Barmy days of summer

Gods but it's hot. We're just getting kidlet back on track after a stressful two weeks, and today's heat hasn't helped anyone's temperament one jot.

Remember his throat ouchee a couple of weeks ago? As soon as that was healed it was time to get his 3 month innoculations, and poor little blighter got three jabs (and six innoculations) in one foul swoop. One of them was the #2 meningicoccal jab, and like the first one, he got a fever and was out of sorts for a few days.

Well that's understating it really.. it knocked him for six. (A cricket term that may or may not be understood by the Northern Hemisphere readers, but sufficeth to say, a good time was NOT had by all!)

Such was the disruption to his system, that he went from one (often none) wakeups during the night to more and more wakings, reaching a crisis point on Thursday night when he wouldn't sleep for more than 45 minutes at a time. Getting up to a hungry & grouchy baby five times in one night is a bit much.

During the day, however, he was right as rain, greedier than ever, mostly happy in himself once the first rough few days had passed.

Nothing for it but to go back to the doctor and ask if his reflux problem had returned.

Yep.. with a vengeance. Seems I picked a very bad time to lower that cot.

So Braeden is now on Losec once a day, and is a changed kidlet. Instead of 1200-1500 ml of milk (a litre of formula and the rest off MummyMilkBar) plus solids, he's now only looking for about 800ml all up (plus solids, natch). (Speaking of solids, he's become very interested in the meat part of his parents' dinner and I thought he was going to make a grab for my spare rib tonight)

(Hang on... kidlet waking. I'll grab him and come right back)

It seems he needed the extra milk to act as an antacid (and as a side effect was in such a massive growth spurt he put on 4 cm length and nearly a kilo in weight in less than a month!). Remove the tummyache and the pressing need for extra milk was reduced ... except he's now waking up after sleeps thinking he's cruelly starved because his belly isn't quite so full all the time.

His doctor is quite chuffed with him, and said he's closer to a 5mth old in development and behaviour. Braeden can now roll to and from either side with ease, and today twice rolled from there on to his tummy during his "naked baby time". (Play mat on floor, nekkid kid on mat, fan circling above. That and two baths were the only things that kept my boy sane today in 32+ degree heat)

Braeden can play with his hands as easily as he does with his feet now, and engages all four limbs to assault the playgym. He has long chats with the baby in the mirror, and generally generates quite a lot of noise most of the time. If he's not cooing, giggling, chortling or gabbling, he's bellowing about some outrage or other ;-)

Anyhoo, it's damn hard to touchtype with a seven bloody kilo baby on your arm, so that's all from us for the mo, Brae and I are going off to have a cool drink.

Sorry about the delays in updates, but until two nights ago we were only getting about three hours of very fractured sleep per day (between us, sometimes) so just getting through the day and doing a little client work (and being full time baby slaves) was all we could find the energy for.

Oh yeah.. and littlest Barraband is now getting feathers, and is big and strong enough to insist on his fair share of the rations so our interventions have ceased :-)

Pix when we get the chance :-) Hope all is well with you and yours!