Morning has broken: January 2010

Saturday, 30 January 2010

Show Days

Show days are the busiest days of the year.

There's baking to be done (bread and shortbread for me this year, and pikelets for Boo) ...

... entries to be taste-tested (like "pancake chewing-gum" said Boo, much to my consternation) ...

... visitors -- staying overnight, and to meet for tea and slice at the Show, then hours wandering around the pavillion, wondering at perfectly tailored clothing, mouth-watering cakes and jams, and succulent vegetables ...

... watching the woodchopping, horse jumping and sulky racing, and puppet shows, then playing games and getting thrilled on rides with cousins ...

... an evening gasping at fireworks, eating fairyfloss, and clutching first and second prize certificates, and a much-celebrated "Highly Commended" for Boo's pikelets!

Friday, 29 January 2010

School Begins

Boo's dear little cousin Cordelia begins school on Monday -- she looks so smart and grown up in her uniform. And do you think the other little person in this picture looks ready for school?

I can't even begin to consider the idea!
In fact, Boo is just old enough to go to big school this year if we decided to send him, but he would be among the youngest, and isn't yet ready in so many ways. In these pictures he was simply playing dress ups in Rory's school clothes, ready for a game of 'big school' with Grandma as the teacher.
In reality, Boo will begin preschool on Tuesday (again -- last year he started but was unhappy there, so he stopped and has stayed home with me for the year instead).
My little man has changed and grown in so many ways in the past six months -- his attention span, confidence, willingness to be without Mummy, self-care, and enthusiasm for other children's company has skyrocketed -- that I'm certain preschool will now be a success, and hope to increase his attendance to two days in June (which will also make it easier for all of us when the baby arrives in July).
I am so grateful that Jumps shares my values and has given Boo and I the opportunity to slowly 'let go' of eachother, so that I was able to keep Boo at home with me until he really was ready, rather than forcing him into a role before time.

Tuesday, 26 January 2010

Friends

Once in a while a special friendship comes along.

It happened to Boo almost three years ago when he met Courtney; the little girl who lived down the road and had a birthday within a month of his.
Courtney is a tomboy, with a will of iron and unwavering self-confidence. She's a self-starter, and the instigator of games and pranks. The kids simply like eachother, and although they bicker and disagree at times, they seldom actually fight.
Last year Courtney and her mum moved away, and we somehow lost touch. Boo asked about her at times, but we never seemed to manage to catch up.
Then today we finally had a long-awaited playdate.
The kids may as well have seen eachother yesterday -- they seamlessly slotted back into the games and dialog they have always shared, and enjoyed eachother's company as always.

We have another playdate organised already. It would be a shame to lose something as good as this.

Sunday, 24 January 2010

Boo's Birth

It seems that almost everyone who blogs about their babies includes a birth story at one time or another, and I fear it's my turn to do so now. The reason is rather a funny incident that occured at my latest midwifery appointment ... but do be warned that it's not a pretty tale, so cease reading now if you're squeamish!

On Thursday I had my first appointment for the new baby, and as part of compiling a medical profile, my very nice nurse asked about my previous labour.

"So, in your own words, how was it?", she asked.

Terrible, was the only word that sprang into my mind.

"Well, it is pretty terrible for everyone" she replied kindly. "In your notes there's nothing particularly unusual, just a 10-hour labour and induction. What do you remember?"

Well, I remember the postpartum haemmorage, with nurses worriedly gathering up piles of bloody sheets, setting up drips and bells ringing alarms. And I remember feeling very scared and weak.

"Oh", she said. "There's nothing in the notes about that here. Do you think it could have just been normal post-labour bleeding or the afterbirth?"

Perhaps, I guess. Maybe that happens to everyone. I am pretty easily scared.

"Well, then I remember the episotomy, and the third degree tear", I hazarded.

"No .... nothing in the notes about that either, although it does mention you had ragged membranes. Perhaps that was it?"

Oh, well, perhaps. I know I don't cope well with pain or drama, so maybe I was confused and that was normal, too.

"He was induced, and was a forceps deliver." I said. "That I'm sure of, because Boo had forceps marks on this little head."

At this she shut the notes and looked at me determindly. "Nothing about that either here! I'm going to see where the rest of your notes are."

And there they were on the nurses desk in the In box; a great wad of notes that had fallen out of my folder and were scattered upside down.

So we began again, and after reading for a minute she turned to me and said kindly "Well, you poor, poor girl. You did have a terrible time of it ... induction, 10-hour labour, almost 2 litre blood loss, third degree tear and episiotomy. What happened to you wasn't normal at all, and you're not imagining one little thing!"

Nice to have a bit of sympathy! (And someone who can understand how truly worried I am about giving birth again after all that.)

Saturday, 23 January 2010

Harvesting the First Pink Lilies

When the waterlilies are in bloom, Jumps and Boo often take a canoe ride in our little lake with a pair of secateurs on hand, so they can treat my mother and I to bouquets.

Jumps rows and picks, and Boo has the delicate job of holding the beauties. (I sit on the shore and watch.)

As a thank you for sewing my curtains and covers, I'd bought my mother a pink waterlily plant called Sunset. These first two blooms were picked for her bouquet.

Exquisite! I'm sure there isn't a more gorgeous or exotic flower in existence.

Friday, 22 January 2010

The Girls Grow Up

Do you remember the baby chicks we brought home in November?
Well, the girls have certainly grown!

They won't be laying until they're 20 weeks old or so, and they've still got some growing to do, but they certainly are handsome birds. Not at all friendly, though. And definately at the bottom of the pecking order in the henhouse. I guess once they're fully grown that might all change, but for now it's definately a case of "the old girls" and the "interlopers".

Tuesday, 19 January 2010

We're Off!

We're off to the city for a few days for hospital visits and holidays with the cousins.
My endocrinologist (who is the undisputed Australian specialist on pregnancy and Type 1 diabetes, and the woman who guided me successfully through my pregnancy with Boo) is Sydney based, and so in order to have her involved in my care I need to deliver at RPA hospital in Sydney. It will involve plenty of travelling, as I need to go back and forth at least once a month at the moment, then every 2 weeks later in the pregnancy, and for the final two or three weeks I'll have to be city based. But it is all worth it -- after all, nine months is not a very long time, and I certainly don't trust anyone else to care for me and my baby as well as she can.
This week is my first booking visit -- it's very exciting as I'll meet the midwives and obstetrician, and finally get my "yellow card", which is a record of this pregnancy and somehow makes it all real!
Thank you for all your kind comments and wishes -- it's lovely to hear from you all.

Monday, 18 January 2010

Froggy

Lately, I've had terrible indigestion. So bad infact, that after a particularly enormous belch, my niece wonderingly remarked "You burp like a man!".

Boo was convinced that several frogs had taken up residence in my stomach. He'd ask me to bend down and open my mouth, then pretend to cure my growling tummy by pulling out a handful of the sqiggly creatures.

But it hasn't actually been animals of the amphibious variety causing this malady. And today, when Boo came home from camping, we told him what infact has been responsible for all the noise.

"Well Boo, all this burping was starting to annoy me, so I went to the doctor to see if he could get those frogs out. And do you know what he found? There aren't any frogs at all in there. But there is something else that's causing all the burps. It's a little baby -- a brother or sister for you -- who's still growing but should be ready to see us in about five-and-a-half months time."

Boo was astounded, and once we told him he could let the others know, he pelted down the hallway shouting "Mummy's going to have a baby!"

It was lovely to see their reactions -- my mother-in-law was in tears, and the big cousins were all surprisingly enthusiastic and thrilled with the idea of a new baby in the family. Now names are the hot topic of conversation, with Axl suggesting "Blaise" (not for us!).

But whatever name we decide on eventually, I think we have our baby's nickname already: "Froggy".

Wonders of Nature

Jumps and I are delighted to announce that we are expecting our second baby in July.
This little person has been a long time coming -- we had been trying almost two years for another child, and had given up hope that a second pregnancy would happen naturally, especially since having Type 1 diabetes for 10 years I am considered a "high risk" patient for pregnancy.
About six months ago we began the process of seeing fertility doctors and specialists, having tests and learning more about our options, while always hoping that something would happen in the meantime.
But finally the week we were due to begin treatment drew near, and I emailed my doctor, stating "I am anxious to get everything underway!". But there was a little PS added to the end of the email: "Come to think of it, I haven't done a pregnancy test this month. I will do so tomorrow, but given my history I think it's incredibly unlikely that I would be pregnant, and I certainly don't have any concommitant symptoms."
I can't help but include the next email I wrote, which was later that same day: "Surprise! That definately-not-pregnant pregnancy test has come up positive. It looks like I won't be needing to try the Clomid after all!"
Those elusive pregnancy symptoms did soon appear, and I've been unexpectedly nauseous (I was barely sick at all with Boo) and tired so far this pregnancy, which in part accounts for my 'no show' on the camping holiday. But on the plus side I've been managing the rigours of diabetes more easily that before, my endo is pleased with me, and the three-month scan went well and showed that baby looks well.
My baby belly is staring to show a little already -- at the moment most of my clothes still fit (just!) -- although I have been eating for more than two and really need to pull back on the treats and increase the exercise! But given that this is likely to be my last pregnancy (for all sorts of reasons), I'm planning to enjoy every minute of it, and glory in my expanding belly and the excitement and wonder of bringing a new little person into our family.

Sunday, 17 January 2010

Home Alone

I've had a holiday. A proper one -- early nights, long lazy mornings, hours and hours to watch movies and read books without interruption, time to laze on the sofa, and take little pottering walks.
Almost a whole week, infact, to do just as I please, with no interruptions at all.
How did I manage this? By sending the family off camping without me!
I've never been a camper, but was willing to have a try -- then few days of incredibly hot weather, a bout of feeling unwell, and 6 hour drive (coupled with four young boys and an unpowered tent site) convinced me to stay home.
What a lovely time I've had! And now it's almost over, as the mob are due home in a few hours.
They've had a perfect holiday from all accounts -- catching and cooking shoals of fish, swimming, boating and adventuring. And I've the perfect holiday , too, in a very different way.

Tilda at Ten Months

I'm terrible at sleeping nights alone in the house, so was delighted when Rachael and Tilda agreed to stay for a few days while the family was away.
Rach is also one of the easiest, most relaxing people to be around -- there's never any fuss or hurry -- and Tilda is a delightful bundle of smiles and busy energy, so I knew there would be plenty of fun. In fact, I think I was ready for some company, as I'd spent the previous day watching television and eating icecream! (I don't think I'd be any use living on my own for long -- my standards slip terribly.)
We popped to the markets, (attempted to) watch movies, went for walks, cooked, shopped, read books and chatted endlessly. And found some time to take snaps of this beautiful brown-eyed girl.

Friday, 8 January 2010

Cousins

Grandma isn't easy to buy a gift for -- usually we choose licorice or a pretty or useful kitchen item. This year I used Snapfish to make her a last-minute calendar featuring pictures of the grandkiddies -- and it was an enormous success.

That said, I had to trawl through hundreds of photos to find enough nice images of all the kids to fill the pages (of course I had plenty of Boo).

So this year, along with the new year's resolution of improving my photography, I am determined to take plenty of portraits of our babies. It will make next year's calendar much easier to do, give me much-needed practise photographing people, and mean we have lovely photos of the kids as keepsakes for the years to come.

So today we began.

On the Beach

Why don't we go to the beach every day?

Whenever we have visitors we all set off for the sand -- and have hours of bliss -- and I wonder why I've left it so long between visits.

It's really only a 15 minute car trip away, and Seaside Village is our closest large shopping centre. But often we just visit town, and miss out on all the ocean has to offer.

Another goal for the coming year, then, is to potter along the seashore at least once a week. It always makes me happy when I'm there.

Tuesday, 5 January 2010

Courtier

Recently I asked Boo to do a small task for me, to which he replied "At your service, madam!".

I told this little tale to Fid, who replied that while at her house Boo had helped her make the bed, and while doing so had asked her, quaintly "Shall I fluff your pillows for you, madam?"

Wherever is he learning such courtly manners? I have no idea, but however it has happened, it's simply charming.

New Year's Holiday

We've been away over New Year's -- first into Sydney for a day, then up the mountains for a January 1st get-together with the group of girls I went to high school with.
It was lovely to catch up with everyone -- especially those ladies who now live overseas or interstate and were down for a Christmas visit. It's also fascinating to get to know their children and partners -- although we all keep up throughout the year it's a loose network, so while I see some of the kids a few times a year, others I only see in the occasional photo.
Boo had a marvellous time swimming, playing and running amok, especially with Nicole's girls, Violet and April (the cherub above).
Then we travelled back to the city where Jumps and I went to the Sydney Opera House to see Peace Train -- the Cat Stevens Musical (a Christmas gift from my parents). It truly was a toe-tapping, entertaining, interesting and thought-provoking evening, with wonderful music and performances.
And now home again -- where the cousins await for a week of fun! I'm sure it will take me most of February to recover from this month!