March 29, 2008
Tabitha - 9 months
Dear Tabby
9 months old - you've been out in this big wide world for the same amount of time as you were growing inside my tummy!
A quick comment on this photograph - the cardigan you are wearing was crocheted for me by your great-great-grandmother. How amazing is that?
This month you've really started to develop this wonderful little personality. You're cute, smiley, happy, demanding, and very vocal! Your face has changed, you have 4 very visible teeth now with 2 more on the way andyou have this adorable impish grin which is very 'little girl' as opposed to baby. While we are on the subject of teeth - please stop biting me while you eat. It hurts. A lot.
We took you to the Pediatrician yesterday for your 9 month checkup. You weigh in at 18lb and 10oz and you're 27.5 inches long. 50th percentile for both height and weight. Your head - still massive :-)
Of course you have also decided to celebrate becoming 9 months old with another ear infection - this will be the 3rd in the last month or so. We have yet another round of antibiotics for you so we're in for yet another 10 days of upset tummy :-( The DR says that if you get another ear infection he will have to refer you for tubes to be put into your ears. As much as I'm terrified of the thought of you having surgery, I don't want to put you through any more pain and discomfort with these infections. It actually breaks my heart that you've been through so much since birth, it feels like you have never for one day had a respite from something hurting. For the first few months it was your tummy, then RSV, now back to back ear infections and upset tummies as a result..... my poor little brave girl I wish you could know what it is like to be without something causing you pain. I hope that it will not have any long term psychological effects! You're such a game little fighter despite all these obstacles, always ready with a smile and so delightfully cute.
On the subject of upset tummies, the diet thing is definitely working so well. I am pleased to report you have had 2 months of normal poo (antibiotics aside) and no gas. Yay!
On the solids front, you're still not particularly interested. You love "Gerber Puffs" which are these little sweet potato puffed rice things. You will eat these by the gazillion (if allowed) and you go mad when you so much as see the package. You will eat jarred orange vegetables and you'll eat oatmeal cereal mixed with formula....... some days you eat once a day, sometimes twice, depends on your mood. I'm going to establish this 'baby led weaning' thing which is to allow you to feed yourself with chopped up 'real' foods as the purees clearly don't interest you. It's a little challenging with the dairy & soy issues but I will give it a go.
Sleep wise nothing is much changed other than you are sleeping for a far longer stretch if you're in bed snuggled up with us, so we let you :-) It's cute. Except when you lie diagonally and take up all of my space AND your father is snoring at the same time. Those nights are not great!!
You learned to wave this month, you will wave to EVERYONE. It is the cutest thing, you are so happy to have this skill! You also say DADADA a lot and HIYA (while waving). You are very verbal with your brothers and shout to them constantly - big loud shouts with a purpose!
I bought you a bath toy this week which seems to be the best thing since sliced bread. It blows bubbles all around the bath.... and you LOVE it sooooo much. You giggle and try to catch and pop them, so adorable that we've already run out of the bubble mix and had to order new!
The other big news this month is that we finally moved you into your new bedroom - opposite the hall from us. Moved in the loosest sense of the word - you only spend a couple or three hours there before coming in with us -but it's this gorgeous pink palace and you smile every time you go in & want to play with the chandelier and the butterflies.
You are very bored very quickly by toys, you need serious stimulation to keep your interest.... no better than me, Daddy or one of your brothers. Harry can leap around making you laugh for 20 mins at a time whereas a toy will only occupy you for 20 seconds!
Anyway little angel - I must go and feed you and get you ready for bed. I love you my sweet girl, & I really hope your ears feel better soon!
Mummy
xxxx
March 26, 2008
Hair Bow Holders
I wanted to find a bow holder for Tabitha & in searching the Internet I discovered some cute ones which were fairly expensive and I thought I might be able to make one myself. Then someone else asked me for one, and it's turned into a nice project that I'm enjoying - so much so that I've decided to sell them (assuming anyone wants one)! Tell your friends!
Hair bows & slides clip on to the ribbon underneath the letter as it hangs from the wall. A cute way to store them!
The T shown below is for Tabitha's room which is pink and the J is for my friends daughters lavender bedroom! Obviously they can be made to suit any colour scheme :-)
They can also obviously be made as 'wall letters' without the ribbon at the bottom if you're looking to put a name for your little one on the wall!
If you're interested, I'm pricing these at $20 including shipping (US). Payment via Paypal only. Email me for more details - katie@katie.com
March 24, 2008
Funny Harry
I’ve been teaching Harry how to play ‘Snap’ and it’s a very funny pastime. He has to win (obviously). Sometimes he gets so excited by seeing 2 the same that he forgets what to shout and shouts “SHOUT!!” instead of ‘Snap’. And the funniest thing I think is that we say (or in his case shout) the numbers of the cards as we put them down and he’s mastered them all , including knowing King, Queen & Jack, but when he gets to Ace he shouts “A!”
Another funny thing today – I put Tab down in my bed for a nap. She’s not very well so I have given her ‘Medised’ so she’s more drowsy than usual hence ability to put her down. I put the monitor on. Harry came into the kitchen where the receiver is and said ‘Hey! Tabfers on the radio!’
March 21, 2008
Natural Parenting
With each child has come age, wisdom, and experience. And with each child I've become more & more 'natural' in my parenting style.
By natural (not implying other styles are unnatural!) I mean that I'm following a very hands on approach, in the US I think it's called "Attachment Parenting" ala Dr Sears.
I strongly believe in Breastfeeding and I'm increasingly a believer in doing so beyond the average of 6 months to ensure that they get that perfectly designed nutrition as long as possible. I plan on nursing Tabitha until at least 1 year and maybe even beyond - we'll see how that goes nearer the time. Harry I only managed 7 mths, Dylan only 3 weeks due to heath issues. This is not the easiest of breastfeeding situations with Tab's allergies to Milk and Soy proteins, but I am persevering and I feel a good sense of achievement for doing that.
I believe in delayed solids, the latest studies all show that babies only need breastmilk for the first year and anything else should be a learning process not a nutritional requirement. The later you leave it, the less likely the child is to develop diabetes and allergies - the former obviously being a major concern in our home as G is Diabetic and the latter because everyone seems to be allergic these days - allergies being on the rise. We waited until 6 months with both Harry & Tabitha -- with Dylan we didn't know better & he started at the then 'norm' of 3 months (gasping horror face).
I don't believe in letting babies cry - I believe in tending to whatever their needs are. I don't believe that they are manipulative in infancy, they just want to be close and to feel loved and if they're not feeling that way they will cry. Who am I to deny that of the baby I brought into the world.
We have had a tough time with sleep with Tabitha. I used to have some lofty sleep principles where the boys were concerned......very focussed on routine and sleeping in their beds through the night ASAP, strict nap schedule, etc. It's easy to have those principles when you have easy babies though!
Tabitha has not been an easy baby and the sleep thing has been getting to me. We have this insane routine of rocking, patting, cuddling, nursing, every night for long periods - repeated when she wakes for feeds. One thing I do now though is that I don't rush into making any decisions of how to 'handle' these types of things - something I used to do! I think about it more before I decide.
I started to wonder how one gets from this point a) where she is requiring all this help to get to sleep, to b) where I can put her down happy, the infamous "drowsy but awake" in her crib and she'll go to sleep by herself. The two methods seem so far apart that I could not get my head around how we might one day end up at this point.
In doing some research, reading & talking to other parents, I came to the realization that this little girl wants to be held close to feel loved & safe. It's partly her personality and partly a 'norm' for the age she is right now. Who am I to refuse that? I do not want to leave her to cry so that she gives up on me, that's not an option. Studies actually show that babies left to Cry It Out have elevated levels of cortisol in their brains (Stress Hormone) which lasts through their lifetimes! I realise that in a few months she won't need this, that you don't find 18 yr olds needing this type of help to get to sleep, that it will not be forever.....and that I should just give her what she needs, a sense of security and love.
Part of this is leading towards "co-sleeping", an idea which a few years ago would have been abhorrent to me, but an idea that makes more & more sense to me now. For one thing, I do believe that "whatever gets the most people the most sleep" is key, for another I'm tired of G going to the couch with her, but for the most part - when this little girl stirs, as all babies do regularly, and looks to see if someone is near..... if she senses us beside her she happily dozes back off. What better gift to give her than that sense of security.
So anyway, we've been putting her into her new room and crib at the beginning of the evening but as the night goes on she's been coming into us and sleeping very happily. Developmentally this is the worst sleep period and things should start to lengthen and improve as she gets older but I'm going to let that happen 'naturally' and not force it.
All I need to do now is start cloth -diapering. I'm not going to because frankly the amount of laundry required for 5 people is alarming enough without adding to it! I want to though.
March 18, 2008
New Stuff
I'm a bit slack updating this aren't I? I've just been up to my neck in sickness and nonsense, plus we had a manic weekend.
Tab is still grizzly - I think her ears are still bothering her plus she is teething if the fists in the mouth are anything to go by. Sleeping is appalling, infact let's just say she doesn't, it's easier. Night time still tends towards her dozing fitfully on G's chest in the living room, it's the only way any of us get even a modicum of rest.
Tonight we've actually moved her into her new bedroom for the first time (gulp). She's moving into Dylans old room.... it's not completely finished but it'll give her some peace & quiet and space and maybe she won't stir. I'm watching her as I type on the video monitor, a little freaked out by the whole thing!
Aside from the above she's really smiley and lovely!
At the weekend we had some professional photo's done. We have shots done of the boys at a similar age so we wanted to continue that tradition. I went a bit mad buying outfits for Tab (oops) and for myself omg did it take forever to get myself looking even remotely presentable. Pedicure (bare foot pictures), Manicure and acrylic nails incase my hands show in the shots, eyebrow wax (was looking like a woolly mammoth as I never have time for grooming!), hair cut, hair colour (hide the grey), and finally someone to apply make up for me that morning to hide all the dark circles & wrinkles. Sounds overkill doesn't it. It really wasn't!
The photo's I think went well. Harry - usually the performer - refused. I hope there are some good ones of him. Dylan did really well & held his sister and I think we'll see some great ones .And Tab was beautiful :o)
Dylan and I went roller blading this afternoon at the local skate arena - a fundraiser for his school. G had the smalls and D & I went and skated for a couple of hours. Love it...... D still quite nervous but getting there. He also had a rehearsal for the school musical....and he has another school concert on Thursday. Quite the Thespian!
Harry asked me this morning why I don't have a willy. I said because I'm a girl. He said "Mum, your bum goes around and around".
March 13, 2008
Mattress Update
We got the refund and went to look at new mattresses. The guy in the store tried to sell us a Tempur-Pedic.... G was tempted. I was a little less so. I think it'd be nice but the whole taking-5-mins-to-rearrange-itself around me wasn't very appealing, I thought maybe when I woke at night to turn over I'd end up being far too awake waiting for the bed to move with me. I do think I'll miss the 'sinking' feeling that the current Latex one has, that a Tepure has.
We ended up going for an individual pocket coil soft pillow top job. Same money as we paid for the other so no out of pocket expenses. And we still have the 100 day 'comfort guarantee' so if we don't like it we can nob it off and get the Tepur Pedic.
March 11, 2008
Dear Universe
Fuck off.
Stop throwing things at us one after another after another.
Is it not enough that we have had to deal with 10 days in hospital for RSV, milk and soy protein intolerances, an ear infection, a Hydrocephalus scare and CT scan SINCE JANUARY? Not to mention the boys suffering colds and ear infections too?
No, apparently it is not. Apparently you have now decided that Tabby should get RSV *AGAIN*. Granted she does not require hospitalization this time, but nevertheless she is upset, miserable, coughing, crying, and feverish. And if that were not enough, you've also decided that she should get another ear infection and a RUPTURED EAR DRUM. Brilliant. Do you not think she's been through enough? I do.
She has to have another round of antibiotics, she's obviously in pain, and on top of that we're going to have another 10 days of upset tummy, gas, and sleepless nights to deal wtih again. Wonderful. Great.
Fuck you Universe.
March 10, 2008
Grabby McGrabberson.
In the last couple of weeks Tab has become insatiably curious about everything around her & wants it IN HER HANDS. RIGHT NOW PLEASE! You can't hold her near anything without her grabbing for it, if you move it she gets really annoyed, and tries with all her might to reach whatever it was. This is particularly interesting when we are in restaurants.
Ugh - Fell off the Wagon
The food wagon that is. I ate chocolate and McDonalds this weekend (so healthy), both of which contain dairy & soy. I think all the stress tipped me over the edge!.
Poor Tabby is now gassy and uncomfortable and can't sleep :-(
Mattress
Another problem the Universe threw at us recently was that of a new mattress.
We bought a new mattress for a new enormous King Size bed when we moved to Canada 7 years ago. Along with King Size beds and mattresses comes King Size prices... so as you can imagine I was somewhat disappointed to be constantly uncomfortable every night that I slept on it. I chose a super firm one believing that it would be good for my back. It wasn't, it aggravated every pressure point.
G was happy though, and of a rather old fashioned mindset when it comes to these things (he thinks you only need 1 mattress your entire life) was reluctant to change it, so I was stuck with it.
Scroll forward 7 years and I finally managed to convince him that sleeping in pain is unacceptable So much pain that I was waking up in the middle of every night having to take painkillers!
We went to Sleep Country for the new mattress because they supposedly have a good 'comfort guarantee' where you can return the mattress within 100 days if you don't like it, and after the first expensive mistake I didn't want to make another.
I lay on every single mattress in that store and narrowed it down to a Latex mattress - I'd heard from my Aunt that these were good and G absolutely refused point blank to buy a Tempur Pedic because they are so expensive & he doesn't trust the idea of them. I do wonder if they would be good but they are loads of cash. Anyway, we already knew we wanted something less firm..... and anyway, we found one we loved. Lay on it in the store for a good half an hour to be sure and bought it at huge expense. We bought a Spring Air Infinity Latex.
It was delivered and we slept in a fluffy cloud for nearly a week but then something horrible happened - it began to sag on my side of the bed. Sag so badly that the pain came back and I couldn't even turn over at night without having to stay in the same hole that had been created.
I called Sleep Country & they immediately said that they would replace it. Within 3 days it was replaced with a new one - impressive.
Another great week, then the exact same thing happened - it sagged again.
I called again and this time they said they were going to send out an inspector. I was nervous because I know that they measure the mattress with string to see if the sag is over a certain amount, and the sag happened when you lay in it not when it stood there. I did not want to return the mattress under the 100 day 'comfort guarantee' incase the next one wasn't faulty but wasn't comfortable, but was sure that the inspector would not deem ours 'faulty enough' as they are notoriously difficult about these things.
Anyway - he came today and was brilliant. He immediately recognized that this thing was faulty and he assured me that we'd be getting our money back and could go and choose a new mattress! Hopefully soon - my back is killing me!! But basically & I am so pleased. I am really impressed by the companys customer service.
Now .... the new question is, what mattress do we get ?? I'm thinking a regular brand like Sealy, not latex or foam or anything fancy... but comfy and soft.
March 08, 2008
We have a diagnosis
Beautiful little Tabitha has officially been diagnosed with a
BIG HEAD!
I cannot tell you how many tears of relief we have cried since finding this out.... on top of all those tears of stress......arghhh......
My little gorgeous girly has inherited the Jones Noggin, the one which she shares with both of her parents & her brothers, the one which has grown much more quickly than the rest of her body but THANK GOODNESS does not indicate anything sinister!
To give you some more background, I'd been aware of her growing head size for the last few months.... and then when we took her to a Chiropractor last week he made some comments which I knew meant he was concerned about Hydrocephalus.
I ended up being so worried that I took her to the Pediatrician, telling him "I know I"m being paranoid BUT, can you check". Well, he checked, and looked at me with a very grave face and said "you're not being paranoid, this needs to be looked at". He said her head had grown not on a curve along with her age, but almost up in a vertical the amount it had jumped and that while he really hoped it was nothing we MUST get it checked because this was not 'normal'
She had to have a CT scan so we were sent to Childrens Hospital in Seattle (astonishing place , like visiting a theme park with car parks named after animals and the whole place extremely new, clean & shiny). They saw her very quickly and strapped her onto the CT Scanning bed and swaddled her so that she couldn't move. I was allowed to stay with her. She cried :-( but it was over very quickly. They then gave us a 'quick read' which was no more than saying we could leave... which G said would be positive otherwise they would not have let us go, whereas I was more pessimistic..... but anyway, we went and sat biting our nails and feeling sick with terror until the Pediatrician finally called at 6pm.
He told me straight away that I could relax and that there was no further need for worry :-) He said that the scan had shown that she had a prominent somethingwhichmeanshead and slightly enlarged ventricles, neither of which meant anything other than being bigger than average, and that she is a perfect healthy little girl.
OMG I am so relieved.
Seriously though, I really hope we get a break from stress & worry soon? I can't take much more.
March 07, 2008
Because the Universe doesn't think we're stressed enough..
We have a new worry. Tab has just had a CT scan at Childrens Hospital to check for 'Hydrocephalus' as her head size has increased far too quickly and is way over the average for her age.
Waiting on results.
:-(
March 05, 2008
Photo's & News
Just now G came home from work. This one, waking up from a short nap (courtesy of Harry) in my lap was a bit crotchety and bleary...... G walked up to see her and smile before going to put his stuff down. As he turned and walked away she had the most enormous screaming fit because he had not picked her up!
This one is having major cold feet about being on stage. I am being very encouraging & blame G for winding him up into a frenzy about it! Hopefully he'll chill out and enjoy it.... he gets so nervous poor lamb!!
And this one has got a nasty ear infection which caused him to be awake most of last night, crying. We went to the Pediatrician today and she prescribed antibiotics. I get so confused with when they think ABX are appropriate so I asked her today and she said if the infection is asymptomatic then they generally don't, but if it is hurting then they do because it is more indicative of a bacterial cause. He's pretty grumpy and off school.
March 04, 2008
Talent
Dylan has a flair for the dramatic and G & I have been trying to convince him for a while to try some kind of theatre group. We finally convinced him to try a club which has started at school - they do a musical every couple of months with weekly rehearsals. He went to the first one tonight, it's a musical about Pirates, and came home having obtained the LEAD ROLE!! He is going to be 'Captain Jack' ! He got a huge cheer from the other students and is absolutely full of it, very proud of himself, and very proud parents here too!! His dad is especially chuffed, G being such a huge theatre luvvie himself!
Another thing with Dylan - he started piano lessons last week. I have been oddly reluctant to start music lessons for them... I don't know exactly why. I think it's because it was this enormous part of my life growing up. My parents put a lot of money and effort into my music lessons & activities, I had (have) a natural talent for it.. and growing up really centered around it being the thing that I was going to do with my life. Except I didn't, because on some level I never felt good enough or perhaps that I didn't quite 'get it' as much as my peers - that is the true musicians, the people who went on to become professionals - something in my brain didn't quite work the way that it needed to in order to take that step. And I didn't have anything to fall back on.
I can only be grateful that I had the opportunities that I did as a kid and it was such a huge part of my life..... I don't know why I'm so nervous for the kids .... it makes not a lot of sense really. Anyway, Dylan started piano lessons and like me at that age he is showing amazing talent for it.... he can sight read his way through something very quickly and pick it up with astonishing speed. The teacher is really excited about him... he's loving it.... I'm really moved by it... very proud of him ...... let's see how he gets on.
March 03, 2008
FDA finally concedes there's a link between Vaccines and Autism
Scary. Inevitable. Thank goodness they're finally taking the right steps.
http://www.newsmax.com/health/vaccines_cause_autism/2008/03/03/77315.html
March 01, 2008
Tabitha - 8 months
Happy 8 month birthday little girl!
This last month has been all about figuring out your gastric issues..... the issues which have made you uncomfortable, gassy, crying out in pain, since birth. I have doodled and dithered around for so long that it was absolutely time to make you better, to stop you hurting. As your mummy it is really hard to see you hurting and know that I am responsible for it in some way, that by nourishing you I'm also doing you harm. But, at the same time, wanting to keep breastfeeding you, keep that close bond that we have going... something that we both love. I'm happy to say that after a month of giving up Soy and Dairy in my diet, you are better.... your poo is normal, you don't get gas, and you're generally more comfortable :-)
You're still not sleeping too well, mind you. If you want to improve on that this month - I'm cool with that!
This month you have learned to sit. This is a big milestone! You have been coping well with a few seconds for the last couple of weeks but this week you actually seemed to master it for long periods and love to sit and play with your toys.
(forgive the fact that I didn't wipe your nose before making this video but I wanted to catch you enjoying yourself).
You still say MAMA occasionally but the new word of the day is DADA which you say *a lot*.... and you definitely direct it, excitedly, at your Daddy when he gets home from work.... you are thrilled to see him!
You still adore those brothers. Harry has taken a real shine to you lately and constantly wants to touch and talk to you ALL of the time. Especially when you're asleep.
You amaze me with the level of stimulation that you need in order to be content. The boys were quite content to do whatever, but you love to have things to look at, people to smile at, new and different things to touch and see. I'm not saying this as a bad thing, I think it shows a huge amount of awareness and intelligence on your part. You are absolutely fascinated by new environments and people... you love nothing more than to be out in your stroller walking around and seeing the world, especially in the fresh air.
Yesterday we took a parenting class at the local hospital - full of mothers with babies your age. You loved being around other babies, you loved lying on your mat on the floor giggling at me, and most of all you LOVED when we sang to you. You were enthralled by the music.... I can't wait to introduce you to more of it!
You're beginning to get separation anxiety - right on schedule. You hate to be put down, and you get very upset if I leave the room. You have also exhibited fear occasionally if something has made you jump. A heartbreaking cry comes from your lips and you need holding really tight to reassure you, but you are quickly reassured, thankfully :-)
Anyway - my darling girl - we muddle along. You are the most fantastic little personality. You are beautiful, sweet natured, strong, happy, smiley, demanding, exhausting, needy, independent, cuddly, loving little girl on the planet. Some days i feel like we're rushing along at a million miles per hour with no pause for breath trying to figure everything out, but I do know that every single second is worthwhile, every minute precious, and you fill us with absolute joy every day.
Mummy xxx