Update on Neo

Although Neo seemed to feel a lot better in himself yesterday when he got back from the vet, this morning he seemed ill again. He wouldn't eat the fresh chicken I cooked for his breakfast, and was sitting as close as he could to the radiator, or hiding behind the boiler... So I took him back to her this morning (looking no doubt like mad cat woman.. I had Noah in his usual seat at the back of the double buggy, and Neo in his cat box sitting in the front). It was a really good way to transport him though, as that cat box isn't so easy to carry.

She took his temperature, which was quiet low..and to anyone who knows HOW they take a cats termpearture, you can imagine it wasn't a very dignified affair. It was made worse by the fact that she also gave him an anal enema to try to help him to ummm 'go'. The cat litter box has been suspiciously empty for at least a day,and if he doesn't pee by 6pm this evening I've to call her again. She also gave me the number of another emergancy vet in case I can't reach her... so here's hoping he starts to pick up soon.

She can't say what's wrong with him other than it's a general bacterial infection. The poor cat is quiet ill though, that's for sure :(

A cat's tale

Amie the same age as Noah is now, looking a lot like he does I think


A blast from the past... Amie and Neo, before there was Amie and Noah!

Well today is a big day for Amie, her first holiday without her mummy (or Noah). We were meant to be at a wedding in London tomorrow… but sadly, it wasn’t to be. First of all Noah is ill with a virus, causing an ear infection and bronchitis. I had him at the dr. yesterday to check he would be ok to fly, and he was giving the all clear.. so it was all systems go.


Seeing how much Neo loves flowers, maybe I should buy him a "Get Well Soon" bunch all for himself

However, my other son, Neo hasn’t been himself all week. It started on Monday when I had to wake him up to get some chicken (alarm bells should have been ringing already then), but he’s continued to just lie around the house, eating very little, not purring, not grooming himself.. and even losing weight (which in itself is not really a bad thing). Of course, thanks to a visit to the vet when he was 6 months old, Neo is missing a few accessories, but he’s still a male.. so I didn’t pay too much attention to him at first, I just put it down to a feline version of “man flu” and expected him to be ok in a few days. He’s had this before where he’s been off for 3 days and then just recovered himself. However, last night when we got back from dinner, I got a bit of a shock. He looked like he was 20 years old, not 4.. and something just told me he really was sick (not least a dream I had that night about a friend of mine who’s a veterinary nurse who urged me to take Neo to the vet as it was an emergency… you don’t need to be Freud to figure out what that dream was trying to tell me.


We finally took him to the vet this morning, 2 hours before we were due to leave for the airport. She took blood samples because she was worried about his kidneys, and I had a nervous 20 minutes waiting for the results. Luckily his kidneys are fine, and it appears from his fever and raised white blood cell count that his body is fighting an infection (and like every fight Neo has ever been in, it was losing). So, a shot of painkillers and antibiotics late, not to mention a lot of freshly cooked chicken, he’s back to purring and washing himself… which is a good sign. I’ll have to force some antibiotics and painkillers down his gullet for the weekend, and take him back on Monday.. when hopefully he’ll be given the all clear.


Considering this is what I would have looked like at the wedding, perhaps it's just as well I didn't go........I'm SURE that dress has shrunk since I hung it up the after the last time I wore it!

Amie and daddy made there way to London, and from what she’s told me over the phone this evening they are having a great time. They have the camera with them, so I hope they get some nice pictures that I can put up on the blog. It’s strangely calm without Amie around, but also uneasily quiet. I guess I just get used to the chaos.. speaking of which, it’s time I tidied the sitting room… and made the most of a chance to sit down and read myself a bedtime story for once.

Will keep you posted on how little Neo is doing… and Noah too for that matter!

She did it :)

No up to date pictures, but I like this one of Amie painting :)

Well today was a big day for Amie .. her first day out of nappies, out and about, with no accidents (bit of a big day for mum and dad too :)

We started on Monday morning with a free Dora the Explorer sticker chart I printed off the internet, and some stickers, and a box of smarties. I was amazed how quickly she got the hang of it, and the great pride she took in taking her potty to the toilet and emptying it down. By Friday she was going to her usual playgroup without her nappies on, while I took German lessons. I'm very proud of her, and relieved to finally have this milestone out of the way.

It all went rather smoothly, though she did bash me about the face with her wet nappy when I tried to convince her to put some knickers on instead of another nappy.... but that war wound aside, it was plain sailing :)

In other news Noah said another word today ... "trousers"... he already says "Hiya" when he's holding a phone to his ear, and makes some animal sounds.. but so far he's not much of a talker (that must just run in the female line of the family) :)

Happy Birthday dear Noah

Today is Noah's birthday. It is hard to believe that the little guy has only been around for a year, but at the same time this past year has flown by. To those of you that remembered his big day, thank you very much for all your cards, pressies and good wishes (and Emma, we were playing your song over the loud speaker on my mobile.. just to add some party atmosphere when we were cutting the cake :).. and to those of you who forgot (you shall remain nameless.. but shame on you) from this day on, on the 5th February may your shower always run out of hot water just when you've put the shampoo in your hair and worked it up into a really thick lather


Now that he's 1 he's taken up the classics, studying music and literature.. at the same time, in his bare feet.

Noah didn't have such a nice start to his birthday as he was due his third, and final Hep B vaccination. This bitter pill was made a little sweeter by the fact that his big sister had to get a jab too. Amie was very brave, even though it hurt her she didn't cry.. Noah is slightly less brave, in general and he did cry... but then, he was only a baby yesterday. It will take him a few weeks to get used to acting like a toddler (and I don't think he'll ever be as tough as his big sister). Amie sang to him to take his mind off getting the injection, so I think for the rest of his life he's going to have an aversion to hearing "Happy Birthday to You"

Other than all that excitment, we're going well with Amie's potty training. Or that is to say, Amie is doing well potty training herself. I just took her nappy off her yesterday morning on a whim, and after a few floods she's getting the hang of it and going to to loo on the potty herself without being prompted. She then empties it in the toilet and washes her hands.. so fingers crossed, after a few false starts, this is it and she's on her way to being nappy free. I hope by her 3rd Birthday (which is 2 months yet... so plenty of time :)


With all this food flying around, Neo thinks it's his birthday EVERY day

And finally, some pictures

Amie and Noah on Christmas morning. Santa Claus did bring her a recorder, I think Mrs Claus thought it was a bad idea, and I think Mrs Claus has been proved right.




This photo is for Emma to prove that yes, I did in fact wear my new clothes on Christmas Day. Rich organised for me to go to House of Fraiser with Emma and a personal shopper to get me into some decent clothes. I had a great time trying on loads of lovely things.. .and a hard time picking out exactly which ones to buy. I had an even harder time fighting the feeling I should bring back most of the clothes and run into the nearest Next store and buy LOADS of clothes.. rather than the 3 trousers and 5 tops I came away with. I'm glad I didn't do that, as I do like them, and it's nice to have something to feel a bit special in (not in the sense of the word you would think of Eoghain!) With it being Christmas I couldn't resist a red cardigan. The reason I look so nervous is because it's a handwash only cardigan...not really what you want to have on holding a drooly baby. Sorry you can't see the shoes Emma, but I did have them on :)


I wasn't the only one to get new clothes, Amie got this lovely coat from Nana and Pa.


And a very cute blouse from her Great Aunty Sandra



It's great to see some of Amie's old toys coming out of the attic now that Noah is a little more into playing with things... of course, old toys have never looked more attractive to a 2 year old than when someone else is playing with them...


..but to his credit Noah wasn't giving up his new found spoils easily.


However, some hand me downs are more desirable than others... cannot wait to get this photo out when Noah brings his first girlfriend home. In my defence it was very cold out, and I couldn't find a blue hat.


Noah isn't the only male in the house to be in touch with his feminine side. My friend Beth brought me this beautiful bunch of roses, and and as per usual Neo had to get up beside them to get his photo taken.


It's been a bit of a struggle to live up to the new year resolutions that I haven't actually made. If I dont' make them, I can't break them.. but somewhere in my mind I do have the intention that THIS year I'm going to be more organised, efficient, not to mention slimmer and less addicted to a certain substance made from the coco bean. Anyway, as you can see, almost a week into 2008 and I've finally sat down and updated this blog page, with I might add, a big bar of chocolate in my gubby mitts. I hope you enjoy the photo's and that I can be a little more frequent with posts this year :)


Amie and Jack always get on well when they meet up with each other, he's only 6 weeks older than her and was delighted to show her all his toys.


Noah was a little cheeky and opened his christmas presant from Emma a little early, but with a face that cute who could give out to him?


We had a lovely time this Christmas as we got to visit both sets of grandparents. It meant a stopover in Manchester before catching a plane to Dublin, but it all went very smoothly. Until we hit the traffic in Dublin that is. But still, we all got there safe and sound and had a lovely time. Noah got to meet his Great Granny Keegan for the first time, who supplies him with lovely jumpers. He was rather taken with her tights though, I think he'd found a kindred spirit.. and was trying to tell us he's ready to move onto the 15 denier variety.


Amie meeting a certain senior for the first time. She was a little lost for words, but her daddy was there to shout out her name for her.


Noah is now 11 months..and still only has 2 teeth. He likes to clap and wave, and his first word is "Hiya" which he says while holding a phone (usually upside down) to his ear. He stood on his own for the first time on Thursday, so I imagine it won't be long till he's trying to walk on his own.

Eoghain and Tanja visit

Neo catching some winter sunshine






Amie working on her best photo face (that's a raisen in her teeth btw, not a cavity :)


On the train to Hamburg


This weekend we had a visit from Eoghain and Tanja. We took them into the Christmas Market in Hamburg on Saturday. The weather was cold, but at least it wasn't raining (as we forgot the raincover)

Christmas Markets are really nice, they're full of...

Gluwein..


..food..


..fairground rides...


..and bright lights




The only bad thing is that they are pretty cold! Lucky Noah and I had matching hats



I think he carries off this look better than me


On the way home after a tiring day

Time flies

He'll kill me for this when he's older :)

Sorry that it's been awhile since we last posted. Been having some camera/pc issues. But they're talking to each other now, so that's ok. Well Noah is exactly 10 months old today, I cannot believe how time has flown.. where is my 'ickle 'wickle baby gone? He's crawling about the place, walking by pushing chairs around and generally being a very happy laid back little chappie.. thankfully.
Amie with her stickers on her nose.

I think Noah is going to be a super hero when he's older, mostly because he wears tights (only when I dress him, Rich refuses to see the logic.. think it's a man thing) but also because he's going to have a super immune system. That can be his super-power, Immune System Boy. The reason he has such a good immune system (don't read this if you're eating) is because he seems to think the downstairs loo is put there especially for him to gum on, and generally try to climb into. Considering I have to take him into the loo with me sometimes, it's become a bit of a competition to see who gets to the bowl first. I have to be pretty quick to sit down before he gets to it, while also being careful not to actually sit down on the little guy, and give him flashbacks to his birth or something. It's all good fun being a mum, how I look forward to the day I can go to the loo without an audience :)


We had Sally and Tjeerd here to visit us last weekend, it was so nice to see them again and they had a blast in Hamburg. I was trying to get a nice photo of Amie and Sally together, but Amie was being very 2 at the time, and not co-operating.


Also, I've been trying to upload videos on here, there's some nice ones of Amie on the pony and Noah with his walker but so far I don't seem to be able to. I'll put some up as soon as I figure out how!