28 February 2009

On the mend and other stuff

Spence is certainly on the mend now. He's almost back to his usual lovely little self, although it was slow going and he did throw up on and off for several days. He's back to crawling around and standing up next to the furniture.

Ky and I are busily trying to edit 12 months worth of footage of the little munchkin so that we can make a video of his first year. We're planning to make a longer version for us and 5 min version that we can show other people and perhaps out on youtube so we can show family interstate.

We went to see Slumdog Millionnaire today. It really was a good film and I can certainly see how it won all of those awards. I would rate it as one of the best movies I have seen, engaging, tragic, uplifting with amazing colour, music and story. Film making certainly is an art.

22 February 2009

Hospital

We took little Spence to the hospital yesterday. He had thrown up Thursday night several times and also Friday morning. He didn't manage to eat or drink anything much on Friday and woke up a couple of times overnight dry reaching - the poor little thing had nothing in him to throw up! Saturday morning he was just so lethargic, just laying there looking at us. No smiles, no laughing. He couldn't even summon the energy to crawl anywhere or do anything. It just breaks your heart to see him like that.
Ky and I decided first thing to take him to the doctor but on the way decided to go the emergency department instead, figuring at least they would be able to give him fluids if needed. Thankfully at 8.30am on a Saturday morning there was only one other person in the waiting room when we got there. We saw a nice young doctor who examined Spence and decided that it was most likely an upper respiratory tract infection and this had caused the vomiting as well. He was dehydrated (Spence, not the doctor!) and we needed to get some fluids into him. Luckily he would eat the Hydralite icy poles that the hospital had and so Spence ate 6 of them over the next six hours - therefore avoiding having to have a nasogastric put in - which i was really thankful for. He was just so tired and lethargic though, just sleeping in our arms in between icy poles - so unlike him.
We left the hospital mid afternoon with instructions just to keep going with getting fluids into him, so Ky went and bought some icy poles and jelly and we kept trying. He managed to keep a little bit of formula down later that day and so I think he started to turn the corner.
Today he's been much better, he's managed to keep down his bottles and even a little food. We even got some smiles and little laugh! It's just so good to see him getting back to being himself. He's still much more subdued and tired but he's definitely on the mend.
Unfortunately I did manage to get some of this virus and spent alot of last night throwing up or trying to.....gosh, if this is the effect of just 1.5 hours at daycare last Wednesday then I'm not really looking forward to the next few months as he brings home all sorts of bugs.

20 February 2009

First birthday parties

All of the babies in our mother's group are turning one so we have about 10 1st birthday parties coming up.
We have decided just to do a low key family and close friends BBQ type thing for Spencer - especially seeing that he had no idea what a birthday party is! You hear about people going overboard for their 1 year old's birthday with jumping castles and clowns and things. One of the girls from mother's group told Kylie the other day that she has about 80 people coming and has hired circus dogs!!! Wow! Maybe we aren't putting enough effort in here?
So anyway, Kylie wrote out her list of people and I added my list and before you know it we have 67 adults and 18 children invited!! Holy cow! And here i was hanging it on those people who have a massive party for their 1 year old.....perhaps we should book that jumping castle now then??!

Little Sickie

Poor little Spence has been sick overnight. I know they say that when your kids go to daycare they get sick alot at first, but surely the 1.5 hours we spent there on Wednesday could not have already caused him to get sick??
He has had a snuffly nose Wednesday and yesterday (Thursday) and had been crying at night on Wednesday night, but last night the poor little thing woke up crying at 9.30pm and cried his little head off till he vomitted at about 10.30pm. He hadn't really drank his last two bottles so must've been feeling a bit off, but he had eaten dinner, so who knows.....

Having a sick baby on your hands when your partner is at work overnight is difficult. The poor little thing threw up and cried and wanted to be held and i'm there getting thrown up on, trying to catch the vomit. We went through three changes of cot sheets, three changes of clothes, two baths, two changes of my clothes, a few towels - until he fell asleep exhausted about two hours later.
He seems alright this morning but has thrown up his morning bottle....he's still drinking water and he ate some toast this morning (which has stayed down)......

We've been so lucky really, he's never been sick before and he's nearly one! It breaks your heart to see him throwing up and getting such a shock that he cries...poor little Spence.

18 February 2009

Day Care Orientation

I took Spence to the day care centre today for his 'orientation'. It was just an hour and a half, with the idea being that we see how he goes amongst the other kids and start off for real next week.
I think Spence was and will be just fine - but perhaps it wasn't so great for me! It just hits you how many kids there are - some of which spent the entire time crying their heads off - and how little attention he is likely to be paid. It's likely that he'll get sick, fall over, not sleep, not eat etc because no one is paying special attention to him and no one cares for him like we do. But perhaps that is the point. We don't especially need child care right now, but the idea is to get him used to being with other kids and perhaps get him used to not having so much attention - like he does at home. I'm glad it's just one day per week at the moment or else i may not cope!

15 February 2009

Smokey Haze and other stuff!

Melbourne sits under a browny-grey smokey haze today and has done for a few days now. Fires continue across the state, but in a 'manageable' fashion and no more property or lives have been lost in the last couple of days (to my knowledge!).
The sun has been a hazy orange globe in the sky during the day and the moon, a hazy orange ball in the sky at night.

Spence is his lovely self, crawling like a little champion, eating lots more new finger foods this week and sleeping better again since returning from holidays. He is going through a 'spitting' phase at the moment when he eats, which is really, really annoying....he decides half way through a meal that he wants to spit everything at you and continues to do so with every mouthful until we crack it and give up! Hence - the new finger foods this week!

We visited a day care centre nearby last week and have enrolled Spence for one day per week starting from next week! We don't especially need to send him to daycare as our working situation balances out ok for looking after Spence, but we thought it would be good for socialization. We liked the place and the people so we are going for orientation this Thursday.

I am doing the Weightwatchers thing again this week after falling off the wagon a couple of months ago! I had lost about 11 kg since starting WW, then lapsed somewhere in November I think and over the Christmas and holiday break I have piled about 5 kg back on!! Anyway, have been pigging out this week trying to fit every possible sort of junk in before i get back on the fitness train tomorrow!

12 February 2009

Camping





I thought it might be nice to post some more lighthearted stuff today.

We have been down in Waratah Bay and Toora for the last two weeks and so here are a couple of pics and videos of our trip.

How funny is Spence's laugh?



11 February 2009

Still Going



Thankfully there haven't been any more people dying. The death toll continues to rise though as more bodies are found. There are currently 181 people confirmed dead with something like another 80 people still missing.
There are still a few large uncontrolled fires going at the moment.

We are still in Toora. I've attached a pic that we have taken of Wilson's Prom, which is also on fire. Tidal River was evacuated the other day so this fire is just going along uncontrolled and inaccessible in remote bush locations.

The other pic is by Stephen Henderson, a CFA volunteer at the Taggerty fire.

10 February 2009

Still another day of sad news





Every morning we get up and hear how the death toll has risen dramatically. This morning the news says 173 people dead. Whole towns are wiped out. It is just awful. The TV station (we can only get one at the moment as we think the TV towers nearby must have been wiped out) shows dramatic pictures, tells stories of horror and death and luck and survival. There are still fires burning. Yesterday Wilson's Prom camp site at Tidal River was evacuated and we could see the smoke from the fire down there and also from the Churchill fires still burning out of control nearby. We went up the hill at the back of Kylie's parent's place at dusk last night and watched the orange glow of the flames from Wilson's Prom.
The photos we are seeing - like those I am posting - I am finding are just amazing, you can't even imagine standing there and seeing this looking at you.....

Photos: Cara Frankish -Healsville, Andrew Bukolt - Drouin West, Rhys Smith - Churchill, Nick Hill - Labertouche Rd

09 February 2009

Devastating fires








Photos - Simon Bourke, Fiona Hamilton, Mark Smith, Andrew Brownbill (x2)

It is just so devastating. 108 people confirmed dead. Men, women and children. Many trying to flee their homes at the last minute and finding themselves stuck in paddocks, in cars, in houses. The worst fires this state has ever seen, if not this country.

They have been sending MFB crews out to help in some areas. I am so glad that Kylie hasn't been called back to go to the fires and that we are all safe. I feel so sad for all those families that have been affected.

08 February 2009

A world on fire.....







Victoria is burning. Yesterday was the hottest day on record in Melbourne with 47 degrees and hot strong winds fanning the state. Walking outside was like walking into a hair dryer. It was predicted to be a day of extreme fire danger and this prediction proved to be true with fires across the entire state that are well up there with the Ash Wednesday fires of 1983.
Entire towns have been destroyed in massive fires all around the state. So far news reports have confirmed 36 people dead across the state and many many more houses and property burnt to the ground. It is scary to see the images of the fires on TV and on the net.

We have been down in Waratah Bay camping for the last ten days and yesterday went to Kylie's sister's wedding. What a hot day for it! We could start to smell the smoke during the wedding ceremony and then could see the smoke from fires nearby in the hills. The fire caused evacuation of nearby Yarram and lots of people at the wedding were concerned about their own properties and the houses and lives of friends and family.

It seems every year some ridiculous people see fit to light the state on fire on days like this one - I just don't understand how some peoples heads work and why you could want to cause this sort of loss and devastation to people.

The day we left Melbourne to drive down here our own suburb had fires in the Paddocks behind our house. We had packed up the car to go camping and as Ky, Spence and I drove off I looked behind us and could see the flames from the fires just a kilometre or two from our house. But you know, I thought to myself, everything that I care most about in this world is here with me. I don't care about the house and our possessions as long as Ky and Spence are with me, it's all ok.

But we were lucky. In comparison to the fires of yesterday and those that continue to burn today, ours were nothing. I feel for all those people who have been involved in the fires and really think the CFA volunteers are amazing.

I've attached some pics - these are from the herald sun website and were taken by Chris Sheffield and Jake Valance.