Being “normal” as a preemie

breaking the normal mold

I was not expecting to have a preemie. It was not part of my plan, but it was medically necessary. After I got home from the hospital, I started reading up on preemies, and it was pretty scary stuff – there were so many articles and books about the challenges that are common for premature babies, and I was feeling so sad for my little princess. It was hard enough to see her so very tiny, filled with tubes and sensors in the NICU, but the idea that her struggle would continue long after she was home… it just broke my heart.

When she was still in the hospital, I remember a physiotherapist came in the one day and started chatting to me. She explained that premature babies do eventually catch up, but that you need to adjust for their age – instead of sitting by six months it would be six months from the due date, etc. That wasn’t so bad, and that’s how I thought of Harley for a while – as her real age and her “adjusted age”. But I’m not sure I need to keep doing that. Continue Reading

2 Comments Geek, Parenting

Chicken Soup for the body and soul

I have been loving this cooler weather – it’s such a relief to not need the fan on all day, and nursing is so much more enjoyable when those warm cuddles are sought after on a cold day. Unfortunately, I did come down with a change of season cold last week, which I promptly went on to give to Dean. Being pregnant and unable to take nice cold meds, I was feeling pretty sorry for myself. Thankfully, the cold started to go away on its own, but was fully annihilated when I managed to make chicken soup.

Chicken soup is magic, I swear. There are plenty of delicious soups out there – I adore a luxuriously creamy butternut soup and I make an amazing broccoli leek soup – but nothing quite compares to chicken soup. Whether faced with a malady of the body or the soul, this soup seems to make it all better. Maybe it’s the veggies, or simply an uptake in fluids, but there’s a reason that New Yorkers refer to it as Jewish Penicillin. I’m lucky enough to have a recipe given to me by my mom, which she got from her grandmother. Going into winter, I fully intend to have this simmering on my stove at least once a month. Continue Reading

3 Comments Food, Rambling

The Geeky Mommy Files – Lynette Hundermark

The Geeky Mommy Files

I love being a geeky mommy and figuring out what that means for me with Harley. It’s a daily journey as I try to learn how to be a mommy, and a geeky mommy at that. However, there are some awesome ladies who are further along on the path and have some really cool ideas that I’m totally going to steal. Welcome to the Geeky Mommy Files, where every Friday, I will be introducing you to one.

I first encountered Lynette when I was looking into the state of women in tech in South Africa. She is one of those incredible super moms – running her own business while raising two adorable kids. As more of a techno-geek, she has some interesting ideas about how much tech kids should be allowed to us, as well as some fun ambitions for courses for her little ones. Continue Reading

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Warm cuddles on a cold day

The first cold front of the season has officially hit Joburg. It is a delightfully cold day today, that I’d be enjoying way more if I weren’t also coming down with a touch of the plague. In fact, I was feeling pretty sorry for myself last night and this morning – it sucks enough to be sick, but even more not to be able to take any of the good drugs. Apparently my normal cold meds aren’t allowed while breastfeeding, so I just have to take some silly painkillers and cough lozenges and hope for the best. There are homeopathic remedies, but those simply don’t work for me.

So yeah, I was sniffling and feeling tired and sorry for myself last night. But then I had some awesome cuddles while breastfeeding Harley, and I was reminded why I’m not taking cold meds. She needs me right now. I am her only and complete source of nourishment. How could I do anything else? Continue Reading

2 Comments Rambling

Why I love my Wonder Weeks App

If there’s one thing I’ve learned from being a parent, it’s that you can’t truly be prepared for anything. Your baby might wake up one morning and cry non-stop for no reason. Or at least it seems that way until she lets rip an enormous fart. Or maybe she’s super clingy and you don’t know why – it’s moments like those that I simply couldn’t live without my baby sling. However, there is a way to get a bit more insight into what’s going on.

You may or may not have noticed the pretty gray button on the right side of the page. That’s to show you that I’m a columnist over on Tums 2 Tots. My column each month is about an app that makes pregnancy or parenting easier, and you can check it out over here (and you really should – the site has gone through a rebranding and looks beautiful!). This month, I wrote about The Wonder Weeks app, and it truly is my lifesaver sometimes. Continue Reading

1 Comment Geek, Parenting