Currently... 14.07.18

Written over the first two weeks of July...

Reading I just finished Beartown by Fredrik Backman and I am not exaggerating when I say it is the best book I’ve read lately. And I have been reading some good books this year, so that is saying a lot! It’s about a small town in Sweden where everything revolves around the junior ice hockey team. There is a big scandal involving a player on the team which divides the town… anyway that’s all I will say because I don’t want to spoil it for you because if you haven’t, you should definitely READ THIS BOOK! My mom also read it and we could not stop talking about it. A sequel to Beartown was released in June and I am desperate to read it!

Watching a lot of TV at the moment. Breastfeeding will do that to you! Since Ollie was born I’ve watched all four seasons of Grace and Frankie on Netflix and thought it was hilarious. I was looking for a show that would be easy to watch though the night feeds and this was perfect. Andy and I have been watching season 2 of The Handmaid’s Tale and it is soooooo good. The finale airs this week and I’m looking forward to it, but I’ll also be sad that I have to wait another year for season 3. It’s the kind of TV that makes you think and sparks discussion which I love. 

Of course, we’ve also been watching the World Cup. Bring married to an Englishman means I’ve been subjected to many renditions of “its coming home” for the last month. I’ve even been getting up to watch the games with Andy and his friend at the odd hours of midnight or 4am, when the games are on here in Australia. (Ok, I may have been getting up to breastfeed anyway.) Tonight is the semi-final against Croatia and I have no doubt it will be an exciting and stressful game to watch! (ETA:  It's a few days later now that I'm getting around to publishing this post. England lost. Sad times!)

Wearing Ollie in the Hug-a-Bub wrap! This little baby looooves to be held and hates to be put down. So the only solution to that at the moment is to wear him most of the day. It’s the only way to get him to sleep longer than 40 minutes and to get anything done. I’m wearing him right now as I type this! Underneath the Hug-a-Bub and Ollie I’m loving Heattech Leggings and shirts from Uniqlo. They are fitted and nice and warm for the chilly Melbourne winter and fitted so they are comfortable under the wrap. I’ve also stocked up on some basic t-shirts and sweaters from Cotton On. It’s getting pretty complex to find clothing that is comfortable under the wrap, I can breastfeed in easily, and is warm enough to walk around in!

Listening to podcasts while I take Ollie for walks in the Hug a Bub. I’ve been catching up on This American Life and Freakonomics which are almost always really interesting. I started listening to the Joe Rogan show which I’ve enjoyed but a lot of his interviews are over two hours long and I just can’t keep up with a podcast that is that long. I know this is stupid, but it stresses me out when I have a long list of un-listened to podcasts lined up in my library!

Looking forward to getting back into fitness. At Ollie’s 6 week appointment my GP cleared me for exercise as I’ve totally recovered from labour, yay! I feel pretty lucky to have had so few complications with the birth. I’m trying to get in a walk every day and do some Yoga with Adriene videos when I can. My next step is to slowly start running again. My friend Michelle and I are going to sign up to the Carman’s Women’s Fun Run 10k in December so I have a goal to work towards. 

Loving my new Apple Watch. I’ve been researching activity trackers/watches for a while. I really wanted something that I could wear swimming which also had GPS to accurately track runs. And also something that looked somewhat feminine as I have very small wrists. I didn’t want to get sucked in to the whole Apple Watch thing as I initially thought they were very gimmicky, but it did tick all the boxes. And I must say, I am loving mine. I thought it might feel clunky on my wrist but actually it’s really comfortable and I hardly notice I am wearing it. I love the little prompts to get moving and it has made me a lot more conscious of how much activity and movement I am getting. While at home with a newborn it can be very easy to sit and cuddle on the sofa all day! There is also a breathe app which prompts you to take deep breaths, I’ve been using it a lot when I’m trying to get Ollie to sleep as he settles better when I’m calm and relaxed. The other thing that has been helpful with it is not missing phone calls. I always have my phone on silent and never hear it ring which drives Andy crazy. Now when I get a phone call there is a little vibration on my watch and I can even answer the call from my watch, which again is really helpful when you have a breastfeeding baby and can’t get up. Anyway, I was hesitant to spend the money on the watch but so far I think it is worth it. 

Considering getting a double pram. Before Ollie was born Ella hardly ever went in her pram, preferring to walk and only getting in when she was really tired, so we never even considered getting ones of these. Instead we got a skateboard attachment for our pram thinking Ella would love it. Turns out Ella wants to do whatever Ollie is doing. So if he is in the Hug-a-Bub, she wants to be carried. If I try putting him in the pram, she wants to be in there instead (or even worse, she wants us to just push one of her dolls in it). It’s getting exhausting and I don’t want to leave the house when I have the two of them on my own. After much research I’ve come across the Mountain Buggy Duet, which is the narrowest double pram you can buy. The width of its wheels are amazingly the same width as a single pram, which is great for living in a city. Yesterday we visited a friend from my mothers group and discovered she has this pram and we got to try it out. She gave it rave reviews, saying her 3 year old son still gets in it. Ella tried it out too and seemed to like it, and I think she’d be more willing to get in the pram knowing that Ollie is getting in the exact same seat. Edit: We actually went to Baby Bunting since I wrote this, with the intention of getting the pram. But we’ve reconsidered and are just going to try and make a single pram/skateboard/baby carrier combination work.

Feeling nervous about next week when Andy goes back to work and I am on my own with both Ella and Ollie for the first time. Ella goes to daycare three days a week so it will only be two days that I have both kids which I’m grateful for. I know I just need to keep my expectations very low around what will get done on those days!

Favourite pic lately is this one of Andy, Ella and I, taken on one of my parent’s last evenings here. We were at Jinda Thai, which is my mom’s favourite restaurant in Melbourne. I know it is missing Ollie but I just love how happy everyone looks in this picture!