Baby's first Christmas

Tom pictured here with some of his presents. Of course his sister 'helped' open all of them, but he scored some lovely things and coped fairly well with all the hustle and bustle of the day.

3 months

Tom is still a very placid babe. He is feeding four-hourly now and gives me a pretty good nights sleep. He goes to bed around 7pm and wakes about 4ish. Still feeding well. Cries are getting louder but only when he needs something (food or sleep). Smiles a lot and has just discovered that his hands are conected to his body and that he has some control over them. We have clasping, sucking and even holding going on :)

He still has a little craddle cap and his (redish) hair doesn't seem to be going anywhere yet. Moving into 00 clothes and starting to look like a little boy in his jeans and polo shirt.

His sister still cuddles him to death and its quite funny to hear her copying me and calling him sweetheart. She also likes to sing 'Tom Tom the Piper's son..' to him.

On the buses

Today Tom and I went on a little adventure. We didn't have the car so I decided to risk one eye and take the bus to the local shopping centre. I chose a bus with 'easy access'. Timing was good (early afternoon) so the bus was empty and we were able to get the disabled seats and it was pretty painless. Tom loved it and I got all my chores done. Great stuff.

Smiles

Here's a few piccies of our lovely boy and his delightful smile. Nice to see I'm not the only one in the family with a double chin either :)

Huggies Shoot

Today was the big shoot. Tom was filmed from 8am to almost 11 which was a lot longer than planned, but it was because he wasn't up for performing. He was very grumpy and it didn't help that they kept changing the game plan - photos awake, photos asleep, wrapped, unwrapped, held, on the bed. Then when he was finally asleep, they wanted arms up, arms down, fingers open and closed! Phew who would want to be a model ;)

Anyway his first taste of stardom was fun (?) well interesting then - even if he will never remember it. Also, he was one of a final four babies chosen for the shoot but only one of those will become the 'Hero Child' (thier wording, not mine!) on the newborn nappy packs.

Other things happening this week - he is getting into a kind of routine, sleep by 7-8pm feed at 2am then up at 6. It's getting harder to get him off to sleep in the day, he much prefers to be out and about than at home, and he sleeps better that way too. Feeding is getting faster - about 30 mins or so each time.

What else? Well he's in 00 clothes now and his hair is still growing (red). His eyelashes are so long too - is that a baby thing? He's really alert to us, especially loves watching his sister, and is beginning to coo and pull tongues.

A Bonny Baby

Just for fun, I entered this picture of Tom into a Huggies 'competition' to select babies for a photo shoot for their new packaging. To my great surprise we were invited to a casting in Waterloo. We went along, and like all good babies do, Tom decided he'd sleep right through our allocated timeslot for the photo.
The organisers were very laid back about it - amazing really as we were number 179 out of 200 babies they were photographing! They told me to take my time and they would snap him asleep if need be.....but he had to be unclothed and just in his nappy.
That of course woke him up and caused him to be very grumpy. Couldn't get a smile out of him or even a sparkle in his eye. He just stared blankly at the camera.
Anyway lo and behold today we got the call back and were told that Tom had been selected for the shoot next week and will be appearing on the new Huggies packaging! Way to go Tom - a star in the making!

Ginger Tom

Tom had his 6-8 week checkup yesterday with the early childhood nurse. She confirmed what i had long proclaimed in that he is very strong, with a kick like an ox. He's piling on the weight, at 7 weeks and 4 days, he is already 5.8kgs and other factors such as length and head size are perfectly average.
He is giving beautiful dimple filled smiles now and is showing signs of being a ginger haired boy. It's still early days though yet as i remember his sister going through a similar colour change on her way from jet black to her current fair haired state.
The picture here is one taken for his passport. It took a while to get it right and he won't be looking like that for long I guess.

I know you

Today I had my follow up appointment with my obstetrician and I took Tom along. I asked Dr Sacks for a snap as the ones we had taken in the hospital hadn't worked out, and put Tom into his arms. He (Tom) suddenly went quiet and stared up into Gavin's eyes with a piercing frown as if to say "I know you, you were the one who pulled me out from my nice warm resting place"!

We're going to miss Dr Sacks as he has been with us on this long journey to have Tom. A big thank-you to him and his never ending optimism!

6 weeks

Tom is going through 'the change' - he has started sleeping less and feeding more. He has been through a growth spurt, with 0000 clothes no longer fitting him. He has started to watch us as we come into his line of vision and I have had a few small smiles. Not sure however if they are just wind! He is quite a windy baby and it often wakes him up.
There were two nights last week when from his 6pm feed to his 6am feed, he woke just once! I thought all my prayers had been answered, but it turned out to be just a fluke and we are back on the 3hr feeding cycle.
Last week he had his follow up check with the pediatrician and all was well. He now weighs 5.125kgs and has a bit of a flatty on the left side, so have to make sure we turn him around on the change table and the cot so he evens it out a bit.
The photo was taken at 5wks and 3days with his great grandmother (Oma). He was very relaxed with her and she was very proud of her great grandson, the little boy who will carry on her name.

Peter Rabbit

Here is the finished rug that Tom's nana made for him while she was visiting from England. Big sister helped(?) a lot by passing nana the threads and sorting the colours. Tom is laying by the isde on another present from nana and grandad, a sheepskin rug/liner for his car seat. As summer is fast approaching here, it'll be a while before we use it though.
Tom is one month old in this picture.

Grandparents

Two lovely pictures for the record of Tom's grandparents, the Hubers and the Maguires.

Look at the difference in size in just one month.

Three weeks

Tom is still loving his sleep. He is feeding every three hours but still falling asleep mid-feed. This picture/pose is his favourite. It's not often we see him with his eyes open but when he does Ela exclaims 'he's opening his eyes mama they are very blue - like mine!'
He's not up to much else really other than pulling funny faces as he passes wind. In fact he is quite the boy, enjoying farting way too much!
He's also been to the pub twice in his three short weeks - once to the Woolwich Pier Hotel and once to the Mean Fiddler in Rouse Hill.

Bathtime

Tom is still getting used to getting naked - he doesn't like having his nappy changed at all - much prefers the security of being swaddled. I swear he wasn't ready to leave the womb!
So bathtime is still a bit stressful for him, but he is slowly getting used to it. He's ok if we cover him with a flannel and likes the soothing motion as we sway him through the water.
Big sister Ela loves to watch but isn't ready to take part yet. She says she will wait till he's big enough to join her in 'her' bath.

Big day out

Tom is now 2 weeks old and he had his first major outing. I took him the baby and kids market at Ryde. I really had no need to buy him anything as family and friends have been so generous. But we did buy him a neck pillow to support him in his capsule and a Pooh bear night light.
If I had had a dollar for every comment about how 'cute' he is and how 'small' I'd be a rich woman! I guess it's not often you see a 2 week old baby being carried around a market over his mum's shoulder (I forgot the babybjorn and he wasn't happy in the pram).
After that we met with friends at the Breakfast Point Country club while Ela and her friend Oli went for a wade in the pool and a play in the sand. Tom slept soundly through the whole day.

Visitors and Presents

Tom was very lucky to have lots of visitors while we stayed in hospital and during our first week at home. along with the visitors came presents - for both he and Ela - thanks to everyone for your lovely gifts.
He was really well behaved in hospital, giving me plenty of rest of a night and starting his feeding OK. In fact he slept like a log - and still is. In the middle of a feed particularly, but most importantly, he goes back to sleep quickly in the night which is great. We are still feeding on demand but roughly every 3-4 hours.

Homecoming

Tom left the hospital today and rode home in his chariot. He is still quite jaundiced so need to get him in the sunlight regularly. His little hat is always flopping over his eyes - he's just so tiny.

Ela wasn't able to stay in this car capsule for long due to her size but I think Tom may get a bit more use out of it.

When Ela arrived home from childcare, she was so excited to find us home. But she wanted to know if his 'black' was gone yet. When in the hospital, she always asked us why we weren't coming home with her and I told her we had to wait for Tom's belly button to heal. So she was a bit confused when she peeked in at Tom's belly to find it still black.

Our Tom's Arrival

Well today was delivery day and Tom Leslie arrived without a hitch. We were first on Dr Sacks list - 7.30am which meant an early start from home. We drove to St George hospital at 6am and watched the sunrise on a beautiful day.

We met the anesthetist for the pre-op 'talk' and then I went down to theatres to get the big needle. The pain was as I remembered it last time, but it was over much quicker - probably because I wasn't as big this time round and could bend more.
I also reacted to the drugs in a similar way to last time - nausea and a total feeling of 'losing it'. It was quite scary but was soon compensated with an adjustment of the drugs and before we knew it baby Tom was taking his first lung full of air and screaming. That brought tears to my eyes as it did when the swaddled him in a blanket and brought him for his first cuddle.
He was so perfect - and small. Weighing in at 3.695kg (8lb2oz)was a very healthy size but compared to his sister (4.7kg/10.5lb) he felt so little.
We didn't expect it - particularly as I was pretty big myself so hadn't really gotten him any small sized clothes. Luckily his aunties and grandparents were on the ball and rushed out to make some purchases.
Big Daddy took Tom up to the maternity ward to weigh him in and do the Apgar Test (9 both times) and sit with him on his chest until I was out of recovery. Ela arrived with Nana and Grandad about 15 minutes later and was so excited to finally meet her little brother.

We bought her a doll that you can feed and nurse, so she wouldn't feel left out, and when I came up from recovery, she was insistent on telling me all about it. It was quite overwhelming seeing this perfect bundle of joy laying in the crib next to me and with Ela climbing all over the bed and asking why I was in a cage (the bed sides were up). She asked me why I had the drip attached and we explained that the doctor had cut my tummy and taken Tom out. She asked to see the cut and after taking a look, then looking at my (still fat) tummy she asked 'So is there another baby in there waiting to come out?'!

Watch us grow

Click on the pic to see a bigger version (if you can bear seeing so many me's :)

Not many words required with this picture. The numbers are the weeks pregnant. I don't feel like there was much change these past few months. We are guessing a nine and a half pounder.

38 weeks

Well almost there. I had my last visit to the obstetrician on Monday. He's pleased with everything and we are up first this Saturday morning (7.30am) for our planned Cesar.
Mark asked him if he had any 'socialising' plans for Friday night that included alcohol and he replied - 'of course I do - a few drinks will help calm the nerves'. Gotta love a doctor with a sense of humour.
Never thought to ask him what if things happen 'naturally' in the meantime. Hopefully they don't, as I haven't packed my hospital bag yet! BB's Nana and Grandad arrive from England early tomorrow to help out with Ela and George (our dog), I can't wait.
This week off work has been blissful - especially the days that Ela is at Gumnut cottage :) She is also very excited about the imminent arrival of her baby brother. More so about the present he is going to bring her than actually meeting him.
Fingers crossed that everything goes smoothly and this time next week he'll already be 5 days old.

35 weeks

Last week I bought my first set of clothes for BB, then this week I got out Ela's baby clothes to see if there are any we can 'salvage'. As you can see from the pic, there is rather a lot of pink (and lilac) but I did manage to find some plain white, some green, red and even a couple of blue items (right most pile).


I'm rapidly growing out of all my maternity clothes and am mostly living in trackie pants. Even the belly bands I made, are not quite stretching far enough! So after my Obs appointment this week I bought a few more outfits - lucky that today's fashion is that sort of baby-doll look and they go great over enourmous protruding stomachs.

At my last Obs appointment, Dr Sacks told me he had been approached by a media production company (Antonia Kidman's) who were filming a second series of shows for Foxtel on pregnancy, following 12 couples on their journey. He asked me if we would be interested in being filmed. Of course I would - but hubs was not keen at all so we have decided to forgo fame and fortune (hehe) and pass on the offer. I guess blogging is enough publicity for now :)

This weeks appointment was all good. Blood pressure A-OK and size 36cm. Baby is head down and posterior but not fully engaged. Dr Sacks wants me to go for another 3rd trimester scan to check on size. He's hoping the growth spurt has evened out as the last scan at 32 weeks put BB in the 90th percentile.

31 weeks

Well last week we had a chicken pox scare. We were with my good friend Maria whose little girl Leah contracted it two days after our playdate so we had to go see the GP. It turned out, after a blood test, that I do not have the antibodies present and so had to go to St George for a shot of Imunoglobulin - in the derriere. No side effects noticed, and apparently no harm done to poor little BB.

Today we had our 31 week Ob visit. All good. Fundal height is 33cms so BB is growing slightly bigger than average. Elective Cesarean booked in for 3rd September at 5pm, but looking at changing it to 1st as we can get a morning slot then. Seems crazy to be choosy about the time of day we have our baby, but thinking about when Ela will be able to meet him, I think morning will be best. Plus I will go crazy waiting all day!

As you can see from the photo, I'm starting to look pretty tired. Going to the toilet 4-5 times a night is surely getting me in practice for night feeding. Cramps in the thigh/bum come and go during the night/early morning but nowhere near as bad as first time round. Don't seem to be as swollen nor do I have the numbness and tingling I had in my left hand and arm like I did with Ela. Still, early days yet. 8 weeks to go and counting.

Bugs

Well there has been a cold/flu/stomach bug doing the rounds of our house this week.
Last night I had to go to the emergency department of Concord Hospital and get them to check me out as I was experienceing a band of pain across the top of my stomach, was short of breath and very uncomfortable.
They put me on a drip to get some fluids into me, and took plenty of blood to test for other ailments.
BB although quiter than usual (possibly because I hadn't eaten all day) was doing well (heartbeat 150-160bpm when measured) and my blood pressure wasn't too bad.
I did feel a bit stupid going there - especially when the blood results came back as all normal and they said it was possibly just a gaseous buildup! But the doctor suggested an ultrasound next week to rule out gallbladder stones as he felt it was a bit tender around there.
Best to be safe than sorry I guess.

27 weeks

Into the third trimester now and starting to feel it. I developed a rash on my stomach about 2 and a half weeks ago and have tried numerous creams and remedies, all to no avail.
It has now spread to my thighs and boobs and I think it is time to take action and get the steroid cream that the GP prescribed.
I've also started drinking dandelion tea (foul) and taking flaxoil - by the spoonful (double disgusting) as I have read that they can work well. I think tomorrow though I'm going to get the antihistamine (piriton) prescribed by my OB and take it before bed as the itching/scratching has started to keep me awake.

I recall having a similar thing with Ela, but I never sought 'help' - just dealt with it until it went away (about 4-6 weeks). Dr Sacks thinks it will probably come and go until I deliver - which is looking likely to be about the 3rd or 4th of September.

Other than that, Gestational diabetes test came back 'normal' with a BSL of 3.7. BP was 110/70 and fundal height 27cm - so buba on track for being a 'normal' size at this point. I feel like I popped out really early but have slowed down a bit now. I'm definitely not feeling as bloated as last time - altough I can't now remember whether that feeling was closer to the end with Ela.

Front runner in the name stakes is Tom at the moment with no other real contenders except for maybe Johnny.

23 weeks

I changed locations to see the obstetrician (Dr Sacks) today. His Bondi Junction offices are 100% nicer than Kogarah (view of the harbour) and there was no wait. Unsurprisingly my blood pressure was the lowest it has ever been (120/70).
Anyway here is the little kicker - I swear he'll be playing for Australia one day :) Everyone has been telling me I'm 'big' but we measured up pretty average today (24cms).

So far the pregnancy is going well, lots of movement, not much else to report really. No heartburn yet, some sleepless nights and dead legs, but can't really complain.

A new wardrobe

This wee little bump is going to be the best dressed in Sydney as this weekend I went on a shopping spree. There is a great website called Essential Baby who have a retail outlet in Bronte. They have decided to close the shop down and were selling off ALL stock with 60% off. Couldn't miss that, so went and spent.

When I think back to my first pregnancy, I owned just two maternity items. The remainder consisted of Mark's XL shirts, a couple of XL jumpers and some XL t-shirts! Poor Ela-bump looked like a sack of potatoes, whereas BB-bump is draped with Ripe, Loveable and Pea-in-a-Pod to name drop but a few of the brands I now own!

BB even got to swim in a designer swimsuit on Sunday too.

19 weeks

Well today we found out our baby bump is boy shaped. Being the emotional wreck/person I am right now - I had to shed a tear - of joy of course.

BB getting more active - especially after dinner :)

Ela seems non-plussed that the baby in mummy's tummy is a baby bruvver. She's much more interested in the pencils and butterfly the receptionist gave her to play with and the water cooler in the waiting room!

So we can start buying MORE clothes and Ela's gorgeous dresses that she has grown out of will just have to wait for a cousin or close friend.

15 weeks

This week the bump took on its own dimensions! Looking and feeling very pregnant now. BB (Beautiful Bump) is getting more and more active, especially after dinner. Obviously enjoy's Mark's cooking too.

In a heartbeat

Today was the first scan - it has been a nerve wracking two weeks waiting and praying that we see the tiny speck on the screen with a moving part.



Happy to say it was there - strong and clear for all to see. Can't begin to describe the relief.

Back again in two more weeks to have another look. Wow I'm six weeks pregnant.

Test Results are in

We are scheduled to go in for a blood test today but being up at the Central Coast, and it being still 'holiday' season, we decided to do an HPT instead. I bought a cheap one (of course) where you need to pee in the pot and put the stick in. But I was so nervous that I couldn't fill the pot to the line so had to come back later and try again.
The line was very barely there but there was a shadow of sorts. We had to go out and get a more expensive (reliable) one and bought the one witht he blue cross - which came up clear and strong. OMG we're pregnant!
Have all the symptoms, slight nausea mid afternoon and dog tired to the point of falling asleep on my feet. Very tough to deal with, with a demanding toddler running around.
Will go back to Sydney tomorrow and do a blood test.