Tag: babies

The amorous little gentleman

On By Anna EastlandIn motherhood, Poetry1 Comment

I was just beginning to write this silly little poem earlier when the baby flung back his arm while nursing and hit “post” long before it was ready. Eek! Sorry for those who received this strange snippet in their inbox! Now that the kids have stopped parachuting off their bunkbeds or other similar gymnastic feats, I’ve been able to finish it. Voilá!

The amorous little gentleman

approached with an unabashed smile of delight

and pulling my hair towards him

took a generous chomp of my chin.

He is not at all shy

but perfectly clear

that it’s his utter to delight to bite me

—smooch here and here and here—

If he weren’t so sweet,

like a down covered peach,

perhaps I would try to struggle

but darling he is,

I simply give in

and chubby arms round my neck

give him a snuggle.

  

Baby eats out

On By Anna EastlandIn Photos4 Comments

Did baby have fun eating out at the swanky vegetarian east-side eatery? 

   

Why yes! 

    
 

Forget the yellow curry with taro root, kale, yam, tofu and broccoli.

The beer pads were delicious!

One must have priorities, you know. 

  
And now…enough chatting…back to business! 

 

Honey-Suckle

On By Anna EastlandIn Family Life, Photos3 Comments

  
My little cutie just started tasting new things, but at 6 months he still associates food with comfort and sleep. Here he suckled this little fragrant honey belle pear to sleep!

 
 

Brotherly Tenderness

On By Anna EastlandIn Family Life, Photos2 Comments

 “Let’s read together!”

  
    
   
A sleepy three year old boy is an amazing creature…after a stormy afternoon full of fits he can express such tenderness…I guess babies bring out the best in all of us!

Belly Laugh

On By Anna EastlandIn Poetry3 Comments

I blow on your bare baby belly

and you chuckle those first precious laughs

as you cling to my hair.

My heart aches with bittersweet joy

for the giggles I never heard,

the solemn silence of your big sister,

born still. 

Yet I am so relieved you are here safe—

that you are laughing and alive.

On an impulse,

I lay my ear on your warm little chest and listen:

“Badda -boom, badda-boom, badda-boom!”

Thank God, thank God, thank God! Goes your little drum. 

I fight tears as your pull my hair with your chubby little hands

into your sweet, warm mouth. Thank God, thank God, thank God!
  

  

Thank God for big sisters!

On By Anna EastlandIn Family Life, Photos3 Comments

Amidst the chaos of packing, moving and unpacking again, a lovely big sister is such a help! Her lucky baby brother has a mini-mum! 

 

“Here Mum,” she said, “You’re tired. Let me try the snugly.” Only nine years ago, she was the little baldy in the snugly! Now she is more organized than I am, and very maternal to boot. I am very blessed to be her mother. 

How to peacefully bathe a newborn 

On By Anna EastlandIn Family Life, motherhoodLeave a comment

Newborns love being all cuddled and cosy, curled up close to mom like they were in the womb, so often their least favourite thing is getting their diaper changed or having a bath, because they feel vulnerable and exposed. They wave their skinny little arms as though they were falling, and look very startled. This means that first baths can be a bit of a scream festival, which is hard on new babies and new mommies and daddies alike. When you’re sleep deprived and your hormones are raging, the last thing you want to do is something you know will set off baby alarm bells. 

So how to avoid this? Is there a way to bathe a newborn peacefully? Yes! Please learn from my mistakes, and do it the better way. When I bathed my first daughter, I was so nervous. I didn’t want her to get burned by hot water or drown, so I only put a few inches of lukewarm water in her baby bath tub, and took forever to bathe her with baby soap before rinsing her off. She hated it of course, as she was so cold! I hated it, too! Her crying was making me so upset. 

Here are simple steps to a better way:

 

  1. Fill the baby bathtub really full, till almost the top.
  2. Use really warm water. Not actually hot…but much warmer than you would think, remembering that water cools quickly in the small tub. 
  3. Cradle the back of your baby’s head with your right hand, supporting his body with your arm. To make this easier I put our baby bath up on the counter, or you could use a table instead, with a towel under it. Then you don’t have to bend way over, and get a sore back. 
  4. Lay the other arm on top of baby to hold him secure, and if he likes, let him suck in your finger to soothe himself. When I did this last time, my newbie got so relaxed he almost fell asleep! 
  5. Get your spouse or an older child to gently pour a little water over baby’s head (not face) and in those little creases of the neck where milk hides. 
  6. Keep the bath brief, about 5 minutes or so, and don’t bother with soap at first. Newborns smell lovely, and just need a little dip to freshen up every now and then. Bedsides, you are constantly wiping them during diaper changes or cleaning their little faces with a warm cloth, so in my opinion you don’t need to feel pressured to bathe them every day, unless you want to! 
  7. Choose a moment when you are fairly relaxed, and can ignore the phone or other interruptions and just enjoy this cosy moment with your beautiful, precious new mini you!
  8. Have a cosy towel and blanket ready, and follow the bath with a nice snuggle and some warm milk!