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

Home with our sweet baby boy...

Today I finally came home with our sweet baby boy - it was so wonderful to just walk out of the hospital with him in our arms. He has settled straight into his routine of feeding, cuddling and sleeping - fingers crossed he manages to sleep well overnight! Last night he insisted on feeding every hour for 5 hours - so today I am really tired.

Just happy to be at home with my boys. Mitch kept running up and giving me cuddles. He told me at least 10 times this afternoon that he missed me and Harry just seemed to want to hold onto me for a lot of the evening. It is a huge adjustment for both boys, but I am hoping that with the extra time Kev has on leave we will be able to establish a routine which works for us all...

Well time for another feed - love to all,
Lisa xx

Introducing...

Jackson Kevin Reid
Born at 1.52 pm by c-section
Weighing 3.2 kg/ 7lb 3 oz
Length 50cm
Family overjoyed at the safe arrival of our long awaited beautiful boy!
Mum doing well and still on cloud nine.
Dad at home recovering...

Heading into hospital...

Well after a long (thankfully) and eventful (not so thankfully) pregnancy I am heading into hospital today for two days of work up including steroid shots before our little man is delivered on Wednesday at 37 weeks. This pregnancy has been SO different and I am hopeful that our little man will only have a short hospital stay, although I realise that he will be in special care for a few days until his sugar levels stabilise (due to my gestational diabetes). I have been so grateful for the support I have received from friends and family, even though as my Dad says "this is the longest pregnancy in history!". I can't wait to share some photos of our precious surprise bundle with you all.

Hugs,
Lisa

Only four more sleeps to go...

... until we meet our baby boy.

The bags are packed...
The food is in the freezer...
Child care is organised...
Now I just want it to be Wednesday alreay :-)

Thank you to everyone for their love and support,
Hugs,
Lisa xx