A very merry Christmas to everyone out there.
From Kaine, Renee and Jesse.
Home Sweet Home
A few days ago marked 10 years of living in our home.
On the 21st December, 2005 we were just a couple of kids moving into our first home. At just 21 years old there was definitely a sense of pride and accomplishment in purchasing our own home. It wasn’t much, a three bedroom low set brick, nothing fancy. But we loved it and were so excited to be officially starting our life together.
While living here we have married, had three pets (one of whom we miss very much) and two foster dogs, welcomed several guests requiring solace (some for a night or two and some for longer), been on four overseas trips, had multiple job changes one of which saw me working out of our home for the past five years. And most recently we became a family of three under this roof.
Though we have big plans for our ultimate dream home this place will always be special to us. And a place we’ll call home for a while yet.
12 Days of Vlogmas – A Glimpse Into The Life Of A Daily Vlogger
So we have been filming and uploading daily vlogs to our YouTube channel now for nearly a week. And wow… what a week it has been. I mean, who would have thought that daily vlogging could be so exciting but at the same time so tiring…
To give you some background, we decided to take part in what has become to be known as “Vlogmas” around the YouTube traps, after seeing some of our favourite YouTubers decide to take part in it. So what is it? Well essentially, it’s committing to upload a vlog (video blog for those who are uninitiated) style video to YouTube every day, for a nominated period over Christmas.
Awesome! That sounds like a great idea! That’s definitely something we should get on board with. Let’s call ours… ‘The 12 Days of Vlogmas’. Surely 12 days of videos won’t be too hard to accomplish.
Well apparently, as we ourselves have found out, it can be a lot harder than it seems!
I can safely say that I now have new found respect and admiration for the daily vloggers that we watch on YouTube. Especially those who haven’t missed a single day of uploading in years. I don’t know how they manage it.
Uploading daily videos to YouTube brings with it a lot of work… as we have since found out.
There’s remembering to charge the camera batteries each night and then making sure you take the cameras with you each day. There’s trying to keep your videos interesting for people to watch. There’s filming the footage you want to use (which can come with some public embarrassment) and then there’s the editing and upload process.
It can be exhausting. Especially due to the fact that we also have the responsibility of caring for a 6 month old that demands so much of our attention at the moment.
But in saying all that, we were well aware heading into ‘The 12 Days of Vlogmas’, of the work that goes into creating daily vlogs for YouTube. By that, I mean that we are no strangers to daily vlogging. We did daily vlogs whilst on our Euro Trip (watch our Euro Trip playlist here). The difference however, is that we were on holidays… we were relaxed… we were baby-less… and we had a lot of time to do whatever we wanted.
But that said, after the initial shock to the system of having to edit and upload a vlog everyday, I now find myself getting more and more excited during the editing process. I find that our editing skills are getting better and better as we do more and more videos. And I am getting more and more excited about what adventures we will get to film the next day.
I find that as we get deeper into our Vlogmas journey, I am finding pleasure in the fact that we are challenging ourselves to come up with new and more interesting things to do and film each day. And I love that it’s getting us out and about doing things we normally wouldn’t do.
I love the fact that we are filming, even if it’s just for archival purposes, our days in the lead up to Jesse’s first Christmas. How good is it going to be for Jesse to watch these videos back when he’s a first time dad going through the same thing with his first born!
I love that we are constantly improving our filming style and our vision for better shots. And that we are constantly improving our video editing skills. I love the fact that I am enjoying the editing process more and more as I continue to experiment and evolve and create better content that I am really proud of.
Despite the fact that ‘The 12 Days of Vlogmas’ has been overwhelming at times… I absolutely love doing it.
And I cannot wait to see what tomorrow video will be!!!
Photo Friday: Jesse’s First Photo with Santa
So we decided to get out and about with Jesse last night. Mostly for some Christmas shopping, but also to get the obligatory ‘baby with Santa’ shot.
And so here it is… Jesse with Santa. Looking up at him wondering who he is exactly.
It was actually pretty cute seeing him on Santa’s knee for the first time in his life. And despite all our and the staff’s efforts to get his attention, he just wouldn’t cooperate with a smile or a glimpse in our direction.
Santa’s beard is just too interesting!
We had a bit of a chuckle about it afterwards and also thought hey, at least he wasn’t screaming in full tantrum mode like some babies in their photo with Santa.
The start of another Christmas tradition.
You Know You’re A Parent When…
There are many tell-tale signs that you have become a parent. Some are obvious. Yes, that small human being that’s constantly hanging around you now is your child. And some that may have happened subtly over time. Like the increase of toys scattered on the lounge room floor and the ever-growing dark circles under your eyes.
We have certainly noticed a lot of changes in our lives since becoming parents. And we’re only six months in!
So here’s what I’ve found.
You know you’re a parent when…
- Tired is the new normal. You can’t actually remember what it feels like to have a night of uninterrupted sleep. The next time you get to do it might be years away, but you know you will never take a full night sleep for granted again.
- There is a mini, makeshift bed on the floor next to yours. Though it may only act as a deterrent and it may only last for a few hours before they inevitably end up in your bed anyway, it’s good while it lasts.
- 6.30am is now considered a sleep in. What happened to those people that used to sleep in til 10am on Sunday mornings?? Now by 7am your child has kicked you in the ribs, punched you in face and pulled your hair until you gave in and got up. And by 10am you’ve managed to feed and clothe everyone, do two loads of laundry, wash up all the bottles, change clothes again due to a vomit or poop explosion, sing ‘five little Ducks’ three times and if you’re lucky, get ready to leave the house.
- Coffee and wine are practically food groups. Or insert other caffeinated / alcohol laden vices here.
- Kids shows now grace your television screen for several hours a day. And you sing along with all of the theme songs! Those things are catchy as hell and you find yourself humming them long after the show finished.
- Having someone else’s vomit or poop or wee or snot or dribble on you is now commonplace and no big deal.
- You narrate EVERYTHING all whilst referring to yourself in the third person. ‘Mummy is just going to go to the toilet and then I’ll be right back to pick you up ok?’
- You now talk to your spouse through baby talk with the baby. ‘Mummy thinks Daddy should go and change your nappy so Mummy can have a rest’.
- Your camera roll that was once filled with photos of food, travel snaps and drunken selfies is now full of photos of your kid. Often multiples of the almost exact same photo!
- You find yourself suddenly much more tolerant of other people’s children. That toddler throwing themselves on the ground at the shops is no longer the spectacle it once was. Instead you are just thankful it’s not your kid this time as you give the parents a knowing smile.
And, for good measure, number 11 is that despite all this you wouldn’t have it any other way. Even on the toughest days a smile, giggle or cuddle from the small human makes being a parent totally awesome.
A friend said to me recently that of all the people she knows who have children, none of them have ever said ‘Oh, don’t do it, it’s not really worth it’.
I was oddly comforted as I realised she was right. I too have never heard any parents say it wasn’t worth it.
So while it might be bloody hard at times, anything worth doing usually is.
The Four Gift Rule
This Christmas, is our first as parents.
This Christmas, is Jesse’s first.
This Christmas, is not going to be like any other Christmas’ we have ever had before… and we can’t wait!
Christmas with children is fun. We’ve seen the movies! And we remember what Christmas was like when we we’re kids. It was the best time of year! Waking up to find all the presents Santa had delivered, under the Christmas tree waiting for us to open them.
And even spending time with some of our family who have kids. Just seeing the absolute joy on their faces at Christmas time when they get to open Christmas gifts from Santa and loved ones.
But how much is too much? How do you not go too overboard when getting gifts for your children.
I was recently talking to my sister-in-law who told me about this great tradition that they’ve implemented for gift giving at Christmas. The four gift rule.
When we were talking about it, I absolutely loved the idea of the four gift rule. For a lot of reasons, but mainly because it’s a simple tradition that we can start this Christmas, and keep for many more Christmas’ to come!
So what are your favourite Christmas traditions?
We would love to hear all about how other families spend Christmas and any traditions you have.
God, The Universe And Taylor Swift
On Saturday night my bestie and I saw Taylor Swift in concert for the second time. With grins from ear to ear we fist pumped, squealed like 12 year old girls and sang along to every word, loving every minute. We may have brought up the age average significantly, and I’m pretty sure I was sitting next to a ‘chaperone Dad’, but we had an amazing time.
There was a strange feeling about the night though. I put it down to this… Two years ago almost to the day we were standing in that same stadium seeing Taylor for the first time. I was so excited to be seeing her, but at the same time I had a little cloud over my head. It had been following me around for a while. At that time two years ago, we had been trying to have a baby for nearly 12 months.
At the same time, we were also planning a trip to Europe with said bestie and her now husband. We had agreed to give ourselves until the end of the year to conceive; if we weren’t pregnant, we’d book the trip. We were incredibly excited about the possibility of going to Europe for the first time and the adventures we would have there, but we also desperately wanted a baby as well.
Fast forward two years and the woman who stood in the stadium this time is now a mother of a beautiful 6 month old baby boy. Plus, we did get to go on that Euro trip. And life could not be better.
It may not have all happened according to my plan but this way was so much better.
Call it God, the universe, whatever; sometimes we just have to trust that it’s plan will unfold with the perfect timing.
Our Biggest Parenting Challenge Yet
In the past, both on this blog and in general conversation with people we know, we have often talked about how Jesse is a really cruisy baby. And about how lucky we have been because he’s such a happy baby.
“Nah, he hardly ever cries”, we would say. “He’s a pretty chilled baby”.
Well, all that has changed. Our once chilled, happy, easy going baby has turned into a restless, upset, cranky, screaming bubba that is often hard to settle. The culprit? Based on all the evidence we have and research we’ve undertaken, the most likely explanation is that he is starting to go through teething.
So with that, I would like to say that this past week of parenting for us, has been hard. Hard because after becoming accustomed to having such a happy, well behaved baby for the better part of the past 6 months, it has been a little difficult coming to terms with and adjusting to a baby that is cranky and unsettled a lot of the time.
But while it has been hard for us both, it has been especially hard for Renee. When you are a stay-at-home mum and have a baby that demands your full attention for so much of the day and night, it can start to take its toll. But Renee has soldiered on. Being a pillar of support for Jesse and also being a rock for me when I get stressed. And for this reason, words can’t even begin to express my gratitude toward Renee for this.
That said, there is one (huge) thing that both Renee and I need to consider and reflect on. And that is that Jesse is not doing this just for the hell of it. He is not putting us through our paces as parents just because he feels like it. Jesse is genuinely upset, unhappy, and in pain.
When he is uncontrollably crying and just won’t settle down no matter what we try. It’s because he is in discomfort and in pain.
When he keeps waking up every couple of hours during the night because he is unsettled. It’s because he just wants a cuddle and to be comforted.
When he won’t settle in my arms no matter what I do, but will stop crying when he gets his mummy. I need to realise that it’s not that he doesn’t like me. It’s just that he wants his mummy at that moment. Mostly I think, because mummy has the boobs.
And when he won’t take his bottle no matter how many different ways we try to give it to him. It’s because his gums are sensitive and hurt. But taking comfort in knowing that he is still getting nourishment through puree’s and mummy’s boobs.
We know that babies have limited communication skills. So when it comes to communicating with mums and dads, the only thing babies can really do is cry. And for this reason, we do know that for the moment, the constant crying and unsettled nature is just his way of communicating that something is just not quite right.
I will at this point say this. We aren’t naive about the struggles of having a newborn. We are well aware that there will be parents out there that have had unsettled babies since they were born. Babies with colic. Babies with reflux. The fact that we are going through this rough patch isn’t even a blip compared to what some parents go through with their own babies.
And these parents in our eyes, deserve to be commended. We can’t even begin to imagine what it’s like to have a baby that cries all the time. You must be super parents to be able to navigate your way through the days with a constantly unsettled bubba.
I hereby dub you ‘Super Mum’ and ‘Super Dad’! High five!
I know that the mere fact we have had such a happy and healthy baby leading up to this dreaded teething period has been an absolute blessing. And really, in the grand scheme of things, we really don’t have anything to complain about. And despite the fact that he is going through an unsettled period, he still does give us glimpses of his usual self (happy go lucky Jesse), he is healthy, and he is still bloody cute.
But it’s still tough… Being first time parents and never experiencing this before, ever, and trying to get a grasp of and work through this rough period with Jesse is tough. But I have absolute faith that together, as a unit, we are strong and will work through it and come out the other side with an even happier baby than we had before.
And to all my fellow mums and dads out there (especially the first timers)… we got this! We can do this! And if there is only one thing that you get from this post, I hope it’s that you are not alone in your struggles! Everyone goes through rough patches.
So let’s support each other and get through this together!
We got this!
Footage Friday: YouTube Trailer
As you would know by now, as part of our ‘Not So Secret Life Of Us’ project and blog, we have our own YouTube channel.
Well, one of the projects that we kept putting off, was our NSSLOU YouTube Trailer. This is basically a video that any new visitors to our YouTube channel will be presented with, giving them a snapshot into our lives and what our channel is all about.
And can we just say, that we are absolutely stoked with how it’s turned out!
We went through all of our old footage dating right back to when we were first married… and combined it into a 3min long highlight reel of our lives so far. So check the video out below, and while you’re at it, go hit us up on YouTube and leave us a like, a comment and subscribe… 😉
Peace out! (I think we need to come up with a better sign off… hahaha…)
6 Things I Won’t Miss About Breastfeeding (and 6 that I will)
It is probably a little taboo to talk about breastfeeding in a negative way. And I’m in no way intending to disrespect those that are unable to for whatever reason.
So let me just say I love breastfeeding my baby and feel incredibly lucky that I’ve been able to do so (read about my breastfeeding story here). But there are certainly a few things that I won’t miss when the time comes for us to move on from it.
Things like:
- Having to wear a bra 24/7 and being limited to nursing bras at that.
- Having to wear breast pads in said bras to avoid unsightly wet patches.
- Being limited to outfits that provide easy access to my boobs. I’m really looking forward to being able to wear the other 70% of my wardrobe!
- An inquisitive baby craning his neck to smile at his dad, or glimpse at his favourite TV show with nipple still in his mouth (ouch!).
- The 5 times a night feeds during his leaps.
- Being handed a cranky baby with the comment “I think he wants boob” (like its the magic cure for everything).
Having said that there are some things I definitely will miss.
Things like:
- That it is pretty much the magic cure for everything (from hunger to conjunctivitis…who knew!)
- The gentle strokes on my arm or breast or the foot that gently lands on my arm from a contented little boy as he feeds.
- Gorgeous cheeky grins as he looks up at me mid-feed, milk spilling from his smile.
- The convenience of being able to sleep whilst feeding throughout the night (we can regularly be found asleep in the nursing chair at 5am, boob out).
- Marvelling at how a body that once fit snug in the crook of one arm is now stretching over my entire lap.
- Being the only one who can provide that comforting feeling that breastfeeding brings for my son (though this can also take its toll when you feel like you haven’t left the couch in 4 days).
I know that when that last feed happens, though I probably won’t know its the last feed at the time, that I will no doubt feel a bit sad that its over. But there is part of me that won’t mind to have my body back, be able to let ‘the girls’ roam free if I feel and be able to wear a dress again (one that doesn’t require buttons or the ability to slip down).
not so secret life of us 