Bonjela Breath

I got the fright of my life the other day when a friend told me she had seen an A Current Affair program advising everyone that Bonjela causes brain damage.

For the past few weeks both the boys have been teething really badly. I have seen little white dots start to emerge from their gums, only for them to disappear by the next day. It's gotten to the point were poor Mans has an itchy rash on this forehead and a dribble rash down his chin and mild mannered Linc has become so cranky, I sometimes wonder if he has become possessed.

So I started using Bonjela a)Because someone had given me some, b)Because it seemed to work even just a little bit and c)Because I didn't want to get them addicted to panadol!

Needless to say I went a did my own research and found that Bonjela Teething Gel is fine for babies, Normal Bonjela and Bonjela Cool Mint Gel contains aspirin which can cause brain damage in babies. But I am still searching the chemist for a natural alternative. A friend suggested amber necklaces but I haven;t found any in chemist and haven;t found very much research about them.

Anyone want to suggest some teething remedies? I've tried cold wet cloths, Bonjela, rubbing baby panadol on their gums, cold teehing rings and cold dummies... any other suggestions?

"The Trip" Recapped

We're back from Tassie safe and sound and everything pretty much went well.

The weather got progressively worse the closer we got to the Saturday of Adam's birthday party and then instantly improved afterwards but that's to be expected really when you're betting on good weather for a BBQ. I got good feedback and everyone seemed to have a good time and enjoy the food even if it was cold and windy. The kids were kept pretty entertained with bottles of bubbles and balloons.

We spent most of the holiday visiting Adam's relatives, showing off the boys and running around organising party stuff. It was good that Adam's Dad got to spend a decent amount of time with them since he hadn't seen them since they were 3 weeks old.

We went to Richmond and Port Arthur (via the Blow Hole and the Tesalated Pavement) but that was the only real "touristy" things we did. I really wanted to get an olden day photo at Richmond of the boys but they were closed on the day we went there and I didn't get a chance to go back.

Overall it was exhausting, and not really a holiday! But I think it was worth it.

The boys handled the new faces and places well. They were pretty well behaved on the boat and didn't really mind being pass the parcelled around everyone.

I think we've built lots of really good memories!

Just a quickie

OK, a run down.
The boys have actually lost weight since their last "weigh in"
They are now just under 7kg
It all seems normal and the MCHN wasn't too concerned.
MCHN and I discussed starting them early on solids as they just seem to be burning off the calories and I can't get anymore formula into them. I wanted to wait until they were 6 months but she strongly suggests starting them now.

Other than that no big surprises. They are both about 60cm long, Mans is a bit longer.
They can both lift there heads off the ground. Linc-ilou is still only rolling from front to back and Mans-apan is very close to getting up on his knees, he just can;t get coordinated.
Both talk a lot, love to be upright and love and giggle at the most silly things, namely Baker Bob.

Off to Tassie today, so take care, back soon,

It's a twin thing

One of the most commonly answered questions by a twin mum is "Are they twins?"
It can become quite annoying when a shopping trip takes an extra hour because you're constantly stopping to field questions and that question is rather ridculous. Particularly when they are wearing similar (never the same) outfits and being pushed around in their twin pram.
Some of Adam and my favourite responses include:
"No, it was a 2 for 1 deal."
"No, we just stole one but don't tell anyone."
"What there's 2?!"
"No, I'm not actually pregnant for very long, like a rabbit."

This may seem a little harsh but it's always said with a smile and a "Yes of course" but man it can get frustrating.

Another common question is "Are twins hard work?"
I mean DER!
This is often asked by other mothers and followed by a "Harder than a singleton?"
I know children sap your brain power but come on, of course it's hard work.

But obviously there's double the reward too (or will be lol).
There's a status symbol that comes with being a twin mum. You find that other mother's either look at you with pity / sympathy or they look at you with envy.
There are a lot of woman out there that don't really think about what having twins really means. They are wrapped up in the cute factor and the obvious attention twins get.

I went to a family friend's (M) daughter's 1st birthday on the weekend.
Another of her friend's (R) was there and she has a 11 month old and just found out she's pregnant again. M and I have discussed R in the past as she wasn't planning on keeping this baby. I walk in and she sees the twins. She starts telling everyone who gave the boys attention that she is actually pregnant with twins. This was news to me so I asked her about it. Her response: " I'm too scared to get an ultrasound as I'm sure I'm pregnant with twins and don't want it confirmed" WTF? "What makes you think that? Are they in the family?" "Nothing really, I just know."

It really does my head in. I would have happily shared experiences and advise with her if she had have actually been pregnant with twins. Being a twin mum is not a leisurely experience, it's hard work and I hate it when it's trivialised!

I will be back tomorrow to update on the boy's progress after their MCHN appointment but I just had to get that off my chest.