Life with Charlotte...
When we found out we were expecting baby number 2 Wade, Kobi and I couldn't be happier. My pregnancy went smoothly and labour and delivery was only 5.5hrs. Charlotte was welcomed in to the world and our family at 10.39pm on November 2, 2009. She was perfect and looked exactly like her brother did when he was born.

Life was great and Charlotte fit straight in to our family. On the 12th of November there was a knock at the door. It was late and we weren't expecting anyone, my mum was already here in Kalgoorlie visiting from QLD to help us out with Kobi (5). I opened the door and to my surprise my Dad was standing there. He had told me he wouldn't be able to make it - which is odd for Dad!

Dad had his first cuddles with Charlotte and the first thing he said was that breathing was fast. I had noticed but thought that was just her.The next night (Friday the 13th) as we got ready for a family BBQ, I was chatting to a family friend on Facebook who is a midwife in QLD . I asked her what the normal breathing rate was for a baby and she said 60. My Mum and I both counted and got 74. Ruth rang me straight away, told me it was too fast, pack a bag, go to the hospital and don't leave until I see a paediatrician. I immediately started to panic but did as she said. Off Mum and I went to emergency. We saw a doctor and he agreed it was a bit fast and got the Paed. It was all go from there.

Charlotte was admitted to hospital, they took blood, put drips in and hooked her up to monitors. It was awful seeing her like this. At first they thought she had Strep B as I had tested positive while pregnant. The test came back negative, then they thought she had Gastro. I fed her at 4am on the 14th and a few hours later her chest had started to recess. They ordered a chest X-ray and found her heart was too big. Our little baby girl at just 11 days old had a broken heart.

Wade and I and the rest of the family were in shock. I asked myself so many questions, why, how, what did I do wrong? The hospital contacted PMH in Perth and RFDS and by that afternoon we were on a plane out of there. On arrival at PMH, the cardio team met us and did an echo. Charlotte had coarctation of the aorta. She was hooked up to so many machines, and had lines going in everywhere. On Monday November 16, Charlotte had closed heart surgery to repair the coarctation. The surgery was successful and she was out by the end of the week.

Today Charlotte is a healthy, happy 10.5 month old and you wouldn't even know there was anything wrong. She has the neatest scar along her shoulder blade, but like my mum says - 'Scars are like tattoos but with better stories.'

Welcome to our newsletter - 'The Buzz': the newsletter of The Bees Knees Kids. We aim to assist parents in the nurture of the children in their care.

In this edition of 'The Buzz' we will be featuring Are You A Facebook Liker?, Mum of the Month, Toddler Toilet Training, Hot Deals, New Arrivals, Book Recommendations, Useful Videos, and our Fan Photos Wall of Fame!

As an Early Childhood Teacher I really believe that by providing our children with the best start to life with as many fun filled learning experiences in their own home we can nurture a real passion for learning!

Do you like to connect to other mums, stay in touch with the latest news, arrivals and hot deals at The Bees Knees Kids? If you are not already a 'liker' of our The Bees Knees Kids Facebook page then 'like' us on Facebook and join our 4000 plus 'likers'. We would love to the chance to catch up with you.

We are MAJOR fans of RuffleButts and to celebrate the NEW arrivals we are giving you the opportunity to get 20% off everything EXCEPT for Pettiskirts, Socks, Giftsets and Embroidery items. Help us spread the word and spread the smiles and ruffles across Australia. Use coupon code LUVRUFFLEBUTTS!Valid until FRIDAY 8th October. So be quick!!

We are happy to share that Monte & Tex, Sooki Baby, Sosooki, Boabab and RuffleButts have arrived! The only other label we are currently waiting on is The Three Little Trees which we expect to arrive towards the end of next week as soon as these arrive all pre orders will be sent off EXPRESS post. We apologise for the delay which was due to typhoons as well as clearing Australian customs.

Rufflebutts buy in set- Save 10% Plus FREE Embroidery	New playground shorts!
Preordering available for Rufflebutts Pettiskirts (Fuschia & Pink) arriving mid October!	Rufflebutts socks
Sosooki	Three Little Trees
Sooki Baby	Oomoo Balance Bikes

In our household Miss Eva (2) has had a sudden interest in sitting on the toilet which is something that we are trying to encourage! Some things to encourage toileting:
1. Get lots of books and DVDs that focus on going to the toilet.
2. Get a doll that can drink and wee and let your toddler help to teach her to go to the potty or toilet.
3. We try and make it as fun as possible especially and celebrate when she does anything.
4. When you go to the toilet ask your toddler if they need to go too.
5. Have a reward chart some children are very visual so reward charts can be great to encourage toileting.
6. As the weather warms up perhaps allowing your toddler to go nappy free (we did this with Eli and although it took around 1 month for him to be fully trained during the day it was stress free) do remember there will be accidents to clean up.
7. The key too is lots of patience and encouragement.
8. Most of the time your children should show some signs of readiness. For example, Eva will tell me she needs the toilet.
9. If there are older siblings in the house they will usually learn from example and copying.
10. Check out the videos and articles below.

Watch Dr Phil on Potty Training. I loved this and great to see how to use a doll as a model.

Loved this by Dr Sears - Toilet Training Tips for Busy Mums.

Some great articles from:

Toilet Training & Older Children Bedwetting

Life with Charlotte...
When we found out we were expecting baby number 2 Wade, Kobi and I couldn't be happier. My pregnancy went smoothly and labour and delivery was only 5.5hrs. Charlotte was welcomed in to the world and our family at 10.39pm on November 2, 2009. She was perfect and looked exactly like her brother did when he was born.

Life was great and Charlotte fit straight in to our family. On the 12th of November there was a knock at the door. It was late and we weren't expecting anyone, my mum was already here in Kalgoorlie visiting from QLD to help us out with Kobi (5). I opened the door and to my surprise my Dad was standing there. He had told me he wouldn't be able to make it - which is odd for Dad!

Dad had his first cuddles with Charlotte and the first thing he said was that breathing was fast. I had noticed but thought that was just her.The next night (Friday the 13th) as we got ready for a family BBQ, I was chatting to a family friend on Facebook who is a midwife in QLD . I asked her what the normal breathing rate was for a baby and she said 60. My Mum and I both counted and got 74. Ruth rang me straight away, told me it was too fast, pack a bag, go to the hospital and don't leave until I see a paediatrician. I immediately started to panic but did as she said. Off Mum and I went to emergency. We saw a doctor and he agreed it was a bit fast and got the Paed. It was all go from there.

Charlotte was admitted to hospital, they took blood, put drips in and hooked her up to monitors. It was awful seeing her like this. At first they thought she had Strep B as I had tested positive while pregnant. The test came back negative, then they thought she had Gastro. I fed her at 4am on the 14th and a few hours later her chest had started to recess. They ordered a chest X-ray and found her heart was too big. Our little baby girl at just 11 days old had a broken heart.

Wade and I and the rest of the family were in shock. I asked myself so many questions, why, how, what did I do wrong? The hospital contacted PMH in Perth and RFDS and by that afternoon we were on a plane out of there. On arrival at PMH, the cardio team met us and did an echo. Charlotte had coarctation of the aorta. She was hooked up to so many machines, and had lines going in everywhere. On Monday November 16, Charlotte had closed heart surgery to repair the coarctation. The surgery was successful and she was out by the end of the week.

Today Charlotte is a healthy, happy 10.5 month old and you wouldn't even know there was anything wrong. She has the neatest scar along her shoulder blade, but like my mum says - 'Scars are like tattoos but with better stories.'

Check out all the latest merchandise and past editions of 'The Buzz' at the The Bees Knees Kids!

Until next time, keep your kids buzzing.

Kind Regards,

Bernice

The Bees Knees Kids
www.thebeeskneeskids.com.au