sick, sick sick, so we went to the doctors quick quick quick

We are sick - again.

Alex has been on antibiotics for ear infections both ears, and he finished them on Thursday. Saturday he started with the runny nose, Sunday he started pulling his ears, and today it was back to the doctor and more antibiotics. Poor little man is sooo unhappy.

Hubbs has been sick with it for about a week now and today I got hit with it - as the day progressed i got sicker and sicker. Not fun

I just want him to be well enough to enjoy his birthday - which is fast approaching us. In fact, there is only 6 more sleeps (18 for Alex if you count his two day sleeps as well), until my little man turns 1.

1! Can you believe it?

Every Thursday we do our grocery shopping. Every week the lovely lady in the deli asks after Alex, cooing at how much he has grown and he smiles back at her, happy to have someone's attention. Last Thursday we went to do our shopping as usual, and it was too much for little man to cope with. He fell asleep on the job. While we were taking the picture, they were boarding up the local Starbucks while the staff stood nearby watching them , their boxes of personal items at their feet.

That's Alex in his trolley cover in the front seat of the trolley.

I think we are prepared for his birthday. After reviewing kiddy play centres, etc, we decided that the only babies who would be there are Alex, his buddy Jesse and new baby Thomas (more on that below) so we decided to go to the pub instead (ok family bistro attached to the pub, but "the pub" sounded better).

And now very very exciting news. Remember my friend Jobie? Well she had her baby boy last Monday. Please Meet Thomas James : (Happy 1 week old Thomas!).

That's yours truly getting a very lovely cuddle with the new arrival - ooooohhhhh he is soooo gorgeous, i seriously wanted to sneak him off the building and hurry home with him - but his Mum and Dad wanted to keep him for themselves instead (Mean huh!).
Alex looks positively gigantic compared to baby Thomas.
(That is Hubbs holding Alex).

I wanna another baby!.

I need Jobie to send me a picture of her and her hubby with baby Thomas - we need a family pic I think.

p.s. I very nearly drove over there yesterday for a cuddle. He is soooo cute. Isn't he cute?

Jobie was very nicely over a week overdue, so i actually had a chance to finish the surprise pressie i was making for her.

Here it is - A blankie very similar to Alex's one! Of course this one is better than his - Every colored square is patterned, and every corner is "baby feet" - every other patterned square is unique - no duplicates like Alex's one.

Here is a close up of some of the new patterns I added:



I also changed the way I sewed up the blankie. Alex's one you can't see the seams but at times the weight of itself makes the seams seem a bit weak. So instead, this one I experimented with making a feature of the seams and I loved how it ended up - it was so much stronger too.


I love that I can make something very special to give to a couple who I know will appreciate it. I do hope you love it Jobie, and that Thomas enjoys using it as well. That is one cute little man you have there! Well done girl.

Let's be different

We're home from our little holiday at my sisters. It was lovely even though it rained every day, the toilet was on the brink most of the time and there was hardly any water for a shower. Oh and first Alex and then I got sick. Still it was nice.

My sister has a number of dogs. I have kinda lost count but I think there are six dogs that are their dogs, 1 that they were finding a home for and about 10 or so they were boarding at the time.

While we were there, only the two smallest dogs were allowed in the house as the others were just too big and I was worried about them being with Alex. As it was, I even watched him carefully around the two little ones.

The smallest pup is a 5 month old Cavalier king charles cross called "Smidge". Smidge was the runt of the litter and is sooo tiny. He is adorable though and both Alex and I fell in love with him. The feeling was mutual and Smidge never left Alex's side. He even scratched at our bedroom door to come in and sleep on the floor beside the cot. Unfortunately they wouldn't let us bring Smidge home with us, or he just might have come to stay! (Dan - you would LOVE Smidge)

Here are some pictures of Alex with "his" puppy:





But as I said - we both got sick. 3 days before we went to my sisters we went and played at a play centre. Alex had a ball there but we apparently left with more than we came with. The day before we went on holidays Alex had a fever and was crying all day.

We went to our friend Jobie's baby shower (which was awesome by the way), thinking that Alex just was teething. He got worse there and cried all day. I struggled to get food or even milk or water into him. He seemed to be okay that night so next morning we packed the car and left.

He cried all that day and hardly ate or drank - but we also noticed he started to develop blisters on his hands. I thought it was just part of teething - seeing as his hands are constantly in his mouth. I thought the constant wetness was just giving him a bit of a rash.

The next day he was slightly better and started eating and drinking more. We thought he was settling in better. Each day he got better and better.

But then I got the worse sore throat. Then aches, pains and hot/cold shivers. I thought i was getting a cold. Until I started getting blisters on my hands.

Alex and I both ended up getting blisters on our hands, feet and in our mouths. Dr Google suggested we had hand-foot-mouth disease. We fitted the profile exactly.

So off to the doctors we went - Confirmed diagnosis as suspected. The doc was amazed as apparently it is quite rare to see it, and she said it rarely occurs in adults. Go figure!

She assured me we would both be okay and that our dear friend Jobie would not be at risk (which I was worried about as she is 38 weeks pregnant).

Alex is almost over it now and I am still struggling through it (i seemed to cop it worse than Alex did).

Here is a picture of his hand when it had the blisters:



Back with another pic that i just have to share cause it is so cute.

My little starfish

It has been bloody cold here lately. I mean, bone chilling , want to hide under the doona cold. So because I had to do things like take Alex out into the cold to take Mum in law to hospital - things that could not be avoided, Hubbs and I went out and bought him a parka. The smallest size I could get was size 1, and that was fine with me because he is in size 0 now, and hopefully a size 1 will see him right through this winter. The parka is big on him and we have to roll the sleeves up and try to find his hands. It is well padded, and when it is on him he reminds me of a starfish, as he can hardly move. His Auntie also bought him a hat that does up under his chin and isn't easily removed. All this makes mumma happy but Alex isn't exactly impressed with his added layers.
It's a bob the builder parka - isn't it cute? It also has a detachable hood that you can't see in the picture. My poor little starfish.

Mum in law update: she is doing okay in the hospital - she has even called me less so i have been able to have a little bit of a break, which has rather felt like a bit of a mini holiday (yeah I know - i really need a life). She desperately wants to go home and i hope she doesn't as i have done my best to encourage her to stay.

I was rather taken aback yesterday when i emailed her other son in Sydney to give him his Mum's direct phone number (he only had the ward number), and got an email back from his wife that basically said that they had no intention of calling her as they didn't really want to be bothered by her negative attitude. Ummmmm yeah that is really going to help her - NOT. Nice to have family support isn't it.

Anyway, I just hope that she is getting the help she needs so dearly and I will still call her and still visit her - I am not going to abandon her.

I went to the doctors and have had some tests that i still don't have any results for. I also have to go to get a cat scan on my back and some blood tests for arthritis. My sister has arthritis throughout her body and the doctor suspects that I might have the same problem which is causing both my pain when i try to go to the loo, and the pain i have had in my hips and legs since before Alex was born. It makes sense, but i really don't want arthritis this early in my life. Anyhow, I won't worry about it until after all my tests. Who knows - it might be nothing at all.

ok back to my knitting which i am pleased to say i have actually been able to do a fair bit of today - yay.

There's a bear in there!

It's been another tough week (is there any other in this house?)

Once again my mother in law has been unwell (still i guess). She went downhill rapidly a few days ago . She saw a new psychiatrist who changed her meds a bit, and has encouraged her to go to hospital for a while to be monitored. She has totally resisted the hospital part - making up every excuse under the sun not to go. Favorites amongst her arguments for not going to hospital:

"but they don't have electric blankets on the beds and i really like my electric blanket".
"i don't like lining up for my meds"
"they serve meals at particular times and i like to choose when I eat"
"i'd be bored"
"what is going to happen to "insert hubby's name, pets, my washing, bills, etc here" ?"

But all her arguments are in vain because let's face it - she has tried getting better at home on her own and it just isn't working. Even though I got help in to shower her hubby, provide meals on wheels, clean the house, do their shopping, sort out medications, take them to appointments etc, (which they have tried to cancel several times because "they don't like strangers coming to their house"), even though she has seen GPs, psychologists and now psychiatrists, she just isn't getting any better. Even though i go down there a couple of times a week to take her out shopping, to cafe's , the library - wherever. Even though i make her favorite meals, clean stuff that the carers don't get to (like the 4 sinks worth of dishes i did on friday). Even though i answer the phone to her several times a day (the current record is 9 calls in a morning). Even though everyone is bending over backwards to help her - she just is NOT getting better!

The psychiatrist has said that she needs at least 2 weeks in the hospital. I agree.

The crunch came on Friday when Hubbs and i tried to spend the morning together as a family - a very infrequent thing when you have a business open 7 days a week. Being a public holiday, we had the chance to sleep in together, cuddle, eat meals together and play with Alex together. We were both really looking forward to it.

But early on, the calls started. By midday we had had 9 calls each lasting a minimum of 30 minutes. On the 9th call we ascertained that she had had nothing to drink, nothing to eat and was feeling dizzy from her meds. The locum GP had been to visit and told her to skip the next tablet if she was feeling ill, and she was asking us whether we thought she should take the next tablet or not. We told her logically that if she was taking them on an empty stomach they were likely to affect her more, and she should eat. She said "'hubby' won't feed me" which is crazy. It was getting stupid so i said to Hubbs "let's just pack Alex up and go over there".

So we did and when she answered the door to us she said (almost in a childlike gleeful voice) "ohhh I knew you would come". It was then i realised that she was really manipulating us and she had just won.

I took over 3 containers of home made soup - (so she could freeze two and eat one), and some fruit because she had told me she was out. (mind you - i called her the day before and asked her what groceries they needed, then gave her two hours to think about it and called her back and all she said was "milk"). We sat her down and made her eat some soup and drink a glass of water, and then she went back to bed.

I started doing all the dishes, and she kept calling me in a pitiful voice "bugsy,.... bugsy" and i would go in there and she would ask some inane question like "do you think i am going to get better?" and i would answer "of course you are - long as you do what the doctor says", then i would go back to the dishes until the next time she called out to me. This went on for about 3 hours and i was exhausted. Hubbs was looking after Alex and trying to talk some sense into her husband who was telling her she didn't need to go to hospital she just needed a new pet dog. (mainly cause he knows he can't stay in the house on his own and would have to go into respite). When we left i said to hubbs- "run, quick before she calls out for me again".

She hugged us all when we left and told us how much she loves us. Sad thing is that Hubbs told me that she never hugged him or his brother - ever. That was the first hug his mum has given him that he can ever remember. It is so sad to watch her degrading like this.

She has also started saying horrible things like "please just smother me with a pillow - i don't want to live like this". It breaks my heart to hear it.

So on Saturday her psychiatrist called me and said she MUST be admitted to the hospital, and i could call on monday and work out with them when she can go in. So since then i have been talking to her several times a day to convince her that she must go. i have spoken to her other son in Sydney, and her husband's two sons as well. They are all in agreeance with me. I have organised with the hospital when she is being admitted (Wednesday morning), and organised respite care for her husband. He is adamant he is not going but i have told him that he cannot be home on his own - it just isn't safe. I have entrusted his sons with getting him there (it shouldn't after all be all my problem to get him there as well), so he is supposed to go there Wednesday afternoon.

So Wednesday i have to get Alex up early, and get him ready to go, and be at mum in laws by around 8:30am, help her pack her bag because she doesn't have the brain power at the moment to pack, get her in the car and to the hospital by 10am and get her settled in there. I also have to organise with the neighbours to feed the animals (if they will, otherwise they might have to go to a cattery/kennel if i can get them in or i have to drive there (25 min drive each way) every day to feed them myself).

Then begins the days upon days of her begging me to pick her up, telling me how much she hates it there, and me trying to be strong and convince her to stay there to get well. i will have to visit a lot, which is hard with a baby, and this isn't really the sort of hospital i really want to take Alex to, but someone will have to visit her, bring her things, take her washing home and bring it back again etc.

It is going to kill me. If i can pull this off, i reckon i can do just about anything.

I have refuted all her arguments against going to the hospital - she said "you are getting pushy" I replied "I'm trying"

In other news - relations with Hubbs has been strained again. It is just all the stresses we have. But we are working through it and he closed the shop today so we could spend the day together - it was heavenly being together as a family (despite the phone calls from "you know who").

I am not well, but not really admitting it (i never said that - honest). I think i might have a kidney infection (but don't have time to deal with it so just really ignoring it). I am taking cranberry tablets and drinking cranberry juice and hopefully it will rectify itself. I have also pulled muscles in my shoulders and neck (probably from lifting boofer boy). Hubbs said I should go to the doctors (pfftt doctors smockters). I will look after myself once i have dealt with Mum in law.

Anyway, time for more pictures - Here is the little bear that invaded our home on Friday (since it has been blooming cold here in Melbourne lately - and he needed rugging up to go to visit his Nutty Nana)

Isn't he just the cutest little bear you have ever seen? Don't you just want to snuggle him close? I know I do - ohh wait - I just did!

I also got him a new bath seat which has been fabulous - means I can bath him in the spa bath without having to get in the bath with him. It is still a little hard getting him in and out but much much easier than it has been and a lot safer.


Jobie - those bath toys you bought him are fabulous! He loves them. They are the perfect size for him to pick up, chew and play with. Thank you!

Can you believe buggy butt is nearly 9 months old? I find it hard to believe. He is so amazing though. he is saying Dada all the time now but refuses to say Mumma - hubbs is coaching him so hopefully he will start saying it before mother's day. He gets closer every day to crawling - I think it will only be a couple more weeks and he will really take off. Then we will be in trouble!

A night out?

Having a new child is stressful so a night out would be nice wouldn't it?

Except it wasn't the type of night out I was yearning for.

Last night wasn't so great. Alex has been battling a cold for the last couple of days. Yesterday he was really bad, and wasn't interested much in food or anything to drink and it was a battle getting what I could into him. After I finally got food into him he threw it all up anyhow. Last night he woke from a nap around 7 and was really struggling to breathe.

After calling Hubbs, and then calling the nurses on call number, (who said "call an ambulance" after listening to him over the phone), I popped him in the car, grabbed what I could quickly grab and flew down to the emergency department. (i didn't call an ambulance - he just wasn't bad enough but if he had been I would have called in an instant). Being a bub they looked at him pretty quickly and determined he had an upper respiratory problem and diagnosed "Croup".

I had heard about croup but didn't really know what it was. They told me that basically Croup is the same as a cold but the cold virus swells up the airways. In adults it is just a cold - because our airways are wide enough to cope with it. But in bubs their airways are already narrow so any further narrowing can restrict their airways enough to really put them in danger of not being able to breathe.

So they tried a steroid syrup and monitored him for a few hours, but there was no improvement. He was grisly which is not him, as he is normally so happy, and wasn't interested in his toys - just wanted to be held. Hubbs came to the hospital, and they then tried an Adrenoline inhaler (which he hated - It took three of us to hold his head and the mask on him while he screamed). That helped a little but didn't do it enough for them to be happy with us going home. Around 2:30 - 3am I sent Hubbs home - it seemed silly for us both to be losing sleep and we had just gotten Alex to sleep. So reluctantly he left and I tried to get some sleep - got about 30 minutes. Alex slept peacefully while I went for walks around the emergency department, and watched him sleep. One of the nurses invited me into the nurses lounge for a cuppa (yay).

At 7am this morning the doc checked Alex again and he was still wheezing so he got another dose of the steroid syrup. 8am he was still wheezy and grisly and really miserable, so the attending paediatrician decided to admit him into the childrens ward. So upstairs we go, and I try to make him happy, playing, giving him a bottle etc. The tea lady kindly got Alex some pureed apple and weetbix but he really wasn't interested in eating. He did have a bottle though and got some sleep.

A fleet of doctors (mostly trainees - it is a teaching hospital (one was really cute! ;-) ) ) visited - asked the same questions everyone else did and finally around 2pm they decided he was well enough to go home but if he relapsed I had to bring him back to the hospital immediately. So we are finally home.

I gotta tell you - staying out all night and wearing the same clothes for two days isn't as fun as it used to be!

He is a little better this afternoon - he ate a really good lunch (can you believe 2pm in the hospital and lunch still hadn't come round the ward?) and he has slept well (better than me - I tried and got three phone calls)

Anyhow - pics of the little man being monitored at the hospital attached. Oh and to cap it all off, yesterday both Hubbs and I got hit heavily with Alex's cold. Everything aches - even my teeth. Nose is running like a tap (not one on water restrictions though), and I feel like something on the bottom of a budgie cage.

Poor little man. I am watching him sleep now and it is such a relief to have to watch keenly to see his chest rise rather than seeing his chest suck in and push out with so much effort.

Hubbs is going to come home asap tonight so I can have a shower. I changed my clothing when I got home (couldn't find a clean bra so just left that item of clothing out - luckily nobody is likely to turn up to see him). Actually when Hubbs comes home I might run a bath (shhh - don't tell the water police). I just want to be clean and have a good sleep.

oh and a good tip to know for the future - when you have hardly eaten anything in 24 hours, don't grab a big mac on the way home - your stomach just won't handle it well and as well as chills, aches, foggy head, fever and a runny nose, oh and the tiredness from not sleeping in 24 hours, you will find you are running to the loo an awful lot (and one grisly boy who doesn't want to be parted from Mummy won't be too impressed either).

Peek-a-boo!

Sorry I have been a bit absent. Everything is fine, except I have a shocking cold thanks to hubbs! And of course there is very little I can take for it, so instead I took three days off work, stayed home and rested and drank lots of water. It is a little better but my nose is still a tap and I have a lovely cough.

Let's hope it is gone by the time bubs is born.

Wriggles has been great. We had an OB appointment on Thursday and Fundal height was right on 33weeks so doc is still happy for us to just continue on without monitoring just yet, and had a meeting with the diabetic dude on Friday and he is happy with my sugars too.

I mostly have my bag packed for me but still don't have wriggles bag packed, nor do I have a baby room yet. Last night we got back from the shop about 10pm, had dinner and then I got stuck into the room, packing up books into boxes. Hubbs got annoyed at me because he said I should be resting (yeah but the room ain't going to pack itself is it? and I don't see him moving his growing backside off the couch at all over the last week to do anything for that room!) . Eventually he decided to get up and help and we ended up getting all the books in the room packed up and ready for storage - so that was great.

I just wish we could get it finished. I need it to be finished. I need to be able to sort out clothing and wash it, put it away. I need to know what I have already and work out what I need. I need to be ready for this baby and I need it now.

The rest of the house is a mess. I am ashamed to admit there are things on the floor that I just can't pick up and I am still waiting for hubbs to pick them up. Nothing dirty or anything, but things like I was washing out an old milk bottle and I dropped the clean lid on the floor a week ago and it is still there. I just can't bend over to pick it up, so I am going to have to "ask" him again and see if this time he tells me off for "nagging". Arrgghhhhh why is this all so difficult.

I know he has been sick with this cold, but so have I and yet i continue doing everything because I know it has to be done. I know the shop is demanding and he got 2 large deliveries this week that meant he had to stay back and put stock away a couple of nights. I know that he, like me, needs some time each day to rest, but when does the room get done?

I think I would feel better if the cradle was put together and I had the cradle linen washed and ready. I would also feel better if I had the baby clothes out and I had somewhere to change nappies. I don't want a beautiful themed baby room - I have given up on that. Just give me the basics and do it today! Grrrrrr.

Anyway enough about that - you are all probably sick of me whinging about the lack of baby space. I have one more week at work and then I am on maternity leave. I cannot wait! Bring it on.

One of the things Hubbs did move was a solid cardboard core that had paper wrapped around it. The paper got taken off and rolled up and the core came out to be disposed of, but Oscar had other ideas and loves playing in it. His favorite thing at the moment is playing Peek-a-boo with his Daddy. He sits and waits until Hubbs walks by and then the paws come up and his little head peeks above the rim - it is hilarious.

This is a pic of Oscar and Hubbs playing peek-a-boo together.