Saturday, May 8, 2010

Happy Wonderful Special...



Mothers day to all you beautiful Mums!




I thought id been spoilt enough at Jett's Mothers day morning tea.. Until this morning i was blessed with this..




Small soft kisses on his adorable chubby cheeks.. and i got an amazing smile in return.


Happy Mothers day!



xN

Close your eyes and follow me...

Were 4.9's exact words at our Mothers Day morning tea..

Mind you i was holding Baby .1 and pushing a mighty big pram.. So he took charge of the pram and i followed him in to his class room turned restaurant.

We were spoilt rotten! Anzac bickies made with wishes.. Pickets with many different jams, Tea, Coffee and hand made pressies galore!

The kids did a rehearsed dance for us then gave all us mummies a wonderful massage. You couldn't wipe the smile off my face if you tried!

He took my order and went and fetched me 3 biscuts and 4 pickets.. while all the other mums had one of each.. What? Breast feeding is hard work! Hahaa.. I think he actually piled the plate up so he could demolish it all! Then asked if i would like Tea or Coffee.. with sugar or without and milk or black. Now how grown up is that!!

I just had to share some photos (Mind you there on a camera phone as my lovely parents have taken my camera to Sydney..) ..He put so much effort in to making me feel special, and to me thats definatly BLOG worthy!

x N





















Saturday, May 1, 2010

Ok..Ok.. Im back!

Obviously not as much as before #3 made his arrival, but ive got shocking Blogspot withdrawals and so im attempting a come back..




Gees! What to talk about, the only things that are swimming through my head are - Breastfeeding, Poo-ey nappies (well the lack of), weight gains (From number #3, not me.. thank goodness) and Nightmares... So ill start with breast feeding.




BFing lasted about 2-4 weeks with Master 4.9 and Miss .17 , With 4.9 i didnt even query the midwives when i walked in to find them bottle feeding him in special care. He was jaundice and under the lights for 24 hours on Day 5 and they thought they would 'let me sleep a little' and insted of waking me for his feed, they formula fed him 110ml. The outcome of that, We found out he was lactose intolerant.


I didnt have Internet access back then, and being 20 and pregnant i was the only one out of my close group of friends to be starting a family young. So i didnt have a very good support network. I had no expectations on labour, birthing or feeding. But when i found out i was expecting .17 , 3 years later.. i researched everything and anything!




My birth with 4.9 was wonderful, yet daunting. I laboured on my own as they sent my family home telling them i was hours off giving birth and i didnt think pain relief was an option untill your waters had broken.




When my waters did brake the midwife casually said to me "I suppose you had better make the call to the father and let him know he should come on in when hes up and showered, mind you this could go on for hours" .. 22 minutes later i was holding my new born son. I attempted putting him to the breast which he took to nicely, but not for long. I was so zoned out and in shock, it didnt bother me. an hour later I walked back to maternity and was left there alone for 6 hours. Not one doctor of midwife came to see how we were going, so i just layed there alone with my new born attached to my breast. Thats the biggest memory i have of that day.


At 4pm my parents and his dad came back up to see us. Followed closely by a handful of friends, our next door neighbours, who was also a nurse at the hospital, Master 4.5's great grand parents and work friends. This was the first time i had seen any doctor of midwife, when they came in to say everyone had to leave. I was so overwhelmed with the amount of people, but still had this new baby attached to my breast. Everyone left bar my parents and his dad. I asked mum when someone would be in to check on me, she asked if i had seen anyone and i said no. When i took 4.9 off my breast my nipples were cracked and bleeding heavily. I was in agony. When i eventually spoke with the mid wife in duty, she told me cracked nipples were something i would 'have to get used to' and to lay on my side and feed him if i get to tired. I felt as tho he was sucking and sucking and nothing was coming out. My nipples were dry, cracked and bleeding and his lips were so dry i could see the corners of his mouth building up crust. But everyone said it was 'normal'




Day 4 i woke up and noticed his eyes weren't as white as they were the night before and when i mentioned it to the nurse she snapped back with "You should have told us this earlier! Not day4!" and whisked him away to Special Care where the pricked his heal and tested his jaundace levels. His levels were 220 and he spent the next 24 hours in phototherapy. This is when the formula feeding occurred.




Who knows, maby it was a godsent that the did formula feed him, because if i had him latched on for one more hour i would have de-dripped myself and ran from the hospital. But if they had just worked with me in expressing and latching, then he wouldnt have had issues with the lactose. Thats all something ive had to put far behind me.




On finding out i was expecting Miss .17 i starting pregnancy and breastfeeding vitamins, ate very very well and stayed away from caffeine's, chocolates and ate very little takeaway. In hope that i would successfully breast feed her. She didnt want a bar of the breast from the second i had her. She wouldnt latch on and at 10lbs 1oz i thought she would be starving!


When the tested her blood sugar levels they told me i would have to make sure she fed every 2 hours to get the levels up. They were 2.8 and they wanted them above 3. I had a great amount of colostrum, it flowed out, but she just wouldnt latch on. We were released a day later, with her still not feeding, only to be back 5 days later. She had lost nearly 1kg and had screamed herself horse. The poor thing was starving herself. After over a week of pumping and bottle feeding her EBM, my milk supply wasnt enough to cover feeds, Her wonderful Paediatrician then used Elecare, a hypoallergenic formula to top her up. I also had full access to lactation consultants and councillors, which helped me under stand what was going on.


Up untill she was about 12 months old her weight gain was slow and sometimes non existent. on a good week she would put on 20g-50g on a bad week she might lose 5g-10g. But once she started those solids... She boomed!




At my first antenatal appointment with #3 i mentioned to the midwife all of the troubles ive had with the last 2, she put me in touch with the lactation consultant at the hospital. At my next appointment i met with her and could have sat there for hours and hours probing her for information! She was amazing. She then worked with me , one on one right up untill i left hospital and i still talk with her every week. I mentioned to her i didnt feel like i had enough skin on skin time with Miss .17, and that i felt rushed to get her to feed. We wrote out a 'Game plan' (Flexible birthing plan) So this time things would go home i wanted it. Birthing wise, i wasnt phased, Id had 2 wonderful fast labours before and if by some chance i needed a Cesarean, it didnt bother me. It was the after care i worried about. So we stated i would like a whole hour skin to skin time, Unless medical reasons forbid it to happen. I would like for bubby to latch on it its own time. I didnt want the midwives shoving my breast down its throat. And i wanted for my lactation consultant to be notified that id had bubs, so she could come straight up. All of those requests were met. Mr 26 phoned her as soon as i was back in my room and she came up about an hour later. All in all, The 3rd experience was wonderful. Im feeding him from both breast and then topping him up with Neocate, which is very very similar to Elecare. Im on motilium to increase my supply, which im thinking of changing to Maxalon as ive heard its better. I pump after feeding as i feel hes not stimulating my breasts enough to make a great supply. Im adamant im going to stick it out. I know in a few weeks when hes more alert hes going to become a better feeder and i want to be able to do my best for as long as i can.




#3 Pooped every single feed without fail, untill about a week ago. He went 3 days without pooping and we could tell he was in a LOT of pain. I asked the health nurse what we could use and she suggested infant suppositories and coloyxl. We gave him a suppository after his bath and within 5 minutes he had fill 2 nappies! He then went another 2 days so my mum gave him another while he was with her and he filled 3 nappies. Talk about backup! Tomorrow ere going to buy some coloxyl drops as i feel like im violating him! *Sad face* .. A bit of useless info.. Brown sugar and water.. big No No. All it does it irritate the bowl, and if bubs is constipated its just going to put them in more pain. Coloxly drops coat the stool which helps it come out easier.




I dont know if its the lack of sleep, but last night i had such a 'real' dream.. i wouldnt say it was a 'nightmare'.. more of a dream that made me sad. But the thing that scared me the most, is that it was just so real! It was set in my home, and my loungeroom was exactly the same, everything was in its place and i was walking out to get #3 a top up, where everything was where i have it now.. Bizarre. Ive also been clenching my teeth at night which has given me a shocking tooth ache. I cant have anything cold to eat or drink without a horrible pain ripping through my mouth for hours. Dreaded dentist time i think!




Anyways, its good to be back, its taken me 5 and a half hours on and off to complete this, but i feel SO much better getting it all out. Ive never expressed how i felt about my previous labours before, and i feel a lot less stressed about it now.


Better go feed the not so little guy!


x N




Thursday, April 22, 2010

"He's" here!!


Welcome to the world Baby Phoenix!

10Lbs 2Oz - 4.590kg

Natural 45 minute drug free birth.

08.04.2010 - 9.45am









Will sit down and blog blog blog when i get a spare hour... LOADS to blog about!!

Sunday, April 4, 2010

Today feels a little ..Eary!

So its Monday the 5th of April. 8 days until my due date and for some reason, it just feels odd.

We have a system with my family that hasn't skipped a beat in nearly 5 years. Unless someone is sick with something contagious my amazing parents take Miss .14 every Monday for the night and Master 4.9 every Tuesday for the night, as well as pick them up from school and day care and take them both to swimming lessons. They have done since 4.9 was 6 weeks old and .14 was 9 weeks old. We live about 5 minutes away from each other and it has always given me the quality one on one time needed for both kids. And it wont change when the next one comes along.

Although the starting time on when mum has #3 over night may be longer as I'm determined to breast feed. Mum has allowed me to have 6 children, she just wants 'One' night to her self to wash all the sheet.. Haha

(Even tho she has said by the time i get to #6, Master 4.5 probably wont want to stay any more which will then leave his night free for another.. Yes.. My mum adores my kids!)

She has everything the kids need at her house, Cot, bed, clothes, formula, bottle, bikes, toys.. everything!

Back to the 'eary-ness' .. Tonight could possibly be my LAST night in a long long time i get to have just Mr 4.9 (And Mr 25) in the house. Our last night of being able to hang out, watch home and away while laying in bed, and fall asleep together.. with no other children in the house. And the same with Miss .14 tomorrow night.

I also haven't been able to stop eating ALL day and i think it might be my body storing a good supply of foods. Ive had crackers and cheese and sandwiches and fruit, (Wizz Fizz..).. And for dinner last night i put so many veggies on my plate i didn't think i could possibly finish it! But i did!
(Even after miss .14 planted her food right in the middle, then splashed her hand all over it!.. Go on Mr 25.. Laugh out loud.. i can see you giggling..Grrr)

Its 1.45pm and all i can think about is dinner and passion fruit sorbet for desert! GAH!

Wednesday mid-morning Ive got to see the doctor to talk possible further induction.. He was so confident the Stretch and Sweep (Strip and Stretch) would work and i would be in that night having a baby.. 6 days later, bubby is still chillaxing!

I met with the female nurse last night in the maternity ward who did a speculum as alot of my plug has fallen away, which also never happened with the last 2 pregnancies. She did an internal to see if my waters were still in tact. Which they were but could see i have lost 90% of the mucus covering my bag of waters, and the head was well and truly 'down there' ! It all seems so so interesting! I was very tempted to ask if the could swing the mirror at the end of the bed open so i could have a look!
I probably would have passed out though!

Over night i felt No pains, Now tightenings, Nothing. Just the constant urge to pee!

I asked her what she thought they would look at doing on Wednesday and she explained because I'm approx 2-3cm possibly more, they would just break my waters and put me on a 'Drip' .. Now i don't know whats in this 'Drip' but i don't think its good, as she didn't want to go in to detail, and I'm way to scared to "google" it..
If anyone knows.. feel free to tell me.


Now, I do have a good feeling about the 7th tho, which will be Wednesday. So hopefully.. Tuesday night BEFORE induction, things get started and i wont even need to go to my appointment!

The number 7 means alot to mum and i - She is the 25th- 2+5=7 , I'm the 16th- 1+6 = 7 , Master 4.9 was born the 27th, Miss .14 was born the 17th.. So all i need is a 7 bub!
(Just a little piece of useless information for you all!)

Now, I know honestly my body i just not ready. I have both previous babies a day before there due date, Spontaneous, natural, no intervention, very straight forward and fast births. So as far as i can tell, my body is wanting to do that again. But it doesn't understand the circumstances are different this time. My insides aren't coping. My iron is draining day by day and I'm getting weaker and weaker and when the doctor See's I'm still carring this bub hes not going to be happy.

I lost a fair bit of blood with Miss .14 as she was a big bub (Over 10lbs) and with labour being so fast i did score a 2nd degree tear. They said if i lose half the blood i did with her, ill need a transfusion. So Wednesday (if i make it) , we will know whats happening!

Ok, enough rambleing.. im off... i have a list of things to do.. I'm very much still in nesting mode and HAVE to get things done before I'm out of action.

So i better get to it, and hope this odd feeling wears off.

x N

Friday, April 2, 2010

THREE..TWO..ONE... J.U.M.P!


A quick congrats to my awesome brother and his best mate (My un-official adopted brother) for a gutsy 12,000 foot jump out of a perfectly working aeroplane this morning!

He celebrated his 18th Birthday on April 1st and while hes home for the holidays he hired a unit in surfers and sky dived!

Happy birthday little brother. Watching your jump was amazing!

x N

The controversial facebook status..

Circumcision.. Yep I said 'That' word! The word that send most women (And the occasional man) in to a head swirling spin!.. Or is that just me?

A bit of back ground.. Master 4.5 (Previous relationship) is NOT circumcised. For many reasons. I checked him out from head to toe when i first gave birth to this little pink buddle of perfectness and along with everything else, his penis was in A1 condition.. He’s ears, eyes, button nose and tubby legs. He had all 10 fingers and all 10 toes. 10/10 in my opinion.

While trying for children I realised raising them to be self reliant adults was not going to be easy, but I was prepared. It starts with teaching them manners ' Peeease and Tah' then it’s on to the harder stuff like bathing, brushing their teeth, putting rubbish in the trash, wiping there bum and in Master 4.5's case, Cleaning his foreskin. All of the above, not an issue in this house. He is a well mannered, well groomed smart little man that will yell from the shower every night "MUM.. I don’t have an erection!" ... yes... I said Erection. My reply "Infection honey.. Do you have an INFECTION?"

So we’ve got to get a few things ironed out, but since he was 2, master 4.5 has known to clean his foreskin.

While pregnant with Miss .14, her father (Current partner, different father to 4.5) and I would have many discussions on the "pros and cons" of circumcising. I am 150% against.. I would say he is..Maybe... 97.5% for it. I’m ALOT more stern on the fact I DO NOT want it done, then he is for wanting it done.

I must say, I breathed the longest sigh of relief when I heard the words 'Meet your baby daughter'

#3 is due in 10 days. And if I know my body as well as I do, it’s any day now.
So tonight I put it out there. If #3 is a boy, I am not ok with circumcision.

Let’s just say our house was a little rough for a few hours (and still slightly is). Not in a bad way.. Just in a way where we should have been on separate benches with a middle man.

I updated my Face book status with -

" WARNING- Controversial status... Were having a ‘Disagreement’.. "IF" this baby is a boy, Mr 25 is pro-circumcision ... I am totally against. How the heck are we going to solve this! ... I think I’m just going to move out. Advice anyone? Would it be deemed legally 'ok' to run away with the kids... so it can’t be done??"

And had some great 'For and against' replies..

A- Leave the poor doodle alone unless it necessary I say... Tell Mr 25 he has to slam his doodle between two bricks to sympathise with the bubbas pain and pray to god it’s got girl bits.

A- Leave it be! Stand your ground.

S- I don't think most hospitals will do it now unless there's a good medical reason or you're Muslim.
Ask you middy. Bet she says they won't do it!

D- Only certain peads will do it
and most of the time only for a medical or religious reason.

S- Google how they do it and show him. i think he'll change his mind.

J- Show him this website http://circumcisiondecisionmaker.com/ Made me decide to NEVER circumsize my son after seeing that website.

S- And as for it being 'pain free' what a load of horse shit. The neighbours kid screamed for days after his so did the twins. Just coz you cant remember it Doesnt mean it didnt hurt.

H- i know ur against it and please dont take this the wrong way but theres kind of a old mothers tale/rule what ever the father is thats what his son should be... sorry .

R- no need for it! and true most docs wont do it now hence the reason its not needed. for those who say it dont hurt.. u tube it and see how much it hurts!!! they have heaps about it and just the needle alone hurts them, an even then they still feel the pain.. it is not nesseary if you can clean your elbow they can clean thier foreskin...also it can turn out for the worst and have permanent damage for ever and for wat jus so he kite look like someone else????? i wouldnt.

J- Over here in NZ even you have to really dig around to get it done and even the midwives are against it, I never got my son done and his father is against it too after seeing its not needed and what they do to the child.

D- well i would get my son done if i could find one as his foreskin is tight and the drs said he would be ok but might get infections and try teaching an autistic kid how to clean a forskin might be an issue but i cant now as there isnt any drs in wa that still do them spose time will tell.

C- If i burned my son with a hot iron he wouldn't remember it either, but I wouldn't do it because like circumcision , a) It's cruel and b) it is not necessary.

What if my husband lost a thumb? Should I cut off all of my sons thumb to look like dad?

There are THOUSANDS of nerve endings in the foreskin that he will use for sexual pleasure when he is older. Sure you think "but I don't use mine and I have sexual pleasure just fine" that is because you have no clue what you are missing....

His foreskin will PROTECTS the urinary opening and despite popular belief, helps aid in stopping things like UTI and stuff.

It also aids in lubrication, less friction and sexual pleasure since the most sensitive part of the penis is the foreskin.

Mother rule/tale is a crock of shit.

Watch the video Mr 25... Seriously and seriously consider what you would be removing from him. It isn't yours to take.

C- Im shocked my husband was and still is pro circumsision but I wouldnt agree we now have 3 kids all boys eldest is 8 and not one is done!
Just say no and dont let it happen.
And the excuse if the dad is done the kid should be what BS.... That is the dumbest reason i have ever heard

C- Oh, if you think it's ok to do a boy, line little Miss .14 up too. Because what's good for the goose should be good for the gander.

B- I'm Due in less then a week *figerss crossed* He decides to come on time and not late.
I didnt even think about this topic till my foster Mum asked me so i came home and ask my Partner what he thought. He said we should leave it for our child to decide if he wants to get it done or not, I thought thats a good idea cos i didnt know exactly what ... See Morehappens so i did look it up, It looked Horrible! Poor little Babies.
My partner hasnt had this done he has had no problems what so ever.
Hope you can figure this one out. I would say not to but thats me. Good Luck!

J- Id stand your grand. My hubby is circ and when we found out that jack was a boy he said he didn’t want him circ, so our boys are all natural.

D- well, this issue certainly generated a lot of comments... some very valid points raised - have to agree with the argument that "like father like son" is weak especially when Master 4.5 is not done. Both my boys were not circumcised with virtually no problems experienced - some brands of soap were a bit too harsh for them. However my nephew was not done either and due to complications of many serious infections it was decided he would be at age 8 - very painful for him and it took some time to heal. I also remember when D was in special care nursery for jaundice there was a new born boy who was done and he had contracted a very serious infection and my god did he look ill - all for a circumcision.

R- Ok...just thought I would add my two cents in too. I have two boys and one husband. Husband is circumcised and my boys are not. Not ONCE has one of my boys ever asked why their penis does not look the same as their dads.Also. my eldest son has had two little infections when he was younger and i took him to see a specialist about whether i should get him done...specialist said no...there was no medical reason for it at all....(he was even jewish!!). he has not had any further probs. i know its a touchy subject and everyone has an opinion on it, and at the end of the day, its up to you both.little girls in parts of africa are circumcised...and their mothers are too...does it make it right???? good luck in your decision!!

R- we got T done one week old. We got it done across the road from the Hospital as the hospitals themselves won't do it. I understand your point if view, but hubby got a bad infection at 8 and got it done then and was so painful. They put numbing cream on T 2 hours prior, then he had him in there for less then 5 mins. Don't know if he cried in there but was fine when he came out. It took 2 weeks for the ring to fall off and I put cream on everyday. It looked red and swollen but it didn't bother him at all. Be aware it costs approx $550! But either way good luck with your decision, T wasn't bothered and I don't regret it :-)

A-Stay strong!
More important for him to just look like 'him' :) Than, Daddy. No offense to your Man.
A foreskin shouldn't be removed for insubstantial reasons.
(What’s fashionable, cultural, traditional etc).
It's never removing just a foreskin anyway, it's taking away so much from a penis that is absolutely, physiologically necessary.
Little boys, especially! Need their foreskins to protect the glands of the penis.
Leave little boys intact, leave them with what they were biologically designed to have. Give them their divine right to have a say in their 'bits'.
I understand young boys/adult males, can have problems with infection occurring. Cross that bridge when need be.
Just because a baby can't express their concerns doesn't give us a right to inflict such pain. Circumcision is only ever necessary, when deemed medically necessary.
Appendix can explode and the toxins can kill you within the hour... Yet we don't remove an appendix at birth. In fact, the statistic of an appendix burst is probably just about as equal as the statistic of an infected foreskin and the failure to treat it.
Infected Ear, kidney, bladder being far more common. You might say, "Yeah, but we need those to function".
Well, our Men need their foreskins too. Removing them is just forcing them to adapt without it.

Heck, what's the statistic for a girl getting Thrush or other infections of the genitalia? It's certainly high. So high that in fact we have a handful of advertisements dedicated to the awareness of treatment and control. We don't promote female circumcision based on that incredibly high infection rate so why should we for Men?
If Male foreskin infections were THAT big of an issue within our modern day man, don't you think we'd know about it..?

Thankfully the percentage of Circ Men vs Intact Men has come down significantly within the last decade. I think it's resting somewhere around the 20% range, nationally speaking, compared to 50% + which was a decade ago.
Finally, Australia is realizing how unnecessary it is.

J- I know so many boys/men that never had it done they were all shown how to clean it but still get infections. You will get an infection at least once. It’s not nice trust me.
Jordan isn’t done and that was only because the stupid doctor wouldn’t give us the referral for it and after having a fight and seeing another doctor he was too old by one bloody wk.
We are still getting him done not for the reason as oh it looks better but as a health reason.
everyone has their own judgment on people that get it done, which is just plain and simple rude every mother and father have a right to choose what they think is the best thing for their son without getting the nose in the air and told oh no that’s not right oh that’s wrong.
does that mean ivf shouldnt be allowed because thats not a natural conception? no because those people have a right to have a family and be happy with out people judging them
same with circumcision. dont judge people.
Hubby is with Mr 25, the same as you like father like son. Our son will hit and age where he will be why am i different than you daddy why arnt i the same.
so im backing.
but in the end your his mum to so you get a say as well.
try not to fight over it. things happen for a reason. Decide when (he) is born. no use fighting over it now if he is a she or do you know she is a he? lol

R-health issues from not doin it are the same if you dont brush your teeth you with get infecdtions in your mouth derrr. its a matter of keeping it clean... its not hard people!! nic im totally with you on the whole bath thing. and god if their is gonna be surgery just for wat it looks like ohh heck!

J- like i said every parent thinks different. dads thats arnt done dont want there son to be done. not FACT but most. just like dad's that are done want there son to be done. now i dont see anything wrong with a father and son being the same either way.
im not saying keeping it on will result in getting alot of infections buts it is FACT that boy's and men get more infections if they still have the foreskin. FACT!
so R let me guess if you (have) a son or will have a son he wont be done... most prob your (hubby/boyfriend) isnt done.
men will be men like father like son.
just like most women out there get their daughters ears pierced because they did
not a bad thing but there right as a parent to make that choice!

R- Wow crazy opinions!!! I don't feel it's wrong or bad, my son didn't cry it didn't bother him and I sleep at night just fine. Everyone is getting very passionate about this topic which is ok, but there is alot of slamming of it being done, everyone has a right to make their own decisions and shouldn't be made to feel bad just coz they chose to get it done.


B- Wooooo look at your status go! lol. ;) Hubby is done but our soon to be born son will not be. :) We both do not see it as necessary anymore with the information available to us now. Just because it was done before, doesn't mean you have to continue the tradition.

SO.. They were just SOME replies.. i think there’s close to 70 now.. Here are a couple of my replies and sorry to those who i may offend, but as i stated, Its something im totally passionate about.







- If 'he' needed it done at 5 or 8 yrs old then it would be more of a medical reason to have it done, and they would do it a different way to what they would when he is a new born.
You don’t seen people getting their ears chopped off at a young age simply to avoid ear infections..

Maby everyone should have their teeth removed so we don’t get tooth aches..
Sorry! I’m so so against it..

AND 'why' should it matter about 'looks'.. What if Mr 25 had one arm? Or was born with facial deformities.. Should the baby then be like its father?
What difference is it going to make to their relationship?
And if its all about looks, that it has to look the same, then that’s a crock, because i don’t think Miss .14 have EVER seen Mr 25's bits, and the baby would bath more with 4.5 then her dad.. And 4.5, obviously, is NOT done. He would be more curious as to why his brothers looks different..

It’s exactly what you said its an 'old wives tale'



So, that was about 3 hours ago and its still going. I know at the end of the day its something only Mr 25 and i will decide, BUT it has been good knowing others opinions and experiences.


25, has now resorted to the couch with a block of chocolate and the Wii, refusing to talk to me.. So id better head over there and try talk this out before bed.



Look forward to more experiences if you would like to leave a comment!



x N

I couldnt have said it better myself..

I often wonder if my blog actually 'hits a spot' with readers.. Not that it really matters.. My blog is "My" outlet.. "My" time and "My" thoughts.. I follow a ton of other blogs and when i came across this one tonight.. she took the words right out of my mouth!


http://fatmumslim.blogspot.com/2010/04/why-blog.html

I don't know and have never met Chantelle, but visit her blog frequently.. Seems we think along the same line too!

My camera is never out of reach, I capture the most random moments because i know i will never see them again, The note pad in my phone has the most odd 'part' messages about foods i want to cook and things i need to talk about. Ive banned myself from having net access on it. If i did, i might as well glue it to my palm. I have an itouch which i can use to check comments and write small replies, but thank goodness it takes far to long to type a blog entry on!

I only know the very very basics of blogging, and if there was a class on how to use blog spot, i would book in straight away.. Actually, right now.. I'm going to learn the features of blog spot!

So there. I blog because its for me. May not be for everyone, but i LOVE it.

xN

Monday, March 29, 2010

Mum.. Whats the green stuff?

Another one of Mr 25's little cooking projects.



Chicken and Veggies (Lolly) meat balls!



And Oh.. my.. goodness.. NOM NOM!








AND i have not note- Mr 25 was blubbering like a little baby while chopping this onion!


The secret mixture... Shhhhhh...


The line up!

Mixture, flour, egg, bread crumbs...




Even ball hand rolled with L.O.V.E ... Hey Mr 25?




And the final product, Cooked in the oven on a chip tray. No oil.

We just had to do a taste test of before serving to the prince..

Delicious!








After making the home made chicken breast nuggets, Mr 25 was on a mission on to make another dish.

This time choc full on veggies.


We used Chicken mince, zucchini, carrot, onion and spinach. All chopped finely, rolled in to balls and crumbed.


The nuggets went down a treat, even Miss .14 demolished some! And 4.5 finished his dinner, her left overs and even scavenged for some more! We were hoping the chicken balls were going to be a hit too.


We quickly mentioned to 4.5 what he was having for dinner, but didn't fuss to much over it. Just simply said they was 'Chicken nugget balls' And left it at that.


We served them up with a side of BBQ sauce, dimmed the lights so he couldn't see the mix of coloured veggies and held our breath. I pottered around the kitchen trying to peer over to the dining room table and Mr 25 sat close by. He poked and prodded for a bit, then finally took a bite.


"Mummmmm...Whats the green stuff?" He asked.. Trying to beat Mr 25 to it, and him doing the same with both said "Crushed lollies, But don't tell any one!"


Phew!


And away he chomped.

So we may have said a teeny weeny little fib, But did dinner get finished?

Yep. *Two thumbs up*


x N


Ive never like tomato soup.. Yuck!

Until one night i had a dish at a friends which had been made in (unknowing to me) Tomato Soup!

Today, I still couldn't possibly eat a bowl of it, but i have a new found love of cooking meals with it.

The dish i made a few nights ago with the meat in gravy, i also use for this one too. Just swap the chicken for meat. Lamb shanks work extremely well for this one!


But tonight, Baby and I want chicken!


This is my first attempt at making this, and the recipe is coming straight from my cravings.. so ill do my best at explaining it.



I'm using a cup and a bit of frozen veggies. I'm not a huge fan of the frozen stuff, but at the moment.. its all we have in the freezer!


Ive thickly sliced some Capsicum and onion and the reason Ive done them think is because they cook very well when in the mixture like that.



Pour half a tin of soup in to a oven proof dish and lay the chicken breast down. sprinkle veggies over the chicken and soup, then tip the rest of the can in.


Lay the onion and capsicum down and pour the other tin. (I use 2 tins and sometime a half a can of water so i can use the sauce as a 'gravy' over my spuds)


Simply put in the oven and bake for about an hour and a half. And tonight i served it with smashed spuds (A new family fav!).










Even Miss .14 demolished her dinner!

And Mr 25 has just polished off the above...
I 'think' it was a hit!
xN


Spreading the LOVE.

While pregnant with Master 4.5 i had no concerns as to how much i could possibly love a person. I was in a long term rocky relationship and all i focused on for 9 months was how much i was going to absorb this little person and invest all my love in to him.

When i gave birth to him, even tho my photos tell a different story, I instantly loved this tiny screaming scared little boy. I wanted to wrap him in his bunny rug and run far far away from everyone. I just wanted it to him ME and HIM.

Our hospital stay was longer then expected, but it gave us all the 'alone' time we wanted. I craved the 'mother no-visit' time.

It didn't bother me the slightest that i had to rock him to sleep, walk the hallway at un-godly hours or feed for hours on end while sitting on the lounge watching Big Brother Up late. I gave him my everything. There was nothing i wouldn't do for this child.

Master 4.5 and i then spent the next 2.5 years a duo. My best friend and i living life our way.

I met Mr 25 when 4.5 was just over 2 and a half.. 4.5's bio didn't have a steady relationship with him and Mr 25 took on the fathering roll. Teaching him how to use the toilet and parting with his dummy.

Me on the other hand, I had to learn to spread the love. I'd 'seen' other people before, but this was my first 'serious' relationship since 4.5's father.

I struggles for months. Trying to kick off a new relationship, while trying to make sure i didn't miss a minute of my baby boy growing up.

Ill admit, i found it very very hard to make it an even balance. At times i felt like i was passing 4.5 off to my parents to spend more time with Mr 25 or i was neglecting 25 to spend more quality time with 4.5 .. It wasn't easy.

I think we had mentioned once while having a general chat, that one day it would be nice to give 4.5 a sibling. And I'm 99.9% sure it was that night we conceived Miss .14

The memories of learning to spread my love around came flooding back. I felt like every time something new came in to my life, Master 4.5 to another step back. And that devastated me.

He was meant to be my #1. My everything. But now i had to not only share my everything, but i had to share myself.

I knew straight away that he was going to be an amazing brother. For some reason i knew he wouldn't be the jealous type or spiteful. And it shows how well i know my son, as there as never ever been a day where he has shown a nasty side to his sister. From the moment he met her he's loved her. He was 3.5 when i gave birth to her.

She had a very rough start to life which kept us in hospital for weeks. Again, more time away from 4.5 and him being passed around to anyone who had time on their hands. Something that i had no control over. But still, i spent many night in tears because i wasn't with him.

Master 4.5 was the first person to know i was expecting #3. I firstly asked him what he thought about having another brother or sister. And his response was 'Only if its like my sister'

About an hour later i put his hand on my stomach and told him there was a baby growing in there. We spent hours and hours that night talking about what the next 9 months was going to be like. He has followed our pregnancy step by step. From blood tests to ultrasounds. Its been an awesome age for him to understand it all.

I'm now 14 days from my expected due date. And the feelings have overcome me again.

Master 4.5 now attends Prep 5 days a week and is at his dads every other weekend, which doesn't leave a great deal of 'Mummy - Son" time.

Before he started prep every Monday when .14 was in day care we would have a day to ourselves. We would go road tripping, i would take him out for dinner, time zone, swimming. But lately things have changed. I'm tired, hes tired. Instead of late night swims and random trips to cold rock and crazy hours, we are laying in bed watching Home and Away. Which he now trades to go play in the lounge room with Mr 25. Were both moody and in probably less then 2 weeks there is going to be a brand new baby thrown in to the mix of things.

Everyone who knows 4.5, will tell you, He is extremely eager to meet this new addition.
I keep him up to date with my hospital appointments and he is always rubbing and kissing my bump. I just hope deep down he understands how much he is still my everything. As much as we argue like cat and dog, hes always going to mean the world to me.

I don't ever want to cuddles in bed to stop, i don't ever want him to lose his affectionate side, i want to hear 'I love you mum' for the rest of my life and the sound of him laughing with his sister until they are out of breath will always melt my heart.

Miss ,14 has very much turned in to a Daddy's girl. I think alot has to do with her being a boisterous little thing and Dad is able to rough around alot more with her then i can. But all in all, shes become very attached to Daddy.
As long as her slobbery kisses and hearty laughs don't stop, Ill know theres a soft spot in there for me.

Mr 25.. well i really feel for him. Ive lost all affection, it hurts to be touched, i groan every time i move, i whinge and my body is just so tired i end up in bed hours before he does.
I toss and turn all night and have no idea how he even functions at work if i wake him up every time i have to run to the toilet!

The only way i find i can show him I'm grateful is by keeping the house live able and making sure theres a great meal for him when he walks in the door. I think theres only been about 10 divided months in our whole relationship where i haven't been pregnant! I'm looking forward to having my body back and being able to attempt some 'Us' time again!

So for now, I will continue to spread my love the best i can. I know i have enough. I will stop worrying and enjoy more. Before i know it .14 will be starting Prep and there's is another 5 days less i get to see her grow up.

I wonder if every parent experiences this?

x N

Saturday, March 27, 2010

There shall be no more food fights!

Well... We hope!

Mr 25 has started hand making Master 4.5's fav foods.. Plus a few newbies.

For the past few months Master 4.5 has been a shocking eater. We've tryed so many things to make him eat right. But 80% of the time he ends up gagging and goes to bed. But it makes me feel miserable sending him to bed on an empty stomach, and I'm not going to give in to letting him simply have a sandwich after Ive cooked a perfectly good meal. Yesterday was breaking point. He would stress how hungry is was, to the point he would hold his stomach and groan. So i would make him a meal and he would eat 3-4 mouthfuls and say he was full. He begged me for sausages for dinner and as my facebook friends know, he barley got through ONE then started gagging that he didn't want anymore. I was at my wits end!

Today Mr 25 went and stocked up on chicken breast and crumbed it to make what looks like nuggets.

Tested by 4.5 and .14 ... We have a winner! So for approx $6.00 probably even less we got about 50+ REAL chicken breast nuggets!

Now Mr 25 is on a mission.. Hes been back down to the supermarket and butcher to buy chicken mince, beef mince and a ton of veggies to make crumbed skinless sausages, mince meat balls and sausage rolls all packed full of veggies like Carrot, Onion, Zucchini, Spinach and what ever else he can jam pack in it! And is hard at work chopping and grating (AND CRYING! Damn onion...) in the kitchen making more meals.

Were going to try the chicken meat balls in a plain tomato spaghetti sauce with pasta tomorrow night and see how that goes!

Master 4.5's eating has been a HUGE concern of mine for a long long time now. And with me having this baby in less then 2 weeks, what he would eat while I'm in hospital worried me. But now our back freezer will be loaded with healthy dinners and my mind is at ease.


If ANY one has any stress free- basic- healthy make at home child friendly recipes, we are ALL ears!

Oh, and Thanks Mr 25. xx

x N


Chicken breast cut in to nugget sized pieces.. Dipped in flour, egg and bread crumbs.

We then bagged them up in to 6 and froze them.

I really didn't want to shallow fry them, so we oven baked them on our chip tray!

DELISH!

Friday, March 26, 2010

Its beginning to look alot like EASTER!

Easter this year is more hectic then any other for many reasons!

Both Master 4.5 and Miss .14 have Easter Parades on the same day, requiring the same things.. Hats and baskets.

So today we've set out to make our Easter baskets and in between make some yummy 'White-Choc mellow eggs' ..Just for fun..
And yes, they taste as good as they sound!

I didn't think as much effort would go in to making them, the recipe looked pretty straight forward, but once you make them the first time you will get to know what you and tweak and make a little easier.

I didn't photograph our little cooking expedition purely for the fact i had marsh mallow from head to toe, Master 4.5 is not camera savvy and you would die at the state of my kitchen right now!

So here is the recipe.. and ill even add some photos of our final product.

90g Butter
200g (1 1/4 cups) Nestle white melts
150g of pink and white marsh mallow (The 'good' brand)
4 cups of rice bubbles (We used the home brand kind, and only 3 cups)
3/4 cup of shredded coconut
Pink food colouring (Optional)

1. Melt butter and 100g of melts in a heat proof bowl over a pan of simmering water. Add marshmallows. (I zapped the mallows for 1 minute and mix after they melts and butter had melted)
2. Combine cereal and coconut in a LARGE bowl, add mellow mixture and mix well. (do NOT mix with your hands.. Its bloody hot!)
3. Once cooled slightly, using lightly oiled hands (Not wet) mould mixture in to egg shapes and place on to a baking tray or baking paper line tray and chill until firm.
4. Melt left over White melts over pan of simmering water and tint with pink food colouring (Optional) Place in to small plastic bag, snip end and drizzle chocolate over eggs.
Refrigerate untill set.




And here the final product!













Nom Nom Nom!

Stay put a little longer baby!

I got a call Thursday from the clinic saying my Iron levels were dangerously low.. They had been low my whole pregnancy around 150-120 but they had now dropped to 92 and were concerned if id lost alot of blood in labour it wouldn't be good.. I have Farly fast labours and they may not have time to hook a transfusion up in time. So yesterday after having a chat with some friends and hearing about how great they are feeling i decided to get some advice from the midwives. I was positive i didn't want to go in to hospital and make a fuss.. I just wanted to know how to feel part normal again.

For the past 3-4 days Ive been so so sick, I'm always dizzy, i make dinner and lunches sitting down on the computer chair in the kitchen and just sleep the days away. Only to feel like utter crapola that night. I just couldn't win!

Ive tryed Multi-vitamins, pregnancy and breast feeding formula, Iron supplements like Fefol, Ferro-liquid and Fero-dix iron supplements all without any success. Ive been taking them with Vitamin C and my levels just keep dropping.

And I've noticed the past couple of weeks my breast haven't been leaking colostrum, at all. Something that i was so so proud of as i was positive i would have a decent milk supply this time round.

Last night they were going to consider doing an iron transfusion last night, so i headed in to get checked out.

First they thought bubs had turned breech, which scared the crap out of me! We couldn't find a heart beat and she felt no head in my pelvis, but i knew it was ok because it was kicking around. The midwife sighed and said 'Oh i hope the heart isn't up here' .. Under my left breast. And as she slowly put the monitor there, Wolah! There it was.. Gah!

So she called another middy in who also said it had turned and they requested an Ultrasound machine be brought up. 2 other midwives had a poke and a pull and finally found that the head was so far down they couldn't feel it, and bubs had simply flipped bub to the other side of my belly, moving the heart beat over. PHEW!

My Group Strep B results then came back as positive.. I'm not to cluey on this GSB.. so if anyone has been positive, id love to hear what your experience was like.

Next.. They spoke induction at 39 weeks so they could make sure i would get the GSP antibiotics in time and she wanted to see how soft my cervix was. I had known since Thursday they were going to consider it so i started natural ways of softening my cervix by taking Evening Primrose Capsules, as i had done with Miss .14.

The internal showed i was about 2cm dilated which wasn't uncommon as its my 3rd child, my cervix was softening, which meant if by 39 weeks they chose to induce and start antibiotics for Group Strep B, they would only have to break my waters. So I'm going to keep at the EPO caps nightly.

Last night i had a little bit of bleeding, but it seems to be easing now. Considering how rough she was, i was certain the baby would be out by this morning!

My temp was a little high 37.3 , that they didn't have an explanation for.

And they pretty much sent me home to rest, drink loads of fluids and try another iron supplement. I'm going to have a ton of iron supplement samples in my medicine cupboard!

Heard some amazing labours while i was there.. Which brings me to the point of this entry..

"Dear Baby Pink or Blue,
As long as your happy to stay put, SO AM I.
I can still hear those screams of pain and the words "I CANT DO THIS!" ...
Followed by many voices repeating 'push push push push.. sloooowly.. Ok and again.. push push push push...Nearly there!!"

I think I'm a little traumatised! I don't think I'm ready for all that pain yet!

So lets get this iron issue under control.. Have another test done Wednesday and see how we go after they hey!

(Plus daddy is going to the football tonight, hes FAV team The Raiders are playing your brothers team The Titans.. And he would be peeved if he missed it!)

Cant wait to meet you, when they time is right.. but for now.. Stay put baby!

Love Mum"

x N

Thursday, March 25, 2010

Easy Peasy!

We just use any kind of meat, forequarters, rump.. Anything.. CHEAP for this dish. And the side dish idea i got off a friend about a week ago and it is DEVINE!

Ingredients-

Meat- How even much to feed your family (+ a couple more, because you WILL want seconds!)
1 onion cut in to rings
1 red capsicum (optional- Just adds colour)
Gravy- enough to cover meat in baking dish
Potato's- approx 4
salt
seasoning
oil

The best way to run you through it is with photos..




Lay meat in oven proof dish and cover with onion and capsicum.

Then cover with gravy. We just use the powder gravy and make sure its WELL covered.

Bake in oven for about 45 minutes to an hour on 180*.


Peal, halve and boil potato's for about 20 minutes until you can just stick a fork through it.
Bake on a well oiled oven proof dish for about 10 minutes until they are a little bit crisp.



SMASH with a potato masher. Not to hard, just enough to make some room to season.


Season with finely chopped onion, garlic, thyme, pepper, salt ect. And brush with oil.



Bake until crunchy!

DELISH!



Oh, and finish with a nice fresh desert.. Gelato went down well for us!

If you make this dish, leave me some feedback! Would LOVE to know what you thought.
The only issue Mr 25 had with this is that there wasn't any leftovers!
Enjoy!
x N








Saturday, March 20, 2010

Our 'Pre-baby' getaway!

Last night i surprised Mr 25 with a night away.
We stayed at the lovely Crown Plaza on the Gold Coast.

Our room was on the 19th floor, overlooking the crystal clear ocean. We spent hours on the balcony watching the sea and Surfers Paradise. Mr 25 ran me a nice big bubble spa bath (That was SO hot it would have cooked the baby if id not put more cold water in it!..At least he tryed) and we ate yummy pizza from Broadbeach then relaxed for hours!

This morning we were treated to a buffet breakfast in the Revolving restaurant 26 floors up, with 360 degree views of the Gold Coast.

We then walked through the gardens and checked out the pools before heading back up to the unit to relax and meet up with Mr 25's cousin who is up for the Australian Surf Lifesaving Championships.

We checked out, picked Miss .14 up from Granny and Granpa's where she had been spoilt rotten and now were home to enjoy the rest of Sunday.

I thought id add some photos for those who are looking for a nice relaxed place to stay on the GC.

Pro's- I loved the 'package' i received.. The classed us as a 'Special Occasion' and treated us extremely well!

Con's- We were TO high! But that's just us.. I felt a bit ill this morning, i would probably ask for no higher then floor 10-12 next time.

All in all it was a great night away from home. Will be a while before we get to do it again!

x N



Our view from the Revolving restaurant.
Q1 straight ahead.

The view from our room.

My spa!



Bump and I about to enjoy some quiet time.



The day view from our room looking North.



And looking South.



The lovely little package they left us..


Friday, March 19, 2010

Dont you hate it when..

You spot something while your shopping and are positive you should buy it.. But you slowly put it back down.. spend the next half an hour Umming and Arring about whether to get it, Then you leave the store knowing well and good you should have bought it?

I did that yesterday.

Now this is a 'special buy' and by far a 'must have' but more of a .. Love. A $4.99 bunch of twisted, mattered, straw Love.

Its very plain and simple, but would have MANY uses.. So I'm going back to buy it. It will be used in a thousand and one photos.. i should probably even buy 2! But the sentimental-ness of it wouldn't be much good as to me, there will only be one of a kind.

Can you guess what it is? I bet you cant! And i guarantee you will roll yours eyes when you see my new 'want'.

So ill leave you guessing.. Let me know what your thoughts are.. and ill be back tomorrow with my new buy!

x N