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Tuesday, July 22nd, 2008
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6:40 am - Photos!
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Pascale's had diarrhea for the past few days and is almost constantly attached to the boob.
I've escaped for a moment to post some photos, but I don't have much time!
( Night out and Baby! )
Gotta go!
current mood: awesome!
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| Thursday, July 17th, 2008
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9:47 am - Progress!
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For the past two weeks I have been perfecting Dvorak's "New World Symphony".
Yesterday, Ben gave me Vivaldi's "Four Seasons - Spring" to work on while he's on holiday.
I learned a new technique called spiccato and performed it so well that Ben was jumping up and down grinning. Of course, he is only 19. =D
I'm really enjoying learning this instrument, and the better I get, the more fun I have.
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9:35 am - Vanity
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The past two weeks I've made an effort to start conditioning again. Sit-ups, leg lifts, etc. Today, it's a little cold out and I am dead sick of the two pairs of trousers I can currently wear.
So, I sighed and climbed up to the storage suitcase and got out my "fat pants" (a UK size 12/US 6 pair of GAP black wide leg trousers) and my Old Favourite Trousers (Banana Republic light grey wide leg trousers US 4).
My hips, they are still a bit...er, expansive, BUT I can button both pairs. SQUEE.
The grey ones need a washing. In the meantime, I think these black ones will be my best friend for the next few weeks. Aaaaah....
TODAY: Lunch with New Mum Friends, then the Mother/Baby showing of Mamma Mia, then Burning Pub with Tyler. Long day, the Beanlet is resting up for it.
current mood: awesome?
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| Wednesday, July 16th, 2008
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9:32 am - For My Sister!
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| Monday, July 14th, 2008
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11:22 am - Diet Results
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Pascale had some digestive issues a while back. Well, I thought she might. So I cut the following things from my diet in order to check:
1. Cow's milk dairy
2. Citrus*
3. Chocolate
4. Spicy food**
5. Gas-inducing vegetables***
Results: Pascale didn't fart the whole time. Fussiness levels remained the same, however. Stool remained roughly the same colour, consistency, and frequency.
Though I have determined that spicy foods DO have an effect on her. I try to avoid those, now.
I lost 3lbs. and faced a special challenge finding things to eat (those that know me know that cow's milk dairy is nearly 1/3 of my diet right there). Couldn't eat hummus (garlic and lemon juice), couldn't eat jam (citric acid), etc. We ate lots of fish, rice and vegetables. I also ate a lot of peanut butter and honey sandwiches for breakfast.
In all it was an interesting experiment. I learnt that it is possible to live without cow's milk dairy, something that will probably serve me well when I go to lose that last 10lbs. of pregnancy weight. Also, because I had to avoid lots of things, I didn't snack as much, since our snack foods consist mostly of hummus on toast, chocolate and cheese. And I stuck to it because I was conducting an experiment, so that was an exercise is self-control.
Today, Pascale has been sleeping loads. She had a long weekend, maybe she's sleeping it off. Oops, there she is, must have jinxed it. =]
* or anything with citric acid in it - you'd be surprised
** or cinnamon, which apparently has an effect
*** broccoli, cauliflower, onions(!), garlic, capsicum
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| Saturday, July 12th, 2008
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7:55 am - Happy Baby!
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She's such a happy baby this morning! I think it's the day-glo Cyberdog onesie she's wearing. And the fact that I am reading aloud a hilarious recap of Sweet Valley High #139 courtesy ![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/community.gif) 1bruce1.
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6:12 am - The World Smiles
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I type this while Pascale's in my lap happily squirming along to the sounds of Tribe Called Quest's "Midnight Marauders" album. I am teaching her the finer points of rap. I've also cautioned her against ever performing her "stir the pot" dance move in public.
She's started smiling...we're DOOMED.
3 photos for your ogling pleasure:
RAWR!
With her friend Madeline
I CAN HAS MILKZ?
Srsly, she tried to latch on to Maddie's elbow within 30 seconds of being in that beanbag. She looks so hopeful. Go, Beanlet!
Okay, otherwise The Wagner Family Unit is doing very well. Today we're off to Camden Town with ![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) fantasmo who's here for the summer. Tomorrow, more of the same with Alex and Yan Yan. We may make it to Showgirls today as well to scour the racks in anticipation of Lizzie's birthday party next weekend.
Yup, her 7 week birthday next week and our First Night Out A.B. Our friend and Nanny to the Stars, Sarah, is going to look after our wee charge while we're out.
As my hips haven't fully contracted yet, and I'm still sporting a slight belly, I'm going in sailor gear. High-waisted, wide leg wool trousers that do wonders for my new curves, and latex or PVC on top. We'll take photos.
Been hanging out with other new mums, it's a great support. One piece of advice I can give to other friends having babies - ladies, make friends with other new mums. Your childless friends will thank you to take your conversations about your child's stool somewhere else. And it's wonderful to be able to share all your new experiences and doubts with people who are in the same boat.
Today is Pascale's 6 week birthday, and she's celebrating by going on a 24 hour milk bender, aka growth spurt. Go, Beanlet, go!
current mood: awesome!
current music: Keep It Rollin' - Tribe Called Quest
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| Wednesday, July 2nd, 2008
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9:33 am - Post-O-Rama
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Start with an apology to those friends and family across the Atlantic who use my journal as a convenient device for keeping up with the doings of the Wagner Family Unit: newborns can be hard work, sometimes. =D
So anyway, Pascale had some digestive issues over the weekend - Friday was kind of a nightmare, then Saturday Sunday were all right, then Monday she was a bit of a terror as well. If she wasn't sleeping or eating, she was crying. At the end of my tether on Monday afternoon, I took her for a walk up to Primrose Hill and we sat in the park and read the paper. Say it with me: Room Change!
Yesterday, she was an absolute angel again. She really is a chill baby most of the time.
It also helps when Mama gets a good night's sleep (meaning going to bed on time).
My lack of posts isn't entirely due to Pascale, though. I blame a busy social life and the acquisition of Season One of The Wire. Tyler and I are hooked, thanks t'Internets!
Pascale and I started "dance hour" yesterday. I made her a playlist and we do interpretive dances to the songs. Playlist:
1. Might Just Let It Go (Jack Johnson)
2. Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots (Flaming Lips)
3. 19-2000 [Soulchild Remix] (Gorillaz)
4. Lose Yourself (Eminem)
5. The Joker (Fatboy Slim & Bootsy Collins)
6. Brimful of Asha [Norman Cook Radio Edit Remix] (Cornershop)
Photos:
(Totally busting a Cabbage Patch here)
(In the rhythm, mmhmm!)
When we don't have music, I get close to her head, snap rhythmically and whisper "Fosse!".
Here's one more shot that I liked:
Mom's Eye View
I'm not a great or even passable photographer, really, but I figure most people just want to see what we're up to.
Today, we are going to Octopus (no really, I wish they had a website) to procure a wacky cuckoo clock for the living room. Yay! I miss my parents' grandfather clock and I've always wanted something like that in our house. The ones at Octopus (a boutique selling lots of Pylones products, among others) are beautiful - saturated, high contrast colours with random animals popping out of them. They also have motion sensors so they stay quiet at night as long as no one's moving about.
I've started my violin lessons again, hadn't practised since before the birth and you could tell. Yeep! Back to cats humping, we're working on that.
I also went to a sweet ballet body conditioning class on Saturday and guess what? All the old ladies were there! I love being in classes with older people because they actually speak to each other. Plus, the speed was just about right for my post-pregnancy workout. Seriously, these ladies were probably twice my age and in way better shape. Dizzam.
Have I written your eyes off yet? We've got to pop over to the shops to get Pascale some more nappies. We've got a big order of biodegradable disposables on the way but they won't be here for another day or so. And we've been told by the friend who gave them to us that we don't want to use the washable ones until she's about 3 months old. So it's disposables all around!
One other thing I observed recently: London can be an eerily quiet city at times. Thanks to all the topsy turvy curvy streets, there's not a lot of noise pollution. I came out my dance class at 18:30 on Saturday night and walked from Covent Garden to Leicester Square (they're right next to each other) and it was quiet. I mean, loads of people around - West End on a Saturday night - but almost no traffic noise, just the white noise of human chatter. It was kind of weird, but also very pleasant. As cities go, it's really a lovely one.
And so I leave you.
current mood: Quiet
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| Monday, June 23rd, 2008
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9:29 am - You Wanted it, You Got it [Photos!]
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7:09 am - Marching On
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Woo! Tonight, I'm going back to dance class.
1.5 hours of gruelling technique - I've really got it in for my body. Wake up, body!
There's the siren song of Pascale - it's breakfast time!
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| Saturday, June 21st, 2008
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9:16 am - [Non-baby] Where we live...
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Camden Town's famous goth pub, The Devonshire Arms, is under new management.
One of the new chalkboard signs on the side of the building boasts: "Under New Management - No Dress Code".
Discussion of takeover here.
In a nutshell: the previous managers were evicted by surprise, and new management wants to maintain the venue, but as a generic "alternative" pub. According to spies, the Rob Zombie-like decor of cobwebs, skeletons, dripping candles etc., is already gone, replaced by some crappy Jack Daniel's skull and crossbones flags.
First the Hawley Arms goes up in flames, and now this. The Stables market is already half-demolished and under development. There's an H&M on the high street.
As prime London real estate, Camden Town has been losing the fight against redevelopment for some time. Friends who have come to stay know how wonderful and valuable it is.
Alternative businesses are still opening and thriving in the area (our friend's shop Inspiral is one such place), though they're now doing battle with upmarket restaurants and crappy electronics shops.
The loss of the Devonshire Arms feels like another nail in the coffin of this beautiful area. We'd all best enjoy it while it lasts.
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| Wednesday, June 18th, 2008
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12:47 pm - Ain't it hard, ain't it hard, ain't it hard...
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Good god! =D
Bonus points to anyone (not my Dad) who got the song reference.
Thanks for all the show tips! Sorry if I didn't respond right away - my email's been going into my junk folder for a few days, it's fixed now (thanks, Tyler!).
Hard night last night - lots of fussing, feeding, spitting up, lather, rinse, repeat. I think I predicted that, though. After an hour more of blood-curdling screaming this morning, she's drifted off into fitful sleep. I feel bad that she doesn't yet have the awareness to just know when she's tired and go to sleep, instead of punching her fists at the sky and railing against the unfairness of the universe.
Day by day.
I can't decide if I should have coffee or a nap. I think coffee. A nap at this stage would just make me more tired, oddly enough. I also have a film to watch, which I should treat myself to, while I can.
Tyler's on his way home soon with a burrito. Burritos in London, did you know? Mexican food is cropping up all over the place these days, hurrah! Most of it's pretty crap, but there's a burrito stand near Tyler's office that makes a decent carnitas and the guacamole is always fresh.
The midwife just left, our last appointment with her, sad! The Beanlet was nearly too long for her scale sling. She is a long baby, indeed.
And oops! She's making a fuss again, to the Beanlet!
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| Tuesday, June 17th, 2008
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4:43 pm - Shows?
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M'kay, breastfeeding currently takes up about 50% of my awake time. The Beanlet™ is a hungry monster!
We've finished with Boston Legal for now (Tyler and I now regularly insert Denny Crane! into our conversations these days) and sadly, we must wait for more Dexter (whoever suggested that, well done, one of the best shows I've seen, ever).
We already regularly watch Lost, BSG, Gossip Girl, Daily Show and Colbert Report, anything else anyone can recommend that I should scrounge for?
In other news, The Beanlet™ is well. We still refer to her as "Beanlet" and probably won't stop until she asks us to. =]
She's got a bit of a breakout of spots on her face since she touches it a lot and likes to sleep with one hand up by her head. She was positioned that way in the womb as well, one hand always up by her ear.
As new, anxious parents, we've called/been in to see the doctor at least 3 times since the birth.
Tyler's back at work half time this week, to ease me in to being at home alone with her. Yesterday we discovered dancing. She was fussy so I held her in my arms while I choreographed little routines to songs from Flight of the Conchords. She seemed to like that, or at least it put her to sleep. Today she's been quite sleepy. I fear for our night, but there's not much to be done. As long as we keep her awake in the evenings we find she sleeps well at night.
I love watching her faces. My favourite is the "drunk on milk" face - right after a particularly satisfying feed, she lays back on the pillow, her eyes kind of roll into the back of her head, her eyelids flutter and she gets this crazy half-smile. It's righteous.
Oh man, that reminds me, I have to figure out what I'm making for dinner tomorrow - have some friends coming over and one is a vegetarian/lactose intolerant. Perhaps black bean soup and cornbread? Must consider...
In other ramblings, we had the Camp Lemmings practical day this past Saturday. For those who don't know, our theme camp for Nowhere (the regional Burn in Spain) is based around the Lemmings video game (photos). We're not going to Nowhere this year, but Camp Lemmings is, so we've helped out here and there getting the new crop ready. We took the Beanlet, who was a superstar, and had a super time out at our friend's place in the country. I made my first ever graffiti stencil which turned out wonderfully well. We put it on a flag, will post photos when we get them.
The new Lemmings are all quite cool. The group this year is about 50% from last year and 50% new. The newbies seem to be figuring the whole thing out quite well, Tyler and I are really excited for them.
We'll probably go back when the Beanlet is about 2, and start a Kid's Camp. That's the great thing about this event - since it's still so new, a lot of things are a blank slate.
Okay, Beanlet is awake and hollering for some funky milk, that's my cue!
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| Friday, June 13th, 2008
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7:00 pm - Nice thing...
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...about breastfeeding, I'm catching up on reading.
I finished "Logan's Run" two days ago, it was jumpy and confusing*. And yesterday when Tyler and I were walking down the street and he said "watch out, runners," I totally thought he meant something else.
Today, I started "A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian", courtesy of ttmooney, which is turning out to be a very pleasant read indeed.
For night feeds, I play a silly game on my mobile phone. I need to find some DS games I can play with one hand...
*I couldn't get an idea of the world of the book, though this may have to do with the fact that my images may have been ruined by the film.
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| Tuesday, June 10th, 2008
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6:36 am - Pictures!
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6:25 am - Also...
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...it may go without saying but I have one of the best husbands in the world. Thanks for everything, Tyler.
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6:02 am - Week One-ish, Redux
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Tired! sleep when you can...no time yet for personal exercise...*whimper*
In awe! ohmygracioussheiscuteandican'tbeleivewemadeher!
Learning Curve! ah, so that's what will get you to stop fussing...curious...
Pascale is overall a healthy, happy and well behaved baby. We are figuring each other out. She's slept through a few nights now (with midnight feeds) which makes everything more manageable.
Tyler and I are getting haircuts today.
It is the best money we ever spent now to have a housecleaner twice a week.
I make pretty good pulled pork in my crockpot.
If you're having a baby, have your mother come and stay with you (or another female relative with children), you'll be glad you did. (thanks, Mom!)
Getting out of the house every day is a must, even if it's just to the cafe on the Heath.
Okay, need to go take my shower and then get ready for the first feed of the day. Breastfeeding is strangely satisfying, plus, you have a quiet baby for at least 30 minutes. Genius. =]
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| Monday, June 2nd, 2008
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7:42 am - Home!
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Hi!
Got home from the hospital last night and had a fine Sunday roast prepared by my lovely mother. As you heard, things were a bit hairy (I am sitting on an airline neck pillow after an attempt to poop myself inside out during labour). But in the end, we made the right decisions and were rewarded with a healthy, beautiful baby.
You may not hear from me here for a little while just as we settle in to home life, so I wanted to say thanks so much for all the support and congratulations.
I will write up the proper birth story once I have the time. For now, it's all Beanlet, all the time.
loves,
jayMe
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| Sunday, June 1st, 2008
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12:39 am - Enter: the Beanlet
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Message from giantlaser: Pascale Rose Wagner entered the world at 2008-05-31, at 17:27 BST. Jayme had a horrifically difficult labour, and in the end we had to go to the hospital for intervention. Both mom and baby are recovering at the hospital now. I'm sure Jayme would love to read your wishes here.
I've written my own thoughts on my blog.
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| Friday, May 30th, 2008
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9:51 pm - Waters ho!
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The waters have broken, we are playing gin rummy and waiting for the midwives. Also, baking some more bread. :)
Y'all were right, I am quite hot. I mean, temperature. :)
Soon, Beanlet!
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