November Notes

Roy has his own potty in the bathroom seeing that Sheena is learning, but he'd prefer to roam the room rather than sit. He's 17 months now. I am so glad I finally got his hair cut short.

Up Up and Away

Roy is up and walking. Both my kids started walking on family holidays - must be all the excitement of being in a new place.

Roy is still on his allergy elimination diet, but continues to have very bad ear infections, and laboured breathing. Today, he had a blood test, and ear, nose and throat swabs to see if it is a particular bacteria that needs a more specific antibiotic, because normal antibiotics are not working. The allergist changed his prescription formula to a different brand, but I think his breathing has gotten worse. Very hard all this allergy stuff, especially when we have made such little progress. He rarely looks so pale since he has gone onto the prescription formula, and his eczema has cleared up, but the other symptoms remain.

He is loving the outdoors, and bolts outside whenever the door is opened. He is still fascinated with light-switches, and always asks his dad to play with them when he gets home from work by pointing up at them. Funny how they associate different activities with different people. Hubby gets swamped by Roy and Sheena when he gets home, and they both want a big cuddle and get upset if they have to take it in turn.

Boys and their Bikes

Roy was looking a bit nervous about his first bike ride, but he loved it once out. I think he was nervous of getting the helmet put on as much as anything. He is going to a bike show in a couple of weeks, getting well groomed future days in the saddle.

Cook Up

Roy's afternoon: sleeping from 12-3.45 and still going.

Mum's afternoon: cooking horribly bland allergy sensitive meals suitable for a 1 year old. I should be more positive about it, but this is hard work using the limited ingredients, and lets face it the food is bland +++.

I have, however, found a brand at the supermarkets called Orgran. All of their products exclude everything that Roy is not to have, except some of them contain citrus, so he can't have those ones. Their products include an egg alternative, a gravy mix, and bread crumbs made from corn so at least I'll be able to bind some recipes together.

The EleCare formula must be very high in calories. He's only having 400mls a day, whereas on the goats milk he was having 600mls. He's not really eating as much either, but he is definitely sleeping well.

Dieting Do's and Don'ts

Roy has a lot more spark and is more animated since he was put on Bactrim antibiotics after 2 ear infections in a row. He is more ready to smile and laugh, and more energetic as he races about the place on all fours. He is keen on getting his teeth brushed (handy), very keen on food, and his goats milk. He'll quickly tell you if his needs are not being met just so, and if his sister takes a loved toy away he'll get equally upset. He has taken to walking his scooter around the house whenever his sister is not scooting around on it herself. He is fascinated with light switches and tries to reach them even though he's over a foot away from reaching them from ground level. He is sorting rings onto a post, and is sorting shapes with a bit of help.

He has seen an Allergist for all of his allergy symptoms. He is to go off milk, soy, wheat, rye, yeast, and citrus for 2 weeks - including his be-loved goats milk. The allergist has given us some EleCare Hypoallergenic formula to substitute milk -ugghhh. Smells yuck, but it is worth a try. Goats milk made such an improvement when I switched him onto it at 12 months, but he still turns a dreadful sickly color like in the second picture which we know is not right. His digestive system is also not right yet, so it will be an interesting.

Ace little Aviator

Roy has full-blown tonsilitis and an ear infection. He has had it for 5 days, but I think it is over its worst. He's been on antibiotics for 4 days, so it has probably kicked in. He has not been up to much except having lots of cuddles and an extra nap during the day while he fights the bug.

When he is 100% he is now very close to walking, but it may be a month off still. Hard to tell at this stage. He has great laughs with his sister, and they have giggles/cackles over dinner or lunch in their own little pre-school wonder-world.

Unfortunately I have not taught Roy as much sign language as I would have liked. It is harder with 2 kids on the go, and Roy is more eager to explore than pay attention to watching me sign a lot of the time. I am doing a bit more of it now. The GP who gave us the script for the antibiotics said Roy's right ear was in a terrible state, and that we might have to get grommets re-done. Signing will help Roy a lot if his hearing is poor, so it is worth pursuing. I am being a lot more conscious of reading into his left ear so he'll hear me better.

Balloons are the best.

Roy is loving balloons at the moment. He grabs onto the knot and crawls with them all over the house. He has a major bottle attachment, and refuses milk from a cup, or even a bottle with a hard spout. He'll happily drink water from a firm spout, but with milk, he still likes a cuddle and a teat. I am still working on getting a referral to see an Allergist. Apparently there are less false-positives now he is over 12 months. Doctors shunned the tests previously, but I need to push for it. He definitely has protein issues No Soy or Cows Milk, Goats milk is adequate, but not perfect.

Have stairs will climb

Roy crawled up our slate stairs. He just took off. Our laundry is downstairs along with a big rumpus, and the kids always have a good play down there while I'm doing the laundry. Lucky I happened to be watching Roy when he decided to follow Sheena up the stairs. I don't even like Sheena going up the stairs unsupervised. The slate tiles are so unforgiving.

He is still a happy little fella despite his food intollerances which we are working on. His speech has progressed a little since he had grommets, and he'll now say mum, and he definitely boogies to music a lot more than he used to. Today, he was standing without any support for a little while. Those first steps can't be too far away now.

One and Wonderful

Our boy is now 1. In fact he is now 13 months old. He's closer to walking on his own, but still a couple of months away I think. He keeps himself very occupied with the huge array of toys that have turned our lounge-room into a playroom.

He had grommets put in last week, and the ENT surgeon said that his ears were reeeaally blocked. He is more interested in musical toys, and maybe babbling a bit more, but he has a hearing test late next week to assess the difference more accurately. I am still not sure if he responds to his name as quickly as he should - but he might be just too interested in an activity.

He had a wonderful 1st birthday party. He was very impressed with his cup-cakes - thanks Nan.

Kruizin Kid

Didn't take long for Roy to progress to cruising. He was cruising along the coffee table in a bid to steal Sheena's crackers.

Poor wee tyke has had a lot of bad spills this past week. He'll confidently stand up, only to loose his balance a couple of minutes later and have a bad fall. So many nasty bumps, but they are not deterring him.

Here they is watching funniest home videos.

Rapidly Rising Roy

Roy surprised us today when he pulled to standing at the coffee table. Not a surprising spot given that is where Sheena puts a lot of the toys. He only started to pull to kneeling a couple of days ago, so its quite a rapid progression. He usually cackles in delight when he works out something new.

He also crawled his way into the shower today, sliding open the screen like he's been doing it for years.

The difference in a day

Bronchiolitis can take a couple of weeks to get over, and Roy is still full up it. Here are some pictures from yesterday and today showing a great improvement in his color, so he is heading in the right direction . He has dropped a little weight, and is now on the 50th percentile for weight for his age.

Spoiling Mum

Roy had a horrible couple of weeks with a horrible cold that turned into Bronchilitis. We even spent a night in hospital when his work-of-breath resembled heart failure, and his respiratory rate was 60-70. I heard him wheezing in his sleep when Sheena called out at 5am, and decided I couldn't stand it any longer.

He is now on the mend. Wee tyke. He is has started to properly crawl, and can get into sitting on his own. He is more keen on practising to stand too.

Here he is on Mothers Day, spoiling me with smiles.

Easy days with Roy

Roy is crawling about the place faster and faster each day. He is the most contented little baby. Sleeps 11 hours overnight, is easy to get to sleep for a morning nap, and if he misses his afternoon nap which he is less keen on, he just plays the day away testing each toy in his way. He'll eat whatever you put in front of him, and is getting very good with his own cup now. He is not the slightest bit interested in holding his own bottle though, and he just reclines back like a little baby expecting to be served. I know he enjoys the 1-1 attention, and I quite like it too, so I am happy to indulge him.

His hearing is rather bad. He's got very bad glue-ear, and is only hearing loud sounds - it is apparently worse than most kids with glue-ear. We had to see an ENT last week after he failed his hearing test a month ago. Just have to get him checked out again in 2 months time, and then we'll reassess. With his sister's lack of speech at the age of 3, last thing we want is Roy's speech delayed because of poor hearing. The ENT was talking of grommets, but we shall see.

Playtime with sis

Roy is now commando crawling about the place, and busy getting into everywhere. He's keen on bottom shelves & cables at the moment.

He's teething of course, and carrying a heavy cold at the moment, but he's still sticking to his blissful routine of a 11-12 hour sleep overnight and usually 2 sleeps a day. I'm also lucky that he is a fantastic eater. He is an eating machine, whatever is offered goes in.

I had his hearing checked this week, and he failed due to huge fluid build-up. He had an ear infection a few weeks ago, so we have hope it will clear on its on. We still have to see an ENT Surgeon, but they wouldn't do grommets at his age - especially with his cardiac condition. The ENT will be able to give a more thorough review of his hearing function, which the audiologist though was OK other than the fluid. He doesn't babble much which is why I got it checked. He's only saying dada dada, but you'd usually be getting more than that by 9 months.

Kitchen cupboards

Here is Roy's new favourite spot in the kitchen. For those who also follow Sheena Time, she used to hang out there when she was a baby.

Nine months now

Roy is travelling along well. Unfortunately he had a fairly average holiday to the beach this year. He had a heavy cold, so was not his smiley self. He's mostly over that now.

He had a birthday party to attend today, and was keen on the watermelon. As you can see, he is also keen on lamb cutlets.

His big sister is much more excited about playing with Roy now he's a lot more interactive. Bath time MUST include both of them now, so no quick baths in the baby-bath anymore for Roy. He is also a necessity whenever we go - anywhere basically. Roy-Roy-Roy (which is what Sheena calls him) has to tag along, even if it is just into the kitchen or down to the rumpus.

He started one day of creche last week, as I've been planning my return to work in May. He was fine about it, but didn't sleep well. Particularly in the afternoon. He is the sort of baby that can manage on a short nap, but I am not the sort of mother to encourage that, so I hope that he can get used to it enough to rest well.

Unfortunately for me on the work-front, I've been made redundant, and got a payout, which I only found out on Tuesday. I am feeling very neutral about it - not excited, not devastated, just it is what it is.

Something Fishy

Roy's had an ear infection, but he's on the mend after antibiotics. He is almost back to his best, and tonight he had grilled fish for dinner after too much sweet stuff for brekky and lunch. The jelly and yoghurt is so easy for him to eat, and since he was off his food for the past couple of days I was happy for him just to get something in. Not that he is fading away or anything... He is a bit of a self-feeder, and likes to take control of the spoon. He usually lets me get the first few mouthfuls in, then he likes to take over.

Here is a clip of Roy's tummy action - worth a watch.

Swimming and Sleeping

Roy had his first swim today at the local pool. Quite an exciting little experience for our little boy. Eyes of wonder looking at the other swimmers and the water fountains were fun. He's had a long afternoon nap since.

A very sad day here in Victoria. The bush fires impacted lots of towns about 30 minutes away from us. Fatality rate is so far 138. At the town of St Andrews where we regularly go to the farmers market lost 12 people alone. Helicopters have been flying overhead carrying burn victims to the various hospitals. A very sombre day. Must be horrible having babies in those fires. Big hugs for my babies last night.

Ooohhhh

Ooohhhh, isn't he lovely.... showing off his two front teeth.

Such a easy little baby at the moment. So settled and happy.

He has started finger food. Bread pieces and some pieces of mango today. The bread was a hit because he could pick it up easy, but the mango proved to be too slippery.

Life is a big joke at the moment. Its all giggles and fun.

Sitting Up Sweet

Roy has started to sit up on his own without support. He'll manage a minute or so, but I sit close by in case of a fall over in any direction.

Roy had a potentially distressing week, but he's coping fine. His big sister had her tonsils out, so he had his first night and day without mum or dad. He has also had to deal with her screaming in pain at times while she recovers. It stresses the rest of us out, so I am sure it effects him at some level even though he is only 7 months. He was out of sorts yesterday, but he is back to normal now.

A little birdy told me

Roy is definitely getting the idea of solids now. He is like a little bird today, opening his mouth with eagerness.

Roy had a heart test in December, and all is going in the right direction. He has one very small VSD remaining. The cardiologist does not put his heavy breathing down to his heart, and he has written to the Paediatrician suggesting that it is maybe a tiny upper respiratory blockage. Although, having said that, since this appointment, his breathing is getting more regular.

None of it is effecting his growth, as he is over 9kgs!