Spring Forward

You know summer is almost here once the clock changes! Today we had to spring forward an hour in time with the start of daylight savings. Not good when you lose an hour but lovely when you realise that this means the days are longer and that summer is on it's way. The weather hasn't been kind ot us though (typical Auckland weather) but on Sunday we took the opportunity to play in the sunshine while it lasted. We went to church in the morning and got Darian all dressed up in his shorts and golf shirt and trainers, he looked so adorable. Once we got home and after his nap, Cameron decided he would go cut the grass. Darian was very intrigued about what dad was doing so I took him outside and made him sit on the lawn. His first experience with grass, and he wasn't surprised or scared, but looked at me like to say, mum whats the big deal!

Not a very "exciting" day but I've learned that when you have a baby it's the little things that count and make your day! And just playing in the grass happens to be just that!

Weekend fun

This weekend we had a really good time at home, that sounds like a contradiction of terms to most, I'm sure! But we spent the entire weekend bonding with our little boy and it doesn't get any better than that! On Friday his new high chair arrived so we got that set up and he loved it. He was very happy to "test" it out and I am so pleased he loves it cos it was getting quite difficult trying to feed him in anything else. We tried everything, his little rocker chair, his bumbo seat, his pram, he would just turn to look at everything and would end up messing anything & everything. Now he can mess all he wants and we just wipe it down! Awesome! LOL!Saturday morning we were up early and got everything done, the cleaning, the yard and then headed to Nando's for lunch. Our little man was amazing as usual and behaved so well, although after about 10 minutes in the kiddies chair got quite irritable so he eventually sat in between Cameron & I and played with his toys while we ate. We then headed off to Westfield West City and got a few things we needed for him. With all the summer clothing out now it was so nice going to buy him new clothes. We got 2 pairs of shorts and a polo shirt for him, can't wait to get him into that! I love that it's starting to warm up now, bring on Summer!Sunday we spent the day just relaxing at home, I was so tired that we gave church a miss this week. Darian was not sleeping for long bouts this weekend for some reason, instead was waking up every 2 hours so I didn't get as much sleep as I intended to. So Sunday was a lazy day, but we spent the afternoon playing with Darian. Which was the highlight of my entire weekend. He is learning to crawl now so it's so much fun with him trying to move around to grab his toys, etc. And I must say he does get around. He gets up on his knees and arms and rocks back & forth before flinging himself towards whatever it is he is after so before you know it he is on the opposite side of where you've left him. It's only a matter of days I'm sure before he gets this crawling business down pact. I hope I'm able to upload some video's of him crawling as I am uploading from my iPhone. If not, here are just some pics from this weekend.

Garage Conversion

For the past few weeks Cameron has been diligently and adamantly bidding, buying and haggling his way to get the best gym equipment so that he can convert our garage to a home gym. Needless to say his persistence has paid off and this weekend we finally put the last touches to the garage and can finally call it a home-gym. He started off with getting the carpet laid (all by himself, my DIY man, then assembling every bit of equipment and finally he got some shelving for the rest of his garage stuff and we put that up on Saturday. So now we have a full-fledged home-gym. We've pretty much converted only half the garage and the other half includes our laundry & storage space.All in all he did an amazing job and I am so proud of him. He has proved once again that he is the type of man who, when he puts his mind to something makes sure he does it to the best of his ability.

Darian at 5 months

Yesterday Darian had his 5 month check up with Plunket as well as his 5 month immunisations. Because it was so full on I decided to take the day off so that I could be with my boy and not leave him, in case he needed his mama!! Or maybe it was in case I wanted to believe that he needed me! LOL! His Plunket appointment was at 10am so he & I headed off to visit Megan, the nurse. He was such a joy, He went to Megan and played with her as if he had known her forever. Maybe he is used to her considering she's been part of his life since he was about 7 weeks old. Anyway, we chatted about his development and she was very impressed by him. This is what we discussed: - He is starting to sit up on his own - Starting to roll over - Moves backward on all fours instead of forward, something she says all babies do and it's just a matter of time til he realises he can move forward - On solids now, has his cereal in the mornings, veggies at lunch then some fruit in the afternoon and laps it all up. He has about 4 200ml bottles a day and she's encouraged me to get him a sippy cup or trainer cup so that he can learn to drink on his own and have more water now that he is on solids. She noted that he will progressively drink less now that he is on solids. - He loves playing with his toys - He loves cooing and "talking" and can say "ma-ma" & "da-da", even though he probably doesn't realise what it means, although mum & dad are stoked!! - Mimicks everything we say, or at least tries to - He recognises our faces and voices- He is teething so does get grizzly but is a joy 99% of the time - Still not sleeping through the night and wakes up for a feed but does have between 4-7 hour stints of sleep at night, which give mummy some sleep at night!She was very happy with him and how he is developing and also had to ensure that mummy is also happy & content. We then went on to measure and weigh him and well, our boy is getting way too big way too fast. He is now 7.7kg's, so he has put on 700g since his last visit and is in the 90th percentile for boys his age. He is a tall boy, measuring at 77cm, which could not even be measured on the graph so he is taller than 100% of kids his age! He has grown 15cm since his last visit. He also got a little gift from Plunket, his first toothbrush & toothpaste and a non-slip bath mat. His appointment with Dr. Bishop was at 2pm so we headed off to his offices then, mum came along too because I think we both needed her support! At his 6 week check up Dr Bishop noted a slight (systolic) heart murmur which I wanted to check out. It's all gone. He was very happy with Darian and was amazed at how active he is. Darian would not stop moving, kicking and talking and smiling and grabbing the stethoscope. Dr Bishop had to give him something to play with try to calm him down so he could actually get a decent chance and listening to his heartbeat. That didn't work and we resorted to his dummy which did the trick. They were both very intrigued with each other! I made note of Darian's breathing and constant blocked nose so Dr Bishop had a check. He listened to his lungs and made note that there wasn't anything wrong but when he checked his ears he did note some liquid on Darian's eardrum, or Bilateral Ear effusions. He explained that this (WORST CASE) could lead to Darian needing grommets later on but he wants to monitor it to see if it is needed. He told me not to worry as it is seen in alot of kids his age and most of them never lead to surgery. He has said that he may need some Audiology testing as if it gets worse his speech development may be slow. For now his hearing is fine as he is alert and recognises voices and stuff and understands you but he noted from 1-2 years, when they learn the phonetics of word through hearing it may cause problems. So we'll send him for some hearing tests but like he said with everything else, he is giving me the worst case scenario and he doesn't think it will come to this but he is giving me the full picture only. He also noted that he has "adenoidal breathing" which means that his adenoids are quite enlarged and because of this the breathing passage is narrow so it sounds like he is pushing air out of his nostrils, hence the heavy breathing. He noted that as Darian gets bigger and his skull gets bigger the breathing will just correct itself, if not he'll have to get his adenoids out. So we will have another check with Dr Bishop in 3 months and as always we are believing God that it will all work out and Darian will be healthy & whole. It's been my prayer for him since I found out I was pregnant (and before that) so I am not deterred by this, I know my boy is healthy & strong and I know God will be true to his promises! After Dr Bishop we had to see the nurses at the Medical Centre and he got his immunisations. He was such a pleasure, talkign and smiling at everyone and being his usual cheerful self then he flet that needle go into him and, oh boy, did he scream! It broke my heart. As he is getting older his reactions to the jabs are getting worse. And the worse part, he got 2! One on each thigh! My poor boy! Needless to say he got tonnes of cuddles from mum who also almost broke down in tears. I then gave him to my mum so she could give him a bottle and try to calm him down. But he wouldn't have it, he needed and wanted his mummy and although we stopped breastfeeding over a month ago he wanted his boobies and well, I felt the pulling and knew there was something for him there! And well, after that he was good! When we got home he slept and when he woke up he was just his usual happy self! The night wasn't too good though, he kept moaning and groaning in his sleep and when he woke up for his feed he battled to go back to sleep. He kept tossing and turning and moaned and groaned until he eventually fell asleep in mummy's arms and was quite content just laying there. We thank God for our little boy everyday! As he gets older & bigger we realise just how amazing he is and how blessed we are to be his parents. Best moment yesterday was when Cameron got home from work and he played with Darian for a bit before he started his work-out. WhenCam handed him over to my mum and left the room, Darian cried bitterly! He wanted his daddy and only his daddy. When Cam walked back into the room, he smiled and when Cam put his arms out to pick him up he got all excited and started kicking and laughing! Too clever that one! Knows exactly what buttons to push with us! Here are some pics I took yesterday. We tried on his shoes which he got as gift when he was born and they finally fit! He got the Nikes from our friends Ashveer (Ratie), Wesley & Deryil (Raunch) in South Africa and the black & white "Vans" from Bradley & Shamini. Isn't he so cute and uber-stylish???

Father's Day 2012

On Sunday September 2nd we celebrated Cameron's first ever Father's day. With all the first's in our lives this year it's hard to keep track but I really wanted to make sure I jot this one down for posterity.

I've been teasing him alot lately about what to get him for Father's day. All the Father's Day gifts are advertised as either DIY stuff like tools or Car stuff or ties and boxers, and t-shirts! So everytime something would come up I would say, do you want that powertool, do you want those socks for Father's day! And he would just look at me like I was going crazy! Meanwhile, I had been planning his gift for a few weeks already. I had asked his mum to send me a few of his baby pictures so I could get a frame done with Cmeron as a baby alongside Darian's baby pics, and add a pic of Cameron with Darian. Well, when my mother-in-law sent these through, I almost fell off my chair. The resemblance was uncanny. Ever since Darian was born we kept wondering who he looked like, at birth my mum said he looked like Bradley and there were times I would say he looked like Kale, especially those almond shaped eyes, and everyone in Cameron's family said he looked like Cameron's grandad (his mum's dad). And as I had never met Cameron's grandfather or even seen a picture I couldn't tell for sure whether he did or not. But when I saw these pics, I knew then & there that my son was the splitting image of his dad. Anyway, it was hard for me to keep this a secret from Cameron for 2 weeks but I did and on Sunday I presented him with the frame. He was very blase about it at first and was like, Oh I got a frame for Father's day, thinking it was a picture frame with Darian's pictures. Then he looked twice and said, "Is that me?" followed by the hugest grin and greatest sense of pride when he realised his son looked like him. He kept staring at the frame all morning and kept kissing Darian and saying, my boy, my boy!! It was too cute!



We then went for dinner at our local Indian Restuarant, Shahi Dawat. We were all feeling for a proper "Indian" curry, not a Durban style curry. We enjoyed some Beef Vindaloo (hot), Lamb Biryani and some Tandoori Chicken. We then headed home and enjoyed some family time together.

Leading up to Father's day we spent Saturday morning on Skype with our dear friend Veryll in the US. Then spent the afternoon and evening with our friends Lenny & Premika and their little girl, Kajal. The boys needed some "quality time" as they hadn't had much time to "let their hair down", so during the week Premika came up with a brilliant idea to give them our version of a "Hall Pass" which would allow them to have a few drinks and play as much PS3 as they needed. So that was their Father's day gifts from their wives! Our friends Joash & Betty were there as well, and Premika's brother, Kamith (Kams). All in all it was a great night and Darian was so well behaved and full of energy.

It was a wonderful Father's day all in all. I said to Cameron this is the first and there won't ever be a last, he is always going to be a DAD! A job he has taken on so well, as though this is what he was meant to do and well, a role he enjoys even at 4am!

Darian's 4 month check up

Ok, so I've been really slack in keeping up to date with the blog, nothing unusual about that, but in my defence I've been back at work for almost a month now and well, it's harder than I imagined. Leaving my little man at home everyday and only getting back in 10-11 hours is the hardest thing I've ever had to do in my entire life. If only we were all blessed to have the opportunity to stay home with our little one's, alas, bills keep coming in, mortgages need to be paid and well, I think I need to work to keep my brian working.Last Monday we had Darian's 4 month check up at Plunket. He now weighs 7kg's and has only grown 1cm, so he is now 62cm. Somehow I don't think that's accurate, but who am I to argue. So he only falls into the 25th percentile (lengthwise) for kids his age. It isn't to disconcerting because he is healthy & well and is growing & developing so well. He is very friendly and loves looking at faces and "talking". The other day (Sunday) he said "Ma-ma" for the first time, I know he hasn't connected the meaning of the word to me yet, but it's nice that he said that first, before "Da-da" or "Ba-ba". He says it over & over now and it really makes me feel good! He is becoming very aware of his surroundings now and loves staring at himself in the mirror and smile and frowns at his reflection. He is keenly aware of when we leave the house now and when we get home he gets really excited and kicks and coo's and when we put our arms out he almost jumps into our arms. He is still battling with teething and we've tried it all, teething gel on his gums, Amber beads on his neck and homeopathic drops in his mouth and I do believe they're working because he gets relief and well, it would be worse if we didn't have those. He gets really cranky when he feels them but is quickly back to his normal self once we've given him some relief. He loves his teething rings and bites EVERYTHING. He goes through about 6-7 bibs a day due to the drooling. He is still thumb-sucking but because of the teething he bites his fingers so we resort to the dummy (pacifier) so that he doesn't hurt himself. We've also started him on solids (as of last Monday) and he loves his food. He is getting so good at eating and feeds well (excpet when the fingers go into his mouth and there's food everywhere). He loves his fruit, peach & Apple is his favourite and also pear & banana. He also loves the carrot, pumpkin & kumara (NZ sweet potato) mash and is not too keen on broccoli, we've learned, but eats it anyway. He is still having night time breastfeeds and is on formula during the day.This week we got him enrolled at the daycare (First Steps Parnell) near my office. His official start date is October 15th. We were not very keen on having him start so early, especially as my mum only goes back to SA in November but the daycare had no vacancies later on in the year and this was the only one they had and as I work in the city I did not want to enrol him in a daycare close to home. Traffic and work hours wouldn't work around his daycare operating hours so we resolved to having him closer to me. I am very happy about that because it means that I am 5 minutes away from him if he ever needs anything or I have to pick him up urgently, and it means I don't have to amend my work hours (they close at 17:45 and I finish at 17:30). The only con to this whole arrangement is that he will be stuck in traffic with me all the way home in the afternoons and in the mornings, which aren't as bad as the evenings (yesterday it took me exactly an hour from the office to home - door to door). But I am very happy with the daycare facility and the carers, and I know he will be well taken care of. It breaks my heart to have him in daycare so early (he'll be 6 months) but we don't have any other choice and I know it will make him a better person, more social and more interactive, and most importantly his development will increase exponentially while he is in daycare, instead of being home with me or a nanny.So here we are, 4 months have flown by so very quickly (19weeks to be exact). I still look at his pictures from day 1 to now and I can't be happier with my little boy, he is such a blessing to both Cameron & I, and we are so very much in love with him. He makes our lives that much richer & happier, and we're enjoying every single minute of him.

Back to work

Well, it's official. I am back at work! It hasn't been easy for me to adjust, although Darian seems not to have noticed. I finally know how Cameron has been feeling these past few months. The first day back, I was welcomed with a desk decorated in balloons and welcome back banners as well as cake for the office. Everyone seemed pleased that I was back, which is a good thing I'm sure! And I was bombarded with questions like, "how's baby", "how old is he now", and "why are you back so soon". Even though it was weird that no one asked to see pics, I soon realised they didn't need to. My friend from work, Nevenka, had put up pics of him all over the office from the day he was born. So everyone already knew what he looked like. He's birth was even announced on our staff intranet the week he was born. So everyone was kept well informed. I feel like I've barely spent any time with Darian these past few days. Monday & tuesday I was at home so on Wednesday I didn't feel it too much, although I called home 4 times just to check on him. The day went relatively fast but when it was time to go home, you couldn't get me out of the door quick enough. When I got home he was wide awake so I got to play with him a while before putting dinner on. He went down for the night at about 8pm which was perfect. I could then do what I had to do and was in bed by 9pm. But at 4am he was wide awake. We tried everything to get him to sleep again but nothing worked so Cameron & I took shift until 6am to watch him while the other slept. I managed to get through the day but when I got home it's like he didn't even remember me. He was so tired and uninterested so I gave him to my mum while I made dinner and before I was done he was fast asleep. That was very disappointing for me. So today (Friday) Darian wakes up at 5:28am, 2 minutes before my alarm goes off and I think, screw it, I'm spending time with my baby boy before I do anything else! He & I played until 6am when Cameron got up then he watched him while I got things ready for the day and then I took him with me to the kitchen while I prepared lunches and breakfast and at about 6:30am I took him to my mum so I could get ready for work. BUt by the time it was time for us to leave (about 7:30am) he was going off to sleep and that was that. It is not easy getting back into the scheme of things when my heart is still at home with my baby boy but as I've been told, women all over the world have had to do it so I will to! It will be hard but I'll adjust! I'm grateful though that my mum is still here so she can take care of him while I'm back at work. He will be in day-care when she goes back to South Africa and we've already booked him into daycare. So he is scheduled to start on Wednesday the 7th of November for a few hours over that and the following weeks, just so he can adjust, then full time on the 3rd of December. This week I also celebrated my 29th birthday. For the first time in my life I was not very excited over my birthday, I guess because starting work the day before and leaving Darian were the only things on my mind. But my hubby made it special and made my day! We went for lunch at Billfish on Auckland's Viaduct and enjoyed a lovely meal together. My friend Leigh from the office gave me some gorgeous tulips and a wonderful birthday card which was so very sweet, especially as I didn't think she would remember considering I was only back at work for two days. We will be going out to celebrate this weekend with friends so I am looking forward to that.Well, that has been my week so far. It's now 12:45pm and I cannot wait to get back home to my little boy, just another 4 hours to go!