Conversations with my toddler

You can see previous conversations I've had here and here.

Ellie has a cold so she's a bit congested at the moment. She leans over right into my face and breathes

E: Mama, can you hear my nose singing?
Me: ... Ellie that's called breathing. And you're actually breathing snot all over me...
E: But mama, it's a song!

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In the morning, over breakfast:

E: Mama, I wish you were dead.
Me: That's a terrible thing to say Ellie. Why do you wish that?
E: Don't be silly mama, I'm only pretending. I love you. But I wish you were dead.
Me: ...

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After she'd been particularly irritating and picking fights with Jimmy and I:

E: Mama, I'm sorry for being naughty. Even though I'm naughty, you still love me all the time though don't you?
Me: Of course Ellie. I love you even when you're naughty. But I'm proudest when you use your good behaviour.
E: So mama, will you keep me forever? Please?!

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Oh toddlers. This stage is just so adorable!

Toddler art work

Ellie came home from day care and proudly pulled a wrinkled piece of paper from her bag to present to me.

I know I'm a nerd because my first thought was to admire the paper and fondly recall the days when reams of the stuff spooled from dot matrix printers everywhere... ahem.

Then I focused on her drawing and asked her to tell me about it.



E: Mama, I made you a picture! The blue one is you mummy. See, that's your legs and your hair and you're smiling mama! And that's a sun, see how it's shining. And daddy is a banana. And the green one {under the 'banana'} is baby Jimmy mama.

M: But Ellie, where are you?

E: I didn't feel like being in my drawing mama. It's for you! Put it on the fridge please.

Oh I love the whole thing, picture, conversation and interaction! And I was not about to argue with daddy being a banana because for once, I am the tall one in the family and just look at my gloriously long legs!

More conversations with my toddler

Life has been a big hectic lately with returning to work and lots of family events happening. However, because the last lot of conversations was such a hoot, here are some more recent Ellie-isms I've jotted down recently!

Just about any time we go out somewhere

E: Daddy, pick me up. I am too busy to walk!

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At bedtime

Mr Fork: Can I have a goodnight kiss?
E: No daddy, I have no more kisses to give.
Me: Can I have a kiss?
E: Here you go mama!

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Random conversation in the car on the way home from somewhere

E: Mama, don't leave me behind!
Me: Ellie, I won't leave you behind. You are always welcome where I am. Well... maybe you might like to stop sneaking into bed with me some times.
E: But last night mama, there were monsters in my room, and I just wanted some snuggles... and you're welcome mama.

I was left pondering how she turned the conversation around to make her sneaking into bed and taking up most of it A FAVOUR for me!

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Toddlers! They say the best things!

Conversations with my toddler

Sharing for general amusement, here are some conversations that I've had, or overheard Ellie having lately.

While I was cooking dinner in the kitchen, everyone else was sitting in the lounge room

E (to Mr Fork): Daddy, can you sing ABCD with me on my piano please?
She proceeds to start tinkling on her little 4-note toy piano. Mr Fork dutifully sings along, a letter to each note (it's the alphabet song). On completion, Ellie proceeds to end with a flourish of notes and then starts her own round of applause
E: That was really well done, great job Ellie, Jimmy and Daddy!

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Jimmy and I were picking up Ellie from daycare and I told her that I'd baked her a cake for afternoon tea.

E: Mama, did you bake me a cake?
M: I did, baby!
E: Did you?
M: I did!
E: Is it for me?
M: Yes it is for you. I made you a chocolate banana cake all for you.
E: Did you? {ponders} Oh mama, you made me a cake!

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I was trying very hard to still be asleep in the morning, but I couldn't help but overhear Mr Fork talking to Ellie and Jimmy in the lounge room.

Mr Fork (MF): Ellie, can you go and ask mama does she want to go out for breakfast?
E: Ok daddy! {pitter patter of little feet into our bedroom}
E: Hello mama! {hands reaching up and patting me} Mama?
M: Good morning Ellie.
E: Mama, can I come in and snuggle with you? {climbs in - her feet are freezing}
E: Mama, can I put my cold feet on you and you warm them and then you have to cuddle me?
MF: Ellie where are you? {he comes in and she pretends to be snoring in my arms}
E: Daddy, can you bring me toast and mama a coffee please? I want peanut butter!

I love a girl who knows what she wants!

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It's cold in the mornings and Ellie is a bit of a princess. I was in the kitchen cooking porridge when I hear the following from the bathroom:

E: Daddy, the seat is cold.
MF: Ok I'll warm it for you {I have no idea what he does}
E: Daddy, it's still cold. Can you use your big bottom and warm it please?
{pause}
E: Thanks Daddy!

I was giggling uncontrollably wondering what was happening as since she knew to ask for it, it's presumably happened before. Later I asked how his "big bottom" warms the toilet, and was tartly told that he sat on her training seat to take the chill off first. Now that's love!!

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Last one! I will note that at the moment, the sun doesn't really rise properly until about 6am. At the moment it's 5:30 and it's cold. Ellie sprints into our room and shouts way too exuberantly for when it's cold and dark:

E: Gooooood morning mama! It's a beautiful day! Can you hear the birds singing? It's going to be a beautiful day! Can you get up and make me breakfast mama?

Have you overheard any funny conversations lately? 

Morning tea with Medela

Jimmy, Ellie and I recently went to morning tea with Medela at the Brisbane Pregnancy, Babies and Children's expo.

I've talked a bit about my breastfeeding journey with Jimmy here. He is now eight months old and we are still going strong. I recall him being five weeks old and not knowing how I could keep going. When we went to have his tongue and lip ties corrected, I remember the dentist asking me how long I intended to breastfeed him for, and without needing any thought, I answered with "as long as he wants to". It's been a hard journey though, and I still constantly wonder if I'm doing a good job, if he's latching correctly, if I have enough milk, if he's getting too much/not enough... and so on. And yet... look at him!

He is obviously healthy, and happy, and doing well.., and if I have to co-sleep and feed him every few hours around the clock to keep him that way, then so be it. I won't sugar coat it though, it is hard! I just keep telling myself he is only little for such a short time, and to enjoy being his happy place. When I do go back to work, I know that my Medela Swing pump will help me provide Jimmy with milk for when I can't be there to feed him directly.

Anyway, this morning tea was a lovely supportive experience. It really showed me that there are organisations out there who are passionate and informative and so enthusiastic about helping mothers to be educated and supported to feed their babies.

Katie James, a midwife/lactation consultant who works for Medela spoke about the latest statistics and research about 'normal' breastfeeding... and really emphasised that there is no such thing! Some information that I found interesting (my emphasis) was:

• In Australia 96% of mothers choose to breastfeed their baby from birth. While this is a fantastic statistic, we see that rate drop dramatically in the first few months; in the second month full breastfeeding (this is where no other food or drink is fed to baby) rates have dropped to 57% and by 5 months under 30% are still fully breastfeeding.
• The most common reason given for mother’s ceasing breastfeeding is the belief they do not have enough milk, often because their baby feeds frequently/more than other babies.
• Jackie Kent and The Hartmann Lactation Research group in the University of WA looked at many mothers and infants from the ages of 1-6 months and found that there were great variations of normal! For example once a baby is growing well a breastfed baby may feed anywhere from 4-13 times in 24 hours, boys do eat more than girls, and yes it is very normal for babies to feed at night, with 2/3rds of all babies drinking 20% of their milk between 10pm and 4am!

There is a lovely downloadable infographic that explaining all the research here.

One thing about the morning that I particularly enjoyed was hearing about how Medela is charitably contributing towards supporting Bangladeshi mothers to breastfeed for longer. There is a high morbidity and mortality rate in the country due mainly to early cessation of breastmilk feeding and the introduction of infant formula combined with poor sanitation. Medela Australia have donated pumps and have a volunteer on the ground working to educate families and employers about breastfeeding, expressing, cup feeding and providing so much more ongoing support. Due to limited maternity leave, mothers in Bangladesh often return to work once their babies are two months old, and with up to 14 hours a day, 6 days a week.

I feel privileged that I have had eight uninterrupted months at home with Jimmy, and so much help and assistance to breastfeed him. I am proud that I have provided for my baby and nourished him so well. Of course, any way a mother chooses to feed her child is fabulous, but for me and this baby, this is what works for us.

Thanks to Medela, I have a $50 Medela voucher to giveaway to one lucky With A Fork reader. To enter, leave a comment below telling me the most valuable advice you would give to a new mother.

Entries open Tuesday 23 June 2015 and close Tuesday 30 June 2015 at 7.00pm AEST. Entry is open to Australian residents only. Prize will be delivered by Medela, With A Fork takes no responsibility for prize delivery. If I do not hear back from the winner within two days of notification, the prize will be redrawn. ONE entry per person please. This competition is in no way endorsed, promoted or administered by Facebook. 

Good luck!

Three things Thursday

1. Turns out that Jimmy's recent grumpiness may have been related to a developmental leap for my little man can now roll with gusto. Yesterday I put him down to sleep on his back and when I went in to check on him he was on his belly. This happened several times. I am such a proud mama, but at the same time, oh my baby is growing up!

2. Seems it was a bit of a hit when I shared a toddler conversation, so here's another I had with Ellie this week:

E: What's for dinner?
M: We are having pasta bake. There is a tomato and chickpea one, or a tuna bake option
E: I don't like pasta
M: You liked pasta last week...
E: I want chicken
M: How about sea chicken? That's what tuna is
E: Ooh sea chicken, I love it, I love it!

Am I a terrible mother? She loves chicken, so I often re-purpose the label as above but I do worry I'll turn her into Jessica Simpson....

3. Finally, here are two of my favourite shots from Jimmy's christening. They capture beautifully Ellie's sass and cheekiness and Jimmy's calm zen like demeanour. 

How has your week been?

Three things Thursday

1. Jimmy has been a bit unwell for the past week with some kind of respiratory virus. It's made him sleep terribly and be a bit snotty and generally a grumpy little thing. However, we had a big weekend just past and none of the things that we had on could be rescheduled so we just had to push through. He was doing quite well at keeping it together all things considered, until we got to his baptism. Just before it was due to start, a terrible smell emanated from him. I briefly considered ignoring it, but a quick check ensured that was not going to be a good outcome. I had to ask the priest to please delay the start, while Mr Fork sprinted to the car with Jimmy to clean him up. Apparently it was heinous. It was also equally uncomfortable dealing with an entire church full of people looking at me and knowing what had happened. Motherhood. Keeping it real.

2. On the topic of keeping it real, I got the following pearler from Ellie the other day. We were having a conversation, and clearly I must have said something that offended her sensibilities, because all of a sudden she burst out with:

E: "Stop talking mama, it's off-putting"M: "Excuse me? Do you even know what that means?"E: (with little hand raised) "Just stop talking mama"

I have never said that. Daycare has a lot to answer for!

3. I'm loving the cooler weather! Now that it is cooling down, I'm revelling in comfort food like hot chocolates and pasta bakes and this gorgeous apple crumble slice (recipe courtesy of Liz, which I followed faithfully except I subbed something in for the eggs). What are your favourite foods to eat in the cooler months?

Happy Thursday!