An emotion filled day

Today has been a bittersweet and emotional day for me.

Today Metal Man started Year 11. He is now a Senior High School student. My baby has grown up so much! It feels like just yesterday he was that little guy starting kindergarten wearing his Godzilla backpack.

And, today should have been the day that Noah started school. I wonder what type of bag he would have had. Would he have been in to Disney Cars? Toy Story? Spiderman? What would he have looked like dressed up in his brand new school clothes & shoes?

His Daddy would have taken the morning off work to see him start school. We would have taken hundreds of photos and I would have cried as I said goodbye and watch him go off to his first big boy class. I also would have also been waiting at the school gates eagerly awaiting the stories of his first day, just like I did with Metal Man & Teen Queen.
But, the tears have been flowing and it is not because I have said goodbye to him as he goes to his first class. They're flowing because almost 5 years ago we said Hello & Goodbye on the same day. On Feb 21, it will be 5 years since our precious little boy was born still.

Still pregnant

Sigh.

I'm still pregnant. I guess my womb is too cozy for my little Beanie Baby.
Oh well. I just wish I could enjoy it more but the pain is making it suck, especially first thing in the morning.

Prince Charming annoyed me this evening when he declared that he has a feeling that the baby will be born on Friday. Friday is Mini Him's 4th birthday and the one day I really don't want the baby to be born on. All I could do was laugh though and if Beanie does decide to grace us with his or her presence on that day, I will somehow make it a special day for both of my babies :)

Operation GET THIS BABY OUT begins.

Where do I start?

Prince Charming & I did the deed and nothing happened. It was my sure fire, fool proof plan and it didn't work! It worked for the last 2 kids.

I am planning to majorly clean up our room. I am going to wipe down our horrid venetian blinds and wash the curtains. I am also hoping to drag my fit ball out from whatever box it is still packed in. I'm even considering a beef vindaloo for lunch. I refuse to use Castor Oil. My Mum made me try it when I was overdue with Metal Man and it was horrid. It was even worse when it came back up again!

Today would be a brilliant day for the baby to be born. C'mon my gorgeous little one... I want to meet you!!!

CARS!!!

So the ante natal appt went fine. Nothing to report, blood pressure is fine, heart rate is fine, baby is going great.
I got home, pulled the car into the garage, took the kids inside and sat down to read the mail. Suddenly I heard a strange sound coming from the garage. I got Metal Man to have a look for me. Oh joy, there is steam pouring out from under the bonnet and coolant pouring out from underneath the car. FABULOUS!!!
So, here's hoping my awesomely talented husband can fix whatever has happened. I sent him a pic and he thinks it is a radiator hose.
I hope it can be fixed this evening as I want to have the baby asap!! We could have 3 car seats across the back of our Commodore but that would mean there would only be enough room for the driver & 1 passenger. With school about to resume and uniforms to be purchased on Thursday, that could suck. So please God, PLEASE PLEASE be a simple thing to fix and PLEASE let Super Cheap Auto or the equivalent stock the parts needed!

UPDATE - Well, it turns out that it is the heater hose assembly. It will take a month for Chrysler to get the part in for us from Germany (which is the only place that has one!) and it will be over $350. Prince Charming went to a different store for a non genuine part that cost barely anything. Car companies love to rip people off!

Midwives visit today

I so do not want to go to see the midwives today. If I am gonna make the trip to the hospital, I want it to be because I am going to birth my baby!

Be sure to get your rest, you're gonna need it. YEAH RIGHT!

SLEEP!!! Where the hell are you?!

I am over this crap. I just want to go to sleep instead of being wide awake at 1:46am.

I have worked out that the belly babe is very active around midnight til 1am. Then every morning at 1:30am Princess Ratbag has a sook and wants to come sleep in our bed. If this routine continues, I am going to be a mess.
Princess Ratbag has never been a co sleeper. She has been miss independent right from the beginning and has loved her own space. Ever since we put her in with Mini Him, she wants to co sleep. I wish we had the room to have her & Beanie in with us when Beanie arrives, but it just isn't gonna be the case, unless Prince Charming & I move our room to downstairs which also isn't an option.

So, I would just like to get some sleep rather than sitting here typing away and trying to get sleepy while my Prince Charming & Princess Ratbag are soundly sleeping next to me and making me so jealous!

Off to try to get some sleep now. I wonder how long it will be until I need to turn over, pee or whatever joyful thing being so heavily pregnant will bring?

Some quiet days

Things here have been quiet lately. I wonder if it is the calm before the storm?

Wishing & hoping so hard for an Australia Day baby. I can't wait to meet my new son or daughter :)

For Lucy

Thinking of you, your beautiful children, your wonderful family & friends who are all remembering you today.
I wish I had got to know you better. I'm sorry you had to leave so soon. I'm sure you're sparkling as brightly in heaven as you did here on earth.

Blocked plumbing - gross!

I hate older houses. It seems that most that I have lived in have had a problem or 2 with the plumbing. Not often something you find in the newer style homes, but then again, I find that the newer style homes go for smaller drain pipes in the bathrooms, so you're constantly standing in a puddle of water whilst showering.

Anyway, my issue here is one that is probably our fault. We ran out of toilet paper. It was early morning and Teen Queen was busting to use the toilet. So we agreed she should use nappy wipes as we also had no tissues around. I also needed to go and used wipes also.

Prince Charming came home with toilet paper just as I was hopping in to the shower. I was in the shower for a short while when I heard a strange noise. Teen Queen was in her room and came to investigate. The toilet was making the odd noise. Prince Charming quickly drove to the nearby shopping centre and bought a plunger. The shower floor began filling with water and I had to get out :-(

Prince Charming came home and plunged away at the drains. It was gross!

He spent all evening trying to unblock whatever it was that is blocking the drains, all in vain. Nothing budged the blockage. Seems the wipes we used have a lovely message on the back saying "DO NOT FLUSH". We found what is causing the blockage! Shame we can't fix it ourselves. Prince Charming tried poking long wire down some pipe thing (that's a technical term right there! lol), Drain-O and lots of perseverance.

So, this morning I awake and in my sleep deprived stupor I use the upstairs toilet (the one with the issues!)
Lovely. I even tried to flush!
Lets just say, it's not a pretty sight.

This morning

Well, upon waking this morning, I decided I would love some toast with peanut butter and a glass of chocolate milk.

So of course there is not a drop of either in the house!

Lovely day

Today was lovely.
Prince Charming came home early and we took advantage of the time together by going to the local pools. Me being so pregnant and worried about waters breaking in a public pool, sat to the side and played photographer/observer/panickier.

Princess Ratbag has not been in a pool since last summer, when she was just a small little bub. Today she loved it! She was splashing & giggling like crazy. She was making Prince Charming lay her on her back in the water and glide her around.
Mini Him went on the waterslide with his Daddy and loved every second of it. The line was long, the climb up the top was big, but he enjoyed it so much he went on twice.
Teen Queen was also there with her friend and like every other teenager out there, she didn't want to be near her parents. Prince Charming noticed a boy talking to her in the pool and wondered if he should interrupt their conversation by doing a big cannonball/bomb in between them! lol

I love days like this. I just wish I remembered to pack the sunscreen! Thankfully we're not too badly burned.

So, it's 1:17am

It's 1:17am and I can't sleep.

Why? Not the usual pregnancy related stuff - actually, it is kinda - I am craving a Frozen Margarita and a Mars Bar.

Go figure.

Counting down the final weeks.

I'm just gonna come out and say it. I love being pregnant!

I am officially at term in this pregnancy and I don't know if I am ready to give birth yet. This baby was a very unexpected surprise as Prince Charming & I had decided to stop at 4 even though we did want to have 5.
I have had 2 miscarriages (before 10 weeks) and a still born baby named Noah, our gorgeous little angel babe, which was a massive deciding factor for us as to how many children we would have.
Because I know this pregnancy is my very last one I am not wanting it to end just yet. Prince Charming had the big V done before Christmas, so this actually is the last pregnancy for us.

The very beginning of pregnancy freaks the begeezus out of me; but after the baby starts moving and the nausea subsides, I do start to enjoy being pregnant. This pregnancy has been my best one yet. Very little nausea, no carpal tunnel, nothing eventful really.
Now that it is coming down to the final days, I am realising how much I am gonna miss the beautiful little movements in my tummy, the hiccups, the kicks, the flips & all!
I want this baby to come out asap, but the longer I can stay pregnant the better. I am trying to take the time to enjoy these last days without nappy changes and night feeds and just enjoy my big moving belly.

Going through photos and thinking

I have been browsing through my photos on the lap top and something got me thinking.

Now, I will be the first to admit that I am slightly OCD. Prince Charming will tell you that I am very much OCD, but who would believe him? lol

Anyway, upon looking at my photos and those of others, I have realised I am probably the only person around who insists on having all the Christmas presents under the tree be wrapped in the same wrapping paper. This simple little thing brings great pains to Prince Charming, as I always have a look in mind every year. Our Christmas decorations on the tree are red & gold therefore meaning that the wrapping paper must be either red or gold. I have to choose the paper. Prince Charming can simply not be trusted to make such a huge decision. I love that he balances me out though. Prince Charming is the designated present wrapper every year because I am hopeless. This past Christmas, I actually heard him sigh whilst watching me attempt to wrap something in my ever messy way.
We make a great team!

Christmas 2010

 

Christmas 2009

Christmas 2008

Trying to see the bright side

I'm trying my hardest to see the bright side of things, but lately I am starting to doubt that there is a bright side to some things.

Take death for example. Where is the bright side to death? Where do 4 young children left without their Mummas find a bright side to losing them? Where does a wife, suddenly widowed with 2 young children find the bright side to her husbands passing? One thing I know for certain, the world is a much duller place for having lost such amazing people. I may never have known them in 'reality' but not knowing someone in real life doesn't make losing them any less of a loss. People the world over cried and grieved when Michael Jackson passed away. Some even needed to receive grief counselling, all for someone they had never met in person, but who had touched their hearts in a way that left a profound affect on them. They missed him and mourned his loss.

Whilst I was never close to any of the beautiful souls that have recently left too soon, I did feel impacted at times by one. We rarely crossed paths. We were both members of an online forum. She was one of those people you just knew would say what everyone was thinking, or what everyone should have been thinking. She was effervescent and that shone through in all of her posts. I have stayed up reading her blog from start to end and have now felt overcome with a sense of loss. I now realise I have things in common with her. I would love to be able to ask her questions. I would love some of her advice. I would love to compare and tell her what has worked for me in the past. I would love to find a way to bring her back for her friends that had the amazing gift of knowing her in person. I wish I had the chance to get to know her when she was here.
You will be missed terribly Lucy. (Just as I wrote this, Mini Him's Alphie Robot turned on & off by itself!)

Now, I find myself trying to find the bright side to my own life. Metal Man is driving me CRAZY! But I need to take a breather from the last thing he has made me cry about and see how funny he is. How much he loves his siblings, how much he does try. I wonder if taking something away from him will make him stop in his tracks and realise just how serious Prince Charming & I are, or if it will have the opposite effect on him and make him rebel even more. I remember once wishing that newborns/infants/toddlers came with instruction manuals. What I wouldn't give right now for an instruction manual for teenaged boys.

But, how can I feel sad when I have Mini Him running into my room dressed in Lightning McQueen singlet and matching 'big man' undies complete with bicycle helmet? While Teen Queen is dressing Princess Ratbag? I was woken this morning by Mini Him hopping in to bed with me, drifting straight back off to sleep and proceeding to giggle away at whatever wonderful dream he was having. Moments like these are my bright side. Moments like these fade the crappy moments.
I can hear Metal Man making Mini Him some big man toast. When Metal Man was a little one we had run out of the usual toppings for toast. Rather than risking a melt down, I sprinkled some cinnamon & sugar on his toast. Metal Man being the fussy child he was flat out refused to try it - until it was labeled as being 'Big Man Toast'. After that day it became a firm favourite. Metal Man recently introduced Mini Him to the joys of big man toast and Mini Him won't have anything else on his toast now, apart from the occasional Begebite (vegemite).
My kids are my bright side. I am so blessed to have amazing and challenging children. Sometimes I just need a swift kick in the butt to make me see just where my bright side really is.

The News Today

As I am sure most of Australia (if not, the world) is aware, there is a major flood crisis happening in Queensland. They had been inundated with weeks of rain which has led to some horrendous flooding. Apparently the death toll stands at 15. It is so very sad.

As expected, this is all over the news, and I believe rightly so. We should know important issues like this, we should feel some compassion and even grieve as a nation as this may just bring us a step closer together.

But what I don't understand is why some guy who has a brother who is known to have links to NSW underworld figures, is also getting way too much of a mention in the media. Do we really care that he was shot in the leg? Seriously buddy - hang with the wrong people and wrong things will eventually happen to you. It really is primary school stuff.

Perhaps the media is trying to distract us for a moment with something a little more lighthearted (if you can call someone being shot lighthearted?!) but it is just annoying.

Just my 2 cents.

Braxton Hicks & Berocca

SO yesterday I decided to do something completely ingenious. I decided that I would have a shot of Berocca.
I am taking (having?) Berocca as my energy levels are at zero. The first day, I took the Berocca as directed, in a glass full of water. It was gross. I am not a fan of effervescent orange. So, skip to yesterday and I figured that if I had a small amount of water, I could just down the stuff in one shot. Brilliant! It worked and it stayed down.

Later that day I started to get some Braxton Hicks contractions. I thought nothing of them and phoned my sister. It was then  that I realised there was a pattern to them and started timing. They were coming 4 minutes apart. Then they came 3 minutes apart for a hour.

I started to panic. I am so unprepared it is ridiculous. I haven't even got a hospital bag prepared! I was feeling sick and was sure this was the build up to the real thing.

Before I knew it, the toilet called and the typical loose bowel movement happened. Great I thought. This is definitely labour.

2 more contractions coming 2 minutes apart and then nothing. NOTHING. Everything stopped and I was exhausted.

I decided to google Berocca side effects and found out that they can cause diahorrea.
Upon speaking to my midwife today, it seems that it was purely coincidental and that I was having Braxton Hicks around the same time that I had adverse reactions to my shot of Berocca.

I might try to remember this if I go overdue!

Delving into the world of blogging

So, today is the day that I have decided to delve into the world of blogging.

Do I know what I am doing? No

Do I know why I have decided to start? No

I guess I will work these things out as I go along. I wish I could think of a more creative sounding name for my blog, but seeing as though my every day is filled with sweet, beautiful chaos, it seemed apt that I have that as my blog name - after all, it will be my life I will be blogging about.

About me;

I am 35, married to the man of my dreams/my soul mate/my prince charming and we have 4 amazingly wonderful children who inspire us every day to be better people. Some days they just bug the hell out of us, but there is always plenty to smile about. I love my life being a Stay At Home Mum (SAHM) to these wonderful children.

Our children are;

Metal Head/ Metal Man - Currently 16 and currently into heavy metal - the heavier the better. He is the typical teenager in that he engages his mouth before his brain. He is a good kid and very quick witted. I try so hard to keep a serious face with him at times.

Teen Queen - Currently 13 and currently trying to be older than she is. She drives Prince Charming crazy as she is wants to wear make up and loves to have girly days. Prince Charming wants her to be a little girl for as long as possible (like all Daddies do).

Mini Him - Mini Him is almost 4. He looks & acts like his Daddy and has many of the same interests as his Daddy too. He is a beautiful little child who makes me smile all the time. When I am feeling down, he knows exactly what to do or say to cheer me up. Just last night he looked across the dining table at me and said "You're awesome Mummy".

Princess Ratbag - The name says it all. Princess Ratbag is our youngest child (for the moment!) at 16 months old. She is a pretty little girl and she makes me laugh every day. She also frustrates the hell out of me because she has a massive personality already and she is one stubborn little girl. I am not looking forward to the Terrible 2's with her!

And finally we have Belly Babe. Belly Babe is due to make his or her grand entrance around Feb 6 2011.