Big Boy Bed

Liam has struggled with his transition to the "big boy bed" in the past few months.  He liked being free from the crib (and I liked that he couldn't catapult himself over the crib railing anymore), but he spent about 3 weeks sleeping on the floor (we did put a small mattress there for cushioning) right in the doorway.  Anyway, he's now sleeping in the bed, and usually snuggles in the normal way -- head on a pillow, covers pulled up.  Last night, however, we went to check on him, and this is how he was sleeping....

Mt Tamborine

One of our favorite weekend excursions is Mt Tamborine.   The drive is not too long and has gorgeous views of the Gold Coast, and at the top, there are some easy hiking trails for the kids, quirky shops to explore and yummy pies (Matt's favorite reason to go).  We headed up a couple of weekends ago, intending to hike and window shop and, of course, eat pies, but the weather turned on us when we were already on the mountain.  Our clear blue skies turned grey and the hot spring day turned cold.  No worries!  We ate our pies, took refuge in the funny shops, and the children still had a great time. 

My little girl, looking like a true Aussie....

Sleep Update: Adenoids, Tonsils & Asthma - Oh My!

A few people have commented or e-mailed to ask whatever happened with Julia's sleep problems and all, so here's a post to follow up with that.  As many of you know.  Julia didn't sleep through the night for nearly 3 years despite trying everything (controlled crying, massage, nightlights, sleeping with us, nasal sprays, vaporisors, etc.) Even on the nights when I thought she'd slept pretty well, she was incredibly tired (and cranky) the next day.  She drooled profusely even after all her teeth had come in, and her speech was delayed.  She did not like eating meet or crunchy fruits like apples.  The ENT and speech therapist both suggested removing the tonsils and adenoids, but that option scared me.  She just seemed so little for invasive surgery.

In May of this year, however, I gave in.  We visited our Mississippi ENT, Dr. Sneed (it helped comfort me that he's a family friend), and 6 months later I am still very happy with our decision to have the surgery.  Julia is sleeping through the night, and even though she still wakes early with the sun, she generally wakes up refreshed and happy.  The drooling has stopped (although occasionally I have to remind her to close her mouth when she's concentrating hard and has it open out of habit), and she is eating so many more foods (especially all the meats that she wouldn't before).  When she gets colds now, they are generally very short lived, and she looks peaceful now when she sleeps.   And, of course, she talks all the time-- very clearly! 

But just a warning for those moms who said they're considering the surgery for their children, the recovery may not be all popsicles and milkshakes.  Julia had a very hard recovery and ended up back in the hospital for a week after the surgery to get IV fluids and different pain medications because she refused to eat or drink anything and got dehydrated.  That said, I still don't regret it.  In fact, I wish we'd done it earlier, but as Dr. Sneed pointed out, the mother has to be ready, and for my own peace of mind, I had to rule out all the non-surgical options first. 

**Note:  Little Liam fortunately does not seem to have any of the problems with tonsils and adenoids, but we have found out that he does have asthma.  The pediatrician is pretty certain it can be managed with Singulair (non-steroidal tablets, not inhalers), so we are hoping this will finally rid him of the persistent cough he's had for about 6 months and stop his recent trend of interrupted nights.