"Keep it real" articles by other people

http://www.mamamia.com.au/parenting/stories-of-parenting/

#17 You give me fever!

My little walking Petri dish...

It's an interesting way of describing a child, but that's how my friend at work described Jemma when I told her about our horror week we had just been through. 

Toddlers' tendency to run around, touching and mouthing anything they can get their little digits on, gives them a bad reputation as being dirty little carriers of disease... Growing warm bacterial cultures on their bodies, ready to be unleashed on any unsuspecting sucker. Ha ha, it sounds like a B grade horror film.

Well...I guess we've been pretty lucky, to get to 16 months without too many fevers, colds and lurgies.

But last week our unsuspecting walking Petri dish contracted something from another alleged walking Petri dish... "Hand foot and mouth disease". She had a fever for 2 days followed by spots on her hands, feet and mouth causing pain and preventing her from eating. Fun fun fun!

As a parent, you never want your child to be sick. It sucks! 

As a human, the first impulse is to play the blame game. " Where did it come from?" Oh it must have been that dirty, public toilet change table or the toys at playgroup or the playground at the park... but it's all to no avail, you will never know where these strange diseases came from.

The next inclination is to compulsively clean and wipe down every object and toy she may have handled and then the same for your child to make sure that this never ever happens again. "If I just make sure she washes her hands alllll the time... she won't get sick!" Brilliant idea! NOT! You know I try to keep it real, it's basically part of my personality, and I really don't think that I could be that meticulous. So out the window that idea goes. 

And then you just come to the realisation that toddlers will get illnesses... They all do...and yes it's hard but you just have to deal with it when it happens the best way you can.

Winston Churchill once said "if you're going through hell, keep going!". Smart Man. You will get through it... And then you'll have an experience to write a blog post about... I guess. Keep it real :)

#16 KIR quote of the month

Thanks to my sister for this one! 

#15 Shhhh... It's a secret!

One of the things I loved about being pregnant was maternity clothes. To be honest I didn't have to buy many. I borrowed some and just made do with what clothes I already had but the few that I did buy and wear, I thought it seemed to be a very well kept secret that they are the most comfortable clothes you will ever wear.

The roomy tops, stretchy dresses and the pants... Drooooool! 

Maternity pants are the best! The reason is because they have this wonderful waist band sewn into them. To anyone else, you are wearing normal jeans but what people don't know is that the stretchy waistband goes from your hip to almost your neck, in some cases, and it makes them soooooooooo comfortable! No more unsightly underpants showing in the gap between the pants and top. No no no no!! Not a chance! And, No more T bar! Fashion faux pas averted and comfort achieved :)

All this said, and to keep it real today, I'd like to proudly announce that even having given birth 1 year ago, I still wear my maternity jeans. I love them and I'm not giving them up for anyone or anything. Don't be afraid to follow suit! Comfort rules! And no one would be able to tell anyway. 

Oh and btw... That was me yesterday in K-mart looking around the maternity wear section... And, no,  I'm not pregnant again. Just keeping it real! 

#14 Freedom!!

It was my husbands 40th birthday last week and to celebrate I bought him and I tickets to one of his favourite comedian's shows happening in conjunction with the Sydney comedy festival. 

He was really excited about it and so was I. More excited than I have been about something in a long time. But why? Although I like the comedian too, there was something more to it. And then it dawned on me. This was the first proper outing we had been on as a couple for a long time... Sans kid! 

During the night everything seemed so easy... No car seat, no pram, no baby bag, no feeding, no bed time, no crying... No baby... It was utterly weird. 

It's amazing how quickly you adapt to your new life. We had been married 10 years before Jemma came along and never really realised how free we were.

You know what I learnt from this experience? 

Every now and then you need a break with your partner. It sounds logical right? But I didn't realise how long it had been... It's freedom and it makes you love your baby and partner even more.

So guys, my non-expert advice today is " Go out and have a good time without your Bub every now and then." It will feel absolutely strange but It's 100 percent worth it! 

Keep it real :)

#13 The 1st birthday

Well hello, I haven't blogged for a while but today I am stuck inside due to heavy rain so I have time to catch up on stuff like this.

Since my last post my Daughter had her first birthday and I'd like to say that I kept it real for her party... That we had a small cake and celebrated with the grandparents.... but that would be a lie :(

    I just couldn't do it! Sorry to have a moment of KIR weakness but...You see... that would have been all well and good if we weren't so blessed with people who genuinely love and care for Jemma but soooooo many people deserved to celebrate with us I just couldn't stop myself.
   So I went a bit over the top. We had lots of decorations, a couple of games for the kids, way too much food, a gazebo, a brightly coloured rainbow cake topped with smarties and edible glitter, kids music and the list goes on. Ooppppps! 

  Having been through it now, as a parent, I think a child's 1st birthday is incredibly important. Not necessarily for the child...as you can guarantee they won't remember it...but for the parents and community who have managed to somehow keep them alive for a full year! That is an achievement not to be scoffed at and my husband and I wanted to publicly thank everyone for their contribution to Jemma's life. A lot happens in that year. It still blows me away to think about it and it's certainly worth celebrating however you feel comfortable... I did however decide to hold back on the jumping castle and petting zoo this year. That would be going too far....Even for a proud mum like me :) KIR the best you can! 

#12 Enough said

Enough said! 

Keep it real :)