Tell me why?

I feel like I’m in a confessional.
”Forgive me followers of the blog…yes; it’s been well over three weeks since my last written post…my apologies"
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First up, Sophie’s constipation is still here unfortunately – Ingrid kept her home for most of last week so she could keep a close eye on her ‘movements’ and what food she consumed each day. Thankfully, the really red burning aspect has gone for now (touch wood) but it does seem to have a nasty streak of flaring up every 2-3 weeks. We’ve got another pediatrician to see in the next fortnight - but we’re both resigned to the fact that she’s simply going to have to ride it out.

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"Mmm...I wonder how long it will take me tonight to get out of my wrap..."

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Sophie has recently learnt the one word we have been dreading her understanding for ages…Why”...here's how a typical conversation rolls out -The following transcript is taken word for word from this morning (I took Sophie down to Mitre 10 to pick up a new shower hose)
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"Daddy where are we going?"
"To a big shop to buy a new hose for the shower"
"Why?"
"Because the old hose is broken Sophie"
"Why is it broken?"
"Because it was very old"
"Why was it very old?"
"Because it has been there for a long time"
"Why was it there for a long time?"
"Arhhh…because it just was Sophie"
"Why?"
"Because it was old!"
"You already said it was old daddy – why was it old?"
"Um…look over there Sophie – I can see a cat..."
"Ooh!""

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Max is in pretty good form now too. He’s giggling and laughing shitloads and is responding to a stack of things – he now looks at you when you call his name, and he loves books being read to him, (just like his big sis.) He’s a strong little bugger too, we wrap him up in a very complex straight jacket-baby-wrap-type thing before each sleep – but the little Houdini can break out of it before we’re even out the bloody door! – I’m sure he thinks it’s a game and he tries to beat his previous record every night…

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Haha...told you I would get my hands out!

Little Miss growing up way-to-fast...check out her gorgeous hair do
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Lastest Video of Max here

Brad

Max's new bed

Quiet time - Sophie...a book...and a carton of toliet rolls to sit on

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Happy kids!
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Check out the new bed for Max...spot the proud big sis watching over him too "hey that was my bed a few weeks ago"
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Uncle Steve had his bithday last week - so Sophie celebrated it today with a cup cake and sang Happy Birthday to him

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We had a nice visit last week from Mike and Carol for a few days

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Waiheki

Sophie and Daddy have been fending for ourselves for the past few days after Mummy and Max headed down to the Naki on Wednesday...and just quietly...we've missed them heaps

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Today we decided to head to Waiheke Island for a day trip - first stop a Devenport fluffy

"Oh come on already - the blimen ferry's about to go!"

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Quick snapshot before the ferry left - a nice friendly woman offered to take the photo...then she started god bothering to us and wouldn't leave! - I was scared, so we split...real fast.

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A few minutes to kill before the ferry ride...Sophie keeping an eye out for the God squad
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"This boat trip rocks!"
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Sophie couldn't care less about taking photos of the beautiful scenery on the Island...she made a beeline straight towards the bus!..."Ooh look Daddy, there's another bus outside the window!"
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"Daddy was mean and made us have lunch...I wanted to stay on the bus...I like the bus..."
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After lunch, you guessed it - we got on another bus and headed...arhh...umm...arhh...daddy had no idea where we were going - but we did find this cool park to play at...somewhere on the island...
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After 3 hours on the Island, (most of the time was spent on the bus, which was Sophie's highlight of course- that and a chocolate ice-cream...) - we headed back to the ferry (on a bus...naturally) and got ready for the return trip home
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"Bye bus..."
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Great timing - as soon as we got off the ferry it started hosing down! - so we ran to the car - and before I had even got into the drivers seat...Sophie had crashed...she was knackered after a very long, but hopefully enjoyable day with her dad.
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Brad

On the mend

Dressed and ready for another birthday party.

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Sophie has improved since the last blog, we hope never to go through that again...she isn't 100% right, but is certainly on the mend. The paediatrician is a little baffled as to why she got so inflamed and red and was a quite pissed at the docs for not taking swabs when she was at her worst. Sophie is booked in for kidney scans next week and they're doing tests on her number 2's...I'll let you know what the tests say next week.

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Ingrid is off to the Naki next week for a few days to help mum out while she recovers from Hip surgery - She's going to fly down with Max on Wednesday and come back on Sunday - so it'll be the Soph and Daddy show here for a few days...Soph and I have got into a pretty good routine - I drop her off each morning at Kids Klub and get to work just after 8:30 which isn't too bad considering Auckland traffic - I'll just need to finish an hour earlier or so next week so she's not stuck there all day long (although I don't think she'll mind that much...she still loves going there!)

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Max is doing very well too - I can't get over how chilled out he is - I guess it's because we're not in his face every second like we were with Soph when she was born - take dinner for example, Ingrid and I wouldn't have dreamt of scoffing our faces and leaving Sophie to fend for herself on the mat or in her rocking chair, but we do with Max every night and he simply looks up and gives us all big gummy grins and stupid laughs...my boy is pretty cool indeed. (Video Here)

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Soph and her buddies (kids of the anti-natal group we went to over 3 years ago!)

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Sophie and her food fixation...after the other kids have finished she wants to clean up their plates too!
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The proud big sister
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Brad

Quickie

Quick post - here's a vid of Max talking

Photograph

"PHOTOGRAPH"

by NICKELBACK

"Look at this photograph

Every time I do it makes me laugh

How did her hair get so red

And what the hell is on Sophie's head?"

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Ouch...another bump on the head...the third in three days! - Next time look Sophie before running into the wall

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The past few days have been horrific. Sophie's on and off battle with constipation finally lead the docs to giving her an 'enema' on Friday - but unfortunately it made things worse and Saturday onwards - turned into "Nightmare on King Street" - The Enema reacted terribly with Soph, causing what could only be described as the nearest thing to 3rd degree burns on and in her backside - and without going into gory details - it made number 2's and cleaning up near impossible - Ingrid and I were waiting for 'SIFS' to arrive at one point - we thought the neighbours were going to report child abuse as a result of the sounds of hysterical screaming coming out of the house all weekend.

We're pretty close to opening up a pharmacy now too with all the different types of creams and lotions we've been prescribed! - The docs and the A&E dept have been as useful as tits on a bull too - "it will heal" and "put more cream on" have been their inspired words of wisdom. Sophie's booked into the pediatrician again early next week - but at least now after 4 days - she can actually sit down and walk properly...yip, it's been an awful few days which I hope we never have to experience again.

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Brad

The Birthday Girl

Sophie turns 3 tomorrow, but we celebrated her birthday today. We weren't sure what the weather was going to do, so Ingrid found a place online called The Fairy Shop Sophie invited a bunch of friends along and they all had a ball - It was a Cinderella theme (one of Sophie's new favourite characters) and Auntie Nic brought along a long a groovy cake too.

Sophie was inn fine form today and very spoilt indeed...we've saved a few presents from people to open tomorrow too - thanks to everyone for the goodies and if you couldn't make it along - enjoy the photos and video's below.

- The bithday girl with straight hair and a new outfit

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Check that hair out!
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The first present of the day
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Even Max is stoked it's Sophie's birthday!
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"Wow is that Cinderella? "

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Bubbles...always a crowd pleaser

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Sophie in her special Birthday seat

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Big cuddles with Auntie Nic

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A table fit for a (3-year old) King...

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Spunky Mummy and Max enjoying the Birthday celebrations too

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Nice work on the cake Sis!

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Sugar overload...

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Video of Singing Happy Birthday here

Video of Cinderella doing her thing here

Brad

The Kings

First family photo!

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Quick update on the past couple of weeks in the King household

• Max is sleeping through the night from 10:30/11:00pm - 7:00am (he has the occasional wake up at 4am but a quick dummy in his gob and a re-wrap and he's back asleep)
• Ingrid had her 37th birthday yesterday - we had little cup-cakes after Kids Klub which Sophie LOVED! - and Soph also made Mummy a nice big heart present too.
• Ingrid got pretty crook last weekend so Nic took Sophie out to her place for the day and night - thanks sis - a life-saver.
• Sophie has only fallen out of her new bed twice so far.
• Soph's flaming nappy-rash has come back with a vengeance...the past couple of nights dealing with this mixed in with 'number 2's' have been nothing short of soul destroying...the docs seem to have no answer as to why it re-appears so often.
• Max is talking (well, goo-ing and garr-ing) a lot more and cracking more smiles - and he still loves his baths with his big sister...and Soph loves 'em too!
• Sophie turns 3 on Monday - we're having a party with heaps of her friends from Kids Klub and a few from Coffee Group - the party is Cinderella themed - and Sophie is pretty damned excited about it!
• Check out a Little video of Max King (smiling too) here!

Shucks...

Eventful couple of weeks

I don't mean to sounds mean, but Ingrid is shithouse at updating the blog - so all you're getting is a quick post with a few highlights and low-lights from the past couple of weeks...

• The Baby Whisperer has worked out pretty well - Max is in a fairly consistent routine now
• I took Sophie to Nana's in New Plymouth for an Easter holiday
• Stink holiday for Sophie and Nana...as Sophie was horribly ill all weekend and vomited several times - turns out she had a urinary track infection.
• I drove back down to New Plymouth to be with her...and got a speeding ticket on the way
• Thankfully Sophie is much better now and is even sleeping in her big grown up bed...and loving it!
• Sophie started to use the potty last week...
• But now she's constipated and had a few accidents...and doesn't want to use it anymore
• Max was sleeping from 11pm - 7pm
• ...but then he got his injections on Friday and has hardly drunk all weekend and is back to waking in the early hours again...

Check out the jealous kid in the back-ground!

Who's that serious bugger?

Happy Max

Max pulling silly faces...that or filling his pants

Sophie growing up

Do you think she likes her new bed?

Brad

The Baby Whisperer

Ingrid and I brought in some outside assistance to try and help Max get into a better, more consistent feeding and sleeping routine. A friend of mine from work had used...hang on wait for it...someone called "The Baby Whisperer" (TBW) when she was having problems with her own baby last year - and she swore black and blue it was the best thing she'd ever done!

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So Kate, TBW arrived on Sunday morning and immediately looked concerned at Max's weight - she thought he was extremely small and had very little fat on his face - her first words - "he's not getting enough food" (and here Ingrid and I thought he was turning into a little fatty!) - Basically, TBW determined Max was missing the equivalent of one entire feed over the course of 24 hours - so she designed a very strict plan that we had to put in place over the following 3 days - it involved Ingrid having to express everyday rather than breastfeeding, and giving Max exact amounts of milk (both breast and formula)-...and then waking him / putting him down at exact times during the day and night - and not deviating from the plan. The first 24 hours into it were absolutely disastrous...Max became hysterical at one point and we both wondered what the hell we had done!...thankfully, Max was a little better the next day, and now it's nearing the end of day 3 and touch wood, he's settled and sleeping very well. I must admit, we were hoping Max would start sleeping 8 hours overnight, but apparently 7-weeks old is far too early and unhealthy for that sort of carry on...(bugger!) - so now I'm doing the 10:30pm feed and Ingrid does the horrid 4:30am feed - but at least Ingrid can get around 6-7 hours sleep uninterrupted overnight. As stupid as "a baby whisperer"sounds though - she does seem to know her stuff - and the photo below shows just how happy Max has become in 3 days.

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Max's first smile (and caught on camera!)...Sophie has the golden touch - she's the only one who can get him to smile!

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A happier mummy after 3 settled days in a row

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Sophie doesn't want to miss out on the action...here she is jumping into Max's bath!
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Found an old photo on facebook - check out the 5-year old sailor-boy on the right - makes me feel very old, that photo was taken 30 years ago!
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Brad