Brazenmom

Are you a user? Dummies not drugs. Pose this question to a drug addict or a sleep deprived new mom and you are likely to receive an equally violent, opinionated and emotionally charged response. Before I was a mom, if someone had told me what a big deal the whole dummy debate is amongst parents (and even those who aren’t parents) I would have retorted with “um … ever heard of AIDS, world hunger, violent deaths, war and drug addiction?”. Ashamedly, after seven short weeks as a parent, I have succumbed to the great dummy debate and formed an opinion. My philosophy as a mom is to trust my instinct – translation: if your gut tells you that using a dummy is the best option for your baby, then do it and visa versa. My own fear is that if I give my baba a dummy, it will become a crutch: an easy way for me to keep her pacified when it suits me. Basically, a gag. So I guess my stance is based on self-doubt. Irrespective, my baba is learning to self-soothe without the use of a dummy and that has made my decision not to use a dummy pretty easy. Read the rest of this entry »

My Amelia-bug was born on December 4 and it made sense to make her first story the Christmas story. In utero she was exposed to a variety of literature; Steven King’s Salem’s Lot being her primary source of entertainment on many nights. We figured that it wasn’t the words that mattered as much as the sound of mommy or daddy’s voice, so a tale of love and vampires was as good as any. This Christmas, Amelia-bug sat on daddy’s lap and I read her the story of the humble birth of a mighty King, from The Lion Illustrated Bible for Children. This bible, Amelia’s first, is not at all a practical, baby friendly book in terms of language and design but it is beautiful. I am a sucker for children’s books, particularly ones that are beautifully illustrated. And this Bible is beautifully illustrated. Read the rest of this entry »

When does a mommy rest?

Certainly not in the first six weeks of a baby’s life when baby is still trying to figure out his place in the world: when crying replaces the soft humming of the computer, the sound of mommy’s favourite TV program or the still, quiet night; when baby thinks that lumpy, hard chests are way more comfortable than a soft cot (or anywhere else for that matter); when mommy’s bed is just so much better than baby’s own; when, like all three of my children, baby has reflux – every time he lies down he ends up sleeping in his own throw-up and mommy has to change his clothes and bedding 50 times a day; when mommy spends hours washing the floor, couch, carpet and bed, or wherever else baby’s projectile vomit has landed in mommy’s once beautiful, unsoiled home. And don’t forget the constant nappy changes – I didn’t know that a human being could pooh that much! Newborn babies must pooh at least eight times a day. Man! You would never get off the toilet if that carried on into adulthood. Read the rest of this entry »

One of my most favourite things to do is dress my now six-week-old daughter in animal suits. She has two reindeer outfits (that she wears even though Christmas is over) and my favourite is a gorgeous cat suit. She also has a cow snow suit and a pink sheep suit, both of which I am dying to dress her in when she has grown to fit them. One day, my child will either thank me for adding to the cute-factor when she was a baba or she will grow up with an identity crisis and end up in a zoo. At least we will never be short of costumes come halloween. Most costumes appear in stores on special occasions and I simply cannot wait for Valentine’s Day or Easter to get my costume fix. So I consulted Mr Google who came up with a most fabulous solution: Annie’s Costumes, which boasts a range of the cutest (halloween) costumes for newborns and up. Halloween-shmalloween – what’s the point in having babies if you can’t dress them up whenever and wherever? Here are a couple of must haves: Read the rest of this entry »

What could possibly cooler for a literature enthusiast like myself than Macbeth Finger Puppets? Nothing – that’s what. The set, available online from the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, includes Macbeth, Lady Macbeth, a witch, Banquo and Macduff. My fingers tingle at the thought of doing a ‘finger-play’ for my baba as an introduction to the awesomeness of Shakespeare. These finger puppets are also fabulous for those who think that Shakespeare is overdone and overrated: my husband cannot wait to bastardise Macbeth in a ‘finger play’ that will undoubtedly serve as an ode to the lameness of Shakespeare. Either way, entertainment is guaranteed. Once hubby and I have had our fun with these little felt darlings, we will pass them on to our daughter who will hopefully enact her own little plays using the puppets. Or, most likely, she will use them as proof that her parents are embarrassingly insane: justification for any ensuing psychological problems.

After three weeks of an almost ‘too good to be true’ baba, we sadly discovered that our little Amelia-bug is as stubborn as her mother. She, one day, just decided that sleeping alone was not the cool thing to do; snuggling up in someone’s arms is much more fun – day and night. Naughty baba! So whilst we tried to figure out whether Amelia-bug, at the age of 4 weeks, was manipulating us; or feeling separation anxiety after being attached to mommy for nine months; or frustrated because of her stuffy nose; or just plain needy; or all of the above, my baba happily consumed all of my attention – every second of every day. Making tea became a pain in my ass because as soon as Amelia-bug was put down the waa-ing would begin. So after spending an afternoon with my faithful friend Mr Google, who advised me on the many theories relating to babies and sleep, I was no clearer on what course of action I should take. I wanted to find a happy medium that would ensure that my Amelia-bug would feel okay to sleep alone but also indulge in some lovely mommy and daddy snuggles. So I sent out a message on facebook and got mixed responses that launched into a fabulous debate which I would like to share with other parents addressing the same sleep issue. Read the rest of this entry »

It’s quick. It’s easy. It’s healthy. And it’s yum yum yummy. As the new parents of a wriggling, guzzling, wailing newborn, New Covent Garden soup saved the day … actually the last month! NCG’s fresh soup range boasts a host of mouth mouth-watering flavours. As new parents spending much time trying to figure out what to do with our little cutie, NCG soups have been a five minute breakfast/lunch/dinner/snack option within the mad frenzy of parenthood. Read the rest of this entry »