Joel's 8 Month Check Up

Today Joel had his 8 month check up with the child health nurse, this was the first available appointment after Christmas.

he will be 9 months in 6 days and he weighs 8170 gms and is 71.5cm long. So he is now down to the 10% with his weight. The CHN is a little concerned about this so we need to fatten him up or at least get to the stage he has a steady increase in weight gain instead of a plateau.

He is doing all the right things though, getting ready to crawl (I don't think he is any hurry) and chatting away.

I'm not that concerned, look at all the grief I went through with Eloise and he lack of weight gain and she is just a healthy skinny mini...

I'm OK ......really

I have had quite a few phone calls in response to my last post and my tummy ache....

To put everyone's minds at ease, its almost gone. I really think it was a weird tummy bug and yes if I had carried on I was going to make an appointment at the doctor...

Thank you to all that rang, emailed, messaged and SMS :)

On a more exciting note, I had my first official weigh in yesterday morning....

I lost 600gms.....Yay....the day before and today I had lost more but as Monday is the day...Mondays results are it...

Slowly and steady won the race anyway....

Oh and the pip squeak pool guy came and installed the cell and chlorinator yesterday....and the leads DID need replacing...so now we have a pool that works.

The girls will be home tomorrow afternoon so I am looking forward to some time with them before school starts in..................12 days....where have the holidays gone.

Its Hot and I hurt

Wow its hot...

According to the Weather Channel is only 37.4 degrees out there but I know its going to get hotter. The kids and I ducked to Coles early this morning before it got too hot.

The pool guy came out yesterday to collect everything up to fix the pool, obnoxious little tit...He wanted to only take the cell not the whole chlorinator unit. I told him that the reason for the cell failure was due to the wires getting so hot (turning light blue to black) that the plastic around the cell melted causing the leak. He then told me that they are meant to get hot and did I try and "toggle" the leads so that they work. Oh hello the wires are that hot you cant touch them.....

So after a phone call to his boss he took the chlorinator (to be checked out) and will bring them back when every things is ok....

So its the middle of summer, we have a pool but cant swim. The kids are taking it pretty well considering.

For the last few days I have had really bad belly ache and I don't know why. Its not a stretched muscle kind of ache its more of a deep ache inside....its been 24 hours now and no relief....

So anyway I got on the Wii fit this morning for a weigh in, and according to it I have lost 4.8kg since Monday.....not possible so I waited until Darian had finished getting ready for work and weighed my self on our ensuite scales...according to them I am 87.2kg so only a loss of 400gms......I tend to believe the bathroom scales more than the Wii...

So today I have eaten well, I also hopped on the Wii fit and did 20 min of free step....managed 2200 steps and then I did 25 min yoga....

My tummy still hurts but I feel so much better for doing some exercise....

A sitting Duck

I  managed to get a photo of Joel sitting yesterday...he will sit up for a good while now before over balancing and toppling over...

 

Other than that nothing much is happening, we are still waiting on the real estate agents to come and fix the salt cell on the pool. It was been 2 weeks now and no swimming :(

I have been keeping up with the exercise, at least 30 min to an hour a day on the Wii fit...so we will see what happens on my weigh in day on Tuesday.....fingers crossed..

Oh and I forgot to mention, my niece Melissa who is travelling around Europe with her boyfriend Al announced the other day that Al proposed to her at Trevi fountain in Rome....I mean how romantic....I am soooooo excited for them both...

Freecycle...

I just love it, I mainly joined the group to get rid of clutter that has been hanging around our house. You know the stuff that you don't really need, too good to throw away but cant be bothered to sell...

For those who don't know about it, it is part of the yahoo groups network. You join and post to the group something you want to freecycle or something that you want. This then gets sent to everyone on the group and if anyone wants the item or can help you they can email you directly...

Some of the stuff people are giving away is amazing, beds, lounges, fridges, even a spa....

So Darian saw an email regarding someone giving away some playdough toys here in our suburb, I went and picked it up last night and this is what we ended up with

How cool is this....did I mention I LOVE freecycle!

More Cute Photos

Just cant help it, well I was trying different settings on the camera....still not happy.

Joel's new haircut

 

 

Its not a very good photo, in fact I am thinking of getting a new camera. The camera we have takes TERRIBLE photos inside. I have read the instructions and doesn't matter what I do the photo still comes out average.

Anyway back to the gorgeous boy who sat up on his own last night, only for about 10 sec before he toppled but he is getting there...

So for the records Joel officially sat at 8 months and one week...

As for me and the weight loss...well ahem, um...I did nothing all weekend. Darian was watching the cricket so I didn't get on the Wii fit, however he is back at work today so I did an hour...and it did say I had lost 400gms since the last I was on....so better down than up :)

Oh and the girls are back tonight, they have been at their dads since the 27th.....I have missed them so much.

Joel 8 months.

 

 

Joel is now 8 months. He has cut the two front teeth on the top and the two front teeth on the bottom.

Nothing else to report because he is still not sitting up, or crawling or anything really.

Though he now says mum, dad and bub.

I gave him a haircut yesterday as his hair was getting so long....he has now lost all his curls :(    I will have to take some photos of his new hair cut.

Happy New Years....2009....

We had a quiet night, the kids went to bed a 8pm and then Darian and I played bowling on the Wii until it was almost 12. I had a headache so didnt even have a drink....

At Midnight Darian rang his parents in South Africa and then we went to sleep.

The kids slept until 7am and Darian rang his parents again for their New Years...

A nice but quiet New Years....

Hope everyone else has a good one.....

update :

Food - was going good this morn but fell off the wagon this afternoon, ended up eating rubbish during the afternoon. We had a BBQ and salad for dinner.

Exercise - 20 min this morning on Wii Fit (before being kicked off)

Wii fit and confession time...hanging my head in shame :(

I rang around this morning and found what seems like the last Wii fit in the Northern Suburbs. I found it in Toys Us, they have totally sold out in Target, Kmart and EB Games.

But all is good that I now have one, Darian and I have been saying that we must get active and loose this weight that has been creeping up on us...yes I admit our diet has been shocking and the lack of exercise has a lot to do with it...I take fully responsibility for the .....wait for it.......10kg weight gain since Joel was born...I am now 10kg heavy now than I was at 39 weeks pregnant, this is so shameful.

But its out there now...no going back.

Another confession....I am 86 kg.....hanging my head in shame...

Yes I know I said I would never get this heavy again but I have and now its time to do something about it...the longer I leave it the more weight I have to shift and the harder its going to get...

So I am going to track everything here on my blog. Hopefully this will help me.

I booted up the Wii fit and had a bit of fun for 30 min....they even got me to jog for 3 min....ha ha ha....

So day one

eating - yes I ate everything in sight including a chicken sandwich, some coloured pop corn.

exercise - 1 hour 20 min on Wii fit and playing gold and bowling on the Wii...

Wii......

Yesterday we went out and scoured the shops for a Wii....We have been considering it for a while and thought why not. I was going to buy one for Darian's Birthday.

Everywhere we went had sold out, so we went to Harvey Norman for odd chance they had one left. They did and it was actually cheaper than the other shops. Unfortunately they had sold out of the Wii fit so we will have to wait for that.

So yesterday afternoon we played and played until our arms got sore....just loving it.

Then today I did some boxing, boy did I sweat....my arms are sore, not looking forward to tomorrow. I might actually loose some of this weight that has been piling on....but that is another post.....

More Christmas Photos

Just some random photos from today

Its Christmas Time....

Well what a day. Darian was up before anyone. I remember him getting Joel up and voices somewhere in my pretending to be asleep slumber. He couldn't wait anymore so he went and woke Matthew and told him that Santa had been

The kids came in and dragged me out of bed at a hideous 6.10am...come on.....

At 7am Darian went and fetched Megan from her Mums and bought her back home to open presents.

Matthew wore his spider Man suit all day

Once the present frenzy was over we dressed Joel and gave him some brekkie

The morning was quickly over, it was time for Megan to be taken back to her mum and Joel to go down for a nap.

Then the 5 of us went swimming for the afternoon...Christmas lunch was a BBQ at 4.30pm.....

A nice relaxed Christmas....

Getting to know me....Christmas Edition

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Wrapping paper, all different types and colours

2. Real tree or Artificial? Fake tree, would like to try a real one but cant justify cutting a tree down

3. When do you put up the tree? 1^st December

4. When do you take the tree down? when ever I get sick of it, but it has to be before 1st Jan

5. Do you like egg nog? no thank you

6. Favourite gift received as a child? I loved getting jig saws

7. Do you have a nativity scene? No but is always on my to get list and I never end up getting one...next year

8. Hardest person to buy for? Matthew, because of his delays

9. Easiest person to buy for? Darian

10. Mail or email Christmas cards? This year I actually sent Christmas cards....

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? I don't remember

12. Favourite Christmas movie(s)? I actually don't have one

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? I normally start during the year and put things away, but this year due to the move I had to do it all in November

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? No

15. Favourite thing to eat at Christmas? Asparagus and Clinkers always remind me of Christmas, I love plum pudding but we are not having one this year. No one but me eats it :(

16. Clear or coloured Christmas lights? Both, we have coloured on our tree this year. We normally do up the house but didn't this year due to no power points out side of the house

17. Favourite Christmas song(s)? Silent night

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home?  We stay at home, very quiet, just immediate family. We have to pick up or drop kids to other parents during the day

19. Can you name all of Santa’s reindeer? No.

20. Angel on the tree top or a star? A star.

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Christmas morning.

22. Most annoying thing about this time of year? The commercialisation and materialism. How people go totally over board on food....

23. Favourite ornament theme or colour? I change it every year...this year its red, silver and blue...thinking of going green and silver next year

24. Favourite dinner for Christmas? We are having a BBQ this year

25. What do you want for Christmas this year? everyone to get along

26. Do you bake lots of goodies during the holidays? No its too hot. The kids made reindeer biscuits yesterday

27. Do you decorate different rooms of your home? no just the tree in the family room.

28. What decorations do you put outside? just lights

29. How do you spend Christmas Eve? just winding down with the kids...

30. Is Christmas your favourite holiday? yeah i love the magic

I tag whoever wants to participate! You can leave me a comment to let me know that you have answered the questions on your blog then I can read yours and get to know you!

Merry Christmas

2008....A year in review

1. What did you do in 2008 that you’d never done before?
Been a mum to 5 kids.....some time its good and other times I want to be an ostrich and bury my head in the sand...
2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I plan to make some plans for next year
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
I had Joel.....lucky last
4. Did anyone close to you die?
No
5. What countries did you visit?
We didn't go anywhere this year :(
6. What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008?
motivation
7. What dates from 2008 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
April 29th I had Joel by elective C- section
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Lets see, gave birth, moved house and Darian changed jobs....how much more stress can one person take and still stay sane....now that's an achievement
9. What was your biggest failure?
Not that it was my fault but not being able to breast feed Joel longer than a week due to an infection in my uterus and being on bad ass antibiotics
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Just a really bad post surgery infection...took months to clear
11. What was the best thing you bought?
not bought but we paid for a removalist to move us....the best money spent
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
human nature I guess, people can do some horrible things to each other
14. Where did most of your money go?
the cost of living.....
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Moving into a great house and Matthew being accepted into the Language Development Centre for next year
16. What song will always remind you of 2008?
Sweet about me
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) happier or sadder? Happier
b) thinner or fatter? Defiantly fatter.....I am half a heffalump
18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
Sat down and played with the kids more
19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
wasting precious time
20. How will you be spending Christmas?
very quietly...just us and the kids
21. Did you fall in love in 2008?
every morning when I wake up next to my hubby, and I fell instantly in love with Joel when I saw him....he still makes me cry when I look at him....
22. How many one-night stands?
NONE, Never
23. What was your favorite TV program?
The mentalist and Blood Ties oh and I am ADDICTED to Dexter....f
24. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
I don't think I actually Hate anyone ... dislike what some people do .. yes ... but don't hate anyone
25. What was the best book you read?
reading Twilight by Stepenie Meyer....half way through the first book and loving it
26. What was your greatest musical discovery?
My husband bought me an ipod.....a green one :)
27. What did you want and get?
a house with a dishwasher
28. What did you want and not get?
a birthday cake and present......i know there could be worse things
29. What was your favorite film of this year?
don't get a chance to go to the cinema....
30. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
did the same ol.....Darian took me to dinner a few days later when we could organise a baby sitter and I turned 35.....
31. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
If we finally became debt free....now that would be nice
32. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008?
EKKKK horrible....
33. What kept you sane?
coffee....lots of coffee
34. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
can't think of any.....
35. What political issue stirred you the most?
The US election.....
36. Who did you miss?
My new family in South Africa....they are so far away
37. Who was the best new person you met?
nope, didn't meet anyone new
38. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008.
I can cope with almost anything
39. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
"theres nothing sweet about me"

Visitors coming out of the wood work.....

My niece Melissa and her boyfriend Al are off to Europe for 6 weeks on Saturday. They flew down from Karatha yesterday and Jenni decided to surprise them and fly over from Melbourne. Miss didn't know her mum was coming and she thought that I was picking her up from the airport. She was very surprised to see her mum and many tears were shed.

Jen bought Miss and Al around to see the kids, Miss hadn't seen Joel yet.

Miss and Al fly back at the end of Jan and then back up to Karatha.

Miss and Al run a printing business Coral Coast Print and also run the local Newspaper Pilbra Echo. I was going to hyper link to the coral coast website but it seems to be down....

How do you know summer is here?????

Well lets see I seem to be washing about 4 towels EVERY day due to the kids being in the pool as much as possible......

I really didn't want the pool when we were looking for a house, I don't swim and the whole looking after it and the extra expense to me isn't worth the hassle....but my darling husband thought it would be great and since he works in the industry I wouldn't have to worry about it ....don't tell him but it was the best thing we did....the kids love it (well apart from Matthew)

Darian took Joel for his first swim today and even he loved it....

After a while it got a bit cold for him so dad had fun with the girls...

 

and Joel and I sat back and watched

Christmas Photo Time

We bought a new camera about 18 months ago to take with us to South Africa and it takes beautiful photos out side but I haven't figured out what setting to put it on for inside...so I put up with average inside photos....
It is that time of year to take photos of the kids at Christmas....so one at a time they sat for me....

A very serious Talia

Eloise.....

Megan

Matthew

and Joel

I did try and get one of all of them together and after 30 or so shots this was the best one....I have also used it for my new updated header....

Joel is 7 Months old

Joel at 7 months

Tucker Time

Matthew's Physio recommended a "Bumbo" seat for Joel to sit in as he isnt ready to sit yet, so I went onto eBay and got one cheap. Joel now sits safely up on the bench to eat dinner...