1

Julia does 2 massive and extremely embarrasing poos at mother's group.
Tim plays with both babies by making them follow him all around above their heads.

TJ slept 8 hours - 8pm to 4am.
Amanda and TJ came to Mother's group to learn basic baby first aid.

2

Lots of tummy to back rolls during massage.

Tim & family are staying at mum and dad's till they find a house of their own.

3

We visit Julia's newest second cousin Jade, who is 4 days old. Julia is not very impressed and complains and wriggles, so mum gets about a 2 second hold of Jade.
Lots of tummy to back rolls during massage.
MASSIVE POOS - I need Tim's help to keep her hands out of it, I then have to bath her to fish it out of her belly button. We get another 2 huge lots before the day is out.
Farewell dinner with Grandpa Paul and Granny Colleen as they head off over the Nullarbor for Melbourne for Christmas.

4

First day of no poos - huge puke before bed instead - poor baby.
First held onto toys and tried to get them to her mouth

Tim works from 6am at the cricket.
TJ does second poos since he's been here (Julia does 2 - 3 per day), and they're massive.

5

Julia gets really mad at having to sit out in the garden and watch us pull up all the weeds. The flies are a pain in the neck.
She get really confused when trying to winge and we pat her mouth and her winge turns into a warble instead.

Tim, Amanda & TJ staying at Mark, Di and Julia's.
TJ's words include 'ang' and 'ayeayeayeayeaye'. He talks often to his toys.
He tries to eat Julia when her face is put close to his.

6

She's been getting hiccups much less frequently now, though gets them when she gets too excited and energetic at the same time.

7

Now grabbing toys intently and eating all she can.

TJ & Amanda come to visit and the babies play next to each other nicely.

8

She will determindly bring both hands to her mouth simultaneously and try to eat them both, one will win after a while and the other helps by ensuring the first is held at a constant pressure against her mouth.

Tim, Amanda & TJ stay at Mark, Di and Julia's.

9

Julia has to get hold of and stuff as much of her toys' feet in her mouth as possible - but then pulls digusted faces when she manages to get a mouthful, and stops, only to try again in a moment.
She gets a foot in each hand and tries to get each in, but excitedly grabs another foot piranha-like that happens to drag across her mouth as her hands wave about.

Tim, Amanda & TJ stayMark, Di and Julia's.

10

She sometimes tries to eat the toys, which take all her tummy muscles to do as she has to lift her legs right up in the air to aid the stuffing process. She occasionally ends up with her thumb in her mouth instead as she's lost grip of the toy in the process.
She sucks her left thumb. She tries with her right hand but often gives up in frustration.

Amanda & TJ come shopping with Julia and I nearly every day for about 2 weeks to do mainly Christmas shopping. The babies are excellent. I take Julia in the sling and Amanda has TJ in the pram or a trolley with a baby capsule attached. They each have a car seat in the back of our little 1987 Hatchback Mazda 121. We have to lift them in and out via the boot. Often one has a crying fit and the other just sleeps through it all. When we take another passenger, one of us has to squeeze inbetween the baby seats, which requires you to push each one towards the sides of a car so that they're on an angle horizontally and vartically for you to ease your bum in sideways in the 15cm gap that is produced - What fun.

11

Woohoo 8 hour sleep. 8pm to 4am.
I first noticed her holding a clear ball (hanging from her mobile) with coloured bits insides it, with a flat hand, and gently and very controlledly moving it around to get the balls inside to move, but without losing the ball. Mum said she'd seen her doing similar things last week however. Likes being on her tummy when I'm massaging her back, though I have to be quick as she flips over every few seconds, until my hands are oiled up and actually ON her back - not very patient. She'll lie on her elbow, with her head right up, looking around and even trying to turn to look behind her, at me.
She squeals when she's playing or trying to talk to you.

12

Our first weekend of scheduled time when Mark has to look after her.
We have a family picnic at Kings Park and are driven mental by the flies. Julia has to get dressed from head to toe with only her hands free so we can keep a handle on the flies. She enjoys just watching the tree we're sitting beneath.

13

She gets so energetic doing her morning exercises in the bed - all arms and legs flail about wildly.

14

Very smiley and giggly all day. I was trying to make lunch while holding her and pull out the last few bits of bread in the packet and shake the packet off my hand (and getting very frustrated), which she thought was awesome fun and would crack up at no matter how many times I did it. I later found out ANY packet had the same result..

15

Bit grumpy today, though good as gold - hardly slept and stayed up till 8.30pm. Was sucking thumb at the grocery shop and was so tired, but was looking everywhere and holding her head up for AGES. As soon as I pushed her head to rest it against my chest, she fell asleep immediately and slept so beautifully for about 20 - 30 min.
Poos that went everywhere, and then she got her foot in her nappy while I tried to take it off while she was standing up, so it tipped and spilt poo everywhere which she then happily kicked around in.
Tried to bath her twice today and each time after a few seconds she SCREAMED until I got her out. Using new baby bath - not sure if that was it. Nice warm weather - spent most of the day playing in the nick on the lounge floor.
She reads the junkmail with me now as I don't find any other time to do it. She especially likes the Spotlight catalogue with all the brightly coloured material - girl after my own heart - poor Mark.

16

Spastic morning faces while doing her exercises and stretches - as every girl should do you know.

Didn't sleep well, up every hour to 2 hours. Might have been the heat. Began to cry exactly as I lay her in the bath, but let me sit her in it to wash her, and then after that let me lay her down in it for a few seconds to wash the rest of her, but son after began her droopy mouth ready to cry and then scream look, so quickly pulled her out. Loves being on her tummy while I massage her back now. Today, even stayed happily on her tummy for about another 10 - 15 minutes, though quickly ended up just lying on her tummy sucking her thumb.

TJ has been rolling from his front to his side a lot, and very quickly.

17

She has been falling asleep with her left thumb in her mouth and her right behind behind her head holding it up (to keep it steady I'm sure)for a few days now, it's very amusing.

3-4month checkup for the babies. Julia (14wks 2days)'s height - 63cm, weight - 6934g, Head Circumference - 41cm.

TJ(14wks 3days)'s height - 64.8cm, weight - 7.1kg, HC - 43cm.

18

19

She had her mid afternoon sleep curled up against Mark while he also slept, which was so cute.

She still often sleeps on her back in froggy position which is adorable.

20

She doesn't like reclining and will tense her tummy muscles to sit up straight (and then topples over sideways or ends up so far forward her nose is in the ground - I have to rescue her quickly, as it can't be good for her back ligaments or bones).
Amanda & Gav's wedding. Julia was excellent.



Slept for 2 hours in the car in the afternoon. Has been doing high pitched squealing for the past week, when she's just slightly annoyed.
She was sleeping on the lounge floor in the nude and Mark has to keep going to roll her back onto her back as she likes to roll onto her side, with her one leg right over so she’s almost on her tummy.

I don’t blame her, as I find that position really comfy. He thought it was too dangerous for her to sleep almost on her tummy. I told him their was nothing we could do anymore, if she was rolling there and she has the ability to roll herself back, which we’ve also seen her do (and with amazing speed) then just let her be.

21

She slept for 2 hours this morning as well, from about 9.30am – 11.30am.
Still waking 2-3 times per night at least. She's been making a few new noises, talking ones and then her squeals.
I left her playing on her mat and made myself breakfast, kept checking her, and had checked her and then checked her about 1 ½ minutes later (by peering around the couch) and couldn’t see he on her mat, it was empty, she had rolled off onto the carpet onto her tummy. She’s never done it while playing before (as she never used to like her tummy), just in bed looking for food and where it took a fair bit of snuffling and wiggling. Today was silent.
So she slept today again on her side, but having rotated 90 degrees as well. Gonna have to be very careful with her on the bed now.
She likes falling running her right hand along the wrap (if I lay her on a colourful one) stroking it, as she sucks her left hand and lies on her left side.

Tim, Amanda & TJ stayat Mark, Di and Julia's.
Amanda is very sick - sweating and then goose bumps.
TJ has found his toes, and grabs hold of them. We're not sure whether he knows he's got them, or whether he gets them by mistake, as he's in no hurry to let them go.

22

Julia spends ages giggling and waiting in expectation with wide eyes at Amanda playing peek-a-boo with her from behind the car seat while she was strapped into her car seat. TJ just watched us and tried to see her, while smiling quietly to himself - he's often all smiles - he then got annoyed and started crying - shame - we weren't paying him much attention.

Julia has made a few nioses with her tongue. She made a da sound and another that I can't remember.

They both lay on the floor on their tummies next to each other, both looking up and watchin Amanda & I. TJ did some rolls, with us putting him back next to Julia - she must have been doing stinkies for him to keep trying to get away. She then started winging, and he just turned his head and watched her looking quite baffled at who she was and what her problem might be.

Tim took Amanda to the hospital - she has a viral infection, whic they told her to wait out - it takes about another 2 days to clear.

23

She likes you kissing and making noises under her chin, near her ear, and will smile and giggle with her mouth as wide open as it can go, all the while trying to catch your nose in her mouth to eat it.
She smiles everytime she sees herself or me (we're always together though) in the mirror.
She's becoming very verbal & shrieky.

TJ can grab his toes, usually one hand, but sometimes both, we don't think it's deliberate, as he gets a bit stuck there. Sometimes his toes squirm as he tickles them while trying to grab them.

24

She's pretty useless at managing to eat her teether swinging from her mobile, never quite manages to get it into her mouth, usually has it flat ways or vertical. She manages to yanks it off it's loops though.
She likes sucking her thumb and watching Mark while he plays guitar and sings for her - she'll just twiddle her toes and feet in enjoyment.
She likes to try to chew her bib, or at least hold it in the hand of the thumb she's sucking.

25

She likes talking to her toys sometimes and often we see her giggling at either them or the roof or a light fitting on the roof.
She spent a long time chatting excitedly to Mark on the floor, telling him all about her day.

The babies will eat each others hands with delight when next to eachother playing. They don't realise it, nor do they look at the hands, just excitedly munch them when they land near their mouths from the other's spastic movements. TJ has such a long reach, his often end up in Julia's mouth, and his feet all over her.

26

She's been really enjoying lying on her tummy

and has for the last few days been lifting up her arms (therefore balancing on her other elbow) to reach for toys and to pull the edge of her wrap towards her to eat it.
She's really enjoying her time with Mark now and is behaving well with him.

27

Mark likes playing guitar to her, often she just stares at him sucking her thumb, but sometimes she giggles at his more upbeat songs and cries at some too. We're still trying to figure out which ones cause which reaction consistently.

She's sturdy enough to be carried around like a toddler (on the hip), which makes life a lot easier, having another position to hold her in when your arms are getting tired.
The babies are getting heavy to lift in and out of the boot - will have to have a chat to dad again about swapping the Mazda for Teresa's old crashed Barina. (Have to fight Bill for it, as while dad's kept the shonky bomb (Datsun 120Y) for him, it steers like a ship.)

28

She's so energetic it's getting really hard to change her nappy, so often now, when I lay her on her nappy and then pull the bottom of it down to get her bum in the centre (before doing the tabs up) she digs her heels into the ground and arches her bum and back into the air, so that the nappy comes flying out for beneath her.
The first day Mark came home and said he missed Julia - he now had her photo on his desk at work.
After 4 days of no poos, we have 5 today, including on me in the shower, so the day was spent cleaning, changing, dressing - and not much else got done.
She doesn't kick in her bath anymore, as her bum is nearly at the plughole and her legs up like an overturned beetle.
We took Julia to a restaurant for a friend's birthday dinner - she was brilliant again.

Tim, Amanda & TJ find their own house in South Perth , about 10min drive from us and about 30-40min from mum & dad, but on the foreshore opposite the city which will be great from Tim's 'Module-Tec Trading' business he's hoping to start up here after working hard at it on the Gold Coast this year.
He does office fit outs and exhibition stands/structures using a wonderful system of beams and little cubes that lock them together enabling you to build and modify the structure in a short matter of hours.

29

Nursery rhymes are fun on the couch, I prop her in the corner, between a pillow and the back, and she sits herself forward and giggles to my songs or playing.


They're getting difficult however as she follows my hands about 80% of the time, with her mouth, to eat them.
Apart from bouncing all over her change table now (it must only have a short life span left) she tries her hardest to stuff her whole material book in her mouth, or hide behind it. She tries to stuff it in her mouth, ends up covering her face, and then looses interest as she can't see anything anymore, and usually manages to just find her thumb under there and suck it in piece, quiet and darkness.
She's such fun, giggling excitedly and squealing with delight at funny noises you make with your mouth.

TJ sleeps for ages as they unpack through the night - they only left mum's at 7.30pm with all their junk as their car's ignition had broken and taken all day to fix.

30

She kept trying to suck her thumb this morning, but kept pulling disgusted faces anytime she got it in - she'd been pulling bits of our falling apart duvet this morning and trying to eat them, so maybe it'd left a horrible taste on her fingers.
She was making her noises this morning as whispers (without her voicebox).
She is now sturdy enough with her head to be carried in her sling on the front of me to do the housework.

I had to do this all day today, as she was quite grumpy and didn't want to be put down. She's good when I bend over, and as long as I give her a little time to realise what's going on, will keep her head straight against my chest.
She's added 'da', 'kah' & 'ga' to her repertoire of 'agee' (pronounced with Afrikaans 'g'), 'hi' and 'aye', in the past week or so.
She finally managed to keep hold of her teether with two hands for a long time and to get it in her mouth about 50% of the time - the other 50% of the time is trying to fit it in sideways (and it's half the size of her face to obviously doesn't fit).

End of Nov