Tag: Newborn

Photo Friday: How Cute is a Sleeping Baby

Renee BartonLeave a comment

Everyone loves the beautiful sight that is a sleeping baby.

Here are a few of our favourite sleepy bubba (and sleepy parent!) pics so far.

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Jesse at about 2 days old. We love this photo so much because it shows what he would have looked like when sleeping in Mummy’s tummy.

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Mummy and Jesse catching up on some sleep together on the lounge during his first few days at home.

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With a tummy full of milk, sleep follows shortly after.

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Jesse’s favorite place to sleep is on Daddy’s chest. Daddy often catches a few zzz’s as well.

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This is one of Jesse’s favourite sleeping poses. The Thinker.

10 Thoughts of a Sleep Deprived Mum During Night Feeds

Renee BartonLeave a comment

I’m sure other Mum’s will agree that we can have some pretty weird and wonderful thoughts when we are awake through the night tending to our little ones.

It is a special time. The rest of the house is quiet and dark. Baby cuddles up to you and stares lovingly at you with their big blue eyes whilst guzzling their midnight snack. But its not all warm and fuzzy. Literally! It has been pretty cold in Brisbane lately, peeling back the doona is even more difficult now and don’t even mention having to get your boobs out in the cold night air! It can be downright frustrating too. When all you want to do is sleep but baby is cranky, hungry, wet, cold, hot….and its your job to figure out which of these it is so that you can both get back to sleep as soon as possible.

So, here are 10 thoughts I’m sure we’ve all have whilst fulfilling this motherly duty.

  1. My life sucks right now.
  2. Has it been 3 hours already??
  3. Shit its cold!
  4. Awww….look at my husband sound asleep completely oblivious to everything….asshole!
  5. I am the luckiest Mummy in the world….and boy do I make cute babies!
  6. My life is awesome right now.
  7. I wonder what is happening on Facebook at 3am…..hmmm, not much!
  8. Ok, please settle so we can get back to sleep now.
  9. I’m sooo bloody tired! OMG, am I ever going to sleep though the night again ever?!
  10. Great, we’re done….well at least until you wake me up again in a few hours time and we do it all again.

All jokes aside, we wouldn’t have it any other way would we mums? As we pat their backs and kiss their faces and smell their heads, we know we are the luckiest (albeit tired-est) mummies in the world.

Thoughts during the night

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

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.

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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.

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.

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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.

Photo Friday: The Journey of Jesse

Renee Barton1 Comment

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Long before I fell pregnant I saw a collage like this on the inter-web and I really wanted to do it.  So I took a screen shot as you do and it sat in my phone for a long time amongst other pregnancy related photo and video ideas that I loved.

Photo 1: We’re Pregnant

This photograph captures the sheer joy and amazement that we finally saw a positive pregnancy test.  The beginning of the most wonderful adventure.

Photo 2: In Full Bloom

The second photograph was taken at 36 weeks pregnant.  As I hold my swollen belly and relish in the joy of pregnancy we anticipate the little occupant who will soon be joining our family.

Photo 3: Welcome to the World

And finally, I hold the baby in my arms that had occupied my belly for all that time.  I felt a connection with my baby during pregnancy but it has taken on a whole new meaning now that I know it was him in there.  Now that I can kiss his face and touch his feet and we can look into each other’s eyes, I fall more in love each day.

Welcome to the world Jesse Jack Barton.

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.

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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.

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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!!!