Kel - Harrison started screaming last night too... We think it may have to do with him teething, so we put some bonjela on him and put him to bed and he was fine after that. One thing that we have found to be a brilliant help when we're having a rough night with Harrison is to give him a bath in Bedtime Bath, then to put Baby Balsam on him... these 2 things combined guarantee a good nights sleep for both Harrison and us. I'm not sure how you feel about using commercial branded baby products, obviously I have never had a problem with them... if you don't mind them, give them both a try. Baby Balsam is similar to Vicks, but for babies/toddlers... it has lavender, rosemary, and eucalyptus oils in it. Thanks also for asking after my Mum... she is getting better but she has been told through numerous specialists etc that she may never be able to work again, so she is on a Disability Support Pension now, which has been fairly upsetting for her as she was a very active and social person before her accident.
Catherine - Good on you for doing WIRES... DH and I have considered doing it up here, but we really don't have much time these days with 3 kids. Oh, also congrats on your job... how exciting for you. I agree that counselling sounds like the best option for you and Terry... If things don't work out in the end, at least you know you tried, and you're not left with "What if"'s
Ryn - Thanks for the birthday wishes for my Mum... she has had one shocker of a year, so she loved her birthday weekend. I think you wished Kirsten a Happy Birthday at the same time last year too!!! lol... I only remember because my birthday was yesterday and I wonder if you have us confused? lol
Kym - We only buy Xmas presents here for the kids... plus our neices and nephews... otherwise it gets too expensive... as DH is one of 5 and so am I. The way we look at it is that Xmas is for kids, so they are the most important. We do make food baskets up as presents to give to people though... they are fairly inexpensive so I often forget about them.
Kirsten - Harrison says Ball exactly the same way "Bor" he does it whenever he sees or holds a ball... thats how we knew thats what he was saying. My boy is a chatterbox though, just like his Mum and Dad! lol.
Jayne - Yay Claudia on the routine!! What a good bubba putting herself to sleep like that. Keep up the fantastic work princess
What a great bubba you have Jayne, even with her ear infections she is in a routine. Well done

Sorry to anyone I have missed... it is so hard to keep up these days!

In regards to crawling in public... the only public type place that I let Harrison crawl is at the ECHC... otherwise, no way... never at restaurants etc because of the same reasons others have stated. Some might think I am overly fussy, but I figure it is better to be safe than sorry... I am also not a domestic goddess, but at least I have an idea of what is on the floors of my own home.

Us - We went for our first big pool swim yesterday... there was a spare lane in the 50m pool, so Harrison and I took it over. Not long after, many other Mums and Bubs joined in... I am thinking about asking the pools to keep 1 lane available to Mums and Bubs... I remember when I was pregnant with Madeleine, I would pop James into a chair-like floatie, and I would hold it and kick behind him, almost like using a kick board... it was great for my pregnancy fitness, and James had a ball of a time sitting back watching the swimming world go by... I am sure there are other Mums who would like to be able to do a similar thing too. I had a lovely night... DH made me an Orange and poppyseed cake for my birthday (my fave) it was so nice... Harrison loved watching the candles on my cake too, and he definitely enjoyed the cake!! lol