#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! 

#8 Food Preparation

Today I'm gonna write about food time... For the baby?...No. For the parents. Hey... You gotta look after yourself too.

You see, feeding my daughter is not a challenge. She'll eat basically everything at the moment...including cockroaches, leaves and cardboard boxes. But this is the issue. Every time we go to eat and "guzzle guts" is around she wants some.

So in these situations if you, the parent, wants to eat anything, you need to be prepared to either let them eat your food or keep them occupied with something else while you eat. Otherwise you could have a battle bigger than Galipolli on your hands. 

In this post I'm going to focus on the types of foods that work well for us in this situation.

1. Tacos, Burritos and Fajitas

These kits are great! All you need is the kit, tomato, lettuce, mince and cheese.

Feeding method

The brilliant thing is that you can play tag-team with someone else while eating. 

Picture this: 

You make sure the baby is being looked after by someone and you go to the table of pre-prepped Taco ingredients. You fill your taco and eat it. Then take the bub off your partner, occupy the little one and let them eat. Then, when they are finished their first helping, give the child back to them and repeat. Makes life easier for all.

2. Vietnamese rice paper rolls

All you need is rice stick noodles, rice papers, chicken, prawns or mince, fresh mint, Coriander and a bottle of Asian style sauce. 

Feeding method

It's really the same feeding method as above only with different ingredients.

This one is sooooo fresh for Sydney's summer.

3. Beef ravioli

Latina makes it and it comes in a packet which can be accompanied by a microwaveable sauce. Boil the pasta, microwave the sauce. Done. Sometimes we add other veggies too. So easy!

Feeding method

This one was a good one to share with Jemma. Even though she still has no teeth, the soft texture of the pasta was quite appropriate for her. She loved it! 

That's enough for now about food. I'm getting hungry.

Be prepared, keep it easy and most importantly... keep it real!

#6 All worked out!

    I experienced something special last week. I officially went back to work after a year of Parental leave. I wasn't sure how I would feel about it... but, all in all, it was fine. I haven't gone the whole hog, as in, 5 days a week. Just a modest 2 days and I have amazing Parents and in-Laws looking after my baby but it's crazy weird how different it feels to Pre-baby. It's like everything is the same and then you remember her and you're like "oh I wonder if Jemma is ok?"
Then you check your phone for updates and conclude that no news is good news and then you always seem to have this feeling that you need to get home.
And when you get home, this overwhelming feeling of guilty love comes over you and you just wanna kiss the chubby little cheeks off her and give her your undivided attention for the rest of the evening.
So... I feel a bit guilty but although she is only 10 months old, I feel that she has to start learning that Mummy will not always be with her 24/7. She'll have to adjust to spending time with others. Whether they are grandparents, carers, friends, teachers etc. and I feel like this will make her a more social and better adjusted member of society. A wise colleague once said to me " It takes a village to raise a child". Now I get that! I may feel a bit guilty but I hope in the scheme of things it will benefit my daughter. Keep it real guys!

#3 Does Sex matter?

 

 Although my daughter is 9 months old she has fair hair, as my husband and I were both fair as children. That's all good but she also doesn't have much of it and this is where my keep it real parenting stems from today.
   I was in the supermarket a few days ago and my daughter was in the trolley seat. At the check out there was a couple possibly in their late 60's waiting behind us.
Jemma likes looking around at people and it wasn't long before she caught their eye.
" oh isn't he a cutey" they said. I just went along with it but then for some reason it dawned on the lady that she might be a girl. " yeah she's a girl but that's ok" I replied. Well the lady proceeded to get very embarrassed and tried to justify why they thought she was a boy.
   I went in to explain that I really wasn't offended. It was perfectly fine. People do it all the time. Hey... I've even done it.
   Why is gender such an issue even at such an early stage of life? Why do people think it's such an issue if their boy likes playing with dolls or if their girl likes playing with trucks or if they wear pink or blue. I thought we were past this in 2015.
So on the issue of my daughter being called a boy, I know she could pass as a boy because of her short, fair hair but I really don't care because she is a happy, healthy, alert, inquisitive beautiful person. Yes... PERSON! Thats what counts to me! Just trying to keep it real, I guess :)