TheBleghHousewife

"He's so cute! How old is he?" She asks me as I try to seem casual as I get up to collect my crawling infant across the doctor's rooms for the umpteenth time. I smile, "Nearly eleven months". At this moment my son turns his head, bats his baby blues and starts opening and closing his mouth like a fish, and finishes it off with a giggle. "He's hungry," an older woman protests, "You need to give him his bottle," I smile and say that he's not hungry and is just playing. "Besides I don't have a bottle, I'm the milk," I say. "Still?" Rewind a few months: I'm carrying my son whilst walking through a shopping mall. An elderly woman seems to be making a beeline straight for me, and I'm quite surprised at how agile she is at navigating the crowds to get to me. Once she's within a close enough distance she yells, "You!" Pointing her finger in my direction, I double check to see if it is...

"He'll fit in with our lifestyle," I overheard my husband tell our friends as we sat around a dinner table at some or other restaurant. My hand rested lightly on my belly as I wondered how our lives were about to change. We had agreed, our little boy would fit in with our lifestyle. How many times did we nap on the chairs of restaurants and play under the tables whilst our parents maintained their friendships over a meal? So yes, our little boy would fit in with lifestyle. Fast-forward some months, and as I look up from my laptop, my lounge tells a different tale. Baby toys litter a reading corner; The couches are pushed up against each other barricading some cables from my little one's reach and our lounge table is bare (as it has nothing on it). I'm not sure when it happened, but over time my little man has taken over every aspect of our house. In some rooms it's a subtle change, but essentially he has left his mark on every room, ensuring that any...

Weight. Let that word sink in. Now, as a society we're obsessed with it. How much did you lose? How much do you weigh? How many cm is your waist line? What is your goal weight? We are bombarded with this issue centring on weight. As a woman, you have to be living under a rock not to notice. Two weeks after giving birth I stood in front of a full length mirror with my shirt hiked up, looking at my mid-riff and wondering when and if I would get my pre-baby body back. But then the word weight took a very different turn in my motherhood journey. Was my newborn gaining enough weight? We breastfed (and are still breastfeeding) and my son was a month prem, so weight gain became a topical issue. Looking back to those first crazy 6 weeks of dealing with a newborn, I tried to enjoy my little bundle of joy. I tried to settled in. I tried to find my stride. But the underlying issue was ALWAYS weight gain. We went for weigh-in's religiously. I expressed milk to make sure ...

I haven't written in a while, and the truth is I haven't been sure what to write. How to exactly formulate my thoughts and opinions. In truth I've embraced motherhood with both hands. I miss my little boy when I'm not with him and simply adore spending time with him. Creating games and exercises to stimulate him. Enrolling him in all sorts of activities that I get to participate in. Setting up play-dates that are ultimately coffee dates for me. He has become my focus. The centre of my world. And he should. He's still so new. He still needs me so much. And, in a blink he's not going to want my cuddles anymore. I'm not always going to be the one he needs or wants. As he grows up he's going to realize that I'm fallible and make mistakes, and then will he still look at me the same way? That scares me. Right now when I walk into a room his whole face lights up. I'm his world. I'm the one who makes everything better. Bad dream? Mama's ...

About two months ago we carted my son (and ALL of his luggage) across ocean to Italy. Flying with a baby is stressful. Because children are notorious for not being constant - i.e. they never sleep when you want them to, but always slumber right before you are about to leave the house and have their bags all ready and packed. Yup, so add an international flight to the mix and it's no wonder we become so stressed that we start prepping a month in advance for the journey. I heard all the horror stories about flying with kids, and I can tell you, that in the end it wasn't so bad. So, here are my list of tips for flying with a baby. 1. Visit your pead, baby clinic or the pharmacy about a week before you leave. If your little one is restless, they can provide a sedative type syrup to help calm their nerves, relax and sleep. I'm not normally one to do this kind of thing, but the health professionals seem unanimous in this that flights can be stressful for the entire family,...

Motherhood is scary. Motherhood in South Africa can be terrifying. Now, ain't that the truth. I adore my little man with my whole heart, but in many ways having him has made me an easy target when it comes to crime. Mom's are easy targets. It's that simple. I mean when it comes down to it, your focus and attention is on your child(ren). Here's a simple example: The other day I was in a grocery store, I had my little munchkin sitting in the chair part of the trolley/shopping cart (with a cart cover - he's loving this experience, I might add). At the end of my manic shopping spree (because I know that he's only going to be calm, relaxed and giggly for so long before he loses his mind and wants to be picked up). I followed the snake-like queue waiting patiently to reach the front and be called to a check-out counter. The entire time I was moving slowly with the queue I was singing and playing with my baby in order to keep him distracted, two women (what ap...

I'm lucky. I get an afternoon off once a week whereby my MIL looks after my little boy. They play and bond - it's great, because I get to be a person away from my son for a minute. And so, I sat drinking every drop of my delicious cappuccino in a secluded coffee shop as I saw her walk by. Pushing her shopping cart/trolley with one hand in front of her, and dragging her pram/stroller behind her, I nodded my understanding. You see, doing grocery shopping with an infant is difficult. Now, I'm not talking about the newborns, because although it's difficult you can still put their car chairs in the trolley, and I'm not talking about the toddlers (because although they want to grab a million things) they can at least sit, stand or walk. I'm talking about that weird stage where your baby can't yet sit, but is becoming more and more interactive. This is difficult, because sometimes placing them in the trolley is not an option, and if you're like me, my lit...