A bit of everything...

Hi everyone. As always I am very sorry for the absence of my posting. Life gets busy for me sometimes and I feel as well that I don't always have something worthwhile to say. Please know that I do log on every day and read all YOUR blog entries and so I am always up to date in what is going on in your world, even though you might not be up to date with mine haha.

I have so much to catch you all up on. Xavier is going so so well after his surgery in Sept. He is coming along in leaps and bounds, running around now. You wouldn't know he ever had trouble with his sight, other than he is still learning to use his fingers rather than his whole hand to do certain things. For example if he is wanting to pick up a small piece of food he will try to pick it up in a fist and put it into his mouth. If you tried to do the same you will see it is very difficult! We are trying to teach him that if he uses his fingers to pick up smaller things it works a whole lot better. We are doing different activities with him to encourage this - like drawing on a chalk board with a piece of chalk etc to try to get him to use his finger tips more. We have also started taking him to a speech therapist because the paediatrician said he is a little delayed in his language skills, which he feels is also related to the vision problems. The speech therapist agreed she thinks the same thing. She said part of learning to talk is converting what we see into words to describe it. Because there was a time when his vision was limited obviously there is going to be a gap there. He is making good progress with this as well and we are really proud of all he has overcome.

Xavier's daycare have said he has come along so much they feel that next year he should go up to the next room level. This is to do with his age as well as it is the 2 year old room and he will be 2 in Jan, but there was talk at one stage that because he was so behind with his walking etc and was not mobile that they were going to delay moving him up until mid year in 2011. With all the progress he has made though they have changed their tune and said it is definitely time to move him into the room with the bigger kids. I know it's just daycare but I am still so proud of him for proving them wrong, and for being the sweet stubborn boy he is and not backing down. He just keeps plugging away at everything until it clicks. It never bothers him if he doesn't get something right away, he just maintains his happy demeanour and keeps working until one day he can do it. Joel and I both say that of course it worked out that he was the embryo that "stuck" during our IVF journey. It is just like our boy to grab on and say "right I am here now, I am NOT going anywhere". Joel says he is just like me and that makes me happy.

We had a bit of a scare with Xav recently and had him in the emergency room. We wondered if he was outgrowing his cot (crib I think they are called in the states) and we thought we would try him with sleeping in a toddler bed. I found one that was an absolute bargain on ebay and I assembled it and we put it in his room for a few nights so he could see it. Then on Thurs night we decided we would see if he would sleep in it. Joel and I sat in the room with him and Joel read him a story while i stroked his forehead as he lay in bed. The story Joel picked up was one about an octopus that Xavier just loves and at one stage Xav got excited by one of the funny pics in the book and sat up to see it better. He then leant forward and put his hand out to touch the book but misjudged it and toppled over the side of the bed onto the floor. He started crying, and while we were ready to kiss and cuddle him we were not too concerned about the severity of the fall as this toddler bed was so low to the ground. Still we thought it probably would have given him a little bump and a fright. He was cuddling into Joel having a cry when to our astonishment and shock he passed out. My first thought was that he had suffered a larger knock to the head than what I thought, and that he had a head injury/concussion. Joel and I both tried to rouse him by shaking him and tapping his face and yelling his name. I ran to the phone to call an ambulance but as I went to run I heard him cry again and Joel yelled to me that he was awake. It felt like forever but he would have only been out maybe 10 seconds. He seemed fine when he woke up but we rushed him to the Emergency room. The doctor there was very nice and checked him thoroughly and was so nice to us. He said there is no way Xavier had a head injury of any kind and especially since the height that I described him falling from was barely off the ground. He said Xav had a breath holding spell. Apparently when babies and toddlers get a fright or get upset or angry or shocked about something it is a common reflex that they hold their breath, and if a person holds their breath too long obviously they are going to pass out. The doctor said the fall most likely gave Xavier a fright and while he was crying he got worked up and held his breath and fainted. He said he has seen many kids do it just from their older sibling taking a toy off them or something. They get angry and start crying then all of a sudden they faint. I was very glad that it was something so minor. I have done some research into it and asked a few friends and to my amazement it is VERY common and a number of my friends have experienced it with their own kids. I think when you have a child more doctors should warn you about it. It's weird that it is supposed to be so common yet I had never had it mentioned to me before.

Last of all, my mum came over for coffee tonight and got more than she bargained for! Joel had gone to bed early as he had a really busy day at work. It is very very hot here is AUS at the moment as we are a few weeks from summer and Joel hates the heat and will often sleep with not much on! My mum and I were sitting at my kitchen table drinking coffee and chatting. I was facing the bedroom and my mum was sitting opposite me with her back to the bedroom. Joel must have gotten up to go to the bathroom (which you have to walk through our kitchen to get to) and in his half asleep state had not realised that my mum had come over. All of a sudden I am sitting there chatting to my mum when a stark naked Joel appears behind my mum! He was all bleary eyed and still asleep, then all of a sudden a look of shock registered on his face and he turned around and ran back into the bedroom. I started laughing in shock and my mum turned around to see what I was laughing at and just caught sight of Joel's naked bum disappearing into the bedroom. She realised what had happened and joined in my laughter. Joel came out a few minutes later fully clothed and embarrassed. Mum told him not to worry as it was nothing she hasn't seen before hahaha.

It's nearly 1am here so I am yawning as I write this. I better sign off! Sorry for the novel and I will try to be a better blogger and write soon. xoxoxoxox to you all!! Jo