Kenzie is 45 weeks old this week and Leap 7 is welcome to leave at any time as we continue to fight to be good parents while dealing with the physical and developmental leap Kenzie is going through right now. Again, this week hasn’t been a breeze but we got through it much better than last week.
So far, here is her tally:
Nappy Changes: 45
Sleep: 96 hours
Feeds: 93
Kenzie’s godparents, Myra and Paul came to Sydney. We haven’t seen them since Christmas! It was so good seeing them again. They gifted her with the cutest toy mobile phone!
The week begun again with horrible night terrors but luckily we’ve learned to hold her tight, play some nursery rhymes and hum to her and make her feel safe and she settles down after a few minutes. We are making sure not to wake her or get angry at her or make it worse in any way. It’s very tough, especially when we’ve just gone into a deep sleep and then all of a sudden woken up to cries but it’s a new learning curve and adjustment we had to make. However, this week, it wasn’t the only adjustment we had to make. Unfortunately, Leap 7 sleep regression reared it’s ugly head and our little night owl on two occasions decided to be awake between 1-3am, just cause. We’ve been so spoiled by such a good sleeper, we were bound for a few sleepless nights eventually. We’re very lucky it only happens every leap or on very rare occasions but we’ve been so accustomed to uninterrupted sleep, it’s difficult to not get cranky. I’m definitely not on my best behaviour when I’m tired. It’s a trait I hope doesn’t pass onto Kenzie. Not only is our patience tested but so is our relationship and thank goodness, we’re working as a team! I completely understand how it can go in the other direction. It’s not easy! We just have to make it through this Leap and we know we’ll be back to normal.
Kenzie is taking steps and standing on her own more frequently. We’ve found that when she’s scared and wants to get over to either myself or Ramon as quick as she can, she forgets all about holding onto anything for balance and gets up and walks over on her own. We know she can do it and we’ve been focused at working on building up get confidence and balance. Her books have taken a bit of a beating now that she’s turning the pages on her own but she still loves her reading time but instead of sitting still, she’ll crawl or stand while her eyes are still locked onto the book.
Kenzie’s now on 50/50 solids to breastmilk and I’m again pumping for another momma in need of breastmilk. I’ve been counting my blessings time and time again because every time I post an ad for a donation, I’m bombarded with messages for breastmilk donations. Recently, we’ve had a family from Bathurst drive up for some and I only wish I was able to give them more. My milk has somewhat settled down but I am still in excess and as much as I’d love to tap into the black market and make money selling my breastmilk, I feel good donating the milk to families in need. As for solids, Kenzie and her one tooth is enjoying it so much. She skipped the purée phase and went straight to solids and we have no idea what to do with all the bibs we’ve accumulated. Her favourite fruits are mandarins, star fruits and most recently, mangoes. She absolutely loves all things chicken and beef and fortunately doesn’t mind vegetables! While pregnant, I took on the advice of eating different kinds of foods so that Kenzie wouldn’t be a fussy eater. I don’t know if this has contributed or if it’s too early to tell.
It’s official, Kenzie is scared of Fisher Price toys. We think it’s the voice and how the words are pronounced. She will cry and want to get away from the toy as fast as possible. Her walker and toy mobile phone are Fisher Price and as soon as we push a button and the toys start making sounds, she will cry her terrified cry and get away from it.
Her favourite activity this week has been opening ziplock bags and ripping pages out of a notebook. She’s also started to copy what we do, if we cough, she tries to cough, if we open a book, she tries to open a book. It’s so cute but we’re definitely more careful with what we do and say. She’s a sponge and I am such a potty mouth, I’m trying so hard to stop swearing.
We took Kenzie to a couple of local playgrounds and although she is able to climb stairs and walk along walls, she’s still too little to play on any equipment. Also, she’s started to stand in the netted swing (she’s a daredevil).
As for our big QLD move, it’s still in limbo. We are still definitely moving but we have no set date. We will be flying back in July, August/September and December/January but at this stage, we have no clue on a date for our move. We have the option of playing it safe and waiting for a job opportunity and leave our fate in the hands of an employer or take the bull by it’s horns and take the leap, pack up and go and hope for the best.
On a separate note, I’m super pissed off at the retail prices of children’s clothes! eBay has become my best friend and I’ve seen time and time again where an item is being sold for $150+ in store and $20 on eBay for the same no-brand item! I understand why so many moms are starting their own online baby stores because in-store prices are ridiculous! Not all families are double income households and I truly feel those businesses are out of touch with real Australian families. I commend those momtrepreneurs who are looking to fill this void in the market.
Were already looking forward to next week as we count down the days to Kenzie turning one! It’s an accomplishment for us as parents and a huge milestone for Kenzie herself. It’ll be so good to have our friends and family together again for such a special occasion.
Till next week.