Dinner lady hat

The weather is getting hotter and hotter and I needed to get a sunshade for Tilly's pram so I decided to venture into the baby shop in Earlsdon. I also wanted a nosey as all the ladies at the breastfeeding cafe were talking about how good it was for baby clothes.

The shop was not as good as I'd been lead to believe, I obviously missed the part where they explained that it was good for Christening/Baptism clothes. Still, there was plenty there to look at.
I saw a basket full of lovely sun hats and started to look for one in Tilly's size. They were out of stock in the prettier hats. The sun has been so hot recently and with Tilly's baldy head she needs a hat. The only ones left in her size were a little odd looking. I put it on her head and said "Ooh that makes you look like a dinner lady". The lady in the shop seemed both a little shocked that I'd said such a thing and hurt that I'd mock her stock. The hat had made me laugh and for that reason and that really it doesn't matter what it looks like as long as it protects her from the sun I bought it.

I think she wears it quite well.

Lick of paint

Does painting count as exercise? I hope so.

I don't think my frustration of being stuck in the house is being helped by the red in the kitchen. It makes me feel angry. I've bought some lovely metallic turquoise paint and I've started to delete the red. As I paint, each brush stroke makes me feel far more relaxed. I don't know if it is just concentrating on something, the soothing smooth strokes or the colour but I already feel much better. The only difficultly is that each time I grab the paintbrush when Tilly is asleep it is as if she can sense it and wakes up, so I'm making slow progress. I'm going to use pink as an accent colour - if Richard isn't too offended by it.

Poop in Boots

As you may have gathered Tilly's poo is a recurring theme. As, I suppose many mothers and babies lives do - they must, surely it is not just us?

Tilly loves her hanging door frame bouncer and will quite happily spend long periods of time squealing and chatting while she dangles. Spinning around to take in everything that is going on all around her.

Richard was lying on the cream rug looking up at Tilly and I was sitting nearby. We both heard Tilly do a poo. Now, Richard has not been present for many of these exciting poo incidents. I walked over and took the hanger by the bar above her head and carefully lifted her off. But the design of these hangers is that the baby is strapped in like a bungee jumper. So I walked over to Richard and asked him to support her while I carefully lifted her out. It was at this point I made a fatal error, Richard chose to support her (knowing full well what she'd just done) under her crotch. This of course send cascades of poo flowing freely out of the sides of her nappy, down her trouser legs and literally pouring all over the cream rug (and Richard's white fleece top). He jumped and screamed in horror at the mere splash of poo on his arm, while I stared at the poo dribbling all over the cream rug in little pools. I was almost dazed for a second as I've struggled to get poo stains from her clothes after a good soak, how on earth was I going to get it out of a woolen cream thick pile rug?? That only lasted for a second as I quickly rushed her over to the hardwood floor (far easier to clean). She continued to hang dripping, watching as her father flapped with a horrified face and her mother stood over her with a fit of the giggles. Richard was almost shouting, "What do we do, What shall I do?" I asked him to get a carrier bag as she was still dribbling in large quantities all over the floor. Richard returned with a Boots carrier bag and we ignored the Health and Safety advice on the bottom and placed Matilda into the bag feet first with her arms threaded through the handles like a top. This would now contain the poo disaster that had been happening all over the floor. I carried her upstairs, ran the bath and pretty much plunged her in and got her undressed in there. I was still laughing. Mainly as Richard had a combined look of terror and horror on his face. I bet he was glad he went to work everyday and didn't have to deal with this kind of thing. I was delighted as it was a) funny and b) good that he'd experienced a poo incident, I was starting to think that Tilly was timing them all for me to deal with.

Little squealer

Tilly has learnt to squeal like a little piggy. This afternoon she has been in her baby bouncer, dangling in the living room just squealing and smiling at the fact she can make such a high pitched noise. It went on, and on and on. I tried to film it, but as I couldn't find the video camera I used the web cam for some reason the sound wasn't on.

She has also done another exploding poo again. I'm starting to worry about going out as they are soo big and end up completely cover her clothes, legs and everything. Both times I've had to plunge her in the bath with nappy on to get all the poo off and her trousers are ruined - can you imagine if I'd've been out? The texture has changed completely and is now like peanut butter paste, she kept rubbing her legs together while I was trying to clean it up and it was going everywhere. I had to carry her in a very undignified way into the bathroom and plunge her into the water with nappy on.

The shame

I must avoid any more bourbon biscuits. I've eaten a whole packet in a day, and not for the first time. I'm not going to buy anymore. I'm just not.

Stains

Why don't all these baby groups, leaflets and books give you useful and practical information about having a baby? Stuff like how to get yellow poo stains out of clothes. I thought I had to almost boil them out, but it has fixed it in. When I told mum she said 'noooo, it is like blood' how I am supposed to know that? Thankfully I've never had to wash poo out of my clothes before! Apparently clothes need to be soaked in icy cold water first and then put in the wash. Again, why isn't this part of these useful early stage guides to motherhood? I'm surprised there isn't a leaflet about it, I've had them about everything else!

Graduation already?

We graduated from baby massage today. We have a laminated certificate for our 6 week course. This notion of graduating is ridiculous but baby massage has been a lovely thing to do with Tilly.

Initially I was dreading it, the time was awkward, 1.30 in the afternoon, it either clashes with sleep or feeding. When the course started I was still deeply embarrassed by Tilly’s behaviour whenever we were out, it is only recently that she has started to get a bit better. She used to be so grizzly, crotchy and scream a lot. Other mums would sit with their beautifully dressed well behaved daughters whilst Tilly and I both looked dishevelled and I tried desperately to get her to shush. For 5 of the 6 lessons she has been great and surprisingly, better than most during the massage. We still have the most trouble getting dressed, particularly her arms.

Tilly is fascinated by other people, during the massage all the other babies have laid quietly on their backs facing their mums. We all sit in a circle, mums facing inwards, babies on mats in front of us. If no one else is talking Tilly will look at me, but if a conversation is happening, she is craning her neck back and wriggling onto her side to see the person talking. She is just so nosey. During the massage we have to turn our babies over to massage their backs, so they lie on their tummies. Every other baby hates this but for Tilly it seems like heaven as finally she can see everyone properly. Whilst her peers all start crying she has her neck up and once again fascinated by the ‘show’.

So I suppose we’ll stick the laminated certificate up in her room. We’ve already signed up for Rhythm Babies in the autumn, another SureStart activity.

Tilly's first concert

When we heard that Richard Hawley was going to be playing a concert at the Garforth Arts Festival we knew we'd love to go. We got tickets and trundled up the motorway for Tilly's first concert.

The party in the playground started in the afternoon but Richard Hawley wasn't due to perform until around 10.00pm. So we stayed at Jane and Peter's doing Tilly's normal routine (and I even got to watch Doctor Who) before we ventured out at 7pm ish. As planned Tilly fell asleep on the way there and slept throughout all the other acts. She woke up in a dark playground with lots of strange noises and lights for her normal late night feed. When I got her out of the pram her face was so funny, completely surprised at where she was and almost miffed at all the interesting things she may have missed out on by being asleep. After checking out all the excitement, she settled down for a feed, all snuggled up in fleeces, blankets and puffa jackets. It was very difficult to breastfeed with all the layers. Tilly went back to sleep as Richard Hawley was finishing.



It was a lovely evening. It was not only great to see Tilly's face but wonderful for me to feel like I was getting a bit of excitement, being out at night and to a concert too!

POOP POOP!

Phew. Tilly has finally done a poo. It has been a difficult week for me, waiting for her to have a poo. It sounds ridiculous. But I've been on poop watch and recently it has almost consumed my life. I've not gone out in case she did one and it leaked so much I couldn't clean it up. Richard has been getting anxious and I've been in tears petrified that that tiny taste of apple has clogged up her insides. Too scared to speak to anyone as the midwives are so self righteous about weaning and breastfeeding. But finally today, after Skyping mum in tears with Tilly on my knee, Tilly trumped and poo'd and I've never been so happy. Mum could obviously hear it at the other end and we both cheered with jubilation at Tilly's poo. Motherhood is quite surreal sometimes.

So I whipped her upstairs to clear up and it was very stinky, stinkier than any other she has ever done and far messier, so messy in fact it has exploded out of her nappy onto her clothes. So sticky I needed to put her in the bath to get it off as wet wipes just weren't cutting it! But I'm happy. I phoned Richard immediately after we'd cleaned up but he wasn't at his desk so I exclaimed "Poop Poop" down the phone and hung up and then sent him the same text message. Hooray for Tilly, who still has no idea quite why I'm so happy or even what she did to make me so.

Nicknames

The name Matilda has been shortened to Tilly and quite a few more unexpected ones, her nicknames now currently stand as:

• M'tiddla
• Tilly Pilly Poo
• Tilly Pilly Poo pants
• Tilly Pie
• Tidgy pud
• Tidgy pudding
• Tiddly Widdly
• Tiddly
• Bumface
  
• Monkey Moo

and apparently Richard sings her a song called 'Tilly with no Willy' when changing her nappy.