In a blink of an eye, we’re in Week 42! Kenzie is growing so quickly and developing so fast, she’s constantly surprising us and keeping us on our toes. It hasn’t been an easy journey but one we’ve come to love and cherish each and every moment, the good, the bad and the ugly moments.
So far, here is her tally:
Nappy Changes: 45
Sleep: 98 hours
Feeds: 95
For some reason, she has developed a rash with small bumps on her cheeks, back and arms. It doesn’t look like eczema and we think it may be keratosis pilaris. We have been using a combination of Moogoo and Milk & Co to help combat the flare ups but it doesn’t seem to be working. Hopefully it just takes time and consistency. We have read that it may be due to the weather change, it’s been getting quite chilly in the mornings and night.
We’ve locked in a QLD venue for Kenzie’s birthday at Bumbles Cafe! We are so excited to finally lock in our venues so we can get our invites made. I adore all things stationery and creating new keepsakes (hence why we started a stationery business) and as much as some people don’t believe in sentimental value, I hold sentimental value in so many things. Our memory boxes are so full. I love going through them and retelling the story of that day. Every time we pack to move or are doing a “clean up”, I can spend hours just reminiscing over things we have. Minimalist guides say you should throw out items that don’t make you happy, yet a piece of used wrapping paper can sometimes give me a happy memory.
Kenzie’s teeth have cut through! She has been teething for months and month and months and now her bottom tooth is finally popping through the gum. It’s the cutest thing ever!
She has started to crawl! We don’t have carpeted floors so it’s been very hard to leave Kenzie on the floor without her hurting herself. We do however, have a rug! She’s finally learning how to coordinate her arms and legs to hoist herself forward instead of face planting into the floor. It’s been such a joy to watch.
After 10 months, I’m still so scared of cutting her nails. They aren’t as soft as they were before but I keep getting scared I will get her skin. I don’t think this fear will ever go away and I’m glad she lets me cut her nails while she’s asleep.
We have been so fortunate with the amount of people wanting to babysit for us so that Ramon and I can watch Deadpool 2. Unfortunately, Kenzie is a nightmare when she detects “Stranger Danger” and as much as I want to just drop her off and have some “me” and “us” time, we can’t do that to someone. We know exactly how it feels when your ear drums are ringing and your stress levels are tested when a baby is in distress and we would never want that on an innocent baby sitter. It looks like we may have to wait for my Mum to come back from her holiday before we can go out.
Lately, we’ve been kicking ourselves that we weren’t prepared enough for having a child. I envy those who have got it “figured out” and have had a lot of help and support throughout every part of their lives. Ramon and I fought to be together, fought to continue staying together and in the process were shunned. Because of our past (and certain questionable decisions), we met Kenzie’s amazing godparents who are our family through thick and thin and it’s helped us access our lives moving forward. A “home” is supposed to be the place you go to relax, a place to escape from stress, a place that is your safe-zone. I’m saddened that we haven’t been able to provide this for Kenzie so far. Some days we feel like we needs to just escape our “home”. Ramon and I have decided this is something we’re going to work towards, it’s a goal and it’s not going to be easy but it’ll be the best for Kenzie and our own sanity.
Each and every week we try to become better parents, whether we succeed or we fail that week, Ramon and I always have a little chat to see if we’re parenting the right way and see how we can improve. It’s a learning curve and no matter how many books and articles and guides you read, it’s never enough. We’re excited and scared to see what’s to come for us next week.