Brave new world - I am back at work!

The updates have been a little patchy lately, as I have been flat out getting organised to go back to work. I went back four days a week, last week and Boy, was I tired after the first week. However, we all survived and David seems to be coping perfectly with teeth coming through and without his mum.

This is a photo of David working out that if he stands on things (people, pillows, toys) he is taller, and can reach more! Did I mention before that he is very determined? Gran is peeping out of bed at the bottom of the photo.

David has been having disturbed nights - crying out, but not necessarily waking up - so as a consequence, I was also having disturbed nights. This seems to be getting gradually better - and last night I think he slept through. The next two teeth on top (to make a total of four) have definitely started cutting, after a false alarm a week or so ago. Today David was chewing everything in sight, pulling on his ear and was a mite clingy and feeling sorry for himself. I took him for a walk after I got home from work, which cheered him up, and we have given him a little paracetamol before bed which seems to have done the trick. Within half an hour he had definitely improved enough to have a joke and a little play. Much better than tears!

He is possibly going through a growth spurt - sleeping more and deeply during the day and eating more. He has also increased his formula, after cutting back a bit last week. We will weigh him next week and if there is much change.

This is a photo of David in our hammock chair, now hanging outside in our atrium/courtyard. David likes it best when there is someone in there with him, to swing. We may also get a little swing for him, and hang it from another beam. I have put rubber matting down over the pebble strip at the open end, and moved the pot plants, to increase the play area. I think that I will still have to fence off the remaining pebbles though as David still wants to put them in his mouth.

Dad is still travelling too much but we had a lovely weekend, before he flew off to Adelaide. We had a full Sunday, with a walk with Dad, a visit to St Matthew's Church for the morning service (and another baptism and lots of children for David to see) then visitors before another short walk. David was tired out and went to sleep without his bottle (but on Monday promptly increased his milk feeds - see above). So far the weather this week has been drizzling and dampish, so otherwise David has been pretty much confined to barracks. Tomorrow there is a planned play visit with another little boy from the Mother's Group, which should go ahead rain or shine, so that should cheer him up!

Well, that is all for now. I will try to gradually fill in the blanks from the last month or so. Hopefully work won't take over everything!

Almost walking

David is almost, but not quite walking. I suspect that he hasn't taken the next step (ha, ha) because he still finds it faster to crawl. He is now working on climbing up onto the chairs and couches - not quite able to without a bit of help, but getting very frustrated when he doesn't manage it.

When he is given a leg up, he is very triumphant. The only problem is that he still has no real idea of how to climb down... A sure recipe for tears.

This photo was taken at Playgroup, on Gran's last day in Sydney and as you can see, David can really race off around the room when he has a push toy. The shopping trolley is higher and even better! We haven't bought him anything of his own yet, because we don't really have the floor space for him to push it. We will see how it all goes.

What season is it anyway?

So, would you believe Sydney in August? The temperature dropped from 24C to 14C in a few minutes and the ground was white with hail yesterday afternoon at approx 4.00pm, after a lovely spring morning. The hail was too small to do much damage, and no damage to cars - but lots of slippery roads and quite a few accidents. This van had to be pushed out into the road and then slid all over the place on the ice before eventually heading off. Erin and Katie were here as well and we all went out to look at the hail falling from the safety of the garage. The babies weren't frightened (probably because we weren't frightened) but were a little stunned. There were still unmelted hailstones in the shade today.

So much news, so little space

Well, where to start?

It has been only a couple of weeks, but so much has happened. David has been baptised, he has (finally) cut two new upper teeth, and David has progressed from walking by holding onto Granny's fingers to walking by himself with a "pusher" toy at playgroup on Wednesday. The new nanny-share arrangement started this week, which means Erin has started and Katie has already come over for two days to keep David company - I have one more week and then I start back at work. And Gran will go home after her holiday on Saturday.

Oh, and between Gran and Erin (and possibly finally cutting the teeth) David seems to have been sorted out - he is back into a routine and eating well.

I have finally painted the ensuite bathroom. And done some tidying in the garage.

More to follow shortly - but this catches everyone up on the headlines!