My brave big boys...

Mitch and Harry started school today and were so very excited! Poor Harry was so excited he fell over outside the classroom and badly grazed his knee. So day one and we already know where the sick room is! The boys went to their classrooms (they are in different classrooms) and happily joined in the activities. Luckily Kev is on leave for the next 3 days so he was able to help me with settling the boys into school - not that they needed much help! They were busy chatting and drawing as we left and not a tear was shed (not even from Mummy).

This afternoon when I went to collect them they were so excited and happily told me all of the activities of the day. Mitch also proudly announced that he did "a huge poo in the toilet!". This had been a big concern of mine as toilet training is still a work in progress, but the teachers are taking him to the toilet 3 times a day which is wonderful. Nevertheless he has spare clothes just in case.

So the first day of school! What a milestone. Kev commented to me today that just over 5 years ago we could never imagine just how far our boys would come. And even if we had dreamed we would have imagined a special school or profound disabilities... how fortunate we are that our little men have turned out the way they have...

Wishing all Mummies and Daddies with children heading to school a smooth transition into the new school year,
Hugs,
Lisa

Preparing for school...

We are officially on the countdown for school! Only 3 days to go and Mummy is getting excited. It is well and truly time for the boys to start - they are getting a bit stir crazy with Mummy always needing to look after Jack and are keen to spend time with friends. Don't get me wrong I have made sure to include lots of play dates - but these have been a bit limited. Nevertheless the school holidays have been a lovely time and the boys have had fun.

So not too long until they hoist their school bags onto their backs and head off into the big wide world of school. They will be in seperate classes (this was our decision) and this will be a new thing for them. In kindy they were in different groups but only some of the time - this will be a whole new experience. BUT I think it will be good for them both. They are very different both in appearance and personality and this will be yet another way of stamping their individuality on the world :-)

So as we gently slide into the new school term the world is full of promise and I can't help but think back to those tiny fragile little babies born over 5 years ago who so desperately clung to life. How we hoped and prayed that they would survive and how we had no idea of what impacts prematurity would have on their little bodies. And here they are now ready to face school - dealing with more than their fair share of challenges, but still happy and excited about being "big boys"...

Hoping your New Year is full of excitement too!
Hugs,
Lisa

The trials and tribulations of Jackson Kevin Reid

First of all I must apologise for the distinct lack of blogging on my part! In my defence I must say that the past few months since our little man arrived have been full on. Partly because Jackson has had settling issues and partly because the workload associated with a new baby and two very active five year olds has totally overwhelmed me. I must confess to being taken by surprise at just how tired I am and I have spent many nights worrying about how I will manage (as if there is any other option). Don't get me wrong I love being a mum, it is simply the logistics of organising the older boys for kindy whilst our latest addition screams blue murder which have had me often on the verge of tears. You see I like order and control (surprise, surprise I hear you say) and Jackson has thrown my life into chaos! I adore my little man with every fibre of my being, but it is very hard when he cries for hours and nothing I do seems to help.

Luckily (if you can call it luck) I have found some wonderful community resources and we ended up going to Torrens House after a particularly fraught weekend in which Jack cried for 16 hours straight. Torrens House is a live-in facility which provides support for parents of babies with a variety of issues including feeding, settling and behavioural problems. The Torrens House' nursing staff are so wonderful that words can't even express it adequately. They take frazzled families and gradually reinstill confidence in handling and caring for their precious babies. The staff there recognised his symptoms as being Reflux based and helped me work on settling him whilst also providing medical support. It would be wonderful to say that now he sleeps like a dream, but that isn't always the case... however he does usually sleep overnight for 3-6 hours between feeds and does sleep for short periods during the day. Which so so much better than the 15 minute cat naps he took day and night before.

And our precious little man is now much happier in himself and often enjoys laying on the floor madly kicking away at his toys and smiling at everyone which is a joy to behold. He loves his big brothers and they in turn dote on him, although at times Mitch has introduced him as "my brother who cries all of the time"! And now that he isn't so overtired and in pain we are able to see his personality shining through.

As for Mitch and Harry - only one more week until they start school! It is hard to believe that the tiny, fragile babies we brought home after 5 long months in hospital are now the big boys preparing for this next exciting stage. Their clothes are labelled and their lunch boxes are ready to be packed with food... all that remains is for Mummy to face their first day at school. BUT I will be brave!

So that is what has been happening over the past few months - lots of activity and a steep learning curve, but as we face the coming year I am excited at what 2010 will bring.

Much love to all,
Lisa xx

Mitch & Harry's big day... and Robin & Rachel's too...

Mitch and Harry were very fortunate to be part of their uncle's (my cousin's) wedding yesterday. It was a lovely wedding and despite the blazing heat the bridal party looked wonderful. Rachel the bride looked serene and beautiful and Robin just glowed with happiness.

Many months ago the boys were asked to participate as page boys and so yesterday they were dressed in their finery and helped celebrate this special occasion. When we initially explained the concept of a wedding to the boys and their role, Mitch became quite distraught and it was only after a big cuddle that he confessed "But Mummy I don't want to marry Rachel. I want to marry you!". After reassuring him that Rachel was not seeking his hand in marriage he agreed to be a page boy.

It took a lot of convincing for them to get dressed - especially as long-sleeved white shirts and bow ties are not their standard outfits - but the effort was worth it. And after posing for the photos they were whisked away to Maccas by Auntie Pat (our only Angel) and home to recuperate from the stress of behaving for so long!

As for Master Jackson he only dozed on and off but was a consummate reception guest (he even had his own tiny place card)...

Sorry it has been so long between posts - promise to post again soon :-)
Wishing each and every one of you a joyous New Year,
Lisa xx

Today I turned 41!

Morning started with Kev sleeping in and then taking off in a hurry - and forgot to say "happy birthday". Then one of my dear friends came over and brought a cake and the boys helped her decorate it - which was lovely. The hot weather really limited us from doing much, so we watched the boys play and tried to settle Jackson.

Poor Jack had a rough day - which coincided with a visit from the CYH nurse who was fabulous! She took ages with us and thinks that I am overfeeding him because I have such a huge supply and because he seems to want to feed so much. She said this also is happening at the same time as the notorious 6 weeks stage when babies are becoming a lot more alert and are often unsettled... couple that with the heat and it explains our recent rough patch. So was advised to move him into his cot - a lot more air circulating about than with a basinette, stretch out feeds to 3 hourly as he is clearly not dehydrated (he demonstrated this by weeing on her shirt) and propping up the cot to help with his reflux. At present (even with the basinette propped up) you can actually here the reflux and he starts coughing and choking. Poor little mite has just cried and cried today. Best thing is that the nurse will be back on Monday to check on our progress and will if necessary book us into a day stay program.

So after all of this and a 39 degree day with two increasingly grumpy boys I have demanded take away for tea.

And what better way to celebrate (?) getting older than a few Maxine cartoons :-)



Hugs

And life goes on...

Our precious baby boy is almost 6 weeks old and it is hard to imagine life without him. He certainly has made his presence known over the past few days as he prefers to be continually held... which is okay when your doting Grandpa is visiting from QLD, but difficult when Mummy & Daddy have chores to do and two big brothers demand some attention too! Nevertheless he is a delight :-)




We have just had the most wonderful week with Kev's Mum & Dad visiting from QLD. They rented a cabin close by and took the boys out and about most days. And just to make it even better the boys had sleepovers with them too. This gave Kev & I some much needed alone time - although a certain young man didn't give us much time (grin). The boys adored having Norm & Iris here and today they have both commented how much they love them. It is really special to see such a bond developing between them. And norm must go down as the doting grandparent of the year!!! Jackson only needed to squawk and Grandpa was there for a cuddle and some kind words. We may need to send Jackson up in a postpack for a visit every 2 weeks so Norm can get his baby fix :-)



Apart from that the big news is that boys are starting some school visits in preparation for next year. They had their first visit this week and were so excited! The older school children really took them under their wing and it was lovely to see both boys confidentally playing in the playground with their new found friends. So next thing is to buy their uniforms and school bags in preparation for the big transition.

As for me - I am looking forward to a visit to a craft show tomorrow with my friend Mandy - some retail therapy should be just the ticket.

Love to all,
Lisa xx

My beautiful boys

Mitch and Harry adore their little brother as these pictures clearly show. The only danger is that Jackson could be loved to death (grin). They are so protective of him and are so proud too. It really is a very special time for our family.

Hugs,
Lisa xx

Computer genius

In amongst the constant nappy changes, breast feeding and no sleep I manage to spend some time scrapping - thanks Kev :-)

Here is my latest layout of Harrison with the computer - he really enjoys spending time playing his alphabet and number games...



Hugs,
Lisa xx

Photos...

Just had to share some of our recent photos...

At home with three boys...

Life is good!

Mitch and Harry have a mild cold, but are otherwise well and are so kind and gentle with their little brother. Mitch keeps asking to kiss Jackson's hands - and give him "very gentle cuddles Mum". He is needing a bit more Mummy time so I have started asking him to bring a book into the bedroom and snuggle up next to me whilst I feed Jackson. That way I can read his book and talk with him, whilst he who must be obeyed has a feed. Mitch has been having angry outbursts about minor issues - I think partly because he is tired (coughing a lot at night), but also because everything has changed in his little world. I certainly won't tolerate bad behaviour, but I understand it. So we are going back to basics with the visual schedule, early bed times and lots of reinforcement of good behaviour. He is still my sweet Mickle Pickle - and I have to stop myself from laughing as he stomps off to his room and slams the door! So reminiscent of my own childhood behaviour, when I would go and throw myself on the bed after arguing with Mum and Dad. The only thing was that being not the most coordinated of people I would often roll off the bed and hit the floor (grin).

Harry has coped with this huge change a lot better than I thought he would - he is actually coping better than Mitch. He is extremely protective of Jackson and runs to tell me each time he hears Jackson cry. He is also extremely understanding of the time I need to spend with Jackson. This surprised me because he has always been extremely dependent on me - but it seems my Harry Koala is growing up! He is happiest when he is helping and loves to help me with Jackson. And sweetest of all he gave Jackson his favourite little toy puppy - but Jackson "asked" him to take care of it for him until he was a bit bigger. He still has his upsets - but no where near the meltdowns we experienced 6 months ago. With a few calm words he seems to be able to settle himself down and tell me what is wrong. This morning for example he ran sobbing into our room - it turned out that Daddy had told him he couldn't wear a certain t-shirt because I had laid it out for Mitch (the night before). There was much male angst in the Reid household for a few minutes until I realised that Harrison remembered I had told him that he was going to wear two t-shirts (one long sleeved and one short sleeved) and he thought he was supposed to wear Mitch's one! A moment later he was happily getting dressed and headed off to child care.

I am so proud of my older boys and their loving attitude to the little interloper in their midst :-) I am sure the three boys will be best of friends as they grow up.

Best news of all is that last night Jackson slept for long periods and I managed to get some sleep - the world sure is a brighter place when you feel rested :-)

Love to all,
Lisa xx