Hello!
Yup, I've pretty much dropped off the face of the planet huh? LOL... having a baby is a lot more work than I thought it would be (how naiive was I??). So lately I've just been using the time I've got on the computer to design and that's pretty much it. Except if I'm procrastinating, which is what I'm doing now!
Wow, so Josh was only a couple of weeks old when I last posted! So much has happened in that time, it's gonna take a bit of catching up, so I apologise in advance for the mega long post if it turns out that way - LOL!
My sister got married on the 1st September over at Stradbroke Island, and it was just lovely. Travelling with Josh was not the nightmare I thought it would be, and the place we stayed at was just awesome! I kept saying to Marty the whole time that it would be nice if we were still just a couple cos it would have been a good romantic getaway type thingy. Except for the 4 week old baby... heehee! She made a gorgeous bride and the day went off without a hitch. They'd asked everyone to wear white to the wedding, and at first everyone couldn't see the point, but when we got to the beach and everyone was standing there in white, against the sand, sea and perfect blue sky, it looked so lovely! Because I was pregnant when they were planning the wedding it was a bit hard for me cos I'd always wanted to be her bridesmaid, but because they had the wedding when they did it was pretty much impossible. I was really sad about that, and it made me feel really bad that they knew I was pregnant when they chose the date. But, in the end they made me a part of the ceremony, and it was lovely, except for the fact that I only knew about it 5 minutes beforehand - LOL! So, I looked like such a third wheel standing there in my post-natal outfit, and them looking so glam... anyways it all turned out great, and they had a wonderful day, so all is good :) Here's some pics of the beautiful couple:
So, the weekend after the wedding Josh started to have some troubles. It all kinda started when I couldn't breastfeed. Not that I didn't want to, but he wouldn't latch on, I didn't get the support I needed, and I was a nervous wreck... we tried until he was around 4 weeks old, and I was expressing for him, but it just wasn't happening so he went to formula. I was upset, but the whole situation was just stressing everyone, including Josh, out so much it just wasn't worth it anymore.
Just after he went wholly to formula, he started to get a bit constipated, which is pretty common, and we did go into the hospital one night when it was particularly bad and they told us it would all clear itself up in good time, and not to worry too much. On the advice of a health nurse a couple of weeks later we switched to another formula, and it was great for a couple of days. He wasn't having any more troubles, and we thought it had all sorted itself out. Then one night, a week after the wedding, he started to poo pure blood. It was terrifying. You see, Marty had been giving me the day off and was looking after him, but he's colour-blind. So he hadn't noticed the blood - he just thought it was brown. Anyways, we raced him into the hospital and he had to be cannulated and put on a drip. It was the most awful feeling - they asked us to leave the room while they inserted the cannula, and I felt so helpless! It was all quiet and then he started screaming in the next room, and there was nothing I could do but cry and hope they weren't hurting him too bad...
Turns out he was allergic to the cow's milk protein in the formula, which apparently is very common and they usually outgrow it after 12 months. So they put him on a prescription formula, and initially it was a hassle because he hated it, but it seemed to be going fine... Then we went back to the specialist the following week for a check up and he'd started to lose weight. They said it could just be an adjustment phase, and they'd check him the following week. And for the next 2 weeks he lost weight :( It was awful, he lost 600g total, and they had no idea why. Each time he went in, they'd give him blood tests and on one occasion his neutrophils (?sp) had dropped dangerously low and we had to keep him "in quarantine" because his body wouldn't have been able to fight any bacteria it came into contact with.. OMG what an awful time that was. I've never been more frightened or my nerves so shot in all my life!
Thankfully, after about 6 weeks it all settled down and he finally started to gain weight - yippee!! Now he's healthy and a little chubber and so damn cute - I just love him to bits! The best bit is, he's been sleeping through the night since he was 6 weeks old, so that was a huge turning point for us as well. Makes life so much easier when you can have more than a couple of hours' sleep at a time! And, of course, now he's smiling and cooing and doing all that stuff that just makes my heart melt... Man, I've never been so fiercely in love with anything in my life! He's a good baby too - only really cries when he's hungry. Although, I think his teeth are starting to move around cos he's getting a bit grizzly, but I can't complain cos he's been so great until now!
Here's some more recent pics that I think are the cutest... please excuse me and my tuckshop lady chins/arms/body, but I've let myself go - LOL! I guess there's plenty of time to get my figure back :) Not that I had that great a one to start with... ah well :) And the quality of a few of them isn't the best because I was just holding the camera and blind-shooting, but the expression on his face is just priceless and they're some of my faves...
Isn't he a cutie?? Yeah, I'm biassed, but I could just eat him up... love him so much!
And then, some more sad news... My wonderful sweet Nana passed away on the 19th October... I've actually handled it a lot better than I thought I ever would. Nana dying was always one of my biggest fears and I always thought I'd fall apart when it happened, but for some reason I'm okay. I think it probably happened at a time in my life when I can accept it. I really feel like she's at peace, and it makes me feel good for her. I have my moments, and I don't know if I'm just putting off the inevitable by keeping myself busy, but so far so good. I loved her with all my heart, and I know that she knew that. I'm just thankful for the 26 years I had her in my life. She was a wonderful, strong and loving woman who did everything for us, and I will always remember that... I don't think I can go into it any more because no amount of words I can say will sum up how I felt for her :)
So, that pretty much brings me up to date. I had a few new products in the store over the last few weeks, including a kit dedicated to my lovely Nana...
some buttons:
and some alphas:
Yay!! Blog post done! :) Whew... I'll try to do it more regularly so I don't have to chew your ear off so much next time - LOL!
Thanks for reading, and I hope you are all well :)
Zoe
And, check it out... his very first pair of Vans thanks to his Aunty Kell & Uncle Clayt! Look at the soles on them... priceless! I love baby shoes.. I think it's cos they're completely useless, but that just makes them even cuter :D
Well, that's pretty much it on the personal front :) Yeah, I know I'm boring... I need to get some sort of life happening so I have more to talk about than my baby - LOL!! Ah well...
You can click on the images above to go to the store :)
