An update (of sorts)...

Me and my big brother - can you tell I love him to the moon and back?


I can't wait until I can join my big brothers... then watch out!

Wow! It had been ages since I updated the blog! Life just seems to be so busy at the moment, but at the same time I know that I am just not finding the same amount of energy to pursue the things I once did. Must be something to do with having two active 5 year old boys and a very feisty little 5 month old (not sure where he gets his attitude from!?).


Mitch and Harry at Semaphore Beach

Life in the Reid household has been filled with activity. Mitch and Harry are loving school and are enjoying learning to read. When they get home from school it is into a bath, time for readers, tea time, reading eggs (a school endorsed computer program for reading) and then time for bed. Some days it feels like my feet don't hit the ground until I collapse into bed. What keeps me going is the enthusiasm both boys show when it comes to school Sure they get tired and grumpy, but they are making new friends, learning new skills and enjoying being part of something bigger than just our family. It is bittersweet to see them heading off each day - hard to see them growing up so fast and at the same time amazing to see what beautiful young boys they have become. Tonight was the Parent-Teacher conferences and I was pleasantly surprised with how well both boys are doing. Sure they have their challenges, but they are learning and keen to learn... which surely is a wonderful way to be. Mitch's teacher commented that he is doing very well with reading and although he struggles with the fine motor requirements of writing, he is a bright, confident boy who loves to tell stories (the good kind) and is learning how to participate in class. She did acknowledge that he is easily lead and because of his small size sometimes gets dragged into things he doesn't want to participate in, but that he is learning how to assert himself. Harry's teacher commented on how much he likes to help and loves his role as a computer monitor. He is enjoying reading and is doing very well with his sight words, maths and computer studies (of course). I am so grateful that the school and the boys' teachers are doing so much to make their first experience of school such a positive one.




Yum I just love food!



On Master Jackson - he is growing like a weed. Hard to believe that he has only been with us less than 6 months, since he rules the roost. He loves company and if the boys leave the front room, then he calls out for them. The boys are so good with him, although now and then they will tell me to give Jack a feed so he will pipe down during their fave TV shows. His reflux is becoming less of a problem and he has started solids which he loves. After so many struggles with getting the older two to feed, it is hard to believe this little man who positively inhales food off the spoon! He has two teeth which he has used with great effect on Mummy, in fact last time he bit me I yelled so loud it made him cry... so hopefully he has learnt his lesson.

As for Kev and I - somehow we manage to scrape a little time of our own... although not often together! Kev has his regular games night with Steve and as our friends Mick and Jenn have moved to SA, we hope he may manage a few more games nights. I go scrapbooking once a fortnight - and sometimes I actually get something done (other than chat!). I am also in the process of trying to lose some weight and so head off to the gym 3 times a week. It is little wonder that we both seem to fall asleep as soon as we sit down :-)



Life is sweet


BUT life is good. Our boys are happy and well. We are blessed with good family and friends. And we have each other. A girl couldn't ask for more (except perhaps that Sara Lee made French Vanilla ice cream in a low fat form which tasted as good as their sinful version).

Hugs,
Lisa x

I have had enough of school!

"Mum, I have had enough of school". How many parents have heard those words uttered? Well it only took Mitch a week and he told me that he needed to stay home with me and help look after Jackson. I think the brotherly love may have been a vain attempt to curry favour... but unfortunately for Mitch it didn't work. SO off he went with tears in his eyes complaining all the way until he entered the classroom and found a friend to play with for a while. Then there were more tears last night when he realised he had the same reader as a few days ago! "But Mum I already know EVERYTHING about Xmas!" he told me as large tears rolled off the end of his nose. This school business sure is emotional. Then it was Harry's turn for tears when he forgot his word list and became distraught that he couldn't find it in the classroom. It turned out that "Mr Tidy" had put it back in the teacher's folder at lunchtime! And he did this twice in a row before we worked out what he had done. Thankfully it is now Friday and the boys will have some time to prepare for the coming week. Plenty of relaxing in jarmies is required.

As for Master Jackson he is quite enjoying some Mummy time to himself, but does not appreciate the school drop off and pick up. Cars are definitely not his favourite mode of transport and he has been known to cry for hours as we drive to visit Grandad. Last time on our way home Mitch started hitting Harry because Harry wasn't putting the dummy in Jack's mouth and Jack's crying was interfering with Mitch's DVD viewing. So I yelled at him and started crying. Then poor Kev had to drive the rest of the way home with Mitch, Harry, Jack and myself all crying! So car travel with Jack is a challenge to say the least (groan). Also our little butterball is gaining weight beautifully and now weighs in at a respectable 6.75kg. It is hard to believe, but at 4 months of age Jack weighs almost the same as Mitch weighed at 12 months old!!! And Jack is now rolling which is greeted with much applause by his admiring public (well in our family anyway). So our beautiful baby boy is developing well :-)

Not much else to report - life is hectic but good. I can't believe just how blessed we are and even when I am tearing out my hair at Mitch and Harry's latest antics, still in the back of my mind I marvel at just how lucky we are to have them with us.

Much love to all,
Lisa xx

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