Archive for April, 2008

11 weeks old


28 Apr

Posted in Camping, Nathan's first year | No Comments »

Nathan can now grasp objects that are placed on his belly, and everything he grasps gravitates to the mouth. He loves the only musical toy that he has…it’s a pink and orange cow that plays Brahm’s lullaby. He also chats a lot…to us and to himself, though it can also be a pre-cursor to tired crying.

Nathan went on his first camping trip on the weekend. The days were sunny and warm, while the evening was a little cool. There was a huge campfire to sit around and help keep us warm. It was nice to spend some time outdoors!

Circle of life


24 Apr

Posted in Family, Nathan's first year | 2 Comments »

My experiences with death have all been quick. You get a phone call, essentially out of the blue, telling you of the sad news. It comes as a complete shock, and you will be sad that you didn’t get a chance to really say goodbye. I’ve often wondered whether it is easier or harder to cope with death when you know that someone is dying and you get the opportunity for that final farewell.

My grandmother is dying. At 91 years old she has had a long and, I hope, wonderful life. She has pancreatic cancer and is now in palliative care, having been given weeks, or months, to live. While she is doing ok she is staying with my parents. Although we had just been down to Victoria so that both my grandmothers could meet Nathan, I wanted to go back and see Grandma again now that she is out of hospital. I guess this was mostly for me, but also it was for Grandma so that she could spend a little time with Nathan.

I travelled down last Friday and came home again yesterday. I said goodbye to Grandma yesterday, knowing it was probably the last time I would see her (though I will still be able to talk to her on the phone). I wondered then, what are you supposed to say when you are given the opportunity for that final goodbye? We chatted for a while, but in the end I just gave her a big hug and told her that I loved her.

On the plane yesterday afternoon I looked at my 2.5 month old son lying in my lap and knew that he will never get to know his great grandmother. I am richer for having had such a wonderful relationship with my grandmother, and although she is at the end of her life I hope she is a little happier for having had some time with my son who is just starting his.

10 weeks old


21 Apr

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Clothes horse and toys, aka Baby Gym

Nathan experienced his second flight in an aeroplane this week.  Again he went very well, and was fed on the way up and also on the way down, which seems to work a treat.  The 300 km car trip to Horsham with Nathan (Andrew stayed in Sydney) was another story.   I had to call on the back-up…my parents and Grandma met me in Great Western and mum sat in the back of the car with Nathan for the rest of the trip, and he seemed to be quite happy with this arrangement.  This trip to Horsham was to spend some time with grandma, since she is staying with mum and dad for a while after being in hospital.  We are returning to Sydney on Wednesday, and Dad has decided to accompany me back to Melbourne to help keep Nathan quiet in the car. 

Nathan has started making all sorts of noises, as if he’s trying to talk.  I think it is so very cute!  He’s still not very good at grasping items, but anything he does get a hold of goes directly to the mouth!  He has also started to dribble quite a lot.  The poo I was worried about last week wasn’t as bad as expected, which is good because they all seem to be 4 or 5 days apart at the moment!

9 weeks old


14 Apr

Posted in Nathan's first year | 2 Comments »

Nathan has moved on from only smiling at people when lying on his back to smiling at others when I’m holding him (previously he had a very serious look when interacting with others when held by me). The gunky eye he’s had since birth is still gunky off and on. He had his 2 month vaccinations on Wednesday….the meningococcal was an oral vaccination that he hated, and it all went downhill from there with a jab in each thigh. The screaming didn’t stop until I fed him.  We get to repeat the whole, happy procedure in 2 months.
It is still hard to work out if Nathan is reaching for objects, but he definitely reached out for the doctor’s finger on Tuesday when I visited the third degree tear clinic. If he does manage to get something in his hand, it is destined for his mouth.

As always, nappy contents are of interest, and today is the fourth day without a poo. When it comes, I suspect it is going to be messy!

8 weeks old


07 Apr

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Funny Green Eggs and Ham

The acne is now all but gone. The rash occasionally flares up, but we don’t have white heads anymore.  Smiles are such a regular event now that everything seems to be funny to Nathan.  I love those smiles!   His little cooing noises are cute too.  I don’t think it will be long before Nathan is reaching out for things because I think he is showing some signs of reaching now, but they aren’t very coordinated yet.

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