Jack's Fan Club

Now we are two

2010-09-14T22:46:00.000-07:00

Jack is two and a bit. Here is two stars Jack looking pretty darn cute if I do say so.

We had playgroup at our house today. Jack started to get cranky about 11am - probably because he has started waking up at 6am this last week. I thought we were on the same page. Anything before 7am is considered as night time and is unacceptably early. But no, nature boy feels the advent of spring and adjusts his internal clock accordingly. Go nature boy! Yes go and watch the TV downstairs while Mama finishes her sleep.

So, anyway, back to 11am, Jack was in low-level crankypants mode and I was considering taking him upstairs for his nap. Then he climbed into his car and that was the last I heard of him. There was a reason he was being so quiet:

He looks likes he's fallen asleep in a McDonald's advertisement.

Here is a gratuitous sleep shot:

And lastly this is Jack asking to watch Yankee Doodle on the TV. If there was a contest for the cutest sayer of Yankee Doodle I would be quietly confident about taking that trophy home.

Melbourne in June 2010

2010-06-24T19:46:00.000-07:00

Well it's been a while since we last posted. The days go so fast round here. Jack is two in just under two weeks. He is a proper little boy (just like pinocchio). Being part of a mum's group means that all the birthdays hit at the same time and this is paaaarty season. Just last weekend for instance we had two parties. It was wild. Now that Jack is starting to understand the concept of birthday parties (essentially sugary food, balloons, running around screaming and, most importantly, cake) he is pretty darn excited about having his own.

So what is happening in Jack's world? Despite my better efforts he has developed a serious obsession with Thomas the Tank Engine and watches the epic 'Calling all Engines' approximately twice a day. He likes toys with wheels on. He is a good eater but, like his father, has a penchant for sugary foods. He is still firmly attached to his chupete. He talks - a lot - he can even conjugate the odd verb.

A couple of weeks ago we had the good fortune to enjoy a day off in honour of the Queen's birthday. Also known as the only day of the year that you won't hear Aussies complain about Her Majesty being the head of state. We decided to visit Werribee Zoo, an African savannah-style open-range zoo west of Melbourne. After some lovely couple time spent arguing about how to get into the park ("That's it, we're going home"..."Fine!"), we arrived to find the car park full. Alas our brilliant idea for the public holiday was shared by many a family.

However, the park never seemed too full and we had a great time. Included in the entry fee to the park is a 45 minute safari ride. Here you see us enjoying said ride:
It seemed that the animals had conspired to stay on the right side of the bus, whereas we were obviously sitting on the left. This guy missed the conspiracy planning meeting:
All the main animal exhibits also had a themed play area for the kids so rather than Jack being confined to his stroller for the entire day he got to play. This old Jeep was set up next to the lion enclosure. There were a few wheel sharing issues with the other children and a few tears when Jack fell out the side.
We stopped for afternoon tea with scones and the obligatory babycino, or 'cino' as Jack calls it:
Just another day out with the family...
...with the rather predictable end result:

A beautiful Saturday

2010-01-23T03:06:00.000-08:00

This Christmas Alexis and I decided to forgo the usual piles of christmassy rubbish, I mean presents, and instead we bought bikes for the family. This was a very satisfactory arrangement. November is a double present-buying extravaganza with Alexis' birthday and our anniversary. By December my creative present-buying juices are severely depleted.

Alexis has started commuting to work and yesterday we went for our first proper family bike ride along the Yarra trail. The Yarra is the river upon which Melbourne was founded.

Jack is loving the baby seat and amazingly enough managed to fall asleep during the bike ride.

Here we have stage one of falling asleep

This is stage two of falling asleep leaning slightly to one side.

And finally stage three. Note that even at stage three Jack is holding fast to his chupete (dummy).

Look who's talking

2009-12-12T02:26:00.000-08:00

Me!

Mum and I are swotting up for my 18-month check-up/exam at the local maternal health centre. At the 12-month test I failed to meet the requisite standard for 'responds to basic instructions'. I did however pass with flying colours the 'looks at parent blankly when asked to respond to basic instructions'. Heavy weighs the social shame of that kindly meant word 'developing' instead of a confident tick from the scary old nurse.

We're feeling pretty confident about the upcoming exam except for 'points to eyes, nose and mouth'. I have been known to occasionally point at my nose upon request but eyes and mouth - no idea.

We've been brushing up on my language skills. I expect I will remain resolutely silent during the test to make mum feel like she is lying but for your benefit dear reader here is my 17 month word list prepared by my loving mother:

1) Mama - used generically for all adults (male or female).

Pointing at large and random man in the street: "Mama!"

2) Papa - saved for Daddy - when he is not being called Mama.
3) Gouledigotte - yoghurt for the uninitiated
4) Cracker - often pronounced cacka
5) Shaaaa - Shoes
6) Milk - okay he doesn't say this out loud, he signs it. Basically pump your right hand like milking a cow.
7) More - the classic
8) No - said often, very politely and accompanied by side to side nodding. Used to represent yes at times.
9) O - dog
10) A - water
11) Belly - pointing to belly. He may not know his eyes from his a*hole but at least the kid knows his own belly.
12) Baby - used sometimes to refer to himself in photos and also for his collection of political teddies (Harold Holt, Tony Bear and Teddy Roosevelt).
13) Naana - from the well known fruit, the banana, but in this instance used to represent all food stuffs.

In a nutshell I am very fricken smart! I must get it from Mama, I mean Papa who became a fully qualified architect last month. Way to go Dad!

Lots of firsts

2009-07-18T20:37:00.000-07:00

We've had a few firsts here this week. Jack started walking on Friday morning. I suspect his primary motivation in finally using his legs may be laziness. If it is I know he got that from me - I'm so proud. He wanted to get from the kitchen cupboard to his wooden walker. It was about two steps worth - not really worth the effort of getting down on his knees, crawling, and getting back up again. So he went for it - two whole steps! I was washing the dishes and almost missed the whole thing. Which made me wonder if he hasn't been walking behind my back for ages Lou and Andy style. He's a little bit wobbly and tends to launch himself at whatever he is walking towards - me generally. He looks very, very proud of himself. And I am extremely overexcited! Who knew such a simple thing could give you such a buzz.

I am baby - see me stand!

Also this week Jack started 'posting' items in the bin. I didn't realise this until I emptied the bin and found my old mobile phone nestling underneath the bin bag. I did wonder prior to that where my wooden spoon had gone but figured it would turn up sooner or later. It seems that my potato masher has also been sent for recycling. I'm not sure what other items we've lost thanks to 'Frugal Fischler'.

Jack went on a swing for the first time yesterday - loved it!

In another first, Alexis and I hired a babysitter and headed out for some couple time. As a nod in the direction of romance, I put on make-up and upgraded my usual uniform of Bonds nursing vest and K-mart pants which have-seen-better-days to proper underwear. I even shaved my legs. We went out and stuffed ourselves full of Thai food followed by substandard Argentinian ice cream. The streets were full of kids wearing their beer coats and not much else - which never ceases to amaze me when it's cold outside. Alexis said we had marked ourselves as 'old' by walking along in our sensible coats and him wearing a beanie. But I reckon I always wore a coat in winter. Crazy kids. At 10 o'clock we dutifully headed home and lay, stupidly full of food, in front of the TV until almost comatose. Alas, a full stomach and romance of the jiggy jiggy variety are sorely incompatible.

As punishment for going out without him Jack woke up every few hours throughout the night. He does have a blocked nose and conjunctivitis but still. In an unusual turn of events we did manage to get him to sleep in till 9am. Small mercies.

Misnomer baby

So the other first is that Jack has suspected conjunctivitis. Which makes nursery a bit awkward as Alexis and I must assess who has the greater need to be at work on Monday. I read somewhere that breast milk is great for clearing it up. And what do you know it works! I mean, like, in minutes:

INTERESTING FACT: Many people treat conjunctivitis by applying a small amount of breast milk to the affected eye. A particular antibody in the breast milk, called immunoglobulin A, prevents the pink eye bacteria from attaching to the mucosal surface of the eye. This limits the growth of the bacteria, helping to end the eye infection.

So we might both be going to work on Monday - keep those fingers crossed.

Top tip for readers - ask a lactating woman to help you out next time your eyes get sore. Of course she won't think you're weird. She is just waiting for the opportunity to squirt milk in your eye.

Happy Birthday Jack!

2009-07-10T02:13:00.000-07:00

,
Retrospective of Jack is on hold while I continue with keeping on top of very important activities such as washing, cooking, bathing. In the meantime...

Jack is bathed, ready for bed and zipped into his sleeping bag. He is having a rummage through his book drawer - all the cupboards/drawers within reach of Jack are now his. As he gets taller and more mobile we are gradually relocating all dangerous/adult items higher and higher up throughout the house. The house gets gradually messier over time as we run out of high-altitude storage space for our things.

Alexis is on his way home from his Friday night treat - swim, sauna and jacuzzi. Hopefully armed with a bottle of wine and some takeaway.

We had a little tea party for Jack's birthday on Sunday. He was taking a nap when most the guests arrived and was initially somewhat perplexed as to why the living room was full of big people. He received lots of lovely toys and clothes. Thanks everyone who came to the party and everyone who posted him presents :)

He got his very first pair of shoes. I tried putting them on him on Monday for nursery but he cried until I took them off again.

Everyone talks about how fast the first year goes. I guess time always looks condensed when you're looking back. For me it feels like it's been a long year! I guess we did a lot with our round-the-world trip in the middle. I'm sure it won't seem like long before I turn around to see a strapping 16 year old in front of me and I'll wonder where my baby went.

I am back at work three days a week. After an initial few weeks of guilt settling Jack into nursery we all seem to be managing with the new set-up. Work is brilliant - if only because I get some time to myself away from Jack. It's hard being parents without family nearby. You rarely get a break. When Jack is on an even keel and you are well rested it's all good and manageable. Today for example, apart from a small meltdown in the supermarket because he was due for a nap - my fault for pushing him too far - he was so cute and smiley and he has started to throw his arms round my neck for a hug. When it's like that he's a pleasure to be with. But sometimes you're tired, Jack's tired, or teething or just whingeing for the sake of whingeing and it wears you down...then you think...WHY exactly did I think it was a good idea to have a baby???!!

All the new stages seem overwhelmingly unmanageable at the start like going back to work and putting Jack in childcare. Then suddenly you get into the swing of it and it doesn't seem any harder than anything you've done before. I'm only working three days a week which makes a massive difference. I don't have any mum-guilt about my baby spending more time with strangers than with me. And the house doesn't get too out of control in those three days.

It is a massively life-changing thing having a baby. Everyone tells you so but you can't fully comprehend it until it happens to you. So if you like things the way they are....don't have any kids! Although sometimes your hormones make the decision for you and then you just have to make the best of it.

It is cool watching him grow and learn. I love the way he watches the world so intently. The way he wants to touch and explore everything - except for the way he always wants to play with the laptop when I'm on it. That's just plain annoying. The way he is figuring out how things work. They go from small and helpless to, well still pretty small and helpless but he can do things now like help you get him undressed. When he's holding onto the bathtub he helps you out by lifting one leg then the other when you take his jeans off and then swapping his hands over when you take his top off. It's so cute!

Hope this post find everyone happy and healthy.
Kisses from Oz
xxxx

Party photos are here: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=273494&id=855875421&l=6d63f3deb0

Baby Jack facts for trivia buffs:

Weight: 9400g
Height: 73.5cm
Favourite toy: Saucepans
Favourite food: Banana, Corn on the cob
First words: Banana, Hiya/Hola (whilst simultaneously holding a phone or calculator to his head)
Likes: The toilet, putting the toilet seat up and down,dropping things in the toilet, pressing all the keys on the laptop, making Indian 'woh-woh-woh' noises with his hand over his mouth, seeing how far he can throw food in the kitchen.

Retrospective of Jack - Part I

2009-06-20T22:36:00.000-07:00

Retrospective of Jack - Part I

Jack is almost one year old – unbelievably! I’m writing a retrospective of our first year as a family for Jack to read when he’s older. It’s a bit longer than I thought it would be. And as yet unfinished. So I’m publishing it in segments.

It’s been an incredible year - veering from incredibly amazing to incredibly rubbish. Having a baby throws everything off kilter. I seem to have experienced the full spectrum of my emotions and well beyond – sometimes on a daily basis.

I’m not sure we’ve regained our balance yet.

So here we are, with a short, not-so-bald-any-more, one year old guy sharing our apartment. Our little man. When he’s tucked up in bed and I have a window of calm, a respite from the constant demands, I think about him and he makes my heart swell. I feel total unconditional love - because he can annoy the hell out of me and I can think dark, dark thoughts about being his mother – but I always come back to this place. He has taken over our lives. We will belong to him forever.

We must remember to enjoy these sweet days of dependence while he is ours too.

Let’s take a look back over the year shall we?

Birth

Man, what a trip that was! And I didn’t even get to try the drugs...

You know where that head came out of don't you?

It seems that every baby arrives on a bed of nervous anticipation. We don’t know when you will decide to put in an appearance. We don’t know how it’s going to work out.

Pushing you out into the world was, in a word, painful. Not the rest of the birth. Those surges were a picnic compared to your entry. Or exit depending on how you look at it. Feeling myself stretch open beyond the limits of my skin. Resting, then racked by waves and my body pushing, pushing you down while my mind raced, struggled, trying to rationalise what was happening to me. But how can you rationalise something so primordial?

On my knees, bent over with my hands gripping the end of the bed with all my might. I could feel you taking up all the space between my legs and the midwife pulling my leg further out to make room for you. Barely a millimetre of movement. With every surge my body pushed you down and my mind pulled you back. How could I push when it was hurting me more every time? No one chooses to hurt themselves. What sane person volunteers to put their hand in the fire?

I began to sense the panic in their voices. It was taking too long to push you out. I saw the light reflect on the blade behind me. I knew the midwife would cut me if she had to. For your sake. I remembered why I was here and suddenly I feared for you, literally wedged between two worlds. It was my responsibility to deliver you safely.

‘One more big push,’ she said. ‘You can get the baby out on the next contraction. Just one more really big push…you can do this’. I needed to hear that. With those words I waited for the surge to come, I gripped, I readied myself and when it rolled over me I pushed. So help me God I pushed. One last long low groan and suddenly…pop! The sweetest feeling of release as you slid into the world.

Your dad, hovering down the ‘business end’ helped the midwife catch you. No mean feat – you babies are slippery customers. We wanted the cord to stop pulsating before it was cut and since you had been caught from behind me as it were, the midwife put you on the floor between my legs.

I hadn’t envisioned this. In my mind I was already reclining on the bed and someone would hand me my calm baby. I looked down at you, this small, slippery, slightly blue and loudly screaming thing. With a small shock I registered your boy bits. ‘Well,’ said the midwife, ‘Go on - pick him up’.

I reached for you. I held you against me as they helped me onto the bed. Again – no mean feat with shaky post-birth legs, a short umbilical cord and your slippery little body desperately clasped against my stomach. Please don’t let me drop him!

We got onto the bed. They covered us with blankets. My whole body started to shake. The shock, apparently, of giving birth. You screamed. I looked at Alexis. He looked at me. We looked at you. You continued to scream. I asked the midwife if this was normal. She shrugged. Or at least in my memory she shrugged.

Eventually you stopped screaming and started to look at us. We said hello. Finally we meet. You were so handsome. So completely perfect. I was enthralled. The midwife helped you latch on and you breastfed for the first time. I was physically exhausted but on a huge emotional high. We did it!

The happy and tired family

***WORLD FIRST*** Plastic woman gives birth to large blanket

Chicken Pox Emergency!

2009-05-02T18:05:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday I was feeling good, eating my corn for lunch, you know, just another regular day.

In the afternoon we went over to play with Barbara and Lola. I started to feel a bit warm and lethargic. When mum got me home and undressed me for the bath she found some red spots on my body. 'Uh oh,' she said. 'I think someone has chicken pox!'

The next day I had even more spots - even on my face. Mum told me I was still handsome. I was feeling pretty sorry for myself I can tell you.

We weren't having a good time at home so mum took me to the seaside for a walk. She rugged me up good and proper. I enjoyed the invigorating sea air.

We read up on the Internet about chicken pox and someone said that a bath with baking soda could help stop the itching. Well, I was ready to try just about anything.

That night was a low point for me. I was so itchy I couldn't fall asleep. Mum tucked me into bed with her but not even that helped. At 11pm mum went to the late-night chemist to buy some calamine lotion. It didn't seem to do much apart from making me look like a ghost.

I slept in fits and starts. At 4am Dad had a tantrum and insisted we go to the emergency room at the children's hospital. Mum and me tried to lay quietly and pretend we couldn't hear him but he just got more insistent.

We drove to hospital. Dad parked the car while mum explained the situation to the nurse. She said there was nothing they could do. Mum asked if a doctor could see me to confirm it was chicken pox so Dad could hear it from someone official.

We saw a lovely doctor. I showed her how good I am at climbing and standing up.

'He looks pretty happy,' the doctor remarked.

The doctor said it WAS chicken pox and there was nothing they could give me on account of my age. But that Dad should get checked out since he's never had it. She also politely suggested we go to our GP rather than ER so we wouldn't infect other children with our highly contagious virus.

Anyway I'm feeling much better now - even though I look like I've hit puberty early. A tip for any readers with chicken pox - chickweed cream has been a blessing with the itching.

Old wives tale say touching toilet seat is good for chicken pox...

2009-04-24T21:16:00.000-07:00

Anzac Day

It's Anzac Day here in Australia. What is the point of a bank holiday on a Saturday?

Having a baby is probably somewhat like enlisting in the army during wartime. You really don’t know what you’re getting yourself into until it’s too late.

Once the war is in full swing, you may say to yourself ‘hey I really didn’t sign up for this’. But the voice in the back of your head says ‘oh yes you did’.

I guess that's where the analogy ends since parenthood doesn't normally involve being shot at. Unless you can count projectile vomit.

Now that Jack is nearly ten months I’ve stopped yearning for my old life – a place of spontaneity, beer and regular sex. What would we do every day?! Our lives are wrapped so completely around serving his royal whingiepops with groundhog-esque activities.

Here is a progress report on the little man:

Teeth: Six (two at the bottom and four on top)
Temperament: Happy albeit slightly clingy and whingey. Could be due to mild separation anxiety or teething. Or God only knows what.
Sleeping: Good!!! Has been known to sleep for ten hour stretches. Not every night but he is very quick to re-settle if he does wake up. Hallelujah and touch wood.
Favourite food: Oranges (just like daddy). Penne Bolognaise. Hmm, orange foods in general. Hope this isn't some weird OCD tendency.

Favourite book: Christmas Peekaboo!
Favourite toy: A mirror that plays tunes when you touch it. Has been known to kiss his reflection. Anything that is not a toy. Drawers are a particular favourite.
Motor skills: Crawling, pulling himself up to standing, waving, biting.

More photos from April here: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=243817&id=855875421&l=3f80c8a25e

2009-02-22T21:20:00.000-08:00

Having safely circumnavigated the globe I’m now back in Melbourne. The flight was great – first class service all the way. I had a fully reclining bed and food on demand. This is me catching up on the jet lag.

They say travel changes a person and I would have to agree. I must admit I’ve put on a bit of weight (too much good living). I have two teeth and some hair – at last! I finally got my arms under control. I’ve expanded my culinary range to include more than just milkshakes. Most excitingly I am mobile! I no longer rely on my keepers to bring the world to me. I can move in search of toys, although why I would be interested in toys when there are so many more exciting things around me I don’t know. Electronic goods are a particular favourite. I am quite territorial. I mark my territory by slobbering on everything within reach.

With mum and dad buckling under the strain of having a child it’s up to me to bring them together. I try to ensure the three of us spend as much time together as possible. This weekend I took them to ‘Opera in the Park’ down the road from our house. Here's me and my Dad enjoying the interval.

At night I often like to check everybody’s okay. Strange but they never seem as pleased to see me at night. Sometimes I do ask myself ‘hmm, I wonder what goes on in their heads?’.

It was great to meet so many friends and family. Thank you to anyone who gave me a present :) In case you are missing me Mum made a short video. Here it is:

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=561729912&ref=ts#/video/video.php?v=129061725421

And posted some more photos from my trip: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=218693&id=855875421&l=50325

2008-11-01T19:43:00.000-07:00

Jack is almost 4 months old....

Keelie says: I haven’t written in ages I know. Every time I think about something I might like to write I’m miles away from a computer or Jack intervenes. Besides which not much spectacularly noteworthy stuff is happening on a day-to-day basis. I take care of Jack, I shop, I cook, I change nappies, I clean, I drink coffee in cafes big enough to accommodate prams, I change nappies, I hang out with other new mums, I seek out baby changing rooms, I learn how to wrap, I sing songs, I pull faces, I change nappies...

On the other hand in Jack’s world things are changing in leaps and bounds. In four months he’s gone from a floppy, no-neck, snugly newborn to a rotund baby who can hold his head up, roll, chat, smile, even laugh (a surprisingly adult sounding laugh) and who can assert his own likes and dislikes. At last he can direct his arms and hands instead of just ineffectually waving them. It might not seem like much but when you watch your baby do something today that he couldn’t do yesterday it’s really impressive. Well it seems that way to me.

Things are much easier these days – for him and for us. He doesn’t freak out at every new thing and neither do we.

So how is motherhood? I remember my friend Ruth (Hi Ruth!) saying ‘it will change your life…but it changes for the better’. Which pretty much sums it up. She then added ‘of course you’re not going to go clubbing as much’. Also true.

Jack is a pleasure to hang out with. Of course he gets on my nerves now and then. Generally when he wants to do something that doesn’t fit in with what I want to do. But we spend 24 hours a day together – of course we’re going to have the odd spat.

Having a baby can make you question what kind of person you are. If babies learn by watching the big people around them does this mean I must strive to be a better version of myself so he doesn’t pick up all my crap habits?

And what about nature versus nurture? Is Jack a blank slate on whom we are imposing a personality or will his own nature emerge with or without help from us? When he wants something not immediately forthcoming and has a meltdown it’s very easy for me to say something like ‘ooh moody Jack – just like your father!’. But it’s quite normal for a baby with no concept of time and space to cry when his needs are not being met. If I keep on assuming he is moody (like his dad :) ) will I end up with a child that is moody only by my own creation? Or would he take after his dad in that regard anyway? It really doesn’t help that his dad watches with some degree of pride saying ‘that’s it son, welcome to the dark side’.

In a nutshell, it is completely absorbing to watch this little person developing from scratch. I get a kick out of watching him. I like the way he nuzzles his face into his toys when he sleeps. I like the way he smiles when we play with him. I love the little contented noises he makes when he feeds. I like the way he attacks the toys on his playmat. I like that he wakes up smiling with sweet milky breath, completely unphased by my non-milky, non-sweet breath!

He is adorably cute and he melts my heart. Which is just as well really because it balances out the times when he is ‘just like his dad’…

Here are some photos on facebook, one new album and two you may have already seen:

Jack in October II: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=172135&l=1cbff&id=855875421

Jack in October: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=168155&l=bb93f&id=855875421

If Jack were a sheep (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED VIEWING): http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=161225&l=d0765&id=855875421

Father's Day

2008-09-14T17:02:00.000-07:00

As it was Father's Day last Sunday (in Oz) this weeks blog entry has been written by guest star writer Alexis Fischler, aka 'Daddy'. And no I didn't pay him to write such nice things!

Alexis says:

Two weekends ago was the first father’s day of my life as a dad. I woke up in the morning and went to toilet. When I came back to bed Jack was waiting for me with two presents aside. One was a book and the other one a swedish massage voucher. Although he couldn’t express it with words, I know he was as excited about it as I was. I’m amazed about how a little boy like him has inherited her mum’s accurate taste for great presents, and already is making the most of it.

It’s been only ten weeks since Jack was born. They say that when your experiences are very intense, time seems to stretch and last longer. I’d rate these last ten weeks among the longest in my life. I used to love to come home after work and catch up with Keelie. She’s a great girl and a brilliant cook. And I’m in love with her, lucky me. Nowadays, on top of those amazing gifts in life, I also catch up at home with Jack, a little boy that is growing, smiling, cuddling and learning so fast. He fills my heart with warmth and makes me happy in a way that I haven’t dreamt of before. Sometimes he cries a bit too, like now, but it’s only because he’s a bit tired and it’s time to go to bed. Keelie is reading him a book and he’s peaceful now. In a moment, his eyes will close and he will be fast asleep while Keelie and me have dinner. Happy times!

New photos on facebook here: http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=155138&l=9a176&id=855875421

The crying game

2008-08-31T00:50:00.000-07:00

31 August 2008 – 8 weeks old

Jack says: Mis abuelos se fueron ayer y me puso triste de verlos partir. As you can see I’ve picked up un pocito de español. Ay ay ay!

We went to our first mother and baby group this week. I was asleep when we got there so mum left me in the pushchair. When I woke up I shouted across the room that I wanted to get up and join the fun but mum totally ignored me. The maternal health nurse told mum I was crying and when she finally came to get me she was all red in the face. Perhaps she’s teething?

Mum told me we should make a good impression so after feeding I did one of my best and loudest burps followed by a rapid, raspberry-sounding evacuation of my bowels. Mum looked really pleased with me.

I sat next to this kid called Daryl who was 13 weeks old although his ‘corrected’ age is 4 weeks cos he was born, like, really early. He was tiny next to me and his mum said I looked like the playground bully. The nurse lady explained how to raise a baby and I found it a bit strange because it isn’t really like that in my house.

Mum was a bit sad this morning because my godparents got married in France and it was too far away for us to go. I haven’t even got a passport yet. But we are going to visit them in January next year :)

Keelie says: Compared to some of the baby-crying horror stories I’ve read, Jack is a pretty easy baby (TOUCH HUGE BIT OF WOOD). We can’t complain about his nocturnal habits either. Asleep by 10pm and give or take a bit of wind and fidgeting, he sleeps until 8-9h. This is minus time for feeds of course but now we’ve both worked out how to feed lying down, he latches on, sups, rolls off and goes back to sleep.

So when he decides to spend most of his morning alternately crying, screaming and grizzling, it is incredibly exasperating. At least when there’s two of you, you can tag-team with the little monster. He’s starting to drool and bites down on my finger which is symptomatic of teething…but he’s 8 weeks old…so that can’t be right..can it? On the other hand he is the biggest baby in the mother’s group and is already wearing size 3-6 months clothes. I have spawned a monster! But when he coos and smiles it's the cutest thing ever so we'll keep him for now.

He is asleep now. Praise the lord.

We said goodbye to Alexis’ parents yesterday. I really enjoyed having them here. It’s lovely to see your baby with the grandparents because no one (apart from the parents of course) loves that child more. They also have buckets of patience and lots of experience – two qualities which babies love. When you’ve seen someone sing your crying baby to sleep over and over again you start to wish you could keep them in the back of the car full-time…

We have decided to enter Jack into the Guiness World Book of Records under ‘baby-who-has-most-circumnavigated-the-globe’ and have booked to go round the world again in Dec-Jan-Feb. At least I’ll get to use my silver Qantas card at last! Priority check-in here I come! Quite handy with a baby. Here are the dates:

29 Nov: Oz to BA

21 Dec: BA to London

10 Jan: London to Oz (Alexis)

17 Feb: London to Oz (Keelie & Jack)

What is everyone doing for new year???

Photos here: http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=149811&l=d2ef2&id=855875421

Six weeks today

2008-08-16T06:13:00.000-07:00

Jack says: Grandma Jackie left last week which was a shame because she always seemed so happy to see me – even in the middle of the night!

Grandma and Grandpa, sorry, abuela and abuelo Fischler arrive on Sunday. I’m looking forward to brushing up on me espanol. Unfortunately I’ve got a small, dry, scaly patch on my forehead which is slightly embarassing. Mum says I look like an extra from Star Trek. People still coo over me so I must still look pretty cute.

Life is pretty good at the moment. My every whim is catered for. Sometimes it takes a while for the big people to understand my whims but they get there in the end. Hannah and Stew even bought me a tumble dryer!! Which is great because now my burp rags and blankets are soft against my delicate skin instead of crunchy.

I am really starting to get the hang of life on the outside. I am no longer afraid of my stroller. I do not need to be next to a warm body to fall asleep – although I do prefer it. I have learnt how to roll from my tummy onto my back. Luckily I was on the floor when I executed this manouevre. I have also discovered that I can scream really loudly which certainly gets their attention.

My vital stats:

Length: 56.5cm

Weight: 5250grams

Keelie says: It's been a good and bad week. I lost my home help but gained a job (some freelance writing - yey!). Jack got reflux but I got my Oz visa.

So I've been at home with Jack by myself desperately waiting for him to go to sleep so I can do some work. Reflux is like acid indigestion. Essentially it means trying to keep your baby upright for as long as possible after a feed and listening to him scream for anywhere between 10 minutes and 3 hours.

The experts say the most important thing you can do for your baby is respond to him with love. That way he knows he is important and can influence his environment. When faced with your own screaming baby, I've got about 30 minutes of love response time and the rest wavers between mild annoyance and full-blown anger. After about two hours I have to put him down in his bassinet, leave the room, go into the bedroom and shout 'SHUT UP, SHUT UP, SHUT UP!'. It is incredibly draining trying to make a screaming baby stop crying...I am responding to you and I am getting NOTHING back except more screams!

Eventually Alex comes home and takes over - relief! On Friday night out of sheer desperation we decided to put him in the stroller and head out to buy take-away. It was raining but we persevered for the sake of our sanity. Jack was asleep within minutes. We went to our favourite Greek restaurant and sat down to wait for our food. The waiter came up and commented that we had the best table in the house so it was ironic that we were leaving and suddenly the light bulb! We could eat here! If Jack wakes up we'll just pack up our food and go...three hours, one meat, platter, some red wine, some champs and a few baklavas later...happy parents! Jack even slept through the belly dancing show (not that he needs to see things like that at his tender young age) with very loud music.

The silver lining to crying fits we have discovered is that babies sleep long and hard afterwards. Small comfort when facing a small set of shaking tonsils but it's good to know there is a calm after the storm.

As an aside, the last time we ate in that restaurant it was with Ximena, Luis and Jen in November 07. We found out about the baby the day before. It was kind of strange to see the end result dozing aside our table months later...

The thing with having a baby is that while there are hundreds of books written on the subject, no one has managed to write a manual. Keeping Jack happy is mostly a process of elimination – is he hungry? Tired? Too hot? Too cold? Bored? Overstimulated? Wants a cuddle? Wants some time out? Or the worst possible option – he needs to let off some steam i.e. scream for England (or Australia in this case).

We’re moving into refined guesswork now. Mostly based on knowledge of his preceding activities. He hasn’t fed for 3 hours? He must be hungry!

The other thing to face as a parent is an astonishingly varied spectrum of opinions on how you should be raising your kids. From authors, health professionals, parents and anyone who knows anyone who ever had a baby…

‘They say that babies shouldn’t eat more than every 2.5 to 4 hours so if he’s trying to eat more often try spacing out his feeds. You can try distracting him between feeds’.

If I’m hungry I go to the fridge and fix myself a snack. I do not wave coloured toys in front of my face, put myself in a bouncy chair, sing or dance round the room in the hope that I will become less hungry. If Jack is crying two hours after a feed because he wants a top-up, it seems a bit mean to say ‘No Jack no. You’ve just eaten a full meal. Just because your stomach is the size of a ping-pong ball’. Maybe he likes to snack? If babies learn by imitation then it would be entirely natural based on the snack habits of his parents.

‘They say babies should follow a routine of eat-activity-sleep. After breastfeeding wake your baby so that he does not associate your breast with getting to sleep’.

I don’t know if you’ve seen a baby after a feed but it makes them reeeally sleepy. Erm, hello? My baby is asleep at last and you want me to wake him up so I can then get him back to sleep?? No thanks.

I figure the secret of baby books is to choose the one that supports your own views. I am reading a book by the excellently named Pinky McKay. She is in favour of co-sleeping, feeding on demand and she says it’s okay to let your baby nurse to sleep! So as I read her wise words I can nod my head smugly in agreement instead of thinking ‘oh shit I’m doing it all wrong’.

Alexis says: My life used to be so simple! What have I done?

Photos: http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=144266&l=37e85&id=855875421

One month today

2008-08-05T02:16:00.001-07:00

Jack says: Today I am celebrating one month on the outside. It's been a crazy ride but it seems that the big people are finally starting to understand what I want. They go crazy for my smiles so I consider that as payment rendered for their services.

Grandma leaves on Friday - I'm going to miss all the cuddles. I wonder if the hairy one will move back into my bed? I hope the milky one doesn't melt down about the washing.

I would write more but I'm trying to adapt the milky one to my new hourly feeding schedule so I've got to go and eat some more.

Ciao people xx

The milky one has posted some more photos on facebook: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=140117&l=10de0&id=855875421

I am growing by the day

2008-07-30T22:04:00.000-07:00

Jack says: Hello fans! Jack Fischler here. Had my weigh-in at the Maternal Health Centre today and have put on a massive 780g in the last two weeks. Almost double the average weight gain for my age group. The nice nurse lady gave me a gold star for being such a good eater. I have also grown by 4cm. No wonder those newborn clothes don’t fit me any more.

Grandma says when I’m hungry I sound like a pig snuffling for truffles. I don’t know exactly what that is but I’m sure it’s a good thing. Sometimes I eat so much I’m sick. I did the coolest projectile vomit the other night – all over the duvet, sheets and the feet of my babygro. Mum was seriously impressed and even changed my outfit to celebrate the occasion.

Although I have to say that since then I seem to be sucking on a dummy more often than a nipple. Mum called me a ratbag and Dad said that wasn’t a nice thing to call a baby. But Dad speaks with a funny accent and I don’t think he knows what a ratbag is.

Keelie says: Jack is still entertaining us and remains (on the whole) a placid little fellow. We are starting to get smiles which are amazing! He makes many strange noises and faces. At night he sleeps in with mum and me and keeps us amused with his varied range of sighs, snorts, grunts, and farts.

It still takes so long to get anything done at the moment. The most stressful aspects of baby rearing (for me) are currently as follows:

1) Getting me and Jack out of the house to be somewhere at a set time. Today it took approximately two and a half hours to make it to the Maternal Health Centre for 11.30. This is with the assistance of my mum who did the dishes, made breakfast, hung up the washing and kept an eye on Jack while I had a shower and got dressed. Jackie please don't leave!

2) Getting the washing done. In my mind there is a mountain of washing and if I don’t keep on top of it it will engulf me and I will drown in a sea of burp rags, bunny rugs and dirty baby clothes. Rainy days are a nightmare as we have no tumble dryer and our already crowded apartment resembles a Chinese laundry.

3) Working out whether ‘waaaaa’ means ‘I’m hungry’ or ‘I think I’m hungry but actually I might just need a nap’. If I get this wrong, it tends to result in vomit which is not helpful in my fight against the washing tsunami.

4) Waking up to find Jack has wet his suit and the bed sheet. After a brief struggle with my tired conscious (he’ll be fine – it’s only a bit damp) I get up, change everything and eye the washing mountain with increasing trepidation.

5) Changing Jack's nappy often enough to keep him poo-free but not so often that it (a) wakes him up, and (b) uses 24 nappies a day. Because that's pretty much how often poo comes out of him.

My mind is so full of baby things that it feels like there is no room to think about anything else. If I try and edge in a conversation on some other topic then something of prime importance will fall out the other side. Like remembering to get the washing in before it rains. Even a conversation about what day and time to go and see Batman at the cinema causes me stress.

I am assured that the magical six week mark is when it all falls into place. Less poo, toughened nipples, longer sleeps, an ability to identify your baby's different cries and the emergence of a routine which enables some level of planning in your day. More washing though I suspect.

This is also the target for resuming sexual activity - provided of course that your doctor gives you the all clear at your check-up. I have read reports of women returning home with a slightly amended version of the doctor's verdict: 'Hmm, the doctor says it will take a bit longer before sex is back on the menu. Yeah terrible news! He says maybe even as long as a year*...I know, I'm disappointed too. Honestly I am.'

*Time added on is proportional to the level of maternal tiredness.

More photos here: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=138186&l=694bf&id=855875421

Grandma comes to town!

2008-07-27T04:01:00.000-07:00

Jack is three weeks and one day old. Feels like he's been here for much longer.

Grandma Jackie arrived on Wednesday. After a brief but frustrating delay getting the luggage off the tarmac and a few tears in front of immigration:

Immi: What are you going to be doing here for 17 days?
Jackie: Meeting my grandson for the first time.
Immi: Oh how lovely!
Jackie: Yes...and I haven't seen my daughter since..(starting to lose it)..sob..sob..Christmas...

In view of the Qantas incident which happened two days later on the same plane and flight it could have been much worse. For those of you who don't know, an explosion tore a hole in the luggage hold of the plane. The pilot was forced to drop the plane by 20,000 feet as not all the gas masks were working and managed to land the plane in Manilla. If they had been further from land they would probably have crashed. Everyone survived but the luggage is being held as part of the investigation.

Mum brought my noooo Bugaboo stroller from England in a suitcase. Two days later and she could have ended up in Manilla with my new Bugaboo stroller being held as evidence. Either that or it might have ended up in a Philippino village (if you don't know what a Bugaboo is - like, where have you been??!).

Anyway she made it and is looking after us all. Apparently whatever you eat whilst breast-feeding, an hour later the baby gets a taste of that food. Which is how babies develop their palate. Jack is developing a very English palate having had a roast lamb milkshake tonight and an English fry-up milkshake this morning.

We are starting to get the hang of things here. For now, Jack's main hobbies remain mostly limited to sleeping and eating. He does also quite enjoy staring at faces and crying in his new stroller.

It is also very tiring. If you breastfeed and a feed takes up to an hour, and you feed 8 times a day, that's a full time job already! Any sleep you have is broken into 2-4 hour chunks. Combine that with nappy changes, picking out cute outfits, mopping up sick and getting him off to sleep. In between are brief windows for keeping on top of a mountain of dirty washing, taking a shower, eating and of course checking facebook and writing a blog. Well it doesn't leave much 'me' time.

Luckily he is just cute enough to ensure his ongoing participation in our family. It is amazing that a 3 week old can have such high entertainment value due to a incredibly wide range of facial expressions, strange sounds and just being generally adorable.

Thanks to our new babysitter Alexis and I went for our first post-birth dinner date yesterday. It was great! It didn't feel at all weird to leave the baby - quite the opposite. But I guess there's a big difference when you leave your baby with family. We hired an industrial breast pump so we could express a feed for him and escape for longer. There's nothing like having a baby attached to one nipple and pump to the other to make you feel more like a human cow. We came home to find Jack asleep on Grandma. Apparently she had spent most of the night unsuccessfully trying to get him to sleep in his bassinet. He would sleep for about ten minutes then wake up and realise he had yet again been palmed off and start crying. In the end she gave up and let him snuggle on her chest.

Too tired to write more.

More Jack piccys on facebook: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=3565656&l=0bdd9&id=855875421

A day in the life of Jack Fischler - aged 14 and a half (days)

2008-07-18T04:44:00.000-07:00

I wake up at about 9.30 and the warm, milky one that usually sleeps beside me is gone. I can hear her trying to make tea and toast really quickly in the kitchen and that reminds me that I’m ravenous so I let out a loud wail to make sure she knows I’m ready for breakfast too.

She comes back minus her breakfast and gives me kisses but right now I’m not interested. I only have one thing on my mind. It takes us a few goes but eventually I get what I want. Breakfast is served. Yum. I don’t know why but she always says ‘reeeeady…GO!’ when she tries to shove as much nipple in my mouth as possible.

A nice lady called Kate comes over and makes some fresh toast. I know this because I can feel warm crumbs dropping on my head as I eat.

Sometimes I like to have another sleep after breakfast but this morning I feel a bit lively so I’ll have a kick about on my mat and maybe a bit of a grizzle. I know the milky one is waiting for me to go to sleep because she keeps wrapping me up really tightly and rubbing my back. I believe she wants a shower but I think there’s better things we could be doing. Like elevenses.

Kate rubs my tummy in a very satisfying fashion while the milky one disappears. Feeling a bit hungry again…

I’m having trouble sleeping so she puts me in the baby carrier and takes me to the post office to pick up a parcel from Lizzie and Stu. It’s so snug and cosy that I soon drift off. I wake up in the bassinet which is very confusing. Not happy! And I’m desperately hungry again. The milky one comes to get me and after a few minutes we settle down for a nice feed. Then she takes me to bed and lets me fall asleep on her chest which is pretty much my favourite place to sleep.

When I wake up I’m bloody starving so we have dinner. It’s been a long day so before long I’m off in the land of nod again sleeping my way through the best part of the evening. I think I heard the warm, non-milky one come home – we’ll catch up later. I know he likes to stay up late and chat.

Peace!

Ten days old

2008-07-14T23:58:00.000-07:00

I decided to attempt a blog to keep friends and family up-to-date with Jack's news. It's hard finding the time to email everyone individually so this is the next best thing I reckon. We'll see how it goes!

It's been a complete roller coaster since Jack arrived. The birth was incredibly intense - a most amazing experience. Although I did pretty much everything the way I wanted to I did feel like I let myself down in the last hour because I was begging the midwife to find another way to get him out. I felt like he was turning me inside out and instead of trying to go with the contractions I fought them all. Which ultimately made it harder for me and more stressful for Jack. He cried for a good ten minutes after I finally ejected the little so-and-so and I think it was because it was taking such a long time for him to get through the birth canal. But then he settled down and spent some quiet time staring at me and Alexis. It was mind-blowing. And all accompanied by a cocktail of hormones designed to make you fall in love with the strange little being that has been bumping around in my stomach for the past few months.

With a bit of hindsight and having spoken to other women about their birth experience I now feel quite lucky. Minimum intervention and a pretty happy baby. So far anyway!

The first night in hospital wasn't a great nights sleep. They say newborns sleep like a log the first night but Jack has obviously not read that page of the baby manual. I was sharing a room and awoke to hear a baby coughing and choking and I thought to myself 'why doesn't that woman help her baby?'. When the sleep fog cleared a little I realised it was Jack choking on a bit of mucous. Oops. A mother just knows her baby's cries.

Alex arrived in the morning to a picture of maternal bliss - me asleep and Jack asleep beside me in my arms. On closer inspection he enquired 'what happened? you look really tired...'

Since then, all I've managed to do is hang on for the ride. I am veering between two extremes: tears because I want someone to take him away and tears because I feel such a depth of love for him it knocks me sideways.

Jack is ten days old today. He has been asleep most of today which is unfortunate as we went to breastfeeding school and he only fed twice while we were there. Hopefully he learns by osmosis.

Breastfeeding, as it turns out, is not as easy as it looks. My very sore nipples recoil in fear every time Jack snuffles for a feed. On the plus side I can get milk to squirt out of my nipples - a neat party trick (not that we go to many parties). AND just thinking about breastfeeding, or in this case, writing about breastfeeding makes them start leaking - amazing! Today at school this other lady's baby started to wail for a feed and hey presto! breasts are a leakin!

He is still asleep now at 18.01. I have to keep checking he's breathing. I am afraid for tonight. Can a baby sleep all day and all night?? I hope he keeps to his usual pattern of feed-sleep-feed-sleep-feed-sleep-feed. That way I can get 8 hours of sleep albeit in increments of 2-4 hours.

I put a few more pics on facebook today:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=132628&l=9b92d&id=855875421