Heat wave! Yesterday’s temperatures soared to 45 and today it’s meant to hit 46! I was tempted to stay in all day yesterday, though it gets pretty hot in the house too – our air con’s working overtime. We escaped to the shopping mall for some retail therapy while Jacob slept in the pram. Dan picked up more work pants, while I pondered about what swimwear to get. My old bikinis are too small and my pregnancy swimsuit is a bit too big. I was toying between these two pieces from Dotti:
Which one do you prefer? I love the bold colours… Well, since they were on sale, I got both! Ironically, I’ll probably have shorts or a tank over the bikini anyway. So now, I just have to head to the beach one of these days. It’s hard with a baby though, especially since I don’t want to give his poor skin too much sun exposure.
Poor Jacob doesn’t like the heat, so he stays relatively nudie all day (apart from the nappy). Since we were all hot and sweaty, we had another dip in the shell.
Even on the hottest days, babies still get cold if the water is too cold. The last time we had a bit of a swim, Jacob got really quite cold – so, even though it was sweltering today, I added a kettle of hot water to warm it up a bit. Yay for little swimming shells!
Hot weather also makes me more inactive, hence I’ve sat on the computer most of the day. To be fair, I had some projects that I was working on. I’ve been doing a bit of designing as well as arts and crafts with regards to baby showers – would love to share but will keep it quiet til after the showers. First one coming up in less than 2 weeks!
I went to a friend’s baby shower a month or two ago… and she’s just had her baby! I went over to visit her today and it was just lovely to see her and her gorgeous little boy. My sister in law also had her baby back in December, and it’s lovely to see all the cousins together:
All the baby talk is making me clucky again! I was thinking about the early weeks after Jacob was born and how challenging it was at times. If I could do it all over again (and I probably will if I have a second baby), here are five things I would have done differently:
1. Spent more time in hospital – I didn’t even stay the night (though I guess you could count my night in labour as staying the night). My rationale for going home so early was because I didn’t want to be moved to a shared room in the event that someone else came in in labour and because Jacob and I were doing alright. Thinking about it, I probably would have appreciated a bit more rest. I was buzzing from the adrenaline of it all and didn’t even sleep very much the day he was born.
2. Shared the baby a bit more – my parents and Dan were at home, but I would choose to sit in the room with Jacob alone just because I wanted to be close to him. I felt directly responsible for anything Jacob did and would always take him when he cried. Now I realise that I could have given myself a few breathers by just passing on the responsibility.
3. Used a nipple shield for breastfeeding – boy, were those first weeks a bit sore! I didn’t even know about them but perhaps they might have helped. I would have liked to speak to more people about what to expect from breastfeeding too, though now I need no introduction.
4. Not freaked out every time the baby cries – I’ve realised now that babies just cry because they need things. They’re not necessarily sad or upset, but are just trying to communicate their needs. It would have helped the baby stay calm too if I had been calm, but I guess sometimes it’s harder than it sounds.
5. Enjoyed every moment just a tiny bit more – I admit I didn’t enjoy everything I could enjoy in the early weeks. I could have spent more time watching Jacob sleep, or cuddled him more, or even taken more photos. Time puts things into perspective, and I can’t believe how much time has already passed me by.
For now, rather than looking back in retrospect, I’d like to look forward and spend many joyful moments with my lovely family. Tomorrow’s going to be 42 degrees and then we have a cool change (if you can call low 30s cool, I guess). Stay cool, everyone!
Reality Hits 