Diaper Bag Confessions

My trusty diaper backpack 

source: carters.com 

You know those people that take along a suitcase for an overnight trip? That would be me. Guilty as charged. And it's not because I pack a bazillion dresses.
I take actual emergency supplies. Like first aid, medicine, chargers, umbrellas, raincoats, shoes for all terrains, toilet paper and all sorts of paraphernalia that I imagine I might just suddenly need.

Then along came baby and my 'being-ready-for-anything' instinct multiplied ten fold.

I'm that mamma with a baby in the carrier at the front and a heavy 'hiking' type backpack behind.

Before the baby arrived, I did my research and decided that a backpack diaper bag would be the most suitable for me. I knew I would be carrying a lot of supplies and I wanted to give my shoulders and back a break by evenly distributing that load on two shoulders instead of one.

I wanted my 'dream' diaper bag to be a backpack style bag (additional points if it could convert to a messenger bag or shoulder bag/ waterproof because accidents were bound to happen),  roomy with multiple compartments and pockets for the tons of stuff I planned to carry, and a design that both my husband and I were comfortable with.

And so after looking around a bit online, I settled on the athletic backpack diaper bag from carter's. 

Look at this beaut! It was for 42$ at the time of purchase and it was totally worth it.

So let me tell you the pros and cons of this bag.

Pros
Plenty of compartments and pockets so its easy to give every item its own special place. That makes it so much easier when you're trying to direct people to find things in the bag.
I usually store diapers, extra sets of clothes and towels in the main back compartment.
This compartment also has a very handy see through pouch that you could use for dirty clothes or to carry diapers and comes with a handy ribbon attachment so you can tug it out in an instant (that is the see-through pouch you see poking out of the top in the image)
J's medical file, toiletries and changing mat go in the main front compartment. The bag also comes with it's own large wipe-able padded changing mat.
The outer top pocket is for me. My sunglasses, chargers, and gum go in there. Lower outer pocket is for her toys so that we can whip them out in an instant.
It also has an insulated side pocket for hot water and bottles.
MY ABSOLUTE FAVORITE COMPARTMENT IS THE BUILT IN EXTERIOR WIPE CASE.
Imagine! You don't have to dig into your bag for a wet wipe and end up getting everything inside dirty and sticky. The wipes are at your service hanging out on a side of the bag. You can reach over with one hand and with a push of a button you can access those glorious germ fighting squares of amazingness. 
The bag also suits everyone from mamma, bappa, maama and so on. My husband likes to imagine that it would be the envy of all tween girls. 

Cons. 
The only con, that I can find is that the bag is a bit bulky. It has a padded back and straps that make it comfy even if you carry the bag for long periods of time but all that padding makes it bulky enough to make you second guess squeezing through tiny spaces. 
It is also not completely waterproof :( 
It can survive a light drizzle, but a sippy cup accident once left the bag drenched from the inside)

Unfortunately, this particular model is out of stock at carters.com at the moment but other carter's models can be found on ebay, amazon or toys'r'us. 

I'm quite happy with my trusty diaper backpack, but if I were to get a new one, I would probably go for a smaller and stretchier one without the extra bulkiness. 

I know a diaper bag is practically a life line for most mamma's. So what is your favorite thing about your diaper bag? 

 

Something Purple!

How pretty is this? 

I know it looks processed and synthetic but this here is nothing but a bowl of wholesome organic goodness.

For J's lunch I steamed up some purple sweet potatoes and then blended it into this spectacular looking purple goop. 

Sweet potatoes are a highly nutritious food and are rich in simple starches, complex carbohydrates, dietary fiber, beta-carotene (a provitamin A carotenoid), vitamin C, vitamin B6, manganese, potassium, iron and calcium. The more intense the color, the more antioxidants it has. 

source: healthfame.com 

J seemed to like it well enough and didn't make as many 'yucky' faces as she usually does with most new food, so this was an actual win-win for us. She gets to eat something she likes and I get to include a good dose of nutrients in her diet. (I also get to eat a few pieces myself = healthy mamma and healthy baby). 

She did have to take lunch in just her diaper that day because I wasn't sure how easy it would be to get that brilliant purple color off her clothes. 

As for her, she ended up with a nice lip color that would be the envy of all kylie lip kit owners around the world. 

I got my sweet potatoes from a retail store, and the week before we got them from Laamu. So luckily this nutrition packed super food is grown locally and it won't be too hard to source them for your little one. 

Have you included sweet potatoes in your baby's diet? If so, do give purple sweet potatoes a chance too! 

xx

J's Playdate!

So J had her very first playdate yesterday! My friend came over with her baby and we popped her baby and J in the playpen. They're still at that age where they don't know how to play together but I think they had a good time playing beside each other.  

If you are interested in reading more about  baby socialization milestones, do visit babycenter.com.

Here is an excerpt from an article on babycenter.com about socialization milestones for kids aged between 7 months and 1 year. 

"For the most part, your little guy is far too busy honing his skills to really engage with another child. When two babies under 1 are put next to each other with a set of toys, they usually play alone and not with each other.Your baby may start to take a fleeting interest in other babies now that he's more mobile. Most of the interaction will be limited to a glance and a grab, but once in a while he'll smile and coo or imitate another baby's sounds." 

This was pretty accurate for J and her playmate. My friend and I had a good time watching them playing by themselves and then occasionally tossing a ball at the other, reaching out for a pat or watching J babbling out some very exciting things in her own language.
J's friend on the other hand, happened to be 3 months younger than her and paid little to no attention to J and focused most of her attention on tasting all the toys in the playpen.

All in all, it was pretty engaging and fun, for both the babies and us mummies and I think I would actually like to set up more playdates for J so that she can work on her social skills.

xx

Wondering how to survive those wonder weeks!

 

Source: thewonderweeks.com

Ah those wondrous wonder weeks! Just when you think you have parenting figured out, a wonder week comes by and suddenly your sweet little 'schedule-following' baby goes haywire and you come close to accepting the fact that you may never get to sleep ever again.

I first learnt about wonder weeks at around the 5-6 weeks mark when the babybub refused to sleep at all for a couple of nights.
I was going mad at this point due to the lack of sleep and my mother-in-law and I fretted as we took turns cat napping and trying to coax the baby to go to sleep for the love of all things holy. I would nurse the baby and then we cradled her, rocked her, walked around, gave her a warm bath, created a sleepy environment, sang lullabies, prayed, begged, pleaded and tried every possible method.

The few times she did fall asleep, she would wake up the minute we put her down in the crib as if we placed her on a bed of needles.
And it was in that mind zombified state that I turned to the great wise master for answers and as always, google did not disappoint me! I stumbled across wonder weeks in a mum forum and suddenly everything made sense.

Wonder weeks are where your baby is going through developmental growth spurts and the energy and effort going into these developments and leaps causes them to go a bit off track from their regular schedules.
For example, my baby was in the midst of learning a new skill last week and I can't even explain the havoc it caused. Her nap schedule changed, she woke up a bazillion times in the night (because her little brain is so fired up, eager and engaged with learning and practicing this new skill) and it was utter sleepless madness for everyone involved.

Funnily it also coincided with wonder weeks for some of my other mummy friends and as we all cried about our wide awake kids and tried to support each other at 4 a.m. we got to discussing wonder weeks and what new leaps our kids were taking.

My guide to getting through wonder weeks are;

1. Educate yourself. Arm yourself with knowledge so that you are not left clueless and crying in the bathroom. Read up and learn more about what your baby is going through and try to help her adjust. Know when exactly you should expect a wonder week and be prepared for it.

2. Brace yourself. Be mentally & physically prepared for a couple of rough nights. Get a good book, some chocolate, snacks, a drink or two and try to make your sleeplessness as less miserable as possible.

3. Get help. From your husband, mother, your in laws, sister, your friend or anyone else willing to stay up with you or switch shifts with you so that you get some sleep in.


It might seem like your baby will never sleep ever again, but give it a couple of nights and you'll have your sweet baby back and she would have probably learnt a new skill that will  get you smiling and thinking that it was all worth it.

Good luck to all the mamma's going through the wonderful wonder weeks!
xx

#OnlyAMum

source: flickr.kastner

Mothers have an inbuilt feature that allows them to put everything ahead of themselves.
She was created in such a way that she would put her baby and her family's needs ahead of her own.

Such is the beautiful grace of a mother.

Only a mum, can function after a sleepless night without caffeine.
Only a mum, can handle poopy butts, pee, vomit & all sorts of body fluids without a flinch.
Only a mum, will be willing to give up the last piece of chocolate up without complaining.
Only a mum, will be happy to have a droopy, flabby, stripey body for the sake of having you.
Only a mum, has the amazing ability of handling a baby, a home, a family and a career all at once.
Only a mum, has the will power to keep going ahead with a smile no matter what.


The few lines above barely makes a dent in all the things that only a mum is capable of.

Only a mum, can prioritise everything and everyone over herself.

I have such overwhelming respect for all the mama's out there. You practically make the world go around. Much love to you!

xx

Regret

Regret
/rɪˈɡrɛt/

verb

1. What you feel when you accidentally make eye contact with your half asleep baby.

The singles on the bus?

The minute you become a parent, nursery rhymes become your weapon of choice. I was lucky enough to brush up my dusty nursery rhymes library by encouraging my 4 year old neighbour (who likes to sing out from her bedroom window) to share what she learns in school.

The other day I was busy doing parent things when I suddenly hear..

'The singles on the bus wink on and off, on and off, on and off..The singles on the bus wink on and off, all through the town'

Took me a minute to realize it was actually the 'signals' on the bus.

Oh well! I wouldn't mind the singles on the bus getting in some flirting on their way all through the town.

#WhatTheFudgeParentingMoments

Mom Reflexes

I remember being in 6th grade and my PE teacher, a kindly old 'sir' was trying his level best to get me to pass his subject.

Despite his best efforts, I was doing so badly (land sports are just not my thing) and in a final attempt he tried to offer me a reflex test where he drops a ruler and I was supposed to catch it.

Only I didn't.

I couldn't.

I had 0 reflexes. I could never catch the silly ruler.

Looking back, I realise that 6th grade PE is so not the standards of measuring your actual reflexes.

You actual reflexes get measured when you're trying to feed your 'newly-introduced-to-solids' baby and she invents the game of grabbing the spoon when its near her mouth. This horrible exercise gets your reflexes lightening fast because if she wins you have to pause the feeding to clean up sticky mushy hands, faces, hair, toys and everything else in the vicinity.

Part of the exercise also involves being able to successfully get that spoon into your baby's mouth during the opportune moment where she opens her mouth for half a mili-second to scream out a protest (and subsequently keeps it closed for the next 10 minutes and proceeds to only scream with pursed lips).

Sorry you're not here to see my reflexes now 6th grade PE sir. I would be your star pupil now. xx

Hello!

Hello, world!

Welcome to #Mumventures! A blog dedicated to my adventures of being a FTM (first time mum).

This blog may be called #Mumventures, but we all know that this show is entirely run by my little one.
As one of my friends pointed out, this blog should really be titled #Babyventures, but for now, this will have to do.
This is the platform where I will share my view point of the beautiful journey of motherhood (a.k.a nobody really knows what they are doing, but we're just trying our best to raise these little humans that we gave birth to).

Who am I you ask?

Hi! I'm just your average Maldivian mommy in her late twenties. I became a FTM in 2015 and prior to that I haven't had the chance of being around kids AT ALL. So I started off with zero experience and no clues on how to do anything baby related.
However, I've always dreamt of being a mum and so I've faced the challenge of being a mother with joy and determination (and a few breakdowns in the bathroom because frankly it is overwhelming to suddenly realize that you are responsible for the full survival of a little human and this requires your attention 24/7)

As for the little one, my little flower is a dose of sunshine that brings happiness to all those around her.
She is going onto 8 months now and everyday with her is a day of discovery & adventure.

Follow our journey!

xx