Big FAT fail

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Our first big proper on our own as a family of three holiday was so totally crap. Whoever said holidays with a baby were easy were LYING!! Malachi got a pretty nasty cold on about day two of our week long holiday. Cue needy whinges, 2 hourly boobie feeds, pacing the floors rocking and bouncing a baby to sleep and not much night sleep.

Oh and I was about ready to divorce hubby!! We were both looking forward to a week of relaxing and chilling out. Reconnecting and all that jazz. Instead we were hit with the utterly exhausted stick, and were just snapping at each other over stupid things.

Oh and that's right it was raining, windy and overcast the entire time we were away so me being the good Mummy didn't want to take him out much in the cold. Guess it didn't help that I thought it didn't get cold at the coast so I didn't really pack many warm winter clothes WHOOPS!!

We went to the pharmacy as I left all my cold stuff (euky bear, nasal drops etc) here and they thought he could have croup. Went and saw a useless doctor who could barely speak English who was trying to tell me he had conjunctivitis. Um idiot it's just a blocked tear duct! So he wrote a script for some eye drops (which I just thought meh whatever dude) had a listen to his chest and said 'if it's whooping cough or croup you'll know tonight'. Thankfully it was just a cold. BLAH bloody useless doctors.

The cutest thing was we were sitting having dinner at a golf club, wolfing down our meal as the little one was so super duper cranky and whiny. A little old lady, who would have been around 80 came over and said 'oh you must never get to eat in peace I'll take him for a walk'. I thought it was adorable. Hubby on the other hand thought that a) she was going to run away with him or b) drop him. So the little old lady only got a 5 minute hug before hubby rescued Malachi away from her.

So we're home now. Totally unrelaxed and just as exhausted as we were before we left.

Looks like we'll be looking into another holiday sooner rather than later. Maybe for my birthday (which cough is in less than two weeks. April 3rd incase you wanted to send me a little parcel).

Please tell me holidays with a baby/toddler/small child gets easier?

Our first family trip

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We went back to QLD last week for our nephew's naming ceremony. It was nice to visit family and friends who hadn't met M before but I'm so glad to be home. It was very hard sharing a place with 6 adults, 2 babies and a toddler. Hubby's brother and his wife stayed with the inlaws (who camped out in their camper trailer as there wasn't enough room in the house for all of us) and there were times where I had to bite my tongue so as not to upset the peace.
 
Brother in law and his wife would insist we be quiet when their little guy was down for a nap (even trying to get us not to flush the toilet, yeah right!), but there were times when their toddler was SCREAMING his head off when M was sleeping and they said nothing to him, nor attempted to get him to quieten down. One time he actually did wake M up and my brother in law came out to tell us he was awake, no sorry or anything. GRRR!!

On the way home we were in a car accident on the way to the airport. This stupid B1Tch ran up the back of our in laws car. M was obviously in the back in his car seat and we got hit from behind and the force of that sent us into the back of a taxi. He screamed, more from being frightened I think. I was in the back as well and have some neck and shoulder pain, from the whiplash I assume. She was totally rude, even after Hubby gave her a serve, saying she was an idiot, we have a baby in the car etc. Don't know why she was rude to us, she was the one who hit us!!!

My poor Father in law (who drove us to the airport) had to wait around for hours for a hire car to arrive as he couldnt drive their car home (home being 2 hrs away). And my new baby car seat is going to have to go to the dump. Brand new!! EEEKKKKK!!!!!!!! I'm hoping the crazy's car insurance will pay for a new one, don't see why I should have to, if she didn't hit us I wouldn't have to buy a new one.

M was good on the flights, hated the descent part of the flight but settled very well with a feed. The flights seemed to have caused him some belly pain so he's been waking 4 times overnight, so roughly 2 hourly Not much fun at all!! The first day of the trip he pretty much didn't sleep from 7am-5pm. We have started wrapping again. We stopped because the MACH nurse said it's a risk when they start to roll. Well I think he lost his sleep prompt so just kept feeding and playing then feeding and playing and didn't get that it was sleep time without the wrapping. And at least he's sleeping now he's being wrapped, even if it's only for a couple of hours. We've also started double wrapping as we have a little houdini on our hands!!

Poor little guy has a case of the snotties really bad. He woke up screaming after his bath last night, not just whinging but 'come get me now something's wrong' type screaming! It took forever to calm and settle him. I've tried everything to try and get rid of it:

• Vaporiser, with and without some eucalyptus oil in it
• Vicks on his feet
• vicks on his singlet (not on his skin as it gives him a rash)
• saline drops and saline spray 
• Used a snot sucker, which he hates and thrashes his head around and screams the house down
• Used a cotton tip at the front of his nose to try and clear it
• put him in the bathroom when I'm showering so the steam can help 
• Tipped his head back after feeding to ensure it's not milk sitting in the back of his nose
• Raised his matress a little bit
• We've also put a hanky with vicks under his sheet near his head so he can breathe it in, but it gave his face a rash, even being under the sheet. 

In happier news, M is rolling now. Intentional rolling too not just an accidental occurance. It seems he's figured out if he rolls he gets out of tummy time. Its so fun to watch. I never thought I'd be one of those Mums that talk about their baby achieving milestones/pooping/talking/feeding/sleeping etc. But I can't help it, I'm uber proud right now :-)

Home Again Home Again Jiggety Jig

Well we are home from our wonderful trip to New Zealand and I must say, that is one beautiful country. We drove around the south island and it was just spectacular. It wasn't too cold, it was green, there was still snow on the mountains. It was just super to get away to a beautiful place, even for just 2 weeks.

The start to the holiday didn't go so well as the airline we flew with had some issues with their electronic check in machine thingo... so the air hostess's were counting everyone on the plane, then recounting, then recounting, then counting some more. We ended up being delayed by two hours. Definetly not the best start to the holiday. That coupled with the fact that poor husband was sitting RIGHT near the toilet the entire flight.... well let's just say he wasn't a happy chappy when we landed in Christchurch.

We didn't do any of the adventure type thrill seeking tours while we were there. We did a glacier landing (so beautiful) a lake cruise at Franz Josef, the gondola tour at Queenstown, the Milford Sound cruise and so much more.
We actually pre booked and paid for everything before we left Australia and the night before the Milford sound cruise husband and I both got food poisoning (YUCK) and we so weren't in the mood to drive two hours on an awful snow covered road. But because we had already paid for it we didn't want to miss out. But let's just say 90 minutes on a cruise boat while battling food poisoning probably isn't the best idea. The boat took us out to the Tasman sea and wholey moley I nearly puked again it was so damn choppy!!!

But we're home safe and warm (well kind of, the weather in Canberra is pretty awful today) and have most definetly caught the travel bug. Husband is putting his CV on some European job sites and we're hoping that we will be able to work and travel around Europe next year some time. And maybe even fit in a trip to Japan.

On the TTC front all is not going so well. The not temping thing is doing my head in and we'll most definetly go back to temping next cycle. I just hate not knowing where about's I'm up to in the cycle. We definetly didn't BD at the right times so I think we won't see that BFP this cycle. Oh well I guess it's not over until the red witch arrives, but I definetly don't have high hopes this cycle.
Well off to buy my sister a pressie for her birthday. Stay warm!!

It's Tuesday & I Can't Wait.....

It's Tuesday And I Can't Wait........ for my suitcase to miraculously pack itself. Okay, so I know that will never happen but one can dream right??

So we're leaving for NZ on Thursday (very early!!) and my suitcase still isn't packed. I sat down to do it yesterday before the boy got home and it was a disaster. I need to pack warm things (obviously) that are both comfortable, and practical but also things I wouldn't be ashamed to wear in public.
Having said that though, I have not been able to find a cute rainjacket, so if it rains in NZ I'm going to have to wear the boys raincoat which is about 4 sizes too big for me. I told him I'd rather wear a ladybug poncho than be seen dead in some of the female raincoats that are around at the moment. Please God no rain when we're in NZ, please!!

So I bought some new jeans (bargain mind you for $30 a pair at Big W, and they are oh so comfy) and I'm also going to pack these comfy black pants I bought from Rivers. But apparently 3 pairs of jeans is excessive. I didn't think so, but the boy did. I decided to pack some jumpers for everyday wear and some nicer ones for if/when we go to a nice place to eat. That's fine, I think I have that sorted out, but the boy thinks two pairs of pj's is excessive!!!!

I nearly fell over when he told me I'm only allowed one pair of pj's (my cute sheep one's since we're going to NZ, I thought that was appropriate!!). So I tried bargaining with him.... it went a little like this.....

ME: One pair of pj's.... I'm only allowed one pair of pj's???

HIM: Well of course we will be washing our clothes at some point during the trip, besides, look at how much room flannelette pj's take up.

ME: Well I guess they are quite bulky. How about I trade you? I'll leave one pair of pj's behind but I get to pack extra jumpers!

HIM: Extra jumpers? You've already packed 6 jumpers, 8 long sleeve shirts and 3 scarves I think you've got enough packed for this 13 day trip. If anything you need a raincoat. How did the shopping for a rainjacket go today?

So after that comment I quit.... I tipped all my clothes back into my suitcase (not folded or anything) and told him he could pack for me!!!

Then I woke up this morning to a lovely note saying:
"Don't do too much packing without me... it's just soooo much fun packing together!!"

Oh boy, it's going to be a long 13 day driving holiday!!