Buddha Baby's day out to the city

What a fun day!

Our first day out for lunch and shopping...I think babycakes eyes open and close depending on whether the wheels are turning on the pram...I walk, his eyes close, I stop walking his eyes open wide like plates so I find myself rocking and moving the pram whilst sitting. I found it fun holding a hot coffee and trying to rock the pram and it became a joke trying to eat a sandwich and rock, lettuce and carrot everywhere.

He loved the ferry, the drone and motion kept his eyes closed there and back.

His access visits are being organised for 2 hours 3 days a week, that will be interesting, Babies usually squeal until 10pm after a day out for access, birth mums like to play with baby, change their clothes, play pass the parcel and wear the poor little things out and by the time they arrive back home they are sooo overstimulated they can't settle so its usually a night of rocking and cuddling, so we will see.

I am told this baby could be with us for 18 months, I dread the thought, its so hard to hand over a baby of 5 months let along a toddler who is bonded to you and thinks you are his world.

I choose not to take on babies for that length of time soley because of that reason...I can cope but they look back at you and it breaks your heart to see as they don't understand. I could probably keep him until he is 18 but although I know he wouldn't care when he is at infants school that his Mum is old but I think its all a bit too much for him when his Mum arrives at secondary school on a zimmer frame...I couldn't do that to him so keeping him won't be an option.

I trust that DOC's will have a beautiful young family in mind for him in the near future.

Day 5 ...Day out to the Drug Clinic

Off we went to the drug clinic with babycakes for his weekly appointment, he has been off morphine for 2 weeks now and showing no signs of withdrawals.

Evidently at his last appointment he was having long periods of very unsettled times which the Dr's were concerned about and were considering putting him back on a low dose of morphine but they weren't sure whether it was that he needed more morphine, or whether it was his colic or reflux causing the unsettledness.

I fronted up today saying that I had changed his formula which DOC's (Department of Community Services) disapprove of us foster carers doing, why?, I have no idea!

I am told by a DOC's worker that it falls under nutrition...Bollix!

On quite a few occasions I have tried to explain to DOC's that the formula that a baby comes home from hospital on is the one the hospital receives for free and it secures ongoing sales for that company that makes it and it doesn't necessarily mean its the right formula for baby and you sometimes have to experiment to find the right one....it usually falls on deaf ears though.

When DOC's rang the other day to check on babycakes Ced told them I had changed his formula and it was deathly silent..he then went onto say that he has had no colic, putrid whoops or nappy rash...by all accounts it was OK then.

I know that Latino and Asian babies especially are lactose intolerant and require a lactose free formula and usually drug addicted babies also need lactose free because their little bodies don't cope with normal formula, I had done research on good old Google and it said that a drug affected baby's gut is very sensitive and LF is easier on the tummy.

Fortunately today the Dr's at the clinic agreed with me and gave me a script for S26LF and said I had done a fabulous job with him in the short time we have had him, he'd put on 600g...geez he really is a BUDDHA baby now!

He has a cold

Even though he has a cold we have still had a day full of giggles and smiles, they say a baby's smile is like a drug to its mother, I couldn't agree more!

Snuggling my lips into the creases of his little chubby neck and blowing bubbles makes him giggle so what do I do with this gorgeous baby all day, well not all day but every chance I get when he's awake...he is just so cute.

I can see he's been loved, that makes me happy.

A baby learns to smile from people smiling at them so he's had lots of smiling faces over his short life.

The change of formula has been a good move, another day without colic, nappy rash or putrid smelling nappies and he drinks a whole bottle each feed.

Babycakes's bathtime was a little better today, not as much screaming, he was sat with his little outtie belly button popping out from his buddha belly...he enjoyed being soaped up and I gave his belly a rub for luck...thats what you do isn't it...rub a buddha's belly for luck?

Maybe I should hold onto my lottery tickets tomorrow whilst I rub his tummy...this little fellow is sooo cute!

We have had a good few days, he is settling better today and again no colic, putrid nappies or nappy rash.

He had a squeal early this morning and I think its because he's still hungry so I have increased the amount in his bottle...240ml is a lot of milk for a 3 1/2 month old, I suppose he will chuck up if its too much, we'll see how he goes.

24 Hours on

Babycakes has had a good day...the change of formula seems to have worked which meant today I didn't have to deal with rancid smelling nappies, colic or nappy rash.

A great day had by all!

No need now for the cortisone cream or the colic medication

I am thinking this little Buddha has been carried around 24/7 as he isn't fussed on being put down in a bouncer or sleeping in the pram if its not in motion.

Today I met a friend for cake and coffee and on the walk down to the cafe he slept peacefully, until I stopped and ordered, by the time the food arrived he was crying, he had been a wake a bit too long after the 6.30am feed so I gather he was overtired, his eyebrows and rims were red...a sure sign of tiredness so after the coffee break I pounded the pavement for three hours to keep him asleep... geez if I keep this up there will be nothing left of me!

Maybe thats what I needed, a baby and an exercise program all wrapped into one.

Today was the start of getting him into a routine... I have him up for no more than 1 hour 15 minutes at any one time, I am wrapping him and getting him back into bed before he gets overtired, I know its only a matter of a day or so before he gets the hang of settling himself.

Nearly time for his last feed and then off to bed!

Buddha baby!

Its hard to believe that this little fellow was on morphine until a week ago. What a happy baby!

In all my years of fostering I have never come across such a settled and happy drug baby...how lucky are we? It feels like years since I've had a baby but really its only been 4 months...early this morning it took a few minutes to work out that the baby that I could hear crying was actually in my house.

He's laid by my side in his bouncer chatting away so we grabbed the camera to get some happy snaps and as soon as he saw the camera he got camera shy.

OOps he's starting to whinge, I don't want to miss the bus and have him overtired so back to bed he goes.

Getting a new baby today!

Sitting waiting, waiting!

Baby is due to arrive any minute... I am told he has fully withdrawn from his drug dependance.

That's what I am told but what is really the case I will find out over the next few hours...I expect a very unsettled baby with a jittery stiff little body with the look on his face that he's carrying the world on his shoulders... poor little mite!

I hope with lots of love and cuddles he will settle.

I am told he is very tiny, drug babies usually are.

I have gone through my blue cupboard and found a cute outfit for my new little bundle of blue.

Bottles are sterilized not much else to do now until he arrives.