Ch Ch Ch Ch Ch Changes

Oh Boy, it has been a long while since our last post and so much has happened. It has been 4 months so I guess that is to be expected, but what is surprising is just how many of these changes have been positive. Where to begin?

Long time no post.

Let's start back a ways... Megan and I decided around April that she would return to her full time position at Xero, and that I would take over as the primary carer for Olive and Eliza. Megan loved her role in this blossoming company and relished a chance to return, but Olive and Eliza are a big handful... Eliza's nasal gastric tube precluded normal day care options. So our best option was to swap the typical gender roles and for me to become the Daddy Day Carer.

Hudsie left holding the babies.

By the start of June most of my free-lance TV work was complete, and I was able to spend a super month with Megan and our Student Nanny Jess, learning the way things worked. This training period was quite blissful, and a great opportunity for the four Huddlestons to spend more quality time together. Time at home is so much more fun than time in a hospital, however good the care we had in NICU.

Jess the girls first student nanny.

This time was also daunting because I was painfully aware that I would have to take over the reins  at the start of July. And Megan had very big parenting shoes to fill - she had set the bar very high. Not only doing a great job of training up Jess, but stopping at nothing to give Olive and Eliza the very best. Including steaming vegetables and freezing them in ice trays to provide the increasing amount of solids their diet required, and reading all manner of parenting books (and iPhone apps) to ensure all of their needs were catered for.

Mummy is the boss.

To compound my worries about my ability to adapt to this new role was the fact that Jess's course ended on Megan's first day at work (coincidentally my birthday July 2). Also our next Nanny, Chelsea, would not be available for 2 and a half weeks. Into this breach stepped Megan's Mum Winifred, who moved down from Martinborough to help me with my first fortnight solo. This was another amazing effort from Megan's family, as it meant leaving David and the vineyard to their own devices for 12 days.

Both Girls love Granny Wini bath day.

Together Winifred and I made a great team. She let me find my way with the girls, and lending a hand where required while also keeping the home fires burning, keeping on top of the abundant washing, keeping the house tidy and making amazing meals. The fortnight surprised us all, with the transition going completely smoothly in every respect. With Winifred's help I gained enough confidence to be looking forward to training up Chelsea who started on July 17.

Eliza always has cuddles for her Granddad.

What's-more Megan is loving being back at work, in a swanky new office, with almost twice the number of staff  than the company she left 9 months earlier. That company is going places. She does miss the girls, but has such busy days that she doesn't dwell on it overly, plus she is confident that things are going ok at home and our girls are in good hands.

Chelsea has taken to her 4 day a week role like a duck to water, and Winifred is still coming down on Mondays to cover Tuesday. Also my Mum Janice pops in very regularly for cuddles and to help the girls feed, so it is all going incredibly well.

Chelsea being put through her paces by Olive.

But we're saving the best news till last, but if you've been watching the photos closely you might have guessed already. Our girls are doing so well...

O.L.I.V.E. for Olive... E.L.I.Z.A that's Eliza!

Olive is an absolute treasure. She is cheeky, confident and a complete individual. She has packed on the calories and is now a whopping 7.5 kg. She is a superstar in the jolly jumper and she absolutely loves going to bed. Whenever we put her down she squeals until she gets her thumb in her mouth then she's straight off to sleep. Also her most endearing quality is her tuneful and very loud singing which she indulges in whenever she is happy, which is a lot of the time. The quiet house often suddenly resounds to a spectacular "Ahhhhahhhhhahhhhhhhh". When you echo this cry back at her she cackles with pleasure. Such a lovely girl!

Butter wouldn't melt!

And Eliza has turned a corner! After a lot of patient experimentation and trial and error with feeding strategies, she is rid of her ghastly nasal gastric tube. She pulled it out herself on Friday the 21st of July and we began a trial period without it. On Tuesday 24th her Speech and Language Therapist Germaine showed us a new method of feeding her, with immediate results. By Wednesday the 25th she was eating enough calories to thrive. Since then she has made the magic number of calories required every day for 5 days in a row.

Look folks no tube!

She is such a lovely wee girl - quick to smile, alert and knowing. She especially loves Zizou, our cat. Since losing the tube, she is so much more obviously happy within herself now. No NG tube means the experience of eating has become more enjoyable and less time consuming. She is able to eat, be satisfied and then play with her sister. It is such a joy for us all to see her blooming as she is. The added bonus is without the tube you can see quite clearly what a beautiful wee girl she is (and has always been) under all that dreadful sticky tape.

I'm a big girl now.

She weighs in at 5.5kg, exactly 2 kilos lighter than Olive, but she is eating so hungrily, we are confident she will soon begin to bridge the gap between them. Right now our challenge with her is convincing her to share Olive's bedroom happily, but the days of having her cot in our room are numbered!

Sharing

With Eliza's tube gone we really feel like things are much more manageable and normal. We'd love to thank everyone who has helped us through this time, listened to us, cooked for us, visited, or sent messages of support. Your love and support has made this whole journey so much easier, and we are looking forward to spreading our wings now, and seeing you all outside Karori really soon.

Lounging

Arohanui
HOME