311.

That extra hour of sleep does wonders!
Or it might just be the fact of not waking up for Lileeva's every twist and turn through the baby monitor. Yes, I slept in the living room last night and damn wasn't it satisfying! It's way past by Lee snoring or me being paranoid about waking him up fidgeting. I'm just simply unable to sleep in our bed. My back is constantly killing me, nothing to do with the mattress but me needing a back support.
Amongst other reasons, I really can't wait to start my new training, hopefully with improving my back muscles I will have less problems with sleeping as well.
On Sunday we are going for a baby rave with Lileeva, Virág and Nicole! I might have Giulia and Birgit plus another mum and son tagging along whom I'm recently meeting on baby group sessions. Finding it funny how Lee kept calling baby groups as baby raves, then I stumble in this online. I love the hippie-trancey-squat party like idea, for and with babies. It's held only for an hour or so during the afternoon, and takes place once a month. If it turns out as good as it sounds, that's me getting my party on with Lileeva every month from now on.

310.

A couple of days ago when Lileeva spotted my lunch, blatantly pointed at it and asked loud and quite clear 'What's that?' then another time she was saying 'I love...' walking towards me with her arms open! Awww!
She can be the sweetest thing ever, but damn doesn't she have a temper! Every time I tell her off, she starts to scream and throws herself on the floor, which if I'm not careful about, makes her cry due to bashing her head in. It's not even like I tell her off all the time, mainly just when she throws her unwanted bits of food on the floor, or when playing with the plugs, even then I usually just tell her 'No!' and move her from the socket. She only ever gets gentle hand smacks when she intentionally throws things at us, for example my own phone. I'm not sure whether or not it's the right parenting, but I don't give in to her hissy fits, in my opinion if I did, she would end up being a spoiled little brat, which I really don't want.
Lileeva became a really fussy eater lately! She doesn't eat things she used to like and not so keen on some of the newly introduced stuff either, so our food choices are quite limited nowadays.
At least I was right about her lactose intolerance, no toddler's diarrhoea luckily! She's absolutely fine on soya milk and back on the daily one, healthy poo. Ah yeah!
Me and Lee took her out to the farm this afternoon, to meet with a real (Peppa) pig, goats, donkeys and chickens. I think she liked the chickens the most, she was chasing them and copying the rooster's crowing haha!

309.

A mixture of thoughts ahead.
I have some seriously irregular periods since the implant has been taken out. Either that, or I have lost them. It's been a while, I mean it's March and the past 4 months I only had two. It only bothers me because we decided on another baby, so... Then again, it will happen if/when it should, and my system probably just still adjusting to my new diet and exercise plan, and/or my thyroid functions might be changing at last?!
An outsider who met me, Lee and Lileeva for the very first time said Lileeva looks a lot like me! For once! I got used to keep hearing how much she used to look like Lee, but lately people are noticing the similarity between me and her too, and it makes me happy.
Lileeva is back on having two naps a day again. Not sure how I feel about it, but as long as it works for her, I'm easy. It just means we're missing out on baby groups, but since the weather is nicer I usually just take her out to the park after lunch, same as last summer. She wakes up around 07am lately, has a nap before lunch and has one after we are back from the park, before dinner.
She is also trying to talk a lot more, uses different sounds and words on purpose. She also knows the meaning of a lot of words, regardless she isn't able to say them.
I met a mum over the playground yesterday and we started to chat while pushing our daughters on the swings. Her little one is coming up to 3, she was obviously walking, talking and was very aware of things around her. For this reason, I was shocked when her mum started to explain to me that her previous couple (Twins.) were conceived via IVF and the one swinging 'was just an accident'. What?! I would never in a blue moon would call Lileeva an accident. I even hate using the term 'unplanned' because as soon as we found out that I was pregnant, we were planning her. Nor would I say something like this out loud in front of her! Well baffled!
Lee is planning a family day out for us on the weekend! We probably are going to a farm and maybe having a little picnic if the weather is nice. Proper happy about it, and the fact that it was his suggestion. It just shows he really does care. Some of my friends with kids are having great difficulties with their partners, and no efforts seems to be paid by their other halves. I know that we have hard times with Lee every now and then, but he always seems to care, and tries to make things work too. It's all been gayly good lately though. I'm a happy bunny.

308.

I'm not entirely sure when did this happen, but Lileeva is walking now. And I do mean she rather walk around the flat than crawl. Lee even took her out for a journey and she was walking to and from the bus stop! Regardless she's comfortable in a small familiar place, I would have thought she would be scared out on the streets.
Either way, when I took her out today, she wasn't so keen. She was certainly due her nap and wearing different shoes so I didn't force her much.
Still hesitating between the hard and soft sole shoes... We do have both, and she seems to be able to walk easier in the soft sole ones, but I find it's too cold for them, and she will have to learn to walk properly in hard sole ones sooner or later anyway.

307.

As of yesterday, another one of our holiday is booked!
Obviously summer season were out of question so I chose September for this two weeks family outings for more than one reasons. Firstly, Lileeva will most likely to be walking by then (Fingers crossed!) which should make our lives easier, knowing how mobile she is. We can't really have her crawling around in a restaurant for example. Secondly, more or less I'm planning her to be potty trained by then. See how that will work out though... Thirdly, the weather is still nice then, and with the season over, the prices are a tiny bit lower.
This time the three of us are going to Rome for 10 days and to Budapest straight after for another 4 days.
We were hesitating about the destination, mainly because Lileeva is yet too small for example Disneyland, but is too big to get bored easily. Furthermore, both me and Lee prefer holidays where are things to do and places to see rather than sitting by the hotel's pool all day long.
I always wanted to go to Rome, Vatican City and their catholic culture especially among my interests, even though I'm not a believer in the so called 'one and only' God. In fact I'm leaning towards the Illuminati view, Dan Brown's Angels & Demons and all that haha! Playing Assassin's Creed Brotherhood and learning Italian in school also helped me decide about the destination.
And of course, it will be awesome to see my family and friends at the end of our trip. I even have a guess about my mum and nan wanting to spend as much time with Lileeva as they can, so perhaps me and Lee will have bit of a free time together, for the change.
I really can not wait now!

306.

My baby is very poorly. She's over the snotty nose but her chesty cough has gotten worse. It's so bad that she coughs while asleep, and wakes up for the pain crying. Therefore we have a sleepless night ahead of us.
I've tried everything I could possibly think of. CalPol before bath, sniffle-snuffle rub on chest and back, warm milk before bed, a teaspoonful of honey when she woke up crying for the third time, then some melted vapour rub in a bowl of boiling water in her room. This seemed to be worked for a little while.
I never believed when my mum said the same to me, but now I can 100% relate; I just wish I could swap with Lileeva, wish I could take and suffer her pain in return of her feeling better.
She seems to be settling with the soya products! We had a messy nappy day since I cut dairy out of her diet, but it was a one off thing so I'm not too concerned.
Went to visit Nicole on Thursday and she said Lileeva being independent is clearly visible. She knows what she wants, and she's going for it, 'telling off' people standing in her way.
With other words: She's incredibly demanding. I obviously love the fact that she knows what she wants, but per usual, whatever she usually wants are forbidden. Knives, plugs or a bottle of bleach. Damn do I dare and tell her off! She throws a screaming fit right away. Quite annoying, really, but I know the best I can do is act apathetic, otherwise she gets used to acting like a spoilt doll when she wants another candy/toy/outfit/whatever else.
She's also learning very quick. This week only, she managed to unplug the charger from the wall socket (Another risk factor, hallelujah!) and figured how to open the washing machine. Kind of scary, if you think about it. They just watch, explore and learn. I'm terrified of showing/teaching her bad examples, with my everyday activities, without actually realising it. Little things like shouting at the cat or sitting on my phone way too long and too often.
Me and Lee have watched a few videos of her, from the very beginning, and looking back, I honestly can't remember her being like that. Short hair, chubby face, fully dependent on us versus the cheeky, long haired beauty with a temper.
Regardless the hard times I'm having with her every now and then, in my eyes, she's truly amazing.

305.

Sleep deprivation makes my life hell currently.
Not really Lileeva related, maybe on terms of having to pull myself through each day and she might experiencing a moody mummy lately. I'm trying my best against it though.
I learnt to accept my earplug addiction and the fact that I never will be the person who goes to bed at 09pm and wakes up fresh as a daisy, ready for life at 05am.
But the fact that I'm unable to sleep next to Lee is ridiculous! I can't even blame him for it, since he's sleeping pretty much on the edge, while I'm taking over the bed, plus stealing one of his pillows and most of the duvet too. It's coming up two and a half year since we've been together and I only slept in the same bed at the same time as him for 9 months, throughout my pregnancy. Beforehand I had my own apartment, and after having Lileeva I had to transfer to a 'day person' and I'm finding it very difficult to adapt again.
I know it will get easier. It just has to.
But as of now, I've pretty much not slept for 2 weeks now. I go to bed a couple of hours before Lee, laying there still awake when he comes in. I drop off around midnight, just to wake up at 03am for my back aching. Or not being able to get comfortable. I obviously don't want to fidget a lot, in case I woke him up, but this just makes me even more conscious about how uncomfortable I am. If I did drop back off, I either have crazy dreams, or Lileeva's cough wakes me or in fact, Lee's snoring does. Either way, I wake up every hour from then on until 07am when I finally get up.
I could and did have afternoon naps with Lileeva, but that just resulted me staying awake for even longer and sleeping less during the night.
Therefore my new technique is sucking it up (Just when I was trying to cut down on coffee, obviously.), and after a couple of days I'm so utterly exhausted that I do pass out around 10pm and only wake up at 05am. That, or sleeping on the sofa in the living room, where the cat never leaves me alone, and one of the streetlights shines straight into my face.
It has to get easier.