I think Danny was the first to have the rings. Finn loved them so we got him a set of his own. They were a favourite toy for ages and did double duty by attaching other toys to the pram. The got broken into sections and I thought they’d been lost.

Over the last few days bits and pieces have reappeared and I’ve put them back together for Leila. They’re a success again. This morning she’s been putting her hands in them and rattling them happily.

Yesterday we all went to Princes’ Park for Cousin’s Club. What started off as three baby boys on a blanket now involves five with four of them running around the playground having a lovely time. But for now Leila gets to sit with her Mum and watch all the fun. I am sure she’ll be up and running in no time at all.

Leila had a dirty nappy this morning. This is not usually something worthy of comment, but this one was so pooey that I decided that a bath was the best way to clean up. No amount of baby wipes were going to get it all.

Leila thought the bath was a great idea too. She generally seems to like her baths, but this is the first time I’ve seen her kick and splash and smile.

Afterwards she was so tired that she had to go straight to bed so it was good exercise as well as making her all clean.

She woke and was a little cross for each injection which was no surprise. What was amazing was that she actually dozed off between the injections and they were only half a minute apart. She then complained a little until I got her back in the Baby Bjorn and went happily back to sleep.

I wish she could stay this good about injections forever.

The 13th of May might have been Mothers Day, but it was auspicious for another reason. It was Leila’s 2 Month birthday. And I’ve been very remiss in letting a whole week pass before posting about it.

It’s hard to describe what has changed about Leila in the last month. Everything and nothing. She’s still our cute little Princess Grumpybum, but she’s a completely different baby as well.

It’s taking a while for us to settle into a reliable routine and at times that does make me a little crazy. But I know that it come eventually and, when it does, I’ll wonder what all the fuss was about.

And the smiles that light up our Little Princess’ face make it all worth it, particularly when I’m feeling the strain.

Someone gave her Dad a very big smile this morning just out of the blue.

He was very touched.

The diary keeping yesterday was interesting. Leila slept for most of the morning and catnapped all afternoon. I haven’t been taking notes today (hard to write while holding and bouncing the baby), but it’s going to be very different. We’ve had catnaps all morning so I’m hoping for some decent sleep this afternoon. If only to give me time to get Finn out of his pjs.

I’ve tried using the Hugabub but it’s not really working for me. It takes me quite a while to put it on and get it adjusted right and that time seems to telescope when Leila is screaming. Once she’s in it she’s generally fine, but she doesn’t seem to like the process of putting her in. I could be hurting her somehow but I don’t think so and, in any case, I don’t feel inclined to keep doing something that obviously upsets her.

We’ve been trying to follow a routine based on the ones in the Contented Little Baby Book, but it always goes pear-shaped at some point and that’s incredibly frustrating so I’m letting go of it for the moment. Today I’m just going to go with the flow and see where that takes us. It’s just Leila & I and we don’t have much on so it’s a good day to try it.

I’m also keeping a diary of when she wakes, feeds & sleeps through the day to see just how long she’s actually sleeping for. I’ve been concerned that she’s not getting enough sleep during the day and that, eventually, we’ll have general sleep issues. Thus far, even if the days are bad, the nights have been really good. It wouldn’t take much, though, for the nights to go wrong too and that would be Not Good.

All of this is not to say that things are going badly. In general it’s all fine. Leila is a different baby to Finn though and it’s just taking me a while to find the rhythm that works for her and I. It’s all just a matter of trying different approaches and tweaking details until we hit the smoothest one for us.

Most of all thank you for being my everything and lovely as well.

I was using the Baby Bjorn a bit, but it still put a strain on my upper back and got quite uncomfortable after a while. Then a woman on a forum I frequent recommended the Hugabub. I got myself one via Ebay and I think I like it. It’s essentially a long strip of fabric that you wrap around your torso and it straps the baby to your body.

Putting it on is a bit of a dark art, but I think it’s the kind of thing that looks harder than it is. You just need to get the knack of it. And I haven’t yet. I always seem to have it too tight or too loose.

Too tight puts Leila’s head right up under my chin. Uncomfortable and really awkward. Too loose has her sitting low on my stomach and puts a strain on my lower back. And you really don’t want to get the fabric twisted. That hurts! But too tight, too loose or twisted, it’s still more comfortable and holds her more firmly than the Baby Bjorn and it leaves my hands free for those small but essential tasks such as eating and drinking.

I’ve yet to work out how to shower and get dressed without putting the baby down, though…