Babies born~September 2007 #56

Clare - good on you for getting on top of that straight away.

Oz - we got a Mitsubishi 380. Our old car was a Magna. It's a couple of years old, but it's got heaps more features than the old one (climate control, outside temp sensor, cruise control, bluetooth, airbags....) DH was in the back this morning (to poke Miss K in case she fell asleep) and said it was very roomy back there.

Macca's - K still hasn't been so has no idea, but she can spot parks left, right and centre when we are out and about!

Well Miss K has come down with an absolutely shocking cough. The end of last week I was only saying to DH that I think we should take her to the doctor as she had been coughing from a slight cold in October and it still hasn't gotten better (had a bit, but you wouldn't say she had been cough free). Well she came down really bad yesterday and apparently spent most of last night coughing. It hasn't even eased during they day like they normally do. Dh is a bit worried about it because he thinks there is a bit of a wheeze to it, so I will try and get her into the doctor tomorrow.

Got out and did a bit of gardening today. A tidy up and got rid of those things that are really struggling. We are about to hit Level 4 water restrictions here and I only want to focus on keeping my absolute faves alive. Generally the garden isn't doing too bad though as it is mostly natives. The lawn is suffering, but the area where Miss K plays and the washing rinse water goes has a tinge of green to it.

clare- congrats on the homebirth, i saw something on the news about sunshine hospital having a homebirth program running. do you know anything about that? or would you just hire your own midwife?

we're having a quiet weekend. tried to go to a shopping centre yesterday and i think dh was completely shocked at how crazy lewis actually is- let's just say we left without having lunch!

Hi girls!

G: :o so i am guessing L shopping centres dont float L's boat? or is it the opposite and he just lurves them and runs amok?! we find food courts to be impossible with Leila, but can manage ok-ish (as long as she is restrained in a pram lol) in other parts. we went to doncaster the other day and she was suprisingly ok as usually enclosed big spaces send her bonkers, but i am guessing that because this was sooo big she didnt notice the walls lol!

Cally: oh dear! i hope that katie will be better soon. the poor wee poppet! we are thinking of putting in a whole bunch of natives in our garden too. the water restrictions are just making it impossible to do much else really.

MD: mmmm but the greek festival would of had greek food no? mmmmmmmmmmmm!
oh and yeah i saw on the news that Lancey boy was in rad-elaide! that is pretty cool...apart from the fact that he got pipped at the post...

Sherie: ha ha that is so funny! after we stopped there everytime we saw a plane (suprisingly popular in country townships!) Leila would scream out 'plane mumma plaaaannnnneeee!). and of course being the lead up to xmas they all had santas hanging outta them lol!

Oz: yeah am feeling pretty stoked that this bubba might be born in this house! will have to redecorate to fit in the birth pool, but i'll leave that to DH lol!

Hope everyone is well and had a lovely weekend! here in melb it is FREEZING! in ugg boots and jumpers....so so sexy rrraarrr lol!

Clare, well done for talking to someone about it. This time is going to be so different for you! This time you know that you might just be a fast baker, so it won't be such a shock if bub decides to come a bit earlier. This time your DH won't leave town and you won't be in labour alone. This time your bub will born without uncaring medical staff waving injections at you. This time there will be no scares after the birth. This time you will enjoy the sweet newborn cuddles and the early baby days and remember them fondly. This time you won't be organising a wedding while looking after a newborn. And this time, you have all the lovely ladies from Sept 07 here for support xx

I have had some rough patches over the last couple of years and sometimes I may not have been the best parent I could be, but until yesterday I had never felt like I was a bad mother and that I was doing a terrible job.
For a while now, I have been seeing that W had what looked like plaque between his front teeth, so I have tried a few times to brush them really well to get rid of it. But yesterday I had a proper look and it is tooth decay! In his two top front teeth there is a white patch on either tooth and between them is a black spot that is the start of a hole! I am so disgusted in myself! I can't believe I let this happen. I have to wait until the dentists reopen to find out what (if anything) can be done about it. I have googled and it is classic of Baby Bottle Tooth Decay - from having bottles to go to sleep with and then insufficient brushing of teeth. We were only brushing them at night and mostly just supervised W doing it instead of doing it ourselves. So stupid! What made me think that a 2 year old could do a good enough job :wall: I have let him down. What kind of mother lets her two year old have rotten teeth???

Arte - aw, you made me tear up with that beautiful message for Cassius.

And you are not a bad mother - I hate cleaning K's teeth and DH doesn't do it. We have only just started doing it twice a day, although that is not me brushing it, it is K sucking the toothpaste off the toothbrush. I probably give her teeth a good clean less than twice a week. And we don't even have fluoride here yet! I hate having to hold her down for it, she always ends up in tears and goes running off to DH afterwards (probably why he doesn't like doing it). The only thing that works sometimes is going through all the foods she has eaten that day and pretending they are in various parts of her mouth (ooh, I see a craisin back there, ah, there's some yogurt on the other side, we better get that).

Cass - I have really come around to native plants, my rule is pretty flowers and not spiky/*****ly!

Oh Arte, big hugs darl...no definitely not a bad mother!!! :hug: I know how hard the sleeping thing has been for you, the bottles were part of a coping mechanism that preserved your sanity in the depths of it all. We only brush once a day and DH does it (too much squirming for me tired & sore) so I have no idea how thorough he is or not. Wait and see what the dentist says - it's actually pretty common...fortunately it's milk teeth so there's time to redeem the situation before any permanent teeth come in.

After pulling out loads of really mangey & dry looking natives when we first moved to this house, I can say they are def growing on me...in particular I like some of the grasses, the kangaroo paws (esp in the reds & pinks) and I do love some the grevilleas...the birds etc really love them too. But you can't just neglect them totally or you end up with a mangey dry looking garden.

Cass - don't you be speaking ill about Lanceyboy. He's all about the long game, not the individual race...see now I'm an expert on cycle racing since I read his book PMSL.

Ginger, probably a good thing for DH to see a slice of your daily life...I think mine understood more esp the week when I was in hospy - there's been a lot less criticism of my parenting style since then LOL.

Well today is DH's first day back at work, I'm trying to get back into the swing of things...still not functioning fully but making progress. I feel like I'm plugging back into 'real life'.

arte- as i sit here L is lying down in his fold-out-couch watching a dvd sucking back on a bottle of milk drifting off to sleep....and if i can be bothered wrestling with him in a few hours he may or may not suck a bit of toothpaste off a toothbrush.....

Hi girls!

firstly, Arte....:hug: thank you so much. you are a beautiful and wise person and your words have really struck a chord with me and i will hold them close over the coming year xx

eeep on teeth! but honestly, although not a great situation i really cant imagine that there was a great deal that could of been done. like in all honesty (and as Ginger highlighted), for the most part i reckon alot of us arent doing the whole 2 times daily of 5 minutes each and ensuring they all spit it out (seriously, how does one do THAT?!!). i guess in W's case he probably is one of those really unlucky people that just doesnt have strong teeth, and will have to work that bit harder to keep them in order. i say this because my DH has really weak teeth. the dentist told him its gotta do alot with saliva and the protective bits in saliva (have no idea what he was on about). but apparently many people dont have the good stuff and teeth can suffer. DH flosses, brushes twice daily etc etc and still needs fillings at a drop of a hat. then i walk in, do a cursory glance and spit and am out again and have a total of 2 fillings given to me when i was 10. when you see the dentist they will probably be able to guide you on how to manage his teeth cause it sounds to me like he probably has just got sensitive teeth...
i mean, i would be upset if i saw that too, but from an outside perspective i can see that not alot could of been done to prevent it ITMS...

MD: kangaroo paw is what all the kool kids have lol! we are getting some put in this place too...just love em!
ahhh i see, so lancey is keeping his eye on the prize then...ahhhhh! :lol:

Cally: *snap* that is what we do with Leila LOL! i tell her that we need to get the tomato outta her teeth and we go mega overboard...'''oohhh a big chunk of weet-bix...ewwww' LOL! she kinda digs it lol.

hmmmmm, in fact, i forgot to clean her teeth tonight...ahhh well, her grogan breath tomorrow morning will remind me lol!

Cass lmao at grogan breath. How great that you have bought your own gorgeous home and now your bubba will be born there.

MD I love Kangaroo paws. How did you go with DH back at work? No Lance Armstrong sitings?

Arte :hug: you soooo not a bad mum. Dont beat yourself up.

Trillian I cant believe Miss Z is rolling already, I cant remember when L rolled but it wasnt this early.

I had one of those days yesterday where I did a lot of thinking and have decided to put the business on hold and just enjoy my family. I will still do little jobs but no advertising or website like I had planned. Feels really good to have sorted my head out a little iykwim. Housework day here today

Oz - that is good to have all that sorted. Yeah, that is a super early roller, Miss K was about 6.5 months!

Woohoo - my sister is making a special trip to Sydney in a couple of weeks and specifically going to Ikea. I have put in my order for some of the Trofast storage units. Fingers crossed they don't have lots of other things to pick up and can fit mine in too.

Teeth - yep, DH has weak gums apparently, just like his mother. Nothing to do about it, but he is very prone to infections even if he brushes, flosses and mouthwashes. Just one of those things.
Cass - yeah, what two year old spits on demand!! Miss K was giggling away last night while I was getting the craisins and yogurt off her teeth!

Oh, this weather is ridiculous. Hail storm yesterday, cold and windy - they it's going to be 30 again in a couple of days!

Hi girls!

Cally: i know! the weather is bonkers! yesterday was driving rain, hail and wind; this morning was freezing and now it is starting to bake outside again! :o can't get on top of it.

Oz: sounds like a weight has been lifted off your shoulders with that decision. so nice when it feels like that and you know that you made the right decision.

it should be housework day here today but i just cannae bring myself to do it...following on from MDs 'do you make your bed everyday' thread i have made the beds but that's about it. oh and i hung out a load of washing that DH put in...all in...as in, NO sorting :wall:

AFM: leila is currently playing with her dolly and has her sitting in her pram and is reading her a book lol! oh, it appears that they are off to get a babycino....

Oz, I completely understand where you're coming from...I did the same the first year I deferred uni...you don't get brownie points for spreading yourself so thin that holes start appearing in the fabric of your life, and the business opportunities etc will still be there when the time is right for you.

Cass LOL at your housework efforts...my big contribution for the day was putting the slowcooker dinner on & cleaning the dunny...I *think* there's a basket of washing that needs to be folded but I have deliberately not gone into the spare room to find out LOL. I overdid it yesterday a bit - my enthusiasm to embrace normal life again was not matched by my physical ability. Caught up on my hectic telly-watching schedule today tho :rofl:...btw...hmm babycino excursion - not a bad idea!!

Yay for your upcoming Ikea purchases Cally...who doesn't love a storage unit? I think the pink and red drawers look nice together, what colours do you want (I predict you're gonna say white LOL).

MD - if it was my sister it would definitely be white, but we are getting the main unit as white so I think that would be over the top. I don't really like the green, I've set up an Excel spreadsheet and I am experimenting with different colours of shading to work out what I want..... (engineer and PROUD!!!) Very excited about it all, will make a big difference to the chaos in her room.

DH and DD went grocery shopping yesterday. She ate a red capsicum on the way around. DH could hear people commenting as they walked past - he got the lady to scan one of the other ones twice as she had completely demolished it.

hi everyone :)

We're back from our beach holiday, and dh has gone back to work today :( .
We were sitting eating our dinner outside last night, and commented on how much we miss having a view. One day, when we move house, we WILL have a view. ;)

Cally - omg about K eating a capsicum!!! I can only eat them if they are diced really fine and mixed with something else. That's fantastic that she likes them - lots of wonderful nutrients. I hope K's cough clears up real soon.

md - how are you handling not having dh at home? Did you get into a barney over the cot sheet?

arte - :hug: you're not a bad mum. I hardly ever brush H's teeth - i let her chew on the brush. I also let DH take the girls to the dentist - I always feel so guilty when they have to get a filling. J had to have 2 fillings yesterday - so last night i gave H's teeth a really good go. (she loves spitting into the bath)

do any of the kiddliwinks use the battery operated toothbrushes? H likes to steal J's and use it.

oz - i'm glad L's first day went well. We thoroughly enjoyed meeting you, L and Z. (dh was very happy that you weren't a man lol!!) With regards to the business - I'm sure that once you meet other parents from Kindy - the word will spread around that you take gorgeous photos.


Sorry - will have to pop back later - J and Z want me to play Green Eggs and Ham with them.

have a great afternoon :)

hi girls!

cally: oh DH wants one of those sets for DDs room too! we love all the colours!

md: i have a pile of washing sitting ominously in front of me...dont like the way it is looking at me...

JaZaH: how was the holiday?? did you have a blast?! we are off to the otways this weekend for the long weekend...cant wait!

Jazah, glad you enjoyed your time away, thinking of taking a night with the kids down on the coast on the weekend if we can organise a doggie sitter for BFC. "roughing it" in a caravan park cabin LOL.

There was no barney over the sheet, I was *very calm* and DH has been very contrite ever since. However we are scratching the surface of some deeper household dynamics - all revolving around DH's stress levels - and he doesn't know it yet (LOL) but we will be going to counselling and he will be doing individual sessions & learning some strategies.

Cass - enjoy the Otways - I have never been but gee it looks purty in the tourist brochures!

Cally - am cracking right up at your excel spreadsheet work! What colour/decorating scheme do you have in K's room right now?

Highlight of the day today - a *massive* piece of chocolate cake in peace with my own thoughts (DDs both in care) before I trundled off to Target to layby some winter clothes. :)

MD - there is really no scheme at all in there, it's a bit of a hodge podge. Her doona cover is a Target one, then she has a clock and a foldout lounge that match from KMart. Her bed is white (so we are going with the white frame), but her chest of drawers has a timber laminate on it. Curtains are cream, but I want to change them to get something that is a bit darker and with a block out. She has a squillion butterflies on the wall that are those peel off stickers.

Jaz - welcome back from your holiday, glad you had a good time. Thanks for asking about her cough - it's gone from a constant on the weekend to one single cough over night last night and practically nothing today, a very quick recovery.

We think we have sold our other car which is great, fingers crossed it gets picked up tomorrow.

I wonder how MP is doing? She was so busy.

Cally woo hoo on the car sale.

MD sounds like you had a lovely day yesterday!!

JaZaH lol at your DH. You already for the girls to go back to school?

How is everyone else going? Is it hot where you all are? Its hot here this week, bring on some cooler weather I say. Think we might hit the beach this weekend.

Md - Hope dh is in agreeance with the counselling sessions ;)
mmm - chocolate cake. I'm on my diet again - put on 5 kilos over christmas. But gee it was fun :lol:

oz - i was planning on ironing the uniforms today, naming all the pencils etc tomorrow, and covering books on the weekend, but dh just sent me a text saying we're going away with another family for the next 5 days. Instead of thinking woohoo!! i was thinking, 'ruddy hell!!'. So I'll be spending H's sleep time doing all of those jobs now.
Being spontaneous is something I need to embrace.

Cally - woohoo - glad the cough is clearing.

Hey Beautiful Mumma's.

Jaz-sounds like you enjoyed your holiday and have fun on the next 5 day adventure lucky girl.
MD- Chocy cake sounds yummy
Cally- congrats on car sale
Oz- yep hot here going down the beach for dinner tonight.
Art- your a awesome mum
Well we are ok again Xavier is on the tail end of another ear infection which is totally my fault for not putting his ear plugs in at swimming last week. Other 2 kiddies are great. DH has been away all week but will be home tonight yipeee. Rocked it out at an 80's party last weekend had so much fun. Am looking forward to my 4 day weekend coming up. Hello to everyone

BBL

Thanks everyone for your words about the teeth thing. It is good to know that I am not the only one that was a bit lax about it. I am trying not to worry about it and will make an appointment as soon as the school dental nurse is back from holidays. In the mean time I have been making sure that his teeth are brushed well at least once a day if not twice and we have canned the bedtime bottle (with a fair bit of protest!).

Leanne, Yay for your DH being home. Was he gone long?

Jazah, you sound so busy! Hope you enjoy your next trip away. I'm not sure if you said, but how did your eulogy go for your grandmother? I hope it wasn't too hard for you.

MD, we have massive household dynamics problems here but I doubt they will ever be solved. DH can't understand why I don't have the house all neat and shiny all the time and it drives me crazy.

MP, hope your trip to NZ was good. Hopefully you were here in the sunny patch we had in between the cold snap and the rain lol

Oz, I am sure that there will be plenty of work waiting for you when you are ready to take on more, but these babies are growing so fast! I am sure time is going faster now!

Cally, I wish there was an Ikea here. It was a whole day expedition to go for a look there lol.

W has been getting lots of little bumps/scratches lately and I have been saying he is in the wars, so yesterday he hurt himself and looked up at DH and said "I have been in those wars" lol.

Hey everyone! I have been slack again and it is becomming far too regular for my liking :(

Anyway, swimming lessons are finally over. He did so well - not as impressive as K's efforts Cally, but still really good considering that he is the type of kid who hates having his hair washed because it would mean he has to get his head wet. By the end of the lesson today he was able to push off the steps and try to move forward, but his legs would sink so it looked like he was peddling a bike underwater and not getting anywhere :rofl: He is so brown now though - fat lot of good the sunscreen does :rolleyes: waste of time putting that on him. Even though he never got sunburnt as such, he just got browner and browner. I will have to take a pic of him from behind so you can see his tan lines on his legs and his white bum ROFL.

We are starting to look at bunk beds as we think he is ready for a big bed now but OMG there is so much CRAP on the market. At Snooze we found a brand specifically made for them by an Aust owned company, so it is made to order here and takes 4wks to be done roughly unlike buying something straight off the slow boat from China. It is really exxie, but really good quality too. The only thing putting DH off is that it is coloured white with timber trim and he would rather a plain timber finish but I like it - it looks really stylish Snooze - TAYLOR LOFT and something that they wont outgrow kwim? I would dearly love the one in the link with the study nook, and then a single for Alister, but we don't have the room to do that. I am hoping that if you got a single bunk set, that you would be able to get the study desk done seperately.

ooh sherie i reckon it looks really swish! i like it alot!

JaZaH: ahhh our poor DHs do like to insist on spontaneity don't they? have to say that after leila was born i lost alot of that lol! hope it is a lovely time though...how does one name pencils???

Leanne: ahh dinner on the beach does sound divine!

arte: had to giggle about W in the wars...i can just imagine he said it rather gravely too lol!

oz: here the weather is really changeable. atm it is a bit muggy (as in muggy for victoria...it aint got nuthing on qld lol). but it has been changing between high 30s to freezing...even had snow on the mountains :o. so dont like the changes. summer should be summer and winter...well, winter should just not exist lol!

AFM: all good here! leila 'outed' me at kindy yesterday by telling everyone that 'mummy got baby belly' LOL! so i was accosted today by her carers LOL! too cute though!

Cass - lol at L telling everyone!!

Trill - that's a nice looking bed. I really like the idea of the study nook underneath, a bit tricky for making beds though.

Arte - lol at Will's comments, I hope you are writing them all down!!

Well we finally had a night without having to get up!! So Miss K got a star and some smarties for breakfast this morning! I have everything crossed it continues.

Trill - The loft bed is gorgeous!!! Go for it I say. Trill your DH would die if he knew of my plans to spray a solid Jarrah bed white eeek!! Nuts isnt it, I dont think I can actually bring myself to do it

Clare - Oh this sounds so corny but I am so proud of you (and your DH) for calling on your psychologist when needed. Things will be much different this time around, just try to go with the flow sit back and relax and wait and see what happens. Must say I am very excited about your home birth. I know someone who also suffered post traumatic stress from the birth of her first child and this time around she is doing things differently as well. How have you been feeling anyway, is the ms in full swing? LOL at L's little comment :doh:

Arte - Dont worry teeth brushing around here is a nightmare. I actually took M for her first dentist visit yesterday, $45 dollars & 5 mins later and the stubborn little thing would not open her mouth. I asked him about teeth brushing & explained how its almost impossible, he said as long as we are brushing once a day (preferably at night) that will be sufficient for now. He also said try to limit bottles & juice, which you are already doing.

Leemar - Hope the earache moves along fast. Its hardwork keeping the ear plugs in during bath & swimming time isnt it.

Oz - Yay I am excited for you and happy about your business plans. Enjoy the time with your littlies while they are young, you only get this chance once.

Hello to all & hope you are all well. xox

H, I would die! I love jarrah timber and would have the entire dining furniture done in it if we could afford it. It wont be the loft one though, just a straight out top and bottom bunk but the loft was the only one they had on their website.

Trill, that is a lovely bed set. I too like the loft one. It is a really good use of bedroom space to have the desk area under the bunk. But I guess if you are room sharing it is more important to both have beds lol. Sounds like your swimming lessons were worth it. I wish there was something like that around here, but all we have is a 'sun heated' pool and there is no one that does lessons.

MM, do you have to pay for the dentist for kids over there? Here dentist checks are free until you are 18 (if still at school). It doesn't cover things like braces, but fillings for kids don't cost anything.

Clare, lol at being outed at kindy. W blabbed our baby name to anyone that asked, so be warned if you are keeping it a secret!

I am sooo bored at the moment. Due to a combo of his rostered weekend on, the mill shutting down and restarting etc, DH is working for 18 days with only one day off which was yesterday. There is a whole week still to get through. On the bright side, when he is done he will have enough lieu days to have a whole week off and hopefully we will get the house painted.

Today W dragged a chair over to his star chart, gave himself a star on the last square and asked for a freddo lol.

hi girls! thought i would pop on and let you know I am alive!!! Sorry I am MIA (again, like Trill I feel this is happening too much in my life..).
Anyway - am in Melb atm - flew in this morning. think i have found an awesome house, now just have to hope we get it! looking at a few more on monday too. NZ was brilliant - LOVE LOVE LOVED it! had a fab time... will tell you all more later
J is well - he did have whooping cough and it was awful there for a while but he is good now and a little gem. i am sooooo in love with them both after having a month with them together every day.
N is gorgeous - his talking is just unbelievable... blows me away every day with the stuff he comes out with and concepts he knows. bizarrely he really wants to read - but i am not teaching him that!
so much more to tell you all and to hear from you - will try to keep up now...i have mised you all and been thinking of you lots
xxxxx

Welcome back MP, glad you had a good time in NZ. Good luck getting the house. W is always pointing at words and asking what it says, we are learning the alphabet atm and once he has that sorted we will move on to reading words.

Cally, woohoo on K sleeping through! You must be very happy with that. I hope it continues for you.

Hey MP! I was just thinking of you last night so it's great to pop in today and see you've been on :hug: great to hear that J is well again now and N is his usual gorgeous self. I hope you get the house!

Arte, we do have the free dental for school aged children. I have used it lots with Erin LOL. Some kids just have crap teeth. Erin has had about 8 fillings already and the others have had none. The dental technician we see said that often with the baby teeth they just disintegrate for no reason at all, even if you do brush well.

I suggested to DH that maybe we could keep the single bed for A and get the loft for L because we are going to get him a desk anyway as we only have the office, and a small nook we set up for the kids to do homework, but with 3 kids doing homework this year we would have to do it on a rotating roster for 'desk time' LOL. But DH reckons he would grow out of it too quick. I don't think he would and if he did, I am hoping that by then we will be able to put a few extra rooms on the house. The loft isn't as tall as it looks either - I did see one in their store the other week and it would be manageable to make the bed.

I don't think they would outgrow a loft bed in a hurry, unless L is tall? It isn't a novelty thing like a Thomas the Tank Engine bed or something that gets too babyish. And if he does get too long for it you could have a change around for one of the other kids anyway.

Not legnth wise - they are the same length as a normal bed, but more that he might think it was babyish or something? I don't think he would personally but I need to convince DH of that LOL

Nah, he won't get too old for it. Tell your DH I said so lol.

Hello everyone - I'm a big fan of the loft-bed concept - provided they're not too high. We have a happy compromise with a cabin bed but DD1 is now too big to fit under there but she can stay in it for a couple more years until it becomes Missy E's bedDD1 has a meltdown every week without fail when she's expected to re-make her bed with fresh sheets - harden up I say - so if that's ok then why not I say! My sis got one (Hardly NOrmals?) for her DD that has sexy purple panels on it, it's a bit lower than the average loft bed and it's fantastic! Just be aware that in a hot room it's much warmer up there near the ceiling...

Cass - LOL at L blabbing. Never trust a 2 year old with your secrets!

Arte - are you going to organise any more walks/mummy get togethers with your local ladies?

Jazah I hope you are enjoying your unplanned break - we nearly headed off down the coast but there was no accom left (realised too late that the Tourdownunder was hoofing around down there) but we might have ourselves a weekend before summer finishes. I could do with some beach. FWIW we won't have *any* of DD's books etc until day 1 of school (school hall closed due to building) so I'll be madly covering and labelling etc on Wed night!

MP - agree, NZ is fantastic...glad you had such a good time. Good luck with your house hunting. Missy E tries to read and points at the words and sounds them out...but they always say "Eeee lizzzz aaaaah Beffff" :rofl:

Speaking of which, how amazing is the drawing at this age. Missy E has started to draw things that look like things - well not really, but like she puts "legs" on things, and faces, and yesterday she was drawing squiggles and calling them snakes, etc. We have this fantastic magnadoodle which draws coloured lines - every kid who comes to the house plays with it constantly - so if you don't have one, file it away as a birthday prezzie idea: Colour Doodle.

Hi girls, sorry i've been reading and not posting :)

trill- the bed is gorgeous! i love it, it's super stylish i reckon.

mp- best of luck with house hunting!

well i think it's official that my baby is not a baby anymore! the little J man is free standing and loving it! he's such a little spunk!!!!

now the big question....what should we get him for his first birthday? he doesn't need any clothes....we have a tramp, play gym, swing, slide, cozy coupe and bikes galore....what to get? what to get? what was a hit for 1st birthdays???? lewis got a wheelybug but has never used it....

what is everyone doing for australia day?

Get him a great big tonka truck. Lindsay got 2 for his first birthday and LOVED them - he still plays with them. Or you could get a wagon like those american radio flyer ones. Alister got one of those and it's been awesome. Loads it up with his junk and away he goes.

Australia day we aren't sure. We were going to have friends over for beers, but that's all up in the air still

thanks trill- we've got 2 tonka trucks already would you believe? lewis got them both for his 1st birthday from different people.
i love the wagon idea! might go and google them right now....actually i think they have those radio flyer ones at the toy shop up the road from me. great idea! keep em coming

Trust me when I say you can never have too many trucks LOL. I think we are up to 5 now, plus other assorted loaders, cranes and excavators. The radio flyers are really hard to get because they import them from the US and they are HUGE! the wheel base is really long and they are quite tall, but the one that Alister got given is smaller and much easier for him to handle. So as much as I would have loved the quality of a ridgy-didge radio flyer, the one we have is great. We also have a few of the Little Tikes trucks and semi trailers that we only have indoors and the kids love those too.

hiya!
still not caught up on all the old posts - so i wil jump in here!
Trill - love that bed - looked at it for N but he is too small! i think it is the one we got (as a plain king single). do it!!!!!!!!!!!!!
clare - LOL at L giving away your secret! hilartious little monkeys they are!
Arte - how do you not eat yoghurt all day long> i am in love with NZ yoghurt! LOL! love W giving himself a star! what a cutie!
Ginger - whoa on the standing - go little J man! umm 1st bday presents - N also got the wheely and not so into it... mum got him an awesome rocking horse that is a huge hit...some other ideas - beautiful toy box, sand/water table, anything radio flyer, eurotrike, piece of art for his room, something musical (guitar, piano both hits at our place), dress ups, nice furniture/table and chairs????
all is well here. J is delicious... it is nice beinbg here and having some time just with him (and mum). he is such alittle squirmer - moves around heaps. not so into solids but i am trying to intro more of them now. he had yoghurt this morning - bit of a hit! when he had the blood tests for whooping cough they found his iron is quite low.. so think i will try to move onto meat sooner than i would have otherwise. loves cruskits too - think he is more into slef feeding so i may do more finger foods...
have put in the app for the house today - and seeing more tomorrow. i just want to lock one away. think DH will buy a car tomorrow too!

PP, if it is the same bed, is that the one that you thought was Aus made but actually wasn't? If it was the same one that's really dissapointing.