Ivy and Hazel now both say mamamamamama and mamababamabamaba. Also lots of raspberries and ga ga gggggg gg.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Hazel had croup but she is fine now
Two nights ago... when was that... um. Today is Wednesday so that makes it... Sunday! On Sunday night, the girls both had colds, but they went off to sleep OK. Hazel was a bit snuffly, and then more so.
By about 7 pm, her breathing sounded weird. Her inhale was noisy and rough-sounding, and the exhale was OK.
I rang the Maternal and Child Heath phone thingy, but they were engaged, so I rang Nurse On Call, and waited on hold for about 15 minutes, then I hang up and rang the first one again. I got through to their call-back service, and a nurse rang back in a little while. I held the phone up to the baby monitor so she could hear, and she said that we should take Hazel to a doctor. She was working out which 24-hour GP clinics were near us, when Hazel woke up and sounded really upset, and her breathing got worse. When she heard that, the nurse said to ring 000 and to forget the GP idea.
The ambos got here really quickly. Chris was the driver, and Sarah (who seemed really really young) was the talker. Sarah checked Hazel out, and we all agreed that she should go to Energency at the Austin, which is about five minutes away. They have a pediatrics section in Emergency. Trudi madly packed me a little backpack with nappies, changes of clothes, some toys, and an orange.
So off we went in an ambulance - my first time! Trudi stayed at home. Ivy had woken when Hazel was loud and upset, but she had settled by now.
In the ambulance, I had to sit on the patient bed, and be strapped in. I had Hazel on my lap, with no strap or anything. Luckily Chris was a lovely driver. I hardly noticed the corners.
At the Austin we waited in a corridor for a while. A nurse checked Hazel out, then a doctor. The nurse came back with a syringe of prednisone, which Hazel mostly drank and partly spat out. The two ambos were still with us as we waited in the corridor. Soon after the prednisone, Hazel came good. She started smiling at Chris and the other emergency patients. They were silently lying on stretchers with their eyes closed.
Eventually they found us a bed, so the ambos left. They were so nice and chatty. I liked how focussed they were, while also being calm and kind. They seemed so casual about everything. I suppose it's all in a night's work for them.
The kids' Emergency section at the Austin is like a newer, smaller version of the Emergency section at the Royal Children's. We had a bed in a cubicle with a curtain. The idea was to stay for a while to be sure that the drug worked well and that Hazel stayed good. We hung out on the bed. We played Cuddle the Dotty Teddy. We played Lets Lie Down and Try To Rest (that didn't go down well). The doctor came in a checked Hazel a few times. He said that prednisone has a stimulant effect - GREAT. After an hour and a half, the doctor said we could go.
By this time I'd chatted with Trudi a couple of times. She had asked my sister to come over and stay the night. If Liss had not come over, Trudi would have had to wake Ivy and brought her along when she came to pick us up. Thanks Liss!
When we got home, Hazel seemed really awake. We did a rapid re-enactment of the bedtime ritual (putting on her sleeping bag, hastily humming Twinkle Twinkle, one speedy rendition of Goodnight Moon) and then popped her into bed. She went off to sleep easily, and the rest of the night was mostly fine.
Since then she's been OK. The doctor said that the croup might recur the next evening, and to bring her straight in to Emergency if it did, but it didn't. They are both getting through their colds.
Here are the girls in the front yard this afternoon. They came out to watch me weeding the disaster that is our "orchard":
By about 7 pm, her breathing sounded weird. Her inhale was noisy and rough-sounding, and the exhale was OK.
I rang the Maternal and Child Heath phone thingy, but they were engaged, so I rang Nurse On Call, and waited on hold for about 15 minutes, then I hang up and rang the first one again. I got through to their call-back service, and a nurse rang back in a little while. I held the phone up to the baby monitor so she could hear, and she said that we should take Hazel to a doctor. She was working out which 24-hour GP clinics were near us, when Hazel woke up and sounded really upset, and her breathing got worse. When she heard that, the nurse said to ring 000 and to forget the GP idea.
The ambos got here really quickly. Chris was the driver, and Sarah (who seemed really really young) was the talker. Sarah checked Hazel out, and we all agreed that she should go to Energency at the Austin, which is about five minutes away. They have a pediatrics section in Emergency. Trudi madly packed me a little backpack with nappies, changes of clothes, some toys, and an orange.
So off we went in an ambulance - my first time! Trudi stayed at home. Ivy had woken when Hazel was loud and upset, but she had settled by now.
In the ambulance, I had to sit on the patient bed, and be strapped in. I had Hazel on my lap, with no strap or anything. Luckily Chris was a lovely driver. I hardly noticed the corners.
At the Austin we waited in a corridor for a while. A nurse checked Hazel out, then a doctor. The nurse came back with a syringe of prednisone, which Hazel mostly drank and partly spat out. The two ambos were still with us as we waited in the corridor. Soon after the prednisone, Hazel came good. She started smiling at Chris and the other emergency patients. They were silently lying on stretchers with their eyes closed.
Eventually they found us a bed, so the ambos left. They were so nice and chatty. I liked how focussed they were, while also being calm and kind. They seemed so casual about everything. I suppose it's all in a night's work for them.
The kids' Emergency section at the Austin is like a newer, smaller version of the Emergency section at the Royal Children's. We had a bed in a cubicle with a curtain. The idea was to stay for a while to be sure that the drug worked well and that Hazel stayed good. We hung out on the bed. We played Cuddle the Dotty Teddy. We played Lets Lie Down and Try To Rest (that didn't go down well). The doctor came in a checked Hazel a few times. He said that prednisone has a stimulant effect - GREAT. After an hour and a half, the doctor said we could go.
By this time I'd chatted with Trudi a couple of times. She had asked my sister to come over and stay the night. If Liss had not come over, Trudi would have had to wake Ivy and brought her along when she came to pick us up. Thanks Liss!
When we got home, Hazel seemed really awake. We did a rapid re-enactment of the bedtime ritual (putting on her sleeping bag, hastily humming Twinkle Twinkle, one speedy rendition of Goodnight Moon) and then popped her into bed. She went off to sleep easily, and the rest of the night was mostly fine.
Since then she's been OK. The doctor said that the croup might recur the next evening, and to bring her straight in to Emergency if it did, but it didn't. They are both getting through their colds.
Here are the girls in the front yard this afternoon. They came out to watch me weeding the disaster that is our "orchard":
Monday, June 22, 2009
A trip down memory lane
Oh my, haven't they changed. I think they were five or six weeks old.
The side of the Huggies nappy box has helpful little parenting suggestions. On the newborn-sizr box, they have these black-and-white designs that you can cut out and show your baby. This will make them smart.
We obediently did this.
Renovating my Blogs I Read list
Well it seems that the Blogs I Used To Read are moribund. Their lives must be fuller than mine... I've rejuvenated the list.
A photo of Trudi
Because Trudi likes taking photos and I'm not keen, our photos give the impression that she's not there. It looks like I take the girls places, and then manage to take photos of us all... but it's really not like that.
Here's a photos that Trudi took of herself, with Hazel hanging in front in a baby carrier:
Here's a photos that Trudi took of herself, with Hazel hanging in front in a baby carrier:
More milestones
Milestone 1: Late last week I noticed that Hazel's two bottom front teeth had come through!
This means that her front four teeth are out. This has made breastfeeding a bit interesting. She nips a bit without meaning to. I stop and say NO BITING in as moderate tone as I can manage, then we start again. This seems to be working.
Milestone 2: This morning I put Ivy on the rug in the kitchen, then went out to get Hazel. When I came back in, Ivy was sitting up!
When I put Ivy down on her tummy, she bunches up her legs so she can rock on all fours. I tried this trick again and watched what she did: she walked her hands backwards, which made her legs curl under even further, until she was sitting up. She looked very proud of herself.
They both have colds again. Snot machines.
This means that her front four teeth are out. This has made breastfeeding a bit interesting. She nips a bit without meaning to. I stop and say NO BITING in as moderate tone as I can manage, then we start again. This seems to be working.
Milestone 2: This morning I put Ivy on the rug in the kitchen, then went out to get Hazel. When I came back in, Ivy was sitting up!
When I put Ivy down on her tummy, she bunches up her legs so she can rock on all fours. I tried this trick again and watched what she did: she walked her hands backwards, which made her legs curl under even further, until she was sitting up. She looked very proud of herself.
They both have colds again. Snot machines.
Saturday, June 20, 2009
How do you make turkish bread?
It's not just plain white bread in a flat loaf. I'm sure many of us have had "turkish" bread like that. Very disappointing.
Real turkish bread is chewy and a bit tangy, with no fluff at all.
I've looked up a few recipes,and they all look like recipes for white flat bread, not turkish bread.
What is the difference? Is it ingredient or technique or both?
Real turkish bread is chewy and a bit tangy, with no fluff at all.
I've looked up a few recipes,and they all look like recipes for white flat bread, not turkish bread.
What is the difference? Is it ingredient or technique or both?
Hazel has more choppers
Just noticed that Hazel's cut her bottom two incisors. They are very sharp. So now one of her top incisors in a few millimetres long, and the other three are just cut. This means that she accidentally bites off chunks of foods that she has formerly gnawed and gummed.
Here she is being a shiny-faced morning poppet:
Here she is being a shiny-faced morning poppet:
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
I just joined Facebook again
I must be mad.
It totally annoyed me last time. As a good friend once said, "I don't actually care what all my friends had for breakfast".
Anyway. Wish me luck.
In other news, I am having a routine colonoscopy tomorrow, so today I am going to be home all day. If you know what I mean, you know what I mean. Mum is coming over soon to help out, which is VERY WELCOME.
It totally annoyed me last time. As a good friend once said, "I don't actually care what all my friends had for breakfast".
Anyway. Wish me luck.
In other news, I am having a routine colonoscopy tomorrow, so today I am going to be home all day. If you know what I mean, you know what I mean. Mum is coming over soon to help out, which is VERY WELCOME.
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Three days ago they could not do this
On the same day this week, both Hazel and Ivy started pushing their bums up when they were lying on their tummies. Here is a progress report:
Hazel is actually really good at this too; she was just not into at the time Ivy was this morning.
They are over their colds, and so is Trudi, so we are definitely going to the family birthday pile-up at Cape Paterson tomorrow. We are STAYING OVERNIGHT in a cabin there.
Hazel is actually really good at this too; she was just not into at the time Ivy was this morning.
They are over their colds, and so is Trudi, so we are definitely going to the family birthday pile-up at Cape Paterson tomorrow. We are STAYING OVERNIGHT in a cabin there.
Friday, June 12, 2009
GLORIA JONES- "TAINTED LOVE" (1964)
And how COOL is this!
I loved listening to my dad's "Sultry Soul Sisters" LP.
the starland vocal band- afternoon delight
Just listened to this. Brought back the seventies for me. I was only around for the second half of it. Somehow this song sums up the whole thing for me.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Milestones
We are bristling with milestones around here!
A week ago, Ivy's first tooth appeared - it's her top right fang. Apparently fangs-first is unusual but still fine. She might look a bit vampirical for a while though.
Then a cuple of days ago, Hazel's top left incisor came through. It's very sharp! Ivy's fang is quite rounded. I had expected it to be sharp, like a kitten's tooth.
I think Hazel's other top front tooth is also coming through. She's a bit more grumbly than usual, which might be due to these sharp teeth.
Also, a couple of days ago (on the same day!) both girls have started making pre-pre-crawling movements. Until recently, they have both been excellent rollers, and been able to hold their arms straight while on their tummies, but the hips have stayed firmly on the floor, with legs splayed.
Within about an hour of each other, they started working on getting their bums up. It's hard work, and amazing to watch. They can each practise for a few minutes at a time. Spose those leg and tummy muscles need toning.
They will be eight months old on Saturday; perhaps they are feeling behind and so are working on the low-hanging fruit. Just like a certain mummy who also sometimes leaves things to the last minute. La la la... a clue: it's not Trudi.
They seem to be nearly over their cold. They both still cough, but less frequently. Tho they both were a bit snotty this morning. I hope it's not another one. Trudi is still sick with her third cold in a row. I'm fine so far.
A week ago, Ivy's first tooth appeared - it's her top right fang. Apparently fangs-first is unusual but still fine. She might look a bit vampirical for a while though.
Then a cuple of days ago, Hazel's top left incisor came through. It's very sharp! Ivy's fang is quite rounded. I had expected it to be sharp, like a kitten's tooth.
I think Hazel's other top front tooth is also coming through. She's a bit more grumbly than usual, which might be due to these sharp teeth.
Also, a couple of days ago (on the same day!) both girls have started making pre-pre-crawling movements. Until recently, they have both been excellent rollers, and been able to hold their arms straight while on their tummies, but the hips have stayed firmly on the floor, with legs splayed.
Within about an hour of each other, they started working on getting their bums up. It's hard work, and amazing to watch. They can each practise for a few minutes at a time. Spose those leg and tummy muscles need toning.
They will be eight months old on Saturday; perhaps they are feeling behind and so are working on the low-hanging fruit. Just like a certain mummy who also sometimes leaves things to the last minute. La la la... a clue: it's not Trudi.
They seem to be nearly over their cold. They both still cough, but less frequently. Tho they both were a bit snotty this morning. I hope it's not another one. Trudi is still sick with her third cold in a row. I'm fine so far.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Loch Ness monster
Not really a monster. The night-vision mode on the video camera creates a fuzzy black-and-white movie that looks like one of those movies of Bigfoot or Nessie.
This is actually Hazel Monster, who had a tanty mid-nap. I got her to have a bit more nap in our bed. Had to keep going in to check that she had not disappeared under the doona.
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Hazel in a bath in a window
Confused? Wondering what that title could have meant? Well here it is:
Hazel was grumpy. She's been having little tantrums after 40 minutes of napping, and right now the best thing we can think of is to get her up. She yells so loudly if she stays in bed that Ivy wakes up and then they both miss out on their naps.
So Hazel was up, but grumpy, so of course Trudi put her in the pink bucket that we used to bathe the girls in when they were really tiny. And then Hazel was bored with the view so Trudi moved the bath onto the drawers under our bedroom window. Then Hazel was cute, so Trudi went out into the garden and got dripped on by the rainy quince tree while she took photos.
Ivy is also a champion at sitting in a box:
Hazel was grumpy. She's been having little tantrums after 40 minutes of napping, and right now the best thing we can think of is to get her up. She yells so loudly if she stays in bed that Ivy wakes up and then they both miss out on their naps.
So Hazel was up, but grumpy, so of course Trudi put her in the pink bucket that we used to bathe the girls in when they were really tiny. And then Hazel was bored with the view so Trudi moved the bath onto the drawers under our bedroom window. Then Hazel was cute, so Trudi went out into the garden and got dripped on by the rainy quince tree while she took photos.
Ivy is also a champion at sitting in a box:
Saturday, June 6, 2009
The girls can sit and play
This is a really long video that Trudi took yesterday. The girls are playing NICELY with a box of duplo.
The highlight is when Ivy sneezes and creates two snot bubbles that join and end up covering her mouth. Brace yourself.
New hats
We have new baby beanies... stay tuned for photos.
Minke the Cat is screaming that it is five o'clock. Time to feed her kangaroo gristle and lung tissue (or whatever is in the cat food we get from Coles).
Minke the Cat is screaming that it is five o'clock. Time to feed her kangaroo gristle and lung tissue (or whatever is in the cat food we get from Coles).
Friday, June 5, 2009
I love my comments!
Yes it made my day, and no I did not pee my pants.
I've been writing new posts for days, and then forgetting to finish them. Busy times round here. Not that anything much is actually happening... just two little girls who need fun and entertainment all day.
The napping is going pretty well, and the nights are still amazing. Last night I slept for 7.5 hours without waking. This is the best night's sleep I have had in about a year. I feel no different today though.
Louise, I had no idea you read my blog. I sort of thought I was writing it for posterity. maybe the girls will one day care about this stuff (tho probably not!). I am going to a 12-week program at Northpark for nutty mums. It's great! We do stuff like Think About Our Reasons for Going Nuts. It's couched in better terms than that though.
And Miriam, I also had no idea that you read this too. Hope to see you at the birthday pile-up next week.
Off to put the girls to bed.
I've been writing new posts for days, and then forgetting to finish them. Busy times round here. Not that anything much is actually happening... just two little girls who need fun and entertainment all day.
The napping is going pretty well, and the nights are still amazing. Last night I slept for 7.5 hours without waking. This is the best night's sleep I have had in about a year. I feel no different today though.
Louise, I had no idea you read my blog. I sort of thought I was writing it for posterity. maybe the girls will one day care about this stuff (tho probably not!). I am going to a 12-week program at Northpark for nutty mums. It's great! We do stuff like Think About Our Reasons for Going Nuts. It's couched in better terms than that though.
And Miriam, I also had no idea that you read this too. Hope to see you at the birthday pile-up next week.
Off to put the girls to bed.
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Alon visited
He just drove off. I did not take any photos AGAIN.
Hazel was not keen on him at first, but she warmed up. Alon has a nice prickly chin, which turned out to be fun.
Hazel was not keen on him at first, but she warmed up. Alon has a nice prickly chin, which turned out to be fun.
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