a walk to remember

walking also means climbing!

omg she walks....! Yep its happening! 2 weeks ago Tallulah could take a 2-3 steps between furniture or Ross and I. Then came 5-6 steps and now she can walk all around the house! She is still a little wobbly and falls on her bum all the time but its SO darn cute! She is still a keen crawler which is funny as I thought once she got the hang of walking she would be running all over the place but not yet. She is still working out how to walk from carpet to floorboards but oh my she looks totally like a little toddler! Squeal!

p.s need to take a walking video stat!

one-derful

first birthday kisses!

Oh hi! I am a little tardy on my one year old milestones...oops! I think I was a little tired from planning Tallulah's party and needed some time out from computers/crafting/shopping and needed some R&R but then we all got sick so it ended up being longer than I anticipated. So then I started to question whether perhaps Renosslah had come to an happy end (the blog not us! haha) as the first year of a kiddos life is so special, new and well needed to be documented and with the approaching festive season which also includes an anniversary, our birthdays plus some important family & friends birthdays its going to be hectic and new year will arrive in no time. Which then means hello working mama which equals less time for everything! Phew thinking about makes me dizzy!

But when I thought about not blogging it made me sad so I took that as a sign that Renosslah was in fact not over YAY! For me this blog not only is an awesome place to document all the things Tallulah is doing but its also a place I can write what I'm feeling or is bothering me which has become a great creative outlet for me so with out further ado I'll get on with the 1-year old update!

Well, what a crazy last 12 months! You are still a little pocket rocket and never still. You are busy busy busy all the time and like to explore and climb like a little adventurer. Since weaning you 2 weeks before your first birthday you have transformed into a food machine which makes me oh-so happy! You love to snack all day and your favourite foods are banana, sushi, cheese and vegemite on toast!

On the walking front you hadn't really shown any interest in walking as you are one speedy crawler though this week (which I know is past her first birthday!) you are taking up to 4-5 wobbly little steps between furniture and your mum and dad! Its real cute!

Your new party tricks include tickling our toes and making this funny ziiiiiiii ziiiii ziiii sound we pretend it tickles and laugh and you think you are so clever! You are so obsessed with reorganising everything by pulling everything out then putting it back (though not always in the same place...make sure you check your shoes as you may find blocks, little animals or food in them haha!

Seriously though I am in love with this age! Its my favourite so far! Tallulah Mei you are one super fun little human!

milk it

Source: store.sprouthome.com via Allison on Pinterest

So wow. I am no longer breastfeeding. This is a pretty massive shift/milestone/moment in our lifes and something I am truly happy about!

Since Tallulah was a surprise and there was language barriers in Japan I never really got to choose whether I wanted to breastfeed or do formula or do both.I never got to research it or weigh up my options. Breastfeeding was the logical choice as we couldn't read the instructions on the formula tin. Then we left it too late to introduce a bottle probably because we were trying to figure out this whole parent thing. Fair enough. But it meant I had this little chip on my shoulder for a while because the choice wasn't mine. This little human made the choice and it was something I had to roll with!

If I had known I was having a baby I'm not really sure what I would have chosen. Probably a mix of both. I found breastfeeding really limiting, at times frustrating and god damn tiring. From about 3 months I tried to introduce a bottle, oh-man it was painful there was tears all round. It didn't matter if it was expressed breast milk or formula or a different bottle she didn't want a bar of it. So I just told myself she would wean herself. Everyone from doctors to health nurses to family told me that she would eventually do this when she was ready. I knew this but I am planning to go back to work early next year and really wanted to do it on my terms so when Tallulah was 8 months I spoke to my health nurse and decided to start to gradually wean her by dropping the occasional feed. Haha Tallulah was on to it and once again didn't want a bar of it...Tallulah also has never been a big eater. It seemed that she never ate enough to give up a feed or become full. It was REALLY frustrating and I was starting to get resentful and truly over it.

When she turned 11 months I knew that she wasn't going to gradually wean herself. So I decided that I would try something different. I decided to do it cold turkey. Its not recommended that this is the best option but for some reason I knew this was the method for us. I felt my breastmilk was like a drug and Tallulah was addicted.

We decided over the long weekend Ross would go to his parents house with Tallulah as I think the main reason she wasn't eating enough food was because I was there, it was easy and comforting to breastfeed and she could smell me all day long! I was nervous but on Friday morning I waved goodbye.

Apparently she was an angel whilst on holidays at her grandparents and ate food and only woke up once during the nights. OMG she even took a little bit of formula (I bought this Bellamy's Toddler Milk) from a sippy cup. Meanwhile I was a whole lot of pain as I had gone from roughly 8 feeds a day to nil. I had researched some natural methods to help with the pain and seriously they worked a treat! I used cold cabbage leaves and jasmine oil. After 2 days the tenderness subsided and things were looking up!

Ross and Tallulah came home on Monday morning and I was so nervous that she would be at my top wanting to be fed but nope she didn't care at all! WOW is all I can say. Thats not to say it has been kind of weird for me as before I knew I could soothe her with a breastfed but now I feel like we are treading on unknown ground and sometimes we find ourselves scratching our heads wondering what she wants whether its fingerfood or a bottle but we are getting there! And can I just say she eats SO much it is blowing my mind...! I am so happy its ridiculous!

In the end I am SO glad I did 11 1/2 months of breastfeeding I know (gold star I think!) I am really lucky that I was able to breastfeed with few issues as many women find they can't breastfeed. I know its so so so good for her too which is comforting. However I am rediscovering this new found freedom and I think Tallulah and I are so much happier for it. Not to mention I feel like I have a whole new wardrobe as so many of my vintage dresses were not breastfeeding friendly! Oh happy day!

legs eleven

oh baby girl in less than 4 weeks you will be ONE YEAR OLD!

It blows my mind that my tiny little baby is now on her way to toddlerland! I can't believe this is the last time I will be counting in months then when people ask how old you are I will be answering in YEARS! wow.

I quite enjoy this age you are bundles of giggles and fun. I often find you playing somewhere just laughing at nothing. Its quite hilarious! You are definitely becoming more sure of yourself and your little personality is shining through. I have come to realise I am in for tantrums....

You can now stand up from the sitting position in the middle of the room without anything/anyone holding on to you. But walking is still a while off as you just love crawling!

You still are not a big eater which frustrates me oh-so much! You still prefer to be breastfed however in a couple of weeks you will be weaned which I think you are going to hate but its got to be done (more on this once we complete our cold-turkey weaning!)

You are sleeping SO much better since we started doing a little bit of crying-it-out (I know shock/horror!) you only wake once which means your dad and I are feeling a lot more human! Hurrah!

Oh Tallulah Mei you are one cutie and make me pleased as punch to be your mama!

top ten

So my baby is officially in double digits. I think I am surprised she is this old already, every month I am surprised how fast yet slow it is all going! 10 months is quite similar to 9 months for us....I haven't noticed any major changes or milestones this month.

Some nifty and not so nifty things you are currently doing is;

-you like to climb into the toybox all by yourself
-you giggle and laugh a lot more and at just random things, its real cute
-you have mastered climbing off the bed without any help (impressive!)
-you can go up and down stairs
-your hair is growing yay!
-you have moments where you let go and forget you are not leaning/holding onto anything and stand by yourself
-you have little tantrums...oh yay
-you really suck at eating it make me sad as I fear I will be nursing you FOREVER!

I'm loving this age, its a whole lot more interactive and I'm sure it'll just get better and more fun as you grow! The one thing which frustrates me is your eating habits. One day you consume my whole fridge and I'll think yes this is it, then the next day you purse your little lips and turn your head at everything...To be honest I would like to quit breastfeeding yesterday but you are determined not to be weaned so I am being patient. You have definitely taught me patience! Lucky your cheeky little smile and laugh makes all my stress disappear! Naw baby girl you are darn loveable!

cloud nine

on a picnic just before the dreaded tonsillitis!

So the little monkey turned 9 months a little while ago so I'm a little late but I wanted to document it before we move into the double digits! Eeeek where did the time go?

Its hard to believe you've been in the real world the same amount of time as you were inside! You are one cheeky, happy, stubborn, active, hypo, clever and rather entertaining little thing. Each day I keep noticing more and more of your little personality shining through. Here are new some things you have learnt;

-clap your hands (this is your mama's favourite!)

-wave goodbye (though only when you feel like it)

-flaps your hands about and rock your body (I think this is you dancing?)

-can climb up onto the couch (oh, yay...)

-your new game is to hide under the doona, cushions, blankets and pretend you are hiding then 'scare' us (hilarious!)

You still only have 2 teeth and nil interest in walking. You kind of love crawling and that is a-ok with your mama! Your separation anxiety is gradually getting better but omg don't go into the bathroom because you will lose it something crazy! 9 months also marked your first real sickness which totally blows because your mama thought we had escaped Winter without getting sick. You're all better now but you made your mama sick which I guess was bound to happen but at least its just a cold. 

Oh, Tallulah you are pretty great and I am so happy that my cheeky monkey made a pretty speedy recovery as your little smile warms my heart!

8bit hero

Tallulah is officially 8 months. W-O-W! I am enjoying this age. She is fun, super active, babbles all day long and cracks some super gummy smiles. It melts my heart. Since moving her into her own room she is sleeping a whole lot better; think only waking 2am and 6am which could count as our start of our day but we snuggle in our bed till 8am! She is still hitting her milestones like its going out of fashion! She currently does the following cute tricks;

-crawls REALLY fast
-pulls herself up onto everything
-she can climb stairs/boxes/toys
-stopped just falling over and can lower herself onto her bum (yay! less bruises!)
-walks along things; couch, tv cabinet
-sometimes tests out whether she can stand by herself without holding onto to anything
-has 2 teeth
-loves drinking water from her sippy cup but don't put breast milk or formula in there because she's onto you!
-babbles all day long and says 'dada' 'mumma' but not in relation to either Ross or I
-likes to open and closes things like doors
-obsessed with playing in the bathroom if she happens to make it past the babygate
-loves powercords/switches
-has major separation anxiety-like.can.not.leave.room.without.tears.

The one thing that did worry/concern/stress me out but I was assured everything was okay is that Tallulah is on the small side. Obviously I know she is a wee one but when the chart in the purple book tells me this it kind of concerned me. Everything else is all dandy but she needs to pile on some kilos- stat! She is weighing in at just under 6.5kg so we are now feeding her solids/finger foods at every possible opportunity and then offering milk. The nurse told me that since Tallulah has really only accepting food recently and she was a itty-bitty baby and she is super active these were the reasons for her light-as-a-feather weight. She also assured me that I really shouldn't give it a second thought as she is happy, developing and had a small birth weight! But, you know the whole mama thing you can't help worrying a little....So now we are eating 5 times a day! Hurrah!

Its such a pleasure to be this little girls mama! She is definitely the apple of my eye (oh and her dad!)

chomp chomp

We've have been asked since Tallulah was about 3 months "Oh is she teething?" I think this was because she has always liked to gnaw on her fingers and put everything in her mouth. We haven't had one tooth which secretly pleased me as I am terrified of her biting my boob! But then on Monday she decided to chew my finger and I felt something sharp- Tallulah officially has a tooth! So cute! I think that is what had been obviously troubling her the last couple of weeks. She has been grumbly and restless even to the point of having to leave brunch earlier as she was being really whingy! But this week I have my little happy camper back! Teething sucks!

hello tiny moving human

really dodge iphone video of crawling kiddo

Yes, that is my baby standing....

um, so I'm not sure what got into Tallulah this last week...she is hitting those milestone like they are going out of fashion. For about a month or so she has been getting up on her knees and rocking and a couple of weeks ago she started to take two crawling steps then belly flop so we decided to completely baby-proof our house. We did the whole she-bang- corners, baby-gates, removal of all my cute vintage knick-nacs and a bit of a rearrange of furniture! And, yes I am super glad we did this because she can now do the following;

- Stand up in her cot...
- Full-blown crawl
- Sit up by herself
- Pull herself up onto EVERYTHING (especially the TV cabinet!)

She is growing up too fast for my liking! This whole climbing up onto things and pulling herself up onto things means lots of falling, stacking and crying. Its really hard the first couple of times because I was so used to her being my little newborn fragile baby. I have now toughened up and stopped gasping every time she falls over! She is one tough nut.

There has been bets placed for when she will be walking! Ross says 81/2 months, I say 91/2 months and my mum says 10 months! Eeeeeek this is frightening! I need to press pause!

Hope everyone has a super weekend, we're off to Rottnest!

six bags of apples

OMG I have a six month old! How did this happen? Its nuts! We went for Tallulah's 6 month health appointment on Tuesday and she hasn't quite hit 6 kilos yet, she tipped the scales at 5.88kg and measures  63cm! She is one LONG yet SKINNY baby, quite like her papa!

She is oh-so happy sitting and playing with her toys now, she loves, loves it! She has also started to get up on her knees and hands and sway to and forth! Clever, girl! I feel crawling is not that far away! So in preparation we have just bought some baby safety gates so she won't be able to crawl into the kitchen or bathroom! We are expecting her to be a live wire as she is also going, going, going!

In other news we had our first dinner date with friends last night which was ah-mazing! We have been avoiding night time dates like a bad smell as Tallulah is always a little cranky! But we've decided this mama and papa need their night life back! And I must say I have missed it! It was such a lovely night out we met some friends for Hainan Chicken Rice at Tak Chee then went for Icey Ice! Tallulah was pretty entertaining and shriek and gurgled all night! Tonight we are going for pizza and wine at our friends, hooray for outings!

I hope everyone is having a super weekend! We just spent the morning dining on baked eggs, coffee and beetroot & choc cake at the new cafe Attic in Fremantle! Delightful!

Mama Love

So we had a milestone hit last week! Tallulah is officially sitting! Yippee! Its so darn cute! She still face plants from time to time so I still put cushions around her haha. She is trying so hard to tuck her feet up and what looks like crawling but she just scoots with her head! Its not far away I predict!

How was your Mama's Day? My Sunday was delightfully great! I started out the morning with snuggles in bed with Tallulah and Ross then was presented with a delicious coffee from Cantina. Oh yeah, the biggest present of the day was that Tallulah slept through the night so I slept from 11pm-7pm OMG sleep is SOOOO good. I miss it a little haha! We then piled into the car and went to my Mums for scones then off to Ross' parents for a roast lunch. It almost had a Christmas vibe to it! Eating, drinking, laughing with family! We were all exhausted when we got home and lounged around and catnapped!

I have realised how nice it is to celebrate all these special days and create your own little family traditions and everything is more exciting when you are experiencing it for the first time with a tiny human!

P.S. Looks like that sleeping thing was a one off present that only happens on Mothers Day haha Tallulah woke up at 3:30am and wanted to PLAY...haha an hour later of rocking and feeding she was back sleeping! Mr Sleep I am sure we will meet again!

3 generations! One of my all time fave photos!

twenty four / two dozen

24 wow! Nuts! Time is flying by...! We have a little 'Royal Wedding Fever' in our household today! We made a delicious feast fit for a king (haha or a princess!) We made a roast pork, apple sauce & garlic and rosemary potatoes and a peach and chocolate trifle! Aww really its not often a 'commoner' becomes a princess! In celebration we made paper crowns which Tallulah thought were very tasty! haha

This week has been a fun one as we had an extra long weekend and its been a short week! We had brunch with a good friend who is back home from London which was delightful and yesterday we had lunch with one of my old work friends.

In other exciting news my cousin who lives in Tokyo with his Japanese wife who were amazing whilst we were living in Japan had their baby; a little girl! I can not wait for our little girls to meet! Hooray!

I have noticed this week that Tallulah is becoming really interactive she loves to reach out and stick her little fingers in my mouth and for me to pretend chomp on them she cracks up giggling. She also likes to bounce on EVERYONE! She will push off on her feet and expect you to push her into the air. I think she has been spending too much time in the jolly jumper...it is by far her favourite toy! Awww she is such a gem!

Have a great weekend! Hope you enjoy the Royal Wedding!

twenty three/ thee & me

23 weeks, oh my oh my! Its been another delightful week in mama and bebe land. Even with the lack of sleep, continuous groaning and the pterodactyl shrieks I am in LOVE with this little lady. She cracks me up all the time! All she has to do is beam a smile and my heart melts! Probably why I couldn't pick just one picture today, she is so darn cute in her bunny ears, which I also made for my 2 nieces!

Tallulah was developed some new noises this week, a different type of groan which is in-between excited and bored and a hooting noise she like to make when we go out in the baby carrier (this tends to get us some strange looks! haha) She also can scooch onto her knees in a type of yoga position and enjoys sleeping this way which slightly freaks me out!

We also watched some Yo Gabba Gabba this week which she LOVED, her little face was full of happiness!

Happy Easter! We are LOVING our 5 days with papa Ross, family and friends!

P.S; not sure why the need for cap words today...HAHA

Sugar, Sugar You are my Candy Girl!

Tallulah is still not really down with the food, which is a shame because I love making her pureed goodness. As I mentioned in a previous post I am obsessed with my blender/steamer my mum gave me! I know she will soon love chomping on my golden goodness food so I am not worried.

Ross and I have decided we want to steer clear of any processed foods for Tallulah as she grows up for as long as possible. I really want her to have healthy eating habits and not have to battle with weight issues like I do. I know my weight issues stem from having PCOS and I actually eat really well but I think it would make life a lot more sunny if my little girl didn't have to fight this battle and I think if she wasn't exposed to processed foods its a good foundation. I am really passionate about this and I am trying to educate everyone in Tallulah's life that this is the way I'd like to raise her. Its deeming to be a little tricky but I am sure my message will eventually get through!

However, I am not going to be a nazi about it, I mean everything is okay in moderation so things like birthday parties, Christmas and other special occasions I know there is going to sweet treats for Lula to chomp but thats okay by me as its part of being a kid and having fun.

A friend was telling me about a baby mama she knows who has raised her babies the way I'd like to see Lula grow. Her babies get excited about grapes and yoghurt and think its a super treat if they get a strawberry! So cute. So right! I am also going to buy a soda stream this week, one of my friends has one and its superb and so much fun! And, seriously I can't wait to pack her little Miffy lunchbox full of fun and healthy treats!

Have you got any grand plans about feeding your babies?

twenty two / two little ducks

Are these not the cutest pink leopard pants ever?! We had a way better sleeping week in week 22! The sleeping suit I bought is a DREAM and she loves it and she is back to waking up only twice for a feed- thankyou! Though on Saturday night she missed the 1am feed and it was bliss!

We had a really lovely week last week! We had another mother's group picnic in Hyde Park it was delightful! I also went on a 'baby date' with a girl I met whilst we were getting some sushi from our local Japanese spot! How funny- it was kind of like dating! So cute...she was chatting to Ross and I about our babies and then gave me her number and I thought why not?! We went for coffee at Five Bar which was super nice and now Tallulah and I have a lovely new baby friend! Yip yip yay for babies!

Twenty One / Key to the Door

Tallulah always woke up during the night for about 2 feeds but last week she was waking every 1.5 hours. I wasn't taking that very well...I turned into a mama zombie. So I decided to get serious with this sleep thing as last week I bought some gripe water as Lula was waking herself up with wind and instead of feeding her every time she woke I rocked her back to sleep and if she woke up within 30 minutes I would then feed her. She was a pretty small bub and I was worried she wasn't putting on enough weight so I think I just fed her whenever she cried and she was using it as a soother during the night. 

So far this week it has worked quite well she is going down most nights around 7:30pm and waking at 11pm (when I usually go to bed I feed her then!) then 3am then 5am for a feed! I'd love to cut out the 3am one that would be bliss! So I am working on it this week. I also bought a Love Me Baby Swaddle suit today which I am excited to test out tonight. One of the ladies in my Mums & Bubs group swear by it. We will see!

Yay for sleep. Its probably the one thing I miss the most from my pre-baby days. I really loved bed and sleeping in but lately I just hate going to bed as I know its going to be broken sleep. I know it will get better! 

Week 21 was been pretty cruisey, we've had some lunch dates, done a spot of shopping and had a delightful picnic in Hyde Park. This morning we had a delish breakfast with Ross- yay for long weekends!

Twenty / One Score

2-0...how did that happen? I'm not sure, but I must say we are getting into a super fun age! Tallulah is so very happy, she giggles, coos and shrieks all day! She is close to sitting I think maybe another 2 weeks. She rolls EVERYWHERE onto anything or anyone including other babies haha! She also is starting to love being cuddled and hugged which is so nice as she has never been into snuggling and I just love it.

Its been a pretty major week as we have been eating solids once a day...I use the word 'eating' very loosely! haha

I cannot believe in 1 1/2 weeks I will have a 5 month year old! Really, this baby-thing is just neat.

Food Glorious Food

So...this week we tried solids! OMG its fun! I love making Tallulah's food because my Mum gave me the cutest, bestest blender/steamer called Philips Avent Combined Steamer and Blender! I just love it so easier and such a nice consistency! I made some pumpkin for Tallulah and I think I got like 1/2 a teaspoon of food in her mouth the rest was EVERYWHERE! She even spat some in my face haha so funny!

I also tried some baby cereal but I tasted some and it tasted like Clag Glue...not so tasty! I also tried some more pumpkin yesterday and she liked it better so fingers crossed she gobbles it all up today!

Seriously, could she be cuter?!

Nineteen / Goodbye Teens

Tallulah is 19 weeks. WOW! She is growing really fast and her personality is really starting to shine! She is super stubborn and very cheeky but so darn cute! She is obsessed with sucking her toes and grabbing my hair. She also has figured out if she swings her toys onto a surface like a table they make a loud noise which pleases her a little bit too much!

We are getting her 4 month old vaccinations today...BOO! Ross & I are also getting our whooping cough needles. What a super family outing....HAHA!

Have a super weekend xx

Goodbye Four Zeroes!

Oh my I am excited we are packing away the 0000 today! Hello, 000! Gee Whiz that only took 4 months! I am very excited as i bought the cutest onesies from Kids Threadless a couple of months ago and I can finally use them- yippee! Thats what she is wearing today- a cute tiger onesie as she is born year old the tiger!

In other news today was a super day, we slept till 10am (OMG so needed that thanks Lula!), Tallulah flipped from her back to her tummy (she has only been flipping the other way!) and we had lunch with one of my lovely girlfriends who is due in July! Yay for babies! Haha