Ready to go!

Two meanings of course here!

We are getting ready to go to Italy tomorrow for 2 and half weeks, seaside with my mom and sister and then realx on hills of the Apennines. Mike won't come with us this time and we'll miss him a lot but I know he'll miss us even more. I don't have much to pack, but I look forward to see how the superlight stroller will perform at the airport, it's way to warm in Italy for the sling and till I'll be comfortable carrying Oliver on my back, the weight on the front is a bit too much.

This was us the last time at the airport in Italy

I'm never very good at taking too many pics, but I'll definitely make an effort this time and I'll bring also the camcorder. We'll see!

And remember last week I had my blood tests done at the GP on CD3 to see how my hormones were doing. Here they are:

FSH 6.4

LH 3.6

E2 168 (pmol/L or 45.8 pg/mL)

TSH 2.80

So needless to say I'm delighted and the Fav Doctor texted me when she got the faxed results saying she was confident the response in September will be good.

I also had my total blood count done and all is well, very good haemoglobin and the only thing out of range were my neutrophiles which are a bit below the minimum but the GP said it's nothing to worry about as everything else is normal.

I won't have much of a connection while on holidays, so I'm afraid I won't be able to comment if not sporadically, but you are all in my thoughts!

23 weeks, potty training update

Another week has passed and my little boy is a week older!

As we are going on holidays next friday I won't be able to update for a while, but given the interest you fab girls showed on the potty training aspect I thought I'd share how things are going and what we do.

I will start by saying that in the past 8 days we had only 4 dirty nappies (twice it was an overnight thing, one time was at the very beginning and another time I didn't get to the loo on time!) which I am amazed and a bit shocked! Oliver seems to absolutely love doing his things in the loo rather than in his nappy. Twice he woke up from a nap with a fully dry nappy, I brought him to the loo, did the "ppppsss ppsss" sound and he peed happily. Then he looks up and smiles!

Of course there are some times he doesn't have to do anything and he'll make it very clear, meaning that he pushes with his feet on the toilet seat (as if wanting to stand up) and complains.

I've started reading a bit on this technique and as I mentioned in my previous post it's criticised by some experts, but I've also read amazing experiences of people having children out of nappies by the time they were 1! Some people have actually started this EC (elimination communication) routine as early as the baby was born. Thinking back, I don't think I would have had the energy or the will to do so at the very beginning, but just to let you know, it is possible.

The overall idea is that of leaving the baby without a nappy for as much time as possible. The benefits are obvious, babies love being nappy free, rashes are minimised (Oliver never suffered of those) and the freedom of movements is increased dramatically (specially for those who use cloth nappies which are bulkier). The downside is that you may have several "accidents" and so what you try to do is to understand the signals of your baby before he has to pee or poo and bring him to a potty or to the loo.

The weather/temperature here is not such that we can leave Oliver naked, but in preparation to go to Italy this is a good training.

Pees are still very difficult and I think I just get lucky when I manage to get one in the loo, but poos are quite predictable.

Our experience so far has been extremely positive.

On a final note, I of course went to buy a toilet training seat, thinking it would be a great help rather than me holding Oliver over the loo. I got the Bumbo training seat but returned it the morning after.

I'm sure it may be perfect for girls but NOT for boys. Whichever way the seat is shaped (it's like the Bumbo seat with the bottom part cut off), Oliver sits in it in a way that his willy is not in the hole and he would pee in his face. Even if we'd manage to have all his bits in the hole (not really easy) the pee would go all over the toilet seat because the Bumbo is hollow underneath with no "splash-guard". We exchange it for a funky potty which I'm not sure we'll ever use (to be honest I'd hope to just use the toilet training seat when he's bigger).

And so the quest continues! I read the Baby Bjorn toilet training seat is great. I'll let you know if I get it!

Future plans

Yesterday we went to the clinic (new location, ultra posh place, was almost expecting a room named after me LOL!) and we met with the Fav Doctor. The medical part of the chat was very quick, the policy is "don't change what works" and so we'll do the same protocol the next time. We are looking at September with no pill (whoohoooo!!!), as my cycles are very regular already, I just have to give her a call when my period start in September (probably it'll be late August), she'll get my prescription ready and we are good to go! She suggested to start with a lower dose, she'll monitor me more often (the new place is walking distance from work) and we can increase if necessary. Two out of the three fresh cycles I have done, I risked OHSS and this resulted in half the trigger dose the last time which yielded 6 eggs out of 18 follicles which then became 3 blasts. We'll try and aim for 10 eggs without OHSS. We still think we'll freeze which means I won't be on steroids or clexane this time. The idea is to go to blast anyway and freeze then (Oliver was a frozen blast). But we'll see how it goes and the Fab Doctor seems to be quite flexible with us, which is great.

We also got a tour of the new facility and I can only say WOW. They even bought a new 3d ultrasound machine. Cool!

Yesterday was also my CD3 so I got my bloods done at the GP to see how I'm getting on on the hormones side of things. I'll have the results back next week.

Finally, I'm deeply saddened by the many losses happing in blogland. Some of them are just unreal they are so so cruel. I still get a profound sense of fear reading those stories, as if they trigger my memories around Oliver's birth so though you girls are in my thoughts and prayers I am not able to comment too much.

22 weeks, shopping, clinic and potty training (!)

My darling Oliver is 22 weeks! 5 full months!

We are experiencing a heatwave here and the weather is amazing! On monday it's holiday here so it's a long weekend for which I've tons of things planned!

Yesterday I bought a light frame stroller called Petit Star Zia Plus. It seems like people have mixed opinions but I'm totally positive about it, really easy to use and manoeuvre!

Folds really small and I got a good offer with a summer removable lining, a parasol and rain cover! Very happy about it and Oliver seems to love it too! It'll be our summer/travel stroller!

On the shopping side, I finally manage to buy some swimwear for our upcoming trip to the seaside. I got everything in the same shop after seeing their collection online. I'm pleased with it too, though I think I have a long way to go before I'll look good in anything!

In other news, a girl on one of the local boards attending my same clinic mentioned that my Fav Doctor is now certified on the Irish medical board too (she is not Irish and got her qualification abroad) and so can now take her own patients. I thought it was a sign so I texted her congratulating her on the news and to see if we can set up a meeting to plan our future. She was delighted and said that given I'm a special patient, I can just tell her when I want to go in and she'll make time for me. So it may be next week!! Wohoo!! Things are moving fast! Of course I'll update you on that too.

Finally yesterday and today I got Oliver to poo on the loo!! I had read that if you hold the baby in a particular way it'll help them understand how to go potty in a more regular way. It was a popular method in tribal societies where nappies were not used. There is a lot of controversy on this potty training method and I am not following it as such. Anyway, yesterday I got the impression that he was probably about to poo so I took off his nappy and held him over the loo (keeping his legs lifted towards his tummy) and he went! He seemed delighted with the experience and so was I. Then this morning we did it again! Now, he also pooed in his nappy other times but given that we use cloth nappies it's a great victory not to having to clean them from solids sometimes and also I'm sure it's great for him not to have to sit on his poo till I realise he needs a change.

21 weeks, the nursery and Carlito

Thank you all so so much for the outpour of love on my last post. Some of you were following me last year when we got the kittens so I truly appreciate every comment. You are amazing.

Oliver today is 21 weeks! Doing very well and I thought I'd post a couple of pics of the tiny nursery where he'll stay till he goes into the big boys room sometime in the future.

The Stokke sleepi bed and the corner of the changing table

A close up of the wall decorations and the wooden mobile

A shot of the other side with Oliver on the changing table and the cloth nappy covers!

It's been a week since Oliver started sleeping in his room and we couldn't be happier. Everyone is getting much more sleep. We bring him into our bed in the morning sometimes for a cuddle and he loves it!

Our room is now back to ourselves and the cats. Patches slept with us his last night (we didn't know it was his last night but it's nice to know he had lots of cuddles) and since then the Dude is spending the nights on our bed. We didn't allow the cats to sleep with us when Oliver was there too, I still wouldn't feel comfortable with them jumping in his crib while he's inside.

Finally, I mentioned we had adopted a new kitten from the vet clinic and he's with us since yesterday. We called him Carlito after much debate but now it fits him perfectly. He's about 5 weeks old but he's so active and playful, yet very well behaved and cuddly we are all very happy. Except the Dude who is still keeping his distance. It went this way. The Dude saw Carlito and went near him to smell him. Carlito hissed and made himself as big as possible (which means about the size of a Dude's paw!), the Dude took it badly and has hissed at him since. But then he runs away, never lifted a paw, so Carlito now knows he's a gentle giant and just want to play with him. The Dude acts like he's afraid of him and went on a hunger strike for 24 hours (back to eating this evening even though in a different room to minimise the stress). He's now quite happily in the same room (the kitchen) as Carlito but never gets too close. Carlito on the other hand is trying his best to get as close to the Dude as possible! Hopefully they'll be friends soon, I know the Dude has space in his heart for another friend. Once the loss of Patches is accepted.

Carlito 27th of May 2011, about 5 weeks old

Goodbye Patches

There was nothing else we could do to try and help him. Today when the Ultimate Vet Hero came over to see him, she agreed he had not made much progress and that we were out of ideas. I think Mike and I knew this was going to be the outcome but we needed Ultimate Vet Hero to feel the same. She was devastated and I know she treated him like one of her own pets. I don't know who was more upset if me or her. But it was the right thing to do. So she took him away and then texted me when it was all over to say it was very quick and peaceful. Knowing it was the right thing to do doesn't make it less sad though.

We will get another kitten, a healthy one hopefully this time. The Dude needs a friend. The Vet clinic currently has 10 kittens looking for a home, so this evening we went to see them. We should have one with us by the end of the week. The Dude knew Patches was very unwell, after looking after him constantly for several days, he had distanced himself in the last three days. This is one of the latest picture of the two of them together taken last week.

Goodbye little friend, you brought the Ultimate Vet Hero in our lives and that was a great gift from such a sweet pet. You'll live forever in our hearts.

Patches 22nd of February 2010 - 23rd of May 2011

First night on his own

It went down without a hitch! Oliver slept soundly through the night and briefly woke up around 6.30 am because he got stuck sideways in the cot! Once repositioned and soothed up he slept for another hour and half! The major difference from our room is that we added a black-out blind to his window so it's darker for longer and definitely helps him not waking up!

In other news I stepped on the dreaded scale this morning. I have to say I tried on and squeezed back into my skinny jeans the other night, much to my surprise, and started thinking the scale was a lying bitch as according to it I still had 7-8kg to go the last time. So this morning up I went on the evil thing and still it says I'm 62kg. That is 10kg less than I was at the end of the pregnancy and still 5kg to go. There's no way I'd fit back into those if I was 5kg heavier than the pre-drugs IF madness. I think I wasn't even 10 weeks along and I couldn't wear them any more. So that's it, either the thing is lying or the weight has redistributed itself in other places. Which has to be my upper body. But 5kg?? Mystery. They may be still most on my belly (the jeans are a low-waist model) but I'm working on it. You know, I'm going back to Italy in 4 weeks time and me, Oliver, mum and sister are going to the sea-side. Arrrhhhggghh I'll have to buy a bikini or something (it must be 10 years I've not gone to the sea side for holidays) and I'm dreading it! I imagine myself wearing a wrap or a T-shirt all the time...sad I know. Four weeks to tone up. Not sure I can do it. Also, I've always had horrible capillaries and visible veins in my legs which got worse with the pregnancy. So as part of the body-renovation I've started getting them "erased". Problem is, I do that in Italy and you can't sunbathe afterwards, so I can't get any more done till sea time. I won't be a pleasant sight on the beach I'm afraid. Let's hope Oliver will be the centre of attention then!

And thanks so much for the messages about Patches. No major progress I'm afraid, maybe the eye is better but he's breathing is still very congested. Ultimate Vet Hero will come to see him tomorrow.

Loving ICLW week! I've actually got to read blogs I've never read before which is just fantastic! Stick around folks, Attic updates and pics of the nursery are coming soon!