Silly Mummy!

I love long weekends!!

It usually guarantees me a little sleep in & also lovely family time!

We have just been hanging around the house yesterday and today, getting a few little things done. Yesterday we spent the afternoon planting 50 lomandras in the front yard. Grace & Xavier had a blast mucking around in the dirt and getting filthy! Grace found a few lizards to chase and Xavier pushed a cardboard box around like a walker. Grace also helped us dig the holes and cover them back in once the plants had gone in. Slave drivers that we are, we even got her to pick up the empty pots at the end!!

We also went and visited Wendy in hospital. She's doing well now, still not as mobile as she hoped she would be at this stage but she is getting there. She seems to be enjoying herself, well as much as you can enjoy yourself in hospital! She chats to all the other women in her ward, getting all the gossip. Its got better story lines than neighbours, the stuff that happens is crazy!!

She looks really good and has gotten out for a few showers and to go to the toilet, hopefully she wont be in too much longer!

Today we went to Westfield to get a few things & pick up Grace's new car seat! She now has a fancy convertible booster as she was starting to our grow her car seat. She is so tall. The new one is suppossed to go up to 26kgs (she is about 14 1/2kgs), but she is already at the 2nd highest strap height. Oh well, we can just pass it down if she gets too tall!

The kids got to have a little play outside, then we all went and harrassed the lady with the free taste tests. It was yummy today; stir fry, fruit & natural yoghurt and hot cross buns! Grace kept going back for more, we discouraged her of course (woudn't want her filling up for free...would we!!)

Grace always likes to go on the horsey ride on the way out, it's the bribe I use to get her to stay close at the shops. Well Duane put her on it today, and she went to get off and he noticed something strange. SHE HAD NO UNDIES ON. I had dressed her, but in the haste of getting out the door I had forgotten to put undies on her. She had taken herself to the toilet before we left, climbed up into the car and strapped herself in and also climbed out. We had not noticed. My little girl had been "airing her bits" for about an hour at the shops, Duane hadn't even noticed when she was at the playground. Once we realised I quickly grabbed a pair out of her bag and put them on her. She kepy laughing and saying "Silly Mummy, no undies" Well sorry dear....your the silly one going out with no undies on & it BETTER not be repeated when you get older!!

We then came home and put up my lovely birthday pictures from Trudy! I have been nagging my "non-handy man" husband to put up some other pictures, so he finally got those up too!

I bought a mosquito net for Grace's room ages ago, so we put that up today. It's hanging over her bed and she keeps calling it her "fairy bed" We also put some of the dining chairs in her room and made a tent/cubby. Grace loves playing in it with her teddies. She puts them all to sleep in there, spending ages patting them.

I have just finished making up a little Easter Egg hunt for the kids tomorrow. I am still reluctnant to give Grace too much chocolate so I have made some youghurt covered fruit which taste sooo nice. I have wrapped them up in foil, so thats what she is hunting for! I can't wait!! I love having kids and getting to do all these fun things with them!

Actually I should mention Grace's first encounter with Chocolate. Well her second, my brother had given her a freddo frog once before! She has also had it when we have been cooking, but apart from that we haven't ever given it to her. I knew that this year we would probably not be able to avoid it though, so we had decided to let her have some!

They had a little easter egg hunt at playgroup last Thursday. Grace got into the excitement of looking for the eggs and once she had found them she bought them straight up to me. She was looking at them strangely, not really sure what all the other kids were so excited about these tiny little balls! She gave them to me until she saw the other kids eagarly unwrapping and stuffing their faces. She came back up and took the 2 small eggs and ate them! She was given another 2 later, but she gave them to me saying "Mummy's treat" Ahhh so sweet! I think the biggest reason I had for not giving her chocolate, was her realising what I was eating all the time! I am a chocolate tragic...I love the stuff. So it looks like my little addiction is going to have to go underground, I'll only be able to indulge when Grace is not around!!

Xavier is 8 months!

Oh dear another month has passed so, so quickly!

Little Xavier is growing up, slowly slipping out of the baby stage and hurtling towards being a toddler. Aaaahhhhh No, no no....I WANT MY LITTLE BABY!!!!!!

Okay...I am going to accept he is getting older, well I really have no other option, do I? So I will pack away all the grow suits and all in ones and accept my little boy is just that!

The last month has been a tough one for X. He has had the 2 (or maybe it was just one really long one??) ear infection, and then also the outer ear infection. They have made him so upset at times. Hopefully he is all over them now but now the dreaded teeth are causing him grief. I am always reluctant to blame things on "teeth", but I really think they are annoying my little boy. he has cut his 2 front top teeth in the last week, and now the teeth either side of them have cut too. Ouchie!

He has been busy perfecting his clapping technique, this is coming along nicely! He has started waving sporadically and also scrunching his little fists up into "twinkles"

Xavier is crawling so quickly and he is getting into everything! His absolute favourite thing is to speed up the hallway and pick the vent off the wall. We have resorted to covering up the vent with a box, but I am guessing it wont be long before he realizes he could still get to it. Today he zoomed into the bathroom and pulled up the drain from the floor. I walked in and he was sitting innoccently on the floor with the drain in his hand and a gaping big hole on the floor! He loves getting into the kitchen cupboards or jamming himself behind the fridge door when I open it.

I actually really like it now that he is confident crawling. He can get around the whole house and loves just following Grace and I around. He especially loves watching the washing machine, he sits there mesmerised by the clothes going round and round.

He is a real sticky beak, and gawks out the window every time I change him. His change table is set up beside his bedroom window and everytime, he pulls back the curtain and looks outside. It's funny first thing of a morning when its still dark in his room and he pulls back the curtain and gets a face full of sunlight! That makes him blink and his little face scrunches up!!

He pulls himself up on everything and is starting to walk around the furniture easier. The little terror has even started letting go and standing for a few seconds. I am so not ready for him to be walking, mentally I am not ready!!

Xaviers favourite toys at the moment are, anything of Grace's (shoes, socks, hair bands etc), remotes, balls, tamborine & his set of jingle bells. He has perfected his pincer grip, so nothing on the ground is safe. Everything he finds on the ground goes in his mouth, any skerrick that has been dropped. He concentrates so hard to pick it up and shove it in his gob!! I have fished out all sorts of things; cornflakes, paper, felt etc.

He loves his food and is on 3 meals a day, with a few cruskits. He has eaten everything that I have given him so far. We are still not really adventurous, mainly just fruit, vegies, cous cous, weetbix, rolled oats and toast. He handles finger foods really well and has no trouble with lumps. I think that he will take after Grace in the "good eating" stakes.

Xavier is still a "booby boy", although he doesn't treat them so well! He really needs to learn some manners when it comes to his "milk". He often just dives his head into them and starts slapping me, wanting a feed. Also when I do feed him he is so wriggly and constantly pushes and slaps me. He is getting better at actually feeding now though, not just having a suck and then a gawk around. He gets on with the job and is usually done in less than 5 minutes. I'm not really sure how many feeds a day he has, probably about 5?? He

Xavier loves his sleep and is great at it! He has just cut down to 2 day sleeps, one from 7.30am - 9am and then again from 12-1.30pm. He sometimes has a quick snooze in the afternoon, if he gets a bit grumpy. Bedtime is still 6pm and he mostly goes without too much of a fuss. I love that I can just put him down and he goes to sleep himself, make life easier!! Sometimes he wants a little bum pat, but usually he is just happy with his (pink!!) mulsin wrap and dummy!! He usually wakes once a night, and depending on how tired I am, he either goes back to his bed or spends the night with me. He is a shocker to sleep with, but I do really love the morning feed and cuddles!!

He has also started saying a new word. "Car, car, car" I'm not actually sure that is what he is saying, but we are going to claim it anyway. Very fitting 3rd word for a boy, don't you think??

Lazy Weekend

We have had a lovely, lazy weekend!

Yesterday we spent the morning at home, getting a few little things done. After the kidlets had their sleep we all headed off to the camping show.

Ever since our weekend away Duane and I have been dreaming about coastal weekends away in a camper trailer. I had found one that I thought would be perfect as it would go straight onto our exisiting trailer, so I wanted to check it out. Well it would have been perfect for just us two, so we either leave the kids at home & go away alone (as if!!) or we think of an alternative!!

We both fell in love with a fully kitted out camper trailer, it has everything!! But it also costs huge $$, so that has went to Duane's "drawer of dreams" Maybe I should explain that, my dear husband has a top drawer full of brochures of things that he has wanted over the last 10 years. He loves prize homes and I am sure that he has every house pamphlet, and even multiples of his absolute favourites! I even think that he has his all time favourite laminated, well one of the 3 copies of it is!!

So with the camper trailer dumped it looks like we are going to settle with a fancy tent! Yes, there is such thing as a fancy tent. Its a coleman with 3 rooms, double ventilated (so if the kids did sleep in we could because it would be cool enough), easy to put up, blah blah blah.....I didn't listen to the rest! It does look nice and we can get the comfy self inflating beds, with the cute little bunks for the kids. So we are going to wait until it comes on sale then start out camping adventures!!

I'm not sure if I have distorted memories or not, but I used to love camping as a child. One year my brave mother took 5 kids on a trip around Tas in the Christmas break. We all had a blast, going to the beach, fishing & spending time together. I want to create those memories for my kids. It's also a cheap thing to do and we live so close to so many beautiful places it would be a waste not to explore them!

So I am hoping by this time next year our camping supplies are fully stocked and we have been on a few little trips already! Time will tell hey!!

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I just want to note how much fun it is having the 2 kids! They are really starting to enjoy each other now and I love watching them play together. I am finding it so comfortably & easy with them now, not sure if I am just getting better at this Mummy "gig" or my kids are at a great age! Whatever it is, I love it! I dont think that I can put in words the love that I have for my precious children, I am so blessed to have them in my life. It sure makes it alot of fun!

Birthday celebrations

Nicole and I had been planning for years to do something special for our 30th birthdays. Originally the plan was to hire a house boat and get rolling drunk every night.......but then we all went and had kids!! Really stuffed up that idea.......most of the girls are either up the duff or breastfeeding!

So to save the hassle of fishing the kids out of the water when we are half drunk, we decided to go with a much sensibler option! A holiday house on the beautiful Pottsville beach!

So we gathered up out nearest and dearest and headed out for a combined family adventure. The house was perfect: 5 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, beautiful deck, trampoline, cubby house and just a short walk through the dunes to the beach.

The kids all played nicely & the adults did too! I actually think that we did well to have 11 adults and 5 kids all together with no arguments! The only one causing a stir was Grace over her back pack. Grace has a high 5 backpack that she loves and we take everywhere. Malia is also obsessed with high 5, and just wanted to look at the bag all the time. Well Grace wasn't too happy with that and was constantly saying to Malia, "No touching Malia, Uh Uh Uh" Malia in all her casualness just took it in her stride, but we did let her have her "fix" when Grace was out of view!!!
We spent the days lazing about on the beach opposite the house and also at the little estuary up the road. the estuary had lots of little fish and rocks for the kids to explore. We walked around the tiny town of Pottsville & Duane and I dreamed about living in a seaside town. I would dearly love for my children to grow up in a small community. I love the Gold Coast and all it opportunites, but I also think along with the opportunity comes problems. How great would it be to live so close to a secluded beach, and be able to walk to everything! I have asked Duane to keep it at the back of his mind, maybe something to do before the kids start school??? It would really depend on work, we are so lucky with his work hours now I wouldn't want to give it up!

Anway back to our holiday! We all lazed around reading, hanging out in Trudy's hammock and eating. There was lots of junk food to be consumed and we were all in holiday mode with regards to food!!

There were big plans for a party on the Sunday night. It was to be a theme party with alcohol flowing freely and Nicole and I reliving the good old days! Well the party turned into just a dinner with drinks and laughs! I had a glass of my Moet that I had been waiting for the right moment to open, this seemed as good as any! I am not a champagne lover so I think it was a little lost on me, but I did enjoy some "Pure Blonde" beer...very nice! It was a very sensible and quiet affair, no crazy drunks or silly things happened to talk about the next day!

Actually the only person that got drunk was Emily! We all had a giggle at her ability to fall of a chair with a bottle of Moet in her hand and not drop it! She then told us that she was going to get her Pj's on and would be back! Well we didn't see her again until the morning, where she revealed she was actually going to be sick that why she left. So after our amusement went to be bed Nicole, Trudy, Loic and I all sat up reminiscing about the good old days!!

It was a very tame celebration but still great! It was so nice to be away with some of my best friends & my little family!! We might have to make it an annual celebration!!

~~We wanted our official phographer Trudy to snap a Family portrait, and this is what we got! Kinda sums us up though! ~~

30's not that bad....

HAPPY 30th BIRTHDAY TO ME!!

Well didn't that come around quickly! I can't believe that the last 30 years have already happened.

30 used to seem so old. When I was younger, I couldn't imagine what it felt like to be 30. And yet here I am 30, married, 2 kids, 2 houses & 2 dogs. Wowee I am a grown-up! I still find myseld referring to other people as adults, I don't think that I have ever called myself one though.

Anyway now that I am now into my thirties, its all not too bad! My 20's were fantastic, and I imagine that my 30's will be even better! My 20's were full of fun and adventure, my 30's will be too, just with the added bonus of kids! Also what was fun to me in my 20's would probably horrify me as a 30 y/o.

I am going to embrace the next era of my life, its going to be both exciting and challenging. I am going to enjoy every moment and be the best mother I can to my kids. I also want to build my relationship with Duane, it is important that we stay in-tune with each other as a good example to our children.

So the next era of my life is going to be great! Being 30 is not about the "down hill" slide, its about bigger and better things, and about a reorganising of our priorities. Where once I would have enjoyed nothing more than a night out....I now enjoy a night in, just our little family.

So from now on I am "early 30's", & still young enough to dip back into my 20's if I feel the need!

My little sick boy

My poor little boy has another ear infection. Well actually the Dr thinks that it is the same one he had 2 weeks ago, and that the Amoxyl A/b’s didn’t work on it. So he now has some stronger medicine & I am praying that this gets rid of it.

He has been really grizzly of a day for the last 2 weeks. He had finished the 5 days of the Amoxl, 2 weeks ago, and I just thought that it was his teeth bothering him. His front gums are so swollen and red, with little white slits poking through. His front 2 teeth are through, but there are another 4 trying hard to break through. Friday and Saturday night he was really upset. I tried everything to get him to sleep, in the end he slept in with us. He refused to take the dummy, so I just layed down and fed him to sleep and fed him again if he woke. He was screaming in pain, but I was just putting it down to teeth. Well yesterday he was really grizzly again, and always wanting to feed. He went to bed fine at 6pm, but then woke at about 8pm and SCREAMED constantly until 2am. Duane and I tried everything, rocking, cuddling, feeding, dummy, Panadol, bonjella and Duane even had him in the pram walking him around the house at midnight. Nothing was working, he just screamed the house down. I got to sleep a little, whilst Duane held onto him and paced him around the lounge room, just like when he was a newborn! I couldn’t sleep though, not hearing my little boy screaming his little lungs out.

I wanted to call the on-call Dr, but in between settling Grace back to bed and Duane trying to calm Xavier down there was no time to. By this time I knew that it wasn’t just teeth, there was something else wrong and it was causing him immense pain. Finally Xavier went to sleep at 2am and Duane & I crashed into bed absolutely exhausted. Grace woke at 5am and my lovely husband let me keep sleeping. Xavier woke not long after & I gave him a quick feed and put him back into his bed where he slept until 7am.

I feel so bad for my little boy, he was in so much pain and I couldn’t take it away. His face & the inside of his ears are covered in scratches, where he was clawing at his face in pain. The Dr said that the ear infection looks really bad and it would have been causing him so much pain.

We are going awayon the weekend to celebrate Nicole & I turning 30 this week, but if Xavier doesn’t sleep well over the next few nights I think that we will have to cancel. We are renting a holiday house with 4 other couples, and there is no way I will put him or anyone else through it. Normally if he is upset I can comfort him with a breastfeed, but nothing worked last night. I have never felt so helpless with my child.

I hope that the A/b’s kick in soon and he is back being happy!

Daddy's little boy!

~Daddy & Xavier 9 days old~

My clever little boy is now saying "Dad".

Duane was outside pushing Xavier and Grace on the swing. He always takes them out about 4pm, it gives me time to get dinner ready and have a quick tidy up without the risk of sucking up the kids in the vacuum!!

Xavier was having a great time, giggling and chatting to himself, when all of a sudden he started saying "Dad, Dad, Dad" What perfect timing, just as Daddy was pushing him. He kinda says it in a whingy voice, but its getting there!

Daddy and Xavier share a very special bond. Xavier was birthed into his Daddy's loving hands, it was such an overwhelming and beautiful experience for Duane. He was a little scared about the experience, considering it was a waterbirth and Xavier was under water for time it took his head and then his body to come out!

Anyway, Duane really enjoys having a little boy. As soon as he walks in the door from work he is looking around for his "Little buddy" or his "Little man" Xavier always has a big grin for him and I don't doubt know he will greet him with a big "Dad"

Duane has dreams of teaching him all about golf and going out and having a "hit". No doubt there will be lots of friendly competition!

Duane's favourite toys when he was a little boy were his matchbox cars. He would spend hours playing with them and had a little metal case that he would cart them all around in. His Mum said that becuase he was a shocking sleeper he used to sit up until midnight playing with his cars! At Christmas he gave Xavier the cars that he used to play with and they take pride of place in Xavier's little case now. Xavier was very lucky, Poppy made him his own special little case, just like Daddy used to have!

I love seeing the two of them playing together. Xavier looks a lot like his Daddy when he was younger too. Daddy has always had a knack of settling Xavier down and has spent many nights pacing around the house with an unsettled baby.

Daddy must seem so high up to Xav. His little head cranes back trying to find the top of his Daddy. He loves being carried around in Daddy's big strong arms...he must feel so safe!

~Daddy & Xavier 5 months~