More Snippets

Again, the blog update is more snippets than one long story, but I guess it's better than being bored with a long story about nothing! Much has happened since my last post, although being so busy with Chloe, it has been too blurred to remember half of it... So here goes.

Aviary Update

Paul has finished the aviary, but not without injury. He got blood poisoning from the mesh that he was using to build it. He must have stabbed himself with it about 20 times, but one particular wound went septic, and he got mild blood poisoning, so it was off to the doctor for him. It is still looking a little sore, and infected, but the antibiotics are helping sort it out.

I released the budgies into the aviary yesterday, and they still haven't quite figured out that they have vast amounts of place to fly, and they seem not to know what to do with their wings. Although, Greenie and Mammy Blue have discovered the art of flying around more and are using the freedom. Cyan is less mobile though, as his wings are still clipped, and he is looking a little under the weather. I am keeping a close eye on him though to make sure that he is alright.

This morning the whole troupe of monkeys came through our yard, and decided to test whether they are able to get into the aviary, especially since there are yummy birds waiting to be eaten. (Argh) Paul and I have decided that we are going to get some fake snakes and are hoping it will deter them from coming anywhere near the birds again. One monkey was jumping on the aviary to see if it could get through. Really cheeky!

Chloe Update

As I type, my little cherub is squirming where she lies sleeping, although I am not so sure she is still sleeping. Chloe is growing fast, and when I weighed her yesterday she was 4.3kg. I can't believe it, although my arms have been telling me that she is getting heavier. Her last length measurement was 51cm, and that was last week Tuesday, but I am sure that she has grown longer as well. After fighting with her and breastfeeding, I have with the genius of my husband, to express milk all the time now and then bottle feed her rather. She seems to be taking to that much better, and she is getting more food / milk which is great. She feeds less often, sleeps better, and generally is in a better frame of mind. I was right though, she woke up, so now I'm typing with one hand, and Chloe in the other arm.

It is so good that Paul is behind the expressing milk option. Being able to feed her with a bottle is much more relaxing for the both of us. I have added another pic as well for you.

The 70^th Birthday photo shoot

Saturday 23^rd February was an exciting evening for me. I was able to photograph a 70^th birthday party at uShaka, in the aquarium and it was stunning. They really went all out to make it look great there, and I think that they enjoyed the party.

It was the first time since Chloe was born that I was not with her for more than 5 minutes, and it was quite a daunting thing to leave her, but my mother and Paul were stars and apparently Chloe was an angel. Slept, ate and made her nappies dirty, making Dad change them twice. I must admit most of the evening I didn't miss her, as I was too busy to think about it, but when my milk started to come through and I was getting sore because of it, I figured that I was missing her lots. My plan was to express some milk during the evening, so that there wouldn't be any engorgement, but that opportunity never presented itself, so I was pretty sore, and the milk that came out when I did eventually get a chance was more like water than milk, so I ditched that.

"Kim Swan – Pet Photographer"

So, now you are probably wondering what this is all about. Well, you have heard of Ace Ventura – Pet Detective, well I was asked to take some pictures of a friends little dogs, who are some of the most hyper active creatures I have come across. It took about an hour of sitting outside with them, and Berrie, for them to calm down enough to get some beautiful pictures. Needless to say of the 30+ pictures that I took 4 were worthy of printing (in my opinion) and I can't wait to give them to her. I had them printed with the photo's from uShaka, so I got to see them in print for the first time again. I must say that printing photo's is very satisfying. The computer screen does very little justice to the pictures, but when they are printed they are amazing.

Well, that is about all the news I have for the time being. I will post again soon!

 

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http://www.kimswanphotography.co.za/

Hot days and screaming babies

OK, today's entry is going to be more a collection of snippets than a long story. Right now I have about 20 minutes to get something going before it is time to get Chloe up from her beauty sleep for a feed and then hopefully I can get going with the shopping I need to do... However this morning the washing machine decided that it would break down, and now I have to wait for Craig to come and have a look at the machine, but the initial over the phone prognosis was pretty bad. Possibly that the drum on the machine has snapped... not a great time for this to happen really. But, what can I do.

Overheard: "My episiotomy stitches tore after the second day and they said that they don't restitch them any more." Eish!

6:30 am hair cutting sessions
This morning while Chloe was still sleeping from her very early in the morning (the birds were singing outside though), Paul and I cut his hair. I say we did it, as he did the initial chop it all off with the clippers and then I had to tidy it up with scissors, so by the end of it he looked pretty good, and his hair was certainly a lot neater than it was before we started. But, have you ever heard of trimming your hair before work as part of your ablutions... Except of course if you are my brother who shaves his head weekly at least!

The aviary
Well, at the moment we are waiting for the mesh for the aviary to arrive from Cape Town. I am hoping that it will get here today, as Paul paid for it n Tuesday last week and was expecting it on Friday already. I think if I had the guys number I would have followed up already to say where is the tracking number I want to know where the parcel is. But, I have left it alone, as I don't think that he would like me to interfere at the moment and he is stressed out enough at work today.

Hot days and screaming babies (in the car)
On Saturday we decided to get out the house for the afternoon and went to visit Inanda Dam, which was pleasant enough. The shady spots were nice and cool and when we got there the wind wasn't blowing very hard, but it got progressively worse (in my books, Paul said there was no wind, but then he was looking at it from a wind surfing perspective). I am not a big fan of wind though, it blows my hair into my face, and irritates me, and I think that Chloe was picking up on these dislike vibes, as well as just being in a completely new environment, and started getting niggly, which only added to my stress levels, and my already splitting headache. It was a pleasant enough outing in the beginning, but by the time we decided to pack up and leave, we had a screaming baby which no one could console. Thank goodness I managed to soothe her at home though, and she had her bath and I fed her comfortably and then sat with her in the cool bedroom in the near dark with "Majors for Minors" playing softly in the background.

Then on Sunday we took the plunge and took her to church for the first time, which ended up in pretty much the same way, except I had managed to express some milk before we had left so I was able to feed her in the car when we were outside the shops while Paul ran in. The milk was a life saver, but wasn't enough to satisfy her so when we got home I had to excuse myself from our visitors and feed her... but that didn't stop the niggles till she fell asleep a little later. She had been so hot in the car, I know, she lost a lot of fluid through perspiration.

They weren't kidding when they said that the first 2 weeks are hell....
Need I say more, I have never suffered from sleep deprivation, bladder infection, temperatures reaching 40.5 C, rapid weight loss, extreme perspiration, uncontrollable hormones which have you in a ball of tears at the drop of a hat, and complete feelings of being out of control and not knowing what is wrong with the precious bundle that is screaming her lungs out because she has a need.

Chloe is 2 weeks old today!!!!!!

I have just had the easiest feed and nappy change ever! OK, so she was sleeping, but I never said that it had to be while she was awake!

The Cygnet became a Swan...

Nothing could ever have prepared me for the birth of our daughter Chloe, or the sheer bombardment of emotions that go along with becoming a mother. From the time that I found out that we were going to become parents I was excited, you all know, and if you read my blog you will see the excitement all the way through. However the most traumatic time of her journey into this world started on Sunday night while we were watching TV. Paul decided that to avoid any trouble I was not allowed to go to be till late, just in case labour was setting in (I had been feeling crampy and sore most of the evening), and well, the contractions started, and I knew that this was for real, and all of a sudden I really was scared about what I had to do. I was scared of the imminent pain, as well as the thought that I might not be able to finish what we started. Paul took me to the hospital at around 2am and I was already feeling strong contractions and the midwife on duty said that I was only 2.5cm dilated. However, by around 4am I was in so much pain I couldn't focus on anything, and Paul knew there was no way that I would make it through the rest of the labour without an epidural. There was no way that I was planning to be a martyr at this stage of the game. Dr C came to check up on me around 6am and said that he estimated another 3 hours before I would be ready to begin stage 2... pushing out the baby... needless to say he would out by an hour, as after about 8 contractions, and some very hard pushing, Chloe was born at 08:25. She weighed 3.42kg and was 47cm long (which has had comments of how short she is, but she hasn't exactly got giants for parents).

Paul asked me to describe the feeling when she was born, and it's difficult to describe, the actual feeling of a baby passing from inside your body to the outside. But, I don't think that I will be willing to describe the feeling on my blog. All I can say is it was an amazing experience, and intensely satisfying one, and incredibly emotional. It was surreal initially, all of a sudden having this tin little angel in your arms, while the doctor and midwife are rushing around you sorting out the carnage from the exit, and also making sure that both Chloe and I were safe and healthy. But, the more I am left alone with my thoughts the more emotional I find myself getting, and I keep getting time warped to her future thinking about things that will happen eventually.

The stay in hospital was amazing, the staff were brilliant, and always helpful, and I was always amazed at how the nursery sisters could hear a baby and then appear as if from no where and calm the child, knowing that the mother was stressing something serious as they have no clue as to what the problem is. It was also good to be able to "rest" in hospital and have the staff and nursery there when you needed them and to be able to get some good sleep.

Our first night home was quite traumatic with Chloe not sleeping much at all, and I had no idea why, but last night Paul made sure that she did go to sleep and I only fed her every 2 hours, which made a world of difference, to my sanity and that of my husband. Since then we have been able to settle a little, but I know that it will take a little while to get into a routine, considering that there hasn't really been a routine for the little on ever, and we haven't had to have a strict routine.

I'm sure that there will be more instalments, and if you don't get many updates on email, you know where to find my blog. There will be updates there.

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For I can do everything with the help of Christ who gives me the strength I need. Phil 4:13

If you're having trouble thinking out the box, then you're probably in the wrong box.

http://www.kimswanphotography.co.za/

http://kim-happy-day.blogspot.com/