in North London, it became crystal clear that I was not going to make it if I didn’t hop out at the nearest tube stop and scuttle into London on my own and meet up with Mark and the kids later. Out I ran, at Hendon Central, and managed to make it into Soho by just before 11am. Mark was left with Ella and Sam and as I exited the car, Sam must have sensed something as he chose that moment to start shrieking. He did that for the remainder of the 45 minute drive into London. I believe Mark lost his mind somewhere around Abbey Road.

Bless him, he coped though. I was really proud of Mark’s skills as he managed to get all three of them to Oxford Street about 3 hours later and we reunited and I gave Sam a right proper cuddle. We enjoyed a leisurely break in Debenham’s cafe where Sam was put to rights and then we hoofed it up to Regent’s Park so Ella could have a little play before we returned to our car park to head home. It was a great adventure which tested us more than we would have liked but we all survived. I’m looking forward to my first adventure into London with just Sam! Anyone want to meet us?

The rest of the week was pretty tame and wound up with a visit to our local surgery to the Health Visitor for Sam’s 6 week check (even though he was 7 weeks). I was less than impressed with the Health Visitor but Sam appears to be fine for the time being. The only thing that worried me was his weight. He’s put on a good deal of weight since his last weigh-in on 13 December. He weighed 8lbs 2oz on the 13 of December and on the 13 of January he weighed 9lbs 11oz. However, on the “centile” charts, he’s dropped well below the “50th centile” where he had been on the 13th December. Of course, I know these charts are just estimates and based on what others weighed in comparison but you never want to hear that your child isn’t “measuring up”. We’ve increased Sam’s feeds as he was draining his bottles and I know I shouldn’t worry because he’s growing and happy and healthy. But still…I do.

We had a bit of a sad weekend as we had to bid farewell to Mark’s twin sister, Julie, and her family on Sunday. They head back down to Australia and the hard part about that is that we don’t know when we’ll see them again. Julie’s daughter is 17 now and she’ll be finishing her final year in secondary school which means they won’t be able to come back during the summer and may not be able to come back for Christmas next year. There’s no way we can afford 3 1/2 fares to Australia unless we win the lottery so we’ll have to settle for Skype in the meantime. I feel badly that Ella and Sam will miss out on knowing their cousins and being loved and spoiled by their Auntie Julie but one day maybe…

Here’s the week according to Sam- week seven, in pictures:

Sam’s in there! I promise! I was wearing Sam in the Baby Bjorn carrier which meant that Ella could claim back her Xplory for a ride. London’s hard work for a 3 1/2 year old! We were enjoying a play break at Regent’s Park…what a great day!

Co-sleeping is a rather wonderful thing, you know?

We spent some quality time in the old Moses Basket this week. Here Sam’s getting to know the toy bar over the Moses Basket and spending a bit of time on his own. Such a big boy!

And he even managed to drift off for a few minutes in the darn Moses Basket! A miracle!

I’m also attempting to get Sam to snuggle up with various items. Here we have Penguin. I even “wore” Penguin for 1/2 a day to impart my “smell” onto it with the thought that Sam would attach to it then. Fat chance!

Multi-tasking Daddy…carrying Sam along with the laundry. You’ve gotta love Daddy’s creativeness!

We’ll miss you Auntie Julie! Thank you for such lovely cuddles, making me smile and giving me something to stare at (your lovely hair). Come back soon!

Guess what we managed to get put together this weekend?? After 7 weeks of Sam’s life, his cot is FINALLY assembled! We are now transitioning to Sam’s “big boy” bed. Wish us luck with that one!

Flashback Friday- 7 weeks

Posted by cafebebemama on Jan 13, 2012 in Flashback Friday, Motherhood | 0 comments

Sam is 7 weeks old now! Nearly TWO MONTHS OLD! Crikey, where does the time go? As one probably shouldn’t, I’ve decided to compare Sam at 7 weeks to Ella around 7-8 weeks as well to see what similarities and differences we have. Ready?

We purchased this bouncy seat from Kiddicare for £9.99 in 2008 in preparation for Ella. We didn’t want anything with ridiculous bells and whistles. Hubby picked this one and while I thought it was lacking in beauty a bit, it was most certainly functional. Ella loved it and spent a fair bit of time in it. We saved it from the bin with Sam’s arrival and Mark dutifully assembled it to see how Sam liked it. At the moment he’s tolerating it for about 15-20 minutes before shouting. He prefers sitting in it in the kitchen so he can look out the big picture window. Isn’t it great when you can put something to use again?

I love the expression on my face in the picture on the left with Ella…NOT. We spent an exceptionally windy and unseasonably cold (it was July) day at the seaside in Hunstanton with Mark’s family. I was worried about Ella as I hadn’t dressed her appropriately and the sand was swirling around something fierce. I bundled her into the Baby Bjorn carrier and wrapped her up in someone’s jacket.

I believe I look considerably happier and more than a bit different in the picture with Ella and Sam on the right. This photo was taken on Monday on our maiden voyage to London as a family of four. We stopped at Regent’s Park on the walk back to the car park so that Ella could burn off a bit of energy. Funnily enough, the weather was quite similar to that Summer day back in 2008! You’ve got to love England!

Ella never had issues with the Moses Basket. She went into it straight away when we arrived home and slept quite well in it. It was right next to my side of the bed and we did occasionally bring her in bed with us but she was pretty confident in it from the get-go. Unfortunately, Ella was never a brilliant day-time nap taker so she didn’t spend much day time in the Moses Basket.

Sam, from the beginning, has not enjoyed his Moses Basket. We are now in Operation Don’t Be Afraid of the Moses Basket. I’ve brought it downstairs so he can spend time in it next to me while I work on the laptop. It seems to be alright for set periods of time. He’ll dose off for 15-20 minutes and happily wriggle around for a while longer. Not too bad for a boy who’s been pretty much attached to Mummy from the time he came out of me!

There’s my Flashback Friday for today! Looking back to Ella’s early days in comparison to Sam’s current days. There are a few similarities between them but quite a few differences as well. It is lovely to look back however…happy memories all around. That’s what Flashback Friday is all about! Feel free to do the same on your blog…take a trip back in time, share a memory and a smile. Have a great weekend!