The year that was 2015

It's that time again. Time for reflection, time to make a change! Out with the old and in with the new. 

2015 was an extraordinary year. In it was the birth of our second child, Cade Israel which was clearly the highlight of our year. I've spent the last 6 months on maternity leave which has allowed me to spend that extra time being with Cade full time and spending more time with Darian as he only goes to daycare 3 days a week now. I've watched my boys grow and become more and more in love with each other, and that has been the greatest blessing in my life this year. 

We've also been blessed to purchase a second house. A daunting task yet an exciting one as well. Construction on our new home starts in early 2016. So something for us to look forward to in the new year. Last year we found out we were pregnant with Cade and so 2015 started off with a lot of excitement and preparation. 2016 has a new home on the horizon and who knows what else lies in store for us. 

I don't know what the year will bring but I'm excited to watch my boys grow and know that whatever comes our way this year it's going to be a year full of milestones and God's abundance and I couldn't ask for anything more!

Welcome 2016, I look forward to getting to know you better!

Cade's 5 month check up

I cannot believe our little Cade is 5 months old already. I'm so enjoying this age. He is starting to move around now and has started to crawl, backwards mostly but moving nonetheless. He is turning over and loves seeing his brother and dad. He will get on all fours and rock back and forth until he can lunge himself forward.

He had a viral infection last week with a red rash all over his body and his eyes. We couldn't necessarily figure out what caused it but our doctor has given us an all clear that it's not anything serious. When he had cradle cap earlier on, Marcus had prescribed a Urea cream that still seems to work on his skin, although he hasn't completely gotten rid of his sensitive skin, we are finally starting to enjoy the baby soft skin he should have.

He is also eating solids now, has been for a few weeks. Loves veggies and fruits and of course has his rice cereal in the mornings. I've also started introducing formula in preparation for my return to full time work. He is doing well and hasn't had any issues on the formula. He will have mainly just one formula feed during the day and at time where I have to be away for an extended period such as grocery shopping or if I'm busy with Darian we will give him another formula feed. He has taken to the bottle really well and is trying to hold it himself, albeit unsuccessfully!

He is still sleeping in his own cot in our room, will continue to do so until he is at least 12 months old. 

He can clearly make known what he wants and has discovered his voice, especially when he wants to be picked up. He will push himself off you and almost catapult himself in the direction of the person he wants. Definitely a strong willed boy who knows what & who, he wants.

Still in love with his big brother, now that he is moving he finds it easier to get to where Darian is and will sit back and laugh and chuckle at Darian's shenanigans.

Weight: 7.60kg's
Length: 65cm

Cade's 3 month check up

Our little boy is 3 months old, well almost... not exactly the 6th but it's close enough.

We had his plunket appointment on Friday and as usual, he is doing extraordinarily well.

Here's what Cade has been up to this month:

Still feeds on demand, exclusively breastfed. He has good days with no fussing yet some nights we revert to that ever tiring "witching hour". I've come to the realisation that "aids" such as Infacol and Gripe water don't do much, I'm not convinced otherwise YET, however I'm outnumbered in the house hold at the moment, both Mum & Cameron are convinced that these are aiding him with his upset or griping tummy. I believe his tummy is quite sensitive and as a breastfed baby I have to be ever so careful about what I eat or drink, as it does have an effect on him. I've started massaging his tummy to alleviate the discomfort of winds and gas and this is helping. I've also learned that shorter feeds with more breaks for winding is helping so much and I've noticed the distinct difference in his fussiness when I do this.

He is getting bigger and sturdier and loves more and more tummy time. He loves having play time and these times are getting longer and longer. I'm afraid the "baby" days are going to be over sooner than I think. He is totally enamored with his big brother and wants to be off, wherever Darian is. He recognises Daddy and Darian's voices now and will stop whatever he is doing when he hears either of them and of course will coo and aah at them almost as if he too is part of the conversation.

I think the teething phase has begun as the drooling is becoming more and more.

Weight: 5.88kg's
Length: 61cm

Cade's 9 week check up

Cade had another plunket check up this week. He is doing so well, and Aoife (our plunket nurse) is so happy with his development.

So what is he up to at this age?

Cade is breastfed on demand, usually every 1-2 hours and in between sleeps. He gets very moody between 5pm & 8 pm or as I've learned to call it, the "witching hour". He cluster feeds during this time and tends to fall asleep by 8pm. He will sleep for about 5-6 hours before waking for his next feed. He will then be awake every 1-2 hours and will dream-feed for the rest of the night until he is finally awake for the day at about 7am. 

He sleeps in his own cot but is still in our room, although mummy does spoil him a bit during those dream-feeds and keep him in the bed with us. It's just easier for all if mummy gets enough sleep, OK, so no judgment please! 

We are definitely starting to differentiate between his "hungry", "tired" and "irritable" cries. He loves tummy time and has started to recognise his toys and tries to grab them.

It's not easy seeing my boy unwell. The Bronchialitis has subsided now, after our trip to Aussie. He was such a joy to travel with and only cried when he was hungry.

He also knows our faces so well and gets really happy to see me and daddy when he gets home from work.
He is such a joy and I am so enjoying my time at home with him. 

Weight: 5.20kg's
Length: 60cm

Our Mid year Aussie Holiday

What a wonderful, relaxing week we've had.

Friday I had to take the boys back to the doctors to ensure they were all ok and healthy enough to fly. And they were. Marcus gave me a script for Cade for Amoxicillin, just in case he's temp surges and it's not just bronchialitis but we didn't need it. He and Darian didn't get any worse while over there, which was good. Friday morning however I took Darian to daycare so he didn't miss out on his Playball game. He won the player of the day medal but couldn't keep it as we were going to be away for the next game and wouldn't be able to return the medal. He was so chuffed with himself, and mummy was super proud too as he was the only one in his age group that was able to catch the ball. 

On the flight there they were both really good. Darian was super excited to be on an airplane again and sat quietly watching he's shows. Cade didn't flinch or cry the whole flight. We arrived quite late and I was worried Cade would never make the 2 hour drive to Newcastle but both he and Darian slept the whole way there. We arrived at Brads and Shams place just before midnight, Shaien, a friend of Brads was there as well so they all got to meet Cade. Darian just went straight to bed, which was good and Cade was wide awake and loving all he attention. We sat talking for a few hours then headed to bed. The next day was Xavier's party so it was a busy day. Cade, however was very crabby and moody. I think it was a mixture of jet lag and being sick do I spent most of the party in the room, trying to get him to settle. Darian was just loving the party atmosphere and had company with little Jessie, the son of Phil and Kim, friends of Brads and Sham. So he hardly noticed that mummy was MIA for most of the day. 

It was a lovely afternoon though and a very sweet party. 

Darian and Jesse were best friends

We spent the rest of the holiday just relaxing. Lazy days and eating all kinds of tummy food, just what holidays are all about.

We got home on Saturday afternoon after THE worst flight ever! Darian threw a massive tantrum when we got on the plane because he wanted the tv, and as we were in the front seats for the bassinet for Cade, the TV would come up from under the seat. But during taxi & take off we had to put it away, so he screamed and cried while Cade slept through it all. Then on landing, we had the same issue but it got worse when he realised we were leaving the airplane. It was very hard trying to carry Cade while Cameron tried to carry the bags and keep Darian in check. And then it got worse as we got to passport control because Cade woke up, hungry! I couldn't leave the line and it was the busiest I've ever seen it that day with 2 immigration officers at the desks! Urgh! Go figure! So we had two kids screaming and crying! We were THOSE parents! WORST. EXPERIENCE. EVER!!! By the time we got to baggage claim we just couldn't deal, and one of the customs officers allowed us to bypass the line, because of our screaming children and go through X-ray through a special line.

My mum picked us up at the airport and I couldn't get to the car quicker just to feed Cade. I've never been so agitated in my life and felt really guilty for taking it out on my boy who was just over tired and too excitable! He love airplanes and didn't want to go but because mummy and daddy were just as tired and lost our cool too many times. 

It wasn't a very pleasant trip home but it was a great time away. We are hoping that we can have a good Christmas and that the family comes over this year. Our first Christmas in NZ since Darian was born! 

Can't wait!

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.