5 months update!

So the last update prior to the travel was 2 months..how time flies!! This girl is weighing in at 7.3kg and has started solids. She goes to swimming once a week and loves it!  She has travelled to 3 different countries and met almost all her extended family!

swim class...what a natural

She is still waking once a night for milk but its very manageable. Here is her sleep schedule (roughly)

Food: 5pm

Bath: 6pm

Milk: 6.30-7.30

Bedtime: 7.30-8pm

Milk 10pm (sometimes if she wakes up if not we skip this one)

Milk: Between 3am-5am

Wake up: Between 7am-8am

I am still exclusively breastfeeding! I never really set a time frame to breastfeed but my body seems to be producing enough milk and I am not going back to work anytime soon so it is actually really convenient as I don't have to clean and bottles :) I only pump if aaliyah skips her 10pm feed..I wake up at 2am and pump. I have a small stock of milk the the freezer for emergencies…and by emergencies I mean if I need an extra glass of wine or margarita or night out haha which has yet to happen but I know I can now haha 

Aaliyah is starting to be very vocal..she loves to shout and gets frustrated at herself now when she cant do something…she reaches for things now (including Opie) She is exploring different textures and toys and putting everything in her mouth. She isn't teething just yet but I can see how much fun that will be…

 

she no longer has a flat spot on her head…mainly because she prefers to sit or stand than be on her back. She still sleeps on her back but as soon as she's up she likes to play in her jumper or exersaucer.  We have also mastered our balancing act! This girl has solid thighs and core and might start walking in a few months haha I mean I wouldn't be surprised if she walks before she crawls….

**Mommy update***

People are always very interested and concerned about how the baby is doing..and yes that makes sense and much more fun to talk about. However, as a new mom and having friends about to have babies I think its important to remember yourself because without you who will take care of this precious little human!!!

I have kept very busy with the travel and moving into a new house...Aaliyah keeps me on my toes too!

Physically I have lost a bit of weight. I think its a combination of breastfeeding and not eating enough, and also not exercising as much as I used to. My body feels soft and I don't feel very strong. I don't eat un healthy I really feel like its a quantity thing...I always try and get a good breakfast to start my day! Lunch is a toss up depending on what Aaliyah is doing...if I don't have anything prepared it makes it hard to eat lunch unless she naps. Dinner is good if Max is home and I love cooking dinner for all of us! However, if Max is on overtime and I don't have anything prepared its so hard haha. Aaliyah is very fussy in the afternoon...she knows its the end of the day and is ready for her bedtime routine. 

Exercise wise I just haven't been motivated to get in the gym...I am so consumed with Aaliyah I don't feel like training...I know it sounds bad and I never wanted to be that "mom" that just let herself go after having a kid and I still don't want to be that person...but at the moment thats just how I feel. I love watching Aaliyah grow and play and learn and admittedly put my needs on the back burner. 

What has been a great help is being part of a moms group...Most my friends don't have kids yet so don't have people to talk about baby stuff with or ask questions...being in a group of new moms, we can ask questions and kind of feed off


all her friends :)

each other...every baby is different but its nice to know you're not alone. 

Oh yeah...and having a great husband helps too...Max is at work most days but when he is home it is so good...Aaliyah loves her daddy so much and already has him wrapped around her tiny little fingers haha. I don't want to say that he "helps" because thats unfair...WE are raising our daughter together...and even though I am the one at home with her I couldn't do it alone...he works hard and misses out on stuff and I couldn't imagine it the other way around so I feel very lucky to be with her 24/7. 

Houston, SC, Jersey, NYC

Houston: 

We were very lucky to get to stay with the bride and groom at there home…Aaliyah was a little jet lagged and had her long sleep around 4pm and woke up for milk 2-3 times a night..still not that bad as she doesn't cry when she wakes up..she just stirs. The week in Texas was great! We got to meet up with old friends and take Aaliyah to her first wedding :) Max was Aaliyahs date as I was in the bridal party. I had pumped enough milk for 2 days so I could party just a little ;) Turns out I am not much of a wild child post baby haha I had a few champagnes and drinks at the wedding…met up with my friend Jasmine after the wedding and had one cocktail at the hotel bar and we were passed out by 2am…Jasmine and I used to leave the house at midnight and not come home until 5am haha oh how times have changed…Max and Aaliyah had a great night too…left the wedding around 8.30pm and partied in the hotel room with milk! 

Mr and Mrs. Livezey

Beautiful Bride!

Steens Family!

Aaliyah got her ears pierced in houston too! yes...at 3 months old....I got my ears pierced at the same age and don't remember a thing obviously haha i was fine with it..knowing she would cry a little but it would be done and when she gets older she can decide to take them out. Honestly, she cried more getting her shots!

Ears pierced and fabulous!

While in Houston we also got to meet up with some family friends..Christian and his wife Lyndsi and his mom Jennifer. It was so good to see them! Christian pretty much grew up at my house when we lived in Texas. Its crazy how you can meet up with people that you don't see for years and its like you never left. Thats how you know who your real friends are!

 

After Houston we headed to South Carolina to see my grandpa. He was so excited to meet Aaliyah! He had flashbacks to holding me for the first time when I was her age. It was beautiful to see and so lucky we got the opportunity to introduce Aaliyah to her great grandfather! 

Beach day at Myrtle Beach

Great Grandpa John

NEW JERSEY

Next stop was New Jersey to see my grandmother and a few aunts, uncles and cousins!

We got picked up from the airport by my Aunt Fiona. It had been 11 years since I last saw her and the family! It was such a treat to spend a few days at their home and see my cousins. 

Uncle Steve

Cousin Owen :)

After spending some time with Uncle Steve and his family we drove down to Redbank where my grandmother lives.

Great Grandma Marge!

As you know, Aaliyah loves wearing headbands…and has been named mini marge after my grandmother who also loves wearing headbands haha. There first meeting was very emotional…Aaliyah is the first great grandchild and I dont think my grandma expected to ever meet her as she is too old to travel to Australia. There were smiles and tears (all happy) and of course we got a picture of both of them in their headbands!

Our final stop was Brooklyn, New York. 

We stayed at an Airbnb with my sister in law Hannah. She lives in London and had yet to meet Aaliyah. It was way to expensive for us to fly to London to see her so we met in the middle! We had the best time just spending time with her and exploring NYC. 

Aunty Hannah!

cuddles with Aunty Van Van

WHAT A TRIP! by the end of the 3 weeks I was more than ready to come home…we had just moved into our new home the week before we left and I wanted to get back and work on that! We met the USA family and the famous London Aunty Hannah and were ready to make the 27 hour trip home!! 

Captains and flight attendant back to Doha

very happy baby!

Not sure when we will be back to the states but we will definitely got back! I mean whats the point of having kids if not to take them to Disneyland :) 

USA Trip!! Travelling with a baby

What a journey! 3 days shy of Aaliyah turning 3 months old we got on a few planes and ended up in Houston Texas! 

ready for the summer weather!!!

sleeping..and still on the ground haha

Here is what our itinerary looked like: 

Houston-10 days

South Carolina-2 days

New Jersey- 3 days 

New York- 4 days

Back to Perth!

The main reason for a trip to America was for my best friends, Amanda and Ryan's wedding. I was a bridesmaid and even if I wasn't I wouldn't have missed it for the world!!! We knew it would be a crazy time with a newborn but we committed...also my grandparents and family live there so it was a great opportunity for everyone to meet Aaliyah.

So lets start with the flights...and the anxiety leading up. 

I was a bit nervous bringing such a young baby on a 27hour trip...our first flight was 9 hours followed by 11 hours. I was on pinterest like every day reading up on what other mums had done when travelling with a baby. It totally helped! I was so organised and packed everything so well.

"how many hours left on this trip!"

On the flight I had my diaper bag, carry on luggage, nursing pillow and baby wrap and Max had his own backpack. 

I organised 4 ziplock bags with 2 diapers and a change of clothes in each so when we had to do a change on the plane we only brought the ziplock bag and the wipes...the toilets are tiny so didn't want to bring the whole diaper bag in there. It worked really well and each change was very smooth since i separated everything before we got on the plane. 

"planes aren't too bad"

waiting to board!!

The one good thing about travelling with a baby is the extra leg room! We sat in the front row and had a bassinet for Aaliyah. She would sleep in the bassinet while we ate meals but mostly slept in my lap. I also brought my nursing pillow on board which was a lifesaver! She slept in my lap but my arms didnt get tired because of the pillow.

Everyone was very impressed by our "chill" baby...she didnt cry much at all on the flights over to America. She would nurse, sleep, change, play and repeat. I think because she was still so young she still wasn't interested in much....we brought a few toys and she would play with them and that was that!

I'm sure we got lucky and not all long distant travel stories with babies are like ours haha but over all we had nothing to complain about. I think being organised from the beginning made a big difference...I was prepared for any situation.

landed in houston...27 hours later!

2 months old!

Yay! Baby girl is 2 months old :) 

She is weighing in at 5kg and I love every single roll! Daddy is back at work and missing her dearly...When he's not home late he gives her a bath and gets tummy time in! 

Aaliyah loves water and starts her swim classes at 10 weeks! I decided to get in the bath with her and it was a huge success! I was hoping it would be because bath time is such a great opportunity for bonding that Max can have with her too. 

Breastfeeding is going so well now! I feel like a pro compared to the first month...feeling confident and have breastfed a few times in public! I'm totally behind normalising breastfeeding and yet to have any negative comments (to my face) about breastfeeding. I'm not whipping out my boob but if baby needs to eat than she eats. Not that I care what people think of me breastfeeding, but I want my baby to be comfortable while she eats...A great place to breastfeed (for me) is in the car with the air-conditioning on just before I go into the shops or somewhere...I get to listen to music and get a bit of privacy so Aaliyah doesn't get distracted. 

Our night routine is going really well and has actually turned into a routine that we can all stick to!

Feed between 5.30pm-6pm

Bath time between 6pm-7.30pm

Bed time between 7.30pm-9.30pm (depending when we have dinner...she usually sits in her bouncer just relaxing but eyes wide open!

If she isn't asleep by 9pm she gets a little feed and then usually falls straight to sleep.

She will wake up to feed once in the night..anywhere between 1am-3am and then we are up for the day between 6am-7am

I really think a routine is forming (even though she's still so young) and its great...Aaliyah knows when its time for a bath and bedtime and gets fussy and as soon as we feed and bath she calms down and gets ready for bed!

Her favourite music to sleep to is Bob Marley :) obviously my pick but I put on an hour playlist of Bob and by the time the playlist is finished Aaliyah is sleeping! Thank you reggae :) 

Also....

Aaliyah has a mild flat spot on the side of her head...i think this formed mainly because she was only feeding on one side so always laying on that spot of her head. She favours her right side so we have been working on longer tummy time and sleeping and looking to the left. Hopefully this resolves the flat spot in the next 2 months or we might have to go physio or something!

First smile!!

First puropseful smile I should say...

Aaliyah has always been very smiley but at the most random times or while passing wind haha but this week she has been focusing on faces and smiling at interactions people make with her. You can't hide from this girl and her big eyes!!

She has officially had cuddles from all her uncles and waiting for one very special cuddle from her Aunty Hannah who is living in London! She is very lucky to have 3 loving uncles...
Uncle Dann-funny, playful and very smart (where Aaliyah will go for any financial/spending advice)
Uncle Steve- Sporty (where Aaliyah will go for any sporting motivation and help), gentle and loving (willing to help with a nappy change haha)
Uncle Cameron- talented singer, dancer, actor (where Aaliyah will go for any lessons in those categories) she loves his deep deep voice and instantly feels comfortable (even if he doesn't haha)

Now to introduce her to Aunty Hannah!!! She can expect even more love!!! The perfect woman figure to look up to (other than her mother of course!) Her aunty is beyond talented in fashion and design and Aaliyah is very lucky to have such an independent strong Aunty in her life!

We have been very fortunate to have such amazing support in our family. I couldn't imagine bringing Aaliyah into a more loving and caring family. She has had the pleasure of living with BOTH set grandparents and she's only 6 weeks old! However, as much fun as it has been we are finally moving into our own home. It will be a nice change of pace being in our own home and with Dad at work! I am excited to make our new house a home and raise our baby girl and our dog there. The grandparents are not far away and the spare bedroom will definitely be used!

uncle cameron

uncle dann (and aunty jess)

uncle steve

First photoshoot!

Our little girl had her first experience with a professional photographer (unlike her parents and grandparents). We took Aaliyah in at just 10 days old for her pictures...she was awake and restless for  the initial meeting but after a feed (and a poop) she was brilliant and we got some very beautiful shots.

Thanks to Chelsea from CB Photography!