The Clayton Family Adventures

Oops! MIA

2009-04-01T12:45:00.004+11:00

Sorry, we have been missing for quite some time now. We like to get out and about alot which doesn't leave Mum alot of time to concentrate on updating the blog. So until the blog is properly updated I'll try to get you up to speed....

Jett has started on solids and we are using a method called baby-led solids (BLS) which means that we started close to 6 months when he was ready and completely skipped all purees and rice cereal. We started with steamed carrot sticks, which he feeds to himself. He just took to it like a duck to water. We quickly progressed to all table or whole foods and he now eats what we are eating at the time we eat. He has a ball and has developed very strong fine motor skills and has just stacked on the weight. He has put on 1.5kgs in 2 months which is just massive for a baby as small as Jett.

We have two bottom teeth. The first arrived on his 7 month birthday - 6th March. The second arrived a week later. So the gorgeous gummy smile is gone and my baby is growing up so fast. Still, his little teeth are very cute!

Jett has learnt how to sit up, although this only happens if someone puts him on his bottom, he hasn't worked out how to get there himself yet. This first happened when Melbourne was having the heatwave of 3 days over 43 degrees. We spent the time indoors, and Jett played nude all day! Sitting up was a result of this!

He is now working hard on crawling. Not quite there, but I would guess it will start to happen in the next couple of weeks. He is up on all fours and rocking, going backwards and mostly getting very angry and whingy because of the frustration. The hands are starting to reach out and the knees are moving forward but he just needs to figure out the coordination of all four limbs!

We took a trip over to Adelaide for a few days to meet with a friend, Victoria, and her gorgeous girl Nakita. Jett had a great time on his first plane trip and he couldn't have been more perfect. He slept most of the trip over there, but was awake the whole time back and didn't cry, grizzle or generally annoy anyone! Not even on take-off or landing.

I think that is all the major stuff so far....

Here is a more recent photo but there are more to come!

Nappies!

2008-10-24T23:32:00.004+11:00

We had a busy weekend last weekend going to the Pregnancy, Babies and Children's Expo at the Exhibition Centre. I particularly wanted to go to get some more nappies so we can get Jett in to cloth full time. But there were a number of other interesting things to look at too....

We ended up getting a sling for me to wear around the house with Jett when he won't settle. He just loves it!! I was trying it on at the expo and as Jett was awake I figured I may as well give it a test run with him in it. He got in it, snuggled down and went straight to sleep! How could I not get it after that? So I paid my money and walked out of the expo with Jett in the very same sling that I was getting the demo with! Lucky it was new out of the box!!!

Well we did get more nappies - another 20 to be exact. 18 of the same brand Itti Bitti which are fantastic nappies - trim fit, good absorbency and simple to use. I also got another 2 of a different brand just to try. If they are good I might get a few more.

For those not in the know of cloth nappies these days, they are a lot different to the terry towelling flats of days gone by. They are now made of super absorbent material such as bamboo or hemp and have the pilcher 'built in'. They are also sewn in such a way to fit like a disposable so no more folding or pinning! They also no longer require soaking so all I have to do is wash them every couple of days and hang them on the line. And they just look soooooo much cuter on his bum than disposables!

Jett seems to love his new nappies too. I was folding them up after washing them while Jett was lying on the couch beside me, and so started to stack them up around him. He then drifted off to sleep cuddling a blue one!

10 WEEKS TODAY!!

2008-10-15T23:53:00.003+11:00

Can't believe it! Time has just flown. It feels like it was only a few weeks ago we were in hospital.

This week we have been out and about again, walking with our friends Mandy and Tom. Tom is 5 days older than Jett. We even took the dogs for the walk with us this time, Tyson, our labrador X and Mandy's staffy Chloe. Both dogs were exhausted by the end of the day!! Jett and Tom slept their way through the walk too... what a nice life!

We had new mothers group today and had someone from Gymbaroo come and give us a demonstration. Jett loved it, learning and developing some new skills. We sang songs, had tummy time, played peek-a-boo and rolled around on the floor on a ball and a scooter board. And afterwards, Jett drifted off in to a very peaceful sleep on the floor, with his most angelic sleeping face on!

Below is a photo of Jett and his friend Tom after their walk!

Got it!

2008-10-08T23:50:00.003+11:00

Finally got smiley photos today! This is a series of photos taken one after the other, meant to be viewed in order. Best viewed in quick succession, but alas, the photo program won't let me speed it up! Spot the dimple on his left cheek!

2 months!

2008-10-07T23:48:00.006+11:00

Well, we hit the 2 month milestone yesterday. My newborn is no longer a newborn and is growing so quickly. We've had some up and down moments but on the whole Jett is a very easy baby to look after. This either means we are in for hell later, or the next one will be the devil-child!!!

Jett is now smiling heaps, although we are still yet to get a 'beamer' on camera. He is also lifting his head and shoulders up off the ground and looking around. He is doing it more and more often and for longer each time. Quite a sight to see! He will be sitting up before we know it.

We have been getting out and about quite alot, catching up with friends with bubs, and most recently attending Dion's Grandma's 90th birthday party.

By the end of the day we were all tuckered out and ready for bed!

Learning to Smile

2008-10-06T23:11:00.002+11:00

Although Jett has been smiling to various degrees since he was about 4 weeks old, we are still struggling to get one of his big "Beamer" smiles on camera. But here are a few of our attempts until we catch that all elusive smile!

The Arrival of Jett Dion Clayton

2008-10-03T18:35:00.010+10:00

After an amazing pregnancy Jett Dion Clayton arrived safely in to this world at Frances Perry Hospital on Wednesday 6th August at 5.22pm. His arrival was through the sunroof (emergency c-section). Although the birth was a bit dramatic in the end, both Amanda and Jett bounced back very quickly. Jett was born at exactly 40 weeks, on his due date which only about 5% of babies manage to do.

Our plan was to have a 'positive, normal, average birth' with no intervention or pain relief using calmbirth philosophies. We were well prepared, but unfortunately Jett did not engage in position and when Amanda's waters broke on Monday night we were on a tight timeline to evict Jett from his familiar surroundings. When labour did not establish and all avenues trying to kick-start labour were exhausted she had to be induced much to her dismay. But the calmbirth preparation did not go astray as she was able to use it during the induced labour which meant that pain-relief was not needed. However labour did not progress and there was very little option but to operate. All went well in the theatre, Jett was very strong and came out with APGAR scores of 9 & 10. He accompanied Amanda to recovery, along with Dion, where the family bonding began!

Jett was not named until the next day while we debated over our shortlist of names. Plus Amanda was exhausted after 9 hours of fully induced labour and didn't want to make a decision in her foggy state! We spent 5 nights in hospital where Amanda and Jett established a strong breastfeeding relationship, Dion changed lots of nappies, we all ate lots of yummy food and enjoyed 5-star accommodation. Not often you can say that about a hospital!