Tag: Baby

Photo Friday: Who Does Jesse Look Like?

Kaine BartonLeave a comment

So right from the start, many if not all of the visitors we got in the early days said that Jesse was a spitting image of me. It certainly looked that way. Blonde hair, blue eyes, big nose.

But the more time passes, more people are saying that he is now looking more like Renee.

So we visited both our parents houses and went hunting through old baby photos of ourselves to try and see if we could find any that would be good to use as a comparison. And so below, we have 4 photos to compare. Photos of both Renee and I as babies with photos of Jesse at the same age (in days/weeks).

Have a look for yourselves and let us know who you think Jesse looks like… Mummy or daddy?

Jesse and Kaine:Kaine and Jesse

Jesse and Renee:
Renee and Jesse

An Open Letter to Dads Returning to Work

Renee Barton3 Comments

Next week Kaine will be returning to work and I am nervous to say the least.  I am wondering how I am going to handle things on my own without someone to share nappy duty with, without the chest which Jesse loves to fall asleep on and without someone to keep up the housework and bring me things when I’m breastfeeding.  But most of all how I’m going to cope without my person with me, my best friend, my husband.

But as hard as it will be for me, I know it will be even more difficult for him to leave us every morning and spend a large part of the day away from us.  Especially after enjoying such precious family time over the last 7 weeks.

So here are my words to my husband about his returning to work. Perhaps there are other women that feel this way about their spouse also so this is my open letter to working Dads.

To My Dear Husband,

The time we have spent together recently has been so special. The opportunity to be together every day as a new family while we navigate the challenges and joys of being parents has been incredible. I didn’t know I could love you more than I already did but seeing you as a Dad and the way you are with our baby, and with me, has deepened my love for you in ways I could not have anticipated.

But soon you will be returning to work. I know this will be difficult for you and that you will wish you were at home with us but I want you to know that work is exactly where your family needs you to be, at least for now.

Each day you leave our house please know that we love you and appreciate all you do to provide for us and ensure we are happy and healthy. We will miss you and the moment you arrive home will be our favourite part of the day.

Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to continue staying at home to care for our son. I know it is incredibly important to the both of us, and to us as a family, to be with him as much as possible and provide him with the best start in life.

So until a time when we are able to spend all of our days together again; we thank you.

Lovingly yours,

Wifey for Lifey

letter to dad

365 Project Update: How Are We Going?

Kaine BartonLeave a comment

So tomorrow will mark day 40 of ‘The 365 Project’. The big question being, how are we going?

For those who haven’t ventured through to that area of our website, simply put, the 365 Project is a brutally honest account of a year in the life of a new mum and a new dad.

The mission was simple. We will:

  • Over one whole year from the day our baby is born, chronicle our first year of parenthood through writings and photos.
  • Each journal something every day of Baby Barton’s first year of life, no excuses (no matter how sleep deprived)!
  • Each take a photo every day of Baby Barton’s first year of life, no excuses.
  • Not share our journal entries or photos with each other, until the day Baby Barton turns 1 (the end of the project).
  • At the conclusion of The 365 Project, compile and publish the journals and photos as two individual books titled ‘Not So Secret Life Of Us: A year in the life of a first time Dad’ and ‘Not So Secret Life Of Us: A year in the life of a first time Mum’.

So how are we going? Well, so far so good I think.

Life with a baby is sometimes pretty tough, especially for Renee who is up throughout the nights breastfeeding. But as of today, we have both stuck to our mission and have successfully taken a photo and written an entry every single day.

Collage 1

However, we are still both on leave from work which makes this whole chronicling our lives a little easier than it normally would. The real test is going to be when we finally climb out of this having a new baby bubble and go back to work and regular life starts getting in the way.

I think it’s going to be tough, but I think we will be able to do it. We may only be 40 days in, but I still feel as passionate about this project as when we started it on day 1!!!

Photo Friday: Baby Barton Diaries – The Final Chapter

Kaine BartonLeave a comment

What’s this? Another video for Photo Friday? You betcha!

Throughout our pregnancy, we uploaded a series of videos called ‘Baby Barton Diaries’. Well, as you are all aware, our pregnancy journey came to an end just over 4 weeks ago when we welcomed little Jesse Jack to the world.

Yesterday we recorded the final Baby Barton Diary entry where we talk about the labour and delivery, our experiences at the hospital and my infamous ‘Cigars, Scotch and Cards’ night to celebrate the birth of Jesse.

Because of it’s length, it ended up becoming 2 separate videos (Part One and Part Two). So that said, we hope you enjoy the 2 part finale of our ‘Baby Barton Diaries’ video series.

Part one:

Part Two:

If you are interested in seeing any of the previous videos we did throughout our pregnancy, you can check them out on the Baby Barton YouTube Playlist HERE.

Happy One Month Birthday

Renee Barton3 Comments

We have a four week old baby. Yup, we have managed to navigate our way through parenthood for one whole month. And fairly successfully I would say.

Most say by the six week mark we will finally emerge from the haze that is life with a newborn. That sounds about right too as I don’t quite think we are there yet. However we have started to find a rhythm and even on the most difficult days there is still so much to be joyful about. Jesse is starting to smile a lot so that is all that we need to brighten our day and lift our spirits.

He is also starting to spend more time awake. Instead of just feeding and sleeping we now have a sprightly and curious bub for several hours a day. So we have been finding ways we can interact with him and help him develop.

You’ll find us giving Jesse a blow by blow of everything we are doing from changing his nappy and clothes to a running commentary of the Brisbane Broncos game.

And today we have pulled out his new play mat and a multitude of rattles and toys (all which were gifts from family and friends) so that we can start some play time with him.

I have no idea whether it is too early for all of that, but he already seemed to really like the shiny colours and interesting noises of the toys hanging across his carrier. And then it all must have got too much for him because he soon fell fast asleep. A win-win I suppose.

One Month Old Photo

I was hoping not to be one of those parents that wishes their child doesn’t grow up and instead just relish in every stage and every age. But even four weeks in I am starting to have those thoughts. He has already changed so much since he was born and pretty soon he will be too big for his 00000 clothes.

A reminder that no matter how monotonous or challenging some days may feel, this too shall pass. So drink it all in and cherish all the beautiful moments. And the tough ones too.

Photo Friday: Pregnancy Time-lapse

Kaine Barton2 Comments

Our Photo Friday is a bit different today. Instead of sharing a photo, you are getting a video of photos.

Throughout our first pregnancy, we decided to take photos with the hope of putting together a pregnancy time-lapse. And now that our little Jesse is finally here, we were able to finish the photo series and edit the final product together.

There isn’t any gimmicks in this time-lapse (like pumping the pregnant belly up with a bicycle pump, which we have seen in a similar video), but it turned out just how we imagined.

So here it is for you to enjoy, our pregnancy time-lapse, which is a record of the progression of our first pregnancy.

The Lonely Hours

Renee Barton5 Comments

Some nights can get pretty lonely when you’re up with a newborn. The repitition of feeding, changing and settling every few hours can be trying. Especially during those nights when all you want to do is sleep.

Don’t get me wrong, Kaine is absolutely supportive and a massive help. In fact, he couldn’t be more hands on both with Jesse and with keeping the household running. But there is only so much he can do without boobs! And we agreed from the beginning that it doesn’t make sense for us to both be sleep deprived so I take the night shift while he sleeps.

I know that I can wake him if I really need to but I try to avoid that. A well rested husband means he is able to help more during the day while he’s still home with us and it will be even more important once he goes back to work in a few weeks.

IMG_2334

I know I am very lucky really. For the most part Jesse is really good through the night. He generally feeds well and now we get close to 3 hours sleep between feeds. But there are some tough times when he fusses at the breast or takes a long time to settle. And then there’s those pesky cluster feeds!

It’s during those times that I am comforted by the thought that other Mums all over the place, and even in the same street as me, are up doing exactly the same thing; looking after their beautiful babies and probably while their husband sleeps!

So my question to other Mums out there is, how do night shifts work in your house?

Let’s share our strategies and stories so we can all feel a little less alone when we are sitting with our boobs out at 3am on a winter night. And for all you Dads out there, we’d love to hear your perspective too.

Nappy Changing Milk Machine

Renee Barton2 Comments

It has only been two weeks since Jesse was born but in some ways it already feels like so long ago. I mean, exactly what did we do with our time before?? Oh, that’s right, we had jobs….and we slept.

I feel like we have started to settle into a groove this week. Less concerned about doing everything right and more comfortable simply following our intuition and taking Jesse’s lead.

Here are some parenting wins from our second week:

  • All that feeding paid off and Jesse weighed in above his birth weight (we celebrated with a high five).
  • We managed to leave the house as a family – 3 times!
  • I cried less and slept more.
  • I went out on my own for the first time (under the guise of getting some groceries but also managed a quickie neck and shoulder massage and got my nails painted, ahh the simple pleasures).
  • Jesse passed his healthy hearing test despite it taking ages and needing to be fed half way through.
  • We helped Jesse with his blocked nose by collecting his boogers when he sneezed them out (then we would excitedly discuss the size of it and commend ourselves on a job well done).
  • I managed to wash AND dry my hair
  • A pair of pants that barely fit and wouldn’t do up last week fit me perfectly this week (not exactly a parenting win but I thought it was worth mentioning).

Being a Mum and at the beck and call of a tiny human is a difficult adjustment. Sometimes it feels like I’m not really me any more and my only purpose is to produce milk! But it doesn’t take much for that feeling to pass. A cute, albeit windy smile from my boy, the smell of his sweet skin or his little hand clenched around my finger reminds me how lucky I am to be his Mummy.

Even if for now that means being a nappy changing milk machine.

IMG_2302

 

Just Call Me Dad

Kaine Barton1 Comment

So I’ve been thinking all day about what I should write for this post… And I’ve still come up blank. I mean, because there is just so much to say, it makes it really hard to try and translate it to one simple blog post.

Jesse Jack Barton was born just over one week ago and it seems like so much (and also so little) has happened since he graced us with his presence.

It really has been a week of roller-coaster emotions, lack of sleep and absolute joy. It’s been exhausting and yet exhilarating. I sometimes feel like I still need to pinch myself to make sure this is all happening. I am now a parent. A dad. Responsible for someone other than myself. Today, we even used the parents with prams dedicated car space at our local shops for the first time. I must admit, that was pretty cool.

So what exactly has happened this week then? Well, like I said, not a lot but at the same time, everything. The experience of being new dad is nothing like what I thought it would be. But that said, I wouldn’t change it for anything in the world.

Just Call Me Dad

I also have a new found respect for not only Renee, but all mothers around the world. The job that they take on when a child is brought into the world is not one to be taken lightly. I have a new appreciation for the term ‘Super Mum’, because that’s exactly what Renee is.

So why has it been a roller-coaster of a week? Well, here are some quick points that sum up my journey as a new dad so far:

  • Changing endless nappies including the dreaded ‘milk’ nappy… That was an experience.
  • Feeling absolutely and utterly exhausted after worrying that there were a couple of things wrong with Jesse. His belly button (when the cord fell off) looked bad, he had a weepy eye and he dropped in weight again. All which now appear to be fine.
  • Waking up every couple of hours during the night when it’s feeding time yet again. I have so much respect for Renee who takes on most of the responsibility of feeding during the night.
  • Feeling content as I sit on the couch and look at Jesse for what feels like hours while he sleeps.
  • Feeling absolute joy and overwhelming love every time I cuddle and snuggle with Jesse every day.

One of the question that was asked of us a little while ago when we were waiting to meet our little Jesse, was ‘Who is rocking this parent thing that we can go to for advice?’

Well, I like to think that we are absolutely rocking the hell out of this parenting gig… We are still learning. We are still making mistakes. And we will continue to learn and make mistakes. But I think we are doing an absolutely amazing job. And I think that definitely qualifies us for rocking this parenting gig.

As I said before, I wouldn’t change being a new dad for anything in the world, and I can’t wait to see what challenges and memories it brings in the future.

Being a parent… Love it!!!