Zac is 1!

My little baby boy turned a whole year old yesterday! In some regards it feels like just the other day that I was leaving home in the early morning darkness to check into hospital so we could meet our precious new little baby, but on the other hand, it does sometimes feel like Zac has been in our lives for ages!  I suppose we have had many ups and downs with our precious little boy - the downs being hospital visits, compromised immune system and reflux to down-right bad sleeping habits (all of which are no fault of his own) and the ups being too many to list (but include his precious little smiles, giggles, infectious snuggles and kisses).

So unfortunately on Zac's special day, his daddy was in Hong Kong on business so it was just Zac, Lily and myself in the very early hours of the morning.  Yes, Zac loves waking up at exactly 5:40am these days *insert yawn*.  So we had our bottle and snuggled for a while and then he crawled over to his new remote controlled car and had a little play in it.  He doesn't like it when it moves so he just plays happily in the seat pushing all the buttons.

We didn't get up to anything too exciting on his special day as it fell on a Friday which meant doing the normal school runs with Lily and fitting in Zac's nap times.  And the worst thing was that Zac has Tonsillitis again so no-one could come around for tea in the afternoon as previously planned due to potentially infecting the other children.  My folks did come around though so we all sang happy birthday with a little number 1 candle in a small little cupcake and Zac got to open his present from his grandparents - a little car wash and garage.

So another milestone has passed... My baby boy has graduated to a toddler and the time really has gone incredibly quickly.  As I always say, I want to push the pause button and injest the baby that he currently is... It seems to be going far too rapidly!  He has changed our lives considerably and we could never picture our world without him.  Zac, you have completed our little family and we love you more than you will ever know. Love you forever and every to infinity and back! xxx

Another little update

Yet again things have been quite busy and crazy in our little home.  It was recently school holidays and unfortunately we were all sick.  Lily had a bad bout of Tonsillitis and Croup, which we thankfully discovered quite early so she didn't suffer too much.  Zac continued with a fever and just being miserable - think it was definitely teething that was (and still is) bothering him as his top 2 teeth are just about through.  His little gums are extremely swollen and I can see the outline of his new toofies quite clearly.  His teething is affecting his sleep a little too at the moment poor baby.  And I had a bad case of flu, but as we all know, moms aren't allowed to be sick so I just put on my big girl panties and carried on with my daily tasks.

I have bitter-sweet feelings about my breastfeeding coming to an end...  I managed to feed Zac until he was just over 11 months old, the same age as Lily when she stopped nursing.  I am sad as it is the end of a bonding experience with my baby and the end of an era.  We don't think we will be having any more children so my breastfeeding duties are complete forever.  I love breastfeeding so it was quite sad to have the experience end.  On another note, I was happy to have my body back.  To be able to take medication should I need without worrying about the adverse effect it may have on my nursing baby, to be able to wear my normal bras again and to not worry about having to wip my boobs out, sometimes in "not so suitable" places.  So the end of an another era!

Lily is back at school and thriving.  She got such a brilliant little report from her first term - we are so incredibly proud.  Potty training is coming along well.  She now asks to go to the toilet 90% of the time and only makes a mistake every odd day.  She is even making number 2's in the toilet which I've heard takes a little longer, but she is doing exceptionally well.  Very proud (and relieved)!

Zac will be 1 next week... I can't quite believe that it was a year ago that I was preparing for his arrival and wondering how our lives were going to be with 2 precious little angels.  The time has literally flown!  Zac is just the happiest, cuddliest, most lovable little boy.  He loves giving kisses and snuggles much to my utter delight!  He is such a mommy's boy which I love - long may it last!

So all-in-all things are going well here in our little home with my precious little family xxx

Some noted milestones

Zac's milestones to date:

• 1st smile: 3.5 weeks
• 1st "talked": 4 weeks
• 1st giggled: 6.5 weeks (looking at mobile above compactum)
• 1st night in own room: 18 weeks
• 1st rolled over: 4 months
• Eating hands: 4 months
• 1st tooth: 8th December (4 days before 8 months old)
• Crawl on all 4's: 17th December (8 months)
• 1st waved: 4th February (9 months)
• 1st clapped: 9 months
• 1st word: "Ta" 10 months and "Daddy" at 10 months
• 1st standing without holding on: 11 months

Sleep training

We are now on day 4 and tonight is night number 5 of sleep training and oh how things have thankfully improved!  Last night saw Zac crying for a mere 3 minutes before settling himself and falling asleep which is a vast improvement from the first night which saw him crying on and off for 45 minutes.  He then woke up at 9:45pm, but after about 5 minutes he was asleep again and he stretched through the night until 5:30am! I wasn't sure whether we should have started the day at this time or try get him to fall asleep again so I decided to listen to what the sleep trainer had instructed me to do which was to continue with the sleep training until at least 6am.  Thankfully I did that and he went back to sleep until 7am! Brilliant.

The first night with the sleep trainer didn't quite go as planned.  I had visions of being up all night with a screaming baby who we would need to continuously train. We had paid this woman a mini fortune so I was looking forward to some heavy duty training going down.  And of course, Murphy's Law, after the initial put down of 45 minutes and one wake up an hour later, Zac decided to sleep right through! The first time in his little life!  So the woman who we were paying to work that night just sat on the couch waiting and waiting for him to wake up!  I was so disappointed.  Thankfully the second night Zac woke up twice so we could get a little training done - made it a little more worth the money spent.

And after 2 nights, the sleep trainer was done and I was left to continue with the training on my own.  I have been incredibly strict and have followed her instructions down to the letter.  Things are improving every day and I'm sure in a few more days I will be able to put Zac down to sleep without any crying at all.  Already his cries are intermittent and consist more of moans than anything else.

I'm already feeling more refreshed with much better nights. I don't know how I'm going to get used to actually enjoying a full night's sleep again! I think I'm going to have to train this body not to wake up during the nights as it has become accustomed.

Sleep training is definitely the way to go when you're enduring nights like I'd been having.  I totally believe in the process and Zac was never left to feel abandoned or unloved.  Everything was done with the utmost love and care possible.  I would have paid almost any price to hire Erica - I was that exhausted! And quite honestly, I don't think you can put a price on sleep. It is SO needed!!!

VERY overdue update

Wow, things have been so extremely crazy and busy in our household that I haven't had any time to sit down at the PC and actually update this blog.  I can't believe how time has flown and how busy life has become!

My precious Lily Pie is just an absolute blessing.  She is thriving at school and just loves it.  They started potty training her about 3 weeks ago and bless, she is taking quite a bit of time for the whole process to actually "click".  She will ask to go to the toilet on occassion and then the next, will wet her pants.  I suppose she gets involved in her little school activities and doesn't stop to think that she needs a wee until it is too late.  We haven't been as strict with following through with the potty training at home (difficult with Zac and the busy-ness of our lives) so I'm making an extra effort to do so from today.  She had a great day at school today asking to go to the toilet without making one mistake.  So fingers crossed we are getting there...

Otherwise she is learning so much at school and comes home singing little Brocha and Hebrew songs.  I don't understand half of what she is singing, but it is just too precious.  Hubby asks her repeatedly to sing for him, he just loves it!  Her vocabulary is expanding too - she in fact said to me yesterday, "Mommy, I have a good idea".  I've never said that to her before so it must be something she has heard at school.

She has adjusted so well to her new little school routine.  She likes me to walk her into class and swing her on the swings for a few minutes before I leave.  We then go back into the classroom where she asks for a love and a kiss and she happily bids me farewell.  When I fetch her from school, she is full of shrieks of delight, laughing and giggling while running towards me.  It just melts my heart - I love it!

Zac is getting so big and is just too edible!  I can kiss those soft chubby cheaks all day!  Shame, he has had a bit of a rough month, fighting viral infection after viral infection.  He has been fighting fevers as a result and has just not been himself.  He has been rather miserable and extremely clingy.  The last infection he had the week before last saw him fighting fevers of 39.5 so off we ran to the doctor for the third time in a month.  She immediately phoned our paediatrician who thankfully was on call that weekend.  We were admitted into hospital and my poor little baby was subjected to a terrible time - injection in the neck for sedation, a lumbar puncture to rule out meningitis, bloods drawn and a drip inserted.  It was heartwrenching hearing his screams from down the passage.  It was truly awful!  We had to spend the entire weekend in hospital where he was given intravenus antibiotics and continuous fluids.  It was a weekend I most certainly never want to have to repeat again.

Thankfully he was diagnosed with severe tonsillitis instead of something more sinister and we were discharged on the Sunday morning with a course of antibiotics.  We are now a week later and he is back to his normal happy self.  No more moans or clinging to mommy - he is quite content and smiley.  I'd missed that.

Zac's sleeping is unfortunately horrendous!  He just can't fall asleep without my assistance so on most nights calls me every hour.  I am exhausted, hence the lack of updates as I'm usually trying to catch up on sleep when the kids are sleeping.  Thankfully today I feel rather energised... well energised enough to forego my nap and update here instead.  So in order to get any sleep, I've resorted to putting Zac in the bed with me and he sleeps on my chest.  Not the most comfortable of sleeps for me, but at least I get some form of sleep instead of continuous disrupted nights.

We have now resigned ourselves to the fact that we need to introduce sleep training in order to get any sort of sleep for both Zac and myself.  The sleep trainer starts on Wednesday night and spends both Wednesday and Thursday nights with us.  She will show me what needs to be done on the Wednesday while I observe and then on Thursday I will implement what I've been taught while she observes and assists me.  I then need to continue with her methods strictly and hopefully he will be sleeping through very soon.  At a cost of R3,550 for the sleep training and for my sanity, I sincerely hope so!  But at this stage, I'm of the thought that you can't put a price on sleep and am willing to spend whatever amount to get a full night of sleep - something I haven't experienced for 11 months (and probably longer with the uncomfortable pregnancy sleep prior to Zac's birth).  Thankfully her method of sleep training is gentle and the baby is never left to cry for longer than 5 minutes at a time.  A far gentler method than I used with Lily, but then again, Lily was older when I did her training.  So fingers crossed, by next weekend, maybe we will be having more sleep in this house and my hubby can move back into the bed with me (he has been sleeping in the spare room for the last 2 months in an attempt to have a good night's sleep).

In the last 2 weeks, I have started going to the gym with a personal trainer and have entered myself into an 8 week fitness/healthy eating challenge so my mornings are occupied by training at the gym - another reason why things have been so busy.  But I am enjoying it - some Mel time, which I haven't really had since Lily was born.  In addition it is healthy for me so I'm not going to feel guilty about  it while leaving little Zac with Ritah while I'm gone.  He is very happy being left with her which I'm truly grateful for.

So that's what's been happening in our home for the last few weeks.  Hopefully the sleep training will go well and soon enough I will no longer need my afternoon naps and will have more time to do more updates :)

Zac's sleep issues - update

I am exhausted... I have not had a decent night's sleep for almost 10 months - the same amount of time that our little Zac arrived in this world.  I most certainly haven't been blessed with a naturally great sleeping baby and have realised that unfortunately something needs to be done in order to get a good night's rest for both my precious Zac and myself.

I consulted with Lynn Woods and have implemented all her suggestions.  I changed his diet, increased his protein portions, changed his sleep schedule and all to no avail.  No change whatsoever.  Much to my disappointment, I think the only way forward is to do sleep training but I can't help feeling cruel with him being so very tiny.  I can't explain why mommy is leaving him to cry nor can I negotiate with him. It is going to be hard, but I've reached the point where I can't continue without sleep for much longer.

Unfortunately our little man is sick at the moment - we are off to the doctor this morning to find out why he is fighting such high temperatures.  Once he is better and if his sleep remains atrocious, we will have to venture into the world of sleep training.  Fingers crossed, holding thumbs, and wishing and willing with all my might that perhaps a miracle will take place before I have to do it!

School days 2, 3 and 4

After such a wonderful first day at school, I was weary of what awaited for day number two now that Lily knew the drill that I would be leaving her there and collecting her later.  Luckily for me, she was a superstar, asking to be taken to school from almost the moment she woke up!  She happily waved goodbye as I left and spent the whole day at school without a care in the world.  Apparently she did ask where I was a couple of times, but other than that, she did exceptionally well.

THEN came day number three, or as it is commonly known, the "Third Day Syndrome".  Lily started to get clingy and teary when I started with my farewells.  Eventually she was clinging to me like a baby monkey and the teacher had to pry her off me so I could leave.  It is heartwrenching walking out that door when your little precious baby is begging and pleading for you to stay.  The screams and "mommy" calls just pull at your heartstrings and it takes all your might to actually carry on walking away.

Thankfully, the principle of the school sent me a text message literally 2 minutes later to say that Lily was over it and was back to her usual self.  Phew, relief... Then came day number 4, today, and the same thing happened.  My little angel was reluctant for me to leave and again had to be taken away by the teacher while tears streamed down her little cheeks.  Enough to make me want to run back to her and give her a comforting love and cuddles.  But as I was driving out, another mom who was still in the classroom when I left stopped me to tell me that after less than a minute, she was absolutely fine again.  She had her bunny and her dummy and was content.  The school then phoned me an hour later to also let me know that all is one hundred percent fine.  So no more worries for me!

I hope the morning tears soon fade away as I know Lily is really enjoying her first few days at school.  I'm so exceptionally proud of her - she manages the entire day without any tears and seems to be flourishing and joining in with all the activities.  My precious little angel... getting so big...

The big day

So the big day has finally arrived - the first day of school for our little Lily angel pie.  We had prepared her during the course of the week so she understood that we were going to her new school this morning.  We got dressed quite early and she immediately made her way to the garage door and said "Let's go to school!".  I had to tell her that it was in fact too early and we would be going in a little while.  She was most certainly eager!

When we arrived at school and I took her out of the car, this little voice said, "Thank you for brining Lily to my new school mommy!"  It was too precious and so heartwarming.  It was almost too much for this slightly emotional mom already.  She then made me giggle by asking me for money in her purse for school!  What she thought she was going to buy I have no idea!

We went into her new classroom quite comfortably due to the orientation last week and she immediately went to the kitchen area to play with the breads, stove and kitchen utensils.  She didn't show any interest in the other children and neither did they show any interest in her.  They all just seemed interested in the toys and keeping themselves occupied.

After 20 minutes with her, she asked to do some painting and her teacher told her they would paint when mommy had left.  So I took that as my cue to leave.  I said, "Lily, mommy is going to go now, I will be back a little later to fetch you."  Lily then said, "Bye bye mommy, can I have a kiss?" Bless, so I gave her a big hug and a kiss and made my way to the classroom door.  As I was about to leave I heard a happy shout from across the room "Bye bye mommy!", just to let me know that she was happy and not phased about my leaving. 

Boy was I surprised by the turn of events!  Who would have guessed that my little Lily, who can be very "ma vas" at times, was so confident and content to be left at school!  I am so extremely proud of my little angel.

From that moment on, I clock watched, willing the time to draw closer to 12:00 when I'd fetch my baby.  In the mean time the school sent me 2 messages - one merely stating a very reassuring "Doing great" and then another message along with a photograph saying that she had settled in perfectly and was doing great.  Another confirmation to ease this mom's worries.

I made sure I was at the school at 11:50 and waited outside her classroom.  When the door opened and she saw my face, she came running out to me with a huge smile.  So happy to see me, yet quite happy about the morning she had spent at school.  When we left she said a confident "Bye Morah Stacey" to her teacher and off we went to the car.  On the way I asked her about her day - what games she played, what she ate, who she played with and she gladly answered my inquisitive questions.  I then said that we would be going back tomorrow and she said, "No mommy, I don't want to go back tomorrow. I'm finished school."...  Thankfully I have asked her since, as have Ritah and her dad and she has happily agreed that she is going back to school tomorrow.  I am aware of the fact that day 2 and 3 can be worse as they're now aware of what's in store for them, so I'm holding thumbs that she is still as happy and amazing as she was today.

I am one very proud mommy! xxx

Ready for my first day at school

The day is drawing near...

My precious little baby's first day of school is drawing near...  Every time I think about taking her to her classroom and leaving her behind, my heart literally wants to explode and my eyes well up with tears.  I am so not looking forward to Monday (5 more sleeps).  If she cries when I say goodbye it is going to kill me.  My poor baby is quite a shy little pumpkin who takes a while to warm to situations and crowds, how is she going to cope without me there - I'm always with her and now it is time to let go...  I think this is possibly going to be a harder transition for me than it will be for her.

I came across this little prayer and thought it so apt:

Today we had orientation at the school and Lily had a wonderful time.  She seemed to warm towards her new teacher, Morah Stacey, and loved playing with the new toys and all the puzzles on the maths table.  At the end when we went to say goodbye she happily gave Stacey a hug and kiss goodbye which was lovely to see.  I can only wish that Monday goes as well as orientation did today.  Fingers crossed!

Sleep issues

As I type this I am blinking my sandpaper eyelids in a futile attempt to try to stay awake.  I'm battling... Zac had yet another bad night, waking hourly.  He battled right from the get go when I put him down at 7:15pm.  He seems to battle to get comfortable and will sleep for a few minutes before letting out a hearty cry and then it's my cue to head upstairs again, rock him back to sleep and place him back in his cot where I pray he will drift off into Slumber Land and awake at a humane hour.  Unfortunately that was not to be...

So from that moment on, Zac woke up almost every single hour until he started our day at 5:30am.  I am shattered.  At lunch time today he also fought sleep and even though he appeared to be in a deep sleep, as soon as I put him down in his cot, he woke up.  Eventually I managed to get him down and, touch wood, he is still sleeping.  I don't want to "drug" my child too often, but I think tonight calls for some Aterax in order for the both of us to actually catch up on some sleep.  I don't think I could face another night like I had last night any time soon.

In the mean time I have emailed Lynn Woods, the Baby Routine Specialist who helped with Lily's sleep training when she was 15 months old.  I am waiting to hear back from her as to whether I can implement the same training techniques I used for Lily or whether I need to have a consultation with her due to Zac's younger age.  I'm definitely considering taking drastic steps if this continues, but it just breaks my heart that he is so young - don't think I can leave him to cry...

So here's to hoping, crossing fingers, praying and begging that tonight is a better night!