Rock n Roll

I like rock and roll.

That is the title of my blog, after all.

And tonight I proved that I do, indeed, like to rock and roll.

At least I do, when the only other option available to me is sleep.

Dad had his Rockband 3 'bandmates' over to play tonight.

Mum moved my bassinet into her room so it wouldn't be too noisy for me.

But I knew there was fun to be had elsewhere and refused to sleep.

So we hung out in the lounge room until well past the time when little baby girls should be fast asleep, tucked up in their beds.

Finally I could party no longer and fell asleep....but not until I'd out-rocked my big brother.

Shopping with baby...and toddler

Mum and Dad had a bright idea last night.

"Let's get up early and get to the shops when they open!"

So we all woke up at about 8am.

"Oh well. Let's get ready and try to be there by 10!"

So we all mucked about and finally arrived at the shops at 11.

First order of business was to road test a new stroller for me.

A decision has been made that my pram is too bulky and annoying and that we'd all benefit from selling it and buying a lighter, smaller model.

But I had no interest in pram shopping. And I let it be known to all within earshot.

So, pram shopping abandoned, Mum walked me through the shops until I fell asleep.

She managed to wheel our too-bulky-and-annoying pram into the change rooms and ended up buying some new clothes.

Meantime, Dad and Noah hung out in the toy section at Myer (Noah refers to this as "Daddy's special shop) and Noah made Dad promise not to buy him a Boba Fett helmet.

And then we all went home.

Presents

It's Mum's birthday today.

I decided to give her a present.

My presence.

Oh, I could have given her the gift of solitude.

But what fun would that have been?

So I conscientiously avoided sleep.

All the live day long.

Happy birthday, Mum!

Friends

Mum had to dash out to get something off the clothes line this afternoon.

When she got back to the house, she could hear the sound of giggling.

Noah was giggling...and I was too!

We were playing footsies and it was pretty funny.

Can you picture me sitting in my little seat, with my bare feet poking over the end? Then picture Noah lying on his back in front of the chair, with his feet touching my feet.

He was using his feet to move my feet around.

It's the first time we've 'played' together and Mum can't wait until we're big enough to play properly.

Where the heck is my mum?

You can wrap me up, give me a feed and pop me into my bed.

I'll look at you with my big, blue eyes and then I'll promptly close them and go to sleep.

But, as we all discovered tonight, that winning, fail-safe formula only works if you are Mum.

And if you happen to be Dad?

Well, then.

I shall cry blue murder.

I shall refuse to sleep.

I shall make it known to all and sundry that I am not pleased.

And then...when Mum does get home after being at a dinner for hours?

I shall smile at her a cheeky smile.

And then, after she has wrapped me up and given me a feed and she has popped me into my bed....

I will look at her with my big, blue eyes and then I'll promptly close them and go to sleep.

*Sigh*

New clothes

Here's the trouble with being small but fast-growing.

The weather can change suddenly, and then, just as suddenly, you have nothing to wear.

I have a good supply of long-sleeved, long-legged Wondersuits, most of which have now been made redundant.

So the mission this week is to supply me with new, summer onesies*.

And you can't honestly tell me that Mum is upset at having to shop for cute, little girl clothes.

* A 'onesie' for those unfamiliar with the term, is an all-in-one jumpsuit.

First laugh

My brother is hilarious.

He made me laugh - my first proper belly laughs - tonight.

We were at Grandma and Grandad's place for dinner. Uncle Michael and Nana were there too.

Mum laid me on a blanket in the lounge room, propped up on a pillow.

I had a perfect view of Noah, jumping down the two stairs into the lounge room.

He did it again, and again, and again.

I laughed each time he did it!

I also made a reasonable effort at rolling.

I can roll onto my side, but I don't roll all the way onto my tummy.

And when I do end up rolling onto my tummy, you can be sure it won't be intentional.

Because I don't like being on my tummy, not one little bit!

Friends

We had a nice night with our friends tonight.

It was a progressive dinner.

Which meant we ate at three different houses.

Which meant I had to get in and out of the car six times!

That bit wasn't fun.

But the bit where I had cuddles with lots of lovely grown-ups was.

I'm the only baby so, while all the bigger kids played, I could only watch.

But there's a new baby coming to our little group soon. And I'm sure we'll both be mixing it with the big kids before you know it!

Four months

I am four months old today!

No one knows what I weigh, but we'll find out next week when I have my four month needles. But let's not dwell on that just yet...

I continue to be the happiest of babies.

My reflux is under control and I don't even vomit too much anymore; just the odd spew, well timed and executed over Mum's shoulder.

Over the past few days, my sleeps have been a little irregular and I've woken up a few extra times overnight. Mum thinks I might be going through a growth spurt. Or getting teeth.

I have almost outgrown my bassinet. In fact, Mum's pushing it a bit by keeping me in there. I only need to grow another centimetre or two and my head will touch the top and my feet the bottom! So, it's just about time to move to the cot.

I still sleep wrapped up tightly in my miracle blanket. But this, too, is almost too small for me. Mum wonders if I'd like to have access to my hands. So she will let me try to sleep unwrapped soon. If that doesn't work, we'll just have to extend the miracle blanket!

Speaking of my hands, I love to suck on them. And any time my little toes are free, I'll shove them into my mouth too. Meanwhile, no dummy has been near my mouth in quite some time. Mum is ready to accept that, like Noah, I'm just not a dummy-loving kind of baby.

I've finally been allowed to play on the playmat/baby gym. Mum just puts a cushion under a sheepskin to keep me propped up so I don't vomit. I love to play with the little bee and sun and frog that hang from the toy bar. I'm also very close to rolling over.

Still no tummy time for me. I don't believe in tummy time. I can hold my head up perfectly well without this tummy time business, thanks very much!

I am starting to show more personality. I smile a lot and I giggle from time to time too. I really love my brother; I think everything he does is fascinating. He loves me too and likes to include me in his games.

Happy four months to me!

Rude awakenings

My usual long sleep was cut short this morning.

It may have had something to do with the fact that my brother...

set an alarm clock...

and left it in my room...

just metres from my head!

Shadow Trooper

People tell me how much fun I'm going to have playing with my big brother when I'm a bit older.

What they might not realise, is that I already play with him. Or rather, he plays with me.

"Ok Lucy, you're going to be the Shadow Trooper and I'll be Luke Skywalker. Pew! Pew! Pew!"

I don't even know what that means.

I just sit in my chair and stare and try not to get a fright.

It's loads of fun.

Lovely ladies

Here's me and my Mummy B. We had lovely cuddles.

The day the baby stole the book launch

I've been schmoozing.

With academics.

I must say, I felt quite at home in the world of academia and not at all bothered by the lack of postnominals after my name.

Mum and I had to go out to uni to talk to her cousin* about a new work contract. The visit coincided with the launch of a book she helped work on before I was born. So off to the book launch we went!

Mum's cousin loves babies. He was the baby whisperer of his family. I'm more than happy to let anyone hold me, but particularly those with baby whispering skills, so Warren held me for just about the whole function.

And he introduced me to everyone.

I met the Dean. I met the Deputy Vice-Chancellor. I met people with MAs and PhDs.

And I completely stole the show.

The Dean mentioned me in her speech. The Deputy Vice-Chancellor mentioned me in his speech. And the authors mentioned me too!

My academic career has begun.

* Warren is actually married to Mum's cousin. So technically not her cousin at all. But giving detailed family histories messes with the flow of my blog. Don't you think?

A different view

I view much of life in our house from my little chair.

Other babies lie on mats and view the world from the floor.

Not me.

I'm a reflux baby.

But Dad and Noah went out today and my little chair was still in the back of the car after our visit to Grandma and Grandad's last night!

Deciding she couldn't carry me around all morning, Mum dragged out Noah's baby playmat from storage. She propped me up with a little cushion (so I wouldn't spew everywhere) and attached some little friends to the toy bar.

I loved it!

I even did some almost-ready-to-roll-over moves.

So now there's a new baby apparatus in our lounge room.

And I'm even more vulnerable to big-brother cuddles!

Could it be?

Could it be...that I am getting my first tooth?

I have been a little bit out of sorts today.

I had a long morning sleep but no afternoon sleep.

When I was awake, I just wanted to be held and didn't want to sit in my chair.

And, not that you want to know the details, but...well...I've been through quite a few nappies today. Quite a few, if you know what I mean.

It was the nappy action that had Mum puzzled.

Was it something she ate?

She didn't think so.

And then she remembered that the same thing used to happen with Noah...around teething time.

"When do babies get their first tooth?" she asked Dad.

But, of course, he didn't know.

So she looked it up online and, sure enough, teething can begin at around four months.

There are no little teeth poking through my gums just yet. Mum checked.

But I'll keep you posted.

Tour of Duty

My tour of duty is complete!

By the time we arrived home this afternoon, I'd met all my great-grandparents and a good handful of great-aunts and uncles...and even a cousin!

We left Tamworth this morning after a good sleep (at least I slept all night long and didn't wake up in the middle of the night to tell everyone I didn't want to go to the beach because of little-boy-eating sharks).

This time, I resigned myself to being trapped in the car for hours and promptly fell asleep.

I got fed every two hours when the car stopped so, with my tummy full, it was easy to sleep most of the trip.

Finally we arrived at my Great-Grandad and Nan's house. Great-Grandad made a beeline for the car and made sure he got the first cuddle with me.

He said it had been a long time since he'd held a little baby like me. But I think he did a good job.

Then I met cousin Jenny and had cuddles with Nan, Aunty Margaret and Uncle Ian.

Opinion was divided on whether I was big or small. If I could talk, I would tell them it's all relative. And I might have something to say about commenting on a girl's weight!

We had a lovely visit and then it was time to hop back in the car for the final hour.

Home at last!

Pewing

There's been a lot of 'pewing' going on today.

In case you didn't know, 'pewing' is the sound that Star Wars weaponry makes.

You know.

"Pew, pew, pew!"

That sound.

It's a sound I've been hearing all my life when my brother plays Star Wars games.

And today he had a like-minded friend to play 'pewing' games with.

We left Mummy B's house today, after a morning of cuddles and photos.

And we arrived in Mum and Dad's old town of Tamworth to stay with some of our good friends, Jack and Hallie.

I watched while the kids jumped on the trampoline and played on the swing set.

And then the 'pewing' games began.

Oh yes. It's all about Star Wars where my big brother is concerned.

I occasionally get written into these games as Princess Leia. Or Princess Lucy. And, invariably, I require rescuing.

For now, I have no choice but to sit in my chair and be rescued.

But I'm sure my own 'pewing' days are just around the corner!

Adapt-a-baby

If there were ever any fears that I would be a lousy roommate*, I proved them unfounded by my amazing sleeping skills last night.

I did wake up once for a feed, but then I went right back to sleep and slept for hours. Despite sharing the room with three others. And despite the noise they all made, crashing about as they got ready for bed.

Daylight saving? Pfft.

Strange room, strange house? Double pfft.

I am adapt-a-baby.

And so, I awoke a happy girl in this strange house and enjoyed some lovely cuddles with my extended family.

There was more driving (yes, I was a little unimpressed to get back into the car but I didn't make too big a deal out of it), a visit to a park and then lots of photos.

Then, in the afternoon, I giggled for the first time!

Dad made me laugh with a little peek-a-boo game. And I giggled each time.

I also enjoyed getting about in a summer all-in-one suit. It's a novel experience to have my chubby arms and thighs exposed to the air!

It was a happy day away from home.

*There may have been a little incident the last time we went away as a family. It may have been, on that occasion, that I slept for a total of two hours over two nights.

Road trip

We set off on a big adventure today.

My first road trip!

I've been in the car for a couple of hours at a time, but today's trip took more than seven hours.

Mum and Dad weren't particularly looking forward to the drive, but I was none the wiser.

They tried to explain to Noah how long the trip would take.

"About as long as a day at Kindy," Mum told him.

In the end, it was the interval between McDonald's restaurants that mattered.

We hopped from one to the next and it made the seven hours go by quite quickly.

I slept, we stopped, I had a feed, back into the car, I slept again. Repeat.

Finally we arrived in a little town called Manilla.

That's where my Great-grandmother lives.

When Dad was a little boy, he called her Mummy B. He still does. And now so does Mum. And Noah. And I will too, when I'm big enough to talk.

I am one of four great-grandchildren and the only girl.

I had some lovely cuddles with Mummy B and I treated her to some of my very best smiles.

I also got to meet Uncle Ian and Aunty Di and have cuddles with them too.

But if you thought I was the centre of attention, you'd be wrong.

It's not easy to compete with a three-year-old boy!

Still, everyone thought I was a very beautiful and happy little girl.

Which I am, of course.

Rain, rain, go away

I had Mum and Dad all to myself today.

That's because Noah was at Kindy and Dad had the day off.

Mum and Dad spent the day waiting for the rain to stop.

It did not.

Personally, I have no issue with rain.

When we have to dash to the car in the rain, I tilt up my head to catch the rain drops.

And when the rain beats down on the roof, I sleep as soundly as ever.

But Mum and Dad have had enough of the rain.

It doesn't help the garden get weeded.

And it doesn't help get the washing done.

New family

I joined a new family today.

Well, just as a temporary measure.

Dad had to stay home from church today because he had to watch a certain car race on television.

So Mum bravely ventured out with me and Noah.

It was particularly brave because the weather was rainy and windy and because she didn't know how she'd manage with two kids and no pram.

She soon found out, though. No sooner had we arrived and sat down, when Noah announced he needed to do a wee.

Of course, he'd just done a wee at home ten minutes earlier.

But no one is game to call his bluff at this stage, especially when it comes to bodily functions.

So Mum handed me over to Ben, who was sitting in front of us with Gabe and Claire.

When she and Noah got back from the toilets, I was obviously quite happy where I was and showed no signs of wanting Mum to take me back.

So I stayed with my new, temporary family for a good chunk of the service.

And, as a sign of respect and thanks, I didn't even spew on them!

Weighty matters

We had to duck into the shops today.

There's a chemist there that has a set of baby scales so, as we walked past, Mum popped me on.

I'm now 6.2kg!

The chemist lady was impressed with how much weight I've put on in the past few weeks.

But Mum says no one's impressed with how much weight she's put in on the past few weeks.

First toys

I played with some toys for the first time today.

I have four little soft, squishy, crinkly pink blocks that Aunty Lyndall gave me.

They're actually the only toys in this house that belong to me.

I scrunched them in my hand.

I batted them away with a fist.

I kicked them off my chair onto the floor.

I spent a happy half hour playing with my very own toys.

And then Noah stole them to use in some sort of game of Jedi warfare.

That's not my vomit!

There's been a lot of vomiting in our house today.

But it's not my vomit!

Noah has an ear infection. He gets them quite a bit. And they make him feel sick.

He spewed on Dad. And then on Mum. And then on Dad again. And then on Mum again.

And finally they taught him how to spew in a little bucket.

With all that vomiting going on, you wouldn't think anyone would notice the little round wet patch on Noah's tutu popper couch.

"Arghhh!" he shouted, "What's that?"

"That's probably from Lucy" said Mum.

"Grrr!" he grizzled, "Get it off my couch!"

I like Lucy

It's Grand Final day today.

Again.

We're not doing anything exciting though, because we've had a big week and my brother is on the verge of being a bit sick.

And being on the verge of being a bit sick makes him a bit cranky.

He's been telling Mum, 'I only like Dad' and telling Dad, 'I only like Mum'.

Until he thought of a one-size-fits-all cross thing to say to both of them.

'I only like Lucy'.

Wrapped Baby

I sleep wrapped up. I always have.

When I was just a few days old, Mum bought me a couple of miracle blankets. http://www.miracleblanket.com.au/

They're like a baby straight-jacket.

I've slept in them - day and night - ever since.

But now they're getting too small! Or am I getting too big?

So...with a sense of trepidation (not wanting to mess with my wonderful sleeping habits), Mum put me down for a sleep in a Grobag.
http://www.gro.co.uk/

Epic fail!

I will not sleep in a fancy schmancy, expensive grobag. I will not sleep in any sort of sleeping bag.

I will only sleep in a miracle blanket.

It's back to the drawing board for Mum.