Eye Balls

Funny thing eye balls. Since the cats are really missing Joss and Brook, they decided to get my attention by killing a bird inside. So while cleaning up the mess I found a round object that turned out to be an eye ball. I thought it was rather large considering it was by the bird remains. So unless they have hidden something else I’ve yet to find, birds eyes are surprisingly large.

OK so I am missing Joss and Brook so have nothing better to do that poke eye balls. Actually I got a warrant for our Toyota today. It did need a new tire but I got that done this morning too, all within an hour – not bad I thought. So with that out of the way I am left with the choice of the jobs Joss has asked me to do or start scanning more pictures for the website… and here I am at the computer, don’t figure.

So what are people planning for Xmas and New Years? There is a good possibility that most of the Simpson family are heading to Wellington for Xmas which sounds coolie. Then Joss, Brook, and I can head back via Golden Bay to have a second Xmas with Joss’s family. Choice two Xmas days to get lots of loot and over eat. Thus we’ll be in the Golden Bay region again for New Years – not that with a little boy will we be out all night long. But if any of you are in the region we should organise a catch up.

Catch you later,
Cam

4. November 2001 »

New Photos

Hello again,
I’ve scanned in a bunch of photos covering our wedding and Brook. So check them out.

I’ve also been talking to Joss today. She is having a good time in Golden Bay and likes having two keen baby sitters on hand at all times.
Cam.

4. November 2001 »

Updated Site

Hello All,
Yip another site design change – not too different from the last one, but the navigation architecture is better plus I’ve kept away from too many colours since. I am not colour blind, more colour stupid.

Anyway whats new? Well as it is around midnight so you can probably guess I’m home alone. Joss and Brook are up in Golden Bay leaving me to fend for myself. Speed dial is wonderful when used for takeaway deliveries. No I’ve not resorted to fast food yet, this is only the second night, but I do notice the beer stocks dwindling a little faster than usual. I caught up with Joss last night and she said Brook was very good on the plane, much to her and the other passengers delight. And now he’s entertaining his grandparents. So it looks like it will be a fun trip for both and hopefully Joss can catch a break or two.

Brooks health has improved and Joss and I are thus getting the odd better nights sleep. It is still too early for Brook to have grown out of the reflux stage (not that they ever really stop refluxing) but things are looking promising that we are over the worst of it (touch wood). I went to Wellington last week for a conference and caught up with Duncan and Kylie which was fun. Their apartment looks stylie and is quite close to most of town from what I could tell with my limited local knowledge. They both are busy with work and play and are hoping to come south at the end of this month.

Justine was down over labor weekend which was good. She enjoyed tripping around the sights and did not seem to leave too worse for wear with sleep loss. Somehow she managed not to change a single nappy which I just don’t think is on. Southland turned on some nice weather so we got out and about.

Well I must shoot, work tomorrow. I’m planning to do a lot of scanning over the weekend so there should be a heap of new pictures loaded before mid next week. Plus now that I’ve got this blog program going, we should be keeping our stories more upto date. I may even set it up to auto upload so Joss can use it too.

Later,
Cam.

2. November 2001 »

Hi

Hello all,
The weekend is here, what was once a time to sleep in, is 6am starts as usual with a baby does not know the difference between week and weekends. Sleep aside, we enjoy the weekends, hopefully we can get out for another picnic this weekend. We have been having quite reasonable weather for this time of year – it normally is very windy so we’ve been getting out and about as often as possible.

I know you have all been asking for more pictures of Brook (why has no one has asked for pictures of Joss & I?). Anyway I have started to scan in some more pictures. With our old scanner there is rather a bit of work involved so you’ll have to be patient. From the few new ones I have put on today, you will notice how much Brook has grown. We are all surprised that he still has a full head of hair. Many babies would have lost any hair they were born with by now – but it seems it is only we parents that are losing hair and going grey.

Brook finally got his follow up visit with his hospital specialist – not the three week wait after we spent the night at hospital as promised, but the timing was good since Brook’s gastro reflux had been playing up over the last couple of weeks. But unfortunately there is little the doctor could do other than increase Brook’s medication. It was unusual for a baby as young as Brook to have shown the symptoms (at 1½ months old). Babies would normally show when around 3 to 4 months old. So the doctor was not surprised Brook’s symptoms have increased at this stage. Brilliant! We can only hope the increased medication helps and that Brook’s symptoms start to disappear at the usual 5 to 6 month stage.

That is more than enough depressing news (we will not even start on our chch house). So what else has been happening? We’ve started spring-cleaning, we’ve only done one room but we are making the house more child safe as we go. It is a little early for Brook to be crawling but it needs to be done beforehand. We also have a busy month ahead with a visit from Justine at labour weekend, I’m probably going to Wellington for a conference, and Joss and Brook have their trip to Golden Bay at the end of the month.

That will do for this update, remember to check out the new photos and email us what you have been up to.
Love Cam, Joss, & Brook.

1. October 2001 »

Hi

Time for another update, and being the night before we take Brook back to the specialist, you can guess things are not all smiles at the Simpson house hold. Brook has been refluxing quite badly over the last week. It has got to such a stage that Joss wants to stop breast-feeding. But Brook refuses to bottle feed with more conviction than when attempting to breast-feed.

Otherwise things are trucking on Ok. Ignoring the reflux, Brook is progressing well. He has found out about volume while he “talks” and loves to put everything in his mouth (except anything related to feeding). He is a real squirmier so ignore any typing mistakes as I have him on my knee right now while Joss takes a break. It is rather hard to do capitals one handed.

After a really mild winter, and lovely start to spring, we have started the windy period just as the flowers and blossoms came out. Hopefully it will not last until February like last summer.

Must shoot, Brook needs a bath before we take him to the hospital tomorrow.
Love Cam, Joss & Brook.

25. September 2001 »

Hello

Hello All,
Brook is just 2 days away from being 11 weeks old. Has time shot by or just blurred all together? A bit of both I think. The medication Brook is on has really helped. He still refluxes quite a bit but since the medication reduces the stomach acid it does not burn when it comes back up. Got to be good for you! I say that as I’m down here writing this and Joss is in the lounge with a crying baby, I wonder how much stuff I can write?

No, I’m not that mean, so I’ll keep it short and sweet. With the drastic change in Brook, we have been getting out a lot more which has been fun. Our first family holiday was to Arrowtown (close to Queenstown for those who do not know). My parents were offered a friends batch for the weekend so we joined them. There was snow everywhere when we arrived but most of it was gone over night with the rain. But we enjoyed ourselves and his grandparents spoilt Brook rotten. He coped very well and with the baby sitters right there, Joss and I escaped a couple of times throughout the weekend.

Must go,
Love Cam, Joss & Brook

26. August 2001 »

New Design

So, notice anything different about our site? Yip another redesign. We liked the last design but… Anyway, we hope you like it and can find your way around.

Naturally we’ve been rather busy with Brook, who is 8 weeks old now. What a little terror. Add to the mix of first time parents Gastro-oesophageal Reflux, burnt oesophagus plus Colic and you get some damn tired people. After an overnight hospital observation we now have some medication that reduces the acid produced in Brook’s stomach. This means when he refluxes (spills or brings up food) it will not burn his oesophagus. And time will heal the damage already done to the oesophagus. Now we’ve got to wait until he “grows out” of the Colic stage (around 12 weeks old).

Brook hates taking his medication – only 1ml at his current weight, but damn hard to get him to swallow. But enough about the problems. Despite all this he is putting on weight and has reached the smiling and gurgling stage. It is great to have him respond back to you (except when he wants to do it at 3am and you’re trying to get him to sleep). And a couple of his gurgles sound like words – I know this is way too early and we are probably just subconsciously filling in the blanks, but honestly some times it sounds like he says “hello”. He definitely can scream “Nooo”, “Maaa”, and “Yuck” when feeding him the medication.

Not a lot else is happening in our lives at present, a lot of video watching while rocking the baby. But now that we hopefully have hit Brook’s main problem on the head, we are starting to feel more comfortable about venturing out and will soon rely on baby sitters as we regain our sanity.

Keep cool until after school,
Love Cam, Joss & Brook.

6. August 2001 »

Hello All

Thank you all for the support and presents you have give us. Cams updated the web site so you can see some pictures of Brook and read about his first five days.

Things are going well, that is if you count that Brook likes to have his wake period after his 3am feed! Nothing like being awake from 3am to 5:30am then knowing he will wake again by 7am. Ah, parental bliss. No it is not all bad, in fact it is all rather fun and exciting as long as you get enough sleep to keep up. Well I’d better keep this short – I’ve got to start back at work tomorrow so that will be the true test to how little sleep can Joss and I survive on.

Oh I better mention we’ve had our first buggy ride. We thought that a quick walk around the block with Brook in the buggy would definitely out him to sleep. No we were wrong. He loved it, I’ve never seen his eyes so wide open.

Love Cam, Joss & Brook.

25. June 2001 »