Camping again at last

We managed to go camping over 4 nights to Green Patch on Jervis Bay. It was good despite a couple of thunderstorms and half a day of rain. It was cool but I managed a longish swim on the last morning - long enough for my arms to ache the next day. Or maybe that was due to picking the baby up so much as well. She seemed to like sleeping in the tent - slept without waking two nights but woke up at 5am two mornings!

Snowman love

Snowman love
Originally uploaded by Robubble

We stayed at the lodge for three nights and had some fun snow play between the mud puddles. Snow was disappearing before our eyes.

My first baby legwarmers

Originally uploaded by Robubble

This was pretty easy - just create an ankle cuff from the foot part of the sock and attach to the leg part at the bottom.


I sewed these baby legwarmers from adult cotton socks as per
www.flickr.com/photos/babyhopes/sets/72157594274454468/

It feels good to keep my hand in with the sewing machine even though it is my grandmother's first machine and makes a god-awful racket because it has a flat spot on its wheel.

Ryan is still not fully recovered - just enough to refuse a nap but not enough to avoid meltdown way before dinner time. He went to bed at 4pm this afternoon. We'll probably have a wet bed tomorrow.

Hell in a handbasket

After congratulating myself that I was handling things by myself and everyone was returning to health it all went downhill on the weekend. Ryan came in with earache at breakfast time so Mum rushed over and we took him to the after-hours doctor's clinic at the hospital and bought some antibiotics. Trying to dose him with that and painkillers is a bit of a nightmare.
The next morning Leah's right ear started oozing and she was fractious so Mum came over again and I waited for the after-hours doctor for 2 hours. Luckily she slept in the sling the whole time. Went to the chemist for more antibiotics. She takes it much more easily than Ryan.
Now, Tuesday afternoon I've got a sore spot in my throat near my left ear! It hurts to swallow. Maybe I need the antibugs too!

First smile for Grand Nanna, May 08

First smile for Grand Nanna, May 08
Originally uploaded by teacup16

Hubby away

He's gone for three weeks to France. Luckily we are back into a fairly easy routine. Leah is sleeping longer at night and Ryan wakes up at a semi-reasonable time and amuses himself for a while before demanding breakfast. He has dropped his daytime nap at home so I have to wait until 7pm to relax.

Success with catching Leah's elimination needs outside of a disposable nappy is limited to some wees and most poos. It's very good for avoiding nappy rash and wipes. Now I have all these products that I don't need to use! Don't think I can go the whole nappy free business. It gets harder when they get mobile.

Smiling

My mother managed to catch Leah smiling at my grandmother on camera. Wish she'd smile at me!

I'm trying to catch her poos and wees!. That is, doing part-time elimination communication (EC) with her, hopefully reducing the amount of nappies and toilet training time. If you are interested there are plenty of online resources and forums. Be interesting to try and catch that on camera as some of the online contributors have done with their babies.
Some links:
Homebirth site with forums including EC and baby-wearing etc
Tribal Baby about being nappy-free!
The Potty Shop for equipment for EC

Eyes open

Leah alert
Originally uploaded by Robubble

Everyone is sick - it's very noisy what with all the crying and coughing. Here she is before she got the cold at 7 weeks.

Pregnancy nuts

I put a fully-clothed picture of me on Flickr at 37 weeks pregnant and made it public (accidently) and it has had 110 views (ten times the normal).

The end product:

View of Sydney heads from Middle Head

At Middle Head
Originally uploaded by Robubble

We explored Chowder Bay and Middle Head last weekend. There are some walking trails, views, cafes, interesting old gun emplacements and access to nude beaches.

Stuff happens

My parents arrived home from a European skiing trip on Wednesday night. I had to break the news that my grandmother had fallen over in a bathroom of a hotel in Lakes Entrance while on a coach trip and had been taken to Melbourne by air ambulance. Turns out to fly her back to Sydney by that method would have cost her more than $4000 so my Mum had to turn around and fly down and fetch her. Only 12 months ago she hit her head in her own bathroom and gave herself two black eyes and concussion. This time she hit her left side and ruptured her eyeball and is very worried about her remaining eyesight. Who wants to get old?

I've been at the hospital too after my liver function test came back abnormal. They have to check the baby by CTG and ultrasound being cautious and I have to take some horrendously expensive drugs. So far so good.

Trying to update my blog description

Keep getting errors and I can't search the help group - blergh.

"Trying to keep my brain a little active, suspect blogging won't do it." Was going to stick this so I'll stick it here instead.

In other news... we spent an enjoyable Aus Day weekend in Canberra. Ryan got to stay up and see the fireworks over the lake. We managed to find a park not too far away with only half an hour to wait. In our posie on the lawn we managed to avoid the panic of getting wet from the waterspout which someone misguidedly turned on five minutes from the end, after a wind had started blowing back off the lake.

On Monday the in-laws loaded us up with produce from their fruit trees and vege garden. We all had lunch in Bungendore and viewed my brother in-law's house-building progress. He and his girlfriend are planning to open a photographic studio shop and live above it. It took them most of last year to get it through the council approval process.

Building action

The building contractors have started on our deck and roof repairs and the skirting board contractor is coming tomorrow. Yay! We may have our house back in a more useful form, although probably needing some paint, by the time the baby comes. Gotta love those early wake ups right next to the bedroom window!

In news of Ryan we seem to have got part-way to potty training him. Although we still have accidents when in pants outside. No sign of being dry in bed yet.

Yaraandoo Lodge, Nth Perisher

Yaraandoo Lodge, Nth Perisher
Originally uploaded by Robubble

Can't resist a me too!

My Dad helped build this ski lodge with architect and engineering uni mates from the 50's. Great place to come stay even if I can't shell out the $10000 to become a member now. We stayed for two nights including New Years Eve - very quiet.