Joshua’s first week

Joshua’s first week at home has been very relaxed and peaceful. We have taken lots of time to get to know our beautiful little boy and we have had lots of visitors drop by and see us.

John’s sister Julie and her daughter Samantha came to visit for the school holidays. So it was great to see them and introduce Joshua to them.

Aunty Julie and Joshua

Samantha and Joshy

John went back to work on Monday but one of the benefits of being in business for ourselves was he came home early each day and left late each morning! lol

I have spent the week resting and getting over my operation and each day getting stronger. I am losing weight faster than I put it on!! and am already 10kgs lighter, so I am happy about that. (Only put on 13-14kgs for the whole pregnancy).

Aunty Cheryl and Joshua

On Wednesday Joshua went for his first walk in the pram. Omi and Daniel took him to the shops on the only sunny afternoon for the whole week. On Saturday Night Joshy went to his first party at Matt and Melissa’s “Christmas in July”.

With Nanna

He is sleeping and feeding well and is only waking up mostly once a night sometimes twice, so I am pretty happy about that. We are all getting enough sleep so far.

Only time will tell as the boys go back to school next week and my mum goes home, so I am going to have to get super organised for the early morning starts!!

Daniel and Amy playing with Joshua

I will report back next week on how things are going. We are once again having a Not Just Papers Shop during Mary Kay Seminar so we will be busy.

Michelle

xxxxx

Our first weekend Home

We left the hospital at 10:45 am on Saturday for the short drive home to Mill Park.

Joshy and Mummy ready to leave hospital

Joshua got to drive in John’s Prius and he looked so cute sitting in his capsule to ride in the car.

Joshua ready for his first car ride

It didn’t take us long to get home and Omi and Opi, Taylor and Daniel were waiting for us.

There was lots of fighting about who was going to bring Joshua inside, who was going to take him out of his capsule, who was going to hold him first!

The boys certainly love their little brother.

Joshua with 2 of his big brothers at home

Later in the afternoon Josy’s big sister Amy came over and then James and Aunty Cheryl visited as well.

After a big day at home Saturday, we spent a quiet Sunday with our beautiful little boy who just slept, feed and gurgled all day long.

Joshua also had his first play with Amy and Daniel and was awake for over an hour in the afternoon, which was good.

Josh and Amy

After another bath – we have so many helpers!!! lol

- we put Joshy to sleep and went to bed for another round of night feeds!! hehehe

After a feed in the lovely suit Nanna knitted me

Joshua Day 5 – Happy 4th of July

Once again Joshua was really good overnight. The 2 rooms on either side of our hospital room were very very noisy!!! These people drove us mad, had to believe that they don’t think what they do can impact on others, but the result was Joshy stirred a little during the night every time either their babies cried, or the parents were talking IN THE CORRIDOR at 3.30am!!!!

Another morning cuddle with daddy

I sent Joshua to the nursery to sleep at around 1.30am as he never really woke up, but stirred every time the noise levels rose, so I woke up thinking he was ready to feed and he went back to sleep and all I did was listen to the noise next door!! lol

Opi and Omi with their new grandson

Today we had another good day. The “old” Joshua was back. He was absolutely adorable all day and so good we were pinching ourselves again.

Omi has a cuddle

He self settles, rarely cries out unless hungry or needs a nappy change and is really strong – he can move his head all the way to either side and can even lift it a little bit.

All the grand parents came to visit today and Taylor and Daniel of course have been everyday to see their little brother.

We are all looking forward to going home tomorrow and learning how to live together with Joshua in his home, with his loving family. 

My big brother Taylor

Joshy with his Daddy's frown!!!

Joshua Day 4

First cuddle with daddy in bed

Joshua was such a good baby on Wednesday and slept well overnight. As often happens just when we were thinking we got the perfect child, all day he was grizzly.

He started off ok, waking up in the morning and spending time with his daddy in bed.

We tried everything with him but he would only settle when we held him and cuddled him, where as the day before he was happy to settle himself in his bed.

First Bath

Even though we wondered what we were doing wrong, it was nice for us to do nothing all day but look after our little boy!!

His daddy gave him his first bath and he was a bit stressed about that at first, but he needed a wash after not being able to have a bath for the first 3 days of his life.

As evening came he eventually settled around 11pm ish and we all went to  bed, wondering what our last day in hospital would bring before we went home.

 

 

Alert after a good feed

Talking to Aunty Dianna in Canada on MSN!

Joshua Day 3

Joshua finally came out of the nursery just before midnight and spent his first night with us. It was wonderful to have him spend the night with us, even if daddy slept through the first wake up at 2am!!!

We had a good day today getting to know each other and he finally got to put his own clothes on and got wrapped in his own bunny rug.

His breastfeeding is going well and he is really placid and quite quiet. Not like his brothers at all!!!

Tonight he has his Hep B vaccine and also the PKU heal screening. Even that only upset him for a short time and a few minutes on the breast afterwards settled him right down.

He has been a bit vomitty today, but the Dr says that this is only from all the mucus in his lungs and he’s not too worried about it yet but will check on him again tomorrow.

Our first photo all together

Michelle and her 3 boys

 

This photo is my favourite

 

Joshua Day 2

Joshua in the isolette

His paediatrician spoke to me early to discuss when he can come of the drip etc…

I said to him “when can I break my baby out of your jail??”!! lol… he told me that my obstetrician had said to him on Monday that I was a “strong woman”…hahahaha you can imagine what was really said!!!

But he also said that Joshua could come out today sometime, after his drip is lowered gradually and as long as his glucose levels were good. He said to me “with your permission I would like to give him 3mls of formula every 3 hrs to keep his blood sugar levels up?” He asked very nicely and was a bit shocked when I said “no”!!! lol

After discussing with him (around and around)…he agreed that I could breastfeed him at least 3 times today before his sugar levels were tested, and only then would we give him formula if he needed it.

So today we have spent the day with me walking better and better and me feeding Joshua every 3 hours and then expressing after each feed so we can give him extra.

So when he was fed, John then gave him the extra milk from the end of the previous feed to top him up…instead of trying formula etc..

Then tonight at his 7.30pm feed, Midwife Val said she needed to do his glucose test. Joshua had to get a score of 2.5 or higher to not need the formula supplements. His score was 3.9!!! I was so happy that he didn’t have to have any formula to top him up.

Out of the Nursery at 11:50pm!!

The drip is being lowered enough now, so that from the 1.30am feed he will be allowed to come into our room and stay with us until we go home.

Can’t wait for Day 3 when he’s with us all the time

Joshua and Nanna

Welcome Joshua John

Joshua being born

At 11.27 am on Monday June 30, 2008 our beautiful boy Joshua was born by Caesarean section at Northpark Private Hospital in Bundoora, Melbourne Victoria.

Shortly after he was born some mucus from his lungs came up and got lodged in his throat and he needed air and had to have his throat and lungs cleared. It was decided then that he had to be transferred to the nursery for some oxygen and help with his breathing.

As my operation was finished, John went with Joshy to the nursery to settle him in.

He was placed in an “isolette” (in the old days it was called a humidy crib) and got set up with oxygen and a drip.

Our first family photo

He was so small looking in the big container but I was able to touch him through the arm holes.

While I was still in theatre John took all the children and our parents in to see Joshua, but only 2 at a time were allowed then, so of course they were all excited by the time I got to my room, for them to see me.

Later that night, after everyone had left John and I got to take Joshy out of the isolette and hold him for the first time and I was able to breastfeed him a little bit.

We went to sleep well after a long day with our little boy not in the same room as us but pretty close by being well looked after for us

Baby to Arrive Tomorrow

The Baby Nursery - all ready

We are all packed and ready to go to bed…tomorrow our beautiful baby arrives )

Christmas – New Year 2007/2008

I think for the past few years we have started our Christmas letter by saying we can’t believe how quickly the year has gone and this year is no exception. In fact Christmas came so quickly our Christmas cards printed in America didn’t make it on time to send before Christmas but I wanted to send them anyway, even though a bit late.

So I guess that means our Christmas letter is really a Happy New Year letter! Once again we have had a busy year. Our family holiday in January to Dromana Beach, where we hired a beach house was great fun and the kids got to spend lots of time with John’s family, who have a holiday house and boat shed down there.  

March saw my 40^th Birthday celebrations. We had a great party at our house with lots of family and friends coming from Adelaide to help celebrate.  The boys started at Mill Park Heights Primary this year, we are 8 houses from the end of the street and the school crossing almost on the corner, so it was fantastic to be able to walk them to school each day and to also teach them some independence by walking to and from school some days by themselves. 

Both Taylor and Daniel did really well at school this year. Their reports were great and Taylor’s was the best of his entire school career so far. We are very proud of how well he achieved and improved in his final year of primary school. In Victoria kids got to high school in year 7 and so we will be of to Ivanhoe Grammar next year. The Mernda campus is co-ed and is located in the northern suburbs and our block of land is in the estate next door to the school. Next year we hope to build our house and so he will be able to walk to school then, with Daniel to join him in 2010. 

Amy continued with her drama this year and towards the end of the year took up kick boxing. She finished her first year of high school and will be in year 8 next year. James completed year 11 and will do year 12 in 2008. He will need to work hard (harder than he realizes!!) to complete the year. He continues to do well with his music and his band “Charisma Effect” played at a few “gigs” during the year. We really enjoy seeing them play and James and his mates love it. 

The boys continued with their sport this year. In March they finished their first year of cricket here in Melbourne. Taylor was Captain of the side and they were undefeated for the year. He got the Batting Award and Daniel got the most improved award. They were both very proud of themselves and rightly so. Winter saw Taylor play football again. His slight physique is starting to catch up with him and the kids around his are getting bigger and bigger (which makes him look even smaller). He had a good year and got 3^rd Best and Fairest, which he was stocked about. Summer this year as seen them both play cricket again and Daniel has been bowling and batting well and is much improved from last season. He is still in the Under 12 Development team but has tripled his previous batting high score and continues to spin-bowl better than a lot of kids in his age group. Taylor made the Under 12 Div 1 team this year and score 48 (not out) in his first game. That magic 50 still eludes him but he is aiming hard for it. He is wicket keeper and 3^rd batsman for his side and is playing really well. He was asked to try out for the District Cricket side and was chosen as one of only 24 boys in his age group to play in the State competitions in January. He is in the Josh Brown Plate Side and it is from here that they choose boys to train or the State Team. He is so excited, we are very proud and he has done so well in being chosen no matter what happens when he plays. 

John and I have been traveling a bit again this year. We went to America again in September for a conference in San Francisco. It was an in and out trip. We spent only 5 days there and 2 days traveling! So only away a week. But it was terrific and we learnt lots at the Internet Marketing Event. We made numerous trips to Sydney and went to Brisbane/Gold Coast for a workshop with people we are joint venturing with. We have started a membership website: www.RaisingGiftedKids.com which helps parents raise gifted kids and gives them tools and tips to do it. Our internet business has been developing well this year and in March I had a friend start working with me at home full time each week. Melissa and I work steadily each day on developing our ideas and keeping the websites running. Not Just Papers continued to grow this year and we had a very successful “store” in a hotel room at Crown during Mary Kay Seminar in July.

Our biggest news of the year came towards the end of it. After trying for well over a year we found out we are having a baby in July next year. The children are very excited and can’t wait. John and I had given up thinking it would happen and so were a bit shocked at the beginning, but now (as my stomach grows) it is becoming more of a reality. So far everything is going well and I am not having the morning sickness I experienced with each of the boys, so we are all hoping this time it’s a girl!! I feel sorry for the baby if it’s a boy….a girl is wanted all round so far!!! Lol 

We have set up this family website, if you would like to keep abreast of our news. And as always you can contact us by email or mail or phone. We would love to have visitors for our friends in Adelaide who want to come for a holiday. I have included some photos of our year, look forward to keeping in touch next year through our website here.

We hope you had a lovely Christmas and wish you a happy and healthy New Year and 2008. 

Love John, Michelle, James, Amy, Taylor, Daniel and ???

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Welcome to our blog

Our first post is our Chrismtas / New Year Letter we sent to our family and friends

Enjoy