Babies Born July 2007 #21

Hey Flossie, Olivia's theme sounds very cute. How did you get your hair cut? I got mine done today too. Just went back to blonde with a chuncky sexy bob. Wanted a whole new look for a pick me up.

Thanks girls for congratulating my sister. She is the one that just got married. She had her last period on their honeymoon, so no wasting time there. She had been off the pill for awhile but had decided last weekend that she would go back on it, as they really wanted to knuckle down and save money. But I guess mother nature had other plans. It's just the best news.

Something to take my mind off that those terrible deaths of the 18month old little boy and girl in Sunnybank. It has really touched me, and I can't stop thinking about it. How could something like this happen? It's just aweful. Those poor little babies, I just hope that they are playing peacefully now with the angels above. God bless their little souls.

Em, I have 1 neice and nephew on my side of the family, but on DH side I have 3 neices and 1 nephew. But this time it's different. Maybe because I'm old enough to appreciate it. My DH family live in sydney so I don't get to see them much. And my oldest sister's kids are older and I was a teenager when she was pregnant, so not really interesting in big belly's, IYKWIM. Enjoy the pampering. You deserve to get rewarded and feel like a princess from time to time. I think we all deserve it more often. Is the party just at her place?

V, my sister is 3 years older. I doubt I can be her offical doula as she lives in Mt Isa, but I will definately be here for her, for anything. She has already asked to forward onto her all the information I have. I would love to be there for her, during the birth, but even if she wanted me to, I don't think that I would be able to make it up there in time. Qantas only fly there twice a day. I hope avaleigh gets better soon. Jack cut through 3 in the last few days. He now has 5 and it looks like the other top one is on it's way through as well. So different to Charlize who at this stage had none. Let us know if you pick up the pee stick over the weekend. You never know, my sister and you might be due around the same time?????????

Jan, Liam sounds very cute talking to his teddies in the morning. Jack's fav. word at the moment is Birdie, even at 5am after a dreamfeed, birdie this birdie that, then fast asleep. Little buggers!!!!

Anyway ladies, I'll be back later, still got some cleaning to do, eekkkk!!!!

Hi Ladies

Wow there was a fair few posts to read through tonight! Its great. I haven't been posting either as i just dont have the patience to wait and wait lol :redface:

Ethan seems to slowly be getting better ever since i got him a vapouriser to use in his room at night, his cough is still pretty nasty though and at least 3x a day he is vomiting from constantly coughing, it seems phlegmy and being so little he just cant get it up iykwim. I also think his teeth are doing there thing again as his cheeks have been red and dryish for the past two days, he is the price of Drooling and his nappy.....You really dont want to know :sick: lol Flu wise im staring to feel a bit better and sleep well, im surviving on what i get a fair bit of stress going on atm so is affecting my sleep. I also went to the dr the other day as i woke up and it felt like my throat was really swollen and i had to gasp for breath (i thought i was going to die!!:redface:) and the dr has diagnosed me with Gastroesophagal Reflux Disease (GERD) which is like chronic reflux and the reason my throat went that way is that my throat lining is burnt, so diet adjustments in place and that terrible mylanta will hopefully keep it tolerable for now. The thing is that GERD is usually life long and requires medication most times but the pills have not been proven safe during pregnancy the good thing is that the dr thinks that being it started with pregnancy it may go when bubs is born like GD. I hope so lol if i have tomato or anything acidic i know whats going to happen in the morning lol at least i will have a warning this time and wont panic!!

Mel- Hope your babys are feeling better soon. Your hair cut sounds Great, Do you feel better for it? Congratulations to your sister, how exciting. I cant believe jack is only 2 wks away from being one! Im going to be another emotional one too, i got teary just thinking about 1st birthdays the other day, but i tear up over just about anything lately!
Hearing about those little twins broke my heart poor little darlings so devastating. How cute is jack talking birdies at 5am!!

Lis- Nope ethan not a cuddly baby really either, but sometimes i would just love a hug too! No sterilising here either, and im no longer boiling water either, although occasionally i still do sometimes, i started unboiled water by giving 1 unboiled bottle a day for a week and then added one each week until all his bottles were unboiled iykwim.

Em- Enjoy your pampering hey its great to do it when you can, I hope to get to a hair dresser soon i feel like a ragged house wife atm :redface: The engagement party sounds fun, enjoy yourselves.

Oops Ethan is awake ladies so must pop back to finish personals later or tomorrow.

Oh before i go Veronica goodluck with your POAS if you decide to do it! How exciting.

OK Goodnight ladies.

Hey Everyone!!

I've got the be honest with you all. I dont think I am preggers at all! I think my body is getting ready to ovulate now or soon.. SO I dont think I am going to POAS, but I do need to go to the shops later and I might wonder past the HPTs...

Well I better go! We've got a busy afternoon.. BBL for personals

UH OH!!! :o Avaleigh has 4 teeth cutting through at once!! SHe is handling it pretty well but has the rosiest red cheeks! So cute.. I better get a photo of this day so we remember that 4 teeth cut through at once!

Jess - you poor thing having to take Mylanta, I absolutely hated the stuff when I was pregnant. Fingers crossed that it does go away once Bub2 arrives.

V - I hope that something happens for you soon. Maybe all the dieting combined with BFing and everything else thats on your mind has just got your body in a bit of a spin. Poor Avaleigh, getting 4 teeth at once, but then kind of lucky to get them over & done with in one hit.

Mel - I hear you on those tragic twins, got to be one of the saddest things I've ever heard. I started reading the posts about it, but just couldn't after a bit, it's so upsetting. Thank goodness we have some good stories to share to help balance the emotions out.

Lis - the quilt sounds really pretty, and butterflies are such a gorgeous girlie theme to have. How much fun is the party planning.

I've had a lovely day today. Had some school friends over for lunch, girls that I had lost contact with, then last year we had a school reunion, and we've stayed in touch, which is really nice. One of them had a really sad story though, her younger sister lost her baby the week before christmas, she went full term & had perfect pg, but apparently the cord got twisted around, and baby had spent too much time in meconium, so only lived a short while. Breaks my heart to hear, but the good news is that she's pg again, but the freaky thing is that she found out she was pg exactly 1yr & a day after she found out about her first pg, and her 2nd baby is due on pretty much the same day. THat would make for some really tough emotions I think. And on another good note, a close friend of mine who's been trying for a while and had a couple of m/c's is now 13weeks along, so I'm absolutely thrilled for her. Problem is, all this pg talk is making me super clucky, but I still haven't seen AF, and I'm bfing so much I don't like my chances of anything happening. Oh, and having the "energy" would probably help too. All good though, cos I would prefer to be married before no2 anyway, so there's some motivation for getting these things organised quicksmart.

Heya Jan!
How are ya???
Our sleeping has improved so much over here... so exciting! Lach has slept 12 hours the last 2 nights. He has woken maybe twice a night for his dummy, but quickly goes back off.

His Constipation is another story. The soy formula he is on has done nothing. If anything, it's a little worse.
So once this tin of formula is done, we will revert back to normal formula, adn try vaalia yoghurt ( which has probiotics in it) and yakult. If that doesn't work, it's onto laxatives. Fingers crossed something works for him. We head back to the pead just after his 1st birthday to reveiw everything.

Thanks for asking about me.
Well I've been very busy with everything lately. Amongst organising lachie's birthday party and my wedding, I am also organising a bit of a party for my own birthday. 25 is a bit of a milestone I reckon;) LOL

Well, I hope you are all well. I seem to be getting lost in the posts. :)

Chat soon

xxoo Nicky

Hi Everyone

Hope you have all had a nice weekend.

Well Ethan has been terribly ill again! I thought his flu had cleared up but on friday morning all of a sudden he had a real high fever was all floppy and kept drifting in and out of sleep and when he was awake would just cry and i couldnt get him to eat or drink anything, I took him to the Drs (was very lucky to get in there) and his temp was up to 39.5! I was scared :redface: so i had to take him to the hospital for a supositry poor little thing, it was rather uncomfortable for him but within 30 mins his temp was back to normal and we got to go home, yesterday his temp went back to 38.7 but with a tepid bath and panadol it slowly came back down, soo far today his temp is ok so hopefully it stays that way, if all is good by tuesday then he wont need to go back to the dr, he thought it was just viral. The scariest thing was when i lifted his shirt up at the drs he had broken out in a febrile rash wich wasnt there like 10mins earlier, i freaked and thought "OMG whats wrong with him"! Besides that my flu has cleared up, just got the sniffles, and the morning sickness has disappeared!! So relieved lol as i had it all the way through with ethan, now i just need my energy back!

Nicky- Yay for lachie, what great sleep :clap: I hope the constipation is sorted out soon hun, must be so uncomfortable for your little man.

Jan- Yes i cant stand the mylanta either, it makes me gag everytime!

Veronica- Poor Avaleigh cutting four teeth at once! Hopefully they come through quickly and as painlessly as possible.

Well i best get off here, just thought i would pop in while having a break from the house work and i need to get motivated again lol
BBL:)

Hi everyone. You've all been so busy with your posts, I don't know if I can keep up :)

Nicky - Autie is taking something called Mega Oil for her eczema and a side effect is really good bowel movements. If you want to give it a go, it's a combination of natural oils and you can get it at good chemists. It will be in the fridge section.

Jess - so sorry to hear little Ethan has been feeling so poorly. Thank goodness you are feeling a bit better. I will send some energy vibes your way :hug:

Jan - That's both sad and happy news about the baby - would be bittersweet for them I think. Hope everything goes well for them this time. I hear you on the cluckiness. I have to keep looking at Autie and thinking 'no, hold out! I don't want to divide my time just yet!' Can't believe you still haven't got AF! I only lasted til 5months :( AND I was BF night and day!

V - Wow, four at once! Hope little Avaleigh is coping with all that toofy action!

Lis - I don't boil water and haven't for months. My personal opinion is, the sooner they're exposed to germs, the sooner they build an immune system (or like Em said, they can lick the floor so what's the point? LOL) The butterflies sound very cute. We are having those little pink fairy cupcakes for Autie's party. Is Olivia getting a butterfly cake? :)

It's funny all this talk about cuddly bubs atm. Autumn has just begun giving kisses (lots) when we ask and is also into giving 'squeezies' though she's not one to sit on your lap and snuggle for ages - far too much work to do! LOL I think she is weaning herself off me which I thought was going to NEVER happen as she's always been so BFing mad keen. It's good because she will take a bottle now and sleeps better and is settling herself but also kinda sad :(
How much formula is everyone on per day these days?
Crap, gotta go and didn't get to everyone sorry. Can't keep dinner waiting when it's been cooked for me though...:hooray:

Just a quick hi and bye sorry!

v test test test!!!!!!

Morning everyone!

Just a quick one from me as I have bacon cooking (bacon and eggs for brekky - YUM!!) I am NOT pregnant. I've been charting my cycle since missing my period and my temp has taken a dive and all signs are pointing to me ovulating now. Its funny cause I missed my period 9 days ago and I am ovulating now, which would be the same time if I did have my period! Probably all the stress and new diet made my body get out of whack. I've stopped my diet and will probably have a job in the next week or so, so the stress is slowly going away..

BBL for personals!

YEEHAW!!! I've got a job!! My dad organised some work for me and this company sounds really good and really laid back. Its a new area within the company that they are trying to work out and trying to find the right people for it. at the moment its 5 weeks of garanteed work, but if I dont have the right skills, then it mightnt work out. But they will love me!! I start whenever I can get Avaleigh in to day care and I can do what ever hours that I want.

V congrats on the job. Good luck!

Sacha, thanks for that. Lach has a little bit of eczema too, so that might come in really handy. I will head to the chemist tomorrow.

Jan -How is Liam going with his sleeping?? Lach has slept at least 12 hours a night since last thursday night ( he slept 14 hours on saturday night). I hope this continues for a while;)

TOJ - SOrry to hear little ethan has been sick. Hope the pregnancy is going well.... you are making me very clucky here!

Jas- Hi! and bye! LOL

Well, Lach's constipation is not getting any better on Soy, so I think it's time for normal formula when the tin runs out tomorrow.
Weird thing is this morning, he did a poo and didn't make a sound. It was nice and soft (lol). I actually gave him some vaalia yoghurt yesterday ( which has probiotics in it) and am thinking that may have had an affect?? ANway, I will give him some yoghurt everyday, and see how we go.

On the wedding front, I only have boys suits (groomsmen only as Adam has his suit already:)), and my shoes to organise! Yay!!!
I am meeting with the caterer to go over the menu tomorrow, which is good, and I will be paying for the venue tomorrow. My dress will be ready early August, so I will have my shoes by then, and my invites are going out next week:) It's all starting to come together.
Just alcohol and some decorations to buy, but I am happy to stretch that out over the next few months.
I can't beleive it is only just over 3 months. eek!

Anyway, my dad's birthday tomorrow, and then Lachie turns 11 months old this week... exciting times!!
Hope all is well:)

OMG, We just got home from the burns unt. Jac got burned on the BBQ. BBL wth some detals

Hi ladys gee i have so much to catch up on i think i mtie leave it and just start again as of today i dont think i would have time to do personals...

Mel- i hope Jack is ok and nothing to bad....

Bayleigh is FINALLY back to his normal self had the bug for 12 days all up Test came back with nothing at all GRRRRR its a bit frastrating....
Ill have to cum back in later tonight as we have Chloes Parent/teacher Interviews tonight and i need to get ready

Chat soon

Sarah

Oh Mel, that is bad news :( Hope Jack is ok and that you being home is good sign. :hug:

Sarah, that's great that Bayleigh is feeling better. Autie had a 4 week run of the runs when she was about 4m and nothing ever showed up - it is very frustrating isn't it?

Nicky, I forgot to mention you can also get baby probiotics at the chemist which Autie also takes for eczema and it helps along digestion too as a bonus. They aren't cheap but I feel they have helped a lot and it's easy to mix them with food or even just a little water as they have no taste. Also in the fridge :)

Actually Sarah, Bayleigh might benefit from those too. Just a thought.

Hi Jas:D Hope all is well at your place.

Congratulations on your job V. Hope it all works out - sounds nice and flexible and it's always good to be in on new things from the start.

Hi everyone else. BBL

Hi Ladies,

Well as I am feeling guilty at being so bad at personals I'm going to try hard so please forgive me if I miss you!

V, Hmm its wierd what your body can do hey? Congrats on the job! Do you think you will work 5days??

Sacha, Hi! Everything is going great here, Noah still has a bit of the cough left but its going! Just busy with everything planning his party too. On thurs night phil and I left Noah with mum so we could do some shopping with that and also over the weekend we got, 2 banners some hanging 1st birthday boy decoration things, a huge 1 helium balloon, 50 helium balloons and a tank all organised, a candle for his party and one for his actual birthday and also a couple of the things I will need for his cakes (am doing one for his bday and one for party)

We also bought for his gifts so far-

a bike (one with sunshade and straps to keep him in and the handle at the back that you can remove later)
2 balls (a baseball size one and a soccer ball sized one)
a wiggles dvd and a elmo dvd (first dvds for Noah)
a puzzle
a car shaped cushio/toy thing
and this toy that makes music and has a stck with a handle (to walk along and push)

so we are pretty organised

I also got this Geotech i think its called awesome toy for only $20 marked down from $70 its not until 2.5years but was such a bargain i can store it until christmas 2009

Sarah, I'm glad Bayleigh is feeling his usual self again, Noah has a black eye atm he fell and hit the frame of the wardrobe on sat, the things that happen to our bubs hey!

Nicky, Yay on the wedding front!! I can't wait will be very exciting to see pics etc! Haven't seen you in the ttc threads lately, are you still planning on trying next month??

Mel, I'm so sorry to hear about Jack the poor little thing I really hope he is alright sin't feel bad either if you are!!! as I said Noah currently has a black eye and well he's had quite a few bruises etc in his life these things happen and we do our best to protect our beautiful kids but we aren't superhuman!! and hey being human means cuts and bruises etc

Jess, Sorry to hear about Ethan I hope he's a bit better now, have you decided if you are find ing out the gender? sorry if you already told us? I've only kinda skimmed through some of the last posts!!

Jan, that is a very sad story about and would be very hard with this pregnancy! How long are you planning on bf for?

Well just to add a bit more news Phil and I are now ttc no2!!! We are being very relaxed though I am taking notice of the length of my cycles on ff but not temping or anything like that very occasionally using maybe baby to and now dtd any more than usual got preg 2nd month off the pill with noah and the 1st month I don't think I ovulated so who knows we will see how it all goes!! It is very exciting as well as a little scary!!

Hi everyone!

Long time no post.....but I have been reading so I'm not falling behind!

Just wanted to say to Mel that I hope Jack is ok and that I hope it wasn't too serious of a burn. :hug: to you.

All is good here, Oliver is doing really well. Can't believe my baby boy will be one in a couple of weeks though, where did the time go?

Will try and post a bit more soon.

Raels. xo

O.K. Firstly, congrats V on the new job, that's sounds exactly like what you needed. Hopefully you and Jason can now start to de-stress. Has avaleigh cut all those teeth yet. Jack cut 4 at once as well its so not fare for them.

Sacha, thanks for the thoughts.

Sara, I'm glad that bayleigh is now o.k, poor little man.

Well, what a day. Poor little Jack is now fast asleep, and it's definately good news he is home. He burnt his hand on our BBQ today. We had him under running cold water straight away, which hopefully saved him from 3rd degree burns. He has his arm in a splint, all dressed up with this new burns dressing, that only needs to be changed every 3 days. He has at the moment 2nd degree burns to his fingers and his palm, but they think he might have 3rd degree burns on his palm :(. They won't know for sure until friday, once the burns have settled. His poor little hand was all swollen, and blistered. But he was a trooper, and didn't nudge at all when they cut all his skin away, to dress it, all though it might have been due to the 3 doses of childrens morphine they gave him. That part was a little funny, within 5 minutes of the 3rd dose, he went from screaming to saying birdie, birdie, birdie, I was just glad he wasn't in pain anymore.

Anyway, so hopefully it's just 2nd degree burns and he won't need a skin graph. Although hopefully it's even better than first thought on firday and he will be all better with a couple of weeks.

It's definately tought us, that when the BBQ is on, kids are inside no matter what. Even if you talk all precautions, it just takes a split second, and they can be in danger.

I just hope he doesn't pay in the long run for our stupid mistakes. :(.

Wow, I missed a few posts during my attempt of personals, so now some more.

Jas, yey on TTC no.2. That's the best news. Just what I needed for a pick me up. I can't wait to hear the good news. Sounds like Noah is going to love all his presents.

Raels, thank you so much for thinking of us. I'm glad to hear that Oliver is doing so well. I can't believe either that they will soon be 1, time has gone so quick. I was just saying to Jem the other day, that it only seems like yesterday that we were all sitting around discussing who would be next to go, lol.

Jem, speaking of which how did Jesse go?

Mel, when Lexxen was 11 months old he burnt both of his hands on the oven door, climbing up to standing. It was awful. Luckily they were only superficial burns but I will never forget the scream that came out of his mouth and me having to 'peel' his hands off the oven door - I had it turned up really high to preheat it fast - so I know how you must be feeling right now. We ended up spending 3 days in the hospital as they were worried about him getting an infection, and it needed to be dressed often. Hope Jack heals well, I'm sure he will. :hug:

Oh poor Lexxen, what a scare it must have been. I guess he is very lucky to have these new dressing on that only need to be changed every 3-7 days. They are some silver dressing that has little tiny tubes attached to an outer plug, that I drain with some fluid 3 times a day. The dressing when kept moist react with the silver and prevent infection and help to heal the wounds. They will change the dressing on friday, and will also then be able to tell how bad the burns are. Hopefully they will just need to be re-dressed without the splint (as Charlize is copping some mighty blows on her head) and he can come home again.

Anyway, I can't believe in 6 days he will be a big 1 year old. I'm looking forward to it now.

Hope everyone is well.

How is the new job V?

Hey everyone!

I've been meaning to get on here to post but have been busy organising stuff for the start of work. I have Avaleigh starting daycare on Monday. We are going in tomorrow to check out the centre and sign the enrolment papers. I have her going to an ABC centre and am really anooyed they are raising their day fees but there are only ABC centres around my area and Jason wants to pick Avaleigh up when he finishes work. I've called centrelink to see what sort of benefits I can get and they said to call back when I know how much I am earning. So I start the job on Monday and have told them I can do Monday, Tuesday and wednesday - its great how they are letting me do what I want. I did say if the position needs me to change hours, then I will - but hopefully it wont!

Mel - Oh no about Jack! How horrible - I hope that everything will be OK when you go and re-bandage on Friday. The big 1 year old!!! How exciting - they grow so quickly. How are all the party plans coming along? Avaleigh has two teeth totally cut through, the other two are taking their time but should be out soon - she is looking very lop-sided at the moment!!

Jas - YAY on the TTC!!! :cheer: Lets hope you guys get it first go - how exciting!!! I would love to go down that journey again but am happy to wait a little bit longer. Those present sound cool! Noah is going to be spoilt :) Probably like all they kiddies will be!!

Sarah - great to hear that Bayleigh is all better.

Well I better be off. I have a class at the gym nice and early tomorrow. I dont know how I am going to manage getting myself and Avaleigh ready in the mornings - going to be interesting!

Well it seems everyone is busy...planning birthdays perhaps? ;)
Thought I'd just pop on for a minute while Autie sleeps. She is sleeping so well now and even putting herself to sleep which is a big thing for us :dance: I am getting things ready for her party on Sunday. We're having it a week early as Dan won't be here on the 6th. We are just having morning tea in the park as we have a few older children coming and our house isn't really set up to entertain them (plus it keeps them out of mischief in my house LOL) I think we have about 35 people coming which was a bit of a surprise -wasn't expecting so many and was just trying to keep it small and casual but more have accepted the text invite than I expected. We've been giving Autie the presents we bought for her early as I think she will have more than enough new things on Sunday.

Mel, how is Jack doing? These things happen so quick don't they? My friend's two yo recently pulled the iron down onto his face and got quite a bad burn out of it but he healed so well you can't even see it. She was mortified as she is fanatical about safety but they are quick little buggers sometimes. She was so down with herself but I told her (and it is true) that I would leave Autie with her anyday which is something I would say about very few people.

V - Good luck with all your preparations. A tip about daycare - name EVERYTHING! You'd be surprised (and frustrated with) how many things get 'lost'. Hope it all goes smoothly for the two of you.

Hi Raels, good to hear everything's going well with Oli. Have you taken him boating? If so, do you have any tips? We are thinking of taking Autie soon...I'm a bit nervous.

Wow Jas, you have your work cut out for you with Noah's birthday! Sounds like you are making a very special day for him with all those balloons - kiddy heaven LOL :dance: For number two! Hope it all happens quickly for you. How exciting.

And how is everyone else doing? Haven't heard from some of you in while. :dunno::hello:

Just quickly girls, just thought I'd pop in and let you know that my little man will need a skin grap next week. We have another dressing change on tuesday and they should know by then if not then on friday at our next one, when they will do the graph. They are just waiting for the superficial burns to start to heal.

We are trying not to beat ourselves up about this but it's just so hard. The doc. made it worse when he mentioned about wearing the pressure sock for 6-12 months and that it will probably need to be checked until he is 16. I know they need to inform you these things, but I wish they didn't. I'm trying to keep positive though. The lovely nurse told us something very reassuring and special I thought. She said we have to look at it, that having a skin gragh done is the best thing for him. It will help it heal the best it possibly can, with minimal scaring and hand movibility (sp?). I know she is right, but I just wish we didn't do this to him, he doesn't deserve it. But I know, positive thinking from now on, it's happened now and we jush have to focus on one appointment at a time, and not worry about something that might or might not have to happen down the track.

Sorry for the vent, I just had to get it out. Best be off, someone is very upset still.

Thanks ladies.

Oh Mel you are having a tough time but don't beat yourself up over it. It could just have easily been any one of us and you are a great mum. Thank goodness it is something that can be fixed and not something much, much worse. Small comfort, I know, but you still have him with you and that is a zillion times better than the alternative. Sending lots of positive healing fuzzies Jack's way :D :hug:

Mel, poor little Jack! And poor you. I guess maybe it's a good thing that the drs have a plan, and you can sort of get yourself organised around that. I was also thinking, and this is in no way meant to minimise the trauma of it all, but that having a burn on his hand is in some ways better than it being on his face or arms, where it's more noticeable to other kids & people as he grows up. At least on his hand it's not as likely to be the thing that people first notice about him iykwim.

V - well done on the new job, I hope it goes really well for you & that it turns into a permanent role. It's great that you were able to find a day care place for Avaleigh so quickly. It sucks about the fees though, I think that any benefit that we might have received from the latest federal budget has just gone out the window & into the pockets of the ABC owners.

Sacha - isn't it crazy how you think that you're going to have just a small birthday event, and then, ****, suddenly it's 30 or so people. We're the same, it was going to be small, but just with immediate family I'm already up to 15 people plus kids. You're very lucky having the option of going to the park for it though. I guess I have the option, but not sure that I want Liam sitting out in a cold, possibly wet park for his birthday party, the joys of Melbourne winters!

Jas - I always wanted to BF for 12 months, but what's surprised me is the complete lack of interest that Liam has in cutting back on any feed. It's starting to stress me a bit, cos I will need to go back to work by about October, and I have no idea how I'm going to get him to wean back to just a morning & night feed by that stage. If I was tough, then I'd just make him cut back, but I'm so not a tough mum, he just has to look at me & I give in. Although please don't tell him that!!

Nicky - BIG, HUGE, MASSIVE woo hoo for the long sleeps. It's been a few days since you posted that, but I so hope that you've had a few more. Last Sunday night I got from 12 until 7am, but he's been feral for the rest of the week, 3 or 4 times a night, so my head is truly done in at the moment. He's been a little bit snuffly, but it's not a bad cold, so we have no idea what his issue it. 2 nights ago I couldn't even put him into his bed, everytime I tried he'd scream the second his head hit the mattress & grab me to get back up. I tried to leave him to see if he'd settle down after a minute or so, but no...so that was an extremely long night. You are so organised with all your wedding stuff, it's ace.

Better go, have to have a clean up & a shower before 12, as my neighbour is bringing her little girl over to be babysat for a couple of hours. I know I've missed a few more personals, so will bbl to finish off, little people willing.

Huge hugs Mel!! Dont beat yourself up over it, things like this happen. Its good that something can be done to lessen the scaring and he'll be fine!! I am sure that when he is older he will made up some real awesome story about how he burnt himself!

Sacha - I hope Autie's party goes wonderfully on Sunday! Oh cool - I will be able to get some present ideas off you!! You have got to make sure you name everything she got afterwards cause I am in need of ideas. Thanks for the tip on naming everything, I better get on to that.

Jan - yeh tell me bout the budget!! I am so worried that we arent going to get anything from family assistance cause we will be earning too much. And I didnt get told until yesterday that the fee for babies is more than toddlers - thats bull$h!t if you ask me!

I need to fill out this 20 page book about Avaleigh and bring to the daycare today, such a mission! But I guess they want to know everything about her to keep her in the same routine. Jason is stressing that she is going to be left crying in the centre but I have told him they wont do that. When I was there, one of the babies made a little cry and was picked up right away. I know if there are any problems, they will call me.

And to make things a little bit more stressful in my life, my (old) work has emailed me saying that they are happy for me to return back part time and will call to discuss my availability - AHH!! Just what I need. I've written my resignation letter and am sending it to them today or tomorrow. I decided that I am going to start fresh and new and make my new position work out. Plus the new position is giving me way more than my old company could ever give me!

Well better go and fill out this daycare stuff.

bye!!

Hi Jan! Thanks for your reply:)

We have had about 8 nights of 12 hours + sleeping here now, so I am begining to think it's not just a phase. I don't know where it has come from. Not breastfeeding at all anymore, but I doubt it's formula that's making him sleep. I guess it may be because for 2 nights a few weeks ago, I decided not to feed him between 10pm and 5am... unless we were deperate. It seems to have worked very well!
I cannot wait to put him in his own room. Once it gets warmer;)

OH the Lachie front, he has now started walking. I know it's late compared to some of the others here, but then again, he is a fair bit younger than some. So he' s walking at not quite 11 months. Pretty exciting!

Nicky, that sleeping sounds ace, and definitely not like a temporary thing. How did Lachie react when you stopped feeding him overnight? Any tips you've got would be great! I've tried it a couple of times with Liam, but he goes seriously mental - I'm surprised that you can't hear him he yells about it so much. So I've given in & continue to feed him back to sleep.

And wow for the walking, how exciting. It's still "early" to be doing it before he turns 1, I think the "average" is more like 13 months. We're still at the cruising stage, although he has taken to pushing a little trolley thing along, which he thinks is pretty cool.

Hey - now that Lachie's walking, he could walk you down the aisle!

Just a quick one for Jan. In case it helps, I was up 6 -9 times a night BF Autie back to sleep and it was seriously driving me crazy. She wouldn't allow patting or rocking and screamed until I fed her. Then I reached the point of enough is enough about 5 or 6 weeks ago and decided that I wouldn't feed after she'd gone to bed at 6.30 so when she woke the first time, I held her tight enough that she couldn't arch and sat in the chair and just rocked her doing loud 'sshhh' until she fell back asleep. Took about 10mins the first time,then four more times during that night, each time less. The next night she was sleeping 4 -6 hour stretches and going back to sleep with rocking without a fuss. I never wanted to control cry but having her in my arms the whole time was ok for me. I made sure to give over the top love during the day and as soon as she woke for the day (anytime after 5) I would bring her in for cuddles and BF and tell her how happy I was with her. Now she goes to bed with a bottle (we are weaning and I NEVER thought she would allow that) and puts herself to sleep while I sit in the chair and wakes maybe once a night but can go straight back off with just a 'sshh'. It's fantastic and while I could say 'I should've done it months ago' I actually think I needed to wait until she was ready to understand things a bit better. Anyway enough ramble, just thought it might help as Autie was such a boob freak too.

Hey Everyone!!

Jan - Avaleigh used to wake during the night for a feed but it was only once or twice and I was successful in breaking that habit. I did the same as Sacha, where I held her, cuddled and rocked until she was back to sleep, I think she was quiet in my arms but when I put her down she would get back up and cry for a feed. It took a few nights of this for her to start sleeping through again. And if she was to wake up, I would just give her a cuddle and she would go back to sleep. I think you can break the habit but it might jsut take a little while and you have got to stick with it. So you may have a couple of tough nights ahead of you but you can break the routine!!

Sacha - What are you weaning Autie to - cow's milk or formula?

I've had a bit of success with cow's milk with Avaleigh. I was trying to express milk to make bottles for day care but I just wasnt getting enough and I wanted to spend my last few days as a SAHM with Avaleigh, not expressing!! So I tried cow's milk with her, at first she didnt like it and was playing with the bottle. Butyesterday I just let her have the bottle, put a bib on her and let her do her own thing. After several tries she drunk the whole bottle and wanted more!! So this has given me some confidence that she will be OK at daycare cause they can give her milk before a nap and she will sleep (I just tried this, we would normally bf her to sleep). So I've decided to cut half of her bf's out, so we will just be doing a bf first thing in the morning, after dinner, and then before bed. We will see how we go with this and then once she reaches 12 months, I will drop out the dinner feeds and then slowly drop the rest until we are totally on cow's milk.

Avaleigh's been great with her solids. She is getting the hang of her new 6 teeth and is munching down everything. We are still on pureed dinner, but when her top 4 teeth are fully out, I am going to introduce some lumps. We've tried some new fruit this week, which she loves! She has been eating kiwi fruit, rock melon and pineapple. She tried the pineapple at mum's house and I didnt think she would like it, but she loved it!

Well I have 2 more days, well a day and a 1/2, until I start work on Monday. I am really looking forward to it. I see the new company and new position as a new start in life. I hope my hourly rate is going to be OK cause daycare is soo expensive and if its not good, I will be working just to have Avaleigh in daycare and that wasnt the point of going back to work. I hope centrelink gives us some family assistance, Jason doesnt think they will but I have a little bit of hope.

Well I better be off, Avaleigh is fast asleep so I am going to give my hair a treatment and have some 'me' time.

Hello everyone and have a great weekend!!

V - Autie's on formula. I did a few calculations and I think it works out roughly the same price as cow's milk anyway. Plus I find it easier to travel with the powder - don't have to worry about refrigeration and I can keep a bottle ready to make up beside my bed in case I have to resort to a bottle at night. Since starting the bottle she hasn't asked for a BF much at all. She has a bottle before each nap and at bedtime and I offer the BF in the morning more for comfort and cuddles than anything. Then during the day she only has it if she asks for it. I don't think I have a lot left in me anyway so whatever she has is only snack size LOL
It's good that Avaleigh likes her fruit. I've been very slack on the fruit front as Autie is so inconsistent with whether she'll eat it and I got sick of all this fruit going to waste. I've tried her on purees too but it's the same with those, and too expensive to buy and only have one spoonful. At least she's good with vegies I guess. She is pretty much eating everything we eat unless it's too spicy or sugary which is handy.

And YEY! She took her first steps tonight right before bed. I know she's been capable for a while and just wasn't interested in giving it a go, but tonight she was walking back and forth between Dan and I, all proud and excited. Can't wait to practise with her again tomorrow now that she's suddenly up for it. :dance:

Well I've had a busy day baking for tomorrow. She is having mini cupcakes with pink icing, pink glitter and pink and white butterflies on top for her cake so I made about 40 of those (so cute), a slice and banana bread. In the process, I smashed the glass lid of the coffee bottle on the tiles and OMG I don't think there was an inch of the kitchen/dining area that glass didn't find. Then I was paranoid about slivers getting in Autie's hands and feet so spent ages doing an extra careful vacuum along every wall and all corners - don't think my floor's ever been so clean! LOL

Well I am just rambling and sorry it's all been about me but where the smurf is everyone else these days anyway?! I wouldn't have to talk about us so much if someone else was putting in their two cents... :whip:

:hello: gorgeous ladies and bubbas!!

Well clearly we have been MIA again :rolleyes: I know, I'm pretty useless at keeping up!

Things her have been pretty cr@ppy. We have all been sick on and off for a few months now :( It all started up again 3 weekends ago when we went to Yarrawonga and the first morning we were there we noticed Oscar had ulcer's on his tongue. He had been really upset the night before so none of us got any sleep. We took him to the Dr and all we could do was put bonjela on them :( Then when we got home DH got sick and so did I and we still are now . Last weekend Oscar had a cough but I just let him go as it didn't sound too bad. Sunday night when I went to bed I checked in Oscar and he started breathing strangely, I checked him temp and it was 39.7 I gave him some Nurofen and we rushed him to the hospital as his breathing was very laboured and he was shivering. Turns out he has Croup so he has been on meds the past week.

On a better note I can't believe all our bubs will be 1 soon!! This past year has absolutely flown. I'll attempt personals.. sorry if I forget anyone!

Nicky- I can't believe that Lachie is walking! What a clever little man he is! Oscar is still just walking around the furniture and not showing much interest in letting go :cryinglaugh: That's fantastic that you have been getting long blocks of sleep :hooray: You must feel like a new woman!!

Jas- How exciting about TTC #2! Sounds like you are very organised for Noah's birthday. I need to get cracking with Oscar's presents! I have no idea what to get him :rofl: I was thinking maybe a little table & some chairs from Ikea as a start.

Raels- Hope you and Oliver are doing well! Can't wait to hear more from you!

Mel- I hope Jack is doing ok. Must have been so scary for you all. It is so hard to watch them every second isn't it. I hope you are feeling a bit better and not feeling like it is your fault hun. I bet it's hard to not feel that way though. Glad to hear that the outlook for him is positive though. Keep us updated.

V- Even though I have already said it I will say it again "Congrats on the new job!!" How exciting hun!! I'm sure the first week will be tough getting used to everything but it will take heaps of stress off you and Jason and I bet Avaleigh will love playing with all the other kiddies at daycare!!

Sacha- How did Autie's birthday party go today? I bet she was spoilt rotten!! How exciting about her taking her first steps!! Now there will be no stopping her :lol: Her cupcakes sound soo cute! You will have to put a pic up and show us.

That's as far as I can go back and all I can manage!! Have a great night ladies!

Dani - Sorry to hear you haven't been well. Poor little Oscar and his mum and dad. :( Hope you all come good in time for his birthday. A table and chairs is a great idea, I'd like to get Autie some too. We don't really have a place for her to start experimenting with art and puzzles etc.

The party in the park went really well though Autie wasn't too sure about all the 'strangers' who were paying her so much attention LOL She got heaps of pressies: a sandpit, LOADS of books and clothes, a Wiggles drum that she uses to climb onto the coffee table :doh: a shape sorter, DVDs (Hi-5 and Playschool), a photo album made like a cloth book so it's Autie proof (she loves looking at photos of people she knows so that was a great one) a fairy dress, cot set, flat unicorn pillow thing, a doll with zippers/buttons/velcro etc, some stubby crayons for little hands. Not a heap of trashy toys which is good. We're both stoked with all the books especially.
She got a huge sugar rush off the cupcake and was a nightmare to put to sleep in the afternoon, buzzing all around the cot making weird noises. All up, it was a positive day though. Everyone loved the park as the playground is massive with lots of funky play equipment, and the guys all played cricket and footy on the oval with the older kids so no-one got bored.
I have taken down all Autie's photos from our gallery but I will put a few of her party up if anyone is interested.
Hope everyone else had a happy weekend!

Hi girls,

Sacha - that's wonderful that Auties party went so well! The presents sound great. I have been telling everyone to get books for Oliver! Would love to see some photos if you want to put some up. And :clap: for her taking her first steps! Did she manage anymore today? You were asking about taking Oliver out on the boat - well, we actually went out in the river last weekend. What sort of boat do you guys have? We have a big tinny but it has a false floor in it which is perfect for the kids! Oliver enjoyed it, but he was a little scared at first from the noise but once we stopped and started fishing he was fine. We went after he'd had his morning nap and actually fed him lunch on the boat and took toys with us and he basically just played and ate. We only stayed out for a couple of hours and that was enough. I'm sure Autie will love it!

Danni - sorry to hear that you guys have been sick and poor Oscar having croup. My oldest used to get it and it's not nice I know! Luckily they grow out of it. Has he been prescribed Steroids for it? Hope you all start to feel better very soon. :hug:

Nicky - wow at Lachies sleeping! That is just great. And :clap: for him starting to walk!! I love Jan's idea about him walking you down the aisle, that would be beautiful!

Jan - I hear you on these babies not wanting to give up their breastfeeds! I don't think Oliver will ever want to give it up lol. I'm not really in any hurry though either I guess. I will keep going for about another 6 months.

Well all is going great here. Oliver has just cut his 6th tooth so now has another bout of the sniffles. It's funny, I always know when another tooth is coming because he starts sneezing! No walking here for us yet, he has let go a few times and when he has realised he cracks up laughing and falls on his bum. Actually, he spends most of his day laughing, he is very giggly little boy. He also dances a lot, I love it!! Today I had him in his pram, rocking him to sleep, well I thought he was going to sleep but when I looked he was sitting up headbanging!! I don't know where he gets it from but it's so cute. :cryinglaugh: He eats everything in sight and still breastfeeds quite a lot too! I don't know when we will start on cows milk, not really in much of a hurry. I am going to be a bridesmaid in my sisters wedding next March so will probably wean him off the breast around christmas.

Well hello to all of those that I have missed! Hope you are all well.:)

Raels and Oliver. xo

hey everyone

I am trying to enjoy my last night as a SAHM but its not really happening... i have Jason bathing Avaleigh and I am meant to be doing my nails but so many thoughts are going through my head!! I am hoping that I get a good enough wage that me going to work will be worth it.. it can either go two ways - I will get a great wage and have around $250 in my pocket each week after daycare and petrol or it can go the other way where I get a crap wage and only have $100 left in my pocket after daycare and petrol. This is all working off not getting any assistance from the govt, Jason thinks we wont get anything but I am hoping we will...

And then my other thought is, Where the heck is AF???????!!!!!!!!! I am now 15 days late and I am not convinced anymore that I o'd and AF is around the corner.. I just dont know what is going on with my body, I've been having AF type cramps for a while now and I just dont know what we would do if I am pregnant.. I am kinda just putting my head in the sand and trying not to think about it but its a bit hard! We're just financially not in a position to have another baby.... AHHH such stress!!!

And to top it all off, I am going to be going to work tomorrow with a bit of a cold!! Its nothing bad, just a sore throat and a stuffed up head.. Anyway, enough whinging about me.

Sacha - thats great that Autumn had a good birthday and they are some good presents. LOL at Autie having a sugar rush and making weird noises in her cot!!

Danielle - aww! I am sending lots of hugs and get better vibes to you and your family. It doesnt sound like you have had a very good few months. I hope that things get better soon and that oscar's croup goes away.

Well I better go.. have some things to organise for daycare tomorrow and I gotta work out what to where for my first day of work. AHH! Wish me luck everyone.

V, TEST TEST TEST, your killing me with suspense girl!!!

Hey everyone,

V, have you tested yet? How did work go today? I bet you had a blast and went just fine. Let us know about AF:redface:

Sacha, sounds like it was a great day to celebrate Auties birthday on Sunday. And she got some great presents as well. I bet she just loved all the attention. And big yey on her first steps, that must have been exciting.:dance:

Danni, so sorry to hear about the tough him you are having at the moment:hug:. Is little Oscar any better yet? What is Coup? I have heard of it, but don't know anything about it. Thanks for thinking of Jack as well.

Raels, Oliver sounds like a very happy little man. What a cheeky little thing with the head banging, it must have made you laugh. Jack is very similar with his walking, or lack of. He takes a few steps on his own, then realises what he is doing, starts to laugh and falls down. It's so cute to watch.

Well, can you believe tomorrow is the big day for us. It's Jacks :dance:1st birthday:dance: I still can't belive how quickly it has come. Unfortunately he is going to hospital for another dressing change, but hopefully he will still have a good day. We had a party for him on Sunday, with just some family and close friends, and he had a great time, and got very spoilt as well. My cake was a hit, Jack loved playing with the cars I used on it afterwards. It was so funny when it came to blowing out his candle. Of course he didn't attempt to, but when I said to all the kids standing about 2 metres away that they could help, Jack and I were nearly blown away with all their efforts and Jack cracked up laughing at them all, it was so lovely.

Anyway like I said tomorrow is another dressing change, not looking forward to it, but I had a dream last night that they removed the dressings and it was all healed, just a little red, I can only :pray: my dream comes true. Hopefully this time he won't get to upset, it should be just a dressing change, and they won't have to remove anymore skin, as he seems to be fine until they do that. We might find out tomorrow more about the skin graft.

I'm waiting to find out when exactly it will happen, before I talk to my Doula clients about theirs births. It's unfortunate that 2 of them are due within a month, one any day now. They know what happened, I just said I'll have to play by ear what's going happen. Hopefully they don't go into labour while I'm in hospital with Jack. But I guess if that happens, it happens, I just hope they will understand.

I just noticed, in 3 hours, 365 days ago I started to labour....... Wow, it's just a little exciting and sad at the same time.

Hope everyone else is well.

hEY EVeryone!!

Just a quick one from me as I have some paperwork to fill out for work (haha that sounds funny) and then I want to have a shower and spend some time with Jason.

First day of work went well!! I just did some filing and created some spreadsheets. It seems like a pretty cruisey job and is similar to something I did with my old job. I meet the other part timer tomorrow and I think we might be doing a job share role where I work 3 days 1 week and 2 days the next, so I will be working the days she isnt. I think that sounds alright!! I have to have an interview with the HR board tomorrow because I never went in for a interview in the first place, was hired beceause my dad does work for them so he put in the good word for me.

Daycare said that Avaleigh had a blast!!! That is such a releif. I left her there this morning and she was just so interested in the other kids so didnt really notice I left (was kind of sad!) THey said if she gets really distressed they will call me. I hadnt heard from them all morning so I called at lunch and they said she has been wonderful!! Had heaps of play with the other kids and went to sleep and everything. So that was good!! Jason picked her up and was soo happy to see her playing happily away. He said that as soon as she saw him, she waved and jumped up and ran to him. I am kind of sad that I wont have that reaction cause Jason will be picking her up cause I wont be getting home til about 5. Oh well! hopefully she will be happy to see me when I do get home.

Mel - LOL No I havent tested!! I said to Jason yesterday that AF still hasnt arrived and he did say anything about it until the first few mins I was home today!! He asked if its come yet and I said no and he said to buy a test on Thursday. He said he'd be really happy if I was pregnant again!! We arent financially secure for another and to be honest, I dont think I am pregnant! My chart says that I may have ovulated 3 days ago so we will see what happens. I might just buy a test to humour Jason on Thursday.

Well better get off here but first of all.....

Happy FIRST Birthday Jack!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Its the start of all our babies birthdays - OH how exciting!!!!!

HAPPY 1st BIRTHDAY JACK

:happybirthday::happyforyou:

Have a wonderful day Mel Luke and Charlize as you celebrate Jacks birthday.

Best of luck today at the hospital. Thinking of you :)

Jem
XXX