Some Livia' luvin

Livia just loves to play with Aidan - sometimes we have to try to curb her enthusiasm a little, as her games can be a little rough. My blood pressure rises every time I have to nip out of the room for even a second - since she still seems to want to poke out an eye, or give what appears to be infant CPR. But here are a few sibling shots, after I was brave enough to put the two together on the couch.

Kisses...


Cuddles...
Showing Aidan where his mouth is

And where her toes are!

Hip Hip Hooray!

Aidan

• Age: 13 weeks
• Weight: 5.1 kgs (11 lbs 5 oz)
• Length: 59 cm (23.23 inches)
• Average hours of sleep: Up to an 8 hour stretch at night - getting there! The trick is which 8 hours.... Three fairly predictable daytime naps.
  
• Latest tricks: Miles and miles of smiles! First trip to the emergency room at Royal Brisbane Children's Hospital. Narrowly escaping needing a lumbar puncture. Lots of thumb-sucking. Quite a bit of cooing.

Livia

• Age: 2 years old !
• Weight: 11.5 kg (25 lbs 6 oz)
• Height: 83 cm (32.7 inches)
• Average hours of sleep: 11 at night (although it can be less since it gets light now at 4.30am!), a single 2 or sometimes 3 hour nap at lunchtime
• Latest tricks: Collage! Lots of interaction with Aidan - turns out he's a good partner for Row Row Row Your Boat

Poor old Aidan has had a tough couple of weeks. He caught a cold 2 weeks ago, which really put him off his food - one night he even went 12 hours between feeds! Bliss you might think, except that instead of us sleeping, we tried several times to get him to feed. He rallied though, and didn't seem too bothered by the snotty nose and phlegmy cough that hung around for several days afterwards. He had nearly recovered from that, when last Friday, he came down with a high temperature. It stayed high on Saturday, and when it got above 39, we took him to the after hours medical centre, who sent us on to the hospital after a temperature measurement of 39.7. Despite the fever, he seemed pretty perky, and was feeding well, so he managed to avoid the lumbar puncture to rule out meningitis. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to avoid two attempts at a suprapubic aspirate (translation: a needle stuck into his lower abdomen to obtain a clean urine sample). Since neither worked, we ended up sitting him on Chris without a nappy, while I held the specimen cup. Within a minute or so, he produced the goods, and when the results of that and the blood tests all came back negative, we were permitted to go home (having been told earlier in the evening we'd definitely be admitted). By the morning, he was fever-free, and passed his hospital review with ease. So now we are just trying to catch up on missed sleep (it was 1am by the time we got home from the hospital, and someone forgot to send Liv the memo to let us sleep in).

Speaking of our little lass, Livia's birthday was this last week (although we will hold her party at the end of the month, when her Nana and Poppa are in town to help celebrate). We had a pretty quiet day - we went to a TinyTots gym class, followed by a trip to see Daddy at work for a Babycino (foamy milk with cocoa on top) and a carrot cupcake as a treat. She loved opening her presents and really got into the Hip Hip Hooray part of the Happy Birthday song. She was a bit freaked out by candles at first, but after a few times was able to give a halfway decent puff towards blowing them out. Here are a few highlights, but more photos can be found on the November Facebook or Picasa pages (see right).

Babycino bliss

Hip Hip Hooray! (With Great Granpa's Teddy Bear card)

Admiring the homemade T-shirts from Aunty Celia

Is this how I put it on?

Right before opening Aunty Bryna's prezzie

She's really getting into art, and now craft as well - she brought home her first collage from daycare recently.


She also really loves to use Aidan as a prop in her action rhymes, as you can see from the movie. He's pretty laid back about it, but I do have to intervene when she wants to sit on his knee. Nearly 12 kg versus just over 5 kg does not a fair match make!

Our little thumb-sucker

Aidan has now found his thumb! And is quite happy seek comfort with it, especially following some sibling lovin' (bordering on baby-bashing).

He's also quite the chip off the old Chris.

And the littler one said....

Aidan

• Age: 11 weeks
• Weight: 4.9 kgs (10 lbs 13 oz)
• Length: 59 cm (23.23 inches)
• Average hours of sleep: Up to a 7 hour stretch at night. 3 daytime naps, usually.
  
• Latest tricks: Rolling from tummy to back!
  

Livia

• Age: 23.5 months
• Weight: 11.1 kg (24 lbs 7 oz)
• Height: 83 cm (32.7 inches)
• Average hours of sleep: 11 at night, a single 2 or sometimes 3 hour nap at lunchtime
• Latest tricks: Baby gymnastics. Eating beetroot, spinach, asparagus. Word explosion - lots of sentences.
  

Aidan has learnt to roll over from his tummy to his back! He's done it a couple of times over the last week, but today I managed to catch it on camera. Livia first learned to roll over later - around 17 weeks, but she started with rolling from back to tummy, which is harder.




He's still quite the mini-Chris, as you can see. Here are a few shots in Dad's arms, including one of the first smiles.

Meanwhile, Livia has started going to TinyTots Baby gym classes. They have a big room with padded mats on the floor, and a big room with all sorts of play equipment. She is a bit shy around all the other children, but she loves playing with the hoops and balls. Once she gets warmed up, she also likes to run around and dance on the mats. The instructor, Bec, is great, and really works hard to get to know all the kids.

We have also pieced together a little cat costume for Livia. Check her out! Now, I had better go and start thinking about someone's 2nd birthday party...!

Strepping down

Aidan

• Age: 8 weeks
• Weight: 4.3 kgs (9 lbs 8 oz)
• Length: 54 cm (21.25 inches)
• Average hours of sleep: A bit more alert now, and will often (but not always) go for 6 hours uninterrupted at night, usually from 10pm-4am.
  
• Latest tricks: Starting to smile!

Livia

• Age: 23 months
• Weight: 11.1 kg (24 lbs 7 oz)
• Height: 83 cm (32.7 inches)
• Average hours of sleep: 11 at night, a single 2 or sometimes 3 hour nap at lunchtime
• Latest tricks: Watering the garden, starting to count and do ABCs.

Unfortunately, Livia and I have been a bit sick this last week. She's been bringing home loads of bugs from daycare, and sharing them with the rest of us! I've had tonsillitis this week (supposedly strep throat, but we're not too sure since my throat still feels like I've swallowed broken glass and it's been over a week now), and Liv has also been on antibiotics. But the fellas have been a lot better off thank goodness. Although if Aidan could talk, he might not agree - he just had his first lot of jabs. Chris did have a cold, but didn't get a lot of sympathy from the rest of us.

We're in the middle of clearing out our balcony to turn it into a little playground for Livia. Seeing as it is trickier than before to go out as often, we'd like to have a few more outside activities for her that we can do at home. A bit of a challenge in a two bedroom upstairs apartment! So far, we have focussed on the clearing out bit, but we did get her a clam shell thing that we can use as either a sandpit or a paddling pool. That isn't set up yet, but we do have a few shots of her watering the garden with her new watering can.

Six weeks!

Aidan

• Age: 6 weeks
• Weight: 3.7 kgs (8 lbs 2 oz)
• Length: 49.5 cm (19.5 inches)
• Average hours of sleep: a lot! Longest stretch is now 5 hours at night, apart from during a growth spurt, in which case it is 2 hours
• Latest tricks: More of the same, still waiting for the elusive smiles

Livia

• Age: 22.5 months
• Weight: 11.1 kg (24 lbs 4 oz)
• Height: 83 cm (32.7 inches)
• Average hours of sleep: 11 at night, a single 2 or sometimes 3 hour nap at lunchtime
• Latest tricks: Lots of swimming! Putting two or three words together and simply 2-3 word sentences e.g. 'I love you', 'How are you?' and 'All fall down'.

Wee Aidan is not so little any more! He's gained around 700 grams (more than 1 1/2 pounds) over the last two weeks, and we can really notice the difference. While still not exactly chubby, he actually has cheeks and even a few dimples (as distinct from wrinkly skin from not enough fat!). The longest stretch of sleep at night is also gradually being extended - we're now up to 5 hours, usually from 9pm to 2am, or thereabouts.

Meanwhile Livia continues to enjoy cuddling him, and often goes looking for him during the day to say hi. If we tell her he's asleep, then she will shush us. If we change his nappies, she lies down next to him and puts a nappy on herself. If we are burping him, she comes to tap him on the back to make him go 'pop'.

As the temperatures rise, we received a timely offer from a neighbour to use their pool whenever we like. Here are a few photos from our first few trips (more found in the September photos):

Aidan's Due Date Day!

Aidan

• Age: 1 month
  
• Weight: 3.0 kgs (6 lbs 9 oz)
  
• Length: 49.5 cm (19.5 inches)
  
• Average hours of sleep: a lot! Longest stretch is 4/4.5 hours at night
  
• Latest tricks: Feeding, sleeping, pooing, peeing, puking and... growing!

Livia

• Age: 22 months
• Weight: 11.0 kg (24 lbs 4 oz)
• Height: 83 cm (32.7 inches)
  
• Average hours of sleep: 11 at night, a single 2 or sometimes 3 hour nap at lunchtime
• Latest tricks: Finger puppets, doing dishes, watering plants. Saying no... a LOT, and quite a few more back-arching tantrums.

Today is Aidan's due date - and he is 30 days old! I can't quite believe how it all happened, but looking back, I'm very happy at the way things turned out. Thankfully, despite being premature and very small even for a preemie, Aidan didn't have any complications, and is growing fast! He seems so easy to look after, especially compared to a toddler! Also, it seems like he isn't against taking a dummy when he is a bit fussy (unlike his older sister). We try to use it only sparingly, but it's a nice thing to fall back on.

He's still pretty small. Aidan weighed in this morning at 3.0 kg (6 lbs 9 oz)and 49.5cm (19.5 inches). If he had been born today with those stats, he would have been 10th percentile for weight and 40th percentile for height (not unlike his old man I suspect). However, since he competes in the one month old category, he is not even on the charts! Still not quite measuring up to Livia at birth, as you can see (identical onesie in both photos):



Meanwhile Livia just keeps on learning more and more new words. She loves the complicated ones now - abracadabra, happy birthday, and 'wassup! are her new favourites. She has settled really well into daycare, and is out the door so fast on those days (Thursday and Friday). We may drop her down to one day later on, but for now it's nice to have a couple of toddler-free days. It means I can spend more one on one time with Aidan (and the place gets vacuumed!). Livia is now very much in the middle of the 'no' period, so we are learning to rephrase our questions... 'which skirt do you want to wear - this one or this one?', instead of 'do you want to wear this?' or 'shall we get dressed?'.

And as for me, I'm pretty happy not to be pregnant any more! I have so much more energy. We've had so many lovely meals cooked by friends for us, I haven't even had to do much cooking (although we have been having a lot of fun with a new bbq and breadmaker in the house!).

There are tonnes of photos of Aidan and Livia on Picasa and Facebook (see under Links to Photos in right hand column). Best to take a look at them there! From now on, they will be organised by month.

Updates for now

Aidan Luca Flaim arrived unexpectedly early on Wednesday August 5, 2009 at 3.48pm at the Royal Brisbane Women's Hospital. He weighed in at a featherweight 2.025 kg (4 lbs 7 oz), and measured 44 cm in length, head circumference 32 cm. Aidan made great progress without having to go to the Special Care Unit and Mum and Aidan got to come home on Day 3. On Day 4, Aidan was back to his birthweight, and between Days 6 and 9, he was gaining 100 grams (3.5oz) a day!

It may be a while until we get back to updating this blogpage on a regular basis, but new photos/movies are posted several times a week on facebook: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=114180&id=618921813&l=ed0961627b
and picasaweb: http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/theflaims/AidanMonth1#

New table and pigtails

Today we bought a cute little toddler table for Livia... and tried out a new 'do'. Check them out below...

Nana bathing Liv

Liv's Nana came over from Hamilton recently and joined us for a week (while Mum recovered from a cold). Nana stars in the kanga photos (see previous post), but also took over a lot of the bathtime duties...

Aunty Antics

A few weeks back, Liv was treated to a visit from her two Aunty Bs. They both stepped up to the task of entertaining, as you can see from below.

Liv with Roos

• Age: 20 months
• Weight: ????? (the scales broke)
  
• Average hours of sleep: 11 1/2 at night, a single 2 hour nap at lunchtime
• Latest tricks: Two days a week of daycare (3 weeks in), painting, roo-chasing, knows when she has done 'poos', canines coming in

With Nana in tow, we took Liv to the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary, where the biggest drawcard was in fact, the 'roos'. (Koalas are a bit more sleepy, and they aren't as easily accessible.) In theory, you can walk freely amongst the roos, but with a toddler, there's little freedom for the parents. One is required to be close behind Liv, making sure her high-pitched squeals don't excite a kanga-frenzy. Here are some of the highlights:

Liv with Nana and Poppa (from Modesto)

For all you avid Livia-lovers, apologies for the long delay in posting. We've been busy with visitors and visiting! Mid-May saw Livia's US Nana and Poppa visiting for 10 days, and here are some of the highlights...

Reading books with Nana
Bath time with Poppa

Cleaning teeth with Nana

A big cheesy grin at the playgroundOff for a walk around campus

Taking a stop at Chris's building - Livia shows us what she thinks of bioengineering

Back home, playing with Poppa and the new cars

Reading books with Poppa

Bee with Liv

• Age: 18 months
• Weight: 10.2 kg (22 lbs 7 oz)
• Average hours of sleep: 11 1/2 at night, a single 2 hour nap at lunchtime
• Latest tricks: FINALLY a few steps unaided, swim lessons, more words (bee, park, pasta, potatoes, apples, ta, amen), more signing (swings, kisses, amen)

As a treat for her 18 month birthday (OK, actually, because WE wanted to), we got Livia a Bee Wheelybug. These great little ride-on toys are locally made and have been Toy of the Year a bazillion times in Australia. We'd originally wanted to get her the ladybird one (see here: http://www.wheelybug.com/products.html) but she made up her own mind in the store.

B with Liv!

Aunty Bridget (aka 'B') from NZ came for the long weekend, and to celebrate, Livia took her first few faltering steps unaided. Although we have not captured it on video yet, here are a few pics of other things we got up to...

Chillin' with Aunty B before dinner
Walking (slowly) down by the seashore

A change of photographer
Icecream, guess who's the preggy one?

Liv samples a new food
And immediately lets us know what she thinks! (She's signing 'more')

The bump, aged 22 weeks