For some strange reason, I've got a funny feeling that this baby is going to have red hair. But then again, I thought he'd be here by now, so what do I know? Anyone up for guessing weight, birthdate, distinguishing characteristics?
Here's my guess: 3.8 kilos (just shy of 8.5 pounds), born on the 28th of Feb, and sporting a thick mop of shocking red hair! Oh and last minute, we'll change our minds and decide to name the little chap Fletcher.
So what do you reckon?
22 February 2011
We're baby ready!
Well, things aren't exactly as far along as we had hoped with the house, and we weren't able to move the guest bedroom out to the addition yet, but we did manage to rearrange things a little bit, and now instead of having a baby's room we have a baby corner. And it looks kinda cute if you ask me!!
As for me, I'm doing great! I'm still fighting this chest infection but I think it's finally clearing up, and I'm feeling better than I have in months. I keep telling Paul that if it weren't for the fact the Oliver continues to grow and get BIGGER, I'd be happy to keep him in my tummy for another several weeks. It's a bit easier to take care of him in there than it will be once he's out in the world trying to get used to all the new strangeness of big spaces, bright lights and strange sounds.
But then again, I've waited so long to meet this little guy and I think I might bust if I have to wait much longer. So Oliver, whenever you're ready, we're ready! You've got a mommy and daddy and big brother just dying to get you in our arms!
And now that Oliver's little corner is set up Elliot is definitely talking about the baby all the time. He likes to rock (as in ROCK!!) the bassinet and play with the baby's toys that we've put in it. He says 'baby brother' and kisses and pats my tummy or lifts up my shirt when we're at the grocery store to show everyone his baby. It's all very cute, and I just hope that he is as sweet with Oliver when he actually arrives as he is being now.
As for Paul and I, we're getting very excited. There've been a couple of evenings when the practice contractions got a bit stronger and we've both been giddy at the thought that 'this could be the night!'. But in the morning, I think we've both been a little bit relieved that we have another day with life as it is now. Elliot is so much fun at the moment, so loving and really putting an effort into controlling his little outbursts. And we're just enjoying him so much that as excited as we are to welcome Oliver, we know that we'll never be just the three of us again.
As for me, I'm doing great! I'm still fighting this chest infection but I think it's finally clearing up, and I'm feeling better than I have in months. I keep telling Paul that if it weren't for the fact the Oliver continues to grow and get BIGGER, I'd be happy to keep him in my tummy for another several weeks. It's a bit easier to take care of him in there than it will be once he's out in the world trying to get used to all the new strangeness of big spaces, bright lights and strange sounds.
But then again, I've waited so long to meet this little guy and I think I might bust if I have to wait much longer. So Oliver, whenever you're ready, we're ready! You've got a mommy and daddy and big brother just dying to get you in our arms!
His Mommy's Son
Elliot might look the spitting image of his Daddy, and there is no doubt that he loves to figure out how things work like his Dad, but as this little guy gets older he's displaying more and more characteristics that good or bad are just like his Mom.
For some time there has been no doubt that Elliot's got some anal retentive tendencies like his Mommy, especially in the way he likes things to be right where they belong. But he's also showing signs of getting frustrated quite quickly when he can't figure things out (which frankly is pretty rare--he amazes us at how quickly he works out new toys, puzzles or other things that he really shouldn't be touching!) And Elliot's new favourite thing to say is "My do!" when he doesn't want our help and wants to do it himself.
But the funniest thing is how he doesn't miss anything!!! I once had a friend compare me to a super absorbent tampon (you probably thought I wouldn't have remembered such a compliment, Monica!) with the way I tend to soak in information. Well, little Elliot puts my super absorbency to shame. He notices and remembers everything!!! Whenever we're in the car he cries out to let me know where to turn to go to Gymbaroo or swimming lessons or even the playgym that we haven't visited in almost six months or just to point out the yard that had a Santa decoration in it at Christmas time. He remembers all the shops in the shopping centre calling out 'yummy' or 'colouring' to indicate one of our favourite places to get a snack or the kid's clothing shop that has a little table where kids can sit and colour. And he'll remember who sat where last time they visited our house and make sure that they sit there again. In fact, sometimes when we get into the car, Elliot tells me which cousin sat on which side of him when Vinnie and Dommie went to the park with us way back in December (or sometimes which side Rebeka or Rhiannon sat on last time they were in the car--and his Grandad, after 16 years, still hasn't worked out how to tell the twins apart!)
For some time there has been no doubt that Elliot's got some anal retentive tendencies like his Mommy, especially in the way he likes things to be right where they belong. But he's also showing signs of getting frustrated quite quickly when he can't figure things out (which frankly is pretty rare--he amazes us at how quickly he works out new toys, puzzles or other things that he really shouldn't be touching!) And Elliot's new favourite thing to say is "My do!" when he doesn't want our help and wants to do it himself.
But the funniest thing is how he doesn't miss anything!!! I once had a friend compare me to a super absorbent tampon (you probably thought I wouldn't have remembered such a compliment, Monica!) with the way I tend to soak in information. Well, little Elliot puts my super absorbency to shame. He notices and remembers everything!!! Whenever we're in the car he cries out to let me know where to turn to go to Gymbaroo or swimming lessons or even the playgym that we haven't visited in almost six months or just to point out the yard that had a Santa decoration in it at Christmas time. He remembers all the shops in the shopping centre calling out 'yummy' or 'colouring' to indicate one of our favourite places to get a snack or the kid's clothing shop that has a little table where kids can sit and colour. And he'll remember who sat where last time they visited our house and make sure that they sit there again. In fact, sometimes when we get into the car, Elliot tells me which cousin sat on which side of him when Vinnie and Dommie went to the park with us way back in December (or sometimes which side Rebeka or Rhiannon sat on last time they were in the car--and his Grandad, after 16 years, still hasn't worked out how to tell the twins apart!)
I love my new Skuut!
Thanks Uncle Ryan, Auntie Jen, Evan and Claire! I love my new bike so much that I'll even wear my helmet so that I can ride it. ~ Elliot
19 February 2011
Birthday Party!
After nearly deciding to cancel Elliot's party (due to all the extra stress and work caused by the fire), we're so glad that we decided to carry through with it as planned. It couldn't have been a better morning. The weather (and wind!) cooperated and all of Elliot's and our closest friends and family turned up for a wonderful day in the park with lots of yummy food (especially Elliot's birthday cupcakes that Sam made and the ninja bread men that Karina brought), terrific presents (thanks to everyone who brought Elliot all the awesome books, puzzles and DVDs to help keep him occupied once his baby brother arrives on the scene) and good times.
Here are some of our favourite photos from the day:
And here's Elliot talking about his party and blowing out his candles like he'd been practicing all week long.
Here are some of our favourite photos from the day:
And here's Elliot talking about his party and blowing out his candles like he'd been practicing all week long.
And the fun just kept going . . .
After Elliot's nap, he woke up to all of his presents from his Dad and I and my parents too. He was beside himself with all the cool stuff!
The baby doll that Gramma and Grandpa sent and the cool new trike that Uncle David brought were two of Elliot's favourites!
Elliot at Two!
That's right folks; I'm two years old and I'm doing all sorts of incredibly amusing things. Just ask my mommy and daddy! They'd be the first to tell you what a fantastic little guy I am most of the time even if I do keep them on their toes.
I still love music and dancing and I've added quite a few moves to my repertoire. Mommy and I like to have dance parties where she blasts my very own playlist on her ipod and we shake our booties like nobody's business. Only these days Mommy can't jump and spin me around like she used to with that big old belly of hers. I also love playing nana's piano and my new keyboard and drum that I got for my birthday. I'll probably be famous one day.
And if I'm not famous for music, maybe I'll be famous for my amazing and very convincing acting abilities. Mommy says I've become very dramatic with every little bump and bruise getting carried on about with "owies" and "sore" for days and days. I'm also very good at putting on a dramatic spectacle whenever I want something that I can't have. I know how to stick my lip out and squint up my eyes and 'cry' pathetically. It's amazing Mommy and Daddy don't give in more. One of my finest performances recently was when I very carefully took two slow giant steps and then flung myself dramatically at the wall, sliding down slowly and landing in a heap of tears and "owies" and "fall-downs". I still can't understand how Mommy could be so heartless that she just sat and giggled hysterically. It was a totally convincing performance.
One of my other favourite things to do is to help out around the house. I like to vacuum and clean up the table after meals and help Daddy take the trash out and sweep the deck. In fact, taking care of Nacho has become almost entirely my responsibility (with Mommy and Daddy so busy, somebody has got to do it). I give him his food and water every day--heck, I'd do it several times a day but Daddy says he is getting fat. I also do my best to help with disciplining Nacho when he is too barky. I say "Stop it! No barking!" and "Enough" in my firmest voice and sometimes he even listens to me.
I also sometimes have to boss around Mommy and Daddy to keep them in line. For example, if it weren't for me dragging Mommy out of bed every morning with "Mommy! Get up!", old miss lazy bones would sleep all day long. I also like to tell people what to do, where to sit, what to eat, and pretty much anything else I can get away with.
When I'm not so busy helping with things, I find time to play. I still love reading books and playing with Play-dohs and building with my blocks and playing with my trains. I've also started to like to draw and colour and do art projects with Mommy and Nana or to play hide-and-seek with Nacho or whoever else will play. Mostly when I'm inside these days what I really want to do is to watch movies (when Mommy and Daddy let me!). My favourites are "Move It" (Madagascar), "Bugs" (A Bug's Life) and "Up-down" (Up).
But any chance I get I'd rather be outside, rolling in the dirt, mowing the lawn, helping Daddy build the deck, playing on my play gym or best of all running through the sprinkler "naked"! I can't understand why Mommy and Daddy don't play in the sprinkler naked when I tell them to!
You've probably noticed how good my language skills are getting. I can say all sorts of things and like to copy everything that Mommy and Daddy say. Every day I'm learning new words and surprising Mommy and Daddy with the things that I say like "leopard" and "vase" (pronounced the snooty way). For some reason some of the words that I say seem to crack Mommy and Daddy up, like when I say Franny Frog (my stuffed toy), but I think they're just being mean!
I'm also getting really good at playing with my friends and sometimes will even share my toys. Mommy and Daddy are still working with me on that and on being gentle, but they say that they can see how hard I'm trying and that makes them very proud of me. The fact is I love being around people. I've got some really great friends that I love to play with like Aine and Cailey. And now that I'm in the big boy room at daycare, I really like going there and playing with the "kids". I also really like going outside to talk to the "boys" helping out on the house. In fact, I call just about anyone who is not a "kid" a "boy" or sometimes a "peoples".
Well, folks, that's about all about me. I'm off to get dirty now! ~ Elliot
I still love music and dancing and I've added quite a few moves to my repertoire. Mommy and I like to have dance parties where she blasts my very own playlist on her ipod and we shake our booties like nobody's business. Only these days Mommy can't jump and spin me around like she used to with that big old belly of hers. I also love playing nana's piano and my new keyboard and drum that I got for my birthday. I'll probably be famous one day.
And if I'm not famous for music, maybe I'll be famous for my amazing and very convincing acting abilities. Mommy says I've become very dramatic with every little bump and bruise getting carried on about with "owies" and "sore" for days and days. I'm also very good at putting on a dramatic spectacle whenever I want something that I can't have. I know how to stick my lip out and squint up my eyes and 'cry' pathetically. It's amazing Mommy and Daddy don't give in more. One of my finest performances recently was when I very carefully took two slow giant steps and then flung myself dramatically at the wall, sliding down slowly and landing in a heap of tears and "owies" and "fall-downs". I still can't understand how Mommy could be so heartless that she just sat and giggled hysterically. It was a totally convincing performance.
One of my other favourite things to do is to help out around the house. I like to vacuum and clean up the table after meals and help Daddy take the trash out and sweep the deck. In fact, taking care of Nacho has become almost entirely my responsibility (with Mommy and Daddy so busy, somebody has got to do it). I give him his food and water every day--heck, I'd do it several times a day but Daddy says he is getting fat. I also do my best to help with disciplining Nacho when he is too barky. I say "Stop it! No barking!" and "Enough" in my firmest voice and sometimes he even listens to me.
I also sometimes have to boss around Mommy and Daddy to keep them in line. For example, if it weren't for me dragging Mommy out of bed every morning with "Mommy! Get up!", old miss lazy bones would sleep all day long. I also like to tell people what to do, where to sit, what to eat, and pretty much anything else I can get away with.
When I'm not so busy helping with things, I find time to play. I still love reading books and playing with Play-dohs and building with my blocks and playing with my trains. I've also started to like to draw and colour and do art projects with Mommy and Nana or to play hide-and-seek with Nacho or whoever else will play. Mostly when I'm inside these days what I really want to do is to watch movies (when Mommy and Daddy let me!). My favourites are "Move It" (Madagascar), "Bugs" (A Bug's Life) and "Up-down" (Up).
But any chance I get I'd rather be outside, rolling in the dirt, mowing the lawn, helping Daddy build the deck, playing on my play gym or best of all running through the sprinkler "naked"! I can't understand why Mommy and Daddy don't play in the sprinkler naked when I tell them to!
You've probably noticed how good my language skills are getting. I can say all sorts of things and like to copy everything that Mommy and Daddy say. Every day I'm learning new words and surprising Mommy and Daddy with the things that I say like "leopard" and "vase" (pronounced the snooty way). For some reason some of the words that I say seem to crack Mommy and Daddy up, like when I say Franny Frog (my stuffed toy), but I think they're just being mean!
I'm also getting really good at playing with my friends and sometimes will even share my toys. Mommy and Daddy are still working with me on that and on being gentle, but they say that they can see how hard I'm trying and that makes them very proud of me. The fact is I love being around people. I've got some really great friends that I love to play with like Aine and Cailey. And now that I'm in the big boy room at daycare, I really like going there and playing with the "kids". I also really like going outside to talk to the "boys" helping out on the house. In fact, I call just about anyone who is not a "kid" a "boy" or sometimes a "peoples".
Well, folks, that's about all about me. I'm off to get dirty now! ~ Elliot
10 February 2011
Not exactly the kind of thing you want to be in the news for . . .
As you may have read/heard, our neighbourhood has been ravaged by a terrible bushfire which has completely destroyed over 70 homes including that of our good friends and next door neighbours. The last few days have been some of the most terrifying and emotional in my life, and I am so very relieved to report that by some miracle (and tremendous kindness from some neighbours down the road who we'd never even met, but who spent the entire night standing on our roof hosing down our neighbour's fire so that it would not take our house next), we had a house to come back to.
The fire was incredibly fast moving due to extremely high winds blowing the fire straight toward us. We went from smelling the first bits of smoke from the fire several kilometers away to being forced to evacuate inside of about 90 minutes. When we left our house mid-afternoon Sunday, the neighbour's house was already ablaze, and the police officers informed us that the fire department would not be coming to put it out as there were no more fire fighters available. We had only a couple of minutes to grab some important documents, Elliot's diaper bag and his doll and blanket, my computer and our hard drives, and of course Nacho before we were forced to drive away thinking that there would be nothing to come back to.
It was a horrible sleepless night as we tried to hold it together but quietly added up all of the things that we should have grabbed and would never see again, tried to work out how we could get a new place to live and a couple of basic necessities together before this little baby made his big entrance, and lamented all of the hard work that we had put into our renovation. It was one of the most torturous nights of my life.
Thankfully, by midmorning the next day, we were told informally that our house was still standing and believed to have no damage. By seven o'clock that night, Paul and I were able to come back to our house and start getting it back into shape to live in. The house was full of soot and the smell of smoke, but after airing it out all night, doing load after load of laundry of bedding and drapes and rugs, and having it professionally cleaned we are so happy and amazed to be back in our home more or less exactly as we left it three days ago.
Like I said, our neighbours weren't so lucky. When they left their house they had nothing but the clothes on their backs and a folder with their important documents. There was no time for the kids to grab toys or favourite things. And while all of their friends and family are joining together to do all we can to get them into a new house and back to some sort of normalcy, they will carry the scars of this fire forever. And I just can't help but wonder why them. Why not us? How can it be that they have nothing and we're able to get on with our lives almost as if nothing has happened? How is it that life can be so random and unfair to some? So many questions and all I can say is THANKS for all that I have. We are very very lucky.
Here's a photo of our house about 60 minutes after we smelled the first whiff of smoke and about 30 minutes before we were forced to leave.
Here's a photo (stolen from the local newspaper's site) of the fire raging out of control in the bush surrounding our neighbourhood on Sunday night.
The fire was incredibly fast moving due to extremely high winds blowing the fire straight toward us. We went from smelling the first bits of smoke from the fire several kilometers away to being forced to evacuate inside of about 90 minutes. When we left our house mid-afternoon Sunday, the neighbour's house was already ablaze, and the police officers informed us that the fire department would not be coming to put it out as there were no more fire fighters available. We had only a couple of minutes to grab some important documents, Elliot's diaper bag and his doll and blanket, my computer and our hard drives, and of course Nacho before we were forced to drive away thinking that there would be nothing to come back to.
It was a horrible sleepless night as we tried to hold it together but quietly added up all of the things that we should have grabbed and would never see again, tried to work out how we could get a new place to live and a couple of basic necessities together before this little baby made his big entrance, and lamented all of the hard work that we had put into our renovation. It was one of the most torturous nights of my life.
Thankfully, by midmorning the next day, we were told informally that our house was still standing and believed to have no damage. By seven o'clock that night, Paul and I were able to come back to our house and start getting it back into shape to live in. The house was full of soot and the smell of smoke, but after airing it out all night, doing load after load of laundry of bedding and drapes and rugs, and having it professionally cleaned we are so happy and amazed to be back in our home more or less exactly as we left it three days ago.
Like I said, our neighbours weren't so lucky. When they left their house they had nothing but the clothes on their backs and a folder with their important documents. There was no time for the kids to grab toys or favourite things. And while all of their friends and family are joining together to do all we can to get them into a new house and back to some sort of normalcy, they will carry the scars of this fire forever. And I just can't help but wonder why them. Why not us? How can it be that they have nothing and we're able to get on with our lives almost as if nothing has happened? How is it that life can be so random and unfair to some? So many questions and all I can say is THANKS for all that I have. We are very very lucky.
And here's the closest bush to our house (about three blocks away). This area is usually covered with lots of green groundcover and a nearly full canopy of eucalyptus trees. It will be some time before it returns to its usual beauty.
02 February 2011
Life is funny sometimes . . .
Who would have thought that after gaining nearly 20 kilos (44 pounds) during my pregnancy with Elliot that my doctor would be concerned with my lack of weight gain this time around? But yep, 36 weeks in I've only gained 7 kilos (15 pounds) with this little guy and haven't gained any weight since getting sick with the giardia at xmas time. (Granted I did start out the pregnancy decidedly chubbier this time around, but will end up weighing considerably less in the end than I did with Elliot.)
So on Tuesday I went in for an ultrasound to make sure that Oliver was doing okay and continuing to grow. After only a few minutes of poking around, the technician started to laugh and said that there was absolutely nothing wrong with this baby. Apparently, he's got a little buddha belly and is already weighing in at 2.8 kilos (over 6 lbs). He's also quite long and has an enormous head just like his big brother. Now with four weeks to go, I'm crossing my fingers that he either loses his appetite or decides to come a little early.
So on Tuesday I went in for an ultrasound to make sure that Oliver was doing okay and continuing to grow. After only a few minutes of poking around, the technician started to laugh and said that there was absolutely nothing wrong with this baby. Apparently, he's got a little buddha belly and is already weighing in at 2.8 kilos (over 6 lbs). He's also quite long and has an enormous head just like his big brother. Now with four weeks to go, I'm crossing my fingers that he either loses his appetite or decides to come a little early.
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