Cade's 6 week check up

I cannot believe how fast time has gone, Cade is now 6 weeks old and had his first set of immunisations this week as well. We had his first visit to our Gp, Marcus Bishop who was very impressed with him and his progress. He took his vaccines very well and cried for only a moment and then began cooing and smiling at me and the nurse. They now give the Rotavirus vaccine orally which wasn't so bad cos he only had 2 injections, instead of 3. At the appointment I realised that he hasn't had his BCG vaccine yet, for TB, so got the doctors office to refer us to the BCG centre, so expecting his next vaccine in a few weeks.

At the doctors office ready for his first set of immunisations.

Renee discharged us a few weeks ago and we are now under the care of Plunket, our nurse is Aiofe. She's been very nice so far and I think it's going to go well. Cade now weighs 4.7kg's and is 54.5cm long, with a head circumference of 39cm. He is smiling and recognising faces and loves tummy time, already starting to do press ups when on his tummy. 

We see Aiofe every few weeks, we see her again in a months time.

We're off to Australia this week for Xavier's first birthday celebrations so this check up was also to ensure Cade was ok for the flight. He's had a cold all week and so has Darian so as well as taking Cade to the doctor this week I have to take him and Darian back on Friday before our flight for a check up and to confirm if we are going or not. Marcus diagnosed brochialitis for Cade but because we leave in the next 2 days he's unsure if it will get any worse. If it is what he thinks it is then it will get worse on day 3 and then better over the following 3 days. But if it's not he's temperature will surge while we're in Aussie and Marcus has told me to without a flicker of doubt, take him straight to the emergency department at the nearest hospital. I'm praying it doesn't get to that point and our boy will be fine. I'll keep you posted in a few weeks when we get back. We're looking forward to the break as well as celebrating with our nephew! It'll be the first time Brads and Sham will meet Cade and we're looking forward to seeing the boys interact with each other, now that they're all just a little older.

The first few weeks

The first few weeks with our little boy has been a mixture of emotions. He is a delightful little boy and is growing way too fast for my liking. It reminds me of how fast time goes and when I look at Darian I realise just how much happens in the first few years of life. It makes me mourn the time of when Darian was a baby realising just how fast time flies.

Cade has been growing in leaps and bounds. Where it is expected to lose weight in the first few weeks of an infants life, our little boy has just been packing on the pounds. In his first week he put on  60g, his second 420g and in his third, 460g. He is now 4.120kg's. Renee is very happy with his progress and quite impressed by him. He is being exclusively  breastfed and I'm hoping to continue for as long as I can. I go back to work in January so I'm hoping that I can continue until then. This week will be the last time we see Renne as she transfers our care to Plunket this week. It's been such a pleasure working with her and I'll miss her pleasant, friendly and smiling face and gentle demeanour. Again, I didn't take any pics with her and Cade, just as we never got any photos of Darian and Debbie but I'm hoping to pop in to see her before Christmas and we can get some then. We haven't managed to get Cade into a proper routine yet, he still feeds on demand so his sleeping patterns are in between an hour or two in between feeds. But he sleeps for about 4-5 hours from about 7pm and then wakes up periodically til about 7am.im quite happy with our little man, he's becoming quite the little showman. He loves "talking" to us and is starting to recognise our faces. He knows his brothers voice and stops whatever he's doing to look for Darian. He isn't a very crying baby and mostly shows he's upset when he's hungry. And the way he drinks, he's hardly ever hungry.

10 days old

2 weeks old

Loving my time with my boys! Life just got that much sweeter.

Darian is still having issues with his ears, he's on flixanase for his nose. The allergy tests came back normal, well, he has no allergies, thank the Lord! So our doctor is just ensuring that the swelling goes down and that he is able to breathe easier. He still breathes quite heavily at night but we're hoping the flixanase does what it's intended to do. It's a work in progress. 

Life is full of joy and laughs, sleepless nights and dirty nappies but we couldn't be happier with our little boys and our family. Thank you Lord for your blessings.

Introducing Cade Israel - the birth story

Our little boy is here! He arrived healthy and perfect, albeit 3 weeks early, on Monday the 6th of July 2015. Weighing 3.160kg's and 51cm long, he is just such a beautiful, perfect little boy.

So my due date was July 25th so Cade's arrival took us totally by surprise. Thankfully my mum arrived the Thursday before so we didn't have to stress about what to do with Darian. 

I'd been having Braxton Hicks contractions all week and the Saturday night they got so intense. We had planned to go out and get Ashley to babysit Darian but that day I just felt like being home and had no need to leave the house. But I did feel like cooking something good so I made a huge pot of dhalgos and also baked some doughnuts  for dessert. Our friends Vibha and Romarlon also popped in that night and even though the contractions were becoming more intense, I just brushed it off as Braxton Hicks and enjoyed our company. By the Sunday the contractions were getting more intense. So much so that I rang Renee, my midwife, to ask her if this could be labour. She said that is was probably false labour and the contractions would probably stop as quickly as they started. But she said it would be best to monitor the contractions and if they got more intense and more regular, like 3-5 mins apart then to let her know. As I still had one more week of work to go, I asked her if I would need to stay home and she said not to worry, it probably wasn't labour. Well, that night I didn't sleep. By 7pm the contractions were coming at about every 10 minutes. I kept saying "no, it can't be labour" & my mum was adamant that this was it. I txt Renee and she told me to have a hot bath to alleviate the pain and take some panadol & sleep, and call her when they got to 5mins apart. By midnight they were 5-7 mins apart and Cameron wanted to ring Renee but I said let's wait til they at more regular. By 2am I was ready to go to the hospital. We called Renee and she told us to go into Waitakere hospital's Te Henga ward and she would meet us there. When we got in, she checked me and told me that I was only 2cm dilated and about 1 & a half cm effaced so it was still too early to be in the hospital. And sent us home, with strict instruction to call her when the contractions were 3-5mins apart and lasting for 90seconds. So off home we went. I tried to sleep but I couldn't, the pain was so intense. Darian woke up about 5.30am and was so distraught at me being in pain. Hated my boy seeing me like that. By 6am I was ready to go in and told Cameron to tell Renee that in no uncertain terms, I was having this baby whether she likes it or not. We got to the hospital at about 8am after me fluffing around in the hope that once I was in the hospital this would be it. I then remembered that I was due in at work that day and had to txt my manager to let him know that I was in labour and having this baby and wouldn't be in as planned. Mum stayed home with Darian and had to ring the daycare to say he wouldn't be in that day either. When we got into the hospital, we got comfortable and ready for this baby to arrive. The contractions were coming every 3 mins and lasted for about 75-90seconds. They were so intense. After Renee did her examination on me she said that I was only 4cm dilated and my cervix was 1/2cm thick and was in labour. I quickly requested for the epidural and she went off to find the obstetrician and anaesthetist. Unfortunately they were in theatre and I had to endure the labour pains for at least the next hour, or so I thought. I got the gas and sucked on that during the contractions. That left me high as a kite and I was quite satisfied waiting for the epidural. 4 hours later we were still waiting and the gas was not working at all anymore! The obstetrician and anaesthetist were held up in theatre for an emergency c-section and would see me as soon as they could. By the time they came round, about 11:30pm I was writhing in pain and couldn't bear the pain any longer. And the Obstetrician still asked Renee to break my waters first, before giving the epidural. I was ok with it, until it dawned on me that when Debbie broke my waters for Darian I was in so much pain so said to Cameron that in no way were they going to break my waters without the epidural. My husband being who he is, put his foot down and Renne was obliging. I got the epidural about 12pm & was finally able to do this. I was so relaxed and in a good space that my waters finally broke on their own, Renee just helped them along and I dilated to 9cm. By the time I felt like pushing an hour had passed. In this time I had had 3 bags of plasmalyte, I was that dehydrated. At about 1:30pm I started feeling the urge to push and baby was born at 14:14. It felt like I had been pushing for ages and I was honestly at the point where I thought there was no way I could do this and they were gonna have to get this baby out of me some other way. But Renee and Cameron were so calm and kept telling me I could do this, and I eventually did. 

Cade and I stayed at the hospital that night and Cameron went home about 5pm and returned an hour later with my mum and Darian to come meet our newest addition. We had given Darian books on having a new baby and one of the books which he loved, Zaza's baby brother, and in the story ZaZa and his dad go visit his mum in the hospital when the baby is born so I wanted him to understand fully what was happening and where mummy was, especially since the last time he saw me I was in so much pain and as he had that point of reference from the book I wanted to have him there. Cameron said when they left the hospital he was not very happy and performed to get into the car. He wanted his mummy! It wasn't easy being away from my boy, I'd never spent a night away from him since the day he was born so this was going to be hard for both of us. Cade was such a joy, he latched on well within the first 15 mins of being born and slept from 7pm that night til midnight when I woke him up for a feed. Then slept again from about 2am til about 7am that morning so I had such a great first night with him compared to my first night with Darian.

The next day I was discharged. We were so unprepared for Cade's arrival. Nothing had been done. Not only was I still supposed to be at work that week but I had only arranged to pick up the baby capsule on the 19th. So Cameron had to run around that morning just to get everything organised. Thankfully mum was home so she made sure all his linen and clothes were washed. That night Romarlon popped round so he helped Cameron put up the cot so Cade would have somewhere to sleep. 

It's been a good first week. Cade sleeps well and feeds every 2 hours so I'm getting some decent sleep. If anything we've been more busy with Darian as he's still having issues with his nose, even now 4 weeks after his adenoidectomy and grommet reinsertion.

We've been busy with doctors appointments every week to ensure he's ok, and he's back on antibiotics and nasal sprays to get better. He has to go for allergy testing as well to rule out any allergies that may be causing the nose blocks, will keep you posted on that outcome. 

It's been a very eventful few days but we are so thrilled to finally have our little family together. Darian is slowly becoming besotted with his little baby brother so I look forward to watching him grow into an awesome big brother. 

Welcome to the world and the family Cade Israel, you are perfect and have completed our family. 

Mother's Day 2015

Mother's Day Weekend was a really busy one. Saturday morning I had to rush to go get my 28 week blood tests and Sugar-Stress-Test done at LabTests, so was out of the house by 7:50am to be there at 8am when they opened. The test takes about an hour so had to get there early because Cameron had a meeting with our Insurance Broker at 10am. By the time I got to LabTests there was already a line outside, I was 4th in line, so only got in to do my urine test at about 8.25am, after that I had to drink that ghastly sugary drink and wait for an hour. After the hour I had to do routine blood tests. So got home about 9.50am, which gave Cameron just enough time to head over to the Luscious Store around the corner from home. In that time, Darian's big boy bed was delivered and then I had to rush to get him ready for his Swim Lesson at 11.40am. Because it's a half an hour drive to St Johns, I had to make sure he & I were ready to head off by 11am. Cameron unfortunately didn't make his swimming lesson this week so it was just mummy and Darian off to the pools. He was good at his lesson until there was another kid who joined in and he just refused to stand still and listen to the instructor. I had to intervene a few times and he finally began to listen. He loves his lessons so much and surprisingly is very good when it's all over and gets out of the pool without much fuss.

His first lesson last week, we were extremely late and thankfully the instructor, Dan, stayed behind to give him a one-on-one lesson. So he was just beyond chuffed when he got into the pool.
This week, he joined his usual class with instructor Olivia. It was just him and a little girl, the 3rd child was absent.

Here's a few pics from his first few lessons:

Getting into the pool like a big boy and super excited.

Was a bit iffy about putting his head under water to get under the swimming lane

Finally there, he soon realised that he could stand on the floor without holding onto Dan for dear life

Having fun walking up and down the lane and getting used to the water

Loved playing with the toys! Just like bath time

Getting more and more confident in the water

Jumping in

Learning to kick in the water, his favourite pastime!

Week 2 with Olivia. Couldn't take much photo's as it was quite busy with parents up & down and didn't want to offend anyone by taking pics of their kids too.

After his swimming lesson we headed back home, while Cameron went to pick up the headboard we'd bought for Darian's new bed. Once home our neighbours popped round to have a look at the new landscaped garden so we chatted for a bit. After they left we headed to the Warehouse as we needed linen for Darian. By the time we got home it was after 6pm so Cameron decided we'd just buy takeout cos it was too late to go home and cook.

When we woke up on Sunday he decided he was going to make breakfast for Mother's Day breakfast. Anyone who knows Cameron at all knows he can't cook so this was a massive feat for him, one he pulled off. We had a lovely breakfast together, because our little man didn't want to sit at the table with his boring old parents.

My yummy Mother's Day Breakfast

Darian sat on the couch while we ate breakfast, he had his pancake and Nesquick there.

After breakfast, I got ready for my 11.30am appointment at Bella Mama Pregnancy Spa & Wellness Centre for my 175 minute Mother's day full body massage and Foot Spa. IT WAS HEAVEN! I have not felt that relaxed throughout my pregnancies. I thoroughly enjoyed it! I want to go back every week! LOL!

Thank you baby! It was thoroughly enjoyed and appreciated.

I snapped a few pics post massage of the room:

This Chinese Proverb was displayed in the centre as well and I couldn't help but take a snap! It was so apt and so beautiful.

Me, leaving... not the greatest pic but that was the window to the reception so didn't want people to think I was a weirdo taking selfies of the place! So quickly snapped and left!

The rest of the afternoon was spent just lazing at home with my boys. Cameron had set up Darian's bed by the time I got home and we realised that I had forgotten the Duvet inner so he had to rush out and go buy one. And did some shopping for the week's groceries, etc as well. And stopped for some Turkish Kebabs for dinner on his way home. So, no cooking for me at all this Mother's Day weekend... BLISS! He even got me a Sara Lee Berry Cheesecake for dessert. Perfect end to a perfect day!

I really enjoyed my Mother's day weekend. To think, next year there will be 2 little boys in our home celebrating with us. I love being a mum and am so proud to be mum to Darian, and can't wait to meet our new little boy.

This week also marked 29 weeks pregnant. Not long to go now!

Backyard Revamp

We've been wanting to our yard for a while now but could never agree on what we wanted to do. We got a few landscapers round to give us some ideas but finally hired a landscape architect, Jeremy from Surround Landscape Architecture. Jeremy had amazing ideas for our small space and we went back and forth until we found something we loved and was cost effective.

The Design

We also went with the first landscapers we got into contact with, Jeremy & Peter from Genesis Landscaping who were such an amazing team to work with.

Here's a bit of a timeline in the form of pictures depicting the changes and complete revamp of our backyard.

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Day 5

They had to rest our fence as well

Day 6

The fence is back up

Day 7

Day 8

Day 9

 Day 10

We are so impressed by the transformation. The new level lawn for our boys to grow, learn and play and the great new entertaining space for us and family and friends is better than we imagined. We still need to now finish off the fence painting on the new boundary fence and once the plants and trees grow in it's going to look even better. 

Thank you to the 2 Jeremy's and Peter for making the all come together! We couldn't be happier.