Askamum love my blog, ooo-errr how exciting!

As the mother of a girl and a boy I am prepared for the social responsibilities I have with both of them. I’m aware that my role as their mother, although similar, will be slightly different for Jimmy to Florence. I will have to concentrate in detail on certain things with her and other things with him while they both will need to know everything of course. I expect the worries I will have about them both when they get to their teens will also not be the same as each other. I’m sure they’ll be just as great as each other but slightly different all the same. For example I’m never going to have to worry about Jimmy getting pregnant although I will have to make him responsible. As the mother of a daughter you are in a slightly different and perhaps more precarious boat as should she not have the right information and I could well and truly be left holding the baby at a time in my life when I thought I was done with all of that. Most importantly I don’t want them to make mistakes as children that will affect the rest of their lives.

So I know all this and it’s going to be a minefield. I guess I’ll get some things right and like my parents and everyone’s parents, I will get lots wrong too. But I had hoped that come nearer to the time and I would be able to prepare myself, research what to say and make sure I was being as delicate but as informative as possible. I had presumed the time would come about some time after they turned ten? So although I’d thought about it, noted it and knew it would eventually come, I hadn’t actually started preparing for the questions!

When I was pregnant there were questions of course, I had preempted that and we told Florence that mummy’s and daddy’s decided to have babies and then the Mummy grew one in her tummy. She was 19 months old when I got pregnant and that sufficed. When she was 2 and 4 months and Jimmy was actually born she had gotten quite interested (as she would) in how this baby was going to come out of my tummy and she thought it might come out of my tummy button. I bit the bullet and told her more factually that in fact the baby would come out of my nou nou. She just accepted this and got on with things. I then had Jimmy at home and she was in with us minutes after he arrived so she saw an awful lot and the blood, although it didn’t frighten her, did become a topic she brought up from time to time and still does. I told her, as it was true, that when the baby comes out it hurts a bit and then there’s a bit of blood. Now when we talk about when Jimmy came she says ‘and you had blood Mummy’ but it doesn’t upset or worry her, she just says it because it’s a fact. But I knew I was having a baby and we had armed ourselves with answers to prepare her, we were not caught off guard – just as I planned not to be when she or he asked in a decade or so about everything else…

It was a bit of a shock then when She came in the bathroom to talk to me whilst I had a bath and she noticed blood in the water. She said, quite worriedly ‘why do you have blood again Mummy’? See, she knew I wasn’t having a baby this time so presumed the blood must mean I was hurt. Well I couldn’t let her be worried about it but blimey, I had not prepared myself to explain the menstrual cycle to a nearly 3-year-old! But, that’s exactly what I had to do… I thought as quickly as I could while I told her not to worry, that I wasn’t hurt and it wasn’t a bad thing for I knew, because she’s nearly 3, that the next question would be ‘but why then?’. And here is what I said, without thinking it through properly or pre-planning it in my head, ‘Mummy has blood because once a month my body asks me if I’d like to have a baby. Very once in a while I say yes and then it grows an egg in my tummy which turns into a baby but you can’t have a baby every month because that would be just silly. So most of the time I tell my body no, not this month thank you, ask again next time. Then, when I say no my body sends the egg out of my tummy just like when a baby comes out when there has been one growing there and that means a bit of blood comes too’. ‘Ok she said’ and skipped off happily. On balance I think I did quite well, not sure what I would have said if I’d planned it but probably not something so truthful. In essence then, I’m pleased she has a bit of knowledge as she clearly can cope with it. Still, I think I’m going to start thinking about other things she might ask a bit sooner than I had previously planned!

DONKEY WATCH

Donkey Grown Up!

I’ve done it… I’ve finally said good-bye to the carrycot on Le Donk and you know what, I actually love the seat even more! I still have baby Jimmy facing me but now he can sit up comfortably and see out which he definitely enjoys. So I’ve stored the carrycot at my Mum’s just in case we have another baby some day and we are a fully double seated Donkey family! Changing from carrycot to seat was SO easy. I clicked off the hood, undid all the velcro to remove the carrycot then added the seat fabric to the frame instead before clicking the hood back on. It couldn’t have been easier!

Earlier on in the week while in John Lewis with the other seat on the buggy, a shop assistant pointed out I had the seat fabric on the frame wrong so I knew how to do it right this time! I can’t believe I’d been walking round with the top of the seat fabric inside out for 6 months. I had thought it was a shame the seat head wasn’t a fraction flatter and now I know why! My own stupidity of course but the shop assistant assured me it’s a mistake she often sees – from parents like me who don’t read the instructions obviously!

The simple stages of transformation from carrycot to seat!

With Jimmy and Florence both now in seats the only problem is that I only have one footmuff. I had thought Florence probably wouldn’t need one but it’s so cold at the moment that I think perhaps I will get her one too. I love the fact that the footmuffs are now universal so I could use it on my Bee too and perhaps get a new hood for it in a different colour to match the new footmuff which would transform the whole buggy and make it seem like a new one! Now I’ve just got to decide if I should get the regular footmuff or the high performance one? Oh decisions, decisions! I’m really pleased we now have both seats on the buggy and with Jimmy facing me and Florence forward facing they can both look at each other and chat as we walk along. Florence is great at entertaining Jimmy and they both will love the seats in this position! Our first outing was a major success! We went for a small walk in Norfolk!

Us doing a double seat walk for the first time! The children loved it!

For more information on the ‘Donkey’ and all other ‘Bugaboo’ products please see their website www.bugaboo.com. It’s also worth noting that ‘When you choose a ‘Bugaboo’ product (now available in more than 50 countries) you are choosing a company which is a proud (PRODUCT) RED™ partner. ‘Bugaboo’ contributes a portion of its profits across all products – to the Global Fund to help eliminate AIDS in Africa, with the goal of ending mother-to-child HIV transmission by 2015.

So, aside from transforming our buggy what else have we been up to recently? Well, we’ve been doing some reviewing before Christmas and have found some new fave products. One thing we’ve discovered which could be a gift or a keeper is from the company Jellybabys and is the wonderful Freddy the Frog Hooded Towel. And we’ve also been looking at some traditional toys from the company www.dollshouses.co.uk as well as some more contemporary things like the Little Tikes 3-in-1 Trike which we’ve been very happily playing with and the HappyLand Store and Play which is a toy box and a playmat all in one – total space saver! Click on the links above to read my reviews!

MY LIFE WITH 2!

This past week or so has seen us attend loads of Florence’s friends third birthday parties which have been mega fun! And as well as birthday celebrating we’ve been getting into Christmas even more! We went to see the amazing Stick Man at the theatre (review under the link) and started opening our advent calendars of which we have many! My Mum had bought Florence a lovely one with a cracker to pull each day and inside each one is a figure to build the nativity scene but because there was no chocolate my Mum also bought something sweet to go with each one. Then she decided they both needed a chocolate advent calendar as well! Jonny’s Mum also sent one to Florence as did my Grandmother so she now has FIVE (she’s doing Jimmy’s for him) lots of chocolate to eat each morning – it’s a tough job but someone’s gotta do it I guess!

We went to stay with my Mum again for a few days and poor old Jimmy was really sick again! I took him to the walk in centre and didn’t take no for an answer when the nurse practitioner wanted to send me away without seeing a GP. I just had this feeling that he needed to see a GP and did have a chest infection which the nurse refused to agree with. I saw the GP who confirmed what I thought and prescribed antibiotics! Within two doses Jimmy was back to his usual smiling self which he hasn’t been for a month now and before he was poorly the first time. I personally think he’s had a low-level infection ever since and he should have had antibiotics back then but there we are! I actually had to argue with the nurse practitioner that I am his Mother and although I didn’t want to offend her my feeling was that I needed to see a GP and that was that. I said ‘If it offends you then I’m sorry but tough’! And I was right so it shows you should trust your instinct! If she’d been right then it would be no harm done in seeing the GP and I just felt I needed him to see one; I’m glad I had the gumption to stick to my guns on this one! He’s happy again and sleeping well and despite some more teeth wanting to poke through he doesn’t seem uncomfortable anymore! I know antibiotics aren’t always the answer and they don’t like to prescribe them but he definitely needed them this time!

And my other news is that Jimmy can clap and wave on demand! He started doing it a week and a half ago and has just got better and better at it! It’s really early to do it so I’m a very proud Mummy! (Excuse the proud Mamma moment)! Florence just loves to say ‘Jimmy clap’ and watch him do it! She’s really lovely with him and when he does it back to her she says ‘clever boy’! and kisses him – it’s so beautiful!

We did some Christmas dress up trying on while at my Mum’s but more about that in another post! Florence just loves to look after her little brother – it’s lovely to see!

Well, that’s it from me this week, see you next week but in the mean time follow me on Twitter @rocknrollerbaby.

(All opinions and words, apart from those in green, are my own.)