Police Patrol

Project: Redemption proceeds apace... we are having fewer tantrums - though still many, many of them, and the positive affirmation seems to be working well. It will still be a hard couple of weeks though, reclaiming our lovely little boy back from being a tanty monster. This weekend just flew by!!It was a whirlwind of toddlertaming and cooking. We didn't go out anywhere as Chris and I both caught K's nasty cold and all three of us have runny noses and chesty painful coughs!! Chris was amazing yesterday - he made beer bread, croissants, foccacia and pasta from scratch, handled K and wasn't grump - as he can be when sleep deprived. Naturally his reward was to have K morph into a little devil around 6pm!! Poor man. Today I took the boys to Oratia playgroup and K had a blast - and a 2 and ahalf hour sleep! Obviously he has been going stircrazy. His behaviour was also markedly better - possible due to getting some exercise :P As we drove up the hill we saw a police car, lights a-whirl, stopping a car at the bottom of the Road. We saw another two on the 4 minute drive to Playgroup, and then passed another car pulled over by the Police as we left playgroup. A good day for seeing the Police, obviously, not that those individuals chatting to the officers looked particularly thrilled by it mark you.....

Trials and Tribulations

C has been making great strides lately. He has begun to want to be picked up so he can see what's going on. He looks just like a meerkat as his little head swivels around in his blanket as you hold him upright. K has been giving C plenty of strokes and kisses but has been a nightmare in all other things. We are seeing lots of tantrums where he throws himself to the floor and smashes his head repeatedly on the floor or walls. As we have tiles I am impressed at his fortitude. It is difficult to deal with. If I respond to the behaviour I just reward him and it continues but I can't totally ignore it either... Oy vey! Cameron slept like a dream last night. He slept from 9pm to 1:12 and then 1:30 to 5am. I was in great discomfort - but appreciated the extra sleep... all the more so because I am as sick as a dog! This morning was a bit of a mare, with Chris leaving for the train at 8am... and me at 8:15. Got K to Henry's where he threw a massive tantrum and devolved into hysterics. Upon me taking K to the car he threw another tantrum because he didn't want to leave, despite not wanting to stay! Henry didn't look too thrilled by the behaviour and I am guessing if K keeps it up then we will find that Henry is no longer happy to have K. God knows I wouldn't if it was me!! I took the books into the library afterwards where, surprise, K threw another tantrum..... and then we headed home. Joy. I was counting on today to rest and do some cleaning as the floor is absolutely filthy and needs to be mopped. I may just have to get on with that around K. So C is going great guns and K is devolving into a little monster. Gosh, parenting is SO much fun :P K's latest stunt was to pour blackcurrant cordial all through the box of clothes that Isabelle lent us. It is lucky that he was in bed when I found the purple stained clothing for I was ropable!!

When the Daphne blooms

This morning I was looking out the window at our Daphne plant, and noticing all the buds on it showing hints of pink. It has been a year now since we had the miscarriage. It was such a terrible time, but what has stayed with me was how people reacted to the news - whether that reaction was supportive, hurtful or they pretended not to know anything about it. I will enjoy the glorious scent of the flowers, and remember our little proto pup as I do. Sleep has proved elusive of late with K sick, and throwing tantrums and being a little horror. I think the reality of C being a permanent little timesink has registered. Poor wee boy! I am finding it quite tricky juggling their individual needs - my needs are being completely ignored at the moment - hopefully only for a few more months.

The gruffalo dvd and gruffalo's child book arrived on saturday and has been greeted with screams of joy ever since. It is actually a cool little movie. Hell, anything must be better than watching "Hello Iggle Piggle" ad nauseum". Every time I think we have cleared the danger zone a little voice pipes up asking for "Piggle" or Ninky Nonk". Aaah, good times!! Thank god I have requested a further 2 Int he Night Garden dvd's from the library - I will go mad if I have to watch the same FIVE episodes over and over again for much longer.

I have a little clothbook that I need to sew up for Cameron - god knows when, as I seem to have no free time. The scarf I am knitting for K is growing at a snail's pace too - it will be at least a 3 week job. Aaah how the mighty have fallen :P

4 weeks old today

Cameron is a little piggling!! When the midwife weighed him yesterday he had put on half a kilogram in a week!! He is now 4.2kg's - up a kilo from his birthweight - and now fits newborn clothes rather than prem. He is making a valiant effort to hold up his head, eats well, usually sleeps well and shrieks like a trapped weasel if snackin's are delayed longer than 2 seconds!! I am however exhausted!! K had a 24 hour tummy bug on Monday night - the same night that it took until 11pm to get Cameron down. At 10:40 Chris headed downstairs with K and moments later the sound of liquid hitting the tiles at high velicity reached my ears. A happy time was had by all, as K endured a cold shower with his dad, and I got C down, and then Chris had the unenviable task of cleaning the vomit off the floor. Boy, did it stink!! So we were knackered. K crept in with us later that night and so not much sleep was had by all. And I had to cancel K's PORSE session - sigh. Te weather has been pretty good tho, it was lovely and sunny on Wednesday when I walked the boys in their stroller to the Plunket session. They had a good time. That evening I managed to set off the fire alarm cooking K his fish dinner. K ran around like a headless chicken, screaming his fear to the skies.... while C slept right through it. How, I do not know!! K was a grumpy little devil on thursday - buit at least he went off to PORSE :) Today is a bit of a mare. C slept on me from 7pm to 10pm then I only got C to sleep at 1:20am. He woke up and screamed every time I put him in the cot... and Chris left to go sleep somewhere else..I assume on the couch. At 4am C woke for a feed and just as he was finishing K crept in and jumped into bed. It was damn difficult as I couldn't settle C down into the cot and was holding K so he didn't fall off the side of the bed. Chris returned around this time and shortly afterwards K vanished and went to his father's side of the bed. He has been a whiny little horror today and has been put down for his nap early... sigh. It's gonna be a long day..... BUT I have booked C's first round of vaccinations - yay, another sleepless night coming up!

Yawn

My god, I miss sleep. K has been waking several times in the night and this, combined with C's feeding schedule has left both Chris and I rather shattered. The week has gone well with the wound healing up nicely and me even venturing up the hill with the stroller and boys one sunny day. Showed off the latest acquisition to the library staff and enjoyed the sunny weather, for lo, it didn't last! I am cleared to drive so will start that next week by taking K to Playgroup on Monday. I will have Henry collect/drop off K for this week and then I will be doing driver duty from next week. Just gives me a chance to ease into things. On Wednesday I pick up the Plunket coffeegroup again so that should brighten K';s week up :) On friday Emma came round with her little boy. K enjoyed the company and it was really good catching up with Emma. That afternoon we headed over to Isabelle's we K had an enjoyable hour playing with Esteban. Today didn't go so well. We took K and C with us food shopping and had just entered the store when K decided he wanted out of his stroller. Once out he decided that he wanted Chris to carry him. When this wasn't an option (Chris has stuffed his back moving a spectacularly heavy machine at work) he threw a fantastic tantrum and so I finished the shopping while Chris and the boys sat in the car for 40 minutes. Lucky them. K continues a fan of In the Night Garden. We have watched our copy of Welcome Iggle Piggle so many times that I feel like saying Goodbye Iggle Piggle as I toss it out for the Rubbish Men. It wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't the SAME five episodes.....over, and over, and over until I am sure my IQ points are leaking out of my ears.... Still, he loves it....

In the Garden of the Night....

Oh my god! Why is it when you finally get one child settled/asleep etc the other one instantly needs attention - even if they are in another room and shouldn't know that there is a free spot... it's like toddler/baby Spidey senses I tell ya! Cameron is going great guns on the feeding (sigh, I begin to yearn for formula...) and sleeping is good. We have three feeds in the night - usually 11pm, 2am and 5am. However he only goes to sleep around 8:30 or 9 So I am knackered by the time I have gotten him down. This weekend went really well. It was a long weekend so I got to have Chris around for an extra day - that was good :) It even meant that I got a sleep-in on Monday. We headed out to Henderson on Monday too - K has fallen deeply in love with In the Night Garden, especially "Piggle" - to the point where he almost cries when the episode comes to an end. So, we bought him the dvd of the series. I am guessing it is the first 5 episodes? It is enough to keep a little boy happy though - that's the most important thing. I know we did other stuff - but it was mainly stuff like prepping meals and babywrangling. Inadequate sleep has meant neither of us has been, or wishes to be, a social butterfly. On a brighter note, my wound infection has begun clearing up - yay!! - so hopefully I will be able to drive in a week or so! I see the midwife tomorrow and will ask her about that :)

K and C are trucking on nicely - K gives C lots of kisses, and we are reading a lot more stories haha. Hopefully, once I am driving K will be able to get out more and not be so stir crazy!!! Fingers crossed!

Chatterbox

Young Hic is a noisy wee beggar. And he is LOUD in the night. We are never sure if he is actually awake when the sounds of hiccupping, snorting, chittering, yawning, gasping, coughing, sqeeing and moaning fill the bedroom. Mostly he is asleep- - but it means I wake up, check the cot, lie down, try to go back to sleep and then repeat the process. Sigh. Today was good. We walked up to the library and shops with the stroller and K had a fab time at the library while I showed off the little one. I am glad we didn't walk too much further though as my wound is aching now. Once home Chris dived into making home made chicken nuggets and pavlova (the result of which the kitchen looks like a bomb site) while I cuddled young Hic. Tomorrow we are heading into Henderson to let K play in the playground by Farmers. K has also formed a violent attraction to In the Night Garden and wanders around the house each morning asking for "Piggle". Yup, that would be Iggle Piggle :)It;s a long weekend - Queen's Birthday - and I get to have Chris around for an extra day - almost as good as a day off haha :)

Sunny, with signs of rain

Wednesday was lovely and sunny. I seized the moment to make pizza dough, wash the lounge doors, do some cleaning and babywrangle. Bridget was exceptionally kind. She turned up at the house with the antibiotic prescription so that I could have a full days worth of antibiotics. I had just been bracing myself to get both boys up the hill in the stroller and was relieved not to have to make the effort!! She irrigated the infected spots and taped them open to drain. As a result I am a little less keen to get out and about! I took the boys down to the playground yesterday afternoon - as it was sunny and the playground was now open again. K had a blast but as we were walking home tried to head over to Isabelle's. When thwarted in his desire he raced off around the corner - ith me racing after him as I could hear cars coming. I wound up having to carry him back to the abandoned stroller and wrestle him into the house. My wound didn't thank me for that, let me tell you! Today is cloudy then sunny then cloudy... but it's not raining!! Today K headed off to PORSE where he had a lovely time. Cam and I had a snuggle then I made dinner and baked an apple and rhubarb pie. Suzie came over with a bouncinette chair for Cam to borrow and we had a good chat. She is off to Perth for a week from tomorrow - aaaah, holidays... with small children ;P Bridget came round and confirmed that Cameron is packing on the fat. Poor boy has a nasty rash on his bottom :( But he had a lovely bath after Bridget left which he seemed to enjoy. Both boys are currently asleep. When they wake I shall feed them, and head out to the park - Good times!