Happy 3 Years to us!

It's our three year anniversary today and as I look back I think what amazing things we've done in such a short time.

I am so very lucky to have such amazing things and amazing people in my life. I love our life together and I love our family.

Mummy!

Little Spence seems to have grown so much in the last couple of weeks. His talking is really sounding like real talking, he's even saying a few words, like puppy, baby and mummy! Though he does says them to a range of people and objects....oh well, gotta start somewhere!
He's also working out how to use stuff, he's playing with buttons and gauges and toys with much more proficiency than before. It's so cool to seeing him learning all these new things. He's still not walking by himself yet, but he's pushing his little car along by himself and stands up without holding on much more frequently.
We still haven't had his hair cut yet, I think it looks cute as it is but Kylie has mentioned getting it cut a few times now....not sure why I don't want to get it cut, maybe worried he won't look so cute anymore or he'll look so much older!

The Big C

My dad has cancer. What a horrible sentence to type. The mass in his bladder is being removed tomorrow. He's had a scan on the rest of his body but not sure of the result of that yet. Not sure whether further treatment is required beyond the bladder resection. I'm trying not to worry too much but it's hard not to.

Regarding my other little sickies - Ky and Spence - well they're both good, apart from snotty grotty noses, which we've all had, they are good.

We had a lovely weekend last weekend. I planned a special treat where we dropped Spence off at mum's house and we went into the city and went shopping then checked into our nice hotel apartment, went to the gym and for a swim, went out for a lovely dinner and then went to see Billy Elliot the musical. We then went to the Home Improvements Show on Sunday morning before going back to get Spence from mums. We had an awesome time.

Sickness, day procedure and biopsies.

Little Spence was unwell again last week. Poor little had a snuffly nose and had trouble sleeping because he was all clogged up, so we had about four sleepless nights. He's pretty much better now. He's getting more and more confident standing up without holding onto things and he's even started to walk around pushing his little car all by himself!
Ky had a little operation today but all is good, just a little look around and seems everything is good.
My dad on the other hand has been having some issues and it seems that he has a 'mass' that is being investigated. That's a little scary. It'll be a few weeks though before we find out what the go is.
I've been a stress head for the past 3-4 weeks now. Work is just far too busy and it seems to be all that i am doing day and night. We're off for a few days again tomorrow to the country, but of course i have to work 3 out of the four days we're away, so not much of a holiday for me.....would really like to change something about what I am doing workwise, it's just not worth all the stress....

Spencer's Birthday Party

Well our little boy has turned one! Hard to believe, it's all gone so fast, yet on the other hand, it's difficult to remember what life was like without a little Spence around.
Our little gathering turned out to be quite massive with about 60 people here. It was a stressful run up to the event with a couple of late nights cooking and decorating cupcakes and buying food to feed an army, but we got there. We had a really good time and so did Spence! He was so cute on the day and was really good, not grumpy at all (although, he's not often grumpy anyway). He was passed from person to person and had a great time.
So what's next on the horizon for Spencer...well we're off to Hobart to visit Grandpa Stu and Grandma Sue in a couple of weeks time, they haven't seem him since he was 6 months old. I imagine walking isn't too far off for the little boy either, he stands up alot and sometimes without holding on and he purposefully comes over and grabs our fingers so that we will 'walk' him around. He is copying us when we say words, he can sort of say 'duck' and 'fish' and 'kiss'. Not too sure he knows what they are though. But his first official word is....wait for it.....'atchoo' (as in a sneeze)! Ky and I discussed it and we think that this is his first real word. He even does the head actions!

Earthquake!!

We had an earthquake tonight!!! Well, an 'earth tremor' anyway. I have never felt an earthquake before, it was very strange. We were just sitting here playing a game, Ky and her sister and I and then suddenly there was a big noise and the house started shaking. The whole floor shook and the outside blinds and the pizza tray in the dishrack. It was really weird and we were all just looking at each other trying to work out what was happening. Then Ky says 'It's an earthquake' - which was bizarre because they're not words we say or hear very often here in Melbourne. Must be so scary to live in a place that has real earthquakes because I must say it was even a little scary to experience our little tremor. Just to think the whole ground and house can move like that and you have no control over it....

Big boy goes to daycare!

It was little Spencer's first day at daycare today. I had to go into the office for work so Ky took him in. Probably a good thing because I would have had trouble leaving him! Ky said he just trotted off (crawling) and found a teddy to play with and that was it! When she went to pick him up the daycare staff said that he was lovely and placid and they wished there were more like him (Or perhaps they say that to all the mums??)!
They gave us a little book that tells us what he had eaten, when he slept and what sort of a day he'd had. It said 'Spencer has had a wonderful day!'. Even if they do say so themselves!!
So our big boy now goes to daycare!

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.

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.

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??!