Merry Christmas!

Where has the second part of this year gone?! I can't quite believe it was July the last time I posted...I also can't believe I didn't manage to get any Christmas cards posted this year - so sorry everyone!
Thought it was therefore important to give a quick update to let you know how we're all getting on.
The boys are all doing great:Bren and I are well, if not tired most of the time but that's what you get with raising 3 young kids.
Jacob began a new therapy centre in July where he has a new physio and a new hearing therapist. They are both amazing and we cannot get over the improvement Jacob has made during the last few months. He's now ready to begin walking in a walking frame which all the doctors told us wouldn't happen! His physio truly believes that some day Jacob will walk totally unaided. He is also beginning to speak and understands so much of what we say to him. His cochlear's are a very powerful tool for him as not only can he hear everything with them on but he can also take them off when he doesn't want to hear anything (particularly if he's getting told off!). He's a clever little fella, just like his brother, Samuel. I often have to remind myself that Samuel is only the older brother by 2minutes as his maturity really astounds me at times. He's a rather serious little boy who never wants to leave my side but certainly enjoys having a laugh and joke around. He loves his cuddles and I can't keep up with how much reading he likes to do.
Alex is really something else...I just don't know where to begin!! He is a bundle of energy who is the biggest mischief maker you could possibly meet. I thought I had it easy with S&J but this little guy has me running rings round myself. He's into and onto everything and I have to keep an eye on him ALL the time otherwise there's trouble. If only I could get him to stop eating the sand out the sandpit and everything else he can find in the garden!
All the boys are adorable and Bren and I love spending every minute with them and sharing these good times.
They're still too young to know what Christmas is all about this year but they certainly like opening presents so they're gonna have a lot of fun tomorrow.
Right, I'd best get back to watching over them (Alex is having a nap!).
We wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a fabulous 2009. You are in our thoughts and hearts and we miss all our family and friends greatly.
Have fun!
xx

Art and Craft

Yes, been braving art and craft INDOORS with S&J lately. Made our own playdoh, nice bright green. Any bits that were dropped on the floor had to be picked up quickly so cheeky chops Alex didn't get it. S&J both adore painting and we've used various objects to paint with other than hands and paint brushes...vegetables feature regularly and painting on bubble-wrap is fun for them too.

Can't wait for the warmer months when we can really get messy and be outdoors so there is much less clearing up to do!

And just HOW alike are they?!

OK, so I'm talking about the first photo! Bren and I both got a shock at just how alike S&J when we saw this photo we took of them the other night after bath and hair-wash. To us, they don't like that identical but I know my folks often tell me how alike they think the boys are when I email them photos. They must study them in great detail cos they've said even their ear-lobes look the same! I just think this photo of them is beautiful, particularly with Jacob's arms round Samuel. I tell you, it's not often we get them both to stay still long enough to get a photo...and of them both together.

and of course I couldn't not put one on of this cheeky monkey! He really does make me laugh and I'm sure you can see why. Oh and that's J on the potty in the background...

I feel like I've been in hibernation over the last 6-8 weeks. Here is a very quick update on the boys...
We keep asking ourselves where our little baby has gone as Alex is so grown up now. He's starting to walk and is managing to take 4 or 5steps on his own. He's been crawling for months, which is very different from Samuel who didn't start moving until he was about 14months. Alex is very adventurous and is into everything! He seems to have no fear and has a go at trying to do everything Samuel is. We had them at the local park the other day and he very much enjoyed going down the slide with me sitting him at the top of it and letting him do the sliding and then catching him at the bottom. All the boys are very affectionate and Alex certainly likes his cuddles. He also loves being chased, particularly when I'm in the middle of changing his nappy and he manages to escape!! He loves his food, isn't a fussy eater at all which you can probably see for yourselves. He's a little chubba but I know the weight will drop off him once he's running round and chasing his brothers.
Jacob never ceases to amaze us; he is doing incredible things. He's independently mobile these days as he gets around by shuffling on his bottom. He is trying to find a way of getting up and down one or two steps on his own and his balance is getting so good that he can now sit unaided on a little chair all on his own. He has recently been fitted with ankle-foot orthotics which hold his ankles and feet in a position allowing him to bear weight properly when sitting and standing. The difference these have made is unbelievable and Jacob is now wanting walk and is showing us he certainly has the potential to do so but it will take time. He already has a standing frame which we put him in a couple of times daily (to help him strengthen his whole body muscles) and his physio is now looking at helping us choose a walking frame for him so he can begin practising his walking. I know he will be very happy when he gets one as it will help him more and more to interact with his brothers and friends. We know and see that Jacob is totally unaffected mentally with the cerebral palsy and he is a very clever little boy. He loves reading, doing puzzles and is now beginning to talk as his hearing is so good these days. All in all, we're very excited about how Jacob is doing and love seeing him so happy.
I just can't seem to keep up with Samuel these days! He is incredibly intelligent, a very fast learner and such a mischief maker. He too is very affectionate and is always asking for a cuddle from his mummy – or course I'm making the most of this as I know in a few years time he won't be wanting cuddles! His talking and vocabulary is exceptional and people are always commenting what a good speaker he is. He adores reading books and now likes to read stories to himself. We always make sure the boys have stories read to them before they go to bed though. Samuel is not as much of an adventurer as Alex but certainly likes trying things out and loves going to the park and playing on all the equipment there. He's becoming more independent and leaving my side more often which is great to see as he was quite clingy for a while. He loves his brother Jacob and most of the time looks out for him. He's not as keen on Alex(!) but they do have some beautiful sharing, interactive moments these days.
I am getting glimpses of what it's going to be like as the boys grow older as the three of them love a good wrestle!! These days I always seem to be pulling one off the other so it's never a dull moment in the Carroll household.
Oh, and Brendan and I...well, we're just fine and dandy!!

Happy Birthday Alex

Yes, our youngest turned one today!!

I was going to say, 'our little man' but there's no way Alexander is little. He's a gorgeous chubby, cuddly boy who we reckon is going to be very tall cos he has absolutely massive feet!!!!!

Anyway, we have had a great day today and his brothers loved playing with all his birthday presents...luckily Alex liked the boxes they came in.

Hats!

Need I say more? The boys, particularly Samuel, love wearing hats so here is a selection for you to view...

So much news:so little time

Seems to be the story of our lives at the moment...just not enough time to get anything done! Can't believe it's been a month since my last post.

So what's been happening...well, the boys have pretty much been ill with colds, ear infections and asthma continually for over a month. Looks like the asthma is a family trait as it's taken hold of Alex too (so much for us just putting it down to S&J being premmy). We've had a couple of trips to hospital to get them checked all out but luckily they haven't been kept in. S&J are now on asthma preventer medication for the rest of winter. Hopefully it won't take long to get into their systems cos we all need a good nights sleep! Can't tell you the last time we had one night where all three kids slept through...Bren and I look like we've aged another ten years!

We finally got round to moving Alex out of our bedroom and in with S&J. All three are now in the bigger back bedroom where it's quieter and a little warmer. A&S have woken each other up a couple of times but J sleeps like a log; being deaf can have it's bonuses at times!

Took J to Randwick Children's Hospital last week to a CP clinic there. J had casts done for making his AFO's and will hopefully go for his first fitting in 4 weeks time. AFO's are basically open fronted ankle boots which you wear for standing or any feet weight-bearing. It should make such a difference to J cos he can't stand properly without them. He also had a hip x-ray as his hips are prone to dislocation due to the type of CP he has. Luckily at this young age hip dislocation isn't painful but you don't know if it's happened without an x-ray...I didn't get round to asking what happens if they are dislocated. He will need 6-monthly x-rays to monitor his hips. The CP Dr. said he can see J is doing well but the prognosis is that J won't walk and will be wheel-chair bound. You know, they have to give you the worst case scenario and this came as no shock to both Bren and I. Quite honestly, I believe that if Jacob wants to walk he will. I'm not saying that he'll be able to walk totally unaided (might need a walking frame) but he's such a patient and determined little boy that he will achieve anything he wants to. So if walking is a big deal to him then he'll do it. He has and will continue to set his own goals and only time will tell just what those additional goals might be. I look forward to seeing him reach his full potential; he's already made us so proud.

A&S have been attending the local occaisonal care on days when I need to take J to appt.'s that benefit one-on-one time with me. S has begun to settle in well and the centre now take him for upto 4 hours at a time. A continues to get upset throughout his stays and I have to remind myself that he's still only a baby (has just turned 10months). Have had all the boys weighed and measured during the last week. A is only 0.5kg lighter than J; S is about 2kg heavier than J. A is 77cm long, J is 90cm and S is 96cm. A's statistics are off the chart and have been for a while, J is average and S is slightly above average. Do I ever worry about A being such a big boy for his age?...have you seen his mum and dad?!!!! :-)

I'd best go and see what the boys are upto. They were watching Sesame Street on morning TV but there seems to be a bit of fighting going on...yep, we're now at the stage of mauling each other and wanting to play with everyone elses toys...at least they're all hitting those developmental milestone!!

"Honkey Donkey"

Tonight, Samuel was sitting on my knee, Jacob was sitting on Bren's knee and we were all singing songs together. We finished, "do your ears hang low" at which point Bren pointed out why Jacob was looking so shell-shocked was that we used to sing the song and do the actions with S&J all the time when they were little but today would have been the first time he'd actually heard the song!

Samuel then asked me for "honkey donkey"! Well, I couldn't work out what he meant. Bren and I just sat looking puzzled at each other and kept asking Samuel to repeat what he was saying..."honkey donkey, honkey donkey... and then we realised - Humpty Dumpty!!! but of course!

Blue Beard!

Samuel & Jacob had a great time painting yesterday after their tea. Most days they do some crayon drawing but yesterday I decided to get the paints out. Luckily it's washable paint (who would chose any other?!) and they had great fun painting themselves as well as the table!
Alex got a few splodges dropped on him whilst he crawled underneath Jacob's high-chair, picking up and eating all the food Jacob had dropped during his tea. I reckon Alex was a dog in a previous life.
Winter seems to be upon us now. We didn't get a summer this year so it's a bit of a shock to have to wrap-up in jumpers alreay...I mean it's only 16-20ºC which is very cold for this time of year.
It means we're indoors a lot now so I'll guess we'll be having a lot more art and cooking sessions.

Happy Birthday Auntie Nonie

Happy Birthday dear Auntie Nonie.
Hope you have a wonderful day and get spoilt rotten!
The boys absolutely LOVED having a birthday cake in your honour...a fresh cream cake and once the boys had all had a bit and I took the rest of the cake away, Samuel cried!
They were all as 'high as kites' later on once the sugar kicked in!!!
lots of love from us all
xxxx


(Doesn't Alex look the healthy one, tucking into a bit of watermelon rather than cake? Actually, this photo was taken the other day. He was very tired at cake time and therefore a bit grumpy so there were no good photos of him).

Happy Birthday Gramps!

When I get older, losing my hair...Happy Birthday Gramps!
Hope you have a fantastic day.
love you loads
S,J&A
xxx

My Boys

Haven't been able to update our blog for a couple of weeks as we've been experiencing problems with our Internet access. Our ISP finally seems to have got it's act together and so we're now back online!
Have been busy, as always. Boys have been ill yet again...colds but not as bad as last time and they haven't had much recurrence of their asthma this time which is great. Samuel is constantly asking for his nose to be wiped though; Alex just comes up to me and rubs his snotty little nose all over me - lovely - and Jacob just lets his nose run!
I have had a little change to my daily routine though. I've started a weekly session of pilates at one of my friends houses once a week and as well as it being some 'me time' we just have such a laugh. I've also been very busy with my new role/s having joined our local branch of the Australian Multiple Birth Assoc. I've been somewhat over-zealous and ambitious and have signed on as Vice-President (most definately a rushed decision on voting night!) and as Premmie Support Rep. I've been feeling somewhat over-whelmed with the VP role as I had no realistic idea of how much independent work would be required - it's a fundraising role - BUT it's a great challenge, something to get my teeth into, my brain working and a chance to meet some great people along the way. I've already been so inspired by many of the new committee members, particularly our Newsletter Editor. I've therefore set-to and written an article for next months newsletter and thought I'd share it with you. For those of you who know me well, you'll know I wear my heart on my sleeve and this article does indeedshow that.
Here goes...(sorry, it's long!) -
“Hi, I’m Katrina, mum to twins, Samuel & Jacob (26mths) and Alex (9mths). We had a complicated pregnancy with the twins which led to Jacob being profoundly deaf in both ears and having cerebral palsy” ... and here I go again. What I should be saying is “I have 2yr old twins and a 9mth old baby, they’re all beautiful, a real handful at times but a total bundle of joy”. Why do I always have to break into telling everyone Jacob’s deaf and has cerebral palsy?! He’s Jacob, he’s beautiful, he’s a very loving little boy, he has a wicked sense of humour, he’s extremely mischievious, independent, determined and just so very, very patient (a rare attribute for a 2 yr old!). Don’t get me wrong, I’m not at all embarrassed about the disabilities Jacob has; I’m so very proud of the achievements he’s made to date and how he’s already overcoming the fact that he is different to a lot of other kids his age. I'm still trying to work out why I have to blurt this out as soon as we meet new people. I know I don't want people to judge him, categorise him, treat him as a 'write-off', stare at him, feel sorry for him...the list is endless! I guess it's part of me wanting to protect him and possibly now a habit I've got into...now you all know, so I won't have to blurt anything out when I do in fact meet you! I guess the main thing is, I'm extremely proud of Jacob and I do want to show-off just how well he's doing.
So yes, I am the mum of 3 gorgeous boys who fill my days (and nights sometimes!). It is certainly busy being the mum of multiples and also a parent of a disabled child. Jacob was born profoundly deaf and after 6 or so months there were signs of a physical disability presenting itself. Jacob has spastic quadriplegia with very low muscle tone (hypotonia). He can now sit un-aided and has done so for several months but regularly falls over and most of the time cannot get up on his own. Four months ago he began shuffling round on his bottom, a gigantic milestone for him as it's given him much independence and there is now far more interaction with his brothers, particularly his twin, Samuel. In fact, they quite often play 'chasy' with Samuel bum-shuffling exactly the way Jacob does. Their relationship is continuing to change now Jacob can hear, as he has cochlear implants in both ears. The first was implanted in Sept. last year and the other was Jan. this year. He wasn't hearing anything prior to the implants and he's now showing that he's hearing LOADS e.g. waves when we say goodbye, claps when we tell him he's a clever boy, turns to his name being called. We've never known if Jacob would talk (the CP plays a major role in this as he may not have enough control over the muscles in and around his mouth) but the last few days have shown us some miraculous results...accompanied by many tears! He is saying “eee-ow” when being shown a picture of a cat, “oarrrr” when shown a picture of a lion and just after his tea tonight he looked at me and said “moe” and I have interpreted that as “mum/mam” (even if it wasn't, he can now say “m” which is a start!). Not only that, but he'd knocked off both his coils (part of the cochlear apparatus which needs to be attached to the head in order to hear) yesterday when we were dancing and singing and he asked us to put them back on by putting his hands over his ears and making a vocal noise. Now this out of everything is worth celebrating because any parent of a deaf child who has begun using some form of hearing aid will tell you that until your child actually wants to hear it's a bit of an up-hill struggle.
Well, there you go...oh, and my 3 other boys (not forgetting my husband, Brendan!). They are simply amazing too. Samuel is a chatty, very affectionate, beautifully sensitive, Thomas-the-Tank-Engine-loving, cranking pants sometimes(!) little boy and Alex...well, I reckon he thinks he's a triplet cos he's just about doing everything his brothers are doing, oh, and not to be outdone by Jacob he said “ma-ma” at tea-time for the first time today too!! Brendan, well I reckon I'm the luckiest gal in the world...you'll meet Brendan sometime soon I hope and you'll then know why.
I often think how incredibly lucky Jacob is being a twin. Not only does he have that special twin bond but he has a brother to watch and learn from which I know makes him even more determined in everything he tries. Can't wait to hear what Jacob's next word is going to be...I just hope he doesn't attempt what I said tonight when I dropped something on the kitchen floor!

Meow

It's happened! Tonight, at bedtime story time, Jacob said his first unprompted word ie. he wasn't just repeating something we had said. Bren was showing him a book with a picture of a cat on the front and Jacob said, "Eee-ow", clear as a bell a number of times. He always seems to produce great sounds when it's evening and he's with his daddy! Perhaps it's the only time he can actually get a word in edgeways, what with a screaming little brother (Alex doesn't half scream lots....and LOTS), a very chatty brother and an even chattier mammy!
I've really got to try and get some quiet time with him during the day when we can really do some hearing therapy. I just don't know how I can get Samuel and Alex both happily occupied at the same time and have it quiet enough to do sound work with Jacob...I reckon I've got to stop thinking of it as an impossible task and just try.
Anyway, J's back at Sylvanvale (early intervention class he goes to two days a week) tomorrow and I know he works very hard there and gets great attention from his carers. How do I know this? Well, apart from what I see when I'm there, he comes home absolutely exhausted and gets very crabby unless I let him have a quick snooze.
Right, I'm off to get his back packed for tomorrow as it's always a rush in the mornings...

Never-ending illness

Yep, boys have been ill again. This time all three have had a very bad dose of bronchiolitis which gave them asthma too. Jacob was so bad he had a trip to hospital and spent the day there being observed. To top it off, S&J both got ear infections. Poor little things spent the whole of Easter week coughing, spluttering, vomiting, crying and not doing much sleeping (the coughing kept them awake). It's been pretty tough, particularly as Bren and I came down with it shortly after but luckily we didn't get it quite as bad as the boys.

We're all on the mend now though and I'm hoping the boys will be back to normal by the end of this week. They've been getting stir-crazy and so I've been taking them out for short walking trips along to our local post box, just to give them something to do outside. S walks, J&A are in the stroller. S needs a purpose to his walk, hence posting a letter, otherwise he just wants to sit down, play at the side of the road, asks to be picked up every 5 seconds, or stands watching birds and cars. Whilst it should only be a return trip of 5minutes it generally takes us about 20!

We've had some fun in the back garden too but the boys really are getting more and more mischievious. I had to bring them in today 'cos I turned my back for a couple of minutes which gave S enough chance to put soil all over his and J's heads...great stuff!

Of course, A looks like butter wouldn't melt in his mouth but I know he's going to be upto no good very soon too.

I'd better get back to some cleaning up whilst all three are having a rare moment of napping at the same time.

Meltdown

Well, it didn't go exactly brilliantly with S&A at day care today. Both had a bit of a meltdown; they were only there two hours!! Samuel cried when I was leaving and of course I did too...as some of you will know, it just breaks your heart to see them like that. They said he settled for the second hour but broke down in floods of tears when I went to collect them. He was OK was I put him in the stroller next to Jacob and gave him his lunch. The carers said Alex was inconsolable and I was really surprised at that because he's the more easy going of the two. I think I found the problem when we got home - he had a very dirty nappy and I think it had been there for a while. Now whilst his dirty nappies don't smell until you open them (it's such a great surprise!), I am a bit taken aback that they wouldn't have checked that, kinda seems one of the first things to do when a baby is crying for a while. Anyway, I'm going to give it another go next week as I don't really have much option 'cos I need childcare and fast.
Whilst I missed S&A, Jacob and I had a good time together. We did the grocery shopping and J got to sit in the trolley seat which he just loves. He was 'talking' all the time and kept both his cochlears on which is just fantastic 'cos normally when we're out and about it's too noisy for him. I didn't even have to turn them down. Just goes to show what some one-on-one time does for him...and I know S&A need that too. It was a very tough afternoon though cos S&A wouldn't settle. Understandable of course, but I sure need a beer now!..(it is evening time now, for those of you concerned about me taking to the bottle during the day!).
We have our weekly hearing therapy appt. for J at the cochlear implant centre tomorrow and have our volunteer helper, Megan looking after S&A at home. She hasn't been for a few weeks and is due to finish her time with us in a week or two. She has been an absolute super-star and we all love her. Just hope the boys are OK for her tomorrow after their upset today.
Well, I'm off to have tea, which has been lovingly prepared by my fabulous husband and then we're going to be having a very romantic evening of painting the kitchen cupboards together. Bren thought he'd purchased white acrylic paint to go on top of the nasty chocolate and lime cupboards but he managed to pickup silver instead!!! Well, at least it will brighten the place up.
A few more photos of our gorgeous boys...

Making Biscuits

I like to get the boys involved in a bit of baking now and then so I decided to get them to make some biscuits yesterday. Don't know what they enjoyed more, playing with the flour, eating the dough or banging the rolling pin! Yes, it always creates loads of mess but we all have so much fun.
Just heard from a lady tonight at how incredibly lucky we've been at getting S&J into Heathdene pre-school next year. She sent me an email saying, she went to the enrollement night & could only get her kids in one day. She lined up from 3.30pm, enrollement started at 6.30pm, she was the 13th person in line!So there you go, how lucky are we?!
Have S&A booked into day care for a couple of hours tomorrow. Is the first time for them and I am very nervous about it. Don't know how they'll be but I'm soon going to find out!
OK, must be off to bed as it's late.
Photos of the boys making biscuits...


here are the mutant results...can you guess what any of them are?

Standing Frame

Jacob now has his very own standing frame. He loves it but finds it very hard work, much more than his previous one. Guess that's a good thing though as it'll only make him stronger. He can currently only stand in it for approximately 10-15minutes before he needs a rest. I'll just have to ensure he has lots of standing sessions throughout the day. You can see from the photos below that he likes it and Samuel too. Samuel likes to stand in it for a while once Jacob is out - he doesn't like to miss out on anything!
So the boys are finally well. Took a good two weeks for them to get over the gastro they had and I can certainly say that I'm pleased I don't have to change as many nappies.
We've had a very busy week catching up on all appointments and seeing friends.
Had some fantastic news on the pre-school front. Both Jacob and Samuel have been accepted into a local pre-school which has a fantastic reputation. I've talked at length with the Director and we all went for a visit last Thursday. Every child we saw looked happy and the place had a great vibe. I couldn't get over how many classroom assistants were there helping out and from what we have heard and saw we know both the boys will be very well looked after. There's still a lot to sort out in order for the school to get the required funding for Jacob to have the required one-on-one tuition but we have a foot in the door so it's a great start.
Right, well it's late as and I need to get some sleep so I'll have to cut it short there. Will be back blogging regularly again now...

oh-oh...

I haven't posted for a while 'cos the three boys and I have/are ill with gastric flu. It's not been very nice and there have been a ton of nappies to change but we're slowly getting better. Alex started with it over a week ago then S,J & I all got it on Wednesday. Poor Bren has had a VERY busy week at work and has then had to come home to look after all of us so he's certainly ready to drop...am keeping my fingers crossed he doesn't now get it.
So it means that there is not much to report as we've had a fairly quiet week at home.
I've been ringing round day care centres for the boys. I need to get S&A looked after at least once a week whilst I take Jacob to his appt.'s at the cochlear implant centre. Bren and I also want S&J to begin pre-school next academic year (Jan '09) which means we need to get them on a waiting list now. We would like Jacob to go to the same pre-school as Samuel so he too will be mainstream but that is going to be easier said than done...everyone wants to know what his physical & hearing status will be and of course we cannot predict that. Just means I have a lot of work cut out to find the right and most suitable place for them both.
Found out that Jacob's standing frame is nearly ready for him and he will be getting fitted for it on 11th March. We currently have a loan one but the one he's getting is brand new, has been purchased for him and is on wheels so we'll be able to push him round the house in it...or at least Samuel will!! For those of you who don't know, children who can't stand unsupported by 2 yrs need to have a frame so they can bare weight on their legs. By so doing it helps the hips to develop properly. If the hips don't develop as they should it means operations will be required down the track; something we're hoping Jacob won't have to have.
Jacob's physio at the Spastic Centre as also recommended he gets some feet/ankle supports to aid him with his standing and she's referring us to a CP clinic at the local children's hospital. Seems this clinic will be able to assist with lending equipment, getting regular x-rays done and everything else that is required to ensure Jacob is reaching is maximum potential.
Even though the boys have been ill we have still had some fun moments. Samuel is a laugh a minute with his speaking. Bren and I are having to be incredibly careful about what we say because he's repeating everything he hears. We were in the car the other day and I was getting impatient with another driver and Samuel repeated my words of, "hurry up lady!"...thank goodness that was all I said! Another time I was parking the car when he piped up, "oh-oh, crash!" I wasn't impressed by that statement and told him that I'm quite OK at parking, thank you very much. He's also very keen on listening to music and the other day kept asking for "luck lady" from "dolls guys" which of course is 'Luck be a Lady' from 'Guys and Dolls'...I know it may seem like a strange choice but I guess if that's what you're in the mood for! I don't mind his musical taste coming from me but I do wish his dance moves were more like his dad's!
Jacob hasn't produced any more wonderous words as yet but is still babbling away. He's loving playing with Samuel these days and it's plain for anyone to see what an amazing bond they have with each other. Alex is only ever a couple of feet away from them, crawling along and trying to get in on the action. Today I heard him say 'da-da' but unfortunately his dad wasn't with us to hear it.
Well, another day is well and truly over and as it's very late I must sign off. I'm attaching a couple of rare photos of me and the boys and a very cute one of Alex on our garden rocking horse...still can't believe he's only 7 months...is it only me who thinks he looks like he's a triplet?!!

Quack!

Well folks, it's been a momentous few days. Jacob's hearing is improving at a rapid rate, he is really babbling now and showing that he's understanding language by carrying out actions to things we're saying e.g. waves when we say hello, goodbye or night-night, claps when we say clever boy. Last week he spoke his first audible word - "Gorilla!" Yes, I know, you think I'm joking but I'm not at all. Bren was reading him a bedtime story last Wednesday and it got to the line, 'My dad is as strong as a gorilla' and Jacob said, "gorilla". He then went on to repeat it three times at which point Bren and I just fell about laughing. So we had Jacob's speech therapist here for a session with him today who was showing him a picture of some ducks saying, "quack, quack, quack" and then Jacob said, "quack" as clear as a bell. To top it off I came into the room tonight to get the boys for their bath and Jacob looked up at me and said "Maaahhhhm". Bren was there to hear it too and assured me that I had heard it and wasn't dreaming. What an amazing little boy he is and I just can't wait to tell his audiologist and therapist and the implant centre! We are so very proud of him.
Alex is not to be out done by his older brother and is now saying "ba-ba-ba-ba" and conversing with us all very well. He, like Jacob, seems to know his name and Samuel is having much fun chatting with both of them. There are often squeals of delight coming from two or all three of them. Alex also began to 'commando crawl' at the weekend so now I really do need eyes in the back of my head as all three boys are on the move and often heading in different directions!
We have this year's first appt. with Jacob's physio tomorrow and I can't wait for him to show her how he's now shuffling around on his bottom. He has progressed so well since his last appt. with her.
OK, off to bed now to try and get a good night's sleep now the boys seem to be nearing the end of their colds.

Oh, before I go, congratulations to my friend, Jo who gave birth to a baby boy, Patrick Luc on Wednesday 13th Feb.

Switch-on

Jacob has had his new cochlear implant (right ear) switched on today and he is now hearing in both ears! It's very early days with the new implant but he's definitely hearing something so we're very optimistic at this point. What's a little frustrating is that he keeps knocking both sides off his head (when the magnetic coils aren't attached to his head he doesn't hear) when he's sitting in chairs but he leaves them on when sitting independently. He seems to enjoy hearing so we can't as yet work out why he keeps knocking off the coils...perhaps it's just because he can!
We're back at the implant centre tomorrow so they can begin tweaking the new cochlear. We have a years worth of weekly appointments in order to get both adjusted right for him to be able to hear everything. It's an incredibly exciting time for Jacob and he seemed very happy when playing at home tonight.
Unfortunately we had a nightmare journey home from the centre. What should have taken 1.5hours took 2.5hours because we were caught in commuter traffic. Then, 20mins from home, someone went into the back of our car. Luckily none of us were hurt and there doesn't seem to be much damage but it gave us a shock nonetheless.
Samuel and Alex have gone to bed with runny noses and both took a while to settle when we put them down so I'm hoping they'll be well enough for me to leave them with our wonderful helper, Megan, who comes to look after them for a few hours on a Wednesday which enables me to just take Jacob to the implant centre (it's soooooo much easier just taking one!). Fingers crossed.
Must go and help Bren with the dishes and tidying up!

P.S. Love this photo of all my boys reading some books together...

Happy Anniversary Bren

Yep, three years ago today Bren and I got married. Here's a photo of us after the event... Here's us with all of our guests...
Three magic years and so much has happened! 3 kids, bought a house...hmmmm...OK, that's about it but not bad going?!
I can honestly say I love you more and more each minute of every day Bren. You are the best partner anyone could ever hope for and by far the very best daddy any child could have.
Love always
Kat
xxx

Good Luck Jo

Just wanting to wish my very dear friend, Jo lots of luck and love as she's about to give birth to her second child. If she hasn't gone into spontaneous labour by tomorrow she's going to have a c-section...good on ya girl; wish I'd done that second time round...so much better than being induced!!
Can't wait to hear from you.
Thinking of you and sending you much love from us all.
xxxxx

Party Time!

Yaaaayyyyyy! It was party time yesterday and it didn't rain! We have had LOTS of rain for several weeks now but luck was on our side yesterday. Not everyone could make it to S&J's birthday party but we had much fun with those who did. We started off indoors but soon made it to the back garden and the fun really started when we brought the party food out - that was when I was very grateful we were outside!

Once I brought the birthday cake out I felt like the Pied Piper of Hamelin, with a trail of children behind me. They were all enthralled with the candles and couldn't wait to get their hands stuck into the icing. Here's Samuel chomping on his bit of cake...
Jacob having finished his bit of cake... Alex, who didn't get a bit of cake but that was through no fault of trying. He did manage to grab a chipolata sausage a few times which I had to keep taking off him...poor thing honestly thinks he's the same age as S&J and is trying to do everything they are doing.

The boys really did have a fabulous time and were tired out from all the exersion. No more parties for another 6 months...until Alex turns ONE!...where does the time go?!

P.S. Hello to the Webb family if you're reading this. Lovely to hear from you Sally and we'd love to see photos of your gang. Best email address for us is mail@brendancarroll.org

Happy Birthday Ba-ba

Happy Birthday to you

Happy Birthday to you

Happy Birthday dear Ba-ba

Happy Birthday to you

Dear Mam/Grandma/Ba-ba

Hope you have a wonderful day. Tried to get a good photo of all the boys but even after 20,000 attempts (well, maybe not quite that many), I made do with this one...at least one of them looked at the camera!

lots of love

Your little Aussie Family

xxx

Shrove Tuesday

Yep, tried the boys with pancakes for their tea tonight as it's Shrove Tuesday. Samuel was not impressed at all and went into 'lip lockdown'; Jacob tried a couple of mouthfuls but wasn't that into them...I had a great time, as did my waistline...or lack of it!

Well, no more scary spiders seen since last Friday but it has been raining every day since then so I reckon they're all hiding, trying to keep dry. I'm still on edge and can't stop thinking about nasty creepy crawlies...I've gone back to checking under the toilet seat before I go each time!!! There is a real opinion divide on spraying as some people say to do it but others think it just brings the 'nasties' out from their hidy holes. The person I spoke with at pest control said it won't kill spiders unless they actually see them and spray them direct on the day...in that case I reckon it hardly seems worth it. I think we'll just sit tight and wait to see if we spot any more.

We've had a busy few days.

Jacob began his first term of 2008 at Sylvanvale (centre for the disabled). He attends an early intervention class on a Thu & Fri during school term time. He is in a group of 6 children of similar age, all developmentally physically delayed but no others are deaf...there again, neither is he any more!! He has two different carers this year and seems equally as content with them. He has actually settled a lot quicker than last year (cried every time he went for a whole year) but I'm wondering if this is cos he's a little older and knows the ropes now. He seemed to have a great time on Thu &Fri; didn't sleep the whole time he was there (8:30am-2:30pm) and consequently was absolutely jiggered when he got home. Needless to say, Samuel missed him and followed me round for the two days like a little shadow. Alex just got on with things as usual...just like the third child always seems to, as everyone keeps telling me.

Jacob was so tired on Thursday that whilst he was bum-shuffling round the kitchen he fell over and hit his face on the corner of the skirting board and gave himself a proper shiner on his left eye. Poor, poor wee thing. I felt terrible but I need to give him his independence and know it's important he shuffles round without me at his side constantly cos I can't and won't be able to be there for him all the time. Of course he got over it within minutes, it just looks impressive!

Took Alex to get his 6month immunisation shots done on Saturday and unfortunately he had a nasty reaction to them which began Sat. night. None of the boys have every reacted to their shots previously but poor Alex was in a bad way for 36hours - temperature, runny nose, puffy eyes, loss of appetite, swollen legs where the shots had been, crying and wanting to be held constantly. Thank goodness it was the weekend so Bren and I could take it in turns at holding him. He seems to be OK now.

Well, we're back to the weekly appt.'s at the Sydney Cochlear Implant Centre (SCIC) tomorrow. Jacob will get his current implant/hearing tested and adjusted if necessary. We go back next Tues. for the right ear to be switched on and then have a follow-up on the Wed. I'm incredibly excited and hope desperately for his sake that he has the same hearing in his right ear as his left. He's coming on in leaps and bounds with his hearing at the moment and is making some great sounds. He is also recognising LOADS of sounds and voices which is fantastic progress. He really seems to be enjoying hearing and has quite a laugh about certain sounds too - kisses, whistling, certain songs by The Wiggles, the hoover! It's a laugh a minute here in the Carroll household.

OK, it's bed time now...

Red-back - arghhhhhhh!!!

Yes, it's finally happened...I've seen my first VERY scarey spider. Was putting the rubbish out yesterday arvo when walking outside past the laundry door I saw a web by the bottom step and in it a couple of spiders. As I took a closer look there it was; absolutely no mistaking it - shiny black, not massive, red stripe on back...makes me feel queasy thinking about it! I got the insect spray and as soon as I began to spray the area it disappeared inside a crack inbetween the brickwork/doorframe. I went mental with the spray all round the area but don't know if it's dead or alive. To say I shook would be an understatement but thank goodness it had been raining and the boys weren't playing outside as it was right next to some of their outdoor toys. However, I am very careful when it comes to checking for 'nasties' before I take them outside to play. Samuel knows I do a 'spider check' and I'm trying to make him aware that he mustn't touch spiders but don't want to scare him. Guess I've been very lucky that I haven't seen anything this frightening before now.
We'll need to spray all round the garden and just be careful to keep checking. It's peak spider season at the moment and this is just one of those things you have to put up with if you want to live in this great country...must admit, it did make me feel a bit homesick for the UK but then I remembered it was snowing there and the feeling soon went!

Happy Birthday to Samuel & Jacob

S&J are TWO today! We've had a pretty low-key birthday but are going to have a party in a couple of weeks; have just been waiting for Jacob to get over his op.

The morning started with Samuel seeing the Thomas the Tank Engine train set we had bought for them. It was met by a big, "Wow!" from him and lots of smiles from Jacob.

Jacob was more into reading the birthday cards from everyone. He just loves books and cards at the moment.

We had to take a trip up the road this morning as Jacob needed to get his wound checked by our lovely GP, Dr. Jane. It's all good and he's back to being able to enjoy his bathtime with his brother now as he can get as wet as he likes! It was an interesting time that I had getting the 3 boys from the car and into the Dr.'s surgery. J&A are now in the stroller with S walking beside me. Needless to say I had him wearing a pair of reigns (which he hated to begin with). Whilst S enjoyed walking he tends to want to go in the opposite direction to where I'm heading! It was a good job that the Dr.'s is near where Bren works cos he met us afterwards and we were able to go for lunch together. It was then a dash home to get the boys to bed for their nap so I could get their birthday cake finished.

They had a good afternoon of play and we had their cake when daddy got home.

It's been a bit of a nostalgic day for me. I was looking back at photos of when they were first born and I'm so very proud of them both. They had such a hard beginning to life but are two strong little fighters and have come out of it incredibly well. To top it off, Jacob is improving daily and can now 'bum-shuffle' his way around a room.

What incredible boys we have.

(Top baby photo is of S, next one of J, both taken on the day they were born. We didn't see their eyes for several days cos of the 'sunglasses' protecting them; we were able to hold S after one week and held J after 2 weeks).