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!