Mwagala Monday

Mwagala’s personality is developing everyday. She makes herself laugh and throws her head back as she does so. She complains when something does not go her way. She dances at the sound of a rhythm. She crawls up to me and says ‘Mama’ then once I’ve given her my full attention she holds her face up to mine and lingers as if to say “I love you’ (this is my favouriteJ).

Today it rained. Hard. Mwagala does not really like the rain. She was nursing when it started but she stopped nursing and held on to me. Then the hail started coming down. And my laptop happened to be in a dangerous place where the rain could get to it. So I put her down so that I could grab it and place it somewhere else. She was mad! And scared. I actually hadn’t realized how scared she was until she cried. My heart broke. That something as small as a rain storm could scare her reminded me that she needs me to reassure her sometimes. She doesn’t know what this world is all about and she needs me to help her realize that a rain storm is not so bad.

So I held her. I held her and rocked her to sleep. And she kept holding onto me until she was fast asleep. I will keep that moment in my heart. The moment when nothing else made her feel safe but me holding her in my arms. I’ll remember the way she looked at me while I assured her that everything was alright.

And I’ll always remember that she is a person. A little person with emotions that she may not fully understand but that need to be dealt with and that I need to be the one to help her figure them out.

Well, until she thinks she knows better J  

Ebinsanyusa :)

This post is late but better late than never right?

So this week ebinsanyusa:

• I got my push present on Monday – a new set of rings! I was sooo excited! I love them! My jeweller did a good job. 

• Mwagala has slept for 9 hours straight through the night 3 times so far and I’m very VERY happy about this. I discovered that even though she was playing a lot during the day she wasn't spending all her energy so now I make sure she is tired enough to sleep through the night. Tonight she even fell asleep without breast feeding. She just started dozing in her high chair. Hahaha! 

• The one thing I've always wished I could change was on me is my nails. They never grow long and if they do they break almost immediately. This week however my nails have grown longer than they ever have and they haven’t broken! I almost can’t recognize them :-)

Mwagala Monday

Mwagala is becoming more and more her own person. She recently discovered that she has a belly button so each time she gets excited she pulls up her dress to show it to you. Sometimes she’s wearing a onesie and she can’t see her belly button but she still tries to find it. It’s the cutest thing.

So at church one Sunday we sat next to a lady who had a big button on her blouse. Mwagala pointed at it and the lady told her it’s a button. To which Mwagala quickly raised her dress, pointed to her belly button and said ‘Butto’. I chuckled and quickly pulled down her dress but she kept trying to pull it up to expose her belly button and show it off to her new friend. It was cute. But I didn’t like the idea of her showing off her body parts to strangers. Am I weird? Oh well, this week I’m teaching her where her eyes and nose are. At least that way there will be no lifting of dresses and such. So far, each time I say ‘Eyes’ she pokes my eye. It’s a work in progress J

11 months old

Mwagala is 11 months old today! I can't believe how fast time flies! Just one more month till she's one year old.

I've not been very good at monthly updates - I'm sorry :( But I hope this sort of makes up for it.

Weight: 10kgs
Clothing size: 12-18 months
Milestones:

• Standing on her own for about ten seconds.
• Saying 'Mama' - when she REALLY wants my attention, Taata, Jajja, Bird, Ti -to (meaning tick tock for the clock), Bye bye, butto (meaning button), Da (meaning dance), 
• Dancing. For real! She puts her hands up and moves to the beat! Hahaha!
• Eating solids without a fight. This one took a lot of prayers. She would eat just a little before but now she eats three full meals and snacks in-between. *fist pump*
• She has four teeth now! And many times she'll do a test run on Mama *smh*
• Potty training. We're doing pretty well on this one. She is not very comfortable going in her diaper anymore.

The first time she stood on her own.

Potty training

Likes:

• Yoghurt
• Chicken
• Rice
• Bananas
• Her books
• Her toothpaste
• Music
• Car rides
• Playing with water

Dislikes:

• Saying bye to Mama or Taata
• Having a song end in the middle of her dance
• Washing her hair

Food: She doesn't like pureed food anymore so I just roughly mash her food. She likes to hold a whole banana and bite into it herself. She's still breast feeding but mostly in the morning and at night. Her favorite foods are chicken & plain yoghurt. 

Not what I imagined...

I always wanted a little girl and when I found out I was expecting a girl I was thrilled! I had always imagined what it would be like to do her hair, dress her up in pretty little dresses and eventually have girly conversations.
I also imagined that she would sit still while I do some chores and that she would enjoy playing with her toys while in one place.
I was so wrong. My Mwagala is not capable of sitting still. Once I put her down and surround her with toys to play with she reaches out for something else - the remote control, one of my beloved books or a shoe.

I've been finding it quite frustrating since I spend most of the time saying 'No'. And that is usually met with a smile and even more determination to do what I'm firmly telling her not to. But I'm beginning to come to terms with the fact that she is discovering all sorts of things and that I should let her. So what if I dreamed of a little girl who would sit still? I've got a beautiful, adventurous and very energetic little girl. I'm going to enjoy that. And stop saying no just because I don't want her to touch something. If it's not dangerous then I'll keep my mouth shut.
And she seems much happier with this new me so I guess it's working :)

It's been a while...

I'm sorry I've not been updating my blog for the last few weeks. I had some laptop trouble and I'm still struggling but I will try to keep the posts coming. I missed out on the Lovelace Files' Challenge and I feel terrible but I will finish the challenge and update you as soon as I'm done.

Well it's Christmas Eve and I'm excited. It's Mwagala's first Christmas and she turns 9 months tomorrow too. Boy, has she grown! And for now let me leave you with some photos.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Formula - to be or not to be?

Until a few days ago I was all for breast feeding Mwagala until she’s a year old without supplementing with formula. I’m rethinking this plan. Sure breast is best and I don’t want to stop completely but I’d really like to get some relief from nursing once in a while. The problem is that formula doesn’t come cheap- which is the very reason why I wanted to avoid it in the first place. But it really does come in handy. Formula would allow me to leave her with the nanny without having to worry about whether I've pumped enough milk. I also think that the breast milk isn’t filling her enough anymore. And she’s not yet enjoying her solids so it’s more breast milk than anything else really.

 I love my baby but sometimes I just want a little space to spontaneously get out of the house without her. I need some me time. I’m fully aware how selfish that sounds. But it’s the truth. I love watching her nurse. She looks so content and it has really helped us create a bond. I’ve thought long and hard about the decision to introduce formula and I think I’m going to try it. Mwagala is quite opinionated so when she doesn’t like something she will let me know so I’m counting on her to tell me if I’ve made the right decision.

Hopefully the fact that she will still be nursing will keep the formula cost down. Here’s hoping. I’m taking the leap. *fingers crossed*

Oh Sleep, where art thou?

Today I woke up feeling drained. Mwagala kept waking up last night. She had started sleeping through the night but these days it's getting harder for her to make it through one night. And that is exhausting. Mostly because she doesn't sleep well during the day. (That also explains why I'm finding it hard to find time to blog).
Anyway, I woke up exhausted. And feeling overwhelmed. So I went into complaining mode. I complained about not getting enough sleep. About her crying for no good reason (as if). About my weight. About her being too clingy. The list went on and on. After a few hours of feeling sorry for myself. I looked at Mwagala as she nursed and my heart melted. She looked so peaceful. So beautiful. I think it's her way of making me fall in love with her all over again :-)

I stopped my complaining and began to thank God. I thanked Him for my beautiful baby girl. For her health. And for her smile. Her smile makes me feel better. It's like a slice of sunshine on a gloomy day.

I know that there are a lot of things that I would like to be able to do. Like sleep through the night, or not feel  hungry all the time because I'm still nursing. I would love to have my pre-pregnancy body back so that my clothes can fit again. But for now I'll let all those feelings take a back seat. You can't be a mother without making some sacrifices and the love I feel for her is worth every single sacrifice. I love being her Mama. Even though I can't plan my day and expect it all to go as planned she is still the apple of my eye. And she has taught me to be selfless.

So today I may have woken up feeling drained, exhausted and overwhelmed but I will keep reminding myself that I'm blessed to be a mum. Blessed to have a beautiful, happy, energetic little girl who steals my heart each time she calls out 'Mama'.

I'm in love. It's an exhausting kind of love but it's worth it and I'm blessed. One day she'll be all grown up so I'm going to take the good and the bad days as they come and purpose to enjoy them.

Starting solids

My princess has been breast feeding exclusively for six months and it's been interesting. But boy was I ready to start solids! I made sure everything was ready - bibs, high chair, spoons, plate and lots of enthusiasm. Sadly, she was not as enthusiastic.

'Mama, what is this?'

Food: Banana (mixed with breast milk to make a runny mash)
Time of day: Evening - I wanted to make sure Taata (Daddy) was home for her first meal.
Response: She took 4 spoonfuls and then sealed her mouth shut!
Mama's reaction: Despair :(

Honestly, I was disappointed. I guess I thought that because she feeds so well, the transition to solids would be a piece of cake. Wrong! Oh well. I licked my wounds and tried again the next day - this time at lunch time. She ate a little more but not much. The third time was a charm. I made half a banana and she ate it all! Yay! I was so excited. And she clearly looked happy.

Happy face :)

Then I let my excitement get the better of me. The next day I thought I'd try a potato. She did not like it at all. I was disappointed - again. But a friend encouraged me and I licked my wounds- again. I decided to stick to banana for a while. And yesterday she ate a whole banana! *Fist pump* I love watching her face when she's eating and yesterday she tried to hold the spoon for herself and push it into her mouth. I'm looking forward to feeding her more solids but for now I'll pace myself.

6 months old

Our princess is 6 months old today! I cannot believe it's been 6 months since she was born. I've almost forgotten the days when she had colic and wouldn't sleep through the night. Almost forgotten.... Haha!

Here's what she is up to lately:

• Putting everything- and I do mean EVERYTHING- in her mouth. If it's in her hand her mouth is wide open, ready to receive it. 
• Saying 'Ma-ma'. She is still perfecting this very important word but I was pleasantly surprised to hear her say it. She's practicing everyday :) 
• Making a wet razzing sound. She loves this sound. Lately it's been the first thing she does when she wakes up. 

Razzing away

• Sitting upright without support. 

She has been breast feeding exclusively so now it's time for solids. I'm looking forward to that and I'm pretty sure she is too because each time we're eating she starts chewing. Hahaha! Poor thing. Your misery is about to end.

Recap

It’s been about a year since I last blogged so a lot has happened. I got pregnant and was very very excited about it. I was even more excited when I found out it was a girl! I had my baby in March. It was a wonderful, scary, exciting and life-changing experience. I will do it again. Not soon, but again. You can read the birth story here.

At 4 months pregnant

At 6 months

At 7 months

At 8 months

Just about ready to pop!

So it’s been almost 6 months since the handsome farmer and I became parents and so far it’s amazing. Our princess is everything we could have asked for and she keeps teaching us so much. 

You'll be hearing a lot about her :)

I also left my job and so now I'm a stay-at-home mum. I'm loving it. It has it's challenges but it is so worth it. 

The farmer hubby is still as handsome as ever :) 

I'm glad to be back to the blogging world.