1st Day of School

Julia and Liam had their first day of school last week. Apparently we are as (un)talented at taking first-day-of-school photos as we are at taking family Christmas shots. 15 pictures later, this was the best I could do....
Despite the lack of cooperation for the photo shoot, both children were thrilled to have their first day back (Julia had only been away for 2 weeks, but Liam was really starting fresh for the first time -- out of the baby room and into the 2-yr-old preschool room). I was very nervous about leaving him. He has been firmly attached to me for the past few months, and I wasn't sure how he'd fare. Within minutes of entering his classroom, however, he had forgotten all about me, and when I picked him up he was so busy playing with a classmate that he barely noticed I'd arrived. Julia was a bit disappointed that her closest school friend, Sara, would not be in her class this year, but she still had a great day. When I got to Julia's room to pick her up she told me I'd come "too early, Mama!"

It started raining when we got home that afternoon, and Julia was thrilled at the (rare) chance to don her raincoat and boots and stomp around in the rain. Liam looked forlornly at Julia's outfit (he's outgrown his coat and boots), so I loaned him my rain jacket....

As you can see, he was very excited!

Julia just looked him up and down and said,
"Um, Mama, you really need to go to the store and get him a new raincoat."
(So much for my improvisation)

My little hobbit

Happy New Year

Dancin' our way into 2010!

Halloween

Halloween is kind of a non-event around here. A lot of kids are getting more interested in the holiday (probably because of all the American shows on TV), but nobody really decorates their houses and the grocery store is the only place to get a carving pumpkin ($20 for a very small one that rotted in 2 days!). Matt likes to tell the story of how his brother Josh went trick-or-treating once when they were younger and came back with fruit, canned goods & even a pair of shoes.Not only do people not decorate though, but many houses don't even allow trick-or-treaters to knock on their doors! Ours was one of about 4 houses on our whole street that didn't have a big sign on the door, saying, "NO TRICK-OR-TREATING! DO NOT KNOCK!" Instead, we (Liam & I) dressed up as Americans ;-) and answered the door with a big bowl of candy bars (which Liam then attempted to drop into each person's bag), wishing everyone a Happy Halloween.Matt was off studying that night (yes, on a Saturday...we're both so ready for exams to be over!) and Julia was at Gran & Pop's (Matt's parents) house for the weekend, so earlier in the week we did a mini Halloween trick-or-treat through our house. Julia's friend Caydence was over here, and the girls picked out their favorite princess/ballerina outfits. Liam was not game to dress-up (can't blame him when most of his options are either covered in feathers or bright pink or both), but he did let the girls put a big hat on his head. I'd made simple little Halloween bags (about the limit of my craftiness and creativity), and I'd hidden little treats behind each of the closed doors in our house. They all thought it was great fun, and as much as I always loved Halloween, our version was probably much more appropriate for 2 pre-schoolers and a toddler (and far easier to control the sugar intake as every other door had something non-edible like bubbles or stickers).

Watergun Take Down

*Note: Julia was not injured and the rest of the video (too long to post) is of her laughing hysterically for about 45 seconds and then getting up to do it all over again (and again and again).

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.