Mia's Routine

Mia's routine?! Mia's routine is NO routine!! Upon leaving school, I completed a one year traineeship in Children's Services and spent the next 5 years working in long day care centres and as a nanny. I was always kind and enjoyed games and adventures with the children in my care, but I liked things a certain way, I liked structure and routine. Over the years I created a strict 'when I have children of my own' list. Then Mia was born. The sound of her cry literally breaks my heart and I can't help but rush to comfort her. She is fed on demand, put down for (or should I say rocked to) sleep when she looks tired, cuddled when she is sad, carried around the house and yard as I go about my day so as not to get lonely, played with one on one, taken on outings and (most 'worrying' to family) sleeps in bed with my husband and I. I never intended to co-sleep. Mia was to begin in a Moses basket beside our bed, before moving to a cot of her own. For the first six weeks or so, she did spend her nights in her moses basket. Then the exhaustion set in. I would pull her into bed for an early morning breast feed and we would both fall asleep. I would wake up in the morning to see my beautiful little angel smiling back at me. I loved it! Mia is in the 97th percentile for length, so she outgrew her Moses basket very quickly! Buy a cot, or co-sleep? I did some research and discussed it all with my husband and together we decided that co-sleeping was the right decision for our family. I don't think I would have been able to stick to breast feeding if Mia was not beside me at night and I would definitely be a lot more tired than I am. Besides the practical benefits, I just love having my daughter close, all the extra cuddles and her being the first thing I see when I open my eyes. Extended family warn that it is a 'bad habit' to get into, that it 'might be easier now, but we will regret it when she is older' and that we will end up with a 'clingy child.' They believe it will create problems between my husband and I. I have no intention of creating a fuss when Mia is older. I will buy her a bed and let her choose when she moves to it. It will happen naturally and when she is ready. I don't find Mia clingy at all. She is a very happy and content baby. I believe that if her needs are met quickly as a baby, she will grow up knowing that I am there for her whenever she needs me. My husband and I are still very close. Mia sleeps on the edge of the bed, so Shannon and I are still next to one another. Some nights she falls asleep in her bouncy chair and doesn't come into our bed until her early morning feed. My sleep is less interrupted, so I am (generally!!) easier to get along with and less stressed. We feel close as a family. I know that each family works in a different way and that each parent has different views and opinions. I know that such a lack of structure would not work for all families, especially families with a working Mum or older children who need to be dropped to school at a certain time. I am lucky enough to have the freedom to follow Mia's cues. I also know that this works for my family and my daughter, who is also my best friend, who I can't stand to be apart from... Hmmm, I think it might be ME who is clingy!!

Our First Family Holiday!

As already mentioned, I have been lucky enough to travel a lot. Family holidays to Surfers Paradise, being dragged to the outback (horrible as a 15 year old, but a part of Australia I later fell in love with), island escapes, backpacking around Europe, Asian adventures and 6 months working as a tour guide in The Kimberley and Pilbara regions of Western Australia. I have learnt more traveling than I ever did at school and I believe I am tolerant and open minded as a result of meeting so many different people and seeing so many different ways of life. I want my daughter to experience the same (I feel guilty that we are not given the opportunity to include my step sons in all of our adventures, but I do try to show them as much as I can when they are with us). Sadly our budget wouldn't stretch to Paris (my favourite city) so a little camping adventure it was! We jumped in the car and headed to Cooma, where we stayed in a 'Shearers Hut' at the Cooma Snowy Mountains Tourist Park. My (less adventurous) husband was a little weary, but it turned out to be cute, comfortable and warmish! Next morning it was off to Perisher to show Mia the snow! Although only 4 months old, she was definitely taking everything in and shared lots of smiles! I built her a baby snowman (without my gloves, which I forgot - see, I really, really do love you Mia!), wrote our names in the snow and took lots of photos! A short (stressful - we thought the petrol station was closer than it really was) drive saw us in Hobart Beach Campground, Bournda National Park, near Bega. Mia experienced her first campfire and watched the possums running around! Co-sleeping definitely works for our family and it was both easy and fun for the three of us to be able to snuggle up on a mattress in the back of the car. Next morning we toasted some marshmallows on the fire, took a walk along the water and packed the car up. My husband stood on a log to brush his teeth... And literally two minutes later, as we were leaving, drove straight into the same log (which he "didn't know was there" ?!?!) Front bumper on the ground, fog lights disconnected and a container of something dripping! We got creative and tied the front bumper back on with my dressing gown cord for the short drive to Holden in Bega. Hmmm, how to kill 5 hours in Bega?! My husbands answer was stubbornly arguing his point about incorrect orders in KFC. My answer was a visit to the Bega Cheese Factory. I'm not sure which idea was worse. I had wanted to visit Bega Cheese since I was a child and had visions of something similar to the cheese factories in Edam, Holland. What a let down! A few cubes of cheese to taste, some plastic cows and a few rusty old pieces of machinery! Bega was turning into a disaster!! As soon as the car was patched back together and deemed safe to drive, we were out of there and off to the beautiful Murramarang Resort, near Batemans Bay. The next morning was spent walking along the beach and showing Mia the Kangaroos! She smiled and giggled as we held her close enough to pat their soft fur. Our trip was finished off with an afternoon in Huskisson, watching the sunset over afternoon drinks and fish for dinner, before the short drive back into Sydney (well, it would have been short if we didn't miss our turn and add 40km to the trip!) As I read over all I just wrote, I realise quite a few things went wrong, but with lots of giggles and cuddles, we got through it and actually shared some beautiful experiences and many of Mia's 'firsts' - exactly the type of lesson I want Mia to learn!

Welcome!

I would never have imagined that I was the type of person to write a blog (I am surprised, with my limited knowledge of technology, that I have gotten this far.) But everything I once was has changed recently. In February of this year, my daughter was born. Late nights at the pub have been replaced by late nights feeding and comforting Mia. Backpacking around Europe has been replaced by family camping trips. Beautiful (clean) clothes and jewels for myself have been replaced by handmade baby clothes, accessories and toys. Hours baking treats in the kitchen have been replaced by a quick bite here and there when Mia allows (my meal being served seems to be a cue for my generally happy little girl to turn into a sooky monster) and 'Nic' has been replaced by 'Mummy' - My bond with Mia runs so deep that I often feel that her and I are just an extension of one another. She inspires me and encourages me and I want to be around her every second of the day (except for showers, I would really, really love a shower without her crying outside the door!) So Mummy & Mia was born, a little creative outlet and business that is inspired by Mia and fits in around Mia. All the elements of my life and myself are so entwined with my family and daughter, so a blog that was originally going to focus on my new business was never going to stay that way. Here it is, a little bit of me, a little bit of her and a little bit of it. Xx