Tuesday 26 August 2008

To Spark or not to Spark

Well, after the ordeal of having our car stolen we are going through the process of deciding what car we should get for me now, and so far the Spark LT seems to be getting to the top of the pile.  I was thinking about it and it would be a good option, as I have always had a thing for small (matchbox) sized cars, and well here is the opportunity.  I reckon if they weren't as old as they are I would love a Mini, but the original one not the new super duper ones.

At the moment I am also going through the ordeal of trying to get labels to print for the apparel in the stores and not having much joy, so the techies are looking into it on the JHB side, but that isn't making life any less stressful.  However, I am not going to let these small things get in the way of my joy, happiness or most importantly my faith, and I just need to keep reminding myself of this.

Some good news is the technician here has fixed the puncture in my tyre on the Clio.  He said that there was a nail in it, so he has plugged the hole and hopefully that will be the last of the problems there for a while, till we have the tyres replaced...

I guess that the theft of the car wasn't the best timing in the world, but at the same time I am sure that the Lord will make the best of this situation, and we just have to have faith that  He will continue to look after us everyday.  Praise God that we weren't in the car when it was stolen, or that Chloe wasn't taken in a hijacking.  We have so much to be grateful for.

Saturday 23 August 2008

You know that sinking feeling...

When yout walk outside to find you car is missing. Yes, you guessed
it. Our car was stolen. Bummer!

Wednesday 20 August 2008

Ba-ba-ba-ba-ba

This morning when I went through to Chloe's room she was on all fours, trying to practice crawling, talking a hind leg off a donkey (ba-ba-ba-ba-ba) and happy as anything.  She is getting so interactive now.  She still gets very frustrated when trying to crawl, and is starting to move backwards which it the beginnings of moving forwards.

I have also signed her up for swimming lessons at school.  I researched the benefits before suggesting it to Paul so that I had a good case argument for it.  Then I heard horror stories about an "evil swimming teacher" who dunked the children under the water and if they cried she dunked them even more.  Anyway, after speaking to Mel (yay she's back) I felt much better.  Robyn does the lessons and doesn't put their heads under the water.  So now I have to find a really cute swimming outfit for her for September.  I was also put at ease when Mel said that the pool is heated.  I could just imagine Chloe hating swimming because the water is ice cold.  So hopefully when she is a year old then she will know how to get to the side of a pool if she falls in accidentally.  Research indicated that it was also good for cardiovascular development and also lung development, as well as co-ordination and helped the children get mobile faster, so if the research is right she will walk sooner because she is learning to swim....  No way to test the theory really.

Thanks Neen for taking the time out to read the updates on my blog.  It's always fun to know that the ramblings aren't falling on the black hole known as the Internet and getting lost.  Although, I could one day go back, collect all the old posts, print them, bind them and have "memoirs"! Bwahahah!

Offline

Well, I'm at work, with no comms, no landline, no Internet, therefore no email.  But, it's all for a good reason.  They are moving our server cabinet from downstairs to upstairs in our office, so now in future if there is a problem with the routers or anything I can just walk to the next room, rather than walking half a kilometer to get downtairs to the server.  I can't do anything, as all my systems require the internet for the VPN.

Tuesday 19 August 2008

Still sick

Well, Mel is still sick, so Chloe is with Alison again, but thank goodness Gloria is back.  However, they managed to lose a part of one Chloe's bottles yesterday, which I am hoping they have found.

Shame, lil Chloe is getting so frustrated trying to crawl.  She gets onto all fours, but can't do anything from there, although she does move forward as she "flops" forwards when going back onto her tummy.  But, she's rolling around like anything.

Monday 18 August 2008

Photo album update

It looks stunning, I can't believe how well it worked!  I sat for a few hours cutting out little pictures and words and cute stuff and selecting pictures to put into the album and it was so much fun, and relaxing.  I so want to show it off, but feel like I'd just be showing off if I do :)

Chloe's First Tooth....

Broke the skin on the morning of Friday 15 August 2008.

I have been wondering how long it would take before the second started making a move, and on Sunday 17 August it started, I can see it just below the surface.  So we're in for another bumpy week.

This morning when I dropped Chloe at school, there was a different teacher there, and I wasn't completely excited about it, but apparently Mel has the tummy bug that almost all the babies had.

Thursday 14 August 2008

Photo Album

I'm so excited...
I have decided that I will make a photo album of every month of Chloe's life till it is full (That gives me about 3 years worth I think). My brother and his girlfriend gave us an album for Chloe, and I had no idea what to do, I didn't just want a boring album.
Anyway, while lying in the bath (my place or epiphanies) I thought about the page per month option, with just 2 or 3 pictures of her from that month, and then some "scrapbooking" elements added, just to add to it and make it more interesting.
Now the trouble is, that I am so impatient waiting to go and get the pictures printed. I really want to get it started this weekend, I just hope that it comes out the way that I am hoping it does.

Teeth

I can feel Chloe's tooth now! Hopefully it breaks the skin today and
the pain that she is in will stop... till the next one of course... My
poor baby is so miserable.

Monday 4 August 2008

And the teething begins

Today Chloe is 6 months old. Where has the time gone, the last 6 months
feel like they have raced by, and yet it feels like such a long time
since she was born. It's amazing, I remember the moment that she was
born, I remember holding her for the first time, and yet I have
forgotten what it felt like to feel the contractions, without the
epidural. This evening I was thinking about the time in hospital,
thinking about the last time that I had a solid night sleep, and now
thinking about the whole new ball game I have on my hands with solids
starting, and with the clinic book that I have saying that now that
Chloe is having 3 solid meals a day, she shouldn't have any more night
feeds. Now, you try to tell a 6 month old baby who still can't say more
than "baba", that she can't have any more feeds at night. Anyway, I am
taking her for a check up on Tuesday to make sure that the ear
infections that she has been getting have cleared up properly, so I will
check with the dear doctor to find out his take on the matter.
Personally I don't think that you can just do that. I think I will also
post a question on my favourite forum, and see what the other mothers
have to say about it. I must say that it is the first time I have ever
seen any literature like that. I checked the other books that I have
and none of them said anything of the sort.

Our poor little sausage is battling a lot... She has been crying a lot
today, and I know it is her gums as when I put the Teejel on it helps
for about 5 minutes and then it is sore again. I had to give her Panado
eventually, which only helped for a little while as well. Anyway, she
eventually went to sleep, but her gums are looking a little white, which
isn't normal, so I think that the teeth are moving closer to the
surface. It was fun to see her eating a boudoir biscuit, well gumming
it and getting it everywhere, and I must say that the inventor of them
was very clever, as they tend to disappear into almost nothing. I think
the pain was so bad for her today, that even her toys weren't an
enticement. This afternoon, I was having flashbacks to when she still
had colic, and I had to carry her around all afternoon, and when she is
8kg as opposed to 4kg's it can get a little tiring on the back. But,
some gel from my chiro has helped somewhat.

Well that is me...
xxx

Friday 1 August 2008

6 months is looming

It is with shock and amazement that I write this post.  On Monday the 4th August, Chloe will be 6 months old!!! Where has the time flown?  Which step 2 formula to use????

It has been an interesting few months with Chloe being at school, and seemingly sick since starting there, and yet it has been an amazing time in my life as well.  I have as you know started a new job, and although I am still very much in the deep water of a huge backlog of work, I think that there is some light at the end of the tunnel, although I think that there is some work that is there, but not noticeable as Ruth has it with her, and I have to get it from her when I am done with the pile that I am busy with.

Chloe is developing in every way possible by the day, although int he last few days she hasn't been sleeping well.  But, I have a plan, more food during the day and that should hopefully help with the night times.  I had to reduce the amount of milk I sent to school the last few weeks as she wasn't eating anyway, because she wasn't well.  But, Gloria said that she is eating well again and I decided that it would be a great idea (with a little help from an email I received on how to get baby sleeping better at night).  She is eating solids already, and tonight was banana and cereal mixed together to give a nice mocha coloured porridge, which she ate well.  So I think that was a hit.  She also gobbles down her veggies at school and on the weekends she loved them too.  Especially sweet potato and apple mixed together.  I tasted it and it tasted pretty good.  Anyway, I have also learnt that feeding Chloe is an art in timing.  You have to time it just right otherwise you can forget her eating.  Although, some enticement with a chicken drumstick bone does help get the spoon in the mouth with the food, it's just a race to see who gets to her mouth first, her or me.
The chicken bone story.... We were visiting Paul's father, and we had chicken for lunch and I decided to see what Chloe would do with the chicken bone, as she has been chewing everything in site, and well... it was an instant hit.  She must have gummed the thing for about half an hour, and I managed to feed her at the same time, as before that she wasn't interested in any food.

Being a mom is an amazing  experience, filled with laughs and tears.  Just today I wanted to cry twice.  This morning when dropping off Chloe, one of the other babies was crying because she wanted mommy and not to stay at school, and I was very emotional, remembering how I was worried that Chloe wouldn't survive even one day at school (she's thriving by the way), and then this afternoon, when I was fetching Chloe one of the mom's was fetching her son, and she had him stripped down to his nappy and he was running a terrible fever, and they suspected that he would be admitted to hospital, so she was rushing him off, after he had been running a temperature almost all day.  The scary thing is that she had taken him to the GP this morning with a temperature and the Dr said that there was nothing wrong with him.  The poor child didn't even want to be touched.  Hopefully I find out how he is doing tomorrow.

Chloe has reached the 8kg mark and is still growing, and gaining weight as well.  She isn't as chubby as she was before, as she is getting longer, but every now and then I look at her and think how small she still really is.  Although when she is stretched out on the floor playing she is quite long.

Anyway, that is about all the news for now...
Kim xxx