(Day 89) The magic of brothers and sisters

It is so beautiful that you have sisters old enough to hold you and rock you, to show you where your feet are, and hold you up on them

To have an older brother who can change your nappy, or sit you on his lap in the nursing chair and rock you to sleep

These people who share parents and grandparents with you, and who will be by your side throughout your life

Through every difficult moment of my pregnancy; the braxton hicks contractions, sleeplessness, heartburn and pain, I kept reminding myself that you were going to be a gift not just to us, as your parents, but to these little people who would love you just as much as we do

(Day 88) 1# Songs in the key of Layla

Dear Layla

 It's undeniable that there is music in your soul

Mummy and Daddy were musicians long before we were Mummy and Daddy

We met in a blues bar where we were both performing (even though Mummy was underage, and gave her 'payment' of beer away to Daddy), and started our first few years of blissful married / engaged life busking on the streets, in markets and at festivals and blues bars. Your Daddy was the one with dredlocks and happy pants, and Mummy busked through my whole first pregnancy with your biggest sister, just because I loved music so much!

We have a house filled with guitars, bass, a keyboard, drums of all sizes and descriptions... and your sister's violin

Your sisters have an ongoing love affair with music, joining countless choirs and musical groups, and 

our house is always full of song, with your sisters singing (sometimes opposing songs or sometimes in unison) all day long, while your big brother hums songs to himself while he is playing video games or running around with the dogs... Bella even has her very own song (her namesake) which is played many times in our house!

Mummy sings as she washes the dishes, Aunty Sarah sings spontaneously (as she helps Mummy wash dishes), Daddy tinkers on the guitar (often joined by Sammy and the girls...we have quite a few guitars) whenever he is sitting in one spot, and whenever anybody is over, out comes the Singstar!

It may have come from your Nonna, who used to wake us kids up at 5am belting out Italian songs at the top of her lungs, giggling gleefully "festa! festa!' (party! party!) when we would moan and groan. Or your grandmother, who still has dreams of running off to join an opera...

Either way, it is completely undeniable, as you sit there today on your big sister's lap, learning how to play the keyboard with your tiny little feet, that there is music in your soul ...

Songs in the key of Layla...

Your song (Eric Çlapton acoustic) - Daddy played this all throughout our pregnancy, and we knew that you just had to be a little Layla

The song that I used to sing to you all through the first month of your life (it makes me smile and cry most times...)

The magical song that your biggest sister plays to you whenever you get cranky - guaranteed to put you to sleep every time ( I couldn't find the Chris Cornell version that you love - but this is the original...)

xxx love Mama

(Day 87) Sparkles!

You have just begun discovering sparkly things - like your Nina's shirt! 

It's a good thing, because Nina has just discovered that (even though she is deathly allergic to sewing) she loves to sew you lovely little outfits of sparkle and lace!

(Day 86) Learning to play

In the last few days you are just starting to learn how to play. You put your head up and turn your eyes toward a little yellow tiger that hangs above you in your play gym, and stare at it for minutes on end (which in baby time is equivalent to whole hours!)

You have just started to have short conversations with some of the hanging toys, such as;

 "ooh" (translation - "that's a strange noise...are you edible?"), 

"ahooh" (translation - " If I could reach you to get you in my mouth, I am sure I could eat you") 

                        

or 

"erghhh" ("yep, you are scaring me now, I wish I could get up and run away from you!")

This is a good opportunity for us to try and get you to have some 'tummy time' - which, seeing it does not involve a breast or cuddling anybody, you have previously had a serious aversion to!

(Day 85) Finding your fingers!

Dear Layla

You are growing into one of the most adorable little girls that we have ever had the chance to meet. You are so happy and full of smiles and curiosity! Aunty Erica keeps saying "she is so interested in everything!" and you are. 

At the moment you have found your fingers, and you are sucking them at every opportunity that you get. You will be in the middle of a feed, then somehow work your fingers into your mouth and forget all about being hungry (until you realise that they have no milk in them). There is often times when we will hear you gagging, after a particularly long session of trying to get your whole hands to fit down your throat, and achieving some success in choking on them! 

You have also figured out that you can spit the dummy out (often long distances) and take great delight in pulling the dummy out of your mouth and then trying to shove it back in. You are a constant source of wonderment for your older siblings who have never experienced a baby, and are fascinated by your exploration of the world. Even your brother, who is all about armies and cars and video games, just watches you and cuddles you and laughs at your daily antics. 

You are making Daddy so clucky that he says if every baby was like you, he would want another 10 more! 

(Day 84) Feeding pillow

The only time that you will sleep like this is in bed with Mummy ... or snuggled into the feeding pillow!

(Day 83) Not yet

Watching the rest of the family eat dinner, you made excited 'ooh ooh!' noises

But were very frustrated when eating just didn't quite happen for you

Poor bubba! 

(Day 82) Busting out of the basinette!

It seems like yesterday that I dreamed of placing you into that beautiful basinette 

Folding newborn nappies and cleaning out the baby bath

But this week, it crept up on me just how fast you are growing when you 

1) almost knocked the baby bath over, trying to kick yourself out of it (your legs are a little too long and the baby bath is about to retire for good)

2) I struggled to fit your little bottom into newborn nappies (I suspect that we are on one of our very last packs of the new born size this week)

and 

3) you are almost too big for your basinette 

I am SO not ready for you to be growing so fast, but with all of the milestones of the last few weeks, I am looking forward to getting to know the wonderful little girl that you are becoming 

xxx love from mama

(Day 81) You only have eyes for Mummy

At this moment in time, at 81 days old, you are still kind of awkward in social situations (this is you just before you chewed on your little friend's elbow on a playdate!)

You are not 100% sure of this Daddy person (who just shaved his whole face in a bid to win your favour - I am not sure if it worked yet!)

But I am blessed enough that you always save up your smiles for me!

(Day 80) Bed sharing

We bed share with you for lots of reasons

There is lots of fantastic research which has found that bed-sharing (according to safety guidelines) reduces the incidents of infants not breathing in the night, and for this reason, I feel much safer with you in bed with me 

I love waking up with you in the morning and seeing your first smile as you open your eyes

I love when I can wake up first, and watch you kick yourself around until your feet are pummelling my face and you wake yourself up in a very awkward position

and I love when I open my eyes to your little fingers wrapped around mine, and know that there is no other place that I would rather be

(Day 79) Exhausted from the beach

Another big day at the beach and you are exhausted, you poor little bub

Sea air and being pushed on your very first swing will do that to you ... what a weekend!

(Day 78) First day at the beach!

Dear Layla-Rae 

This afternoon was your first ever time at the beach

It was almost dusk, and as your brother and sisters stripped off and squealed excitedly, jumping through the waves and running up and down the sand, you snuggled into Daddy and and quietly took it in

For the first time, you squished sand between your toes (and had it lovingly wiped away from your eyes), breast fed with the lovely sea breeze on your face, and felt the salty warm water on your pudgy little legs

I was so excited to show you the beach - there were so many times that we dreamed about all of your 'firsts' and now that they are here, sometimes it feels like it is Christmas morning every day!

I can't wait to share a hundred more firsts with you, my beautiful girl

Love from Mummy

(Day 77) Holding your head up

The concentration!

I didn't even know that you could hold your head up while on your belly (erm, perhaps due to the fact that you detest 'tummy time' and scream every time you are encouraged to lie on your belly!) but it seems that your milestones are coming thick and fast this week, and you decided that (at Nonna's) you were going to hold your head up. 

You then sat propped up on a pillow and launched yourself forward, catapulting over face-first into the mattress! This didn't seem to faze you however. You are apparently a pro at acrobatics now.

I suspect that you are secretly practising them in the night.

(Day 76) You sat up!

 Today was one of those days where I have a hundred photo's that I want to post up (but need to choose only one - or in this case, a sequence of them!). 

At almost 11 weeks old, you are the baby who (almost infamously) is referred to as having 'prickles on your back' by Grandma, because you can never be put down without screaming. You just don't seem to like being on your back. 

Or on your belly.

Or in any other position that doesn't involve you being a) kissed b) cuddled c) fed mama's milk d) all of the above

But today changed that! You keep trying to sit up, every time you are in my arms. So today I sat you up in your feeding pillow, and you loved it! You loved it so much that when Daddy tried to lay you down on it, you struggled and manoeuvred until you were back sitting upright. You seem to LOVE sitting up - right where all of the action is. 

At 11 weeks, other things that you really love are:

1) Mummy - oh this one has to be number one!

2) eyeing off Mummy's food (not long now)

3) Mummy and Daddy's bed - you will sleep there longer than anywhere else

4) water - showers, baths, the pool...water instantly calms you

5) music. Aidan plays you foo fighters singing "black bird" by the Beetles and you love it so much that she puts it on 20 times in a row for you

6) your big sister Bella (who probably spends the most time with you, out of everyone apart from Mum)

7) Nonna and Nina - who we also spend heaps of time with at the moment

8) Big bulbous dummies! 

9) Air conditioning! (it is sooooo hot at the moment!)

(Day 75) Wriggle Wriggle!

Trying to take photos of you at the moment with my (ridiculously inept) phone camera is almost impossible! When you are awake you are so excitable - wriggling, kicking, squirming, smiling and throwing your arms all over the place.

Your favourite thing to do is stand up on my lap ( or your big sister's) and judging by the fact that you will never let anyone put you down, I am sure that you are going to be walking before you learn to crawl! 

(Day 74) For want of a better camera...

Today was Daddy's birthday and you almost giggled! I know, I know, I keep saying that. But this time you let out this tiny little giggly noise while you were smiling at me, and although it was only a millisecond, it was enough to keep me trying for another one for the next 20 minutes!

Of course, you only almost-giggle at three o'clock in the morning, when nobody else is around to see, but that's ok, you and I know that it (almost) happened

I am dropping lots of hints for Daddy to get me a new (or just a new-er) camera for my birthday as I always seem to be a millisecond away from catching that gorgeous little smile, when this one decides to have a little delay

Either way, the photos aren't perfect, but Layla you are perfect in every way, and each day with you is the most special gift of all

(Day 73) Talking

Your first attempts at talking are a constant delight to your brother and sisters (and Mummy and Daddy!) as we make all kinds of noises in an attempt to get a reply! 

Today you are making little noises in the back of your throat that aren't quite making it to your lips - but you are almost talking

...um, kinda

(Day 72) Babysitting

We celebrated Daddy's birthday today with sushi, a trip to the lazer skirmish, and many hours on video games at the game parlour (is that even what you call them these days?). The music blared, our teenage and pre-teen girls danced around like mad people (joined by some random staff member with an afro), Daddy and Aidan beat a whole lot of people at lazer skirmish (and were very proud of themselves), and Bella and Sam spent the GNP of a small country on slot-game machines. 

 You spent most of the day snuggled into your Nina, almost oblivious to the noise (and possibly aided by the dummy that she had stashed in her purse), and unwittingly assisting Nina in her campaign to let her babysit you while Mummy does something fun (like sleep). 

But I am not quite ready to let you go yet - even for a couple of hours.

So this is about as close to babysitting as you are going to get!

(Day 71) Water Baby!

Our family has a bit of an obsession with water, so it isn't much of a surprise that you are a water baby!

We have taken you swimming most weekends since you were about 6 weeks old, and being in a hot climate, the first thing that you do after being submerged in a nice, cool pool (besides sizzle!) 

...is fall asleep!

(Day 70) Your first baby sleep over

It is a very special sleep over indeed where everybody spends more time breast feeding than talking

and sleeps on the floor

in the day time!

Today you had the happy opportunity to have a play date with your bestie Sophie, and another gorgeous little bub who we met on one of our outings to the pool (one of your favourite sleeping spots!), which was really mostly a play date for Mummy! 

Your new friend, baby G, and your bestie, are both born on the same day! and are three months old, as are many of the 'baby boom' bubs in our part of Australia, all conceived during / immediately after cyclone Yasi hit. They are both at the stage where they are laughing and giggling away, kicking their legs and squealing. 

I love that although you are not yet ready for squealing and laughing, you look at me intently as I entertain baby G, and give a little squeak-and-smile (I almost got a laugh from you!!!) and kick your legs excitedly

You are SO close to a giggle that I am expecting it any day now, and I have heard you giggle in your sleep so I know it is coming!

You are soooo lucky to already have little friends to share your milestones with already - and Mummy is happy to let you have lots of little baby sleep overs!

(Day 69) First foods

The frustration!

You are watching intently as Mummy eats food

You move your lips and make chewing movements

Then you suck on your first bean, but it doesn't seem to be doing what you want it to

You shove it into your mouth and then shove your whole fists in, trying to do it right

Then you cry in frustration and Mummy takes that naughty bean away

and gives you a nice long breast feed

There will be plenty of time to eat beans when you are a big girl, Layla-Rae

(Day 68) Too hot for a nappy!

Today was much too hot for clothes

Your grandmother suggested that it might be nice to let you play without a nappy for a while sometimes, so we trialled that idea for a little bit

Like a trooper you delightedly peed...

On a cloth nappy

All over the towel underneath the nappy

... and then all through the (back-up) surely-she-doesn't-have-enough-pee-to-soak-this-doona as well!

Which ultimately resulted in a long, cool shower - which made you very happy

Awesome day for you...very long day for Mummy!

(Day 67) Making you smile

Today was in no small part, about trying to get a smile out of you, Miss Layla

Of course you will smile (and almost giggle!) for Mummy

But for most other people, the elusive smile is very rarely seen and thus much sought-after

Today it was one of your grandmothers trying to get just a little smile out of you (in large part for Nonna, who was looking on, slightly bemused at her daughter's efforts), much to your curiosity. 

I am quite sure that you were deliberately holding out, just to see what she might do next. 

You are very clever like that

I can't help but think that if we spent as much time and energy trying to make each other smile

as we do trying to make our children smile

the world could be a much better place

(Day 66) Baby magic

The most wonderful thing about children is that they can make the toughest men into the softest of Daddies

The other day we ran into a man on the street (a body builder, with muscles like you see on commercials for meal supplements) who looked a little bit like popeye, but went all gooey as soon as he laid his eyes on you! 

He said to me 'one of the world's only redeeming features is its children' ... and that is what I think of every time I see a big, tough man holding a tiny little person's hand

I know that you, and your brother and sisters, have turned your big, tough Daddy into one of the softest and loveliest Daddies in the whole wide world

and that is the magic of babies

(Day 65) Traumatised

Some days I just wish that I could give you words

Just a few 

Like ' my belly hurts', or 'an ant bit my under arm' 

Things like that

Today you are a little bit traumatised. I am not 100% sure what's going on, but you seem to like being wrapped up and snuggled into your nursing pillow. I am very sure that it is something very simple that I could probably fix (if I knew what it was) so I will just keep persisting in talking to you (lots!) and hoping that soon you will pick up some words and let me know what is happening in that precious little world of yours 

xxx Mum