Ready for pajama patrol!!!

No, we haven't disappeared off the face of the earth and no, we haven't started a new blog and haven't told you :-)  I've just been so incredibly busy that I haven't even had a chance to blog.

I'll post some pics of Q'ie on Monday and update you a bit on how things are with us.

Q'ie has gotten so big and is starting to crawl, he's only going backwards and in circles, but it's a start.  And he still has no teeth :-)

Have a great weekend everyone!

A friend of mine has been having troubles commenting on my blog for some time now.  she says she gets the error below, i've sent an e-mail to the H24 people, but have not had a reply yet.

anyone know why this is happening and what it is?

If you're a mommy you'll know what im talking about, and if you a mommy to be, then read up and be informed :-)

Suicide hour, no, im not about to kill myself, or have someone killed, but i am about to tell you what happens during this crucial time of the day.  I have really been blessed with an amazingly good baby (some of my friends hate me for what im about to say) he slept through from 6 weeks, he's never been deadly ill and he's all round healthy.  Problem though is that suicide hour is becoming increasingly testing.

Lately, Q'ie refuses to have his nap between 3 and 4, which makes suicide hour an whole 2 hours instead of one hour.  Normally during the one hour i would let him have some tummy time, he'll play on his "island" and sometimes we'll just lie on the carpet and play with all his toys.  This could keep him busy for max 45mins.  yesterday he had a cry fest for an whole hour (he isn't a crier in general) nothing I did would let him stop, not walking, not singing, not playing, nothing.  By the time hubby got home i was FEDUP.

today, well today i feel REALLY REALLY bad!!!  how can i get "angry" at a little baby for crying?  how can i even think of using the word fedup.  I longed for him my whole life and i love him endlessly, he shouldn't be the one im taking my stress out on.

I feel like a really bad mom, and wish that the patience i had will reappear soon and the stresses will disappear so i can enjoy the TWO hours i have with him and see it as an extra hour of quality time, instead of an extra hour of stress :-(

How cute is this pic of Jayden trying to put q'ies dummy in his mouth, and q'ie is like aaaahhhh

Our cutie Q turned 7 months yesterday (where has the time gone)?!  I will post some pics after the weekend, as I took some nice ones last week that still needs to be edited etc.

On the update front, Q'ie has had a rough week.  He had a terrible fever on Sunday which we managed to break with Empaped (works wonders, 20 minutes and the fever went down!).  He's also had a snotty nose for about a week and a terrible chesty cough.  When he caughs he cries it hurts so much.  So we'll be seeing the dr this afternoon (it's not my normal pead - but at this stage any pead will do). 

He's also drooling quite a bit and won't let me touch his gums to put teejel on, he's also had yucky nappies.  All signs of teeth right, yet we can't see anything!

also  wanted to officially congratulate my friend coyote on  her pregnancy, I am so happy for you girl!  Finally!  Praying that you will have a relaxed and easy pregnancy.  (My vote is for a boy :-))...

xx

So Q'ie is turning 7 months this month, still can't believe, BUT HE HAS NO TEETH!  not even one single half toofy, nadda nothing, zilts.  A friend of mines little boy is 2 days younger than Q and he has both his bottom two front teeth, and now the top two are showing face too.

I know that I shouldn't be worried, as there are lots of babies who only get teeth when they are much older, but can mamma just get one little sign that there are in fact teeth hidden in those gums?!?

When did your little ones get their first tooth?

This past weekend was absolutely CRAZY!  We had the bridal fair and i also had a wedding on saturday.  Needless to say I'm really hoping that I will at least get a return on investment and get some clients.

Anyways, this year i decided to do our stand slightly different to what we did last year.  Each year the exhibitors drape their stands, which always looks pretty but it's the same old same.  initially when i told my DH that he was going to have to "rebuild" our entire stand, so we can paint and do whatever we want he thought i was mad.

My idea was to paint our stand in chalkboard paint and to then use chalk and write my wedding packages on it.  It took us about 9 hours to setup on friday (after my sister and i painted the boards the day before).  My mother in law did some amazing flowers for us, and my sister wrote all my packages on the boards.  and this while cutie Q was with us from 14:00.

This was the end result:

AND, GUESS WHAT, OUR STAND WON THE OVERALL BEST STAND at the fair  out of 120 exhibitors!!! how chuffed are we!

our prize is we get our stand for free next year!  whoo hoo!

http://www.theherald.co.za/lifestyle/lafemme/article.aspx?id=569684

This weekend we have our annual bridal fair.  It's quite a big event and I participate every year (together with my DH).  I'm also a sponsor for the "win a wedding competition" and offer my services to the lucky couple that wins.

Before the fair they normally have supplements which containg the exhibitors adverts as well as wedding related articles.

This year, whilst paging through the newspaper, i came across an article about how couples have been conned by wedding planners.  At first I thought they'd back it up with professional advice on how to avoid getting conned, but no, the story ended with how disappointed they were with their whole experience.

Needless to say I am shocked!  As a wedding planner trying to make a living, i feel that this article might just be the last straw for us.  How am I suppose to attend the bridal fair when people are already entering with a negative mindset about wedding planning.  I don't understand how professional journalists can publish this sort of article when a) they should be promoting the suppliers - we are paying R4000 for our stand alone, and on top of that there are added expenses to decorate your stand, and b) publish an article without showing the other side of the story.....

I think it is completely and utterly bad journalism.  The least they could have done was interview a professional wedding planner and have an article regarding chosing the right planner for you or how to avoid this from happening.

Needless to say, I AM FUMING!!!

I hope for your sake that you aren't that type of person, but then again, being on the receiving end isn't fun either.  I'm talking about pretentious people. 

People that pretend:

1.  they are to be someone they aren't

2.  they own something they don't

3.  that pretend they your friend but they actually not

4.  they can do certain things when they can't

and so the list can go on and on about pretentiousness (is that even a word?).

Being on the receiving end of a pretentious person means the following:

1.  You only hear from them when they need something

2.  You only know they exist when they come around to talk about themselves

3.  You think that you are friends when in fact they are talking behind your back

4.  They think that they are better than you because of what they "own/have/are".

5.  They always know better than you because "they also have that" or they can also do that" to which they are referring to things that you have or do.

I'm done with pretentious people, frienships and being on the receiving end.  I'm done with people greeting you and chatting to you just for them to turn around and talk about you.  I'm done with always following up and asking how you are, I'm done being the "swept under the rug" friend.  I'm done doing things for people and for them take advantage of me -  I'm done doing things for others but as soon as i need a favour it's an issue.  I'm done always trying to impress when all i want is to be accepted for who i am.  I'm done being hurt by others.

Now let's see who my real friends are.

who's that dork making faces at me?

that's how i felt this morning, while in traffic.  Q'ie is finally in a front facing seat, and absolutely loves it.  He loves looking up and seeing things move and shine etc.

So, this morning, i openend the little flap on my visor's mirror and looked up, called q'ie once, and bam, he looked at me and smiled!

He finally realised that it was me and he could see me.  After a long chat with him, pulling faces and making noises, i looked to my right, and this guy is sitting in his fancy merc - hosing himself.  at first i was annoyed at him watching me in the first place, but then burst out laughing at myself - can you imagine what i must have looked like talking to the mirror!?!

When you get married the first question people bombard you with is:

So, when are you planning on having babies?

As if a ring on the finger indicates the need to be a mom.  Although i did have that (always wanted to be a mom - AFTER i was married) i never liked being asked that question.  It's like everyone wants to know "when you going to do it"....  Seriously now, if i wanted everyone to know everytime we had sex to make a baby, i would have updated it on my facebook status.

after the first one, this magical thing happens, PEOPLE ASK YOU WHEN YOUR NEXT ONE IS DUE.

SERIOUSLY>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>????  Come on, who has a baby in order to have another straight thereafter, not me, thank you very much.  If DH had his way, i probably would have been pregnant soon after I had Quan, luckliy nature told me better.  Untill he can't carry the baby and "have it" - this mommy ain't planning on having another one soon.

Why do people ask you that?  Why does everyone want to know what gap you planning on having, and when you going to start trying again?  Or am I just not into discussing that sort of thing with everyone?  I am enjoying cutie Q so much right now, and honestly, the last thing on my mind is to have another one. 

So for those of you that are eager to know:

NOT NOW, NOT ANYTIME SOON, WHEN THE TIME IS RIGHT!

FLOATER - well not exactly a floater, but more like a missiled floater shot to pieces............  oh boy, I'd better explained.  (thanks marts, your FB status inspired me to tell)

For the last week every nappie Q'ie has is a pooh nappy, it's definitely not gastro, as it's not runny and he doesn't have a fever, so i don't think he is sick.  I think he might be teething, and i know a lot of moms have told me before that some babies teeth through their tummies.  (look, my husband seems to think Quan would have had his full set of teeth if he had to get one everytime i thought he was teething.)  he is 5 1/2 months now, so the timing is about right.

Anyways, so in the bath two nights ago Q'ie was enjoying the splashing of the water, and his new bath toys, when all of a sudden he went red in the face and started pushing.  normally this would result in a few bubbles and a squel (almost as if he knows it's not right), but this time around it ended in pooh BITS, as in BITS.  not one floater, not maybe two, NO lots and lots of bits.

i can handle almost anything when it comes to Q (or so i think) i can deal with his throwing up, his really stinky poohs and a lot more, but that was just too much to handle.  thank goodness dad was home and came to mommies rescue.

FLOATER - well not exactly a floater, but more like a missiled floater shot to pieces............  oh boy, I'd better explained.  (thanks marts, your FB status inspired me to tell)

For the last week every nappie Q'ie has is a pooh nappy, it's definitely not gastro, as it's not runny and he doesn't have a fever, so i don't think he is sick.  I think he might be teething, and i know a lot of moms have told me before that some babies teeth through their tummies.  (look, my husband seems to think Quan would have had his full set of teeth if he had to get one everytime i thought he was teething.)  he is 5 1/2 months now, so the timing is about right.

Anyways, so in the bath two nights ago Q'ie was enjoying the splashing of the water, and his new bath toys, when all of a sudden he went red in the face and started pushing.  normally this would result in a few bubbles and a squel (almost as if he knows it's not right), but this time around it ended in pooh BITS, as in BITS.  not one floater, not maybe two, NO lots and lots of bits.

i can handle almost anything when it comes to Q (or so i think) i can deal with his throwing up, his really stinky poohs and a lot more, but that was just too much to handle.  thank goodness dad was home and came to mommies rescue.

After Quan's birth my husband and I had a long chat about how we could possibly rear Quan in this world of uncertainty, this world of sin and hatred.  Needless to say we came to the conclusion that we either have to baptise/dedicate our little son.

After many discussions about the major difference between the two (which is purely that with baptism you are deciding your child's religion, and with dedication you'll rear them in such a way to get them to learn their religion, and then when they are old enough they can decide if they want to be baptised).

After many restless nights about what the right thing is to do and not to force anything on him, I decided that we would dedicate him.  This will enable us to rear him in a Christian way, but he will still have a choice of religion when he is older.  I do feel that this was the right decision for us at this stage, as I feel giving someone a choice is empowering - and when old enough he can get himself baptised and we can all celebrate that life altering moment again.

so, on 11 April 2010 we made a promise to God, a promise that we will teach Quan about God, and the love He has for us.  We promised to pray together and commit our lives as one Christian family to the Word of God.  He was blessed with some olive oil and the whole congregation prayed to give us the strength to never faulter on the teachings of the Lord.

After the service, I invited family and friends for snacks at this lovely little place in PE called live, love laughter. 

There the kids got party packs that I made

The venue was just divine for this occassion, and throws were put on the grass where friends and family could relax

My grandparent's, Quan's great grandparents also attended

and when we finally got home Q'ie openened all his gifts.............

how blessed are we......

Don't you just love it when you can see how much a mommy loves her little boy?  this is the case with my friend Marthie. 

After many stressful, agonising months/years of trying to conceive, after many injections and prodding and poking, after many hopeful mornings of weeing on a stick and after many times of getting the hopes up, she fell pregnant naturally.  At about 18 weeks she was told that she was expecting a little girl, both her and dear husband was ELATED to say the least, as he has a history of only producing boys :-) (he has two gorgeous little boys from a previous marriage).  For i think (and sorry Marts if i have the details wrong) about 4 weeks they were thinking, buying, eating, sleeping and talking pink.  They had the most gorgeous name picked out (which I won't reveal - cause there will be a second one which will be a girl), she knew what she wanted to do with the room and their plans were all set out to welcome their little pink angel.  i think when Marthie went for her 22 week scan suddently their little girl had miraculously turned into a little boy - now strutting a little extra something on what once was a little "flattie".  Needless to say, they were just thankful that their little one was healthy and doing well.  We always joked and said we wonder if baba will come out a boy or girl.  You can see the incredible love that both her and Craig has for this special little boy, Jayden, you one lucky boy to have such wonderful parents

When I heard Marthie was planning a birthday party for her little one, and she had decided on a "firetruck" theme, my creative juices regarding an invitation started working, this is what i came up with:

however, after thinking about it for a while, Marts came up with this BRILLIANT idea.  She changed the theme to a soccer party and this was the invite i did for her:

This was a stunning idea for a theme since we are hosting the soccer world cup this year.

She had a t-shirt made for each "party guest"

Had the party packs with whistle, soccer ball juice and lots of nice treats:

She baked the cake herself:

and her precious little boy J was dressed for his party!

and now some more photies from that weekend and the party:

Nix with Jordy, Marts with J, and Q'ie and me

dad with Q'ie

mom and Q'ie

jordy love

q'ie just hanging

isn't he just too precious!!

thank you Marts for the wonderful weekend and WOW, what a lovely party indeed!!!

As i drive out my driveway, i notice our black bags still in the exact position as they were when we left them outside on Monday.  Little did we know that the municipality members decided that having a strike this week was going to increase their salaries.  Yeah right.  I wish i knew why dancing in the streets, signing "kill the boer" and littering our beautiful town with garbage is so much fun.  I wish I knew what was going on in their heads.  Is there not a more respectful way of asking for an raise?  Now I understand that they won't become millionares with the salaries they earn (and neither would i to be honest), but I do believe that in this day and age one should be thankful if you have a job, even if it entails picking up garbage bags.

Who knows how long they plan on striking, all i know is that they love not working, and complaining about not getting paid when they aren't.

so come Christmas time and ask for Christmas box - and i will hand you my black bags.

As i drive out my driveway, i notice our black bags still in the exact position as they were when we left them outside on Monday.  Little did we know that the municipality members decided that having a strike this week was going to increase their salaries.  Yeah right.  I wish i knew why dancing in the streets, signing "kill the boer" and littering our beautiful town with garbage is so much fun.  I wish I knew what was going on in their heads.  Is there not a more respectful way of asking for an raise?  Now I understand that they won't become millionares with the salaries they earn (and neither would i to be honest), but I do believe that in this day and age one should be thankful if you have a job, even if it entails picking up garbage bags.

Who knows how long they plan on striking, all i know is that they love not working, and complaining about not getting paid when they aren't.

so come Christmas time and ask for Christmas box - and i will hand you my black bags.

I am going to East London this weekend, wait for it,

MARTHIE's BOY JAYDEN IS TURNING ONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I cannot believe that he is turning one, his real birthday is only 24 April, but it's his "soccer" party this week.  I am so excited, i am going to take lots and lots of photies and will post some on monday!!!

AND

sunday is Quan's dedication, so it's quite  a busy weekend ahead for us!

As most of you know Quan suffers from severe reflux.  He has been since he was a little boy (not that he's not little anymore) but from since the day he started with his bottles.

The other day I was lying in bed and wondering about this throwing up again, how can nobody tell me why this is happening?  There must be a cure.  Then I remembered seeing a nuk bottle in one of his drawers (that we got with our discovery welcome pack).  I told DH that with q'ies next feed we'll use the nuk bottle.  We sterilised it and gave him his bottle.  GUESS WHAT, no projectile vomiting, no puking, just a little spitting up!!!!!!!!!!! WOW, could this be it, did we solve the mystery?

The next 5 bottles that followed we used Nuk, cept on washing and resterilising as we only had the one nuk bottle.  Out of the 5 bottles, he only threw up ONCE about 50% the amount he used to with his tommee tippee bottles.  Dad then decided to try the tommee tippee again.  100ml later, 100ml PROJECTILE VOMITED!

Gosh, now i seriously can't believe that i haven't thought of trying a different bottle before.  You see - the shape of the teats of nuk vs tommee tippee is completely different, could this be it?

Low and behold, we went off to baby boom and bought 2 x nuk bottles, they darn expensive, R109 each.  I must say, they quite ugly looking bottles, and it seems that the valves on the bottles aren't functioning properly.  Is there something we need to do to "activate" the valve???

He still vomits up like a "soury" looking/smellling vomit about 40min after his bottie, but im hoping that the baby gaviscon im getting from uk will clear this up.

I must say, im quite disappointed in the dr's, how can none of them tell me to try a different teat shape?  i mean, seriously, they told me to change the formula, his feeding position, to keep him upright, but they never took me back to the basics....

Every now and again we get a reality check, a check of how much life is worth to us.  What is really left of us when we are gone?  our legacy?  Do people remember the good or the bad?  I always wonder if I will leave a warm feeling behind one day when it's time to go.  Will people be glad that they got to know me?  Will the memories I leave behind be happy ones?

I sure know that this is what I want. I want people to see the good of me, to be thankful for the time they got to spend with me.  I want to make them proud.  But most of all, I want to make my husband happy and live each day to the fullest with my little cutie Q. 

I've taken a series of photo's over the last month, and I cannot belive that my little boy is heading for 5 months soon.  It feels like the other day I felt his first little kick inside of me.  It feels like yesterday I held him for the first time.  And this is how quickly time flies.

Just a quick update on the scans the other day - thanks for those who asked - it seems that his little valve is in tact, and formed properly.  there is no sign that it's misformed and causing the throwing up.  On another note though, we did get a scan done on his spine as well, as both DH and i have noticed that when he lies in the big bath, he always seems to have his feet go to the one side.  On the x-ray you can clearly see a small deviation of his spine, but he seems to think that it's nothing major and we just need Q'ie to exercise his back muscles evenly, as he seems to think it's caused by one of the back muscles being stronger than the other, and therefore pulling his body to the one side.  Solution, more tummy time.  HOWEVER, i'm wondering if anyone on here reads x-rays for a living, as I would love to get a second opinion...

Now for some photies! (collection of my favourite ones : 4-5 months)