More teeth...

Argh... I don't know where the time has gone! Austin has been having some major grief with his teething, but I am now happy to report that he has 8 teeth (just the last one on the top gum keeps bobbing up and down, but I *think* it's finally properly through now) so he should get a break for a while. After being very grumpy and clingy for the past three weeks, he had a wonderful day yesterday. He was back to his normal happy self, and Andrew and I just didn't want to do anything but play with him and enjoy our happy boy! However today he was out of sorts again, but I'm sure this tooth is through now, so hopefully we'll get more days like yesterday soon.

We celebrated Andrew's 31st birthday on Wednesday, although it was one of Austy's worst days. Andrew was happy to get up and help me though so I could make him a special egg and bacon breakfast and banana cake (which went down well with our guests, but Andrew was happy to get a couple of pieces). Austy's Nanny and Grandpa got back from their overseas holiday last Sunday, so the day was spent at their place with Matt, Jazz and Elizabeth. That little girl is so clever - she is crawling really well now, clapping, waving the works. Austin is happy to sit and watch while he blows kisses, chats away to himself and rolls his tongue - he learns what HE wants to learn, so picks up the strangest little habits!

I managed to brave the toy sales on Thursday morning while Andrew looked after Austy, and stocked up on some pressies for his birthday and Christmas, and Elizabeth's too as I was looking at all the baby toys. Unfortunately I didn't see much for the older nieces/nephews but I'm sure there will be more toys on sale closer to Christmas. Austin was also lucky to get the Fisher Price laugh and learn activity table to play with now as I thought it was a great toy to help encourage him to pull himself up in the months ahead, and at half price, it was a bargain. He absolutely loves it!

Sadly I have packed away most of his size 0 clothes as he is now in size 1, so no more all in ones, as they don't make them in that size except for the PJ type. So I have invested in a few pairs of overalls to keep him warm, as they won't fall down like trousers will when he starts crawling, which isn't far off by the look of him - especially at nappy free time when he becomes the most mobile and wriggles off the mat to tempt fate with our carpet!


Austin and Harry











He has also had a few play dates lately, with Harry (9 months) who lives around the corner, Pip (9 months) from fitness group, Katarina (8 months) my old school friend's baby, and the babies from mother's group. Think that's about all I can think of to say about Austy for now. So until next week, time for a tired Mum to get some shuteye.

Katarina and Austin

Three new teeth and loves to swing

This week Austy has sprouted not one, but three new teeth, all from three separate pairs! That would probably answer our question as to why he has been so unmsettled lately, why he will only eat jelly (and sometimes a bit of vegies if he lets me get away with the one spoon of vegies, one of jelly trick!) and why he hardly sleeps. The poor kid has red patches on his gums where the remaining three are waiting to cut, and finally seems to be settling back to a decent stint of sleep at night, although sometimes wakes before I go to bed for Panadol. We don't give it to him unless he wakes and won't take a feed, and cuddling won't settle him, so if he's really having trouble, he'll usually wake an hour after I've put him down for the night.

Another first this week, was Austin's first go in a swing at the park. After fitness class on Friday, I saw another mum giving her 16m old a swing in the baby swing, and thought, what the hell - Austy seems just as big as her. So in he went and he LOVED it. So I took him to the little park across the road today and got some photos. Yep he still thinks it's wonderful, closely followed by the fascinating bark chips underneath the swing!

I managed to get some pics of Elizabeth crawling, although they aren't the best - she never sat still BEFORE she was crawling, let alone now - but I thought I'd post one here for Andrew's side of the family, and anyone else who wants to see.

We also managed to get to the toy sales and start buying things for Austy's first bithday and for Christmas - man this boy is going to be spoilt! Andrew and I couldn't decide, and there's still a few things we want to get, so he won't be short of toys by the end of the year. He's really starting to have fun with the toys he got for Christmas last year, with them having a weekly rotation so he doesn't get bored.

Austin's tricks this week include saying "Meoooow" and rolling his tongue - I did it to him one night and the next morning he was doing it and giggling at himself! We have also lowered his cot as he takes Elleanor Elephant on tours around it while he waits to fall asleep, and tried to fall asleep with his arm over the rail the other day, so we were quick to drop the base, in case he tried to climb out as he likes to use the bars to help him move around.

Nothing else exciting to report. I took some photos of Katy's baby, little Zachary, on Thursday, so here's one of them for anyone who wants to check him out in detail.

Update on "the babies"

I missed out on photo opportunities on Saturday night as the teething monster had certainly taken hold and byu the time I'd finished cooking and eating Austin had to go directly to bed! Do not pass go, do not collect $200...

However I do have news - Elizabeth is CRAWLING! She only does little stints at the moment before she falls on her tummy for a rest, but she's quite mobile and also pretty fast. Andrew was trying to get Austy to pick up tips from her, although I'm quite happy to wait to childproof the house, and I think that with crawling, there will be more temper tantrums (no, Austy, you can't have that!) unless I somehow become superwoman and keep everything he's not allowed to have completely out of sight. He's quite a determined little man, unlike Elizabeth's laid back demeanor. I guess with a determined Dad, and stubborn Mum, he was bound to pick it up! Besides, he will certainly need determination to be the next Tiger Woods in years to come...

So instead of a pic of Austy and Elizabeth, I thought I'd share this one of Pop and Austy instead from our Golf Club lunch the other day (using up the last of Andrew's vouchers).

Also, I have entered a pic of Austy into the Cyberbabe competition so that we might have the chance to win a family holiday. It's a bit of a popularity contest rather than a cutest baby thing, but all a bit of fun. So if you have some free time, it would be great if you could give him a vote (http://www.babyexpress.com.au/shop/photo_gallery/current.php). If not, don't worry, as I said, it's just a bit of fun.

Love and hugs to everyone!

We have a breakthrough!

Well, another tooth, that is. Yes he FINALLY has cut one of his top front teeth, his right one came down last night and the left one doesn't look too far away. Austy has been rather unsettled of late, even being a shocking sleeper at night for the last few nights and for some silly reason Andrew thinks he has slept less than me, even though he doesn't get up to feed him three times at night and then again four times more when he won't go back to sleep... But as we have been waiting for these top teeth for three whole months, I was beginning to get skeptical about whether it was teething causing him to be unsettled or whether he was entering a sleepless, insomniac, cuddle-me-lots phase. He was crying last night while I was cooking dinner and I told Andrew to pick him up and hold him. He told me that he was, but he was still screaming, then I hear "Oh, Hun, I see a top tooth!" I responded, "Yeah, yeah, like the last time you thought you saw one..." (he has been telling me he can see them for over a month now). But sure enough as I layed Austy back in my arms and he opened his mouth to let out another wail, there, low and behold, was the elusive top tooth, well and truly cut through the gum, and a very pale gum right next to it where the other tooth of the pair should be any day now.

So, having worked out why he prefers his cold fruit over warm vegies, and why he has been screaming at night and refusing milk, we dosed him up with bonjella and panadol (which I am reluctant to use unless it's obvious that teething is bothering him) and he slept through till 7:30am! So when he wouldn't sleep all morning, I gave him some lunch, followed by another dose of panadol and the little angel is sound asleep catching up on lost z's right now. I am feeling a little guilty for giving controlled crying a go last week after he hadn't slept in the day for four days straight (I thought the lack of sleep was doing more harm than a few minutes of crying), but at least now I know that technique just isn't for me (we BOTH ended up in tears and NOONE slept!) so we won't be doing that again.

Another milestone we reached this week is that we turned the car seat around to face forward. I will add a photo when I get around to it. As much as he loved facing backwards, he has hit the 10kg mark (the seat must be turned anywhere after 8kgs and definitely before 12kgs) and is sitting up really well on his own now for extended periods of time. We could have reversed the seat moths ago when he hit 8kgs, but as he's heavy for his age we felt he wasn't ready developmentally until he could sit well. We really think that the carseat manual should say something like turn the car seat when the baby is over 8kgs AND over 6 months as he was definitely not ready when he hit 8kgs and would have flopped his head forward quite a bit if we turned it then. He hasn't squealed with delight as he did when the seat was facing backwards, but he is taking so much more in now, looking all around him as we drive, and loves it when we stop at traffic lights and I turn to look at him and play peek-a-boo!

Now I must get back to the housework as Matt, Jazz , Elizabeth and Zarny are coming over for our regular Saturday night meal together tonight and I still have to take Austy shopping for food when he wakes up. Andrew is busily painting the laundry after having ripped out the cupboard and retiled, and is getting it ready for our new massive clothes drier to match our massive washing machine, making life a hell of a lot easier for a stay everywhere but home Mum like me!

And a few messages:

Dad and Zona - Congratulations on becoming Grandparents again (wow, twice in one week!) with the birth of tiny little Clay Stewart... he is just gorgeous, thanks for the photos, and send my love to Grant and Wendy, I am so very happy for them especially knowing the difficult and long journey they have been through to parenthood. I will have a little parcel on the way for them soon!

Mum - Sorry I missed you the other day, I will be printing out some more photos for your album soon. Hope you are well.

David and Robyn - Hope you are still enjoying your overseas treck, thanks for the updates, you sound so very relaxed. I am keeping Zarny fully nutrished! She has a Joy cooked meal twice a week now, with our family get together with the babies on Saturdays and Zarny comes on her own on Wednesdays and helps with Austy while I cook her a nice meal. She's doing really well - you have nothing to worry about, there. The babies are both doing wonderfully (except for a few teething probs here with Austy as above) and Elizabeth seems to be hanging back on her crawling, waiting for you guys to get home - who knows, they may both start crawling at the same time! I'll try to get some pics of them together to add here tonight.

Deb and family - Glad that you are enjoying Austy's updates - thanks for reading!