So after being spoilt by my mum for almost 6 months and not having to do much around the house, I am actually getting into the whole housework scene. Very bizarre I know but I`m sure it won`t last for long ;-) I am sitting here rather wanting to go to bed but I just made a chocolate cake aka a wacky cake and I am waiting for it to cool so I can ice it. I can probably count on one hand the amount of cakes I have ever made but this one appears to have turned out. My Canadian friend gave me the recipe as she came over here a couple of years ago to use my oven to make birthday cupcakes for her boyfriend. I went to the party and did eat one but I can`t really remember what they tasted like as I was also consuming a lot of wine! I am visiting a friend on Friday so made it to take it over there by might test it out tomorrow first on my obachan students. Now I hope I don`t make a mess of the icing. I wasn`t going to ice it but as the top of it cracked a bit (expert cake makers - why does this happen?) I didn`t think it looked too attractive!
A nice productive day was had here. Spent the day at home with Kayla and she was very easy so I managed to get lots done. She had three vaccinations done yesterday which appeared to tire her out. I put her on a mat next to the window so I could see her (and vice versa) while I hung out the washing and when I came back inside she was asleep. I was amazed as she is almost 6 months old and it`s the first time she has fallen asleep by herself anywhere apart from the car. She slept for almost an hour and a half too which is unheard of for during the day. She then had lots of other little naps throughout the day.
I am trying to be more healthy with my eating and exercise more but can`t seem to find the time to get on the exercise bike. So today I decided that Kayla and I would park the car at a supermarket on the way to Liam`s daycare and then walk to get him. It only ended up being about a 30 minute return trip so I will have to park somewhere further away next time. I thought Liam would be excited about the walk and the offer of an ice cream when we got back to the car but he was rather unimpressed and told me I should have just driven. Charming! He of course scoffed down the ice cream though. He is going through quite a woe is me stage. At dinner, he was asking me why I always kiss and pat Kayla on the head but never do it to him. Of course that is not the case but I think he is missing the attention that he had for five years before Kayla was on the scene. I am trying to giving him special time as well but it`s hard when Ryuji is working like a crazy man and we don`t see him at all during the week.
Alright I had better go and check on my cake so I can get to bed.
2010年10月6日水曜日
2010年10月3日日曜日
Photos.....
Ok I have somehow managed to post some pictures without too much difficulty but now have to figure out how to work around them. They also aren`t in the order I expected so I guess I need some practice. 
Random pic of my two kidlets!
Enjoying a cracker with beetroot hummus and cheese on it.
Yummy dinner of beetroot hommus, vegies sticks, avocado and crackers. We also had blue and gouda cheese which I missed in this photo.
Liam ready to go to daycare. Not a good look for my darling boy lol!
Miss Kayla and I at a lovely restaurant about 15 minutes from our house!
Random pic of my two kidlets!
Enjoying a cracker with beetroot hummus and cheese on it.
Yummy dinner of beetroot hommus, vegies sticks, avocado and crackers. We also had blue and gouda cheese which I missed in this photo.
Liam ready to go to daycare. Not a good look for my darling boy lol!
Miss Kayla and I at a lovely restaurant about 15 minutes from our house!Well now that I know that posting pics is so easy (thanks Nay!) nothing is going to stop me lol! Also means I can probably get away with writing less which is always good ;-)
It`s a dark rainy day here so Kayla and I have been taking it very easy. She is sitting in the bumbo trying to attack a paper bag as I type away. I have been catching up on washing but as nothing is going to dry will have to take it to the laundromat. Joy oh joy! I am enjoying the cooler weather but at least the washing was easy to get done in the heat.
Ryuji and Liam are missing in action which is the norm on weekend. They spend lots of time at jiichan and baachan`s place. Ryuji`s nephew and Liam`s only cousin, Ryota is back spending some time with his grandparents. He is 18, a high school dropout and currently not doing much at all. Ryuji's dad is self employed and does lots of random construction type jobs so he is apparently helping him out. I hope for his sake he tries to get his life in order a bit. Ryuji`s sister is pretty wild so I`m sure that hasn`t helped things.
Anyway, off to make Kayla and myself pretty as we are off to Yamaguchi to meet up with a friend for coffee.
Sorry for the messy post! I am having issues trying to get spaces between my paragraphs!
2010年10月2日土曜日
Two days in a row!
My oh my, who would have thought it was possible ;-)
Kayla has just gone down for a sleep and the boys are out getting up to some kind of mischief so I thought I would attempt a quick post. I have a class at 4 so hopefully Kayla has a decent enough sleep and then wakes up for a quick drinkie before then. Ryuji will be coming home to look after her. With mum being here until yesterday and him working such crazy hours he has escaped most of the babysitting duties. He had to look after her this morning when I had a class at a student`s apartment. There is a park next door to the apartment block so he took Liam and Kayla there. Liam played happily with the other kids there and Kayla howled apparently. I even thought I could hear her from the apartment but maybe I was imagining things. She was asleep when I finished but woke up when she was put in the car so was a very unhappy camper until we got home and could have some of mummy`s cuddles. She is such a different baby to Liam. Liam was such a crier and I often couldn't console him. Kayla is usually happy when she is with me and only complains really boisterously when she is really tired and can`t drop off to sleep. She probably cries the most in the car but that`s also only when she is exhausted. She doesn`t like driving in the dark much either. We drove to Fukuoka last weekend and when we came home at night she was hysterical and ended up crying so much that she vomited. We ended up having to stop at a parking area and get her to sleep and then put her in the car. This was around 7:30 and she then slept until 3:30 which was a good sleep considering she had been so worked up.
So as I mentioned on FB and in my last post, mum went back to Australia yesterday. Even though she will be back again on Nov 20th or sometime around then it was really sad saying goodbye as we had been together since the start of April. The kids and I saw her off on the bullet train platform and there were lots and lots of tears. Liam was so upset! He was still crying after we got into the car and set off home. He has been upset before but got over it quite quickly. The tears didn`t look like ending so we stopped at 7-11 to get ice cream which cheered him up. He spent the rest of the afternoon randomly saying I miss granny but we did some fun things like his study books and going for a walk which kept his mind off it. Ryuji is fortunately off work today so he is having lots of daddy`s attention as well.
In other news, Liam has starting going to a new daycare. It`s a local one about 7 minutes drive away and he is really loving it. There is a daycare about 50m down the road from our place but I decided against sending him there as it`s really small and also if I want to puy Kayla in at times next year it wouldn`t be possible as they only accept kids over 2. He has about 15 kids in the class at the other place and he is having a fabulous time. I didn`t have time to organise him to be in full time in September so he went in the mornings for about 3 days a week. He will start full time from Monday. I thought by not sending him to kindy here I would escape the dorky uniform but alas no. He has a hat and overshirt thing he has to wear to and from there. I have no idea why but of course he is happy because he looks like everyone else. Is this his Japanese side coming out I wonder? I will have to post some pics. Is it difficult to post pictures on here or have I just been lazy for no reason? :-)
We are majorly poor after our trip to Australia and my crazy purchasing of cute kids` clothes so we are now living on a budget. I have started most of my private classes again which also helps and I am trying to cut down on our grocery expenses. I can`t give my fruit and decent bread but I am being good with other stuff. Ryuji is getting way less meat than before. Being the only regular meat eater in our house he used to eat one pack of meat so maybe 200 ~ 300g. I decided this was way too much so he has been getting less. He is also getting Korean/Taiwanese beer which he is not too happy about. He is a smoker though and if he is wasting money buying cigarettes he will have to deal with cheap alcohol. I am so at him to quit but no luck! He gave up before Liam was born and didn`t smoke (I think!) for about a year so it`s so frustrating that he does again. I have threatened to leave him if he gets lung cancer or any other smoking related diseases but that doesn`t help either. Bloody men and bloody Japan, the smokers heaven.
Alright, Kayla is now awake and not too happy about being dumped in the Bumbo so I will be off :-)
Kayla has just gone down for a sleep and the boys are out getting up to some kind of mischief so I thought I would attempt a quick post. I have a class at 4 so hopefully Kayla has a decent enough sleep and then wakes up for a quick drinkie before then. Ryuji will be coming home to look after her. With mum being here until yesterday and him working such crazy hours he has escaped most of the babysitting duties. He had to look after her this morning when I had a class at a student`s apartment. There is a park next door to the apartment block so he took Liam and Kayla there. Liam played happily with the other kids there and Kayla howled apparently. I even thought I could hear her from the apartment but maybe I was imagining things. She was asleep when I finished but woke up when she was put in the car so was a very unhappy camper until we got home and could have some of mummy`s cuddles. She is such a different baby to Liam. Liam was such a crier and I often couldn't console him. Kayla is usually happy when she is with me and only complains really boisterously when she is really tired and can`t drop off to sleep. She probably cries the most in the car but that`s also only when she is exhausted. She doesn`t like driving in the dark much either. We drove to Fukuoka last weekend and when we came home at night she was hysterical and ended up crying so much that she vomited. We ended up having to stop at a parking area and get her to sleep and then put her in the car. This was around 7:30 and she then slept until 3:30 which was a good sleep considering she had been so worked up.
So as I mentioned on FB and in my last post, mum went back to Australia yesterday. Even though she will be back again on Nov 20th or sometime around then it was really sad saying goodbye as we had been together since the start of April. The kids and I saw her off on the bullet train platform and there were lots and lots of tears. Liam was so upset! He was still crying after we got into the car and set off home. He has been upset before but got over it quite quickly. The tears didn`t look like ending so we stopped at 7-11 to get ice cream which cheered him up. He spent the rest of the afternoon randomly saying I miss granny but we did some fun things like his study books and going for a walk which kept his mind off it. Ryuji is fortunately off work today so he is having lots of daddy`s attention as well.
In other news, Liam has starting going to a new daycare. It`s a local one about 7 minutes drive away and he is really loving it. There is a daycare about 50m down the road from our place but I decided against sending him there as it`s really small and also if I want to puy Kayla in at times next year it wouldn`t be possible as they only accept kids over 2. He has about 15 kids in the class at the other place and he is having a fabulous time. I didn`t have time to organise him to be in full time in September so he went in the mornings for about 3 days a week. He will start full time from Monday. I thought by not sending him to kindy here I would escape the dorky uniform but alas no. He has a hat and overshirt thing he has to wear to and from there. I have no idea why but of course he is happy because he looks like everyone else. Is this his Japanese side coming out I wonder? I will have to post some pics. Is it difficult to post pictures on here or have I just been lazy for no reason? :-)
We are majorly poor after our trip to Australia and my crazy purchasing of cute kids` clothes so we are now living on a budget. I have started most of my private classes again which also helps and I am trying to cut down on our grocery expenses. I can`t give my fruit and decent bread but I am being good with other stuff. Ryuji is getting way less meat than before. Being the only regular meat eater in our house he used to eat one pack of meat so maybe 200 ~ 300g. I decided this was way too much so he has been getting less. He is also getting Korean/Taiwanese beer which he is not too happy about. He is a smoker though and if he is wasting money buying cigarettes he will have to deal with cheap alcohol. I am so at him to quit but no luck! He gave up before Liam was born and didn`t smoke (I think!) for about a year so it`s so frustrating that he does again. I have threatened to leave him if he gets lung cancer or any other smoking related diseases but that doesn`t help either. Bloody men and bloody Japan, the smokers heaven.
Alright, Kayla is now awake and not too happy about being dumped in the Bumbo so I will be off :-)
2010年10月1日金曜日
Back to blogging......
I have thought about so many things I want to blog about but always put off doing it so I hope this helps kick start me back into action :-)
1. What's your middle name?
I don`t have one! My mum hated hers (Lillian) so decided not to give my brother and I one. Liam and Kayla don`t have one either as I thought it would be too much hassle in Japan.
2. What's your favorite magazine?
Ummm used to love magazines when I lived in Australia but obviously don`t have access to many here. Sometimes check out the gossipy/fashion ones when I`m back visiting.
3. What are you wearing right now?
Jeans and a purple t-shirt
4. What color are your bed sheets?
Royal blue at the moment
5. Who was your third grade teacher?
Mrs Spenceley. I ended up becoming friends with her niece at uni so her name is easy to remember :-)
6. What is the weather like right now?
Sunny and warm. Surprising as the last few days were a little cooler.
7. Do you know how to ski?
Nope, even though I lived in Hokkaido for 10 months! I`m not a huge fan of the cold and am not very co-ordinated so scared of injuring myself.
8. What was the last thing you drank?
Mugicha served by Liam.
9. Dream vacation?
Europe! My plan was to go there 9 years ago after staying 2 years in Japan. I still haven`t been!
10. Favorite article of clothing?
Nothing in particular but I liked dresses with high heels when I feel like getting dolled up.
11. Do you prefer baking or cooking?
Cooking but baking is growing on me.
12. Is your hair above or below your shoulders?
Below. I often think about getting it cut shorter but I think it suits me better longer.
13. What drink do you order when out?
Wine when I am not pregnant or breastfeeding.
14. What book are you reading?
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and a very silly book Saving Your Sleep. The latter I am reading for a laugh. The author believes you should have babies on a schedule by 2 weeks old. Crazy!
15. What did you dream about last night?
I can't remember. Kayla slept for over 8 hours straight last night and I had a nice deep sleep.
16. What was the last movie you went to?
Sex and the City 2
17. Any injuries at the moment? Nope!
18. What color is your bathroom?
Pink floor, blue and pink tiles and green bathtub
19. What's the state of your laundry right now?
In the basket ready to put away! My mum who has been with us for the last almost 6 months and spoils us rotten went back to Australia today so that means I have to do stuff around the house. Am trying to be nice and organised but who knows how long it will last.
20. Do you take vitamins?
Garlic oil capsules when I remember
21. Where do you love to shop?
Anywhere really! In Australia, Pumpkin Patch and Trade Secret for the kids and most clothes, shoes, accessory shops for me. I am a bit of a shopaholic!
22. How often do you buy groceries?
I do a big shop once a week but still end up buying miscellaneous stuff every couple of days.
23. Do you have a pet/pets?
A crazy cat called Miffy and two goldfish!
24. If you are married, when is your next anniversary?
April 27 (8 years) for our wedding and September 14 (9 years) for on paper.
25. How do you take your coffee and/or tea?
Both with plenty of milk
26. Mac or PC? Desktop or Laptop?
Mac Laptop.
27. Favorite month of the year?
Umm, have never really thought about it but with Kayla being born in April too I guess it will become my fave with both kids having birthdays then.
28. Do you have a hobby?
No real hobbies but I love reading and movies. Love travelling too but haven`t done nearly enough of it lately.
29. What salad dressing do you prefer?
Sesame, balsamic vinegar or my mum`s homemade ones.
30. Live or fake Christmas tree?
Always live growing up but fake in Japan.
31. Did you walk or take a bus to school?
Mostly got dropped off or took the bus
32. Do you have any phobias?
I am pretty claustrophobic.
33. What's your favorite snack food?
Chocolate!
34. When do you take your shower/bath?
In the morning and before bed. I grew up in the tropics!
35. What time did you get up this morning?
8ish
36. What's your favorite animal?
Cats
37. Have you ever broken a bone?
No!
38. Do you wear makeup?
Usually when I am going out of the house but sometimes I am lazy.
39. Do you speak any foreign languages?
Japanese. I studied French at university but have forgotten most of it.
40. Have you ever played a sport?
Not really! I used to swim a lot though.
41. Your last UPS package contained ...
I have no idea what UPS is but the last package I got was a letter and chocs from a lovely British friend.
42. What's on your desktop?
A big purple flower
43. What is your home page?
Facebook
44. Extrovert or introvert?
Both depending on the situation
45. Favorite board game?
Trivial Pursuit
46. What class did you like best in high school? In college?
Japanese in both.
47. What would you do with an extra hour each day?
I have no idea!
48. Do you have allergies?
Not anymore! Was lactose intolerant for a while as a child.
49. Are your nails painted?
Sadly no. I don`t think they have been since I was pregnant with Kayla!
50. Where are you right now?
In my living room.
1. What's your middle name?
I don`t have one! My mum hated hers (Lillian) so decided not to give my brother and I one. Liam and Kayla don`t have one either as I thought it would be too much hassle in Japan.
2. What's your favorite magazine?
Ummm used to love magazines when I lived in Australia but obviously don`t have access to many here. Sometimes check out the gossipy/fashion ones when I`m back visiting.
3. What are you wearing right now?
Jeans and a purple t-shirt
4. What color are your bed sheets?
Royal blue at the moment
5. Who was your third grade teacher?
Mrs Spenceley. I ended up becoming friends with her niece at uni so her name is easy to remember :-)
6. What is the weather like right now?
Sunny and warm. Surprising as the last few days were a little cooler.
7. Do you know how to ski?
Nope, even though I lived in Hokkaido for 10 months! I`m not a huge fan of the cold and am not very co-ordinated so scared of injuring myself.
8. What was the last thing you drank?
Mugicha served by Liam.
9. Dream vacation?
Europe! My plan was to go there 9 years ago after staying 2 years in Japan. I still haven`t been!
10. Favorite article of clothing?
Nothing in particular but I liked dresses with high heels when I feel like getting dolled up.
11. Do you prefer baking or cooking?
Cooking but baking is growing on me.
12. Is your hair above or below your shoulders?
Below. I often think about getting it cut shorter but I think it suits me better longer.
13. What drink do you order when out?
Wine when I am not pregnant or breastfeeding.
14. What book are you reading?
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and a very silly book Saving Your Sleep. The latter I am reading for a laugh. The author believes you should have babies on a schedule by 2 weeks old. Crazy!
15. What did you dream about last night?
I can't remember. Kayla slept for over 8 hours straight last night and I had a nice deep sleep.
16. What was the last movie you went to?
Sex and the City 2
17. Any injuries at the moment? Nope!
18. What color is your bathroom?
Pink floor, blue and pink tiles and green bathtub
19. What's the state of your laundry right now?
In the basket ready to put away! My mum who has been with us for the last almost 6 months and spoils us rotten went back to Australia today so that means I have to do stuff around the house. Am trying to be nice and organised but who knows how long it will last.
20. Do you take vitamins?
Garlic oil capsules when I remember
21. Where do you love to shop?
Anywhere really! In Australia, Pumpkin Patch and Trade Secret for the kids and most clothes, shoes, accessory shops for me. I am a bit of a shopaholic!
22. How often do you buy groceries?
I do a big shop once a week but still end up buying miscellaneous stuff every couple of days.
23. Do you have a pet/pets?
A crazy cat called Miffy and two goldfish!
24. If you are married, when is your next anniversary?
April 27 (8 years) for our wedding and September 14 (9 years) for on paper.
25. How do you take your coffee and/or tea?
Both with plenty of milk
26. Mac or PC? Desktop or Laptop?
Mac Laptop.
27. Favorite month of the year?
Umm, have never really thought about it but with Kayla being born in April too I guess it will become my fave with both kids having birthdays then.
28. Do you have a hobby?
No real hobbies but I love reading and movies. Love travelling too but haven`t done nearly enough of it lately.
29. What salad dressing do you prefer?
Sesame, balsamic vinegar or my mum`s homemade ones.
30. Live or fake Christmas tree?
Always live growing up but fake in Japan.
31. Did you walk or take a bus to school?
Mostly got dropped off or took the bus
32. Do you have any phobias?
I am pretty claustrophobic.
33. What's your favorite snack food?
Chocolate!
34. When do you take your shower/bath?
In the morning and before bed. I grew up in the tropics!
35. What time did you get up this morning?
8ish
36. What's your favorite animal?
Cats
37. Have you ever broken a bone?
No!
38. Do you wear makeup?
Usually when I am going out of the house but sometimes I am lazy.
39. Do you speak any foreign languages?
Japanese. I studied French at university but have forgotten most of it.
40. Have you ever played a sport?
Not really! I used to swim a lot though.
41. Your last UPS package contained ...
I have no idea what UPS is but the last package I got was a letter and chocs from a lovely British friend.
42. What's on your desktop?
A big purple flower
43. What is your home page?
44. Extrovert or introvert?
Both depending on the situation
45. Favorite board game?
Trivial Pursuit
46. What class did you like best in high school? In college?
Japanese in both.
47. What would you do with an extra hour each day?
I have no idea!
48. Do you have allergies?
Not anymore! Was lactose intolerant for a while as a child.
49. Are your nails painted?
Sadly no. I don`t think they have been since I was pregnant with Kayla!
50. Where are you right now?
In my living room.
2010年6月19日土曜日
Lazy weekend!
I'm trying to stay on the blog wagon while I can so am getting in a quick post before a friend visits in about half an hour. After a busy week of being out for lessons or socialising every day we are having a quiet weekend at home. Ryuji has to work today and then is out for a work party so we don't even have to worry about cooking dinner for him. Mum, Liam and I are planning on having a night of soccer. Liam has been getting quite into it so we will let him stay up as well. He has still been taking ages to go to sleep on his own and is often away until 11 :-0 so we will see how long he manages to stay awake. I thought about getting out a futon and the kidlets and I sleeping on the living room but after finding a centipede in the washing up bowl, I think being in our beds upstairs is definitely a better option.
So yeah we had a pretty good week. Yesterday was super busy as a friend and her 4 month old came over for a visit in the morning and then we had to head out for lunch at a student's house. It ended up being a rather bizarre lunch. I teach 4 middle age women and the lunch was at one of their houses so I expected it just to be them but there were a range of other people there as well. There was one woman who was particularly annoying. She had pretty good English which she seemed to like to show off and insisted on being the centre of attention. She also kept on making rude remarks to the other women. For example, telling them they were eating too much and that they shouldn't touch Kayla as they have germs on their hands! Mum and I couldn't believe it. It was really painful to listen to! Then everyone ended up speaking mainly Japanese which was bizarre as well as the lunch was supposed to be for us and obviously mum couldn't understand. I was over it so pretended I couldn't really speak Japanese and mainly talked to mum. We stayed for a couple of hours and made our escape lol.
My lovely Portuguese friend is coming over soon. She visited just after Kayla was born and loved the custard/vanilla slice mum made for her. She is moving to Yokohama at the end of the month so mum said she would make it for her again before she left. We also have leftover lemon slice and apricot fudge slice that mum made to take to the lunch yesterday so I will definitely have to exercise later this afternoon.
I just remembered it's Father's Day tomorrow. Ryuji is totally hopeless and doesn't do anything for me on Mother's Day so I don't think much will be happening for him either! I don't think he even knows what tomorrow is anyway.
Alright, that's all I have to report today. Hope everyone is enjoying their weekend xox
So yeah we had a pretty good week. Yesterday was super busy as a friend and her 4 month old came over for a visit in the morning and then we had to head out for lunch at a student's house. It ended up being a rather bizarre lunch. I teach 4 middle age women and the lunch was at one of their houses so I expected it just to be them but there were a range of other people there as well. There was one woman who was particularly annoying. She had pretty good English which she seemed to like to show off and insisted on being the centre of attention. She also kept on making rude remarks to the other women. For example, telling them they were eating too much and that they shouldn't touch Kayla as they have germs on their hands! Mum and I couldn't believe it. It was really painful to listen to! Then everyone ended up speaking mainly Japanese which was bizarre as well as the lunch was supposed to be for us and obviously mum couldn't understand. I was over it so pretended I couldn't really speak Japanese and mainly talked to mum. We stayed for a couple of hours and made our escape lol.
My lovely Portuguese friend is coming over soon. She visited just after Kayla was born and loved the custard/vanilla slice mum made for her. She is moving to Yokohama at the end of the month so mum said she would make it for her again before she left. We also have leftover lemon slice and apricot fudge slice that mum made to take to the lunch yesterday so I will definitely have to exercise later this afternoon.
I just remembered it's Father's Day tomorrow. Ryuji is totally hopeless and doesn't do anything for me on Mother's Day so I don't think much will be happening for him either! I don't think he even knows what tomorrow is anyway.
Alright, that's all I have to report today. Hope everyone is enjoying their weekend xox
2010年6月12日土曜日
Slack blogger!
I can't believe how long it has been since I last blogged. I have been meaning to for weeks and keep on thinking of things to write about but then something comes up and I forget about it. I also have been terribly slack at commenting on every one's blogs so big apologies for that!
Kayla is 7 weeks old today! The time seems to have flown by but it also feels like she has been around forever. It has been quite a drama filled 7 weeks. Well not really but things seemed a bit more peaceful after Liam was born. I had to go back to the clinic when she was 2 weeks old for her weight check and to see how she was feeding. She was pretty much up to birth weight again by the time she was a week old so I thought everything was fine but she hadn't put on much weight for the week after. There was a youngish midwife there who I hadn't had much to do with earlier and she was completely evil! She told me that I wasn't producing enough milk and that I should put her on formula. I exclusively breastfed Liam and feel pretty strongly about doing the same with Kayla and when I told her that she suggested that I take some medication. I asked what kind of medication and she told me it was for people who suffer from mental illness but it has a side effect of increasing your milk supply.I refused that option and then said that I would increase her number of feeds but she didn't seem to think that would help so demanded I come back again in a week and if things hadn't improved I would have to give her formula.
So I was pretty upset by the whole experience but decided to start feeding Kayla every 2 hours night and day and see what happened. I even set my alarm to get up during the night and on the Monday (I went to the clinic on the Friday) rang the local health centre to see if I could her weighed. I did and her weight had gone up normally over the weekend which was a relief. I was still a bit paranoid about how much milk I was producing so organised to go and see a midwife who worked from home that a friend had recommended. I had a good chat to her and what she said was completely different to the other midwife and she told me I had nothing to worry about. She then gave me a breast massage and said there was no problem with my milk supply either. Phew! I was still a bit worried so got her weighed again on Thursday. All was still fine so I decided not to go back to the clinic. They ended up calling me and I told them I had been elsewhere and had no desire to go back there and to be stressed out by their crazy ideas lol.
Okay, I am now back 2 days later! Kayla is asleep in the swing so let's see if I can finish this post. So back to my drama filled month! What else happened? Kayla had lots of goop coming out of her eyes so we had to visit the pediatrician a couple of times. She now has really bad baby acne which seems to be getting worse so I am thinking about taking her back to get some cream or something. Liam never had it this bad and as we are going to Australia in just a few weeks I want her to be looking her best :-) In other health dramas, I had mastitis which was very annoying. I got it once with Liam but he was much older. Thankfully this time I could pick it up quickly so went back to see the evil midwives at my clinic to get a massage and get some drugs. I seem to be over it but will have to keep an eye on it.
Everything else with Kayla is going really well! I am amazed at how much easier it all seems the second time around. She is not a fantastic sleeper and usually wakes up when you put her down during the day but she doesn't cry much and is quite easy to comfort when she does. She does love the swing though and it often sends her to sleep. She is also happy enough going down in her cot for most of the night after feeds which is good. She is still feeding every 3 hours or so at night but I am still managing to get a fair bit of sleep and with my mum here helping out so much around the house I feel very genki :-)
I am very excited about going to Australia next month. I have sorted out Kayla's Jp. passport and renewed Liam's and also organised our travel insurance (so so expensive as we are gone for almost 2 months) and Kayla's Australian visa. Now I just have to figure out what we need to take. We are flying from Kansai on July 8 but are going up there a day early to meet up with my NZ friend who used to live in the Guch and possibly a Japanese friend. It will probably be raining and miserable but I am quite happy to hang out at shopping centres and coffee shops. Not sure how Liam will feel about that but at least mum will be there to help entertain him.
I am doing a bit of teaching this month to earn some pocket money for Australia. Just 3 adult classes and one kids class. I am taking Kayla to a couple of them and then mum comes along to look after her for the other two. With the classes and meeting up with friends we are out and about almost everyday. Yesterday, Ryuji and Liam hung out and mum, Kayla and I headed to Ube which is about an hours drive away. I went and saw SATC2 with a friend. I took Kayla in for the first hour and gave her a feed. Then I dashed outside with her and handed her over to mum who looked after her until the end of the movie. The movie was okay but wasn't as good as the first one. There was plenty of eye candy though and a few laughs as well. The fashion is always fun to look at as well.
Liam has just come downstairs so he had a good sleep in. He has been going to bed late recently though. He always used to need someone to stay with him in his room until he went to sleep but lately we have been making him go to sleep by himself. He usually comes into my room and I read him stories while nursing Kayla. I send him off to his room when we are done but he doesn't want to stay there and often comes back in to see me or goes into mum's room. So he doesn't usually get to sleep around 10:30 but hopefully it gets earlier as he gets more used to sleeping by himself.
Anyway, I had better stop rambling. Hopefully I will be able to post more regularly again and won't need to write such marathon posts.
Kayla is 7 weeks old today! The time seems to have flown by but it also feels like she has been around forever. It has been quite a drama filled 7 weeks. Well not really but things seemed a bit more peaceful after Liam was born. I had to go back to the clinic when she was 2 weeks old for her weight check and to see how she was feeding. She was pretty much up to birth weight again by the time she was a week old so I thought everything was fine but she hadn't put on much weight for the week after. There was a youngish midwife there who I hadn't had much to do with earlier and she was completely evil! She told me that I wasn't producing enough milk and that I should put her on formula. I exclusively breastfed Liam and feel pretty strongly about doing the same with Kayla and when I told her that she suggested that I take some medication. I asked what kind of medication and she told me it was for people who suffer from mental illness but it has a side effect of increasing your milk supply.I refused that option and then said that I would increase her number of feeds but she didn't seem to think that would help so demanded I come back again in a week and if things hadn't improved I would have to give her formula.
So I was pretty upset by the whole experience but decided to start feeding Kayla every 2 hours night and day and see what happened. I even set my alarm to get up during the night and on the Monday (I went to the clinic on the Friday) rang the local health centre to see if I could her weighed. I did and her weight had gone up normally over the weekend which was a relief. I was still a bit paranoid about how much milk I was producing so organised to go and see a midwife who worked from home that a friend had recommended. I had a good chat to her and what she said was completely different to the other midwife and she told me I had nothing to worry about. She then gave me a breast massage and said there was no problem with my milk supply either. Phew! I was still a bit worried so got her weighed again on Thursday. All was still fine so I decided not to go back to the clinic. They ended up calling me and I told them I had been elsewhere and had no desire to go back there and to be stressed out by their crazy ideas lol.
Okay, I am now back 2 days later! Kayla is asleep in the swing so let's see if I can finish this post. So back to my drama filled month! What else happened? Kayla had lots of goop coming out of her eyes so we had to visit the pediatrician a couple of times. She now has really bad baby acne which seems to be getting worse so I am thinking about taking her back to get some cream or something. Liam never had it this bad and as we are going to Australia in just a few weeks I want her to be looking her best :-) In other health dramas, I had mastitis which was very annoying. I got it once with Liam but he was much older. Thankfully this time I could pick it up quickly so went back to see the evil midwives at my clinic to get a massage and get some drugs. I seem to be over it but will have to keep an eye on it.
Everything else with Kayla is going really well! I am amazed at how much easier it all seems the second time around. She is not a fantastic sleeper and usually wakes up when you put her down during the day but she doesn't cry much and is quite easy to comfort when she does. She does love the swing though and it often sends her to sleep. She is also happy enough going down in her cot for most of the night after feeds which is good. She is still feeding every 3 hours or so at night but I am still managing to get a fair bit of sleep and with my mum here helping out so much around the house I feel very genki :-)
I am very excited about going to Australia next month. I have sorted out Kayla's Jp. passport and renewed Liam's and also organised our travel insurance (so so expensive as we are gone for almost 2 months) and Kayla's Australian visa. Now I just have to figure out what we need to take. We are flying from Kansai on July 8 but are going up there a day early to meet up with my NZ friend who used to live in the Guch and possibly a Japanese friend. It will probably be raining and miserable but I am quite happy to hang out at shopping centres and coffee shops. Not sure how Liam will feel about that but at least mum will be there to help entertain him.
I am doing a bit of teaching this month to earn some pocket money for Australia. Just 3 adult classes and one kids class. I am taking Kayla to a couple of them and then mum comes along to look after her for the other two. With the classes and meeting up with friends we are out and about almost everyday. Yesterday, Ryuji and Liam hung out and mum, Kayla and I headed to Ube which is about an hours drive away. I went and saw SATC2 with a friend. I took Kayla in for the first hour and gave her a feed. Then I dashed outside with her and handed her over to mum who looked after her until the end of the movie. The movie was okay but wasn't as good as the first one. There was plenty of eye candy though and a few laughs as well. The fashion is always fun to look at as well.
Liam has just come downstairs so he had a good sleep in. He has been going to bed late recently though. He always used to need someone to stay with him in his room until he went to sleep but lately we have been making him go to sleep by himself. He usually comes into my room and I read him stories while nursing Kayla. I send him off to his room when we are done but he doesn't want to stay there and often comes back in to see me or goes into mum's room. So he doesn't usually get to sleep around 10:30 but hopefully it gets earlier as he gets more used to sleeping by himself.
Anyway, I had better stop rambling. Hopefully I will be able to post more regularly again and won't need to write such marathon posts.
2010年4月27日火曜日
Kayla
My baby girl decided to make her appearance at 2:30AM on Saturday (April 24). I will try and post a birth story soon but I ended up having a very quick labour. We arrived at the hospital at 1AM and she was born an hour and a half later :-) So I was very lucky! I negotiated with my doctor to spend only 3 nights in the hospital so we arrived home this morning. The hospital stay was a bit more relaxing than the first time but I was still very bored. Fortunately mum spent most of the day up there with me so I had someone to chat to and look after Kayla while I showered and stuff like that. Ryuji and Liam popped in and out over the weekend and Liam spent the day there yesterday too. I also had lots of visitors which was nice.
Kayla has been a very easy baby so far. She was a bit grumpy on her second day but I think that was mostly because my milk hadn't come in properly and she wasn't being properly satisfied. My milk came in yesterday and she has been happy to feed and sleep most of the time since. I know it probably won't last for long but it's nice while it lasts. I've had lots of time today to catch up on the computer as I was having net withdrawal symptoms while I was in hospital.
Okay, I am back a couple of days later. Our first days at home have been good. Kayla is a bit more awake during the day and at night but she is quite easy to pacify. Last night she kept on waking up after I put her down in her bed after feeding so at about 5 I was exhausted and gave up and let her sleep with me. She woke up around 7:30 for a feed and then we both slept until 11 which was lovely.
We are back to the hospital tomorrow as because we left the hospital early she couldn't get all the tests done she needs. So tomorrow she will have her second jaundice test and also the one where they prick her foot (what is that for again?). They will also check her weight. She had already regained about 100g on the morning we left hospital and is wetting plenty of nappies so all should be good. It will be nice to get out too. Even though yesterday Liam and I popped out to the bakery much to MIL's horror haha.
Liam is adjusting quite well. He is a bit more attention seeking and seems to be even louder than usual but is quite smitten with Kayla and always remarks how lucky he is to have a beautiful baby sister. He is also looking forward to going to Australia and as I had told him we were going after Kayla is born he is always asking about it.
Anyway, I still have no idea how to post photos on here but if anyone is interested in seeing some please befriend me on Facebook :-) I am Nikki Ehira. Yoroshiku!
Kayla has been a very easy baby so far. She was a bit grumpy on her second day but I think that was mostly because my milk hadn't come in properly and she wasn't being properly satisfied. My milk came in yesterday and she has been happy to feed and sleep most of the time since. I know it probably won't last for long but it's nice while it lasts. I've had lots of time today to catch up on the computer as I was having net withdrawal symptoms while I was in hospital.
Okay, I am back a couple of days later. Our first days at home have been good. Kayla is a bit more awake during the day and at night but she is quite easy to pacify. Last night she kept on waking up after I put her down in her bed after feeding so at about 5 I was exhausted and gave up and let her sleep with me. She woke up around 7:30 for a feed and then we both slept until 11 which was lovely.
We are back to the hospital tomorrow as because we left the hospital early she couldn't get all the tests done she needs. So tomorrow she will have her second jaundice test and also the one where they prick her foot (what is that for again?). They will also check her weight. She had already regained about 100g on the morning we left hospital and is wetting plenty of nappies so all should be good. It will be nice to get out too. Even though yesterday Liam and I popped out to the bakery much to MIL's horror haha.
Liam is adjusting quite well. He is a bit more attention seeking and seems to be even louder than usual but is quite smitten with Kayla and always remarks how lucky he is to have a beautiful baby sister. He is also looking forward to going to Australia and as I had told him we were going after Kayla is born he is always asking about it.
Anyway, I still have no idea how to post photos on here but if anyone is interested in seeing some please befriend me on Facebook :-) I am Nikki Ehira. Yoroshiku!
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