The World Of Felix Rua

Felix's Christmas

2008-12-27T19:37:00.000+11:00

Felix's Christmas started with him getting up about 6am (usually 5.30 - 6am) and then standing at the Christmas Tree for about 15-mins staring, saying 'wow'. It was very cute, he was memorised by the tree and the wrapping paper. Felix quite clearly says 'Santa' and as Santa was on a lot of the wrapping paper he pointed and everyone saying 'Santa', 'Santa'. He then had to wait another 1 1/2 hrs for Jarvis to rise from his bed (Jarvis now sleeps in to between 7 - 8.00am.

When his lazy brother eventually got out of bed we firstly went to ensure the carrots and chocolates had been eaten by the reindeer and elves, which of course they were. Then onto the stockings, the boys had some lovely stocking fillers with Felix receiving a teddy bubble blower and car from Santa (thanks Santa). Once the stockings were all empty we moved into the playroom to check out the Christmas Tree, the boys were very impressed with the tree and all the presents. We did one present at a time which took some time as the boys then had to play with each toy before moving onto the next one, it was very beautiful to watch the boys they were both very patient and delighted with their toys.

Felix received a 'Little People's farm' from his Mumma, he was delighted with the farm. It has a barn, tractor and loads of animals. He is especially pleased with the horses who he now carries around everywhere and attempts to ride by sitting on them. He received a drum kit from his Dah which he is surprisingly good at and loads of other cars, trucks, chocolates etc - boys stuff!

All in all a lovely Christmas was had by the Baker family, the boys were very sweet playing with their toys and each other.

Adrienne

New Experiences

2008-11-30T19:05:00.002+11:00

Felix has had a couple of new experiences over the last few weeks:

1. He had dinner out with the family - we met up with some of Lee's running buddies and their little ones for dinner in an Italian Restaurant last week. It was very funny, when we just get to a stage where Jarvis is happy to sit and have his dinner, now Felix is the mobile one that won't sit still, running all around the restaurant.

2. He met Santa Claus. Again Jarvis is now more than happy to sit on Santa's knee and tell him all about what he wants for Xmas, whereas Felix would only sit with Santa if we sat with him.

3. He's been a Xmas tree. We put up the Xmas tree and lights last weekend, already all the decorations around the base of the tree are missing - they come off on a daily basis and Felix scatters them around the house and on himself.

4. He's been to his first birthday party. Our friend from down the road Dane had his 2nd birthday party a couple of weeks ago and I went along with the boys. Felix just loves the other kids, and he tries to get in amongst all the activity and to join in.

5. He went to Luna Park with friends. We meet up with Jarvis's buddy Ollie, his sister Madeline and Mum and Dad a couple of weeks ago. While Felix is too little to go on the rides, he still enjoys wandering around looking at everyone and he especially loved Madeline. She was just beautiful with him holding his hand and talking away to him - it was very cute.

Adrienne

Stuff, Stuff And Stuff

2008-11-01T16:18:00.001+11:00

Felix has had a very busy couple of weeks, his weeks pan out as follows: Monday/Tuesday are Dah, Jarvis and Felix days where they go off and do boy stuff, Wed/Thursday and Friday are just Felix and Dah days which he really enjoys having his Dah to himself and Sat/Sunday are Mumma days. On Fridays Felix and Lee go to the local playgroup which Felix loves, he runs around giving all the kids kisses on their legs.

We had 'Family Day' at work a couple of weeks ago, Jarvis was at school so he didn't come along but Felix came along with Lee. We were surprised by how social Felix was, up until now he has really followed Jarvis around and been quite clingy at times, but at work he was happy to be the centre of attention. They had a magician for the day to entertain all the kids, Felix was more than happy on the stage smiling and waving at everyone, now I wonder where he gets that from??

Hows the weaning going? Not great, we tried one weekend and Felix screamed the house down. When he's with me he expects Mumma milk, we gave in! I must say we're not very strong when it comes to things like this, the way we are going I will still be feeding when he starts high school! Has anyone seen 'Little Britain' and the scene where the 25 yr old man asks his Mumma for 'bitty'? Well that will be us!!!

I arrived home from work in the week and the boys were waiting on the corner for me (which they often do and it makes my day!!), they had gone shopping for Halloween costumes. Jarvis looked great in his vampire costume and Felix was the cutest skeleton you have ever seen!

All in all it's going well with the little man, he's a happy cruisey little fella.

Adrienne

Boys at the zoo

2008-10-13T19:12:00.006+11:00

Great photos of Felix at the zoo today with Lee & Jarvis. I especially like the one of Felix in the boat/pool area, growling as he doesn't want to be in the boat - how cute!

Adrienne

Felix The Underweight Eating Machine

2008-10-04T17:00:00.004+10:00

What has Felix been up to? Its been a busy last 6 weeks with Felix's Nanny & Granddad from England staying with us for a month. We had such a lovely time with them here, Nanny Ronnie kept saying how much Felix was like Lee as a baby. He looks so much like Lee, he has a lot of his mannerisms, very relaxed kid he just cruises along behind everyone having fun.

It was so very cute for Felix and Jarvis to meet their grandparents from England, we did loads of things with them showing them around Sydney, our parks (because Granddad's a bird watcher, Felix has been walking around all day with Jarvis's binoculars, reminded me of Granddad Steve), beaches, the zoo, the Australian Reptile park etc. It was really great to show them around, as now when they read the boys blogs, from England they will be able to visualise what they have been up to.

Felix is now 14.5 months old, its such a cute age - while I'm writing this blog Lee and Jarvis are sleeping in the front room and Felix is wandering up and down the hallway giving me hats, shoes, books anything he can pick up, laughing and then going off to find something else - its very cute!

His hair is getting very long but we don't want to cut it because when he has his first hair cut he won't be our baby anymore, silly I know but he's our wee baby boy. His hair is getting lighter in the sun, its straight with a wee curl at the back (just like Lee's - little mini Lee).

He's still feeding at nights, I do want to start weaning him soon as I'm sure he will sleep better once we do (I'm just too tired to bother as yet). As Jarvis wasn't breast feed I actually have no idea where to start with weaning, any advice? My sister weaned her first two relatively easily, but is still feeding baby Kate. I'm sure the first two weaned so easily as she was pregnant with the next, I don't want to try that tactic, two is enough for us - any other advice would be welcomed.

Felix got his 12 month jabs last week (late I know), the doctor weighed him and measured him, she plotted him on the graph and told us he is underweight? Now we could understand this with Jarvis as we have always (and still do) had to follow him around with food to make sure he eats whereas this wee fella eats anything you put in front of him, or in front of Jarvis or leave on the floor - he's an eating machine, he definitely isn't skin and bone like his brother, in fact he's quite a stocky wee man - I challenged the doctor saying her scales must be wrong as there's definitely nothing wrong with Felix's appetite. I'm not worried about it as he is just fine, just amused me as if anyone is underweight in our house its Jarvis Tahi.

Thanks to Nanny Ronnie and Granddad Steve to coming to stay with us, we all had a lovely time and it was very special for our precious boys to meet them!!

Adrienne.

Climbing Boy

2008-08-18T16:29:00.011+10:00

Felix is turning into a real little explorer, he loves to wander around having a look around and he especially likes climbing. He's funning with wandering away as unlike his older brother Jarvis who would wander off with anyone and not even look to see where we are, Felix will go off having a look around but he always looks back to see where we are to ensure we haven't gone too far.

Lee was in the loft the other day with Jarvis while Felix was waiting at the bottom of the ladder looking up adoringly. He would usually sit at the bottom grunting away at them to come and get him, this time however was different, he decided he wanted to be up there as well. I was in the kitchen clearing up and turned around to see Felix half way up the ladder, I ran to him and stayed behind him to see how far he would go, clever little man climbed the whole way up by himself. He was so proud, clapping for himself when he reached the top and absolutely delighted he could play with the big boys! See as below a video of Felix climbing up to the loft!

Adrienne

Posting With A Vengeance

2008-08-12T20:25:00.002+10:00

Felix is into posting with a vengeance, its funny the stages they go through that you forget about. Felix will currently post anything anywhere; his most favorite place to post stuff is in the toilet. My sneakers, Jarvis's toys, Lee's books, anything he can carry (and the bigger the better, he’s so funny as he tries to pick up the biggest things he can find) he wanders into the bathroom and pokes it down the toilet.

When we growl at him for doing this he just laughs and laughs, its hilarious. Jarvis growls at him no, no, no, Felix and he still laughs, its very cute. The amount of things we have found down the toilet got to be too much so we have put up a gate in the bathroom door so he can do it no longer. This however doesn't stop him, the next favorite place is the laundry bin or the rubbish bin. We do recall Jarvis going through this stage but its funny as it all comes rushing back when you see Felix doing the same things.

Another one of Felix's favorite things at the moment is climbing into the dishwasher when you are emptying it, Jarvis did exactly the same thing, we have a photo of him happily standing on the dishwasher door looking so proud of himself.

Adrienne

Happy Birthday Felix

2008-07-24T19:12:00.003+10:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BABY FELIX!

Our little man is one today, we can't believe he is one already. I know I have said it before, but the time really does go quicker for the second, you are so busy with both of them, that you lose track of time.

Felix is one, talking, walking, eating anything in sight, playing with Jarvie's toys and generally being a beautiful wee boy. He's been walking now for about 6-weeks, but to date he's been a bit unstable on his wee legs. He now seems to have better control of them and walks everywhere, even down steps!

Felix is in love with Thomas and we have a couple of Thomas DVD's that he thoroughly enjoys. We have a morning routine, where Felix gets up between 4-5am. I then get him up so he doesn't wake Jarvis, we go out to the back room and Felix now points at the TV going "T, T, T", which means Thomas in Felix speak. We bought him a ride on Thomas for his birthday, which he just won't get off and I'm sure if he could, he'd sleep on it.

What else does Felix love? His big brother, he just lights up when he sees Jarvis coming. Jarvis does have to keep his special toys up out of Felix's way though, or else he would have those as well. And of course Felix loves his Dah. He really is a mini Lee, he looks so much like Lee there's no mistaking who the Dah is! Lee was in the mall the other day and Felix was wandering around with Lee following and a woman asked Lee if the mum had any contribution to Felix, as he just looks like him.

With regards to temperament is he different than Jarvis? We think so, he's more laid back which is a good thing, as I think two boys as busy as Jarvis would send Lee over the edge!

He's the most beautiful wee baby, well not baby any more, a beautiful wee boy and we are delighted to have him in our family.

Adrienne

Dah Does An Update

2008-06-20T19:52:00.002+10:00

I've been inspired by Bex's comment that she not only enjoys reading Jarvis Tahi's blog, but also the updates that Adrienne occasionally does on this blog. So I thought I'd get my finger out and do an update myself. I think someone was bitching to Adrienne that we only do regular updates for Jarvis blog site. We'll if they'd like to find me an extra 60-minutes in my day to squeeze in Felix's blog too, then I'd be happy...grrrrrr. I bet Adrienne makes me delete that last bit bit ;o) But yeah, once I've put my pictures onto my PC, resized them, done some red-eye reduction and then enhanced the sharpness, with then the addition of the writing bit, I've taken nearly and hour. But then, I do love doing it.

So what has Felix been up to with his Dad? On Monday and Tuesdays we go out and do stuff, with a special day for Felix being Tuesday when he got his first pair of shoes. It was so cool to see him get fitted. He was very calm and took it all in his stride (pun intended)

We we tend to treat our first weekday, that we have alone together, as an easy going day. This has been useful, as the wee guy has had bit of a cold and some teething problems recently, so an enforced stay indoors has helped him recover.

On Thursday we have a Father and Son day, where we might go into the city and just wander. This Thursday saw us visit the Sydney Aquarium, which Felix just loves, as he gets to dribble all over the glass aquariums. From there we spent some time just playing in the Myers and Davis Jones toy departments.

Friday mornings are when we go to play group, something we've only been doing for two-weeks now. I got so over them with Jarvis, but Felix shouldn't be restricted from going to them, just because they are not my thing. The upside is that I go with our neighbors Vanessa and Nicole and there are a couple of parents, who like us, have their second child, who I know from when we went with Jarvis.

But yeah, I'm really enjoying my time with Felix and watching him grow and develop. He's very determined, confident and wonderful at moving around, tackling obstacles with great ease. I do have to say though, that he does have a tendency to grizzle at me, to pick him up. You'd think his world was falling apart, until I reach down and lift him into my arms. In an instant, he's pointing, grunting and showing me where he wants to be carried. I'm so his bitch!

House Dad.

Felix And Friends

2008-06-16T06:26:00.002+10:00

Felix has had a busy week this week, as on Tuesday he went to the Aquarium with his Dah and Jarvis. Felix loves the Aquarium, he just sits and stares at the fish for ages and ages. When Jarvis was at school on Thursday and Friday, Felix and his Dah hung out with friends from our street, Dane and Tahlia. He just loves other kids, his little face just lights up when he spots other kids, and you should see his face when he spots Jarvis. Lee said he tries to kiss all the babies at Jarvis's school, though he does have a tendency to jab his fingers in their eyes and mouths too.

Its been a wet and cold weekend, so we haven't done a lot, but today we did go to the movies to see 'Speed Racer'. However, as per usual, we didn't get to the end of as the boys got bored, with Felix screaming because we wouldn't let him crawl around. There are a lot of movies we have been to see that we are looking forward to them coming out on DVD, so we can see the end of them!

Felix is also in the early stages of walking now and is getting ever bolder. He can move quite comfortably between furniture, with the distance he's brave enough to attempt, getting greater each day. He'll be giving Lee the run around very soon.

Felix's cousin Kate turned one this week, she is 6 weeks older than Felix so that means he is fast approaching his first birthday - I can't believe he is going to be one already, I'm sure it took much longer for Jarvis to turn one!!!

Adrienne

One Determined Wee Man

2008-06-09T19:32:00.002+10:00

I got an excited text from Lee this week when Felix walked his first steps on his own, he has been furniture surfing for some weeks and then on Wednesday he stood on his own and took a couple of steps. He was so proud of himself. We bought him a leap frog walker/ride on, which is pictured below. It doesn't feel like we have bought him many things at all, as he has inherited all of Jarvis's clothes and toys, so we really haven't had to buy anything.

He loves his walker/ride on. He's still too small for the ride on, but walks behind it quite happily. He spent ages yesterday walking up and down the path, while Jarvis rode his new scooter up and down. Felix loves being outside, but once outside, its very difficult to get him back in again. I was putting the washing out yesterday and left him inside playing with his toys as the ground was all wet and horrible, only to turn around to get some more washing to find him behind me. Somehow he had managed to wedge the door open and crawl out in the muck - he was delighted!

If you don't do what Felix wants you to do, he growls at you, for example if you attempt to come back inside once he has made his way out, he growls an all mighty growl. If he grabs your fingers to walk and you don't get up he growls, and this morning he wanted me to get up and I wasn't quick enough and he bit me - I have two huge teeth marks on my shoulder, it bloody hurt! He really is one determined wee man, it will be interesting to see what kind of boy he is!

Adrienne

Four Months On

2008-06-04T05:16:00.004+10:00

Its nearly been four months since we last updated Felix's Blog, I was talking to my sister on the weekend and she commented that 1. we hadn't updated Felix's Blog and 2. Felix doesn't really get a mention on Jarvis's Blog. The reasons for this are 1. most days we are just so tired and 2. Jarvis's Blog is about him. I know its no excuse and we should do this more regularly which I will now endeavor to do.

See as follows photos of Felix, he is developing beautifully with trying to walk at 10 months old. Jarvis walked at 10.5 months old and it looks like Felix may be the same, he is very cute furniture surfing. Lee said he attempted a few steps yesterday so it doesn't look like he will be long.

Felix is the most excellent eater, we have always struggled getting food into Jarvis even as a small baby having to coax him along the way. Felix however is completely different he will eat anything he can get his hands on. If Jarvis leaves food on the floor or on his table Felix makes a beeline for it and hovers it up. It helps encourage Jarvis to eat his food quickly before the hover gets it!

I've now been back at work for nearly five months, I'm loving being at work as I love my job but it is hard being away from my boys. Felix has a lovely week with Monday and Tuesday with Dah and Jarvis and then Wednesday to Friday with just his Dah as Jarvis goes to preschool. On his days with just his Dah they wander into town, to the Aquarium which Felix just loves, he sits in front of the fish tanks watching the fish for ages.

He's now talking away, Mumma, Dah etc and he is the happiest wee man which you will be able to see from his photos below - we are very lucky to have two such beautiful wee boys!! No, I have three beautiful boys Jarvis told me yesterday, Jarvis, Felix and Dah - how cute is that!!!

Sorry we haven't updated this for so long, we will attempt to do this more.

Adrienne

Back At Work Mumma

2008-01-28T19:07:00.000+11:00

The first week of being back at work is now completed, and as I have said earlier, the first couple of weeks are the hardest as it takes awhile for everyone to get into new routines. Surprisingly my first week back at work wasn't too bad, of course I missed my boys terribly, but it was good to be back and to catchup with everyone. The Management Team was away this week, so I got the whole five days just to walk around and see how everyone is getting on. It took me the whole week to get all my 'stuff' back, while I was away I lost my desk, my computer and phone were redeployed and my credit card cancelled - believe me, I wasn't feeling 'the love' on my return. I only managed to rearrange the office on Friday to have a desk and I now have all new stuff.

The boys coped really well this week, though Felix still won't take the bottle. It seems the Nuk bottle was a short lived success. He has been taking some fluids through the sipper cup, but only about 20-30 mls. I did discuss this with the midwife and our Doctor and neither of them seemed too concerned, so long as he's having his solids, yogurt etc which he is. In saying that, his mouth is ready and open for me when I come through the door. I have been running home from work, its only 6k and it takes me between 40-45 mins which is about how long public transport takes anyway. As soon as I come through the door Felix spots me and tries to latch on, the poor wee boy is thirsty! We will see how he gets on over the weeks to come, hopefully he takes more fluids as he gets used to it all.

I thought Jarvis would of struggled with me returning to work, but he seems to be coping well. We have Bex helping Lee out on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons, so he still has someone to play just with him, which I think this has helped immensely.

I loved being home with my boys for six-months, it was a brilliant , but I can't believe Felix is six-months old already!!!

Adrienne

Felix Update

2008-01-04T17:15:00.000+11:00

The saga of the bottle continues, we have now tried Avent, Tommy Tippee and Pigeon bottles and teats all with no joy. My friend Karen has suggested the Nuke brand which we will try next. Felix sees the bottle coming, closes his mouth tightly and pushes it away with his hands, he's a determined wee boy. We will keep trying and let you know how we get on, I'm going to have a day home with him next week and just keep trying without caving him and giving him the boob (well I'll try, I'm not very good at just letting him cry). We have also had a sipper cup suggested which will be our last resort as I return to work in 2 weeks and the poor wee fella will starve!

Everything else is going well with Felix, he is taking to solids well now up to two feeds per day, one at lunch and dinner time. His sleeping is ok, he still wakes twice during the night but the feeds only last 10 minutes so its not too bad.

We went into town today to buy some new clothes for work, it makes returning to work exciting. I have thoroughly enjoyed the last six months being home with my boys and I will hate leaving them but I do love my job and the boys are in safe hands with Lee so it will be fine. The first 2-3 weeks are the hardest as I will miss them terribly and Lee will have to sort out his routine, once we get through those weeks it will be easier.

Adrienne

Celebrating Felix's First Christmas

2007-12-26T09:31:00.001+11:00

Felix has celebrated his first Christmas, it just another day in his world. He got some lovely presents but as per usual with little ones he was more interested in the wrapping paper and boxes than the pressies. He took great delight in watching his hero Jarvis open his presents, running run around with his new toys.

Felix is now rolling everywhere, its so cute and he looks so proud when he's up on his arms looking around. He does however manage to get stuck in places. Especially when he's in his cot without his safety sleep on, he gets stuck in the bars poor wee mite.

We've been trying to get Felix to take the bottle over the last couple of weeks as I return to work in under 4 weeks now but so far he really isn't keen. We've tried a couple of different teats on the bottles. Lee has tried feeding him and even our friend Vanessa from down the road has tried to feed him but so far no luck. My sister suggested vegemite on the teat as she had heard that works, he loved the vegemite chewed away at it until the vegemite was all gone but then stopped and spat the bottle out. We will keep trying, any advice would be appreciated!

Adrienne

Felix Meets NZ Family & Friends

2007-12-18T19:21:00.001+11:00

We have just returned from a lovely 2 weeks in NZ introducing Felix to our NZ family and friends. We started off in Auckland to visit friends, we introduced Felix to our baby group friends who we got to know when Jarvis was a baby. Most of the baby group now have their second babies so it was lovely to introduce Jarvis and Felix to them.

We then headed down to the South Island to spend time with my brother Brenton and his family Donna, Rylee, Kyle and Connor in Christchurch. Then over to the West Coast to see Nanny and Grandad, we also introduced Felix to Nanny's friend Izzy. Izzy was wonderful with Felix there seemed to be a real bond between them!

After the Coast we headed up to Tapawera to stay with my sister Tracey and her family Scott, Grace, Luke and baby Kate. Kate is six weeks older than Felix, this visit was also our first introduction to Kate. She is a beautiful wee baby and it was wonderful to see them together, we have the same photo of Jarvis and his cousin Grace who is 7 months older than him.

While in Tapawera we had a BBQ with more of the family being my Nana & Grandad Saxon, Auntie Mary, Uncle Ian, cousins Joel, Mitchell and Mia and Auntie Trina.

It was wonderful to introduce Felix to his family, its wonderful for the boys to spend time with their cousins and to know where they come from, we had a GREAT holiday!!!

Adrienne

More Cuddles For Felix

2007-11-24T07:56:00.001+11:00

Felix's feeding is going well. He is more keen on the stewed apple than the baby rice as the consistancy is better he doesn't gag on the apple. There still doesn't seem to be much being swallowed, its something he will learn.

We've had a busy couple of days visiting friends, Felix has had loads of cuddles which he loves.

Jarvis was really cute the other night entertaining Felix, while Felix was in his bouncer Jarvis was dancing for him which made Felix really laugh, it was so beautiful to see!

For those who followed our passport saga, I'm pleased to say our passports arrived this week which is a relief as we soon go on holiday. We are looking forward to our holiday and introducing Felix to the family in NZ.

Adrienne

New Experiences

2007-11-23T04:40:00.000+11:00

We decided to try Felix on solids this week as he seems to be really hungry. He watches everyone eating and he has been feeding more regularly, 2-3 hourly during the night. We started him on baby rice yesterday and again today. He pushes the food around in his mouth interested in the new experience, but is not quite sure what to do with it next. We will try stewed apple tomorrow and see what he thinks of that.

Felix has had a good week, we went to Little Dynamos on Monday where he tried the ball pit for the first time, where he was delighted with all the different colours. We've had a few visitors this week too, so he's had lots of cuddles. We had Uncle John & Aunty Pam around for a BBQ and their friends Pauline and Doug, they were all great cuddlers. Yesterday while I went for a run (well jog/fast walk) which I've been doing most days he had cuddles with our neighbour Scottie, see below the cutest photo of Felix and Scottie.

Another new experience Felix has had this week is the introduction to guns. Jarvis didn't know what guns were until we visited his big cousins Kyle & Connor in Christchurch, where he discovered them about 2 1/2 yrs old. Felix has been introduced to them at 17 weeks old, but he was more interested in chewing on them than shooting.

Adrienne.

Rolling Boy

2007-11-15T07:10:00.000+11:00

Felix rolled for the first time yesterday, now that he has discovered this new trick, he doesn't seem to want to stop. It's so cute and he looks so delighted with himself.

Jarvis today asked if Felix could play with him and it was so lovely seeing Jarvis showing Felix his toys.

We went out and about today to see the sculptures on the beach in Bondi. While Lee and Jarvis were wandering around looking at the sculptures, I was walking Felix in his pram in an attempt to get him to sleep as he didn't want to go to sleep and was crying away. This strange woman came up to me and said give him a dummy darling - how rude! Jarvis had a dummy and loved it but we haven't yet given one to Felix, as he hasn't needed one, because he's so relaxed. Time will tell if he needs one, but if he doesn't, we're not just going to give him one for the sake of it.

See the photos below, well the first one is of Jarvis in the play bin at 21-weeks, the second of Felix now at 16-weeks and the last one of Jarvis now. Has he's got crazy hair or what!

Adrienne

The Saga Continues

2007-11-06T19:39:00.001+11:00

As Lee mentioned in Jarvis's blog we discovered today that we have to redo all of our passports due to our name change, we also had to redo Felix's photo as the one we had done at the chemist was too big - stupid man, I told you it was a drama. Anyway, the new one is better.

We will see if we get our passports done in time, we may not be having a holiday....

Adrienne

Passport Performance

2007-11-05T15:59:00.000+11:00

We are going home to NZ for a couple of weeks soon so thought we had better get Felix's passport organised, isn't it silly that you need passports for babies as they change so quickly. Jarvis got a passport at 5 months which is valid for 5 years but it doesn't look anything like him now.

Anyway, we went to get Felix's photo done for the passport, WHAT A PERFORMANCE - the young man in the chemist took about 100 photos, they have to be looking straight at the camera, they can't smile, the parents hand/arm can't be visible, the head has to be still as the photo can't be blurry and if they move it changes the size of the photo which has to be just right......as you can imagine this took some time with a 3 1/2 month old. The young man even offered Felix some jelly beans to try and get him to focus, he had no idea, Jarvis however was delighted with the jelly beans!!!!

Felix is sleeping really well at the moment, he had a couple of days where he slept in 1/2 hour lots so I thought I would cut down the amount of tea I drink as I do love my tea. I reduced my tea intake to nil for the first day and one cup in the morning for the last 4 days. Last night Felix slept from 8pm to 4am this morning, thats the second time he has done it I'm absolutely delighted and feel great for getting more sleep, lets see if he can keep it up.

Adrienne

Finally Acknowledgement

2007-10-30T15:20:00.000+11:00

Jarvis is finally acknowledging Felix, he was playing with Lee and Felix yesterday showing Felix his toys. When we are out and about Jarvis is very quick to introduce Felix to everyone, 'look its my baby Felix', the next comment is generally 'he cries, boo hoo'. We were in the library yesterday and there was a Dad with his boy and baby, Jarvis went running over to them and said to the baby 'come baby, come and see my baby Felix', I said to the Dad shame he doesn't talk to his own baby to which he replied isn't it always the way, his toddler also doesn't talk to his baby.

Felix is developing his own look now though he does look alot like my brother Brenton which is unsettling sometimes when breastfeeding I can see my brother looking up at me - its just not right! You will see from the below photos he's got a beautiful little face with lovely hazel/brown eyes - we will see if they stay this colour.

Felix had some more time at work last week, I had a meeting so asked one of the girls Christine to watch him while in the meeting, she jumped and the opportunity and actually asked that I go in for more so she can play with him. After my meeting I returned to the office to find Felix surrounded by girls from the office playing with him, I'm sure they wouldn't mind if I didn't return......well the probably would at feed time.

Daylight savings took effect last weekend in Australia which is great as now instead of our day starting out at 4am its now 5am which sounds alot better.

Adrienne

3 Months Old Today

2007-10-16T17:22:00.001+10:00

Felix is 3 months old today and he is now sleeping in his cot as he's too big for the bassinet - see as below a photo of him looking happy in his cot.

Also as below the first picture is of Felix at 12 weeks and the other of Jarvis at 12 weeks, they are looking quite different now - Jarvis had lost most of his hair by this stage with the blond curls coming through, we will see what Felix's hair does.

Adrienne

11 Weeks Old Update

2007-10-10T07:18:00.000+10:00

Felix is 11 weeks old already, imagine 3 months old next week! In his 11 weeks he has developed wonderfully, he has been registered for school, received a nasty bull ant bite last week which he didn't enjoy at all, spent a day at work and had his first jabs - its been a busy 11 weeks!

Felix is doing well, he is growing so fast and looks like he will be a big boy. He is much bigger than Jarvis at this age and he feeds so well. He sleeps anywhere and actually goes to sleep in his cot by himself which is a major achievement in our house.

He has started batting at toys on his baby gym and looks like he wants to roll over, he smiles all the time and talks away to himself which is very cute! We are delighted with how happy and relaxed he is, he's a joy to have in our family.

Adrienne

A Morning At Work

2007-10-02T07:17:00.000+10:00

As I mentioned in the last update Felix was about to spend a couple of hours with our friend Manz at work so I could attend a work luncheon, I'm pleased to say that his visit to the office went well. I feed him before I left and handed him over to the very capable Manz, when I text 1/2 hr later (because thats what mothers do) I was delighted to hear that the girls had him sleeping peacefully. When I arrived back in the office 2 hours later he was sleeping beautifully, it went so well I may do that again!

Felix has had a good week, I forgot to say after our doctors checkup last week that he was weighed and now weighs a wonderful 5.7kg, he was born 3.8kg so thats a great increase which I'm delighted about as Jarvis actually lost weight as a little baby which is why he ended up on formula.

Felix's sleeps are going well, he sleeps really well during the day but especially when we are out and about with the pram. Its hard to sleep at home with a noisey brother running around, with this in mind he sleeps anywhere - on his Dah, in the bunkbed, how cute are these photos!!!

Adrienne

Ticking Along

2007-09-25T18:20:00.001+10:00

Thanks for the messages that have been left regarding Felix, I do appreciate any advice. We have purchased some gripe water and we will give that a go - thanks.

Felix is doing well, he is now 9 weeks old - I can't believe how quickly that has gone! He had his 2 month injections today, as expected, he wasn't impressed, but he only cried a little as we have heard in the past that if they receive the injections while feeding, it can be less traumatic for them, so that was the trick I tried and it seemed to work.

We had a lovely week last week, one of the the highlights being the picnic in the park with Jarvis, Felix and I. We went out to give Lee some space and as it was a lovely day ventured to the park with a picnic, we sat under a tree and Felix was happy as just sitting there looking at the tree moving in the wind. We spent 2 hours at the park, Jarvis and I playing and Felix chilling out - he's such a cruisey baby, I'm sure this is due to us being more relaxed with the second but he's so relaxed, which is lovely.

We also went into work last week to introduce Felix, unfortunately we didn't get around everyone as the boys all needed feeding so we had to leave. Felix is spending some time at work by himself this week, as I have a lunch to attend to celebrate my 5 years with the company and our good friend Manz is going to watch him while I go do lunch. Hopefully he will be happy to just be cuddled and past around the office, but if not I'll just be up the road at the restaurant and I can come back - I will let you know how it goes.

Jarvis seems to be coming around to Felix, at least he's stopped yelling at him. He now yells at me when Felix cries 'he needs feeding, put boob in his mouth', he's a funny wee boy!

Adrienne

Wine In The Park

2007-09-16T19:01:00.000+10:00

On Saturday we had a lovely picnic in the park with our friend Sally in Balmain, where both Sally and I enjoyed a glass of wine. This is the first glass I have had since having Felix and I thoroughly enjoyed it, but as per usual, after not drinking for so long, I couldn't of had too many as 1. my tolerance is reduced to nil and 2. I'm breastfeeding, though I did slowly enjoy the glass I had!

On the subject of drinking when I started breastfeeding, I had some 'nursing tea' given to us by our neighbour Sarah. The nursing tea assists with the production of milk. I know the breastfeeding is going OK, as I have mentioned before with Felix growing and always having wet and dirty nappies, but thought I would try and keep up with the nursing tea just to be sure. I have been looking around the health food shops for this tea, but to date haven't had any luck. I did however discover a shop in Leichhardt and asked for some nursing tea and she gave me a tea called Baby Tea, saying it was the same thing. When I got home with the tea and Lee read the box, we discovered its actually tea for babies from 2 weeks old. How funny is that, giving babies tea? I thought I would still try the tea anyway, as it said its for settling babies and surely this can't do any harm. What I have discovered though is, that every time I have had a tea my milk production has increased to the point that my boobs are huge and leaking everywhere. Sorry for being so descriptive, but this is the first time this has happened and I thought it was hilarious. When I mentioned this to my sister this morning, she said I should offer myself out as a wet nurse, as I'm producing so much milk. Imagine, people use to do this, breastfeed other babies!!

Felix is going well, still suffering from wind - we can still be up for 1 1/2 - 3 hours in the night with this, which is lovely, but apart from that he's great, smiling, talking being very cute!!

Adrienne

Hanging With My Dah

2007-09-10T16:05:00.000+10:00

Felix has had a lot of time with his Dah over the last few days, due to Lee hurting his hip while training for his next run, so I've had a lot of time to play with my Jarvis. We had a lovely home day last week, where Jarvis and I did lots of baking, playing, drawing and generally just hanging out. We managed this, as Lee had Felix for most of the day, which was brilliant.

I take my hat off to women (Men stay at home too Ade - Lee) that have the kids at home by themselves, with their husbands at work. Its been brilliant that we are both home with our two boys and we are still very busy.

The other morning I left Felix in his bouncer in the play room, with Jarvis playing, to go to the bathroom, I was gone for about 1 minute and came back to Felix screaming. I asked Jarvis why Felix was crying, to which he replied 'I hit him', Felix had a mark on his head where Jarvis had hit him. I explained to Jarvis that while it was good that he was so honest, its not a nice thing to do.

Everything else is progressing well with Felix with him being 7 weeks old tomorrow already. I recall the 6 week mark with Jarvis, as it was when it all got easier. Felix's 6-7 week period has gone so much quicker than Jarvis's, I know its due to it being a lot busier with the two boys, but I can see my 6 month maternity period just flying by, so I will remember to enjoy every day of it, as I'll be back at work before I know it!.

Adrienne.

Felix The Hurricane

2007-09-06T19:15:00.000+10:00

We've had a lovely relaxing day at home today, as we had a shocker of a night, so decided it would be a good idea to stay in.

Felix had his first trip to the hairdressers yesterday, as my hair was in a desperate need of colour and a cut. He sat on my knee looking around, smiling at Jess our hairdresser. You can take them anywhere at this age as he can't yet move and so long as there is a boob close he's happy enough! (Just like his Dah - Lee)

Today Felix has just been having loads of cuddles. This morning he slept on his Dah for over an hour, while I had the time to do some cleaning, which was great. We then had a visit from Vanessa and Dane from down the road, so Felix got more cuddles.

We received an email from our good friend Sally saying there's a hurricane named after Felix already http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/central-america-braces-as-storm-revs-up/2007/09/03/1188671832177.html We are hoping he isn't a hurricane, but rather a nice relaxed little boy. Time will tell I guess.

Felix received some lovely gifts yesterday from his Uncle Brenton, Aunty Donna and cousins. See below the wonderful buzzy bee top and All Blacks cap; don't you hate it when parents dress kids up for a photo, 'I'm not a doll mumma!!'

Adrienne

And In The Red Corner Weighing In At 5 Kilos

2007-09-04T16:41:00.001+10:00

Felix had his six week check up this morning and we were keen to see what his weight was. I know the breast feeding is going well, as he is growing out of his clothes and the nappies are always wet and dirty, which are signs of getting enough to eat. However, it's always great to find out that he is growing well. He is now 5kg and 56 cms, he's very alert, smiling and talking away to himself. He has reached all the six week milestones, so that has put our minds at rest.

I always tell people that the first six weeks are the hardest, as this is a time that the routine is being sorted out, and I do feel like Felix is getting into a routine now. He's still sleeping from about 7.30pm to 1.00am, but as I have said before, the night feeds take sometime, as he does get wind and it takes time to bring it up.

The weather has been beautiful with a temperature of 28 degrees last week. This has meant that Felix is living in singlets and he hasn't used a lot of his brothers clothes we had in NZ, its just too warm, so we have packed them up to send onto another relation.

Adrienne

Adrienne Updates

2007-09-02T05:52:00.000+10:00

We have decided on a change of writer for Felix's blog, Lee can never think of what to write as Felix is basically on me constantly so we decided I will write his blog for now.

Felix is coming along beautifully, he's had a busy week with his first trip to the beach and the botanics. Of course he doesn't remember either event as he slept the whole time however he did get lots of cuddles from Jane and Anne which is always a bonus. We are starting to get into a routine with the feeding and sleeping, this week Felix has been in bed (the cot which is a major achievement as Jarvis never went in the cot) by 8pm every night and waking for a feed around 2am and then again at 6am which is great. We have had a couple of nights where the 2am feed takes around 2-3 hours as he does suffer with wind which hurts his wee belly and can take some time to bring up. Jarvis had reflux when he was a baby and with it projectile vomiting, Felix doesn't appear to have this as the vomiting is only minor but he does have the wind.

He is growing beautifully, unfortunately I had to cancel the 'early childhood' checkup on Tuesday when we were going to get him weighed (due to a shocker 3 hour winding night) but we have rescheduled for this Tuesday so we will see what he put on. I know he has grown as he is growing out of his clothes, he is now in 3-6 months clothes.

Felix was being really cute last night talking and smiling away, I said to Jarvis look how cute he is, should we keep him or give him back - unfortunately the answer was 'give him back', Jarvis is still coming to terms with his world being turned upside down but on the upside he does now include Felix in our story telling and he gets very territorial when other little people try to say hello. We went to the library in the week and there was a preschool there with about 8 little girls, they all crowded around me feeding Felix to have a look, Jarvis pushed them away saying 'no, my brother', hopefully this means he will come to terms with the change.

Adrienne

Looking Good In Green

2007-08-26T20:26:00.000+10:00

It's pretty easy to update Jarvis', Felix's big brothers blog each day, as well, we do lots of stuff. However I'm struggling to write stuff about Felix. He's doing well in the growth department, sleeps in short bursts and seems to have mastered, along with his Mumma, breast feeding, but yeah, it's hard to know what else to write at this stage.

I can tell you though that he's started to smile lots for his Mumma. Sadly, I've not had a proper smile yet, mainly as I don't get too much time with my little man, as I'm constantly keeping his big brother Jarvis entertained. I'm sure I'll get a nice big smile soon enough.

I did have a special moment yesterday when I managed to sing my little boy to sleep. I'm not a great singer, but I plugged my iPod into the stereo and thought I'd play some soothing old school Crowded House. Felix seemed to like it and when I sang I nto Temptation to him, he dozed off into sleep in my arms. Very touching indeed.

Felix had a trip out on Saturday to the Shire to see some friends and looked dashing in his new green suit, which his Aunty Annie got for him. And today he looked cool in his blue suit, but sadly it wasn't new, just a hand me down from big brother Jarvis. Felix had better get used to hand me downs, as he's going to get heaps of them over the next couple of years. Sucks being the younger child aye!

House Dad.

Chugging Along

2007-08-22T18:30:00.001+10:00

Felix is now 1-month old and is chugging along nicely with his growth and breast-feeding. He's still not really developed any kind of sleeping pattern and keeps his poor Mumma awake for most of the night, as he seems to be permanently latched onto her boobs. Adrienne seems to have got the breast feeding sussed too, so thank you for all your wonderful comments, words of encouragement and advice.

At this stage there's little to say about his daily developments, as he pretty much just eats, sleeps, wees and poos! But he does all of those pretty well. His neck seems to be pretty strong, as he hold his head up for quite a long while, as he checks out his surroundings.

Adrienne's previous post showing a picture of both boys at about the same age in their All Blacks baby grows is just plain freaky! It could be the same baby couldn't it. I was shocked when I saw if and could pick who was who. I wonder if he'll have his big brother Jarvis' hair too. OMG, I've just had a scary thought, what if he's a wired as his big brother as well! Jeeze, that will be fun trying to keep pace with 2 x Mr. Whirlwinds.

House Dad.

Felix runs the household

2007-08-18T19:00:00.000+10:00

We've had a relaxing day today, Felix has pretty much been on the boob all day so we only ventured out for a couple of hours to the Italian Forum for lunch and an ice cream.

Felix then lost the plot and we had to come home to feed for a couple of hours, we think it must be another feeding frenzy!

As we haven't alot to report on Felix I have uploaded a couple of pictures for you to compare, the first one is Jarvis in his All Black suit the second one is Felix - do they look alike??

Adrienne

Cuddles with my Nanny

2007-08-17T19:46:00.000+10:00

Not a lot to report with Felix today, he's had lots of cuddles with Nanny, feed and slept - thats all really.

I must say the feeding is alot easier now, no where near as painful as it was. Thanks for all the advice people gave with the breast feeding - it is appreciated.

Adrienne

Check Up Time

2007-08-14T20:57:00.001+10:00

Felix, along with his big brother Jarvis, had a visit to see the local Midwife this morning in Leichhardt. Felix was totally nonplussed by the whole experience and only really woke up when his cloths were removed. Prior to that, he'd been fast asleep and totally content on his Mumma's shoulder. Anyway, his development is coming along nicely, though after the first week where he put on a whopping 300 grammes has slowed a bit, with only a 150 gram increase. Not sure why, but we are not worried.

Anyway here are his most recent details:

Weight: 4.2 kg

Head circumference: 38cm

Length: 55cm

So yeah, he seems to be healthy and happy and pretty much content with is lot in life so far. He's latching onto his Mumma's boobs OK, and Adrienne told me that it hurts less now, which for me, is so nice to hear, as It really upset me to see her in such pain. Adrienne seems to have enough milk coming through now and the nipples are not as sore, so yeah fingers crossed, everything is going OK with Felix Rua.

House Dad.

Stand In Black

2007-08-09T22:01:00.001+10:00

Felix had his first trip out to the Eastern Suburbs this morning when we caught up with our Paddington buddies at Parsley Bay. It's still amuses us, as to how more relaxed we are with Felix, as opposed to how we were as new parents with Jarvis. As this morning, we just threw the basic essentials into the car and headed off.

It was a bit windy at the beach, so when Felix needed a feed, Adrienne went back to the car to do the business, while the rest of the clan played on the beach. I can't wait until Felix is up and active and splashing in the water with his big brother, it'll be so much fun.

Jarvis is still not that taken with Felix, but is coming round very, very slowly indeed. We did have a little play on the sofa tonight, that started out with me holding Felix while Adrienne helped Jarvis with his dinner. He spotted me holding Felix and squeezed in between us. I just kept cool and asked Jarvis to show Felix all the wonderful animal noises he could do. He tended to favor the rather loud and in your face dinosaur impression that made Felix jump, but it's a start of hopefully a little more interaction and acceptance over the coming weeks.

This evening Manz came round with some wonderful gifts for Felix, the best of all being an All Black suit. It's the next size up from Jarvee old one that he wore today, so perfect. Then when I'm home next weekend, I can buy him a bigger size so all the whanau can be wearing black with pride during the Rugby World Cup.

House Dad.

The Boy's Doing Well

2007-08-07T19:52:00.001+10:00

Apart from giving his Mumma very sore nipples, there's not too much to report about Felix. He seems to be very content and only cries when it's time for a feed. He doesn't really get much time to cry any other time, as he's either asleep or in the arms of one of his parents. We've never really been the sort of parents to let either Jarvis or Felix cry, as we just love being with them. That's just our choice and NOT for discussion 'Concerned Parent Of Two.'

Felix received some lovely gifts from our old coffee group friends back home in Auckland. Just to remind of us where we are from and not to get too comfortable here on Australia, all the gifts were NZ themed. Our beautiful friends even made the effort to send something for Jarvis too, so that he didn't feel left out. And the presents kept on coming this morning too, with some arriving from Felix's Aunt, Uncle and Cuzzies in Nelson, and from the Miller's in Whangarei. Thank you guys, you are ll so kind and generous.

Felix also got a cuddle from Scott our direct neighbor, who is Jarvis' hero. Luckily Jarvis didn't see this, as he'd be so unimpressed, as Scott is Jarvee's mate.

So yeah, Felix is fit and healthy, putting on weight at steady rate, sleeping well and not looking at all like either of his parents!

House Dad.

Felix Has Some Visitors

2007-08-05T23:15:00.001+10:00

Felix has been Mr. Popular this weekend with a few visits here and there from friends, keen to check out the little guy. The first of which, were Louise and Michael who came around on Saturday morning nice and early bearing some wonderful gifts and a pile of DVD's for Adrienne to watch, as she sits up in the wee hours breast feeding Felix. They also had a great Noddy DVD to for Jarvis and paid special attention to him as well, which was so nice.

The rest of the weekend Felix kind of stayed where he likes to stay most and that's attached to his Mumma's boobs (I remember those days) and just fed. The breast feeding for Adrienne is still very painful, but Adrienne says that she's getting better and faster at it. I have to say a BIG thank you to all the people who have posted comments giving us advice, thank you so much.

Then on Sunday, as Jarvis and I slept, Felix had some more visitors with Sally and Clair arriving at about 2pm. Felix was due a feed, but apparently was more than content to go from girl to girl for cuddles ( I remember those days too...yeah right) The girls also gave Felix some wonderful presents, including one that just blew me away, a wonderful Felix The Cat framed picture, that it just awesome. Thank you guys. I just love the cartoon artwork from th early years, and it's got me to thinking, how about another baby soon called Popeye Toru?

House Dad.

Bean Bag Baby

2007-08-03T16:58:00.000+10:00

It's funny how much more relaxed we are with our second and subsequent little people. Like this morning as we were getting ready to go and visit our good friends Jane, Tommie and Sophie. Adrienne was more than happy to clean her teeth, put on some make-up and do her hair with Felix strung over her shoulder, something she'd never have done with Jarvis. Likewise, as Adrienne did some stuff with Jarvis, I set about getting our baby/little person bag ready for the trip and gently put Felix snuggly into a bean bag. He really enjoyed being in it, I guess as it's warm and fits the contours of his body and head. He was so happy that he didn't make any sound for long enough for me to forget where I'd left him. It was a shock that only lasted about 5-seconds as I scanned the room saying to myself 'Shit, where'd I leave him?"

Felix got loads of attention on his first trip out every to meet our wonderful friends Jane, Tommie and Sophie, who delighted in giving him loads and loads of cuddles. Sophie in particular couldn't keep away from Felix and would have been happy to cuddle him all day long.

Jane too was getting all cluckey and mentioned having another baby (this is where Don goes WHAT!) Jane, as is her way, gave us heaps of beautiful presents, not just for Felix but also for Adrienne, Jarvis and me. Jane truly is a wonderful and beautiful woman, who brings such happiness into our family.

Right time to go and see where I've left Felix this time!

House Dad.

Felix Takes His First Short Trip Out

2007-08-01T17:45:00.001+10:00

As it was a wonderful day in Sydney, we thought we'd get both Adrienne and Felix out of the house for a short walk to the park. We didn't want to go too far, as well Adrienne is still of course very sore from giving birth only a week ago. The park was the obvious choice as it's only about a 3-minute walk from our place and wouldn't be too much of a strain on Adrienne.

At the halfway point, Felix and I went a different way, as we needed some bits from the chemist, so left Adrienne and Jarvis to make their own way to the park. I felt so proud pushing my new wee man down the road in the sunshine. Felix liked being in the pram too, as he slept for the entire two-hours that he was in it this morning.

House Dad.

Coming Home

2007-07-31T23:00:00.001+10:00

Felix Rua is a whole one-week old today, though his parents would have no idea really what day it is, as we are both so dam tired. We are not complaining though, as we are blessed with two wonderful wee boys and once the initial few weeks of getting back a normal routine is over, I'm sure the household will be once again ringing with the sound of laughter.

After Jarvis and I had a trip out, it was lovely to come home and find Adrienne and Felix catching some wonderful winter sunshine out front on the porch. We had a quick bite to eat and changed over duties, with me snuggling up in bed for a cuddle with Felix and Adrienne taking the time to cuddle up with Jarvee. I must have been completely worn out, as I fell asleep with Felix in my arms, and only realised this when I plugged in the camera tonight to do the blogs and found the picture below that Adrienne took of me cuddled up with Felix.

House Dad.

Felix Has His First Midwife Visit

2007-07-30T20:08:00.000+10:00

Jarvis and I went out today to give Adrienne and Felix some quiet time, as we both tend to make lots and lots of noise. While we were out Adrienne and Felix had their first visit from the local Midwife. The first visit was at home, with subsequent check-ups being held at the local Early Childhood Centre, which is staffed by Midwifes.

Felix came through with flying colours, as the Midwife informed us that normally a newborn would gain between 150 - 200 grammes a week and Felix has put on 300 grammes, in three days. So yeah, something is coming out of Adrienne's boobs, probably neat Guinness! He's grown from 50cm to 56cm in that time too, so we might be looking at a future Tall-Black, so might have to send him back home to spend some time with Uncle Judd :o)

Felix also did his first trans-Tasman video conference tonight, so that Aunty Erena in Whangarei could check him out, via Skype. I'm still shocked that Erena and I both managed to work out how to do the web cam thing!

So yeah, all seems well and on track in The World of Felix Rua.

House Dad.

Poo Wee

2007-07-29T22:31:00.001+10:00

Firstly, thank you for all the comments and emails that we've received over the last week, either congratulating us on the arrival of Felix or giving some wonderful advice on breast feeding. I think we have about 70 unanswered ones in our in-box, but once we find our feet, I'll get replies off to everyone. Plus the calls too from home, to let us know we are on TV2's 'My House My Castle' tomorrow night at 8.00pm.

Adrienne is still in an awful lot of pain with the initial stages of breast feeding, but several people have suggested we try Lansinoh lanolin cream, which I picked up this afternoon. Adrienne has applied it a couple of times, so fingers crossed it might offer some relief. It seems to be standard though, for there to be lots of pain in the first week or two of breast feeding and then we are told that thankfully it becomes second nature. One thing for sure though, Adrienne ain't' letting me near them puppies for a long time yet!

I did a couple of nappy changes today and it's good to see plenty of wetness and green stuff, which must mean that something is getting into wee Felix. It's so funny to be changing such a wee little person, who is so light and all skinny, like a very tiny chicken.

I managed to get some close-up pictures of little Felix and we both agree that we can't, as yet, see either of us in him. If anything, he looks a bit like Adrienne's brother Brenton. I'm not sure what I've contributed to both my sons, as it look like Adrienne has the dominant genes in both of them. Ah well, at least I do the housework and stuff!

It's now 10.55pm and I've done Jarvis' blog and Felix's too, so I'm off to join Adrienne and Felix on the sofa to watch some TV. As expected, Felix is active mostly at nighttime, which is lucky as I've stockpiled Adrienne heaps of DVDs to watch over the last year. She's already knocked off the excellent first series of Dexter already and has just started on the first series of Prison Break, with another 44 episodes to go. Then it will be the first series of Heroes and then I think we'll revisit series one and two of the fantastic Weeds. And if we do all of those, it will have to be our favorite, series one, two and three of Lost again. But if anyone can recommend any other quality series that we'd like, please let us know. It's not like we have a life anymore you know :o)

House Dad.

Adrienne Turns To The Booze

2007-07-28T21:16:00.000+10:00

Wee Felix started his first full day at home today, with some peace and quiet, as Jarvis was at the park with our buddy Anne and Dah was in the yard cleaning up all the balloon and streamers. The peace didn't last too long though, as a few neighbors came round to check out the rumors that we had a VERY cute new little man in the house. it was nice for Adrienne to show her wee man off, plus one of the visitors Sarah from across the road, explained to Adrienne all the troubles she'd had breast feeding her wee man Thomas. I think Adrienne took comfort from this and from the chat with her sister Tracey back home in New Zealand who called too. It seems that breast feeding can be a very tricky and EXTREMELY painful thing to start off.

One piece of advice that Sarah did give Adrienne was to drink Guinness, which they both agreed might just be an old wives tale, but I think Sarah might, just like our Adrienne enjoy a couple of drinks. So yeah, even if it doesn't work, hey you get to have a nice cold pint at eleven in the morning. I even tried it, and as you can see from my face, I found it digusting, plus being tea-total, got very pissed on the one sip and completely messed up my laundry washing in my drunk condition. Those that know me well, will know that I don't have a low tolerance for alcohol, I have complete ZERO tolerance.

As mentioned though, Adrienne is finding the initial stages of breast feeding extremely painful, so much so, that she has to bite down on a piece of wood, to stop from screaming in agony. I have to leave the room, as I find it very upsetting to see the woman I love in such pain :o(

Jarvis, who is taking a little while to warm up to the new addition to our family, ventured to touch his little brothers fingers tonight, which is quite a big step. We'll let Jarvis come to terms with Felix coming into the family in his own time, as I'm sure in the years to come, they'll be the very best of mates. And you never know, might even both be All-Blacks at the same time :o)

House Dad.

Our Babies Come Home

2007-07-27T23:37:00.001+10:00

Jarvis and I went to the hospital this morning to spend some time with Adrienne and my new son Felix. Adrienne was looking wonderful, having had the chance to shower and recover some from the birth. Felix was looking good too, though it was hard to see him, as he'd been on his Mumma's boob solidly for the last 24-hours, which apparently is normal.

Later on in the afternoon Jarvis and I went to the hospital to collect our precious babies to bring them home. I have to say that the system here in Australia is fantastic and we've absolutely nothing to grumble about, with the way that we were handle with the birth and care of wee Felix.

The little man did grumble a bit though about going into his car seat, but after a couple of minutes he'd settled in well. Then about one-minute later he was taken out of the car seat asleep, as we'd arrived home to see the fantastic display of balloons, ribbons and streamers that Jarvis put up in the morning.

Felix is still pretty much on his Mumma's boob full-time, but Adrienne tells me that it will be less painful once the milk comes in fully, and he can fill up in a shorter time. But fingers crossed, this round I think we are on track with the breast feeding and I even gone out and bought Adrienne some Guinness, as I've heard that it helps with the feeding. I'm not sure though, does it bring on the milk or lessen the pain of the sore nipples?

House Dad.

Thank You Big Brother

2007-07-26T21:45:00.000+10:00

Jarvis and I didn't make it into see Adrienne and Felix this morning, as Adrienne had a breast feeding class to attend, as she is determined to be able to breast feed Felix. We really don't know why we couldn't with Jarvis and I know Adrienne still feels really bad about that, but yeah.

We did however get to see them in the evening, where Jarvis and Felix exchanged toys. Jarvis got two new Planet Protector toys and Felix got a teddy bear, which Jarvis made himself at Build A Bear. The bear even came with a wee birth certificate, showing that the bear was born on the same day as Felix and was given to him by his big brother.

Adrienne seems to be a hundred times better today, as she's had a shower and bathed Felix. Also he's been on the breast for hours and Adrienne's milk seems to be coming in OK, so yeah, it all looks positive.

We were looking at Felix and can't really pick who he looks like, but he certainly has a different look to his big brother Jarvis. But hey, he's so young and to be honest, we've never been that flash at saying who babies look like, as we'd rather let a wee person shine for who they are themselves.

House Dad.

Haere Mai

2007-07-25T15:05:00.000+10:00

Kia ora, my name is Felix Rua. I was born last night at 10.48pm at The Royal Prince Albert Hospital in Sydney, Australia, to my New Zealand Mother Adrienne and my British born New Zealand Father Lee. My brother is Jarvis Tahi who was born in Auckland, New Zealand in 2004. My birth took 2-hours and I am very grateful to my Mother for bringing me into the world safely. As I snuggled up to my Mother, freshly born, my Father heard a familiar sound from down the hallway. He went to investigate and saw on the TV, a choir singing the New Zealand national anthem. He took this as a wonderful omen, that even though I am born far from my homeland, I am a son of Aotearoa.

I weighed 3.86 kilogrammes (8lb 80z) and am 50cm long with dark wavy hair and deep dark brown eyes like my Father's. I latched onto my Mother's breast fine and hopefully with the assistance of the wonderful staff at RPA, I will be able to breast feed with ease.

Thank you for all the best wished that have been sent to our whanau from all over the world, and I hope you come back and visit this site often, as I will have lots to show you over the coming years.

Lots of Love, Felix Rua x