Uncle and Nephew Fun

This is how you do it, Noah.

The past two weeks of school holidays have been extra busy with lots of visits from people, much to Felix's delight. He loves having a house full. There have been plenty of people to show off to, and for him to play with.

We have Joel, Mel and our gorgeous Grandson, Noah, staying with us at the moment. Felix and Noah are completely adorable when they play together. Felix has always been a bit wary of Noah, and has often avoided him, but since they have been here, they have played beautifully together. They have been having lots of tea parties with Felix's tea set. The other day they each had a teacup and a spoon. They stirred their 'cups of tea' with the little spoons and then fed it to each other. It kept them occupied for such a long time and was the cutest thing. Later, Noah was 'chasing' Felix around and around our big coffee table. They were both laughing at how hilarious they were. When Felix had enough, he quickly jumped up onto the couch (something Noah hasn't perfected just yet), to escape.

Introducing Noah to the pony

I love watching Noah follow Felix around. He thinks his Uncle is great, and likes to copy lots of things he does. I've said it before, but I'm looking forward to watching their relationship develop as they grow. Right now, they are just like any other toddlers, with the youngest looking up to the oldest. In time, however, Felix will be the one looking up to Noah and wanting to do everything he does. Noah will be a wonderful encouragement to Felix, and will challenge Felix to try new things. I'm sure theirs will be a very special relationship. The teaching will go both ways, I'm sure. Felix will teach Noah tolerance, patience and understanding but, most of all, he will hopefully teach Noah not to take life too seriously; to laugh at himself and have fun!

Noah meeting Larry

Last Monday, I took Felix to see the Ear, Nose and Throat specialist for his post-operative appointment. He has already had one ear infection since the surgery in May, so I wasn't at all surprised when she said he had another one. He is so tolerant and never complains of pain. We usually only know he has an ear infection if he gets a fever, and generally not even a high fever. His left ear looks good but, as usual, it's his right one causing problems. I'm not quite sure how things will go in the long term, but I have a feeling that right tube is going to have to be replaced many times. The ENT is pretty sure the infections in that ear are affecting his hearing and she wonders if it may be inhibiting his speech a bit. At his next visit with the Paediatrician, I will be asking about another hearing test (he hasn't had one for ages) and, even then, it was done in quite a noisy room so I don't know how accurate the results would have been.

Cheeky

Next week, we meet Felix's new Paediatrician for the first time. He also has his first appointments with his new Physio and Podiatrist. I'm trying not to feel anxious, but it's never easy changing Doctors and therapists. It's almost like starting from scratch all over again going through Felix's entire medical history. We've had several negative experiences (especially with Doctors), so it's always a bit of a 'hold your breath' moment until we seen how they treat Felix, and how they relate to us, as parents. The majority have been great, so I have my fingers crossed that we will be really happy with his new team, and they will be a real asset to Felix's development.

I have a few things to discuss with the Paediatrician. Felix is months overdue for his MRI to check on his hydrocephalus (fluid on the brain). I'm not worried about what the results are going to be, because I'm sure they will be fine, but it's always nice to get the results back with an 'all clear until next time' result. I'm sure we will have the usual debate about Felix's weight, and whether or not there is something sinister causing him to be so tiny, and not gaining weight. I'm very confident that Felix is perfectly healthy and is just small by nature, just like his other siblings at the same age, but I have a feeling Felix will be referred to a specialist anyway. I don't need to worry about discussing his possible hernia, as we have just received a letter from the hospital with an appointment time to see the surgeon, to discuss what is going to be done (if anything) to stop Felix's testicles from lifting up into his groin all the time. It's the same surgeon Isaiah and Aaron had for their inguinal hernias, and hydroceles, so I'm really happy. He did a brilliant job with their surgeries.

Open wide...

Felix continues to delight us with his placid nature, hilarious character and sense of humour. He always seems to know the right time to give us cuddles, or do something funny. If I'm feeling a bit upset, he will come over to me, brush the hair out of my face (saying, "Ahhhhh!), and then look me straight in the eyes as if to say, "What's up Mum?" Sometimes he will pick up my hand, and the hand of the family member next to me, and put them together. He will also push our faces together to give each other kisses. He has a huge look of satisfaction on his face afterwards, like all is well with the world! Yesterday, in the car, a song came on the radio which reminded me of the day we were told that Felix would likely pass away before he was born. I said to Nathan, "Do you remember the day we drove home from hospital and this song was on? I was crying my eyes out". I turned around to look at Felix, in his carseat, and he was signing 'crying'. I thought he was watching his DVD and didn't realise he was listening. After he signed, 'crying', he gave me a huge smile. It reminded me, once again, what a miracle Felix's little life is. He had so much going against him and yet, here he is, a bundle of two year old energy who brings us joy every single day. He was meant to be!