159 + 55 Weeks

This week has gone very quickly.  Finally Arley has learned to walk! :)  He still crawls when he has a choice, but he can walk quite well without falling over.  He is quite slow and delicate about his walking, and he is such a fast crawler that I think he prefers to be on all fours.  But I don't think it will take him long to have running races with his sister.

The kids have had lots of visits with their US grandparents this week, and Carmie has had quite a few trips to the park with them.  Carmie is becoming quite a mature little girl - this morning she surprised me by taking Arley to the playroom to entertain him because I was having a moment and was about to lost the plot.  She likes to help me with chores, and we haven't had any big tantrums for quite a while (knock on wood).  She is also quite happy to be left at school, so I'm thinking another day might be in order!

Anyway, hopefully our bad run of illnesses and accidents is over!

Here are some videos from this week:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XtLtxO2BWoY&feature=youtu.be

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_xQxq1tOeY&feature=youtu.be

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tMJNYJyw25I&feature=youtu.be

Wearing her new princess ballerina dress - thank you Auntie Georgia!

158 + 54 Weeks

After several more visits to the doctor to get his bandages changed, Arley is doing much better.  As of today he is wearing his mitten, no bandage.  The skin under his blister is healed but very raw, and I think itchy, because he digs at it every chance he can get.  He also got weighed and measured, and he is in the 85th percentile for weight and the 95th for height.  No surprise really, as he is so heavy to carry around, and the little bugger still refuses to try to walk.  He cruises all day long, but as soon as you hold his hands to walk him, he sits down on his butt like a lead weight.  I didn't get many photos of him this week, not sure why.  He has been rather fussy, but who wouldn't be with four teeth coming through at once?  Three of them have finally cut, so hopefully he will be less fussy from here on out.

As for Carmie, she has had a good week.  She has had lots of visits from her US grandparents, Nema and Grandpa Clark  -  although no great photos there either :( .  They have been visiting us, spending time with the kids, playing hide and seek with Carmen, and sitting through the Willbanks' Family Fun Hour (dinner and bathtime) which is fairly hellacious.  Carmie has also been settling in to school much better too, which makes dropping her off much more pleasant.

All in all, this week was much better than last week, with no accidents and no illnesses!  Can't ask for more than that!

 Carmie and Nema

 Playing hide and seek with Grandpa Clark

 Super Carmie

 Bubbles are her weapon of choice

157 + 53 Weeks

Poor Arley had an accident this week.  We went to my parents' place for my mum's birthday, but we showed up early, so they hadn't covered their wood burning stove, which was blazing.  Within a minute of us being there, Arley crawled over to the stove and burnt himself.  All eyes were on Mum opening her birthday present, so none of us saw where he burnt himself.  He was sitting next to the stove with his face about 3 inches from it, screaming his heart out.  I grabbed him, and Mum and I took all of his clothes off, trying to find his burn, dousing him all over with cold water, but he was writhing and screaming and we couldn't find the burn.  He screamed for 2 hours, and I had an idea it was his hand but he wouldn't let me look and he was as strong as an ox.  We got some Panadol in him, and finally he cried himself to sleep for his nap.  When he woke up, he was a bit more relaxed, and I got his hand open, and there was this dreadful burn on it.  We took him straight to the hospital, and they bandaged him up.  The burn was across the top of his palm, a small one on the bottom of his palm, down each finger, and then more blisters on the tip of each finger.  This is a photo from the following day:

 The poor little guy had to go back to get his dressings changed every day for four days, and since then it has been every other day, and they tell me it should be another 2 weeks of bandages.  For the first two days he was crawling like a one armed crab, and was miserable.  But he is OK with crawling now and is getting used to doing things with only one hand.  Poor Arley.  Last night while I was cooking dinner, he managed to pull his bandages off and was digging at his blister while he cried and cried.  Mum has knitted him a mitten to wear on it to stop him from pulling off the bandage.  Poor little guy, he has had such a bad run lately :(

On Friday Carmie had a play date with her friends Hannah and Cassie, here at the house.  The girls had a blast, and we will do it more often.  The new trampoline is a big hit, and has kept Carmen occupied on and off throughout the week.  We have had lots of play in the back yard, bubbles, running races, cricket and jumping on the tramp.

On Tuesday, the kids' US grandparents arrived for a visit.  They will be staying 5 minutes away in Narrawallee for a month.  Carmen loves her Nema, and can't wait for her to come and play every day.  With all of the Arley drama (and still being sick myself!), I have not taken any photos of them, but I will this week.

Let's hope things will look up from here!

 Hannah & Carmie

 Getting some air

 Cassie & Carmie

 New hat & coat

 Running races

 Poor Arley.  This was before we realised his fingers had to be wrapped too :(

 Carmie loves her new bow (thanks Pop!)

Arley not so much ;)