“Making the decision to have a child – it’s momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body” Elizabeth Stone

 These gorgeous little shoes are for sale on the Bartercard eMARKETplace. They are so sweet! Tip Toey Joey Parky Baby Soft leather, with leather lining and padded leather insole to absorb perspiration, provide comfort, and allow feet to grow naturally. Unique stretching heel. Sizes 18 – 3-6mths

I have found a great place for all our Brisbane Bartercard mums to help stay fit during pregnancy and then shed that post baby weight. It is called Merendi Health and Wellness. They are located in Brendale, Caboolture, Redcliffe and Bribie Island. The email: info@merendi.com.au Website: http://www.merendi.com.au/fitness-classes#Pregnancy They offer pregnancy fitness classes and Strollercize for mum and bub....

It's funny not to say mum It has taken 12 months and 23 days but Sienna is finally saying mum! It has been an on-going joke in our family that Sienna says Dadda, duck, dog, ball but laughs at me everytime I try to get her to say mum. So yippee, we have extended her vocabulary and made it to the end of the first full year as parents. Wishing you all a very happy New Years celebration and a fantastic and...

Being stuck inside for 2 months with a small child is not my idea of fun! I have time off over Christmas to spend with the family hoping to spend it at the beach, visiting Sea World and Movie World, instead everytime we try to step foot out of the house we got drenched! I hasn’t stopped raining for 2 months and I just can’t see it letting up! I’m really findind it hard with a one year old...

I just got some very exicting news that one of our  much loved Bartercard members is currently in labour having her baby! Oh the anticipation…is it a boy or girl?!!! and what will they call it? She is 2 weeks early so we wish her all the very best. I’ll keep you posted.

Pregnancy has to one of the most uncomfortable things a woman can experience (apart from birth). It lasts nine months, your body weakens as it prepares for birth, your muscles ache and you just generally feel wretched. It can be quite hard to find a massage therapist that actually specialises in pregnancy massage but once you find one, they become your best friend and gives you something to look forward to...

 I went to the U2 concert last night. I got the tickets through Bartercard’s sponsorship with the QLD Reds. I have loved U2 for years and went to their Zooropa tour years ago in Sydney. The concert blew me away. It was great to see them again and I have to say that Bono gets better with age but I was disappointed that they didnt’ play more of their older stuff. The stage was brilliant. It was positioned at...

There are some lovely Pooh Bear baby blankets for sale on the Bartercard Members Trading Portal in the eMARKETplace. They are only T$25.00 and they will embroider the baby’s name on the blanket at no extra charge. There is pink, blue and neutral available. Just gorgeous and worth a look! I have just ordered one for Sienna, can’t wait to receive it! It will make such a nice keepsake or gift idea. This...

Sienna has started crawling and she is getting into everything! We spent the day at home yesterday and all day my vocabulary existed of the words “Sienna no”, “no Sienna please don’t touch that” and “Sienna, I told you not to touch that” This was then generally followed with me picking her up and moving her back to her toys which took us in to tantrum phase! Wow, she...

Sienna has recently progressed from just having her two very cute bottom teeth to getting her top teeth. I think normally they get one or two at a time but she is getting four at the same time! She has been handling it quite well, although instead of sleeping until 7am she has been waking at 5.30am for the last two weeks. Starting my day in the dark is not really my idea of fun, so hopefully once they are completely...

3D scan of Sienna at 20 weeks  At 20 weeks Matt and I had a 3D ultrasound done of our baby. It was so exciting. We had no idea that she was a girl at the time but from the close up images of her face we could tell that she was going to look just like her daddy. We were able to take home pictures as well as a DVD of her moving around in my tummy. It was fantastic to share these with family and friends.  Being...

When I was looking to furnish my babies room, I couldn’t believe how expensive cots were. They were priced around $500 each and that was without the change table and draws . What I discovered was that buying second hand is a fantastic option. I managed to buy a cot for only $80! This was a HUGE saving. I was looking on the Bartercard site today and discovered that there three cots for sale, two prams...

I have been sick in bed for three days! Having an 8 month old baby doesn’t make it easy to stay in bed and look after yourself. Although for me I have been so lucky. My husband Matt asked the grandparents to look after Sienna over the weekend so he could take care of me and on Monday he took a day off work, he attended to her every need including the numerous times that she woke over those nights (I think...

Now that I am working three days a week, Sienna is at daycare. It was such a hard decision to make about where to take her. I came across a lovely centre 5 minutes from home that is tucked away amongst trees and away from any main roads. I don’t understand why so many daycare centres are parked on busy street corners and main roads.  In December 2003 Sophie Delezio almost lost her life when a car crashed...

Emily and I recently bought on Bartercard the book “Save our Sleep” by Tizzie Hall. It is the most fantastic book! It teaches mums about the right routine and sleeping techniques.  I was feeding Sienna every three hours as well as doing feeds in the early hours of the morning. This was getting very exhausting and each day would be different based on when she would wake up. According to the book Save our...

Happy Mother’s Day to all of the mothers out there! This Mother’s Day was my first so it was a really special day for me and my family. Sienna obviously knows me very well as she selected a beautiful bracelet and earrings for me. She also wrote me a lovely card thanking me for taking care of her…..it amazes me how talented a 5 month can be (Thanks Matt!). A cup of tea in bed followed by lunch...

Sienna had her 4 month immunisation on Tuesday and Matt and I go the Swine Flu injection. I was quite anxious for Sienna getting her second lot of immunisations but as I sat there talking to my doctor about the Swing Flu injection Matt and I were about to get I actually started to envy Sienna. At least she didn’t know she was about to get injections…she didn’t have the heavy feeling of needle anxiety that...

Today is a sad day. Sienna is no longer in newborn nappies. I know it sounds silly but she is just growing up so quickly and as much as each step is fun and exciting I felt really sad using the last newborn nappy and putting her up to the next size. She is 4 months old now and weighs just over 5kg. She is  really starting to put on weight around the face and legs and it seems that everything is changing with...

Sienna had her first lot of immunisations yesterday. She was very happy laying on the doctors bed drinking the liquid but was quite shocked when she received a jab in the leg. The poor little thing went from smiles to squeals in 2 seconds flat. Thankfully after the initial shock she was fine. It is amazing how quickly they get over the pain we inflict on them. Quite often babies can suffer from a fever after...